backward momentum was too much. She continued to fall, taking her rescuer with her. His body cushioned her impact. A grunt exploded from his lips, blasting hot air near her ear; at the same time, muddy water splashed up, drenching her and the person under her.
One of the slats hit her forehead as the traitorous ladder came to rest on top of her and her mysterious protector.
“Okay?”
The deep timbre of his voice washed over her much like the puddle. She gripped the ladder and shoved it off her, embarrassment making her unusually strong, it seemed.
“Yes. How about you?”
He lifted her up a few inches and sucked in several deep breaths. “Now I am.”
She scrambled to the side and rotated toward her rescuer. The color in her cheeks had to have deepened to a scarlet red, if the warmth suffusing her face was any indication, and she was glad that the muddy water covered her mortification.
“I guess you attract puddles,” Noah said as he scooted back out of the muddy water, which drenched both of them now.
She pushed her wet hair back from her face and wiped her hands across her cheeks. “One of my finer abilities.”
His chuckles echoed through Laura’s backyard. “I’m not sure I want to know about any others.” He rose in one smooth motion and presented his hand to help her stand.
On her feet she saw how totally soaked she was. Far worse than a few days ago when she had first met Noah Maxwell. “I don’t think a towel will help this time.”
He glanced down his body. “You think?” When he reestablished eye contact with her, amusement glittered in his hazel depths. “Where is everyone?”
“Peter is at the barn. Laura and the children are at the cottages, making plans for tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“The last day of freedom, as Laura’s son told me, before they have to go back to school.”
Puzzlement wrinkled his brow.
“Last day of spring break and the first day of my new job.”
“Ah, I see. I would think Sean would be looking forward to going back. He only has a few more months and he will graduate.”
“Top of his class as Laura is eager to point out.”
“Yeah, he’s come a long way from two years ago.”
“A lot can happen in two years.” As she well knew. Her life had fallen apart and everything familiar was gone.
“Can I help you?”
“Why were you on the ladder?”
Cara glanced up into the branches of the oak and found the fat feline perched on another limb, watching her like the Cheshire cat. “I told Peter I would give Moose his antibiotic. One of the animals was having babies, I think, and he needed to be there.”
“And the poor momma probably doesn’t want him anywhere near her, but Peter likes to make sure everything is all right. He lost a dog and a litter of puppies because there was a complication last year. So now he personally oversees any birthing that he knows about.” Noah walked toward the hose near the deck and turned the tap.
“That could be exhausting, especially during the spring.”
“That’s Peter. All or nothing. Actually that pretty well describes Jacob and me, too. Paul, our foster father, taught us well.” He cleaned himself as best as he could under the circumstances, then offered Cara the water.
“Thanks, but I’m thinking a shower is more in line.”
“If only.”
“The least I can do is bring you a towel.”
“Tit for tat?”
She smiled and mounted the steps of the deck. “It’s dangerous to be around me. I’ll get one and be right back.”
Noah watched Cara disappear inside. Where in the world had that comment about being an all-or-nothing kind of guy come from? Along with knocking the breath from him, she must have rattled his brain when she landed on him. He tried to think what it was about her that—
“Here you go.”
She appeared in front of him while he obviously had been in a stupor since he hadn’t heard her approach. “Oh, yes, thanks.”
“See you tomorrow,” she said as she went back into the house.
He began drying his hair and immediately the image of her doing that a few days before popped into his head. She’d definitely rattled him. She wasn’t at all like the women he dated casually. There was nothing memorable in her features—certainly nothing that normally attracted him. Especially because he never was interested in single mothers. Children and he did not mix.
One week on the job and Cara’s feet still ached from standing so much. And tonight would be extra long because she would help close the restaurant for the first time. In the bathroom she slapped some water on her face, then washed her hands before heading back into the dining area to finish the last hour of her shift.
At least the tips were good. Pulling her pad out of her apron pocket to take an order, she again approached the table of three college-aged men. She pasted a smile on her face although it was an effort to keep it in place after her last encounter with them.
“You all ready to order?” She positioned herself a little farther away than usual to avoid the roaming hands of one of the customers.
“What did you say?” The massively built young man with rippling biceps who had been extra friendly slurred his words, making them run together. He bent toward her and nearly fell out of his chair.
Blasted with the scent of alcohol, she stepped back. “Are you ready to order?”
“You don’t have to shout.” He straightened, tossing back his head so hard his blond curls bounced.
Lord, patience is usually one of my strong suits, but this Friday night must have brought out the worst customers, and they all sat in my area of the restaurant.
Cara moved closer to the table, sidling toward the tall, thin young man sitting opposite the blond giant. “Do you all need more time to look over the menu?”
The young man brushed back a curl that fell onto his forehead. “What do you think, Brent? Jeremy? This li’l lady isn’t being too friendly. Do we order or leave?”
“I ain’t all that hungry. Let’s go find a bar that’s open,” the one called Jeremy said, his words garbled as though he had a mouth full of pebbles.
“Bring us our bill.” The blond waved his hand in the air. “We’re leaving. We need to do some celebrating and you’re putting a damper on our festivities.” His voice rose with each sentence spoken.
Since all she had done was bring them water, she said, “There is no bill.” She started to walk away, not sorry they were going, even if that meant the restaurant lost some business.
Fingers clamped about her wrist, halting her progress. She glared at the blond. “Take your hand off me.”
Chapter Two
“O r what?” The blond college student shoved to his feet, swaying into her as his chair toppled over.
The sound echoed through the dining area, and several customers nearby stopped talking and stared. All three young men were standing now. The blond’s huge presence dwarfed her. The odor of the alcohol they must have drunk earlier assailed her from all angles, roiling her stomach. Her heart increased its pounding against her rib cage.
The blond thrust his face close to hers, the smell intensifying. “I said, ‘Or what,’ li’l lady?” He mangled the words.
Speechless