A big man in a plaid flannel shirt had met them in an old, battered pickup truck. He’d introduced himself as Nash Walkins, bait-shop owner.
So, squashed in the middle of the bench seat, wrinkling her nose at the faint odor of trout, Crystal had bounced down the rutted road to Larry’s house.
“It needs a bit of work,” said Larry as they rocked to a halt between the wide front porch and an overgrown lawn that swept down to an aging dock at the lakeshore. The sun was a dying orange ball, slipping fast behind the rolling hills on the far side of the lake.
Nash guffawed from the driver’s seat.
“Okay, quite a bit of work,” Larry amended.
White paint was peeling on the pillars and latticework. The shingles curled up from a bowed porch roof. And two of the front windows were covered in plywood.
“It’s lovely,” said Crystal, stretching the truth to within an inch of its life.
“She’s a keeper,” said Nash, with a nod at Crystal.
“She recognizes a diamond in the rough,” said Larry.
“Actually,” Crystal admitted, “I was just being polite.”
Nash laughed.
“You wait,” said Larry. “We’re going to restore it using Fibonacci numbers.”
Crystal blinked her confusion at him.
“It’ll be gorgeous,” he finished.
“And for now?” she asked, gazing worriedly at the sagging door. Surely they weren’t actually sleeping here.
“The electricity works. So does the plumbing,” said Larry, creaking open the truck door.
“Upstairs only, for water,” Nash warned.
“That’s all we need.” Larry swung out of the vehicle. “The café open?”
“It’s Sunday,” said Nash, exiting from the driver’s side.
Crystal slid across the velour seat cover. “What does that mean?”
“The café’s closed Sundays. We can grill some burgers on my deck,” Nash offered.
Larry nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll bring the wine.”
Standing on the uneven ground, Crystal put her hands on her hips and stared up at the three story monstrosity. “I feel like a teenager in a horror movie.”
Larry snagged her hand, pulling her against his side. “Don’t worry,” he muttered, then leaned down and planted a long kiss on her surprised mouth, leaving her speechless. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“You sure she doesn’t have a sister available?” asked Nash.
“I’m working on it,” Crystal answered. She’d like nothing better than for Amber to become available.
“Find your own dates,” Larry growled at Nash. “He’s a hound dog,” he added for Crystal’s benefit.
“You have a job?” she asked Nash.
“Own my own business.”
“Then you’ve got my vote.”
“It’s a bait shop,” Larry reminded her.
Nash folded his thick arms over his broad chest. “Nitroworms and night crawlers,” he proudly informed her.
Crystal shuddered.
“See what I mean?” asked Larry, pulling down the tailgate so that Rufus could jump out of the box.
“Better to sell night crawlers than to be one,” she pointed out. Though she honestly didn’t think she could be intimate with a man who handled creepy crawly things all day long. But maybe Amber was different. Crystal would think about that.
“Need anything else?” asked Nash, his tone going serious.
Larry shook his head, settling their two overnight bags on his shoulder. “Half an hour?”
“See you then,” said Nash, easing back into the driver’s seat and slamming the door. The diesel engine roared to life.
“We’re really sleeping here?” asked Crystal.
“The master bedroom is comfy. Honest.”
She took a breath. “Whatever you say.”
He started up the rickety stairs, and she followed along. “We’ll have complete privacy.”
Okay. That sounded pretty good.
Rufus sniffed at an old porch swing, glancing at Larry before gracefully leaping up to settle on the cushion. The springs creaked gently under his weight.
Larry shouldered open the door and hit a light switch.
The entry hall and living room were a jumble of power tools and building supplies. From what she could see, the dining room was the same, except its walls had been torn down, the bare two-by-fours exposed beneath.
“This way,” said Larry, leading a winding path through rubble and plywood to a sweeping staircase.
It squeaked when he put his foot on the bottom stair.
“Is this thing going to collapse?”
He started up, tugging her along. “Trust me. I’m a rocket scientist.”
“I’d feel better if you were a carpenter.”
The worn banister wobbled under her hand. But before any real panic could set in, they were in the upstairs hallway. Larry pushed a door open, flicked the light on and motioned her into an astonishingly beautiful room.
The walls were copper in color, highlighting a polished cherrywood dresser, armoire, headboard and footboard. A cream-colored loveseat was positioned in one corner, across from two French provincial armchairs. On three windows in the corner room, pale gold curtains were held back by gleaming cords. Three tiffany-look lamps glowed on the dresser and bedside tables, reflecting off the patterned rug.
“Wow,” she breathed.
“The former owner did this,” Larry told her, moving to the windows to pull down the shades. “I suspect she had plans for the rest of the house. But she had a sudden financial setback.”
Crystal moved into the room, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the dresser.
“Unfortunately,” Larry continued, “there are structural problems underneath.”
She couldn’t help but glance worriedly at the floor.
“It won’t fall apart tonight,” he assured her.
“You sure about that.”
He took her hand, drawing her into his arms. “Have a little faith, sweetheart.”
She tipped her head to gaze into his warm eyes. “How long did you tell Nash we’d be?”
Larry glanced at his watch. “We have seventeen minutes.”
Warmth swirling in her stomach, Crystal came up on her toes and kissed him. “I wish you’d made that a little longer.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
RECOVERING FROM THE LONGEST, most passionate kiss in history, Crystal scrambled to comb out her mussed ponytail and fix her smeared lipstick, while Larry retrieved a couple of bottles of wine.
She straightened her top and smoothed the front of her pants, stuffing her feet back into her shoes.
“The world won’t stop turning if we’re five minutes late,” he pointed out.
“But Nash will get suspicious.”
“So what?”
“So, I thought we were trying to be discreet.”
“I’m pretty much over that.”
She paused on the way out the door. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I guess if you’re willing to be seen with me in public, I can handle being seen with you.”
She started back down the stairs. “How truly magnanimous of you.”
He followed behind. “Isn’t it though?”
They exited through the front door.
Rufus opened one eye to watch them leave the porch. But then he sighed and closed it again as they headed down the dirt path to Nash’s house.
The trees closed in around them. The light from Larry’s porch faded, while Nash’s house lights brightened in the distance. On the starlit pathway, Larry casually slipped his hand over hers. She was instantly filled with a sense of comfort and security.
She glanced up at his profile.
He reacted by looking down as they walked. “What?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly.
He slowed to a stop, turning to meet her eyes, his tone low. “But it’s something, isn’t it?”
She agreed with a nod. “It’s something.”
He leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. “You’re an amazing woman, Crystal Hayes.”