Breaking Clear (Full Hearts Series Book 3) (7 page)

“Excellent and improving. Things were a little rough there for a while. Neil needed a hip replacement in February, so that wasn’t easy going, let me tell you. But he’s doing much better now. Even started golfing again.”

“Oh, I didn’t know Mr. Morley needed surgery. I’m glad to hear he’s doing well,” Harper answered politely, wondering how long it would take for Mrs. Morley to leave her alone.

“How’s your poor father doing?” she inquired, her face pulling into a pout.

“He’s coming along, thank you. And thank you for sending him those cookies. He really appreciated it.”

“Well, it’s the least I could do. He’s been through so much. So, so much . . .” She let her words hang there as though tallying up all the horrible events of Roy Young’s life. “Such a shame that he never met a nice woman after your mother left with that boy. You and your brothers certainly could have used a motherly figure in the house. But maybe he’ll fall for one of the nurses. You know, a Florence Nightingale thing? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” She nattered on as Harper turned and began arranging the plants in the flower bed. There really wasn’t much need for her to answer. “It’s not like you or your brothers are ever here, anyway. You all take after your mother, never wanting to stay in one place too long.” Mrs. Morley put a hand on her generously sized hip and gave Harper a knowing look.

Harper stiffened at her words. “I’ve been in the same place in New York for eight years, actually.” She didn’t know whether to be more annoyed with Mrs. Morley or herself for feeling obliged to answer at all. “I should get back to work.” She crouched down to yank out a weed she’d missed, wishing that something—anything—would just get this woman the hell away from her.

“I really like what you’re doing out here. It’s about time someone fixed it up. I’ve been staring out at this mess for years now. Pretty much since your family moved in.” Mrs. Morley laughed to soften her comment, though they both knew she meant it. She walked over and picked up one of the pots. “I see you picked up a few bleeding hearts. They’ll do nicely on this side of the house. This one’s a bit spindly, though. You should put it at the back.” She switched the plant with a large one that Harper had set closer to the house.

“Actually, I’m going to stick it right out front and centre to give it more sun,” Harper answered, switching the pots back to where they had been.

“Oh. Well, I suppose that might work too . . . I noticed you cleared out quite a few things yesterday. I bet it was just a mess in there. One man alone in that house all those years.” Mrs. Morley clucked her tongue in disapproval.

“He’s pretty good at keeping things neat.”

“Oh. If you say so,” Mrs. Morley went on. “I saw Evan Donovan helping you unload your things the other day.”

“Mmhmm.”

“That Donovan boy is quite the looker. Always was. What that awful wife of his did to him! He never should have married that one. Should have stuck with a nice girl from this side of town. Someone he had more in common with.” Mrs. Morley sighed heavily, as though the drama was her own. “I told his mother to warn him, but you know how men are about taking advice. Now, he just goes to work and comes home to his empty house. I still keep in touch with Nancy down in Tucson. She says he’s fine, but I don’t think she really knows. I think he’s hiding it from her. Such a waste for a man like that to be alone.”

Now Mrs. Morley had Harper’s full attention. She stopped pondering the placement of the plants long enough to risk a glance at her neighbour. “Hopefully he’ll find someone.”

Mrs. Morley’s stare hardened, indicating that she hadn’t missed that flash of hope in Harper’s eyes. “I’ve been telling my niece to come by so I can introduce them. She’d be perfect for him. She’s a medical receptionist now but she’d give it all up for the right man. Nice girl. He needs someone like her, not some busy career woman or someone who needs a lot of fancy clothes or closets full of designer purses, like that ex of his. A man like that needs a good wife to take care of things at home while he’s at work.”

The sound of Mr. Morley’s voice saved his wife from the retort on the tip of Harper’s tongue. “Delores! What are we doing for supper? I’m getting hungry!” he called.

“Just a g.d. minute!” she hollered back. “At least say hello to Harper! You haven’t seen her in ages!”

The man gave Harper a sympathetic nod and a wave. “Hi, Harper. How’s your dad?”

“Hi, Mr. Morley. He’s doing much better, thanks!” Harper called back.

“Tell him I say hi!”

“Will do.”

