Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,22

how much he had missed pushing himself physically in a situation that didn’t involve gym equipment. There was something altogether cathartic about maneuvering great weights for the sake of more than keeping himself busy. It almost reminded him of the grueling patrols and training while he’d been in the Army.

It certainly didn’t help that more than once while doing the heavy lifting he’d caught Levi watching him intently. The man’s face was as blunt with its expression as Levi was with his words. Jacob was proud of his body, its strength, his tattoos, even the scars he’d earned from a couple of deployments. Yet when Levi watched him use his body for something productive, the look of intense interest and something like awe left Jacob wanting to do more lifting and maybe strut around while he was doing it.

“You’re really going all out on this porch,” Jacob noted as he stopped before the hole where the beam was supposed to go.

“Well, it’s better if the thing lasts for more than a couple of years,” Levi told him. “Hold it still.”

Jacob did as he was told. “And you’re sure the thing isn’t going to fall on them?”

Levi frowned as he brought the mixed cement over. “I know what I’m doing.”

Jacob looked at the house and then back at Levi. “Not...quite what I meant.”

Levi followed his gaze and shrugged. “It’s stronger than it looks.”

It would have to be since the farmhouse had clearly seen better days. The exterior was worn, the siding loose in some places and missing in others. The roof had been redone recently, and it looked like a couple of the windows had been replaced as well. Jacob suspected Levi was the reason behind that, just as he was responsible for the monstrous porch being installed.

“How big was the original porch?” Jacob asked.

“Uh, about half this,” Levi admitted.

“That so?”

“Yeah.”

Jacob smirked as Levi’s cheeks began to color, and the man hastily tipped the wheelbarrow up to dump the cement into the hole. It was the perfect job for hiding his face, as Levi had to crouch down beside the wheelbarrow to scrape the remnants of the cement out of the bottom and then even out the layer of the sludge.

Staying where he was, Jacob said nothing, allowing Levi the illusion of privacy from his embarrassment. Much like Jacob had let Levi be silent as he drove him out to the James’ farmhouse. It had been all too easy to see the embarrassment rolling off Levi as he pointedly looked anywhere but at Jacob. It was a little amusing to Jacob that as a full-grown man, Levi was bothering to hide what was an obvious attraction. It might be worry about how Jacob would react, but honestly, Jacob thought he’d done pretty well, showing he was not in the least bit bothered by Levi’s interest.

Then again, maybe it needed to be more overt.

“You know, it’s not really a bad thing,” Jacob said.

“What?” Levi asked.

Jacob watched him, leaning back to study Levi’s face as he worked. There was a line between his brows as he squinted down at the uneven layer of sludge. Jacob wasn’t really sure how important it was to make sure the layer was smooth, but Levi sure seemed to think so.

“Wanting to help people,” Jacob told him.

“I never said it was.”

“You’re the one acting bashful because you’re helping these people.”

“I am not.”

“Just like you’re not stubborn.”

“Nope.”

Jacob chuckled. “Of course not.”

Levi stood up, sighing. “Alright, we’re going to have to fasten this to the beams I have jutting out from the house. Otherwise, one of us is going to have to stand around and hold this thing up for hours.”

“Seems kind of boring,” Jacob observed.

“Pretty much. But hey, why don’t I hold the thing up, and you go get the ladder and scurry your butt up there to secure it?”

Jacob squinted. “Is this an excuse to look at my ass, or are you just afraid of heights?”

Levi scowled, which was completely ruined by the color in his cheeks. “I’m not scared of heights.”

“Right, so it’s my ass,” Jacob said, backing up so Levi could take hold of the beam.

“I just,” Levi muttered as he took his place. “Don’t like ladders. They give me the willies.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They can be secure as possible, and I’ll still get on one, convinced it’s going to fall or collapse under me the entire time. Never been able to shake it. Get me on a cliff or on a tall building, and I don’t even