Page 14 of Trust

“Yes,” he replied, studying the moisture decorating her collarbone. “And…”

“So, what’s the story about this abandoned amusement park ride?” Asher asked.

Swallowing, he stepped back and knew the interruption was for the best. Logic and good decisions were nowhere to be found, and the beast within was minutes away from winning.

“It came with the house,” Olivia answered. “The previous owners ran one of those small circuses that traveled from town to town and kept this one thing as a memento.”

“Why didn’t you have it hauled away?” he replied, looking up at the enormous structure.

“Because I thought it would be fun to see if it could be brought back to life. I’ve always been partial to things that have been discarded and…”

“You thought refurbishing a Ferris wheel would keep you out of trouble?” Asher finished.

“Something like that.” Olivia leaned into Zane. “It’s possible, don’t you think?”

“Not sure,” he said, looking the structure over. “Depends on what kind of shape the engine is in.”

“If anyone can bring it back to working order, it’s you, brother.”

“Really?” Olivia asked. “Are you some kind of mechanical genius?”

“Sort of,” Asher said as he lifted away a pile of ivy. “He repairs antique clocks and is a savant when it comes to anything with moving parts. He used to take apart the appliances in the house when we were kids and then put them back together. Drove our parents nuts until they noticed he always made some small improvement that made them work better.”

“That’s an exaggeration,” Zane said firmly.

“It’s not, and you should try and get this ride going.”

“Would you consider it?” Olivia asked. “I would be more than willing to pay for your time.” Grabbing his hand, she let out a small squeal. “And love you forever.”

“He’ll do it for free,” Asher said firmly. “We’ll come by tomorrow and get rid of the ivy, and then Zane can see what’s what.”

Not sure how to get out of the gig or if he wanted to, he let out a huff. “I can look, but I make no promises.”

“I’d so appreciate it,” Olivia added. “And, please, don’t feel any pressure to make one of my long-held dreams possible. Because finding another reason to live will certainly happen…at some point.” She linked their fingers and looked up. “In the distant future.”

Unable to resist the woman’s theatrics, he let out a rusty chuckle. “You oversold it at the end.”

Olivia swung their hands back and forth. “Thought I might’ve but was on a roll and couldn’t stop.”

“Guessing that happens more often than not.”

“Not really.”

Feeling the warm spring air press them closer, he closed his eyes and accepted that refusing the woman simply wasn’t possible. Nor was killing the growing attraction that he couldn’t seem to control.

Olivia leaned away from her drawing table and rolled her shoulders, hearing a car door slam. “Who could that be?” Bella’s excited bark suggested it was someone they knew, so she leaned out her studio window and watched Zane get out of his truck. “Did you miss me already?”

Looking up, he slid his hands on his hips. “I decided to bring some tools over, so we wouldn’t have to do it in the morning.”

“I’ll help.” Stepping back from the window, she heard the first words of what sounded like a protest and decided ignoring it was best. He was fighting the small embers of attraction sparking between them, and she didn’t want to make it any easier than necessary.

Even though she was reasonably confident that he was closed for business.

His emotional doors were nailed shut, and so were the ones guarding his heart. Whatever happened to him on the other side of the world was affecting him to this day, and she didn’t think an easy solution would magically materialize.

Sighing, she knew her folly might result in nothing more than a pile of shards from her broken heart, but darn if she could stop herself. “Full steam ahead,” she muttered, skipping the staircase. Once she pushed through the front screen door, she sucked in a breath and admired how his T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders.

Lord have mercy; the man was delicious.

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