Winning Her Racy Heart [Racy Nights 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

He dared anyone to say he hadn’t earned a week of doing nothing after six months of working sixty to eighty hours a week as a research and development specialist. Although the latest phase of wind turbines were built and running, the work on them was far from over.

But an hour earlier when his former neighbor Buddy Tye had called and asked if he was free to help Buddy’s daughter, Kari, hang up the sign for her new shop, Noah couldn’t resist the opportunity. Kari had moved back home to Racy from Manhattan almost three months ago, amidst rumors of everything from drug busts to murder.

Kari’s parents weren’t saying much about the rumors. In fact, they weren’t saying much of anything at all about why their youngest daughter was suddenly back home after fifteen years. Noah knew that half the town thought that was because they didn’t know why, and the other half believed it was because they knew but were ashamed to tell everyone the truth.

Buddy gave him a sideways glance. “You seen Kari since she moved back?”

“I’ve had no reason to.”

Buddy nodded and smiled in the smug way that Noah had always hated. “Never did warm to each other, you two.”

“No, we did not.” That was an understatement. Girls like Kari didn’t go out with boys like Noah, because boys like Noah didn’t ask out girls like Kari. It was simply one of those facts you absorbed while growing up, like not stepping on sidewalk cracks or staying off the railroad tracks that ran past Skeeter McCree’s farm, because he’d call the cops in a heartbeat if he saw you walking on them.

Noah had been the town’s biggest loser while growing up, and even though he now held one of the most important local jobs at Notus, the townsfolk still thought of him as Noah Wells, Anne and Jim’s kid who was always in trouble. He was thirty-three years old and he still hadn’t lived down his childhood. In this town it was unlikely he ever would.

“She’s changed a bit since leaving.”

A bit
? Noah bit back a laugh. From what he’d heard, Kari Tye had changed a great deal. Did her old man know what type of business she’d decided to open in that run-down house? Noah knew. When you lived in a town of approximately ten thousand and the Zoning Commissioner was also a drinking buddy, you knew those kinds of things.

He knew she’d hired locals to do the outside repairs, but he’d been too busy to keep up with the details. Who was fixing up the inside of the house? Certainly not Kari. She was once part of what his friends had dubbed the “smart
and
rich” crowd. They’d always had their noses in books and were dressed to the nines. He couldn’t imagine her wielding a paintbrush or a nail gun. She certainly couldn’t have changed that much.

“Here we are.” Buddy pulled his truck into the gravel drive of a large turn-of-the-century home that had once stood with similar homes on this wide, tree-lined street. Shortly after Racy was founded, this end of town had been considered the future oasis for the rich, including Cyrus Racy, the man for whom the town was named. A man-made lake surrounded by plenty of new trees planted along freshly paved streets had been the hallmarks of the neighborhood along with once-magnificent homes like this one.

But starting in the 1970s, most of the homes had been torn down to make way for strip malls and parking lots. The lake was now a reservoir, and most of Skeeter’s farm that had once bordered this neighborhood had been sold to the county for a water treatment plant that they’d built next to the reservoir.

The house Kari had purchased had been scheduled for demolition, but she’d somehow convinced Chase Taylor, the Zoning Commissioner, not only to allow the house to remain, but to zone it for both residential and business. Apparently she was also living in the house while it was being renovated.

Noah let out a long whistle as they exited Buddy’s truck. He hadn’t been down this street since before Kari bought the house. “How did she do all this in three months?” Noah stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket and gazed at the fresh paint, new upstairs windows, and new landscaping. “This place was falling apart.”

Buddy raised his eyebrows. “She hired a bunch of locals to fix up the outside. Luke Rodriguez set her up. But she and Alexa are doing most of the inside work.” He clapped Noah on the back as they advanced up the flagstone walk. “Where’ve you been all these months? Half the town has been finding excuses to drive way out here just to see what she’s done to the place.”

“I’ve been working.”

They climbed the front steps, and Noah couldn’t help but notice the new railings along the stairs and the entire length of the front porch.

“You should get out more often.”

