Page 17 of Dirty Cowboys
Indie xoxo
Chapter Seven
Walker
The sun had barely hit the horizon when I climbed onto the Patterson house’s roof. The shingles were worse than I thought, and I discovered a hole near the chimney big enough to throw a cat through.
I’ve been up here for an hour now, ripping off damaged shingles and tossing them onto the ground below. I hear the front door open, and Indie steps out onto the porch in nothing but an oversized T-shirt that barely covers her thighs and ridiculous fluffy slippers. Her blonde waves are piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she’s squinting up at me.
“Morning,” I call down, pulling anothershingle free. “Duke said the roof needed fixing. Figured I’d get an early start.”
“I didn’t know anyone was coming today.”
“Duke mentioned it at the branding,” I say. “Thought you’d be expecting someone.”
The reminder of our conversation about branding has my cock waking up, and I have to think of anything but that to keep myself under control.
“Right,” she says, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, I’ll let you get back to work.”
She turns back toward the house but then pauses and walks across the lawn to the fire pit. She settles into one of the chairs and pulls out her phone.
I try to focus on my work, but I can feel her watching me. Every few minutes, I look over and see her snapping pictures.
I’ve never been one to show off—I don’t need an audience—but there’s something about the way she watches me. I don’t hate the way it makes me feel. Though after twenty minutes of her discreet photography session, I’ve had enough.
“You gonna sit there all morning taking pictures, or you going to get your ass up here and learn somethin’ useful?”
She nearly drops her phone. “What?”
I lean back on my heels and look down at her,wiping sweat from my forehead. “You planning on sticking around this place? Climb up.”
“I don’t know anything about roofing,” she protests.
“That’s why it’s called learning.” I gesture to the ladder leaning against the side of the house. “Unless you’re afraid of heights.”
The challenge in my tone does exactly what I intended. She lifts her chin, and I can practically see her pride kicking in. “I’m not afraid of heights.”
“Prove it.”
She disappears into the house, and I go back to work, grinning to myself. When she emerges ten minutes later, she’s traded the T-shirt for jeans, boots, and a flannel tied at her waist.
“Slowly,” I call down as she approaches the ladder.
I watch her climb, worried that she might fall to her untimely death—Duke would never let me live it down. He might even accuse me of throwing her off. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve pushed someone from a roof, though that was Nash and he deserved it.
“Holy shit,” she breathes, looking toward the Callahan Ranch. “This is incredible.”
“Not bad at all,” I drawl, but I’m looking at her instead of the scenery. “Alright, city girl.” I clear my throat and force myself to focus. “First lesson: how to hold a hammer without taking off your thumb.”
I hand her my spare hammer, and her fingerswrap around the handle awkwardly. Her thumb twists completely into the wrong position.
“Jesus,” I mutter, moving behind her. “Like this.”
I wrap my arms around her from behind, my chest pressing to her back, and my hands covering hers. She goes rigid at the contact, and her breathing changes. This close, I’m surrounded by the cherry scent that’s been driving me crazy. I could smell it on myself for hours after our last encounter.
“Grip it firmly but not death-grip tight,” I murmur near her ear. “Let the weight of the hammer do the work, not your arm.”
She nods, and I guide her through a few practice swings at a piece of scrap wood. Her body relaxes, and I bite back a groan when her ass presses back against my cock.
