Trust In Love (A McCord Family Novel Book 2) (6 page)

"Umm...thank you. Why are you here?" she asked uncomfortably.

"Right, I have something for you. We don't use it, sits collecting dust really, and it works great. I figured you'd get better use out of it than it sitting in the barn doing nothing."

Sophie looked confused, raising her brow as she said, "What is it?"

"Oh, right. A lawn mower." Austin smiled, pointing to her driveway where he had set it down after unloading it from his truck.

It refused to start when he first tried it out, but after a few replacement parts, he got it running without an issue. He had to spend a few dollars, nothing extreme, to fix it. He would leave that little part from Sophie or she would likely not accept it. Ava probed him the entire time he worked on it, but he refused to talk about it. Zane and Ava were enjoying his discomfort in the matter. He assured them it was nothing more than him being nice. A new friend. That was it. He refused to allow anything to happen with her. He wouldn't go any further than a simple friendship.

Sophie glanced over his shoulder, gasping in surprise. "Oh, I can't accept that, Austin. That just isn't right."

He frowned. "Why not? Like I said, we aren't using it. We recently bought a rider for the farm. I totally forgot about this lawn mower when I bought the one for this house here. Stupid of me, but works out great for you. I want you to have it."

"But I can't. It would—"

"Sophie, please. I don't want anything in return. Since the first day I met you, I've only been trying to be nice. I get the impression you aren't used to that and I'm sorry. I can't imagine anyone being horrible to you because even when you're getting stern with me, you're sweet and eloquent about it. I'm sure there are reasons for it, but you don't have to tell me. Don't argue with me for once and just accept the damn mower," Austin said, frustrated. He felt horrible when he saw her cringe at his swearing. "Danuzeling mower, sorry."

"What?"

"You don't like swearing and I said damn. What do you say instead? Danuzeling?" Austin asked with a goofy grin.

Sophie chuckled softly. "No, I've never said that before. It has a nice ring to it. I try really hard not to use any replacement words either. I appreciate the effort, Austin. Most people laugh at me."

"I would never laugh at you unless you're purposely trying to be funny. Please take the mower. If it kills you that much to accept it without giving me something just make me a pie," he said without thought.

"A pie? What kind of pie?" she asked intrigued.

"A grape nut pie. A family favorite of mine and never missing in action around Thanksgiving."

"I've never heard of it. I don't know how to make it."

"Oh, man, really? It's delicious. You have no idea what you're missing. It's like pecan pie, but way better. Do you bake? I know Ava isn't a huge baker, but she sure tries." Austin laughed, thinking of her and the chaos she created when she baked.

"Ava? Another girlfriend or woman of yours?"

"Oh, no. My brother Zane's wife. You'd like her if you met her. She's great, but a sister to me. Nothing more."

"Oh, okay. Yes, I can bake. I suppose I can accept the mower in exchange for a grape nut pie. I would need the recipe, though."

"Of course. I'll call Eleanor and get it to you right away. I think I'm getting the better deal. My mouth is watering just thinking about it."

"Eleanor? Another—"

"Geez, no! Not another woman of mine. She's our longtime housekeeper and all around second mother. I don't have that many women," Austin said. As those last words left his mouth, he realized, he did have a lot of women. What did that say about him?

"Oh. Well, you said you enjoy women and they enjoy you, so...never mind."

"Right, I did say that. Neither of them are one of my women. How do we always get on this topic?" Austin asked embarrassed.

"I don't know." She laughed as Axel jumped up on her. "Hey, you. I missed you the other day. Where were you hiding?"

Austin enjoyed her laugh. She didn't do it enough. "He was at the farm with Zane and Ava. Sleepover, to my brother's extreme annoyance. Now he's afraid Ava will talk him into getting a dog."

"He doesn't want one?"

"Ava's pregnant. He worries about when the baby gets here. Worries about a lot of things now since she found out she's pregnant. He's just overly protective of her and rightly so. I can't imagine losing her or her getting hurt, but I told him a dog wasn't such a bad thing."

"Why so protective? Why would she get hurt?" Sophie asked with a slight shudder in her tone.

