"Well, that coin happens to be a royal pain in the ass."
I rolled my eyes at her and handed her a dog-eared romance novel. Casey loved to read in the bath. That did sound nice actually.
Maybe I would try it someday.
"It's because of me."
My hand was on the doorknob when I heard her. She spoke so softly I almost missed it. I turned to see her with a strange look on her face.
"What did you say?"
"You don't date because of me."
"Case-that's not true."
She looked at me, her big brown eyes shining.
"It is. So for me, give this a shot." She held up her hand when I started to argue. "If not this guy, someone else. Please Ange."
I stared at her, my emotions in turmoil. I didn't want her to feel like that. Not for a second. None of this was her fault.
"You are not a burden, Case. I would do anything for you."
"I know. So do this for me."
I bit my lip and nodded.
"Alright. I will if you stop saying things like that. Or thinking them."
She smiled at me then and sunk lower in the bath.
"Deal."
"Call me when you want to get out."
She nodded, already opening her book.
I went to start cleaning the room I would sleep in tonight. Except, when I thought about everything Casey had said, I had a feeling I would be up late thinking.
About Casey. About how our lives had changed when she got sick. About how I had just agreed to go on a date. I tried to imagine what kind of guy I would meet out here in the country. What kind of guy would want to even date me.
I used to be considered a catch. But look at me now. Wearing dirty jeans. I hadn't had a manicure or a blow out in a year. I shrugged. What did it matter? I had said I would go out with someone if they asked.
It wasn't my fault if no one did.
Even though he was the last man on earth I wanted to go out with, his image kept popping up in my mind. His cool gray blue eyes. His broad shoulders. His strong jaw and handsome face.
His smug, smirking, handsome face.
Jackson Delancey.
Chapter Five Jackson
"Mornin' Jackson, you here for that fencing?"
I nodded, tossing a couple of boxes of nails onto the counter. We had plenty of employees to do the work on the estate, but I liked to be the one to order the supplies. I let Mrs. Garretty handle the household stuff, but when it came to the horses, stables and paddock, it was all me.
There was a reason my brothers called me a control freak.
Peter looked up from behind the cashier and flushed. He stammered, his eyes glued to someone standing behind me. I had a sudden feeling I knew just who it was.
"I'm sorry Miss Randall, we're out of the patch kits. I looked everywhere."
"Please, call me Angelina."
My head turned to the side before I knew what I was doing. My whole damn body swiveled toward the sound of her voice. I could not help but smile when I saw her standing beside me.
She had that damn kerchief on her head again. It should have looked silly but it didn't. For some damn reason it looked sexy as hell. So did her designer denim overalls. They hugged her bottom and showed off the round shape of her luscious tits. I let out a low whistle. Those melons were definitely a healthy handful, even for a big man like me.
"AHEM."
I lifted my eyes to meet her flashing green ones. In the darkness the gold was hardly visible at all. I realized you could only see the sparkly bits in the sun or a bright light. It felt like a secret, knowing that about her.
She was adorable.
She was also not at all pleased to have caught me checking out her jugs.
My smiled widened.
"Miss Randall."
She glared at me. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to tell me to call her Angelina.
She didn't.
"It's Ms. I'm not a schoolgirl."
Pete let out a sharp bark of laughter. Now it was my turn to glare at him. But only for a second. It was next to impossible to keep my eyes off her.
I decided not to fight it.
In fact, I decided that I was going to bed her. Tonight. It was the only way to get her out of my system. Which meant I should probably stop deliberately antagonizing her. I changed tactics, giving her my most charming smile.
"What's the patch for?"
She scowled at me, which only made her look cuter. Damn if the woman didn't look good no matter what she was doing. I had a feeling she would look good digging a damn ditch. Especially if she was pissed about having to do it.
She reminded me of an angry, adorable hissing little kitten.
I shook my head. Cute as they were, kittens were known for having sharp claws. And teeth.
"Everything in the house is leaking! There's a leak over the porch. In the attic. And one of the pipes is leaking into the basement every time we use the bath."