Bare Naked: Naked Cowboys, Book 4 (3 page)

Never in his life had he expected to be this low. The fall had been abrupt and shocking and he was still reeling from it. The worst part of it was overhearing what people said about him and wondering, for the first time in his life, if they were right. If that was why he was the outcast of Rowan County. He had certainly never been an introspective person, but the prospect of sleeping in the streets and starving to death could definitely jar your brain loose. Without even Ed and the Lone Star Bar, his outlook was, well, bleak?

So what now, jerkhead?

And then bits and pieces of last night came floating back to him. Amy and her friends in the Lone Star Bar. The blonde who’d wandered in and was swept up by them. The blonde who’d bought the old Marek B&B, empty now all these years since every one of the heirs had died off. There was a shitload of work to do on that place, and from what little he’d overheard, she was doing it on a tight budget. But she’d said she was in the market for a handyman with a variety of skills.

Okay. He might have walked around in hand-tooled boots and custom slacks, but Cade’s father had made sure he knew what hard work was too.

“If you’re gonna run a ranch, you better know what to do if everyone runs off and leaves you.”

How many times had he heard that? His father had long ago stopped swinging a hammer, as had Cade, but the skills were there, albeit a little rusty. What he didn’t know he’d figure out.

Ed was probably waiting downstairs, eyes glued to his watch, making sure Cade split right away. But his first order of business was to make himself presentable so the woman didn’t slam the door in his face. He showered in the tiny stall, deliberately using cold water to wipe the rest of the cobwebs out of his brain. With a hand that he wished was a lot steadier, he shaved as meticulously as he could, only nicking himself twice. He brushed his teeth carefully and rinsed with the last of his mouthwash. Finally, he found his cleanest shirt and pair of jeans, polished his boots as best he could, shook out his jacket and clapped his Stetson on his head.

He dragged his one remaining suitcase out from beneath the bed and stuffed it with the clothes he’d held onto. He’d never tell anyone that he’d driven two counties over more than once to sell pieces of his wardrobe to a thrift store. That had taught him what real humiliation was.

Okay. You can do this. Just keep remembering what the alternative is.

Wishing for just one last drink, he made his way down the stairs, unlocked his truck and tossed the suitcase in the back seat. He stopped only for some black coffee, a double, before heading for his destination. By the time he finished drinking it, his hands weren’t shaking quite so much. The B&B was just at the edge of town, sitting at the end of a wide tree-shaded driveway.

Cade pulled up next to a navy SUV and parked, turning off the engine and repeating the mantra again.

You can do this. You can do this. You can do this.

He damned well hoped so, because he was flat out of options.

Putting on what he hoped was a humble and respectful face, he climbed the steps to the front porch and, nervous for the first time in a long while, knocked on the door. No answer. She was here. Her car was here. Was she ignoring him?

Hell, how could she even know it was him?

He knocked again, this time a little more forcefully.

Georgie was up even before her alarm in the morning, excited to get to work. Meeting those three women last night, tasting the beginning of friendship, had totally energized her. She smiled to herself as she realized she actually had people she could call if she had questions and needed answers. People who could steer her in the right direction.

She was pretty sure their offers of friendship were genuine. They didn’t seem like the type to make a game of it. Not like the women she’d worked with in Dallas at the Carlton Hotels. They’d only sucked up to her because Everett Carlton had taken an interest in her and pushed her career along. She’d never quite become part of the inner circle, no matter how far up the ladder she’d moved.

In the beginning, she thought it was her lack of education. Carlton had a number of highly placed female employees with business degrees from high-profile universities. Then she’d discovered they resented the fact she’d acquired the skills that made Everett Carlton open doors for her. Now, after the fiasco when Everett retired and the new CEO thought paying her a salary gave him extra privileges, she was guarded about connecting with people.

But the women she’d met last night weren’t like the catty females in Dallas. It was hard to move around town without hearing references to them, all of them positive. So Georgie was cautiously optimistic that things were taking a turn for the better.

The sun was barely up when she made her first pot of coffee and treated herself to one of the delicious muffins from Muffin Man. Her blood was zinging through her veins and she was seized with a burst of energy. Today she planned to attack the dining room, steaming off the old wallpaper so she could scrape the walls. Then she’d apply a coat of fresh paint, the very soft green she picked out. Restful, she’d thought when she’d selected it. And it brought a touch of the outside into the place.

Fortified with three cups of coffee and the muffin, humming along to her iPod, she was busily running the steamer up and down the wall with slow strokes when a pounding somewhere disturbed her. She pressed the off switch on the steamer and pulled out her earbuds so she could listen better.

Yup. Someone was definitely knocking on her door. Who on earth could it be? She thought if one of her new friends had decided to come over they’d call first. Or maybe not. Maybe this town was just that friendly and she needed to get used to it. And she so wanted to get the dining room done today.

Smile, Georgie. You don’t want to scare them away the first time they really reach out to you.

But when she opened the door to see who was standing there, she was dumbfounded.

What the hell?

Cade didn’t think he’d ever been this nervous in his life, and looking at this woman didn’t help. Today she had her blonde hair up in a ponytail and worn jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt caressed a figure that made his cock want to stand up and salute. Unlike most of the women he knew, her face had a fresh quality to it and the thick blonde ponytail looked like a cascade of silk. He couldn’t say for sure, but he’d bet it was the real deal, nothing from a bottle.

But it was the crackle of electricity that snapped between them that was the real shocker. He could see she felt it too, her eyes flaring with the realization. Go figure. No makeup, a smudge of something on one cheek, and she quite literally took his breath away.

