Timber Creek (Sierra Falls 2)

“Dude,” Eddie mumbled.

They watched as he deftly popped out shards of the broken pane, then used a tool to scrape out the remaining dirt, paint, and glass.

“Cool,” Dan said. “What is that you’re using?”

Eddie didn’t look up from his work. “Five-in-one tool. ”

“Gotta get me one of those. ”

“Seriously, Danny?” She raised a brow. “For your toolbox?”

“Hey, I’m handy. ” He inched closer, studying Eddie’s work. “Not as handy as this guy. But I guess when you do it for a living…” He clapped a chummy hand on Eddie’s shoulder.

At the unexpected contact, Eddie’s arm slipped, and his hand flew through the opening, his forearm grazing along the mullion still jagged with glass.

“What the—” Eddie hopped back, shaking out his hand, looking like he’d rather be using it to punch Dan. “A little space, please. ”

Laura gasped, seeing the blood gush along his skin. “Oh my God, Eddie, you’re hurt. ”

“Dude, so sorry. ” Dan looked panicked.

“No big thing. ” Eddie scowled at the cut, fisting and unfisting his hand. “This part of the arm bleeds a lot. ”

“I’ll say. ” She ran to get a clean rag from behind the bar. “Here, wrap it up. ”

He wound it around his arm, cinching it tight. “It’s fine. Really. ”

Dan backed away. “Hey, I should be going, anyway. The guys want to check out that bar cross town. ”

The look she gave him said that was probably a good idea.

The dinnertime rush was starting in earnest. The hum of diners swirled around her, and Helen and Sorrow could’ve probably used help, but she was worried about Eddie, already back at it.

She let herself take a moment to sit down. She needed to think. Her phone buzzed and buzzed again as the calls from her old boss had been replaced by a text assault, and they were all so flattering.

Come back. We need you. Stock + incentives.

I’m sorry.

Patrick’s gone. Fired his ass.

There’s nobody better than you.

You’re an ace. Come back.

She’d longed for respect. Had felt so stung when the job that should’ve been hers was taken away.

And now she wished she could’ve told someone about this new job offer, but she was too wary. Nobody would understand. She didn’t have the best track record in Sierra Falls, and in some ways it’d become more important to prove herself at home. If her family heard she’d been offered her old job back—check that, offered an even better job—even if she swore she was home to stay, they’d just be waiting for her to leave.

But she didn’t want to leave Sierra Falls. Against all odds and despite what she would’ve guessed, she was actually contented. Challenged, even. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined she’d want to stay, but there she was, watching Eddie Jessup patch her window, and she was happy about it.

And what an engrossing sight it was. The windows were a standard size, and he’d cut a replacement pane before coming. She tried not to stare too unabashedly as he made quick work of it, but it was hard when right in front of her was a white T-shirt tugged tight over a broad set of shoulders, muscles flexing as he chipped and sanded and pried, doing all manner of capable man things.

He was such a guy’s guy, hanging in there till he finished the job, despite the gash on his arm that must’ve been killing him. He was acting immune to the pain.

She’d known guys like this—she’d grown up around mountain men, and heck, she had an overly macho brother. But her dating life had mostly been in San Francisco, and she’d never been with a guy like this. The most dangerous thing her dates had ever faced was weaving in and out of rush-hour traffic. The most painful thing her fiancé had ever encountered was the hangover after his best friend’s bachelor party.

“All done. ” He dropped his tools back in his box and recinched the rag around his arm.