Austin noticed her slight retreat into the house. "She was hurt last year. Almost lost her from it and we—well, it's hard to talk about. She means the world to me and Zane. More so Zane, I imagine. He would do anything in his power to protect her, make her happy. That's what makes him happy. All she has to do is ask for a dog and he'll go get her one. He'll moan and groan about it, but that's how much he loves her."

"And yet, you don't want love?"

"I tried it once. It wasn't for me. How about you? Ever been in love?" he asked, curious how they always got off track, but desperate to hear her answer.

"No, it doesn't exist. For me anyway, the way you talk about your brother, it sounds like for him it does. Let's see that lawn mower," Sophie said, walking wide around Austin, abruptly changing the subject.

He stepped back to give her space that he knew she wanted, almost losing his footing from the hole in the porch.

"Oh, my! Be careful, Austin," Sophie said, grabbing his arm.

He grabbed her arm back, relishing in her soft touch and the concern in her face. "We should fix that. I'm sure there's some wood lying around the farm that would patch that up real quick," he said, glancing down at the hole.

She let go of his arm. "The farm? You keep saying that."

He started down the steps to the mower, Sophie right behind him. "Yeah, my brother and I own a farm not too far from here. This is the first time I ever ventured out on my own. About a month before you moved in, I bought the house next to you. Zane and Ava are married and starting a family. It just seemed appropriate." Austin rolled his eyes. "And Ava didn't really approve of the women I brought home. It's difficult to maintain a second date when she's clawing down their throats with death glares. She's still making it difficult and I'm not even there anymore."

"Well, I see what she means," Sophie said as she followed him, almost bumping into him when he stopped and turned towards her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you admitted to me that you only date for sex, if that's what you want to call it, and you're not really bringing home the nice girl types, are you? When the baby comes she won't want those kinds of women around," Sophie said matter-of-factly.

"You don't hold back, do you?" Austin asked with a grin.

"I don't mean to have a loose tongue. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm so sorry. I won't say anything again," Sophie said, shifting further away from him, the fear etched clearly in her features.

"No. I appreciate honesty. I know where I stand with you. It's nice, Sophie. Most women say what they think I probably want to hear. I guess I don't really bring home the nice girl types because they look for relationships and I'm only looking for fun."

"You'll never want more than fun?" she asked as the terror slowly left her eyes.

"Do you want more than fun?"

Sophie looked away towards her house. "I just want peace in my life. I don't want a man, or love, or anything but me." She glanced back at Austin. "I don't trust men. Maybe you can tell or maybe you wrote that off as me being...a very naughty word. You say you're being nice, but in my experience, there's always an ulterior motive."

"With me, you get what you see. I'm not hiding anything. I'm just looking to be a friend. I won't say you're not beautiful because you are, Sophie. You're my neighbor and that's bad business right there. I have no ulterior motives other than being a nice guy. You don't want me to bother you, I won't. But if you need me, all you gotta do is knock on my door. Not all men are bad. I'm sorry one had to make you think that."

"Not just one, Austin, but every single man to enter my life." Sophie's eyes got huge after she said that, almost as if she hadn't meant to say such a thing.

"Well, you moved to the right place. I'll change your mind about men, or at least about me. I'm hard to resist because I'm just that irresistible," he said, as Axel jumped up on his leg looking for a scratch under the ears. Austin chuckled, thinking that Axel agreed with his words.

"I hate admitting, against my better judgment, you have been slightly changing my mind. Or maybe I just want this free lawn mower," she said with a tentative smile.

He laughed; glad to have removed that moment of fright from her eyes. "It's not free. You owe me a pie. I'm really dying to have it now."

"Well, while I put this away, go grab the recipe and I shall make you a pie."

"Don't have to tell me twice," he said as he winked at her and walked towards his house, Axel right by his side.

***

Sophie sighed in defeat. She was letting him weasel his way into her life. The harder she tried to resist, the easier it was for him to enter. She could still remember how he looked that morning, holding the door open half-naked, his bronzed chest displayed in glory right before her eyes. She had never seen such beauty and strangely had the intense urge to rub her hands over his sculpted chest. Defined muscles flawlessly covered in every corner of his body, begging to be touched. She had difficulty looking away.

Or when their fingers had brushed when she took the shed key from him. An immediate heat had flashed through her body, her eyes darting to his to see if he had felt the same thing. He still had the same friendly look on his face, so she assumed he hadn't.

