He let his gaze rove along those sleek thighs, and when he brought his eyes back to hers, something gratifying awaited him there. “You’re blushing,” he said with genuine surprise.
“I am not blushing.” She turned her back on him to wipe down a part of the bar that didn’t need wiping. “I’m just flushed from my workout.”
“Next time, you let me know if you need a running partner. Because seriously, I’m available for chasing.”
“Dream on, Jessup.” She threw the rag into a bin under the counter. “Now, do you have a reason to be here, or is it just to plague me?”
He was working up the guts to break it to her about the rancher’s second story, so for now it was pretty much the plague-her thing. He had an appointment to keep in Reno, but instead he found himself reaching for a menu. “What’s today’s special?”
“Soup, but it won’t be ready for an hour.”
“Forget the soup,” Bear said. He put his paper down and shot a thumb in the direction of the windows. “You’ve gotta finish the screens.”
Eddie popped up to take a look. “I did finish, good and solid.” He helped the Baileys out with small jobs, and it wasn’t like him to mess something up. “Here’s your problem,” he said, seeing it immediately. One of the pegs holding the screen in place had broken, leaving a gap wide enough to let bugs in. “I told you, Bear, you get what you pay for.”
“They told me these were perfectly good.”
“And I told you they’re perfect crap. These cheap ones can’t take any wear.” He wedged the screen back into place. “Hey, sugar,” he called to Laura, “you got a toothpick behind that bar?” She gave him a frosty look in reply, so he added, “I need something tiny to pick out the broken bit.”
“These things came with a bag of extra parts,” Bear said, headed to the door. “I’ll go to the garage, see if I can find them.”
Laura brought him a few plastic cocktail spears, and instead of returning to the bar, she stayed to watch as he used a toothpick to jiggle the piece free. “How’d that happen?” she asked.
He found her interest oddly gratifying. “It was probably some little kid, sitting in the booth, fiddling with it. Snapped the head of it right off.”
“Well, can’t you just snap it back on again? It’s letting in a ton of mosquitoes.” She put a knee on the bench of the booth to get a closer look, and the fake leather upholstery crunched as she leaned in.
The piece popped free, and he dropped it into her hand. “Got it.”
“Good. I worked the evening shift yesterday and was practically nibbled to death.”
Her thigh was tanned and smooth, and he had a good idea of what he’d like a nibble of. “I’ll bet you taste mighty good, too.”
Too good. He had to turn his back to her, giving himself a second to cool it.
But then she made an exasperated sound, and he just had to get a look at her expression, so he stood. He moved sooner than she’d expected, though, because as he did he practically bumped into her.
Stepping back, she made a little “Oh” sound. Her eyes were wide and lips parted, making her look as heated as he felt.
“Is there something the matter?” He stepped closer, touching a finger to her chin. “Because, sweet thing, you’re looking flushed.”
“Just fix it and be done, Jessup.” She shifted her chin, evading his touch, but she didn’t move outright, which he took as an excellent sign.
He inched even closer to her. “You want me to fix it?”
She took another step backward, looking a little unsteady. “Please.”
“Well, then. All you had to do was say please.”
Bear reappeared with a tiny, clear plastic bag. “Got ’em.”
“Maybe if you’d installed it right the first time,” Laura said flatly.
He smirked to himself, wondering if she was this saucy in all areas of her life. “I did install it right the first time.” He emptied the parts into his palm, looking for the right little black peg. “Maybe if the manager of this place hadn’t been so stingy…”
“I am not stingy,” Laura said.
“Whatever you say.” It took Eddie just a second to click the part into place.