Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
TANDY
I dump my fresh-out-of-the-dryer clothes, which are still warm, onto the couch, then rub my temples. My head feels like it’s about to explode. But I need to get my undergarments folded and put away because Colt will be here any minute. And I have a feeling that if he sees lacy things, he’ll change his mind about staying here. I’m guessing that even if my undies weren’t lacy, he’d still make up an excuse and stay elsewhere.
Then I’d feel guilty because the man is paying out the nose at some run-down motel. And I have two extra rooms.
He won’t have to stay all that long. I told Matthew to build Colt’s cabin first. I say cabin, but it’ll be a small house. Two bedrooms. Two baths. I want Colt to have a nice place so that he’ll stay for a while. And Matthew says they can build it in a short amount of time.
I run back to the dryer and toss in the sheets. Hopefully, they won’t take too long. Offering the man a bed without clean sheets seems rude.
Once the dryer is doing its thing, I head toward the kitchen but detour when someone knocks on the door. Colt must be early.
When the door swings open, I’m greeted by Matthew’s smiling face.
He tips his hat. “Evening. I got the plans back for the wrangler’s cabin. Thought you’d want to see them.” He taps the folder tucked under his arm.
“Perfect. Come in.” The oven timer beeps, and I hurry to the kitchen. “Make yourself at home. I need to check on the food.”
He calls out, “I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner. I can come back another time.”
As I pull the foil off the top of my meatloaf, I shout. “Don’t leave. I made plenty. Stay.”
“You sure?”
I’m finding that I enjoy Matthew’s company. But I’m not quite ready to admit that to him. “Yes. Besides, Colt is coming over, and he’ll want to see the plans also. Just have a seat. I need to get the rice cooking.”
“You convinced me.”
Cooking isn’t something I do every night because making food for one gets boring. But since Colt is coming, I made an excessive amount of food. Hopefully, Matthew and Colt both eat multiple servings.
Matthew is quiet as I get the rice into the cooker and then chop a few vegetables and toss them in the air fryer. Then I quickly set the dining table.
When I walk into the living room, Matthew is holding a pair of my lacy panties. “These aren’t what I expected. They’re pretty.”
Blinking, I bounce my gaze between Matthew and the stack of undies next to him. “You folded my laundry.” Then I go back to rubbing my temples. In all my running around, I still haven’t taken anything for my headache.
“Yep. It was here. I didn’t have anything to do. If I folded stuff wrong, I’m sorry.” He picks up the stack of panties. “Where should I put these?”
“Follow me.” I traipse down the hall. “And what do you mean by not what I expected?”
He follows without answering.
The cats don’t even stir when we walk into my room. Ever since the renovations were completed, they’ve made a point to spend time in the rooms they were locked out of before. And the past few days it’s been my room. Specifically, my bed.
I yank open a drawer. “My underwear goes in here.”
After tucking the stack in its place, Matthew picks up a pair of briefs, what most people would call granny panties. “I can’t say that I’ve given a whole lot of thought to what you wear under those jogging suits and sweater vest sets. But when I saw lace, I was surprised. This pair, though, that’s more what I expected.”
I snatch it out of his hand. “Those are old. Delaney has such cute stuff in her shop, and I decided to pamper myself with pretty things.” I fling the briefs into the back of the drawer. “Why are we talking about my underwear?”
He shrugs. “We can talk about whatever you want. I’ll have to trust you about Delaney’s shop. I haven’t been in there.”
“Your grandson is in and out of there all the time.” I rub my face and walk toward the kitchen.
Matthew laughs. “Eli is head over heels for that woman. Did you know that he worked there one day so that she could be away from the shop?”
“Yep. I popped in for fun that morning.”
He brushes past me when we get to the kitchen and opens the cabinet where I keep my medicines. “Have you taken anything for that headache?”
“Not yet.” I haven’t said a word about a headache, so I must look terrible.
He gets out pills, then fills a glass with water. “Here. Tense? Worried?”
“Not sure. But I’ve been thinking about everything that needs to be done. It feels like it’s taking forever. It helps that you’re on the team now.”
His warm hands clasp my shoulders, and he kneads my tight muscles. “I’m happy that we’re working together.”
My eyes slip closed, and I relax my tight shoulders. “Okay. That feels amazing.”
His breath tickles my ear. “You like that, do you?”
I jerk away, reminding myself that our relationship is all business. “Thanks. I think that helped. I need to make sure the room is ready for Colt.”
“A room for Colt?” Matthew crosses his arms, his gaze boring holes into me.
