Derick (Delta Forces #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,8

hell out of her, and the mystery surrounding her only intrigued him further.

He didn’t believe for a moment that she was a criminal. No, that didn’t make sense. She was a hard worker and, the criminals he knew took the easy route through life. And she was too generous. Coming over here today to help him, to pay him back for his efforts yesterday, wasn’t something a criminal would do.

Nope. The neighborly “Jolene” wasn’t a criminal. Not a chance.

So, who was she? He could find out easily enough. He could just ask Mike to run a check on her. They had the resources and databases in the office to find out just about anything on anyone. It was their job to gather as much data that they could before stepping into a dangerous situation, resolve the problem, then get out. In those situations, knowledge was essential. So, the Army had developed a database that most people didn’t know about.

But Derick didn’t want to use those systems to find out the mystery of “Jolene”. For some reason, he felt that checking into her background would be a violation of her trust. And a violation of her privacy. She hadn’t done anything illegal that he knew of. So, he had no justification, other than curiosity, to delve into her past.

Plus, he wanted her to tell him. She was strong and a damn good carpenter. He’d also seen into her house while pulling up some of those boards yesterday. She was doing a fantastic job on the interior as well. To a casual observer, the house looked ruined. The woodwork was all torn up from a sander, the walls patched up with caulk and drywall plaster. There was dust just about everywhere. But because Derick had done, and was still doing, the same sorts of repairs to his house, he understood the process. He recognized the priming of the walls and wood prior to applying the finishing touches.

In fact, Derick realized that he was anticipating the challenge of getting her to trust him. After years of living out here by himself, the idea of having a neighbor, especially a pretty, mysterious neighbor, was enticing.

Carrie watched as Derick snipped and tied up the cucumber vines, coaxed the bean vines around the poles and cushioned the budding squash plants. His hands were gentle and caring. He never pulled too hard and touched every plant and fruit with…almost reverence.

And he was right to treat the plants that way, she realized. These were life-giving plants. These plants didn’t just provide oxygen, but they brought forth fruit and health and vitality!

She almost fell on her bottom when she realized that he was coaxing her out of her shell as well! Just like a plant! After living next to the man for only a week, he’d coaxed a smile from her. That’s something she hadn’t done in…too long. Carrie hadn’t had a reason to smile. And yet, after only a few conversations with him, he had her smiling like a goofball.

Not to mention, the way he was touching those plants made her think about what it would be like for him to touch her that way. Would he have such reverence when he touched her? Would he look at her with pride and awe when his hands cupped her breasts?

Just thinking along those lines caused her body to tingle in odd places. Places she had thought dead. Beaten to death a long time ago.

“Why are you doing that?” she asked, nodding towards his hands, which were carefully pinching the flowers off a vine.

He glanced at her, but she couldn’t see his eyes very well through his dark sunglasses.

“It makes the plant healthier if it only has to produce one fruit or vegetable,” he explained patiently. “Imagine a woman giving birth to one child versus the risks of giving birth to five or six at once.”

She shuddered at the idea. “Pinch away!” But that wasn’t the only question she had. As they worked, she asked more questions, thrilled that he was patient enough to answer them. She also pulled weeds as she went along, tossing everything into the grass, just as he was doing.

By the time the sun was overhead, he called a halt. “We’ve done enough for today,” he told her, walking over to take the twine and scissors back. “Thank you for your help. Would you like some lemonade?”

She looked around, a teasing sparkle to her eye. “No lemon trees?”

He grinned, then tilted his head toward his house.