“‘Bout time,” Shay said with a smile when Josh stopped beside her. She hadn’t been out there very long, but already she had worked up a sweat. She hated feeling sticky, like she needed a shower. Holding the shovel handle in one hand, she placed her other hand on her hip as she turned to him. He held her gaze, but didn’t say anything. Not sure what he was thinking—the man had a talent for wearing a poker face—Shay looked at the ground where she’d been working. “I dug a small hole at the corners of where I think the garden should go. That way we’ll know where to do the tilling. But first we need to remove all the large rocks and the roots.”

He gazed at her a moment longer before nodding.

Together they cleared the area, then Josh said, “I’ll grab the tiller and get started.”

Thrilled that he was so willing to help, Shay said, “I’ll make us something cold to drink.”

Shay went into Josh’s well-stocked kitchen and gathered the ingredients to make a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade. As she stirred the mixture, she looked out the window and watched Josh controlling the tiller, moving it across the ground as it bit into the dirt. He was completely focused on what he was doing, his well-defined biceps bulging with effort as the machine bucked under his hands.

Smiling in appreciation at not only how attractive—how completely masculine—he looked as he worked, but also in the fact that he’d jumped into this project with both feet, Shay carried the pitcher and two glasses out to the backyard where she set them on a small table.

Standing on the edge of the patio, she watched Josh, her attraction to him growing with every passing moment. He didn’t seem to notice her, so she stayed where she was, enjoying the view. Half an hour later he shut off the tiller and wiped his forehead, then turned to her.

“Looking good,” she called out, then her face reddened. She hoped he thought she meant the work he’d done. Which did look good. But so did he. Very good.

“Thanks.” He walked over to her, his eyes on her, then they flicked to the lemonade.

“Thirsty?” she asked as she poured him a glass. It was midday on an early June afternoon, and though it wasn’t as hot in the mountains as it was back in Fresno, working in the bright sun was energy-sapping.

“Yeah,” he said, taking the glass from her before downing it in one long gulp. He handed her the empty glass. “Thanks.”

“Let me pour you another.”

“After I finish tilling.” Then he got back to work.

* * *

As Josh worked the tiller around the garden area, his mind was on Shay and the texts he’d read. By looking at her, he couldn’t tell that she was worried about this guy searching for her. Was he misreading things? Maybe he’d misunderstood. Maybe there was nothing to worry about at all.

Extremely curious to know the whole story, he wasn’t about to ask her. He had his own secret he was keeping from her—although it wasn’t a secret to millions of sports fans—so he could understand wanting to keep certain information close to the vest. He just hoped she would eventually trust him enough to confide in him.

An inner voice asked him if he would confide his secret to her, but he immediately silenced it. She was bound to find out who he was eventually, but until then he’d enjoy just being Josh. The guy with the cabin.

He finished tilling, then he turned to Shay. She was watching him, and when his eyes met hers, she smiled, her face lighting up. She was so beautiful. And now that he knew she wasn’t spying on him, his attraction to her surged.

He had to reign it in. He didn’t have time for a relationship.

“What’s next?” he asked, forcing his mind to the task at hand and away from the powerful desire he had to kiss her.

“Now,” she said as she walked towards him, a glass of lemonade in her hands, “you stay hydrated.”

He took it from her and laughed. “You sound like my trai—” He’d almost said trainer, but had caught himself in time.

“Your what?” she asked, her head tilted.

He downed the lemonade, then held it out for more. “That’s delicious, but I need more. You were right. Gardening is definitely a workout.” He wiped the sweat that was streaming from his forehead as if to emphasize the fact.

She smiled. “Right?” Then she took his glass and walked over to the table where she’d left the pitcher.

He watched her go, appreciating the view.

* * *

Shay wondered what Josh had been about to say. Who did she sound like? Like his handler? The one who gave him his killing assignments? Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of it, at the same time she hadn’t missed the fact that he hadn’t completed his thought, hadn’t told her who she sounded like.

Trying not to worry about it, she filled his glass and carried it back to him, not missing the way his gaze stayed on her. She liked the way he looked at her, like he found her attractive.

Could there be something there? A future for them?

The thought jumped into her mind, but she immediately tamped it down. She didn’t know enough about him. Yes, she knew he was gorgeous and sweet and thoughtful. But was that enough?

She handed him the glass and this time he drank it more slowly.

He handed it back to her. “What now, boss?”

Smiling at the term, she said, “Now we mix the compost in. We’ll pour it all over the ground you tilled up, then you can mix it in with the tiller.”

His eyebrows went up. “More tilling, huh?”

Guilt swept over her. “I didn’t mean for you to have to do all of this work. This is supposed to be my project.” She paused a beat. “I can…I can run the tiller.”

He looked at her doubtfully. “You think so?”

Now she felt a challenge. “Of course.”

He laughed. “Okay.”

What had she just agreed to? She’d never run a rototiller before. Then again, how hard could it be?

Together they dumped all the compost around the garden area, and then Shay walked over to the tiller. When Josh had worked it, she hadn’t paid any attention to how he’d turned the thing on, but determined to figure it out, she looked at the different handles and moved first one then the other. But she was stumped.

“Need some help?” Josh asked.

No reason to deny it. “Just to, you know, get it started.”

He smiled, but walked over to her and gave her a brief tutorial on how to get it going, then demonstrated how to get it to cut into the ground.

“Thanks,” she said, then she stepped in front of it and grabbed the handles before guiding the blades into the dirt. Though the machine propelled itself forward, it was still a struggle to control it, but Shay persevered, moving forward, her whole body straining to manage the beast.