Chapter 3
Finn watched the woman’s pretty hazel eyes sharpen and lose that dazed look. She tugged her hand free of his and took a half-step back.
“Hey, sorry. I was just kidding around. Forget Goldilocks.”
“It’s Nina. Nina Delveaux.”
Nina.
Sensual and sexy, like the lush curves he’d glimpsed that she’d now hidden under her over-sized sweater. Not what he’d expected with all that silky blond hair, her cute nose, and that mouth he couldn’t seem to stop looking at. Yet somehow, the name fit her perfectly. Finding her in the house this morning had been a complete surprise, but it was shaping up to be an entirely welcome one.
When her last name registered, his brows dipped as he picked up his mug. “I went to school with a Delveaux.”
Something flashed in her expression. Then her eyebrows arched, like she was waiting for him to say more.
“Josh Delveaux. We played football together before he moved away after junior year. Any relation?” It was one of those stupid questions people ask, but then again, Delveaux wasn’t a common name, so it could very well—
“He’s my brother.”
Look at that. “Really?”
“Last I checked.”
Finn grinned at her light sarcasm. “Where’s he at these days?”
“Still living in Arizona, where we moved. Married with two kids. Works for the Cardinals as a physical therapist.”
“Cool. Good for him.”
“Yeah.”
She sipped her coffee, and he got the distinct impression she was annoyed. “So…were you ahead of us or behind us in school?” he asked.
“A year behind.”
He frowned again. “How come I don’t remember you? You guys have a sister, right? Black hair. She was like…super intense?”
And kinda weird for their small town farming community, with a pierced nose and heavy eyeliner, black lipstick and nail polish. Some guys went for the rebel bad girl, but Nina’s dark sister had scared him enough to steer clear back then—not that he’d tell her that.
“No sister,” she said. “Just me and Josh.”
No sister? Then who…
When she tilted her head with a tight little smile, his stomach dropped with the obvious answer. She looked nothing like the girl he remembered. And thank God he hadn’t said anything worse than super intense.
“I went through a Goth phase,” she explained wryly. “I outgrew it after we moved.”
“You outgrew it well,” he murmured into his cup. Exceedingly well. “Didn’t you have a nose ring?”
“It went out along with all the black.”
Yeah, she’d worn black everything back then. As he took a drink of coffee, vague images in his mind became more concrete. “This is your natural hair color?”
“Yes.”
Much prettier than the black. Not that she hadn’t been pretty back then, but…
He found his gaze fixed on the top of her blond head. “Why does it seem like you used to be taller?”
She appeared surprised by the question. “I’ve been five-eight since I was fourteen. You’re the one who grew.”
Yeah, that made sense. He’d added another three inches between eighteen and twenty for a final total of six-two. It had sucked having to get his dress blues altered every time there was an Army medal ceremony.
He tilted his head slightly as the significance of her comment dawned on him. “So, you know who I am then. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You looked familiar, but I didn’t make the connection until you said your name.” Her eyebrows rose with a slight challenge. “It was ten years ago, and I’m not the only one who looks different.”
He didn’t think he’d changed that much, but maybe he had. Plus, he needed a haircut and hadn’t shaved in a few days. When her gaze skimmed down as if she might be checking out his body, he felt an energizing spark of awareness. Not unlike when they’d connected when he handed over the coffee, but infinitely more potent.
Hmm. Okay. While he always appreciated a pretty woman, it’d been a while since one had jump-started his pulse like this. He snuck a quick glance at her left hand.
No rock. Good. He could get on board with—
“Listen,” she said, her brisk tone interrupting his wayward thoughts. “This is great and all, but can we get to the matter at hand? I texted Peyton. She’s on location in New Zealand, and with the time difference, it’ll be a couple hours before I hear from her. But she didn’t say a word about remodeling or anyone staying here.”
Finn curled his wrist inward, letting his mug rest against his chest as he relaxed back against the counter. “You and Peyton Riley kept in touch, hey?”
“We were best friends in high school. We’re still best friends now, and I’m her assistant. So clearly, I would know about something like this.” She swept her arm in the direction of the gutted living room.