Noah bit his tongue. He was here now, wasn’t he?

“Anybody home?” Buddy didn’t knock. He merely opened the front door and walked in. The sound of Pink filled the air, reminding Noah of Thursday nights in Luke’s Bar when Luke served drinks at half price to the college kids. Noah generally avoided the bar on Thursdays unless he had no other choice.

Noah forgot all about the music and Thursday nights at Luke’s Bar as he stared, openmouthed, at the woman perched on the top step of an aluminum ladder. His dick jumped to attention as he eyed dark curly hair that would look sexy as hell spread out against a pillow. It spilled over her shoulders and back, and his fingers itched to touch it.

His gaze roamed down to her curvy ass in tight jeans, legs that were somehow much longer than he remembered, and black leather boots that most definitely had not been made for balancing on stepladders.

“Get down from there, Kari,” roared Buddy. “You’ll break you damn neck.”

She whirled around, a plastering trowel in one hand, a hawk holding wet plaster in the other, and a painter’s apron covering her clothes in front. The huge grin on her face faded when she spotted Noah, and his mouth dried up suddenly. Apparently leaving town for fifteen years hadn’t dimmed her memories of him. Perfect.

“Dad, I’m fine. I’ve been doing this for weeks now.” She climbed off the ladder, removed her apron, and wiped her hands on a dishrag that looked like she hadn’t washed it since she’d bought the house. “Thanks for coming by so quickly.”

“You remember Noah Wells?”

“Of course.” Her smile was too quick. Noah shook her hand, forcing his gaze to stay on her face. “How are you?”

“Fine, Kari. Just fine.”

Changed a bit? Buddy had always had a dry sense of humor. Kari Tye had changed, but it was more than just a bit. She’d morphed from a prissy teen into a striking woman with intelligent gray eyes and a body that was too sexy for words. Gone were the braces, the oversized pink and purple sweaters, and the capri pants. The only holdover from her high school days seemed to be her manicured nails, one of which had been torn off.

Her gaze followed his to the same finger. “Broke it on that.” She pointed toward a large wooden crate in the center of the room. The top had been pried off, and a crowbar lay next to it. Sawdust covered the floor, as well as bright pink splatters of paint.

“The sign in there?” asked Buddy.

“Yes. Alexa and I tried to lift it out, but it weighs too much. You might need a winch to lift it over the door.”

“Reckon we will.”

Noah raised his eyebrows at her use of the word “winch,” glancing around the room. What he assumed had once been several rooms was now two, separated by a curving archway. Shelves lined several of the walls, and the flooring looked new. Retro lights hung from the ceiling, and a gleaming mahogany counter that would look perfectly in place in any upscale bar ran along another wall. “Have you done all this already?”

He hadn’t meant to sound shocked, like she was incapable of renovating the house. He was truly impressed, but the glare she fixed him with told him she’d interpreted his tone the wrong way.

“Alexa and I both have.”

“She only needed help with the electrical and plumbing,” said her father. “Oh, and the HVAC.”

Noah’s gaze roamed over the wall she’d been repairing She’d done a remarkable job. “Where did you learn to repair plaster?”

“The shop where I worked in Chelsea had storm damage last summer. I helped repair it.”

Buddy chuckled. “Told ya she’s changed a bit.”

Kari wished she could stop her damn heart from hammering so loudly. She didn’t want them to hear it. She also wished Alexa would stop singing in the back room and come out to see what was going on. At least then there would be someone else in the room with her, and she might have a reason to stop staring at Noah.

Her father hadn’t missed her reaction to Noah, and judging by the twinkle in his eyes, obviously thought it comical. Noah looked at her as if he’d never seen her before. Then again, why shouldn’t he look at her as if he didn’t know her? She most likely had the same look of disbelief on her face.

She hardly knew the Noah Wells standing before her. Had his eyes always been that blue? Had his hair always been the color of summer wheat? And when had he started standing like that? Maybe it wasn’t the stance. Maybe it was the way those jeans hugged his muscled thighs as if they’d been made just for him.