The screen door slammed, indicating that he had gone back inside to wait for his dinner. Lowering her voice, Mrs. Morley said, “Well, I better get back in there. If I leave him too long, he’s likely to start messing around in my kitchen, thinking he can cook. I’ll be days cleaning up the mess.” She shook her head at the thought.

“Now, you’re going to want to put some bone meal in the holes before you add the plants, a little extra for that spindly one. Makes a huge difference in how quickly they’ll take root. I’ll send Neil over with a bag.”

“I have some already,” Harper answered, neglecting to mention that it was only because the man at the nursery had thrown it in for free.

“Good. A handful in each hole. And plenty of water for the rest of the season so they’ll—”

“Delores?” her husband’s voice called. “Should I start browning this hamburger meat? Are we having spaghetti?”

“Don’t touch it!” she yelled back, rushing across the street. “You come by for coffee, Harper!” She waved over her shoulder as she scuttled home to prevent the impending culinary crisis.

Harper swore under her breath as she got back to work, digging holes and planting the smaller perennials. Their conversation swirled around in her brain, creating a ball of righteous indignation in her chest. Mrs. Morley and others like her, who felt it necessary to assert themselves in matters that were none of their business and who judged her motherless family, were near the top of her list of good reasons she had left Boulder. In New York, no one knew that her mother had had an affair and abandoned them, and if they did find out, they wouldn’t bat an eyelash.

How could a woman—in a lavender track suit of all things—make her feel less than? It was ridiculous. Harper thought of Mrs. Morley’s not-so-subtle way of telling her she was all wrong for Evan. “Screw her.”

The heat of the day clung to the air as the sun began to disappear behind the mountains in the distance. The sound of Evan’s truck prompted Harper to quickly dab at the sweat on her face with the edge of her T-shirt.
Of course. I don’t see him for days and then he appears when I’m a sweaty mess again
.

“Evening,” he called, strolling over to her with Boots bounding ahead of him. As she took in Evan’s appearance, she realized she needn’t have worried about being sweaty or covered in dirt. He looked very much the same, although she was sure it suited him more than it did her. His dusty old jeans and work boots, along with two-day-old stubble, just added to his rugged sexiness.

Harper looked up at Evan from her position on her knees, arching her back to relieve some of her sore muscles. Suddenly realizing how that must have looked, she straightened up. “Hi,” she replied, hoping he couldn’t hear her heart as it pounded in her chest. She reached out and gave Boots a vigorous rub behind his ears to stop him from licking her face. In response, the dog flopped down to the grass and rolled over onto his back, clearly hoping for a belly rub. Harper gave in. “You know how to wrap us humans around your paw, don’t you, Boots?”

“He certainly does. I never wanted a dog and yet, here he is.” Evan dropped down beside her on the lawn, stretching out his long legs and leaning back on his elbows as he admired her handiwork.

“How come you never wanted a dog?”

“Too much commitment. I realized a while ago that the simpler I keep things, the happier I am. He’s working out okay, though.” Evan nodded toward the nearly completed flower bed. “Did you do all that today?”

Her mouth curved up slightly as she looked over her latest artistic endeavour. “I did indeed.” She tried to renew her enthusiasm for her accomplishment but it had faded with the heat and her irritation.

“Good for you. It’s hard to believe it’s the same yard that was here this morning. Seriously impressive,” he replied, taking his eyes off the plants to stare at her. He cocked his head to the side, frowning a little. “You okay? You don’t seem like your normal, bubbly self.”

“It’s nothing worth talking about.”

“If it’s bugging you, it’s worth talking about.”

Harper rolled her eyes. “Mrs. Morley came by to remind me of her opinion of my family, including my horrible mother, in case I had forgotten.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Why the hell can’t people mind their own business?”

“Gossip is like a pastime around here. And my mother gave them the story of the century.” Harper plucked a blade of grass and tied it in a tiny knot.

Evan watched her fingers for a moment before answering. “Anyone who’d bring that up has got to be a pretty small person to begin with. Still hurts, though, doesn’t it?”

“No, it’s just irritating,” Harper answered. “Actually, I’m more annoyed with myself for letting her bother me.”

“Well, it’s hard not to. She’s got an ill-informed and unwanted opinion on everything. And unfortunately, she loves sharing those opinions,” Evan commiserated. “She’s always trying to set me up with her niece.” He shuddered, pretending to be disgusted.

