WhiskeyBottleLover (9 page)

The cold water from his clothes seeped through her shirt,
chilling her. She looked down and noticed how tightly she clenched his damp
clothes against her body. Slightly freaked out at, well, everything, she opened
the washer and tossed them inside. As her hand touched the dial to start the
cycle, she froze. How did one go about washing clothing as old as this? Would
it shred like wet toilet paper? Surely the threads were weak.

She scanned the settings and decided on the hand wash cycle.
It would be gentle and still clean the stench out, at least she hoped so. With
that chore handled, she made herself go up the stairs. Hayes sat at the table,
his arms crossed over his chest and a sly smile on his lips.

“You aren’t eating,” she commented.

“I’m waitin’ for you. I’m a guest and a guest doesn’t start
without the hostess.”

His gaze slid down to her chest and his eyebrows rose. She
glanced down in horror when she saw her nipples sticking out through her shirt.
Damn. Was it from the chill of the wet clothes or from him?

“I’ll be back in a second.” Chance ran to her room, stripped
off her shirt and tossed it aside. To make sure she had all her bases covered,
she tugged on a thick, heavy sweater that hung off her body. That should work.

As she walked into the kitchen, she noticed he hadn’t moved.
Not until she sat down and took a bite of her supper did he begin to eat. Huh.
Did people do that anymore? Neither of them said anything for long, quiet moments
and Chance couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hayes, I’m really sorry about snapping at you today.”

He stiffened slightly. She could see his chest muscles
tense, displaying deep valleys and angles. Even his chest hair seemed to stand
up. Oh God, she had to stop looking.

“Like I said, no apologies necessary. It was my fault.”

That deadpan tone returned and she hated it. “No, I
overreacted. I feel horrible about it. I know what it’s like to be dropped
somewhere new and different, to feel out of place. Of all people, I should know
better than to spew mean words at someone.”

Hayes carefully laid his fork down and folded his hands on
the table. “Okay, apology accepted then.”

Her gaze darted up at his face where a warm, friendly smile
elicited one of her own. Now why in the world did she care if he forgave her or
not? It made no sense but she did.

They finished eating, had more of that delicious cake he
conjured from who-knows-where last night and then Hayes cleaned up. The fire
had warmed the house nicely and with her full belly she yawned. No time for
sleep yet. There were projects to finish for tomorrow.

“I have to go out to the barn,” she said and then grabbed
her coat.

“Is it okay if I come along?”

“Sure. Maybe I can use those hands of yours again. The more
I get done the more I have to sell over the weekend. Oh wait, your clothes
aren’t done.”

Hayes shrugged and right before her eyes he was fully
dressed in his clothes, the blankets lying at his feet. Her mouth dropped open
in shock. “What? How’d… You could do that all along?”

The rich, rumbling laugh that rolled from his throat made
her thighs quiver. “Yep. You seemed to need to wash them so I let you.
Besides,” he strolled over, placed the tip of his finger under her chin and
closed her mouth. “I needed some payback for the bottle tease. I am a man after
all, Chance.”

Complete embarrassment washed over her, warming her cheeks
and making her hope the floor opened up and swallowed her whole. With nothing
to say, she turned on her heel and headed out the door. The cold night air felt
good on her blushing flesh but by the time they stepped inside the barn it had
seeped into her bones. It appeared nighttime work was coming to an end.

Hayes finished polishing the lamp while she pieced together
some colored glass and metal rods for decorative wall hangings. They worked
together well and before long she realized how comfortable she’d become with
him. Strange, she never felt comfortable with anyone. Even Jenny’s presence
could become too much sometimes.

When he finished polishing the metal she wired up the lamp
as he went about repairing Jenny’s dilapidated chair. They both stood back and
admired how the metal gleamed. Hayes appeared impressed, grinning and walking
around it as if looking at an expensive new sports car. So he liked simple
things. It shouldn’t surprise her, coming from the time period he did.

Next he helped her with some wall hangings. She even taught
him how to use the torch so he could cut strips of rod as she continued to bend
and shape designs. By herself she would have only completed one piece, but with
his help she knocked out three along with a few other smaller things she
wouldn’t have gotten around to.