He glanced at the crate and then strolled over to take a peek inside. When he removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his blue plaid shirt, she had to put down the trowel and hawk because both started to slip from her suddenly damp palms, and she didn’t want either to put a hole in the new floor. The muscles in his forearms bulged, and Kari couldn’t stop staring at his broad shoulders. She also noticed the tattoo on his left forearm.

“What is that?”

“Huh?” He’d been about to reach into the crate and looked up, confused.

“Your tat. What is it?”

“Oh. It’s a gray wolf against the sky in Idaho.”

Kari took a few steps closer. The scent of CK One drifted past her nose. That was one of her favorites. She couldn't remember ever smelling cologne on Noah, but then she’d never actually been this physically close to him before.

“It’s beautiful. Is there a story behind it?” She resisted the urge to run her fingers along the animal’s head surrounded by stars and mountains. Whoever had done it was a pro. Did they have an artist in this town who could do work like that?

“I got it in Boise one summer.”

“Were you working there, or going to school?”

“Neither.”

She stared at his face, unable to process the change in him. But now that she was this close, she also couldn't help notice the same coldness deep in his eyes that she remembered. He might have changed his physical appearance by washing his hair and working out, but it looked like he was the same person inside.

“You’re not going to tell me the story?”

“Not today.”

She didn’t miss the slight softening of his eyes or the lowered timbre of his voice. Maybe that coldness had more to do with the reason behind the tat and less to do with her asking about it? Kari stared at his face a moment longer, trying to get a handle on his emotions, but he wasn’t giving anything away.

She turned her attention to her father. “Well, Dad, what do you think of the place?” Kari wasn’t about to let Noah Wells slow down her work today. She wanted to finish this wall and get the sign hung.

“It’s coming along. Will look better with a sign out front so everyone can stop speculating.”

Kari grinned. “I still think you’ll need a winch to hang it.”

Her father reached into the crate and ran his hand over the aluminum. “I think you’re right, not that I doubt Noah here can lift it. But balancing it up that high to hang it is something else.” Her father reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell.

“Who are you calling?” asked Noah. “Don’t you even want to try and hang it up on our own first?”

Her father ignored him, walking outside to make the call. Even though she had perfectly adequate cell service inside the house, her father still subscribed to the idea that cell signals were better outdoors.

She faced Noah across the crate, unsure what to say.

“You look great, Kari.”

“Thank you.” His eyes looked hopeful for a second, and then the expression was gone so quickly Kari thought she must have imagined it. “You look healthy. Been working out?” She cringed inwardly. What a moronic thing to say. It was worse than a bad line of dialogue from a sitcom.

“Yeah.”

“So I hear you work for Notus now.”

The light in his eyes returned, and the corners of his mouth turned up. “That’s right. I’m supposed to be on vacation this week.”

“What do you do there?”

“I’m an R and D—Research and Development—specialist. I worked on the latest string of turbines along US 231.”

Kari couldn’t help but smile. Just about everyone in this town except her was associated with those wind turbines in one way or another. “That’s great, Noah. I didn’t realize you’d gone to college.” Last she’d heard, Noah Wells had been kicked out of basic training, and had been working for Luke Rodriguez at his bar.

“I have a master’s in Energy Engineering from UIC.”

She tried not to look shocked, but really…anyone who had known him as a kid would never have believed such a future was possible.

His eyes went cold, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. “Thanks a lot, Kari. Nice to know something about you didn’t change.”

Shit.
She hadn’t meant to insult him. He’d taken time from his vacation to help her, after all. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by her father entering the shop. “Luke is on his way.”

“Can he just leave his bar in the middle of the day?”

“Kari, you’re not in New York any longer.” Noah glared at her. “Around here we help our neighbors.”

* * * *

Noah’s heart gave a strange lurch at the look of guilt and pain that crossed her face. He hadn’t meant to snap like that, but when he’d told her about his degree she got the same look in her eyes as everyone else in this town did when they found out how much he’d turned his life around, which meant she’d also thought of him as nothing but a fuckup. Not that he was shocked by that, but still…it would have nice if she could have faked it a bit.