Hot and Bothered (13 page)

She held out her plate.

He split the last of the breakfast between them. He liked the significance of sharing the
ends of a meal with someone. Today he could see no traces of the woman whose background and lifestyle was beyond him. She had talked, instead, about her efforts to avoid the life she’d been born to.

He didn’t understand her in many ways. Her contradictions, no matter how he probed, remained a mystery, beyond his ken to decipher. He wondered what truly had prompted her to run after inheriting an interest in the chocolate company. Why hadn’t she just turned the shares over to someone she trusted to handle them for her?

She could say a lot about fearing to make a wrong decision, but giving the responsibility to an attorney surely would have solved that. Her family might be a pain in the ass, but she had run for another reason. Something was there, all wrapped up in her vague reasoning. Something she didn’t know or recognize yet. At least, he didn’t think she did.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

He continued to gaze at her for a moment, then smiled. “I was thinking you look out of place in a plain T-shirt. I’ll have to get some that say something sexy.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready for sexy yet.”

He laughed and reached across to take her hand. “Judith, you are well into sexy and heading straight for turning-a-man-inside-out devastating. Trust me.”

“I do.”

“Good.” He sighed. “Much as I hate to, I really have to get back to work. I promised a guy in San Diego I’d have his gas refrigerator ready when he comes back down in about a month. I’ve got to take the guts out and refurbish them.”

“Can I watch?”

“Sure.” He was a little surprised by the request, but he wasn’t about to say no.

They went down to his workshop. The dogs barked at Judith, but finally settled down when they figured out she wasn’t going away.

“You keep the refrigerators in the open?” she asked, pointing to several sitting out in the sun.

He nodded. “Since it doesn’t rain much, they don’t need covering. Anyway, they’re junk. I bring them under the tarp the few times there are storms.”

The tarp, needed mostly for shade on hot days, hung over makeshift rafters above a large cement floor, creating an open air building. He had a little office of windows and corrugated tin off to the side, where he kept his paperwork.

Using a hand truck, he maneuvered the fridge in question under the tarp. “I’ve got to take the condenser out and put in a new one.”

“Okay.” She helped steady the fridge while he pulled the hand truck out from underneath. “What can I do to help?”

“Not much.” He lay on his side to examine the workings at the bottom of the fridge. “I hate
these older ones, where everything is crammed underneath.”

Judith got down next to him and looked. “I don’t blame you. How do you get stuff out of there?”

“I have to set the fridge on its side to get at the guts, but even then it’s not easy. These old ladies are tough and they’re the best made, so it’s worth the effort to refurbish them.”

He began to tip the refrigerator backward, bracing the appliance to control its descent. He hoped. More than one had come crashing down on him. Judith, to his surprise, got on the other side to help. They set the refrigerator on the floor without mishap.

“Great,” she said, dusting off her hands. “Now what?”

He pointed to his toolbox on the workbench. “Could you get that for me?”

“Sure.”

He lay down in front of the open bottom of the refrigerator and plotted his course of action while she retrieved his toolbox. He could hear her grunt when she lifted it. The tools clanked together as she set it down near his head.

He reached in and got his spray lubricant and a wrench. Rust had nearly welded on the housing bolts, and it would take some doing to get them out. He sprayed them thoroughly, then began the frustrating process of loosening them.

He was well along with the job before he realized
that the spray can and wrench were being put in his hands before he was even reaching for them.

He looked up to find Judith on her knees, watching him carefully. She had a streak of grease on her nose. He grinned. “Having fun?”

“I would if I could see what you’re doing exactly,” she replied, dead-on serious.

“Then come here.” He pushed the toolbox out of the way, and she lay down head to head with him. “See those coils there? And that box that looks like it’s chain mail?”

“With the smooth sides? Yes. Is that the guts?”

“Yep. I’ve got the housing bolts loosened, so now all I have to do is screw them the rest of the way off and hold the condenser unit at the same time. I have to let those steel straps down in an order that allows them to support the unit until I get the last bolt out. I never know when a condenser box will just give way. It’s a lovely job.”

“You hold it, and I’ll undo the bolts,” Judith said. “I could do that, I think, and it’ll give you an extra pair of hands.”

“Go for it.”

While Paul helped support the condensing unit, he marveled at the way Judith worked around his big arms. She had little trouble using the wrench. If he didn’t know her novice status, he would think she’d done this sort of thing
many times before. With her help he got the unit out with few difficulties.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Welcome.” She stared at the condensing unit. “What will you do with it?”

“Take it apart, clean it and get what new parts I can, and mend whatever parts I can’t get new. Once she’s fixed, she’ll go another twenty years, easy.” Paul rose to his feet and stretched, then helped Judith up.

She grinned. “That was fun. Can we take the guts out of another?”

He laughed. “You want to work on another fridge? You?”

“Me.” She shrugged. “I guess it seems silly.”

He opened his mouth to agree, then saw the hopeful expression in her eyes. She really did want to crawl around on a rough cement floor and work on another ball-busting ancient refrigerator.

Who was he to deny her anything?

“I’ve got to put in a refurbished condenser for a guy coming next week,” he said. “We can do it now if you like.”

“Great!” She went to get the hand truck to move the new fridge under the tarp.

Never in his wildest dreams would Paul have thought she’d set foot in his shop, let alone be an enthusiastic helper.

They moved the new fridge in. The unit was in the back, which meant no rolling on the floor
together. Judith spotted the problem with the refurbished unit when he did.

“Those holder straps won’t fit around the coils,” she said.

“I was afraid of that. I had to make up a new part by borrowing from another fridge. It’ll fit into the space, but the housing bolt holes need to be changed. We’ll have to make new ones on the drill press.”

