Fanning her face with a folded up old newspaper, Riley tried to cool her heated skin. Not a hint of air came through the dusty old screen even though the window was open all the way.
"What did I tell you, Riley? I said not to put your money into this . . ."
Ignoring the rest of her grandmother's complaint, Riley just nodded. If a light bulb went out, the seventy-one year old blamed the house. Nothing satisfied the old woman since they had moved.
"I'm sure the repairman will have the air conditioning going again soon after he gets here."
"I know all about those people. They poke around and make some noises before shaking their head. Then they start to talk about all the bad stuff that's wrong, using big fancy words."
"Grandma, I can handle this, all right?"
"Hmph," Bessie replied.
Though set in her ways, Bessie Vickstra wasn't as grumpy as she sounded. The extreme heat and moving away from her friends combined to make her irritable.
"He's here. Before you know it, he'll have the air conditioning working again," Riley said, going to the door.
Shane Boltz wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed. Every muscle in his body ached. All he wanted to do was strip off his sticky uniform and take a cool shower. He reminded himself this was his last stop for the day as he swung his long legs out of the truck. Grabbing the toolbox from the back, he walked up the dusty path.
The house looked deserted. The place needed major repairs to look fresh and alive again. Looking for any hint of life from inside, Shane was surprised to see a young woman open the sagging screen door.
"Mrs. Dixson?" he asked, checking his work order to get the name right.
"It's Riley. Thank you for fitting us in today. If you'll follow me, I can show you where the air conditioner is," Riley said.
Thoughts that had nothing to do with his job filled Shane's head. He imagined following the tall brunette somewhere private so he could explore every curve of her body. Denim shorts ended a couple inches past her cheeks. Her pale yellow sleeveless top was short, revealing a strip of tanned skin above her waistband.
Realizing he was staring, Shane tried to clear the sexy vision. "Lead the way."
Her hips swayed in a natural, easy motion that told Shane she wasn't doing it for his benefit. That made her sexier yet to him.
"Here it is," Riley said, pointing to a small closet area.
Shane was totally engrossed in his perusal of the young woman. He hadn't realized she stopped, pushing her into the wall when he kept walking. Trying to keep her balance, she flung her arm over his shoulder. A section of his long black hair caught in her fingers.
Riley felt the heat from his body every single place he touched her. The temperature outside had nothing to do with it either, she knew. His right knee forced her legs apart, while his thigh pressed tight against her center.
"Oh," she hissed, her unrestrained nipples tightening.
He struggled to keep his free hand at his side. Shane wanted to cup her breast and lick the hard pebble.
"I don't feel cold air yet. What's taking so long?" Bessie yelled from the living room.
Embarrassed at her behavior with this stranger, Riley pulled free. She needed to clear her head. If her grandmother hadn't interrupted, Riley knew she might have let him touch her. Crossing her arms over her chest, her fingers brushed her aching nipples. Berating herself for how she reacted didn't help when all she imagined was the two of them naked.
What the hell was he doing, Shane wondered when he was alone. He had never touched a customer while he was on a job. Cursing his forwardness, he took a deep breath. His body longed to feel hers again, even as he told himself it was wrong. It took several minutes before his hands stopped shaking so he could work.
Pretending to stay busy in the kitchen, Riley ignored her grandmother. A few times she heard the repairman go outside and return. She assumed he needed different tools or parts, but stayed away.
"Oh my god, I don't even know his name," Riley whispered.
"Shane. My name is Shane Boltz."
Whirling at the voice, Riley stared at the handsome repairman.
"You have to believe me when I say that today's behavior is not typical for me. I should never touch a paying customer," he said. "That is, someone I'm here to work on. Oh crap, to work for, not on."
Despite the situation, his stricken look made Riley burst out laughing.
"That was terrible, I know. I think I should leave and come back so I can start over," Shane said.
"Nah, stay and fix the stupid air conditioner. We can start over another time."
As the words came out, Riley realized she didn't know if he was married or involved with someone. Surely he hadn't acted as if he was, but that wasn't always proof either.
"Wait, let me say that again. If you aren't in a relationship, then maybe there's a chance for us," Riley said. "I'm sorry. That was a bit forward of me. I thought, after the way—how you—I didn't think you were involved is all."
"No, I'm the one who should apologize. Let me finish repairing the AC unit first, okay?"
Parts banged together louder than was necessary. Shane shoved all thoughts of the luscious brunette from his mind as he did his job. The return of cold air brought a loud yell from the front of the small house.
"About dang time we got relief." Bessie repositioned her ample weight in the old wooden rocking chair she claimed as her own. "Too bad it wasn't from getting laid."
Gasping at her grandmother's words, Riley shook her head. "I swear she's worse than a teenager some days!"
