Justice Reborn (Cowboy Justice Association Book 8) (5 page)

O
ne short week later Evan was feeling like he’d won the lottery. Hell, better than that. Hiring Lisa had turned out to be the best damn decision he’d ever made. She worked tirelessly until she was sweaty and dirty from head to toe without a single complaint. No whining or bitching. When they were done he was going to build a statue in her honor right out in the front yard. There was no way he would have managed to finish the bedroom this week without her.

He dipped his paintbrush in the paint can and brushed a spot on the wall before stepping back to survey his work. “I’m not sure about this color. It’s so…blue.”

Lisa put down her own paint roller and came to stand beside him. “That’s because
it is
blue. And need I remind you, we spent a couple of hours at the hardware store picking out that particular shade. You wanted it to be blue, but not too blue. It had to be masculine but not harsh. Giddy with just a hint of playfulness.”

He sure as hell hadn’t said that last part but he’d learned she was a sarcastic little shit and he had to admit he liked that about her. She could make him laugh until his sides hurt.

But he had stretched her patience badly when looking at paint colors. The looks she’d given him that day had been priceless. He was pretty sure she wanted to haul off and smack him a few times. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she had. He’d annoyed himself, if the truth were known.

“I think you’re confusing the paint with wine. Seriously, I don’t remember it looking this bright in the store.”

“It will dry darker,” she pointed out. “But if you’re truly spooked I guess we could go back to the store and get three gallons of the beige you were eyeing. If you don’t mind it being boring as hell.”

“The beige was nice.”

He didn’t know why he was arguing with her. He didn’t know shit about color or design and had grabbed the most neutral paint he could find before she’d called a halt to the whole thing and made him start again. She’d dragged him to the home furnishings store where he picked out a comforter, sheets, pillows, and drapes. Then and only then would she let him choose a paint color.

And when he said he’d picked it out he meant that she had. She’d made a show of trying to simply steer him in the right direction, but from the raised eyebrows and exasperated expressions he could tell he had lousy taste. That didn’t surprise him as he tried to keep things simple in his own life.

White walls. Beige carpeting. Blue and brown furniture.

So he’d shut his mouth and really taken a look at what she was suggesting, and damned if it wasn’t miles better than anything he would have selected. She’d managed to integrate his brown and blue tastes but in a way he never would have expected. He was kind of looking forward to sleeping in this room when it was done.

“I thought you decided you weren’t going to be afraid of color,” Lisa reminded him with a smirk. “You told me you wanted to live a little and experiment. Have we changed our mind?”

Maybe. No, wait. It was out of his comfort zone but wasn’t that why he was doing this? He’d lived his entire life doing the safe thing, the expected thing. The only time he took any chances was when he was at work, and for the most part it had paid off. He’d been climbing the ranks at the Marshal Service when he was shot.

“No, we haven’t.” Evan blew out of breath, conceding defeat without much of a fight. He wanted this, he was just wary. The last thing he needed was a psychedelic bedroom that would make him get less sleep than he already was. “It’s just…”

“Blue. Yes, I know.” Lisa laughed and went back to her paint roller and pan. “I’ll tell you what. If you don’t like how the room looks when we’re done with the whole thing, I’ll paint it all again myself. For free. That’s how confident I am that you’re going to love it. Is that a deal? It’s a win-win and you can’t lose.”

She has a great smile.

Evan mentally slapped himself as his mind wandered into dangerous territory. He’d spent the better part of a week usually not more than three feet from Lisa and as each day passed his admiration for her grew. Not only was she a hard worker, she was usually happy too, singing to the radio and even dancing around despite the oppressive heat and humidity. She’d made working on this hovel a great deal of fun.

She wasn’t hard on the eyes either. Today she was dressed in cutoff jean shorts that showed off a pair of tanned legs and a worn and faded t-shirt, her long auburn hair pulled back into a braid that went halfway down her back. Her nose was sprinkled with newly-acquired freckles from the Florida sun that only served to make her look even younger than the first day they’d met. He really needed to ask her how old she was but there were few ways to phrase that question without offending a woman.

“It’s a deal,” he conceded, having no intention of not paying her for the work if she had to repaint. Her efforts so far had been nothing short of heroic. “I do like the color. I’m just unsure about how I’m going to like looking at it on my walls day after day.”

Lisa swept her arm toward the bed in the middle of the room. “If we do this right you shouldn’t notice the wall color. It’s just a backdrop, a canvas really, for the rest of the decor.”

“You sound like an interior decorator. Is that what you did before?”

Instantly her bright smile disappeared and her gaze darted around the room. “Nope. I just like color.”

She was lying but Evan didn’t push her for the truth. Clearly, it was something she didn’t want to discuss and she hadn’t pushed him for personal information either. In fact, she’d been exceedingly respectful about all the subjects that put him in a bad mood. The least he could do was give her the same courtesy.

“You’re more creative than I am so I’m grateful for the help,” he said instead. “We better get started or we’ll never finish this today. I’m hoping we can get two coats on these walls plus the trim.”

“You’re an ambitious man but I think we can do it.” Lisa’s smile was back and he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want her to be unhappy. He desperately needed her on this job.

He’d come to depend on her company more than he should. She was friendly, relaxing, and she didn’t bug him about what he was going to do with the rest of his life. He hadn’t expected it or even wanted it, but Lisa had become important to him in a short space of time. She’d quickly become his friend but eventually she would leave, moving on to the next place in her quest to see the country.

