Special Delivery. Judi Lynn
This was shaping up to be a great Saturday. Harley and Tyne were taken, but they were great eye candy. Might as well enjoy. Brad was easy on the eyes, too, but he was a player. She’d been there, done that. What she’d never done was get too serious, too attached to move on. She frowned. Did that make her a female player? She’d never worried about it before. If she plugged into Keagan, would she be able to walk away?
She wouldn’t know until she tried, right? Not that she was making any headway. She was striking out with the man. Time to up her game. And if that meant appealing to what was important to him, like food, so be it. That’s what seemed to make Axel happy, too.
She mixed flour, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper for the dredge. She was going all out. She coated every cube steak, then pan-fried them. She put them in the slow cooker with a little beef broth and set it on low to keep them warm. Then she started on the gravy. There were more than enough pan drippings to give it flavor. When she dipped her finger in and liked the taste, she turned it off. She’d reheat it when the men were ready to eat. She wrapped potatoes in foil and tossed them in the oven, then opened three cans of green beans and added them to crumbled bacon and sautéed onions. Nothing too fancy. She didn’t want Keagan to think she was trying too hard.
The men plunged right into work. They started by jacking up the front porch. There was no way for her to help them, so she concentrated on dusting and sweeping upstairs. She didn’t plan on spending any time there, but it had to be healthier eliminating so much dust from the house. The second-floor bedrooms were all good-sized. She wondered when someone had walked up here the last time. Before Charlie moved out? Enough cobwebs hung in the corners that Mill Pond could have used Axel’s house for their haunted castle. The bathroom had been updated at some point. Maybe a pipe had leaked, because Axel didn’t do any more than he had to, by the looks of it. The tile and fixtures were dated, but there was a toilet, tub, sink, and shower.
She was sweeping the second bedroom when Brad touched her shoulder to get her attention. “Sorry! The vacuum’s so loud, I didn’t hear you come up the stairs.”
He grinned. “You’re a brave woman, trying to take on Axel’s house.”
“Not really. I’m not good at sitting around with nothing to do, and this definitely needs doing.”
“You’re using a vacuum on wooden floors?”
She gestured to the side of the room she hadn’t gotten to yet. “Too much dust for a broom or dust mop.”
“Are you going to move your mattress up here?”
“No, but since I’m here, I might as well get something accomplished.”
His smile dazzled. “I could help you fill some of your spare time. What if I picked you up and we went to Chase’s bar some night? I could introduce you around.”
She loved bars. She’d love to meet more Mill Pond people, but she didn’t want to encourage Brad. “That sounds like fun. You know I don’t expect to be here much longer, though, right? Either Axel lets me help him, or he doesn’t. Are you okay with just drinks and a kiss good night? Because that’s as far I’ll go.”
His smile grew wider. “One night with you? Sign me up.”
She pursed her lips. Maybe she’d worded that wrong, but it would be nice to get away from Axel for a while, to have fun and meet people. She nodded. “Next weekend?”
“Done. You’re mine on Saturday night.” He looked pretty happy with himself.
She glanced at her watch. “Boy, time’s gone fast. Are you guys ready for drinks? I bought lots of beer and pop.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “It’s not too early for me to down a beer.”
She motioned toward the stairs. “Let’s see if the others are ready for a break.”
When she invited them in for something to drink, they all sniffed and glanced at the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
Silly question. She nodded toward the kitchen. “Everything’s ready. If you want to serve yourselves, I have plates and silverware on the counter top.”
They stood as one. She frowned at the mismatch of plates she’d washed, but she was lucky she’d found six in the cupboard.
“Don’t forget me!” Axel called from the sun-room.
“Want to come and join us?”
The men cringed, but luckily Axel turned her down.
She had his plate in hand. “You guys go ahead. I’ll take this to Axel, then grab one for me and join you.”
The men were chatting comfortably among themselves when she brought her food to the long, cherry dining table.
“Damn, I love chicken-fried steak,” Harley said. “I’ll have to mention how good it is to Kathy. She never makes it.”
“She’s probably afraid to make anything that isn’t Italian,” Tyne said, teasing him. “Your dad makes a point of letting everyone who visits the winery know about your Italian heritage.”
Harley laughed. “Yeah, but I was born in Mill Pond. I’m a melting-pot kid. I loved chicken nuggets at school lunch. I like it all.”
Keagan turned to Tyne. “Is there any food you don’t like? You’ve traveled so much, you like it all, don’t you?”
Tyne grimaced. “No bugs. I’ve been to places where they’re considered tasty but not to me.”
“Even if we doused them in coconut milk?” Keagan asked.
“Even then.” Tyne’s brown eyes twinkled. He turned to focus on her, and she felt a flush tinge her skin. Damn, he was hot. “How’s it going with Mr. Meany? You okay?”
She shrugged. “We’re getting along all right, but he won’t sign up for any home care. I have a visiting nurse coming today to assess him, but he’s pretty set in his ways. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to help him or not.”
“His choice.” Tyne obviously didn’t mince words. “If he wants to stay here and stink and let the house fall around his ears, it’s his own fault.”
“I heard that!” Axel called.
“Good, but I bet you don’t waste time thinking about it.” Tyne must know Axel better than Karli realized. “Keagan tried to get you help, too, but you’re too damn stubborn.”
“Hmmph!”
The TV volume got louder, and Tyne shook his head. “Stubborn, old man.”
“There’s more food in the kitchen,” Karli said. “I made plenty if you want seconds.”
That must have been the invitation they were waiting for. They all went to fill their plates again. Karli noticed that Keagan took seconds of everything. When he sat down, she saw that his golden-brown hair had sawdust in it. Her fingers itched to brush it out, to touch him. His worn jeans showed off his muscular thighs. She bet he’d be great in bed.
“Everything’s delicious,” Brad told her, capturing her attention.
“Thanks.” Her gaze returned to Keagan. He was so not her type. She usually fell for guys like Brad. But there was something about her friendly mailman, something self-contained.
Tyne finished his food and pushed to his feet. “I’d better get started again. I can only stay till two. I work tonight.”
She stared at him, surprised. “You work tonight and you’re working here all day?”
“So does Harley, but we’re so happy someone’s making this old place look better, we were thinking of sneaking out here at night to fix it up in the dark.”
She laughed. “That’s pretty desperate.”
Harley