Donna Hill - My Love At Last

Overstuffed clouds lumbered along the skyline and shifted their appearance from dull white to dove gray. Beyond the crest of the horizon a line of ominous darkness pushed across the water and above the trees.

“Tell the guys to pack it up. Let the roofers do their thing. I’ll stay and make sure that we don’t get a washout,” Connor said.

“My sentiments exactly.” Jake turned to go round up the men.

Connor rolled up the blueprints, but his attention was drawn toward the sound of another car coming their way. He lifted his work goggles from his eyes. The auto summiting the rise came into view. He’d expected that it would be the roofers, but clearly, the Range Rover was not carrying the crew.

The car came to a stop and the driver shut the engine.

“Probably another tourist,” Jake said. “I’ll get rid of them.” He started toward the car. Connor stopped him with a firm grip on his forearm.

Olivia stepped out of the car and gazed around before spotting Connor.

“You go ahead. I’ll take care of it.” He shoved his goggles into his shirt pocket, took off his work gloves and began walking toward Olivia.

As he drew closer he realized that his pulse was racing. He was in excellent physical shape and the short walk up the incline should have had no bearing on his heart rate.

“Hey,” he said, stopping in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi. We were so busy talking around our current projects I never made the connection that we could possibly be working on the same job.”

Connor frowned in bemusement. “Same job?” He angled his head to the side.

Olivia dug in her carryall and pulled out a sheaf of documents. “Unless there’s another Dayton Village, I’m in the right place.” She flipped through a couple pages and then showed him the paperwork detailing her assignment.

“You’re definitely in the right place.” He handed her back the documents. “I’m just the lowly rehab guy. Why would anyone bother to tell me? You’re the doc.”

Olivia inwardly flinched at the jab. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He flipped her a half grin. “Nothing at all. We were getting ready to wrap up. Storm’s coming.”

Olivia glanced skyward as if she had to confirm what he said for herself.

“Hey, boss,” Jake said, coming up alongside Connor. “We’re done. The roofers can take it from here.” He eyed Olivia.

“Thanks.” He lifted his chin in her direction. “Jake, this is Dr. Olivia Gray.”

Jake’s eyes momentarily widened, but he held his tongue. He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Gray.”

“You, too,” she murmured.

“We’ll be seeing much more of Dr. Gray. Apparently she’s been assigned to research the site.” He shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

A bang of thunder boomed in the heavens, punctuating Connor’s comment.

“Oh. Well, if you have any questions...” Jake let the comment hang in the charged air. “I’m going to head out, boss. See you in the a.m.”

“Yeah. Tomorrow.”

Jake walked away and headed for his car.

The sky grew ominously dark.

Connor faced Olivia just as the first plop of rain fell. “I’m going to wait for the roofers to finish,” he said dismissively.

“You want to tell me what bug got up your ass?” she retorted.

Connor was so stunned that he almost laughed. He never would have thought that Olivia Gray would drop the lady decorum and show this side of herself. She had a spicy tongue. Although he really shouldn’t be surprised. He’d felt it last night. Tasted it. Behind the cultured talk and proper attitude was a woman on simmer, right below the surface. The instant he’d kissed her, he’d known.

Connor flexed his hard jaw. “Bug up my ass? Hmm.” He snorted a laugh. “Let’s say that I don’t like surprises and you...were a surprise.” The last woman who’d been on one of his reno sites had tried to turn his project into her own personal HGTV reality show when she’d shown up on-site with a camera crew. He’d nearly lost his own crew in that fiasco, along with his credibility—since he’d been sleeping with her.

Olivia drew in a breath and slowly exhaled. “I’m as surprised as you are. I had no idea this was the rehab project you were working on.” Her eyes cinched at the corner. “Do you think I was trying to undermine you in some way...because of last night? Some kind of dumb setup?”

She’d read him like an open book. “The thought briefly ran through my head.”

“You have got to be kidding,” she said, enunciating every word.

His right brow flicked but he didn’t respond.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Mr. Lawson. I’m a professional. I don’t need to wheedle my way into any situation to get what I want. And I certainly don’t need the all clear from you to do my job.”

The rain had gone from a plop to a sprinkle.

He held his hands up, palms facing her. “If you say so.”

Her shoulders tightened, as did her expression.

“There aren’t many people that I run into that don’t want something. There’s always some agenda.” His dark, haunted eyes moved by degrees across her face.

“Every now and then, Mr. Lawson,” she said softly, “there’s an exception to your rule.”

The rain came down harder.

He shifted his weight to relieve the sudden throb in his pants. “I have to wait for the roofers to finish,” he repeated, as if the statement would send her on her way.

Thunder rumbled like the stomach of a starving man.

“Do you mind if I wait with you? I’d like to take a look around.” She wiped water from her face.

He knew damned good and well that was a very bad idea. But what the hell. If they had to work together they may as well be cordial. “Sure. Come on before we really get drenched.” He took her arm and hustled her down the ridge to the main building. “And maybe you can call me Connor again,” he shouted over the roll of thunder.

“We’ll see, Mr. Lawson,” she teased, as they ran like children chased by the bolts of lightning that lit up the early afternoon sky.

Connor chuckled to himself as he pushed open the door. She would. If he wasn’t sure about anything else today, he was sure of that.

The interior was dark, more so because of the lack of sunlight. Olivia shook off the water while Connor turned on the generator that lit the lights.

“No place like home,” he joked as dirt and dust swirled in the air and settled.

Olivia wiped water from her face and looked around. Immediately she was thrown back in time. She could feel the spirits of the ancestors who had found their new lives and freedom within these walls. The energy was palpable. She wrapped her arms around her body and slowly walked around, taking in as much as she could in the muted light. She ran her hand along the scarred oak mantel of the hearth, the frames of the makeshift windows, the warped wood of the walls.

Connor closely watched the awe move in slow waves across Olivia’s face, the wonder in her eyes. He knew what she was feeling. He’d been there, felt it whenever he worked on a project like this.

She spun toward him. “This place is amazing.” Her eyes were wide as she lifted her gaze to the rafters of the cabin. “The write-ups and diagrams do it no justice. I can’t wait to get started. How many buildings have you worked on so far?”

“We’ve done mostly shoring-up work. The structures are pretty worn and weak from water damage, rot and age. Before we can do any restoration we have to make sure the structures are stable.”

“Of course,” she said in a faraway voice, while she continued to explore. “There’s so much history here that’s not visible to the naked eye.”