Maddie

I straightened up when Val called my name, then sauntered toward the house, careful where I stepped. I’d transformed her front yard into a mess, but that was how landscaping worked in the initial phase.

“Here, I made some iced tea.” She set the tray on the large wooden table in front of the house and poured the tea into two glasses.

“Thanks!” I gulped it down greedily, the liquid cooling my throat. This was just what the doctor ordered. It was an unusually hot afternoon for the end of June in LA. Val’s ranch-style house was located on the northwestern side of the city, and the ocean was so far away that not even a wisp of a breeze reached us here.

“How is it going?”

“I’m done for the day, just waiting for the timber posts to be delivered. I talked to the driver a while ago. He should be here in ten minutes.”

Val finished her tea, sweeping her gaze across the yard. She’d commissioned me to transform her downward-sloping property into a terraced garden, and the first step involved breaking down the smooth slope into multiple levels. I’d started the project only this week, so right now it looked as if a meteorite had hit it squarely in the center.

“Okay. Landon will arrive from LAX soon. Do you want to join us for dinner? All my siblings are coming.” She smiled warmly. Val was an unusual employer. Unusual in the best way possible. I’d landscaped the yard surrounding her office building a few months back, and she’d loved the results so much that she commissioned me again.

She was friendly and fun, and I was more than tempted to say yes. I’d met her sister Lori and her son Milo, and they were fun too. And last Friday I’d been here to discuss the last details of the project with Val and caught a glimpse of the entire family—minus Landon, of course—arriving for dinner, and they seemed very tight.

I only had pizza leftovers waiting for me at home, and no company whatsoever, but I shook my head. I didn’t want to infringe on their family time.

“Thanks, but I’m okay.”

“Okay.” She drummed her fingers on the table, checking the time on her phone, her excitement palpable. When the unmistakable sound of a car pulling up to the front gate reached us, she rose from her seat and skidded down the patchy earth, her dark brown hair bobbing down her back. The house was at the top of the slope, the entrance gate at the very bottom. This place would look like the Garden of Eden by the time I was done with it. Shame it had to be in shambles exactly when her brother arrived.

I rose from my seat too, trying to decide on the best way to make myself scarce so I could offer them privacy. I ended up heading inside the house. I’d deposited my bag and a change of clothes in the foyer this morning, and I could check my e-mails while I waited for the delivery. Even though the bulk of the landscaping business was hands-on, I still spent one or two hours dealing with organizational tasks or finalizing designs for the next project. I only played in the dirt in one project at a time, but I typically completed the design phase for the next project at the same time. Unfortunately, I found my phone was out of battery. It must have died after I talked to the delivery driver. I debated changing out of my work clothes, but there was no point. I’d have to help unload the truck, and I’d just get my good clothes dirty too.

When I stepped out of the house again, Valentina and her brother were just finishing the climb up the slope, and holy hell. That was Landon Connor? When I saw the family last week, I gathered that the Connor gene pool was an enviable one.

The women were tall, with delicate and elegant features, the men even taller—over six feet—and very handsome. But in my humble opinion, Landon was the best-looking of all.

Of course, my opinion might have been skewed by the fact that he was wearing a suit right now. Since I worked outdoors, I mostly saw the opposite sex in tanks or short-sleeved T-shirts, soaked in sweat. I was a sucker for a man in a suit, especially one who wore it as well as Landon did. His hair was a darker shade of brown than Valentina’s, but their eyes seemed to be the same bright green. They both stopped talking upon seeing me.

“Landon, this is Maddie Jennings.”

“I hear you’re the one responsible for turning this”—he gestured to the terrain behind him—“unrecognizable.”

“Guilty as charged.”

The corners of his lips lifted. Oh my, that smile. I was wishing I had changed. Bits of earth clung to my jeans, and I’d smeared my T-shirt over the course of the day. My blonde hair was hanging in a limp ponytail. Not that I was trying to impress Landon, no matter how swoon-worthy his smile or how well he wore that suit, but I felt out of place between his pristine clothes and Val’s crisp pencil skirt and blouse.

Val elbowed him playfully. “Well, if you’d given me a few days’ heads-up, I could have told Maddie to start after you leave. There was—” A ringtone interrupted her. It came from the inside of the house, and ceased after two rings.

She groaned. “That could be the supplier’s call I’ve been waiting for all day. I promise I won’t be long, but I have to call him back. One of the lavender suppliers jumped ship, and I need to replace him right away.”