Figures. She couldn't compete with the woman who had walked out of his house. She wasn't that kind of woman. Not that she wanted Austin that way because she didn't. That tingling sensation had meant absolutely nothing.

Fleeing from his porch, mowing her lawn as her excuse, she had decided she needed to limit contact with him as much as possible. She would not fall under another man's charm.

And then he knocks on her door.

Another opportunity presented itself to touch him. A horrible one. Because the last thing she wanted was for him to fall through the hole in her porch. His warm touch as he grabbed her back had ignited tiny flames of desire. She could still almost feel his heat lingering, missing his touch.

At least she knew where she stood with him—off his radar. They were neighbors and he wouldn't add her to his list of women. Somehow, as she pushed the mower to the backyard, that made her oddly sad.

She increased her footsteps, trying to shake that sadness out. She didn't want to be added to what she assumed was a long list. But she did appreciate his honesty. She pictured him a playboy, but never expected him to admit it. She couldn't explain or understand the sudden refreshing feeling zipping through her to experience such honesty from a man.

His delicious body flashed through her mind again, the pure perfection of his chest, thinking how nice it would be to experience it just once.

She shook those nasty thoughts out; mad at herself for even thinking that. The best thing she could do was make him his pie and avoid him from now on.

With that thought firmly planted in her mind, she walked back to the house, waiting eagerly to get the recipe and get him out of her life.

Chapter 4

Sophie carefully walked down the basement steps to the washer and dryer with a basket of dirty clothes under one arm and the other holding the handrail. The steps felt rickety and loose in a few spots. Perhaps she should mention to Austin about grabbing more wood from the farm to replace a few of these. Tumbling down the stairs wasn't on the top of her to-do list.

Against her better judgment, she had somehow let the man weasel his way into her life even after she explicitly told herself not to let him. She made him a pie that first time for the lawn mower, which he thoroughly devoured in two days, to her shocking mind.

He knocked on her door with the clean pie pan and some wood to fix the hole in her porch. He grinned that silly grin of his, saying the wood was hers for another pie. When he looked at her that way, it was hard to say no. Of course, he offered to fix the hole.

Self-sufficient. Her new middle name. She could handle it on her own. He didn't argue once when she declined his help.

She managed to fix the hole, and a week later, after making a few great sales, she bought stain and re-stained the front porch. Such an amazing feeling to look at a completed project. She couldn't believe what a fresh coat of stain or even paint could do to bring new life to something. Even a bit of new life inside of her.

Since that fateful day, he hadn't stopped bringing her things. She received more wood, some odd shaped pieces of metal, and whatever else—according to him—that was lying around the farm. He said he would never lie, so she decided to take his word that it was lying around the farm not getting used and could be put to good use for her. Every time she would make him a pie. After the third time, she switched it up and made a cherry pie. Then came a blueberry pie, an apple pie, and when she really wanted to see the light shine in his eyes, she made another grape nut pie. It really wasn't that difficult to make the man happy.

He managed to help her fix the porch, the swing, the back door that wouldn't close properly, a window in an upstairs bedroom, the shutters outside on the porch, and supplied great material for her works of art. She had shown him what she made and he had been deliriously impressed by it. He couldn't believe she created such things and even bought a chair she made out of pallets that he wanted to give to Ava. She almost gave it to him for free, but he had insisted. She put hard work into making it and he would support that by purchasing it.

Four weeks.

That's all it had taken for him to worm his way through her defenses and slowly crumble them down. Sometimes, after he left, she would run upstairs and stare at her angel, reminding herself why it was bad to trust him. She swore each time she did, the angel smiled back at her that he wasn't that bad. Could she trust him? So far, he gave no impression that she couldn't. But she still had her worries.

She never invited him in and he never pressed the issue. He always dropped the supplies at the door, knocked to let her know he was there with gifts galore, and offer any assistance to which she politely refused. After she made the pie, she would knock on his door to deliver it. He would invite her in for a slice, but she always politely refused to enter. He never, not once, pressured her either way. He would grin in his sexy way and say, "Okay, Sophie. Until next time. Axel and I will miss your delightful face, darling."

She just adored Axel. He was never far away from Austin. She liked that about him. That he loved that animal so much.

