got those chocolate glazed ones you like, and lookie here, Luke. Bavarian crème. That’s your favorite, isn’t it?”
Luke tore his gaze away from Shannon. “Yes, ma’am. That’s my favorite.”
“What are you doing here so early?” Shannon asked.
“Plumbing work at the house today. They started early. Had to shower at six a.m. before they turned the water off. Thought I might as well come on in and get some work done.” She pointed to the donuts. “Well, eat up, you two.”
As Freddie Jo grabbed a cup of coffee, Luke reached for a donut, then rose from the table.
“Oh,” he said to Shannon. “Do you mind if I borrow that ladder in the equipment shed?”
Her heart still hadn’t slowed down, but she matched his nonchalance as best she could. “Sure. What do you need it for?”
“I want to climb up it so I can reach something taller than I am.”
She gave him a deadpan look. “Well, in that case, why don’t you take the lawnmower, too? That way you can slice the tops off of overgrown blades of grass.”
His brow crinkled. “Anybody ever tell you you’re a smart ass?”
He took a bite of the donut, giving her a little wink at the same time. As he walked away, he glanced back over his shoulder with an expression that made her body temperature shoot up about ten degrees.
Don’t think for a moment this is over, that look said. Not by a long shot.
Luke spent most of the morning replacing chewed-up boards on the corral fence, then most of the afternoon helping the farrier check out the horses’ hooves and shoe the ones that needed it. But through it all, his mind was on Shannon.
Friends. That was all she wanted? For them to be friends? He knew better. But he also knew that for all his intentions of staying clear of any emotional involvement, he was having a tough time of it. He loved it when she wore a sweaty T-shirt with hay stuck in her hair, because it meant she wasn’t afraid of work and had enough determination for ten women. He loved how she protected every animal that came to the shelter with the tenacity of a lioness looking out for her cubs. He loved the way she apologized when she was wrong even though it frustrated the hell out of her and she could barely get the words out. And he loved the times she let down her guard and melted into him when he touched her, then looked up at him with eyes that begged for more.
What scared him was that he might be only a kiss away from loving her.
He froze, his heart beating rapid-fire. That thought was out of bounds. Way out. It was this place—that was what did it to him. It pushed him back into the past until he felt like that poor, emotionally deprived boy he’d been, the one desperate to seize on to anything that looked like love. But he wasn’t that pitiful, needy kid anymore.
As much as he wanted her, maybe her suggestion that they just be friends was a good one. He knew he could coerce her. All he had to do was get her alone and remind her what it had felt like to come this close to making love. But he also knew that in the end, she’d resent him for it, and the last thing he wanted was bad feelings all over again.
When he finished working for the day, he grabbed the ladder, then headed to the hardware store in town to pick up a few supplies. He drove back up Highway 28 to the Pic ’N Go, where he unloaded everything from his truck. He poured paint into the pan, then unwrapped the roller. He took both of them up the ladder, knowing he’d have to do the whole wall so the faded paint that was already there wouldn’t clash with the new stuff.
He’d just gotten started good when he saw Myrna coming around the corner with Todd running along behind her.
She stopped and looked up at him. “Luke Dawson!” she called out. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
He came down off the ladder and gave her a smile. “Hi, Mrs. Schumaker. I thought I’d do a little painting.”
She looked at him warily. “What for?”
“Well, as creative as that graffiti is, I thought you might like it better if it was covered up. Now, I checked with Bob at the hardware store to make sure to get