“Hayes, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You experience everything that happens to your bottle, right?”

“Yep,” he answered, continuing to grind off the rough ends
of the metal rods.

“What happens if it breaks? I mean, it’s glass, fragile.
What happens if it cracks or smashes?”

Hayes stilled, his body tensed. When he stood and faced her
she inwardly cringed at the defeated look on his face. “I won’t die,” he
answered softly. “Only the shackles can end my life.” He held out his arms and
looked down at the blisters surrounding his wrists. “But I will feel it, a
never-endin’ pain I’ll be doomed to live with. Even after findin’ another
bottle to inhabit, I’ll forever feel the broken connection.”

How awful, living life tethered to an object as fragile as
glass. What kind of force would create such cruelty?

“You plannin’ on somethin’?” he asked.

Chance’s gaze jerked to his. She immediately noticed the
humor in his eyes. “No, of course not. I can’t imagine living like that or how
you manage to stay sane.”

“It isn’t easy, I’ll tell ya that much. I had to learn to
separate myself from life. Isolate feelings and put them away. I wouldn’t
recommend it to anyone.”

It sounded familiar, entirely too familiar. She’d done the
same thing after experiencing the true loss of her first foster family. She’d
learned to like them, almost love them, but when they came and carted her off
to another home, the people who were kind and caring simply waved with a smile
as if she meant nothing. That day a fragile piece of her broke inside.

They worked in silence for another hour, nothing more than
short questions and answers between them. How could they both be so much alike
and still be from different times? At least she had human interaction on a
daily basis. Hayes, he had more honest solitude than anything else.

“Chance, you out here?”

She jolted at the sound of her name being shouted. Hayes
stood tall, stiff, and scowled toward the door.

“Chance?”

“It’s my neighbor. I wonder what he’s doing out this late?”
Hayes grunted and then pointed to the rafters. She nodded and before she could
blink he was gone. She searched the roof of the barn and caught his movement in
the shadows.

“Chance? Damn it, answer me!”

Annoyed with his nosy attitude, she rolled her eyes and
shouted back. “I’m in the barn.”

The door swung open. Bill Day strolled in all bundled up in
a thick coat, his hands stuffed down into his jean pockets. “What brings you
out this late, Bill?” Like she didn’t know. The man was worse than an old
woman, needing to know everyone’s business.

“Came to see if you need anything,” he muttered, walking
around and inspecting her work. “You’ve been busy.”

“The store is doing well so I need to keep up with my
stock.”

“Ya won’t get rich selling trinkets like this,” he grumbled,
picking up a piece of colored glass and then tossing it down.

Chance banked her anger. Getting the closest neighbor she had
mad at her wouldn’t be beneficial. “No I won’t, but I can live the kind of life
I want. That’s all I care about.” The smile she gave him went a little over the
top. Too perky, too bright and too full of
mind your own damn business
.

Bill only grunted as he continued to snoop around,
manhandling her things as if they meant nothing. Her temper simmered below the
surface and for some reason, she glanced up. She couldn’t see Hayes, not
really, but knowing he was there seemed to calm the fire threatening to rage
out of control.

“I wanted to ask you something, Bill. There are a lot of
trees down just inside your property line. Would it be okay if I cut them up
for firewood this winter?”

Bill turned, thrust out his chest and gave her a cocky scowl
as he crossed his arms over his chest. Creep. He loved it when she asked him
for favors. He always puffed up like a spiny fish full of poison waiting for a
hand to prick. She knew deep down one of these days the bastard would call in
all these little, meaningless favors. A cold chill raced down her spine at the
thought.

“I suppose you’ll be wantin’ me to help you drag them out.
Do the cuttin’ and choppin’.”

Oh wouldn’t he like that? “No. I’m more than capable of
doing that myself. I’m simply asking if I can make use of the dead trees to
help warm my house this winter. If that’s a problem all you have to do is say
no.”

Part of her almost hoped he did. It would mean paying
exuberant heating costs, that or wear an extra layer of clothes all winter, but
it would be one less thing he could hold over her head. The way he squinted at
her, anger flickering in his eyes, she knew she’d touched a raw nerve in his
control panel.