The only non-enjoyable thing to occur was seeing Austin's occasional women roll in and out of his house. It wasn't as regular as she assumed it would be, but enough to make her sick. She didn't want Austin that way because she was done with men. Every time she saw him leave or come home with someone, she changed her mind and wanted to be his woman.

They all looked the same. Beautiful, well-endowed, sexy women who knew what he wanted and didn't mind giving it to him. She hadn't met Ava yet, but decided she agreed with her. She didn't like any of them. If she happened to be outside when she saw one of them, she gave a death glare that she hoped would make Ava proud. Of course, she made sure that Austin didn't see. That would create questions she didn't want to answer. Even to herself.

Sophie jumped with enthusiasm off the last step, grateful she made it down in one piece. Austin's adorable face punctured her mind, wondering when he would stop by again. Normally she didn't ask for anything, she just used what he gave her to fix whatever needed fixing. Perhaps, just this one time, she would go to him and ask for wood to replace some of these steps.

She started towards the washer when she saw it. The biggest spider to ever step in her pathway. Stopping immediately, she stared in complete horror. The spider's body was grotesquely big, about the size of a grape, and she couldn't remember a time she ever saw one that big. Long black legs that sat waiting for action, and its eyes, not that she could see them, but she imagined its beady eyes were staring her down just as she stared right back. Like a showdown, two gunslingers waiting for the walk of death. Who would pull the trigger first? Her or the spider?

She hated spiders.

She refused to be beaten down by a man anymore. She surely wasn't going to let a spider beat her down either. Slowly, the laundry basket descended, her eyes never leaving the sight of the spider. She let go of the sides of the basket, the spider making no move. Gently, she lifted her foot and removed her sandal. There was no way she could stomp on it, but she could reach really far and whack it with her sandal.

With careful footsteps, she made her way a little closer to the spider, the spider not moving once. Perhaps it thought it would win this war. She was about to prove it wrong. She reached out with the longest stretch she could muster, and with quick precision, slammed down on the spider's body.

Instant relief swamped her.

Until dozens—no thousands—of tiny little baby spiders scamper around the basement floor.

She lost the war.

A loud scream belted from her lips as the sandal slipped from her fingers and she dashed back up the stairs.

Disgusting! Her skin crawled with unease as the impression of tiny spiders inhabiting her body consumed her, even though none had touched her. She didn't stop, but raced for the front door, yanking it open and fell right into Austin's arms.

"Sophie! Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned, as he held her gently.

"Oh my, Austin. It's...it's a spider. In the basement," Sophie muttered as she breathed in his wonderful scent. He smelled of fresh outdoor air with a hint of farmness—a mingling taste of manure, hay and whatever else she assumed belonged on a farm. It should make him stink unpleasantly, but it only made him smell divine. As soon as the realization that she was in his arms pricked her senses, she stepped back.

***

He hid the disappointment when she stepped away. He had never gotten that close to her and it had instantly played hell on his body. She had felt so good pressed against his body, he almost kissed her.

"In the basement, you say. I'll kill it for you," he said as he winked and stepped inside the house.

She didn't stop him, so he took that as acceptance that he could enter the house. He walked towards the basement door, quickly walking down the stairs, feeling some of the boards loose under his feet. He made a note to grab more wood and bring it over. He had stopped by today with an old metal toolbox he found in the barn hidden away. He didn't know if she could do anything with it, but he saw some of the great things she created and knew she would think of something creative. He liked that about her—a lot. He needed to quit thinking about her day and night.

The laundry basket sat in the middle of the floor, immediately assuming she saw the spider near that area. Her sandal lay by its lonesome self and the guts of what looked like it was once a spider not far from the basket. Confused, he picked the sandal up and headed back upstairs. She already killed the spider. Why was she freaking out about it? He laughed inside, thinking, she probably was one of those types who felt bad after they killed a bug.

The front door was still open and Sophie stood in the yard instead of on the porch. "I have your sandal. It looks like you already killed the spider. Why didn't you tell me that?" he asked with a laugh.

"I did kill it. But you should put that down, Austin," Sophie said with alarm, eyeing her sandal.

He looked confused. "Why? It's a sandal."

"Yeah, but there could be baby spiders on it. Didn't you see the thousands of baby spiders that exploded out of the spider after I killed it? I can't go back in there. It's disgusting."