“Calm down, old man. Colt is moving in until his place is ready.” I step closer and pat his chest. “You’d have to be insane for that to bother you.”
One half of his mouth quirks into a smirk. “Insane, huh?”
“We’ve hashed this out already, remember?” I pat his cheek. “We’re old. He’s a kid. And I don’t want him wasting his money on a fleabag motel.”
The doorbell rings, and I wag my finger in Matthew’s face. “Be nice.”
“I finally get to meet your new young friend.”
I’ve avoided introducing Matthew to Colt simply because I wasn’t sure what Matthew would say. “You promise to behave?”
He leans in close. “Only because it makes you happy, Tandy.”
I huff and hurry to the door.
Colt grins when it swings open. “Smells good in here.”
“Come on in. Colt, this is Matthew Gallagher. He’s handling all the building projects on the ranch. And he brought the plans for your place.” I motion Colt inside. “And Matthew, this is Colt Reed, my wrangler and handyman. I’m sure you two will be seeing a lot of each other.”
Matthew extends his hand. “Nice to meet you. Has she asked you to take off your shirt yet?”
I cannot believe Matthew is bringing that up. “Of course I haven’t asked him to take off his shirt. He works for me.”
I may have garnered a reputation for asking men to take off their shirts, but it was truly all in fun. Occasionally one said yes—actually, only once—and I got a book cover out of the deal.
Matthew and I went decades without seeing each other because I rarely came back to this town. But since he knew me when I was young, it feels like he knows me better than my current friends. And maybe he does. He knew the me that didn’t have strategically placed, well-reinforced emotional walls.
One thing I know for certain. Matthew knows how to push my buttons.
Colt rubs his mouth, trying to hide either horror or a laugh. I don’t know him well enough to decipher the look in his eyes. “No, sir. She has not asked me to remove my clothing. Thankfully. Because that would be awkward.”
I poke Matthew in the ribs. “You’ll pay for that jab.”
He clasps my hand as I start to walk away and whispers, “Would a Big Hunk make everything better?”
He is maddening. But I’m caught between wanting to smack him and wanting to plant a big fat kiss on him. If he actually got his hands on my favorite candy bar, which I can never find, kissing him might be what I choose.
After dinner, we spend more than an hour poring over the plans and sketches for the structures I want built. Colt loves the layout of his new house, so that’s a plus.
An alarm sounds on my phone, and I check the weather app. I’ve learned not to ignore warnings when it comes to Texas storms. “Oh, this looks bad. Hail and strong winds.”
Matthew peers over my shoulder. “Oof. I don’t like the looks of that. They updated the warnings. It was supposed to be just a rainstorm.”
“You should stay. There’s no point in your driving home right now. You have no business being out in that sort of weather.”
He cuts a glance at Colt. “I don’t want to impose.”
I point at him, ready to deliver a lecture.
He wraps his hand around my index finger. “Save it. I wasn’t implying anything. But you didn’t plan for a second guest. I’m trying to be considerate.”
“You can use my office. The sheets on that bed are clean. It’s only a twin bed though. And the room is crowded because of my desk, computer, and the bookshelves.”
His eyes twinkle. “I’ll stay.”
I pat his chest. “Good. Now I won’t worry about you.”
Colt clears his throat. “I think I’m going to head to bed. Can I help you clean up first?”
“Oh no. I’ve got this. Make yourself at home, Colt. Seriously.”
“Appreciate it.” He nods. “And it was great meeting you, Mr. Gallagher.”
“Call me Matthew. And it’s been a pleasure meeting you too. I’m glad you’ll be staying here to look after Tandy.” Matthew shakes Colt’s hand.
“Me too.” Colt cuts a side glance at me. “But I’m not sure she needs looking after.”
“Sweet dreams. Let me know if you need anything.” I gather up our glasses and go into the kitchen.
Matthew follows me. “I’ll get the dishes washed up while you put the food away.”
“That works. I’ll be back in a few. I’m going to run back to my room for a moment.” I check on the cats, then make sure I don’t have crumbs on my face. And I freshen my lipstick. But only because I don’t want to look washed out.
No other reason.
Business associates don’t usually spend the evening cleaning up the kitchen, so maybe it would be better to think of Matthew as a friend. He’s starting to feel like one.
But calling him a friend feels like a slippery slope. He’s charming in all the ways I find attractive. Even after all these years.
It would be too easy to slide back into his arms. But I made a promise to myself. And it would be a shame to break it after this long.