No, no, no, no. You are not putting the make on this woman. She’s your last chance. Your only chance.

She stared at him for a long moment before he saw recognition flare in her eyes and she took a step back. She was holding the handle of something that was part of some kind of machinery and she unconsciously held it up as if to ward him off.

Oh, Jesus. Those women last night had probably given her an earful about him. He was dead before he got started.

“Can I help you?”

He gave himself a mental shake, doing his best to stop gawking at her.

Be polite. Really polite.

He took off his hat and put on what he hoped was his most earnest face.

“My, um, name is Cade Hannigan.”

“I know who you are.” She was still holding that whatever-it-was in front of her.

Swell. So they
had
told her all about him. He’d better be plenty humble and make his case to her since his only other choice was the gutter.

“I wondered if I might speak to you for a moment.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I can’t imagine what we’d have to talk about. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

She was going to slam the door in his face.
Oh, shit, shit, shit.

“I’ve never been in a position where I had to beg for anything,” he told her quickly, “but I’m begging now. For five minutes of your time. Just listen to me. If the answer’s no, I’ll turn around and drive out of here and you’ll be rid of me.”

He watched her study him as she tried to make up her mind. Finally, she stepped outside and closed the door. She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and dialed 911 but didn’t push Send.

“I must be out of my mind, but okay, five minutes.” She held up the phone. “As you can see, one press of the button and this call goes through.”

“I won’t give you any reason to do that,” he tried to assure her. “I promise.”

“Okay.” She looked at her watch. “Your five minutes start now.”

“My name is Cade Hannigan, like I said. I’m sure the ladies you met last night gave you an earful about me. Everything they said is true. At least it was up until this morning.”

“What happened this morning?”

“I got fired from the only job I could get, lost the only place I have to live and I’ll be broke by the end of the week even if I only eat one meal a day.”

Was that a smile teasing at her lips?

“Well, Mr. Hannigan, it seems you’re in quite a fix. What makes you think I can help a broken-down, disreputable cowboy like you?”

“I heard you last night. At least some of it. I know you bought this place.” He waved his arm to encompass the building. “And that you’re looking for a handyman to help you.”

Now she did smile. “And you think you’re the answer to my prayers? The way I heard it, you aren’t handy with anything except your mouth.”

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Whoever said the past is always with you was certainly right.

He sighed. “To tell you the truth, Miss—” He stopped, suddenly realizing he didn’t even know her name. “Well, this is embarrassing.”

“Zielinski,” she told him. “Georgia Zielinski. Georgie.”

“Okay, then. To tell you the truth, Miss Zielinski, I don’t think I’m the answer to anyone’s prayers. But I’m desperate.” He gripped the brim of his hat. “A very unfamiliar situation for me.”

She almost smiled. “So I understand. Just what do you think you can do for me and what do you want in return?”

Oh, sweet baby Jesus. Was this really going to happen?

“I’m pretty handy with a bunch of stuff.” He grimaced. “Although if you ask anyone, I’m sure they’ll tell you the heaviest thing I’ve lifted in a while is a credit card, which I don’t happen to have any more, by the way.”

“Go on.”

“I can hammer and saw. I’m sure I can figure out how to scrape paint.” He gestured at the landscape. “Clean up the yard. Whatever you need.”

She was silent for so long he was about ready to turn around and leave.

“And why should I trust you? How do I know you won’t rob me blind?” She gave a funny little laugh. “Although at the moment except for my car there isn’t much to steal.”

“I’d give you my word,” he told her, “except anyone around will tell you it isn’t worth much right now. I’ve pissed off a lot of people, who I’m sure are laughing their asses off at my fix.”

“I don’t care about that. I asked you a question.”

“I guess you won’t know until you give me a try. But like I said, I’m desperate. I need a roof over my head and enough money to eat. That’s it. And even though you have no reason to believe me, I won’t touch a drop of booze, I won’t steal from you and I’ll work hard at whatever you need done.”

He could see she was considering it. Cade hadn’t prayed since he was a child, but at the moment, he was reciting silent prayers in his head. He could see the moment she made up her mind and he had to restrain himself from shouting out loud.

“Please.” He could hardly get the unfamiliar word out of his mouth.

“I must be out of my mind, but okay. We’ll give it a shot. I’ll pay you handyman’s wages and you’ll earn every dollar of them.” She pointed to a building off to the side. “That used to be a barn. I understand when the B&B was in full operation they kept some horses for the guests and a stable master to take care of them. There’s an apartment upstairs in the loft. It’s not much and you’ll probably have to clean it. But it’s got running water and a little two-burner plate that might still work. Take it or leave it.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding. “I’ll take it. Thank you. I promise you won’t have cause to regret this.”

“I better not, or there are some women and their men in this town who I have a feeling will tear every strip off your hide.” She opened the door. “Come on in. I’ll feed you coffee and a muffin and you can get started.”

Chapter Three

Calm down, Georgie. You’re not eighteen anymore. Get your damn hormones under control.

But it was certainly hard whenever she caught a glimpse of Cade working outside. Despite the spring chill in the air, he certainly worked up a sweat with the hard labor he was doing. And watching him distracted her more than she liked.

The old barn offered up some ancient equipment. He’d spent the first couple of days or so getting what he could in working order. Then he’d tackled the mess that was the yard.

“Too many critters can hide in this shit,” he’d told her. “It will take a lot more than a few days to get the look you want, but at least I can clear it out and neaten it up. Anyway, I need to have room to hike a ladder up and start scraping the paint,” he’d added. “If I fall off, at least I won’t have a million stickers in my skin.”