Austin jumped and threw the sandal down. "Why the hell didn't you say that to begin with?"

He looked down at his hand and saw a microscopic spider scurry across his thumb. "Ahh! Disgusting." He started swiping at his hand, then all over his body as if suddenly they were swarming him. He continued to make a fool of himself when he glanced over at Sophie to see her laughing and smiling like he had never seen before.

She had laughed lightly, given small glimpses of a smile here and there, but never anything like this. It personified her beauty like nothing else ever could. He loved her smile, and at that moment, didn't care it was his foolishness that was making her smile.

"Alright, miss funny pants. Let me shower and then we will call an exterminator," Austin said with a devious grin.

Sophie stopped smiling. "I don't have the money for that, Austin. And why do you need to shower?"

"Why? Are you kidding me! I walked out of the basement with the killer sandal and they could be—" Austin shook his body, "roaming all over my body right now. I have to wash them off. I'm not a fan of spiders. For you, I was willing to be the hero and kill it. Don't worry. It's my cousin Emmett. He won't charge you."

"Well, I don't know, Austin..."

He braved moving towards her, noticing no slight movement of her stepping back as she normally did. "Sophie, there are probably a million baby spiders loose in your house right now. And you just said you couldn't go back in there. We have to kill them all. But I have to shower. I have to."

She sighed heavily in defeat. "Okay. I'll wait right here for you."

"Good." Austin looked at Axel. "Wait with Sophie, buddy. Keep her company."

She smiled at him, another glorious smile, as he walked to his house to clean the grotesque feeling of spiders inhabiting his body off.

***

Austin could smell the heavenly scent of Sophie, she stood so close to him. Ever since she ran into his arms fleeing the house, she had felt comfortable next to him than she had the entire time he had known her. Her frequent steps backward when he came near, or her subtle moving to the side to make space, familiar to him, seared in his brain as a normal part of who she is. He respected her space, knowing she felt uncomfortable, perhaps a little afraid as well.

When Emmett arrived to her house and put his hand out to greet her, Austin saw the hesitation to shake his hand. He knew Emmett saw it as well, but made no comment on the fact. Sophie had quickly shaken his hand out of politeness, then immediately stepped closer to Austin. He could get used to this. He liked having her near him.

"Austin, I'm not an exterminator. I own a landscaping business and sometimes administer pest control, but that's it," Emmett tried explaining.

"Okay, pest control. Go control the spiders. Trust me, I don't want Sophie's house here swarming with spiders. Do you?" Austin asked.

"Of course not. I still find it quite humorous you felt the need to shower. I can't wait to share that," Emmett said, laughing.

"Really, Emmett? Do we have to act like children and gossip?" Austin asked with annoyance.

"Hell, yeah. I can't wait to tell Gabe and Ethan about this. You tease and rip on us all the time. How about that time when Gabe got on the mechanical bull down in the Twin Cities and he went flying off breaking his nose? You couldn't stop for weeks teasing him about it. Spiders? That's just too funny not to laugh," Emmett said chuckling. He glanced at Sophie. "You were braver than Austin here. You at least killed a spider."

"Yes, well, I wouldn't have if I had known it was carrying a whole family inside it," Sophie replied softly, edging further by Austin.

"Very true. Look, I'll go in there, spray some chemicals, and try to kill as many as I can. It'll also help with prevention. I'll spray some around the outside of the house as well. I can't say it'll kill them all, but it'll help. That's the most I can do," Emmett replied, eyeing Austin with his brows raised sharply. "Because I'm not an exterminator."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time, Emmett. I swear if you tell your brothers, Gabe and Ethan, I will find something to damage you. Mark my word, Emmett," Austin said firmly.

"Not a chance, Austin. I'm even going to tell Zane," Emmett said, still laughing.

"You know, I appreciate your kindness, but I don't have the money to pay for something like this," Sophie quietly interrupted.

Austin turned towards her. "Don't worry, Sophie, Emmett's not charging you."

"No, I'm not. I'm charging Austin," Emmett replied with a smirk to Austin.

"Oh, no, I can't have that," Sophie said with a delicate cringe that somehow personified her beauty to Austin. Or could it be because she was trying to stick up for him?