Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
P iper let out a relieved sigh after finishing her last transcription for the day. Stretching, she glanced at the time before pouring Talon a glass of ice water. Taking him water whenever she took a break had become a habit. The day was unseasonably hot and humid for late October.
After their talk about her work, he had quickly stood and offered to help clean up. He seemed awkward suddenly, not the easygoing guy who had been laughing during breakfast. When she refused his help, he quickly walked out, thanking her for breakfast. Figuring he was ready to get started before the day got too warm, she had let it go, but in truth, she had hoped he stayed a little longer. She really enjoyed talking to Talon.
Stepping outside, she admired the freshly mowed front yard before making her way to the back. As she rounded the corner, she nearly dropped the glass. Talon was mowing shirtless, and holy hell—her body responded immediately. She wondered if she needed to dump the ice water over her head to cool down. Talon noticed her and turned off the mower. Reaching behind him for the shirt hanging from his back pocket, he pulled it on. The moan of disappointment that slipped past her lips surprised her.
“Get a grip, girl. It’s just a chest,” she muttered under her breath. But her inner voice taunted her. That’s no ordinary chest , it mocked. He was tanned, glistening with sweat, and sculpted like a masterpiece. Every muscle was defined as if carved from stone. “Damn.”
“Thanks,” he said as he approached her, taking the water from her trembling hand.
“The yard looks great,” Piper said past her dry throat. Lord, what the hell was this man doing to her? She had to force herself to focus on his face, not the tight shirt now covering the view she couldn’t stop thinking about. “It’s a hot one today.” Her voice trembled. She cleared her throat, hoping he didn’t notice how she was acting like a nervous virgin who had never seen a man’s chest. She wasn’t a virgin, and she’d seen plenty of chests, but none that looked as tasty as his. Yeah, she was in big trouble where this man was concerned.
“It is.” He agreed, draining the glass. “I’m almost done, and then I want to look at your roof. Do you know how old that roof is?”
“No idea, but I’m sure it’s pretty old.” She replied, taking the empty glass from him. “But I haven’t had any leaks, so I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Better to catch it before you get any leaks.” He informed her with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll check it out.”
“Listen, I don’t think that breakfast and dinner is enough for what you’re doing,” Piper said, trying not to sound like a flustered idiot, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him without a shirt. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you.” Once again, her thoughts went to him shirtless. Dammit.
Talon raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eyes. “You can take advantage—” he began but abruptly stopped mid-sentence, his gaze sharpening at something behind her. Piper felt her heart sink, wishing more than anything he’d finished whatever he was going to say.
Curious, she turned to see what had distracted him, only to spot Mayor Johnson swaggering around the corner of the house. He wore a self-satisfied smirk plastered on his face. Piper’s fists clenched involuntarily. She had never wanted to hit someone as badly as she did at that moment.
“Piper,” Mayor Johnson began with a fake sweet tone that had her eyes narrowing. “I’m here to inform you about a delicate matter. It’s come to my attention that your grandfather may owe some debt to the town through unpaid taxes, back dues, and such.”
“That’s convenient.” Piper sighed, knowing that was a lie. “Pop didn’t owe anything on this property.”
“Well, I have papers here that say otherwise.” The mayor held up a large yellow envelope. “Piper, think about it. Given this new situation, the best option for you may be to sell to the developer. It would settle everything cleanly. It is in your best interest to consider what I’m saying. Things can get complicated, and it would be unfortunate if this situation became...messy.”
“That sounds like a threat, Mayor Johnson.” Piper’s eyes flared with anger. “I’m not selling, and I’m not falling for your lies. I know Pop’s didn’t owe this town anything, and do you know how I know, mayor?”
Mayor Johnson’s smug grin faltered momentarily, but he recovered quickly, leaning in slightly as if to pressure her. “I have the proof right here.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” Piper also leaned in to where they were almost nose to nose. “I know Pops doesn’t owe this town a damn thing because you would have tried to collect before today, probably while he was on his deathbed. I bet you’d hate for your office to be investigated, and well, I know people.”
“That is a threat.” His eyes narrowed, not backing down, but she saw a flash of fear in his eyes.
“Yes, it is,” she countered, feeling Talon directly behind her.
“You’re not scaring her into anything, Johnson,” Talon said without his title. “You’ve said all you need to say. I suggest you leave before I personally escort you off the property.”
“Who do you think you are?” The mayor hissed but did, in fact, back away from Piper. “This is none of your business.”
“I just made it my business.” Talon stepped around Piper and leaned over the mayor as he tried to do with Piper. Talon executed it perfectly. He also snapped the envelope out of the mayor’s hand and handed it to Piper without taking his eyes off the mayor. “You have one second to make your decision. Leave on your own, or me transporting your shady ass out.”
“Piper, a lot of people want this,” The mayor said as he backed away from them. “Are you going to hold out and make them suffer because of your selfish decision? Think about?—"
“Your second is up,” Talon said quickly, moving toward the mayor, who tripped over his own feet as he turned to jog away from them.
Frowning, Piper looked down at the envelope, the mayor’s words running through her mind. Was she the only holdout? Will people suffer? Not that she would give up Pop’s place for anything in the world, but still, she was not selfish and didn’t want her decision to hurt anyone.
“You won’t be fighting this alone, Piper.” Talon’s voice rumbled beside her, solid and unwavering. “No one is pushing you off this land.”
“It’s a lie,” Piper whispered, still looking at the envelope, then finally looked up at him. “But how do I prove it? I can’t lose this house, the land. And I’m not selfish, Talon.”
“Of course, you’re not,” Talon assured her, then tilted his head. “Do you trust me?”
Okay, that was an odd question, yet she didn’t even have to think about it. She trusted him. “Yes,” She replied, even nodded.
He held his hand out for the envelope she hadn’t opened yet. “Let me take that to someone who knows more about this than I do.” Talon held out his hand, waiting. “See what you can find in your grandfather’s paperwork. If my friend needs it, I can also get that to him.”
“I can’t lose this place.” She handed him the envelope. Piper just hoped she wasn’t putting too much trust in this man who she barely knew. But what choice did she have? She didn’t know much about developers, real estate, and such.
“You won’t,” Talon assured her, then glanced at the yard before looking back at her. “Raincheck on the dinner tonight, and I’ll be back in the morning to finish the yard.”