“A drill press?” Her voice held a note of awe.

He chuckled. “You make it sound like the next best thing to a Corvette.”

She waved her hand. “Okay, so I’m a sucker for a drill press. What is it?”

“A piece of machinery that lets you drill more precisely than a handheld drill can.”

“Where do you get such a thing?”

“Sears.”

He got the press from his office, preferring to keep it locked up when he wasn’t using it.

“It looks like a sewing machine, only bigger,” Judith said.

Paul kissed her. “Acts pretty much the same way, too, except you don’t use thread.”

“Could I do it?”

He couldn’t resist, wanting to see how she’d handle this new task. He taught her how to measure what she needed, then set up the press properly. She punched new holes in the steel strapping like a pro.

She truly was having fun, he thought, and
with something he never expected would interest her. She had probably never thought about it either. Having a helper was a boon he also hadn’t expected. She was worming her way into all facets of his life. If he thought he was scared before, this new Judith really frightened him. He couldn’t imagine the devastation she’d leave behind when she was gone.

Love made him too vulnerable. The overwhelming rush of panic swamped his senses. He should protect himself once again.

Somehow. Some way.

Judith twisted the wheel of the drill-press arm to raise it, then blew away the metal filings around the hole she’d just made in the steel strapping. She pushed her goggles up on her forehead and admired her work.

The hole was round and perfect, exactly where she had wanted to put it. This really was fun—infinitely better than looking at the Collier merger numbers that she ought to be studying. More important, she was being directly useful. Helping to make something work again held a satisfaction she hadn’t known before. Charity work had a priority above fixing refrigerators, but she had never found an individual pride in it like she did here.

Maybe one’s partner had something to do with her feelings, she thought. She turned to gaze at Paul, who was hunched over the appliance bottom. His muscles bulged as he tightened
the bolts into the one piece of strapping she’d already prepared.

“I have the other one ready,” she said. “Let me know when you need it.”

He cursed in reply and grabbed for the slipping condenser.

Judith rushed over to help brace it.

“Thanks,” he said.

“I’m sorry I distracted you,” she said when he got the first bolt in the condenser and housing slots. Half the bolt battle was won.

“You’re a distraction, but a great distraction.” He grinned at her. “It wasn’t you though. The condenser was just sitting precariously before I could get it bolted. Lots of times they’ll give way like that. Can’t be helped really.”

“You should have called me over,” she scolded. “I could have bolted it while you held it.”

“You’re becoming the best bolter I know.”

“In more than one way,” she added. “I want to be helpful, Paul.”

“If you’ve drilled those holes right, you’ve been an angel of mercy.”

“Lord, but you’re easy to please.”

She retrieved the other strapping and was happy when the newly adjusted holes lined up perfectly.

“You are the gem of assistants,” Paul said, tightening the last bolt down to the housing. “That
Home Improvement
guy isn’t even as good. You ought to see that show in Spanish.”

“I enjoyed helping.” Odd rushes of emotion swept through her. She couldn’t fathom why she felt weepy. “It means a lot to help you like this.”

“A man couldn’t ask for a sexier assistant either.” He kissed her thoroughly. His warmth permeated her veins. She never wanted to be anywhere but there with Paul. She hoped she had added another way to ensure that he couldn’t live without her.

“You have dirt on your nose,” he said, “your nails are shot to hell, and you never looked more beautiful.”

She glanced at her ragged nails, then rubbed her cheeks. “Is this one of those devastating moments?”

“Right up there with stripping for your man. You need more than a rub to get that smudge off. But we’re done for the day.”

“We are?” She looked around the workshop. It wasn’t even noon yet.

“Sure. It’s going to get way too hot to work before too long.”

She admitted the air was very warm already under the tarp, though a breeze was blowing in straight off the ocean.

“We’ll take showers, then siesta on the patio in that big hammock,” Paul said.

“I like it when you’re bossy.” She frowned at the upended refrigerator. “How are we going to get that righted again?”

“We’re not. At least you and I alone aren’t,
because I have no desire to be a candidate for the hernia ward. I know my limitations. I’ll get some of the men to help me stand it up later.”

“And here I thought you were the original macho man. Have testosterone, will travel.”

“Not me. I’m Mr. Easy. Wanna see? But only if you have a bath first.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Another devastatingly sexy moment.”

“I’ll take one with you,” he whispered in her ear.

“Let’s go.”

As they walked back to the house, Judith took a deep breath and drank in the day. Things would be okay between them now. She could sense the bumps smoothing out of their relationship. They had worked well together that day. Yes, she could see a future here, something she couldn’t remember ever seeing before.

She thought back to her school years, to her childhood, trying to recall something that had satisfied the work ethic as working with her hands had done that day. Nothing surfaced. She hadn’t liked painting or sculpting much, except for modeling in clay. Artistic creativity had virtually eluded her.

“You’re quiet,” Paul said.

“Just thinking about nothing.” She began to run. “Race you to the bathroom.”

“I won,” Judith said as she snuggled against Paul in the big hammock strung between two patio pillars. She was fresh and cool and still tingling from her shower with him. She’d never known people could make love like that.

“No, you didn’t win,” he countered. “I had to stop and shut the front door … because
you
didn’t.”

“A technicality,” she murmured, tangling her legs with his.

An overhang shaded the patio, but eventually the sun would lower in the west, dispersing any respite from its rays. A small grouping of white wicker furniture, a bromeliad blooming on the table, was set just outside the sliding patio doors. The hammock rocked gently from their weight, its woven sisal ropes holding them securely in their cradle.