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pushy at times. She was
the boss, but that didn’t give her the right to praise him for just doing his
job. And he didn’t need her encouragement in his fight against the booze. He
didn’t want her thinking he was some damn emotional cripple.
    And then there were
all those women things about. Was there any place else to hang robes and
nightgowns than in the bathroom? And why did she always have to look so damn
innocently sexy? It didn’t matter if she wore a sweatshirt and baggy pants or a
thin blouse and shorts—she was as tempting as the devil herself.
    And he had to stop
noticing. He needed blinkers like some horses to avoid distractions.
    Did she know her
upturned smile and peppy personality served only to tease him? Her hair could
stand on end and she would still look like a woman who needed to be touched and
caressed and yes, dammit, pampered.
    Pushing away from the
supper table he frowned at Maggie’s back one last time before muttering, “Thanks
for the meal. I’ve got to be going.”
    Hurriedly, he exited
and climbed into his truck. For once it started without protest. Ed was
grateful for that as he eased the pickup toward the dirt road that would lead
him back to civilization…and to some measure of sanity.
    - o -
     
    Maggie watched the
faded pickup lurch along the rutted road. He was headed to a twelve step
meeting. He wouldn’t discuss what went on at those meetings, but she was
pleased he went. It was good for him, and it was good for her to have some
distance from the man.
    When she’d first met
him outside the Resting Arms, she wouldn’t have bet a bent penny that he’d
straighten out enough to come work for her. She’d hoped. She’d even put up
thirty bucks as a challenge, but she would never have bet on it.
    But he’d gotten
himself together. And he was working out better than she’d imagined. Watching
the pickup tail lights disappear in the darkness, Maggie hugged herself tightly
as waves of heat coursed through her body only to be followed by a riptide of
chills. He was gone, but his scent filled her nostrils.
     
    - o -
     
    Ed used the end of a
shovel to tamp dirt tightly around the fencepost while Maggie held it in place.
They’d been building fencing for the paddocks for days; this was the last post.
It was the post they’d both been looking forward to.
    “Done,” Ed said. “There
are still a lot of rails to attach, but that’s it for digging post holes.” He
cast his gaze over the half dozen acres they’d been dividing into pastures with
an eye for how it would change over the next few weeks. “It’s looking good. Won’t
be long now and you’ll see some horses out there.”
    “It can’t happen too
soon,” said Maggie, stretching her arms high above her head and scrunching her
shoulders. “I just hope this works.”
    “You having second
thoughts?”
    “Third and fourth,
probably. Don’t worry. I’m not going to back away from our plans.” Maggie
squinted against the morning sun. “I just wish we could get on with it. Waiting
is the hardest.”
    “It’s not like we’ve
been sitting around watching the grass grow these past weeks,” said Ed, bending
to pick up his tools.
    “I know. I know. But
it still seems…so unreal. Having horses running around these paddocks is going
to make it much more real.”
    “Yeah, I can think of
something else that will make it real enough.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Bills.”
    “Right. That part of
reality is already happening. I don’t really want to think about that now,”
Maggie said, removing her cap. “It’s time to sample Carolyn’s lemonade. She put
it in the shade of the maple tree. How does that suit you, Mr. Carpenter?”
    “Just fine,” Ed responded,
dusting off his pants. “We’ve earned it this morning. It’s as hot as blazes and
it’s not even noon yet.”
    Slowly, he drank his
fill of Carolyn’s lemonade. With pride, he admired the corral fencing he and
Maggie had nearly completed. It was new vinyl.