“Why didn’t you go to New Zealand with her? I mean, it’s summer there right now, isn’t it? That would’ve been a nice trip.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” she groaned. “The movie she’s filming was a last minute casting after one of her other projects was delayed, and she needed me to take her—um…take care of some things here.”
The abrupt pause and correction nipped at his curiosity and halted his mug halfway up to his mouth. “Like what?”
She ducked her chin. “None of your business.”
The flush in her cheeks had him dying to know. What would the Pulaski home-grown movie star Peyton Riley send her assistant to Wisconsin for in the middle of winter? Taking a sip of coffee, he decided he’d figure out a way to get that information, but in the meantime…
“Well, I called Eric Riley—that’s her cousin—while you were in the shower. He—”
“I know who her cousins are.”
“Yeah, I suppose you would. Anyway, he admitted this whole project wasn’t supposed to start until spring, but things lined up, so he got it started early.”
“What does things lined up mean? And why you and not him?”
Ouch. With a tone like that, he wondered if he should take that personally.
“Things lined up, as in I bought a place down the road, but the people who live there needed a couple months to clear things out and make the move,” he explained. “Because I’ve been doing some side work for Eric since I came home, we worked out a deal that I could stay here rent free in exchange for doing demo work and helping him with the remodeling when he starts.”
“Well, good for you, but Eric should’ve talked to Peyton first.”
“Maybe, but can’t change that now.”
“Then you’ll just have to leave it, and come back and start again after I’m gone.”
“Excuse me?”
She tilted her head as if he was being obtuse. “You can’t stay here.”
“I don’t see why there should be a problem. It’s a big house. I won’t bother you.”
Nina gave a rude snort of disbelief.
Finn wondered what about him bothered her. He’d admit to being a little annoyed at her response, but more so, his curiosity was piqued. Enough that, unless he was given no other choice by Eric or Peyton, he wasn’t about to pass up the unexpected opportunity to get to know the woman in front of him. Something about her had him sitting up and taking notice in a way he’d never quite experienced before.
“Where were you staying before you moved in here?” she demanded.
“Army base in Afghanistan, and then Walter Reed in Germany.” And his sister Kenna’s house after that, but when Nina’s mouth snapped shut after the first two locations, he kept the third to himself.
Her gaze lowered again, toward his boots, and he guessed she’d noticed his limp.
“Medical discharge,” he confirmed.
Her slim fingers flexed on her mug. “Oh.”
Would she feel sorry for him now? The ache in his injured leg was better than it had been, but the doctors had warned the limp wasn’t likely to ever completely go away. It sucked, but he’d made his peace, because truth be told, he was just darn lucky to be alive.
When she lifted her chin, sympathy softened her hazel eyes to a mossy-greenish hue that took his breath away.
“Now can I stay?” he asked softly.
Her gaze narrowed before she pushed away from the butcher block. Her movements brought Kismet off the dog bed near the back door. A low whine begged for attention, and Nina bent slightly to sweep a hand over the top of her head while looking out the back window.
“Where were you last night?” she asked over her shoulder. “It was after one when I got here, but surely your dog would’ve heard me come in and barked or something.”
“You see all that snow out there? My sister was hosting a family dinner, and since I’d had a couple beers, she insisted I stay the night instead of driving through the storm.”
“Perfect. Then go stay there again.”
“Really? You’re going to kick a wounded veteran out into the cold?”
She spun around at the guilt-loaded question, her jaw ajar with surprise.
Yeah, he wasn’t above playing that card. He didn’t like pity, but she was being ridiculous insisting he move out for the few weeks she’d be around. If he was going to do anything dishonorable, it’d have been back when she was in bed with nothing on but her underwear. Sheesh!
Instead of answering his question, she shook her head and stalked toward the foyer. Finn set his cup down and ambled after her—as much as he could amble with the limp. She was bent over, tugging her boots on. Her sweater rode up enough for him to get a nice view of her rounded backside, but the moment she heard his footsteps on the hardwood floor, she stomped her foot into the second boot and straightened to snatch her jacket, scarf, and purse off the doorside hooks.
“Where are you going?”
She stuffed her arms into the jacket sleeves and yanked the door open. “To Pulaski to buy some groceries. Just like I’d planned. I expect you to be gone when I get back.”
As she swung the door shut, he called out, “Yeah, good luck with that.”