Drying her hands on a bright red towel, Riley leaned against the cupboard. She loved her grandmother, but the old woman was a pistol at times. When her parents divorced and moved away, they left a then sixteen-year old Riley with Bessie.
"All right, that should take care of the problem," Shane said, walking into the kitchen. "Keep this in case you have any trouble again. There's a warranty on the parts I installed."
Glancing at the papers, Riley only saw one thing. Shane had already signed his name at the bottom. The letters looped together so they formed one big scrawl. They fascinated her.
"Any questions before I go?"
"Are you married?" Riley blurted out the words even though she hadn't intended to.
"No, but I do have Max. He's three years old."
"You have a son?"
"Ah, well no, I'm far too innocent for that."
"Excuse me? You call what you did back there innocent?"
"Ma'am, I repaired your air conditioning unit," he said with a straight face.
"I see. Is that what you call it? Feeling up customers on the pretext of not looking where you're walking?"
"You distracted me."
"Oh no, you can't blame me for that. All I did was lead—"
The smirk left his face at the sight of Riley getting ready to throw the red towel at him. Anyone seeing them together would assume they had known each other for several years instead of minutes.
"Do you think we could go to dinner some night soon? You intrigue me."
"What about this weekend?" she asked, not hesitating to accept.
"I'll pick you up at four Saturday afternoon."
"That's perfect," she said. "Shane—"
"Riley—"
Chuckling at how they both spoke at the same time, Shane motioned for Riley to continue.
"Today, the way I acted, I just want you to know that isn't typical for me."
"I'll see you in a couple days. Oh, and Max is my dog," he said, winking as he spoke.
Laughing as she closed the old door behind him, Riley leaned against the wall. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him. Yet, all she wanted to do was feel his lips on hers.
"We have any tea left?" Bessie asked from the living room, breaking into Riley's thoughts. "I'm parched."
"Be right there."
Deciding she would try to figure everything out later, Riley filled a glass with ice and tea. Setting it on a coaster next to her grandmother, she smiled.
"You're looking mighty pleased with yourself," Bessie said.
"Grandma, how long did you know grandpa before you went on a date with him?"
"Joe came looking for work. He was talking to my father out by the barn. I can still remember that day clear as if it just happened, Riley. That was well over fifty years ago now."
By now Riley was used to the way her grandmother rambled. Sitting on the sofa next to the rocking chair, she waited for the rest of the story.
"Mama had told me to get the laundry off the clothesline. I grabbed the basket and ran outside. Then I saw Joe and forgot what I was doing. There was this gigantic old oak tree that shaded the back yard. I walked right into it."
"You did not."
"I swear, Riley, I did. Landed flat on my backside, too."
Trying not to laugh, Riley covered her mouth. But when her grandmother chuckled, she joined in.
"Grandpa saw you?"
"Not only that, he ran over to see if I was okay," the elderly woman replied.
"That was nice of him. A lot of people, guys for sure, would just laugh."
"Oh, I'm sure he wished he had. I split my forehead open on the tree bark. Joe saw all the blood and passed out. He keeled over and landed right on top of me. Knocked the wind out of me, he did."
"I'm afraid to ask what you did next," Riley said.
"We pushed him over to the ground, but he didn't seem to be breathing. I put my ear up to his mouth so I could check. Crazy old fool picked his head up and licked it!"
"Did that really happen?"
Skeptical of the story, she cocked her head to the side and waited for the answer.
"Every last bit is true, I swear. With my father right there, I was mortified. Joe turned his head and gulped in some air. Then he wiggled around and pulled his handkerchief out of his back pocket. In all the commotion I had forgotten about hurting myself. Next thing I knew, he pressed that cloth over my forehead with the gentlest touch. That's when he said something silly about how we were bound forever."
"That's romantic."
"Hmph," Bessie muttered. "Maybe if I was old enough then to know what that meant. I was fourteen, and Joe was seventeen."
"So I guess you didn't have any sexual thoughts right away, either."
"That boy had me so confused. Times were different back then, Riley. Sex was for the sake of having children. Parents didn't talk with their kids about it. He started working for my dad that next day. Every time I saw him, I got this tingling feeling in my stomach. He was so handsome, with muscles and a flirty smile. Like the innocent I was, I cornered him in the barn one afternoon and told him. Lord, you talk about sparks!"
Riley struggled to imagine her pudgy, plain looking grandfather as a teenager. He had always looked the same to her.
"I never thought about dating. No, I went right on to thinking about the wedding," her grandma said, winking.
"Grandma, I'm shocked!"
"By the time I was sixteen, our parents realized they couldn't keep us apart any longer. Our first official date was the night he proposed."
"Did you ever wish you had dated anyone else?"
"Oh, child," Bessie replied, shaking her head. "When you find that one person for you, then you'll understand."
"I hope so."
"He's a looker, that repairman is. Lord, just imagine running your fingers through all that hair of his. If it's as silky as it is shiny—"