“I can pull some strings and ask in my circle about lavender producers—” Landon began, but Val interrupted him.

“Landon Connor!” She slashed the air with her forefinger. “You’re here on vacation. You haven’t had one in so long that possibly you forgot what it means. Yes to cocktails and fun and lazy days in the sun. No to work of any kind.”

Landon didn’t miss a beat. “I can do whatever I want.”

“Oh don’t you dare pull the big brother card on me. I’m your twin.”

His lips twitched. “Older than you by fifteen minutes.”

She shook her head, turning to me. “He seems to have no concept of vacation, so he needs all our help. He’ll be staying here at the house, so do me a favor and be my spy. If you see him anywhere near his phone or laptop, I want an immediate report.”

I smiled at their banter and felt the need to contribute too. “But you need a supplier, and he can pull strings. Just saying, if I had a brother who could pull strings for me, I wouldn’t say no.”

Landon whistled appreciatively.

Valentina stared at me. “Whose side are you on?”

“Yours,” I replied with mock seriousness. “You sign my paychecks.”

“I’m going to check my phone.” She narrowed her eyes, then headed inside the house. A few seconds later, I heard a truck come to a stop in front of the gate.

“And that’ll be the delivery,” I informed Landon.

“What delivery?”

“Timber poles for the terracing process. To stabilize the earth.”

“Who’s unloading them?”

“The driver and I. The other guys working for me have gone home already.”

Landon motioned with his head toward the gate. “Come on, I’ll help.”

He shrugged out of his suit jacket, laid it on the wooden table, and strode down the slope before I could say anything to the contrary. On the way, he popped open the buttons of his sleeves, rolling said sleeves up to his elbow, revealing strong forearms. I sighed, shaking my head. I was a sucker for men in suits, but men with rolled-up sleeves and muscled forearms were my kryptonite.

“I can handle this, Landon. It’s my job. Go relax!”

He chuckled. “Let’s make a deal. You start the spying job for Val on Monday. It’ll be quicker if I help.”

I couldn’t argue with him on that point. I opened the double gate and the driver backed the truck into the yard. He climbed out of it the next second.

“Hiya, Maddie! Sorry for the delay. Traffic’s a nightmare.”

“Hi, Johnny!” I’d worked with him on my past six projects, and he’d been late every time. But his timber was top-notch, and I liked working with small, local producers.

Landon shook hands with Johnny. “Landon Connor.”

I had to admit, the man packed more authority in those two words than others did in entire speeches. The way in which he carried himself radiated confidence and power. I liked that he didn’t seem to think he was above physical work.

Unloading still took a long time, even with Landon helping us. I’d quickly surmised that he worked out on a regular basis because he didn’t struggle once with the weight of the poles. When we were down to the last three, Johnny went to the front of the truck to bring the papers I had to sign to confirm the delivery. I was standing inside the truck and Landon down on the ground when I suddenly felt something tugging at my foot. Glancing down, I realized my shoelace had come undone, and one end was stuck under a pole. I yanked my foot, hoping to free the end of the shoelace. Instead, I managed to lose my balance. A shriek escaped my lips as I realized there was nothing I could grasp to stop my fall. I’d been at the edge of the truck, which meant I was hurtling directly toward the ground. I made a wild movement with my arms, my chest constricted, and my stomach lurched to my throat. My shoelace came free with a tiny pop, and then I felt two strong hands grip my shoulders, stopping my free fall just as I planted one foot firmly on the ground, then the other.

“Oh God.” I clung to Landon for dear life, my breath coming out in pants. I was still unsteady on my feet.

“You’re okay. Just breathe,” he said.

I did just that, feeling a little foolish, and a lot hot. I realized the latter was because Landon had me tucked against his chest. He smelled like wood, and something else. Something masculine and potent. Landon was looking down at me with a mix of concern and reassurance, and I melted a little under his intense scrutiny. It had been a while since anyone except my younger sister, Grace, worried about me. The green of his eyes seemed even more intense up close. His arms felt so impossibly good around me, strong and steady, that it took me longer to wiggle out of his arms than it should have. My face was burning.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“Maddie! What happened?” Johnny stepped into view, jaw slack, papers crumpled in his hand as he took in the sight of me, all flustered and disheveled.

