Allie's Moon by Alexis Harrington Read Free Book Online Page A

side.
    Gazing out at this view, a man could almost
forget the heartache and bad luck dogging his past.
    “ Mr. Hicks!”
    Her stern tone cut through his moment of
peace, and carried over the stiff breeze rustling the grass and
trees. He peered beyond the edge of the roof and saw Althea Ford
standing in the yard, her hands on her hips and her face turned up
to his. The breeze ruffled the loose tendrils of hair around her
face, each curl catching the sunlight and flashing red-gold.
    For just an instant, Jeff’s masculine nature
gained the upper hand, and his gaze swept the length of her
pleasing figure. And very pleasing it was. So pleasing, in fact,
that Jeff momentarily forgot where he was standing and damned near
lost his precarious foothold on the steeply sloped roof. He
scrambled for purchase, imagining himself sliding backward and
tumbling to the ground. He clenched his jaw to hold back a
curse.
    He had taken his shirt off and tied it around
his waist. Her large eyes were fixed on his chest, her startled
expression saying, more clearly than words, that she’d never seen a
man’s bare torso. Not wishing to offend her maidenly
sensibilities—Christ, how did he land himself in these messes?—he
fumbled with the knot and hastily shoved his arms into the sleeves,
nearly losing his balance again as he shifted his weight.
    “ Mr. Hicks, you have left the barn door
open!”
    With the way she was gaping at him, Jeff
thought for a horrible moment that his chest wasn’t the only body
part he was exposing, but a fast downward glance at his fly assured
him it was buttoned. He looked across weed-infested yard at the
barn, vaguely recollecting as he did that she’d asked him to keep
it closed.
    “ Um—yes, ma’am.”
    Even from here he could see the nettled
expression on her pretty face. “I believe I asked you to keep that
door closed.”
    “ It needs to be fixed—it hangs
up.”
    “ It—it—what h-hangs?”
    “ It hangs up—it’s stuck.”
    “ Oh. You mean it won’t close at all?”
He heard a baffling edge of panic in her voice.
    “ It does but it’s hard to work, so I
left it open because I’ve been going in and out for tools. Should I
fix it?”
    She pressed a hand to her slender waist,
something about the gesture making her seem vulnerable. “No! It
doesn’t need fixing.”
    “ I don’t mean to argue, ma’am, but it
does.”
    “ But it doesn’t matter because I don’t
use the barn and I want the door shut. It’s not much to ask, Mr.
Hicks.”
    It wasn’t his place, or even in his nature to
pursue it, but he did anyway. Maybe because the whole thing seemed
so damned harebrained. “There’s nothing in there that can get out.
What difference does it make?”
    She glanced around, as if she were groping
for an answer. “It looks, well, it looks untidy.”
    Jeff let his gaze drift over the rest of the
property, taking note of the jungle-like yard and sagging fences.
“Untidy.”
    Obviously realizing how ridiculous that
sounded, she pressed on. “Mr. Hicks, I don’t have to explain myself
to you. Please, just come down here and do as I asked.”
    He sighed, wondering if she had any idea how
slick a roof was when a man wasn’t wearing spiked boots. “Yes,
ma’am.”
    As Jeff worked his way across the steep roof
to the ladder, he glanced at the sky again, this time to judge the
hour. He figured he had another five to go here.
    He hoped to God they’d pass quickly.

    CHAPTER FOUR

    The sun cast long shadows the next time
Althea emerged from the house to talk to Jeff. Wading through the
tall grass, she carried a tray that held a bowl of beef soup, a big
chunk of hot, fresh bread, and coffee.
    Despite the matter about the barn door, he’d
displayed much more industry than she’d expected. The hammering and
patching had continued all afternoon, and he deserved a hot meal.
She’d also brought with her an old towel, and a piece of soap was
tucked in her apron pocket. The meal wasn’t fancy but