“Ya know,” he finally spoke. “You wouldn’t have to worry
about such things if you had a man to take care of you.”

A very unladylike snort came out of nowhere. She couldn’t
help it. The notion was ridiculous to her. “I’ve been taking care of myself my
entire life, Bill. That’s a position I’m not advertising for and have no
interest in filling.”

He came toward her, his movement reminding her of a snake
slithering up on its prey. Alarm bells sounded inside her head. Every muscle in
her body and the nerves commanding them went into flight mode. It took
everything inside her to stand still and not move. She wouldn’t give him the
satisfaction of knowing he scared her.

Bill crowded her space, left only a sparse inch or two
between their bodies. The smell of cheap cologne filled her nostrils as his
potbelly threatened to rub against her middle. When his hand reached out and
skimmed over her hair, bile rose in her throat. He’d never done this before. It
was a clear warning that her days of asking this particular neighbor for
anything were over.

He chuckled as his hand dropped away from her face, a greasy
sound that made her stomach turn. “I’ll be over in the next few days to drag
those trees out and start cuttin’ ’em for ya. Little thing like you won’t get
one out of the woods.”

She almost told him to forget about it, that she’d freeze
before she allowed him any more leverage over her. Her mouth opened as he
headed for the barn door but before one word crossed her parted lips he turned.

“You won’t make it long livin’ like this, little lady.” His
slimy gaze slid over the room. “Not everyone likes to give things away free all
the time. Payment is necessary from time to time.” With that sleazy comment he
slipped out into the darkness.

Fury overwhelmed her. She knew exactly what the bastard
meant. Like she’d get anywhere near his gross ass other than to spit on him.
The only thing she ever asked him for was use of his truck maybe once a month.
Well, that would stop. It might mean she had to sell off every last possession
she owned but she’d have her own truck.

“Who is he?”

Chance continued to stare at the door as anger roiled in her
gut. “A throwback from when men thought women couldn’t exist without men,” she
answered. “And thought we were possessions, not people.”

“Does he do this sort of thing often?”

Chance noted the gruff, irritated tone in Hayes’ voice.
“No.” She ran her fingers through her hair and turned to face Hayes. “It will
be the last time though. He apparently doesn’t have the first clue who I am.
I’m headed in, Hayes. If I didn’t need that wood so bad I’d tell him to go fuck
himself, but I do need it. First thing in the morning I’m dragging those logs
out of the woods and not stopping until I have them all cut up and chopped.”

The last thing she wanted was his disgusting, sweaty ass on
her property, leering at her and conjuring up filthy ways she could pay him
back. She always overlooked his nosiness but this crossed the line. He could
demand payment all he wanted to, she wasn’t about to get down on her knees for
anyone.

“Are you coming?” Chance turned off the lights and headed
for the door.

“Yeah. Let me go out first, Chance.” She felt his large,
warm hand settle gently on her shoulder. “I don’t trust him not to be lurkin’
in the dark.”

Didn’t that suggestion rattle her nerves to the core? She
hadn’t thought about that. “Sure. Sounds good.”

She stayed inside the door as Hayes stepped out and looked
around. Damn that man. Instead of feeling safe and secure on her property, Bill
instilled paranoia and she bet that’s what he intended to do. Why? What had she
done other than ask to borrow his truck a couple of times?

“Chance, you okay?”

She looked up at Hayes, his dark eyes full of concern. “I’m
fine. I let him get under my skin a little, that’s all.”

Hayes nodded. “Come on.”

As they walked back to the house she scooted closer to
Hayes. Maybe his sheer size made her feel more comfortable, or possibly his
gentle nature. Either way she trusted this man she’d known for one day more
than Bill, who she’d known for over a year. Boy was that messed up or what?

When they entered the house, Hayes went straight to the
fireplace and tossed on another log. Chance slipped out of her coat as
weariness hit her. She planned on getting up early to get more work done. Now
she had to use up precious daylight to cut wood. No one ever said life would be
easy.