Why did that bother him so damn much?

*   *   *   *

Her muscles protesting every movement, Josie hefted one side of the new mattress up into the air so she and Evan could set it down directly on top of the box spring. They’d finished painting the walls and then assembled the new bedframe, a simple Shaker style stained a medium walnut. Evan had also purchased a large matching dresser and two side tables, and Josie had chosen a few throw rugs to add warmth to the newly refinished hardwood floors. All in all, the room was really coming together.

“I could have done this. You need to be careful or you’re going to hurt yourself,” Evan warned, shifting the mattress an inch to the left.

Josie reached for the freshly laundered fitted sheet, purchased brand new during their trip into Ocala earlier in the week. “You’re sweet to be worried but I’m fine. It wasn’t that heavy.”

His eyebrow arched and an evil smile spread across his handsome face. “You think I’m worried about you? I’m just concerned about who would help me out around here if something happened to you. I’d have to do all this work myself.”

Grabbing one of the matching throw pillows, she lobbed it in the air so it bounced off his head. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

Evan snorted and began to tuck his side of the sheets under the mattress. “You can pretend but I’m seriously worried. I’m thinking I might have to invest in getting you a weekly massage or something. Maybe even wrap you in bubble wrap when you’re off duty. You’ve made yourself indispensable.”

She couldn’t help the warmth she felt at being so appreciated but it was tempered with the knowledge that she couldn’t stay long. At any given time, she might have to grab her meager belongings and get out of town. Each night in her lonely hotel room, she watched the news and scoured the papers for any mention of herself, but so far she’d been lucky. She hoped that luck would hold out at least until she’d earned enough money to move on.

“I think I’ll turn down the bubble wrap but say yes to the massage. I will admit my muscles and joints are not happy about this new level of activity. On the bright side, my clothes are beginning to get loose. I think I’ve lost a few pounds, probably from sweating.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks as his appreciative gaze swept her head to toe. She’d never been skinny and she wasn’t fat either, but rarely had she been on the receiving end of such male enjoyment.

She could easily get used to it.

Evan had been the perfect gentleman but he also had been warm, friendly, and appreciative. He was the nicest man she’d met in a very long time and it sucked that she had to keep her distance from him. In another time and place they might have become close friends. Maybe even more.

“You don’t really have any weight to lose so I’ll make sure you eat a big piece of pie or cake tonight for dessert.”

She tossed the comforter on the bed and began to spread it over the sheets. “I’m not missing any meals, believe me. I’ve never been much for dieting or working out. I’ll probably die young choking on a piece of chocolate while I trip over a pillow and blanket.”

Or by those killers that are after me. Stop! Don’t think about that.

“I’ve seen worse ways to go.”

Both Evan and Josie were on all fours on the bed, pulling and tugging at the comforter to smooth out any wrinkles. She tucked the bottom corner down so it laid flat before reaching over the side to grab the bed pillows on the floor. When she looked up, Evan was right there just inches from her face, looking as surprised as she felt.

Their gazes locked and for a moment she was lost in his eyes, just the color of well-washed blue denim. Reminding herself to breathe, she exhaled slowly and sat back on her heels to put some distance between them. She couldn’t allow her attraction to Evan to override her common sense. Any relationship she might start wasn’t going anywhere. There was a good chance she’d end up dead or in prison and she wouldn’t drag someone as nice as he was into the mess that had become her life.

“So,” she said, the words sounding way too loud in the silence. “Pillows.”

She held up the king-sized pillows as if they were trophies. Sometimes, especially when she was nervous, she couldn’t help but act like a total dork.

If he thought she was a big goof he was too polite to say so. He reached for the pillows and tucked them at the headboard. “Thank you. I think the bed looks good. You were right, this all goes together.”

Her palms were sweaty and a flush of warmth crawled up her chest, making her shift uncomfortably on the mattress.

Shit, she was on a bed with a gorgeous guy. That hadn’t happened in a while.

Move. For the love of God, move.

Jumping up and almost tripping over her own feet, she tried to act casual as if she was simply perusing the room. “It looks good. Really good. Yep, it looks good.”

I am such an idiot.

She wasn’t talking about him, or at least she didn’t want him to think she was talking about him. But he did look good. Very good. It took every ounce of strength she had not to reach out and brush that growth of whiskers on his square jaw or let her fingers trail down the muscles of his arm.

Stop drooling, Josie. It’s not polite to pant.

Evan was smiling at her, still kneeling on the bed looking rumpled and sexy. It wasn’t fair that men looked good sweaty and dirty and then add in the bed… Dammit, why didn’t he get off?

No! No getting off! Remove any images of employer getting off from brain. Dammit, I need a lobotomy and big glass of wine.

“I’d say everything looks good,” Evan agreed, finally climbing off the bed much to her relief. “Thanks to you, of course. What do you say I buy you dinner? We’ll celebrate finishing a room.”

Under any other circumstances, she’d have argued but getting out of this bedroom was priority number one. She heard herself quickly agreeing as she backed out into the hallway.

She was pretty sure Evan was laughing at her when she collided with the door frame, banging her head and almost seeing stars. She laughed it off and bolted down the stairs and into the kitchen where the cooler resided.

She needed a cool drink and ice. Lots and lots of ice.

Chapter Six