“Fell out of the truck, but I’m okay. My shoelace caught under a log and I lost my balance.”

Johnny was distressed despite my reassurance. “Is your ankle okay?”

“Perfect. Let’s just finish unloading.”

“Johnny and I will do it.” Landon’s tone was polite but commanding. I imagined this polite bossiness had gotten him very far in the business world, but I was more than a little tempted to contradict him just to see how he’d react to being challenged. Ah, I was getting feisty. This man had a strange effect on me.

But truthfully, my ankle was a little unsteady as I stepped on it, so I decided not to push my luck. Instead, I signed the papers Johnny handed me. I also watched Landon flex those muscles I was now more intimately acquainted with, what with the side of my face slamming right into them. They looked fine times a million, the ridges visible through the shirt.

Once all logs were safely rolled on the ground, Johnny bid us goodbye, pulling the truck out of the yard. I quickly closed the gates, aware that I was alone with Landon. Though the space around us was immense, it suddenly felt too small.

“I’m going to change out of my work clothes, shower, and then I’ll be on my way,” I said.

Landon nodded, but his gaze flicked to my ankle. “Are you sure you don’t want to have that checked out? You wince when you step on it.”

He was perceptive. Had he been watching me that closely? A wave of heat spread through my limbs at the thought. When he snapped his gaze up to meet mine, I felt on fire.

“I’ll ice it and it’ll be golden. Don’t worry.” I motioned to the house. “Up we go before Val finishes her call and realizes I failed my spy job on the first day.”

Landon’s grin was contagious. “We agreed that you’ll only start your spy job on Monday.”

“But she doesn’t know that, does she?” I had no idea why I felt so at ease around him. I’d just met the man. But maybe because I knew Val, I felt like I knew him by association too.

“You catch on fast, Maddie. We’re going to get along just fine.”

I climbed the slope up to the house, slower than usual, with Landon in tow. When my step faltered under my banged-up ankle, Landon brought his hand to my back, steadying me—and making my entire body sizzle at the contact. Cold shower, here I come!

Val had won me over the second she said my team and I could use a personnel bathroom to shower in at the end of the day. In her office building, she had small amenities on the ground floor. Then she had extended us the same courtesy of cleaning up when we started working here, insisting the house had enough bathrooms that we weren’t inconveniencing her in the slightest.

I left Landon on the front porch, took my backpack from the foyer, and headed straight to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, I stepped out of the bathroom feeling reborn. I was wearing a knee-length red dress made out of cotton and black ballerina shoes. I spent so much time in jeans and rugged T-shirts at work that my free-time wardrobe consisted almost entirely of dresses. I’d rinsed my hair too, and blow-dried it. Now it was hanging in loose waves down my back.

On my way out of the house, I heard Val still talking on the phone. There was no point waiting to tell her goodbye. I found Landon on the porch. He was downing a glass of the iced tea Val had made earlier, even though the ice had long since melted.

His eyes widened when he noticed me, and then his gaze traveled down my body before quickly snapping back up to my face. I felt a sudden surge of feminine pride, congratulated myself on applying lipstick and mascara.

“See you on Monday, Landon.”

“Do you want to stay for dinner? Everyone else should arrive soon.”

It was official. It wasn’t just Val; the Connors were a friendly bunch. And I was even more tempted to say yes than when Val asked. Something about Landon’s deep voice made the offer seem a little sweeter, a lot hotter—courtesy of the muscle-roped forearms, I was sure, since his sleeves were still rolled. But this was his first night home with his family. If Val’s enthusiasm was anything to go by, he hadn’t been home in a while. I didn’t want to interrupt their time.

“Thanks, but I can’t.”

“See you on Monday, then.”

He held out his hand, and I thought it was strangely formal that he’d want to shake it, but when I put my small hand in his much larger and firmer one, he surprised me by lifting it to his mouth and kissing it. A bolt of energy ran through me when his lips touched my skin. I shuddered. Literally. Landon exhaled sharply, training those gorgeous green eyes on me.

“Have a nice evening, Maddie.”

I nodded, tiptoeing past him after he let go of my hand.

When I arrived home, I tried focusing on the pitch I was drafting. I was determined to finish it tonight. I was looking forward to spending tomorrow on Venice Beach with my sister, possibly drive to Malibu to our favorite seafood restaurant. The promise of a lazy weekend should have improved my concentration, but a certain handsome man kept hijacking my thoughts.