Terri Reed - A Sheltering Love

Lori led a reluctant Bob out, leaving Claire alone.

Her lungs hurt and her throat felt like sandpaper. The place did smell and it looked horrible—all black and charred on the back wall around the door. But it was her place. The only thing she possessed worth anything. And someone had tried to wreck it. She blew out an angry breath. She wasn’t about to let anyone destroy her dream.

A wet tickle at her ankle reminded her she now had one other possession. She bent and scratched behind Little Nick’s ears. “Hope you don’t mind that it’s just you and me, little guy.”

She straightened and moved toward the stairs when the front door opened and Nick walked back in.

A surge of happiness tore through her, catching her off guard. She trampled down the giddy pleasure. “I thought you left.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.” His expression was unreadable but there was a tension in his body she hadn’t noticed before.

“No. No disappointment. I’m glad to see you. I mean…I wanted to say goodbye.”

“I came to get my jacket.” He strode past her to where his leather jacket lay on the stool by the counter.

“Oh.” A bubble of disappointment popped in her chest. He hadn’t come to see her or to say goodbye.

He slipped the jacket on and crossed the room to stand a few feet from her. “I hear you might have a room to rent.”

“You know of a teen in trouble?”

He gave her a sharp look. “I’d intended to stay awhile wherever I stopped this evening. My bike needs a tune-up. And now that it’s getting late, I might as well stay in Pineridge. Steve recommended a mechanic a few blocks away.”

Her heart pounded in her ears. He wanted to stay here? “That’s not a good idea.”

One side of his mouth curled up into a lopsided grin. “You’d be doing me a favor. And I could pay you by doing the work to repair the back of the building. That way you don’t have to put any money out on expensive contractors and I can have a roof over my head. It would sure beat sleeping on the ground.”

“There are hotels downtown. And a Motel 6 on the outskirts, just as you come off the freeway.”

He shook his head. “I’ll take my bedroll to the park.”

“You can’t do that. You’ll get arrested.”

“Your front grass will do.”

“No. That’s ridiculous.”

Claire worried her lip, conflicted. On one hand she didn’t like the idea of anyone invading her space. And he would definitely be an invader. But wasn’t that the point of The Zone, to rent the rooms so kids wouldn’t have to sleep on the ground? That was why Gwen lived with her, because she had nowhere else to go.

Nick wasn’t a teen, but he obviously needed a place to stay for awhile. And apparently couldn’t afford a hotel. She couldn’t turn him out. She could only imagine the cost to his pride to have to ask for help. She knew her own pride held her back from asking anybody for assistance.

Yet, she couldn’t shake a strong suspicion that somehow this was all just a ruse concocted to keep her under his protection. Why did he suddenly need his bike tuned up? You’re being paranoid, she told herself.

Nick interrupted her thoughts. “I won’t get in your way.”

Heat crept up her neck. She was taking an awful long time to answer his question. Stalling, she asked, “You could fix the wall and the porch?”

“Yes. I’ve done carpentry work in the past.”

Having him take care of the repairs would save her time and money. He was offering to work in exchange for room and board.

He needed a place to stay. She had it to give. Even though it wasn’t a fair exchange. He would work harder than the rent she could charge. “I have a room. But I insist you let me pay you a small wage for the work.”

He frowned. “Not necessary.”

“It is to me.” She wouldn’t be a charity case. She’d use the money in the building fund for his wage, and insurance, she hoped, would pay for the repairs.

He considered her for a moment. “Okay. Deal.”

He held out his hand. She slipped her smaller one into his. Warmth spread up her arm and wrapped around her senses. Looking in to his dark, commanding eyes, she felt the force of his attraction drawing her in. She sent up a silent prayer for strength to resist such a glaring temptation.

She was determined not to end up paying with her heart.

The strain of the day settled in Nick’s neck as he lugged his saddlebag into The Zone. He’d taken his bike to the mechanic, a nice guy with an obvious love of Harleys. Nick had walked back to find Claire nowhere in sight and the front door unlocked.

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