Harper laughed. “Oh, I know. She practically claimed you as family territory already. I think she’s worried I’m going to move in on you now that I’m home for a while. She made sure to tell me how wrong I’d be for you.” The words were out of her mouth before her common sense could tell her to swallow them.
Shit, that could make things a little awkward. But it didn’t.

“Like I said—ill-informed,” he replied in a low tone, his eyes locked on hers.

Swallowing hard, Harper stood and grabbed the shovel before she acted on her impulse to straddle his lap right there on the lawn and have her way with him. She stepped back into the flower bed, then gave the earth under her a stab with the shovel. She had left the two largest shrubs for last, a mistake now that her muscles were all begging her to stop.

She struggled to force the blade into the hard ground, finally resorting to standing on it with both feet. But the shovel wouldn’t move more than a few inches into the surface, even when Harper held the handle and hopped up and down on the shoulder of the blade.

“I’m torn. I know I should dig that hole for you but it’s just so fun watching you jump up and down on that shovel in those little shorts of yours,” he said, finally getting up.

Harper could feel her face heating up and she tried to calm herself before she turned to him from her perch. “And they say chivalry is dead,” she remarked.

“In that case, I better help. Hand it over, lightweight,” he ordered, standing and taking the tool from her. His fingers brushed against hers as he did, causing a surge of sexual tension. He took a step forward, closing the space between them. “But I need a favour from you in return. I need some help getting Mrs. Morley off my back about her niece.”

Harper glanced at their neighbour’s house and saw her through the front room window, misting a large fern. “That plant must be soaked by now. What’s the favour?”

“Make this look good,” he murmured as he leaned down, letting his lips hover over hers. He reached one hand up to her cheek, tilting her head back just enough.

Without a moment’s hesitation, his lips were on hers. Harper’s eyelids lowered as she felt herself disappearing into an entirely new world. His kiss was so much more than she had dreamed it would be. It started out gentle, careful even, with an undercurrent of passion that soon overtook them both. Her response was full of yearning, decades of pent-up desire and curiosity. She reached out and balled up the bottom of his T-shirt in her fist, pulling him closer. Wrapping his arm behind her, he dipped her back, his tongue finding its way between her lips, searching her mouth for more. She felt her body awaken as the most delicious aching pulsed through her. And then as suddenly as he had begun, he lifted her back upright and stopped.

Harper’s eyes opened slowly when she realized he wasn’t coming back for more.

“There. That ought to do it,” he said, glancing across the street. “I just saw her close the curtains.”

“Oh, great,” was all Harper could think to say. Her mind was completely scrambled, her body quaking with an urgent lust.

“Thanks for helping me with that. Now, your turn.”

Harper watched as he easily cut through the ground with the shovel, his powerful body making short work of what would have been a monumental task for her. Surely he must be tired and sore from such a long day on the construction site. But he moved with ease. And there she stood, weak in the knees from one kiss. She had to quell an overwhelming desire to step up behind him and wrap her arms around him and under his shirt.
Dear Lord, what would he look like without that annoying piece of fabric covering his body?

She had a very good idea that he would look amazing. And feel amazing. If his body moved anything like his lips and tongue, she would be putty in his hands.

*     *     *

Evan stood under the spray of the hot water, unable to get his mind off Harper. How her bottom curved perfectly in those shorts she was wearing and how her legs seemed to go on for miles, her beautiful reddish-brown hair pulled up in a messy bun, those incredible blue eyes, that ivory skin that was flawless in spite of the smudges of dirt.

It wasn’t just her body, though. It was the way she spoke, her strength, her determination. When he really thought about it, he realized she’d always been like that, but now she had the confidence of a woman who’d accomplished a lot in life. And success suited Harper.

He thought of how Mrs. Morley had managed to hurt her, slinging her poison-tipped arrows, managing to pierce old wounds that would never fully heal. There was a trace of vulnerability residing in Harper and he was surprised by how fiercely it made him want to protect her. In that moment, he would have done just about anything to make her feel better. So he made an excuse to kiss her. But it wasn’t solely for her sake—it was also because he needed to. Even though it was against his better judgment, he just couldn’t help himself.