Read Online For the Love of Pete by Sherryl Woods - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sherryl Woods
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me about the broken engagement and I've seen for myself that she's an emotional wreck. Maybe she shouldn't be taking on work."
Mike studied him intently, then began to chuckle. "You're scared of her, aren't you?"
Pete glowered at him. "Why on earth would I be scared of a little bitty thing like Jo D'Angelo?"
"Maybe because you're attracted to her," Mike suggested. His expression sobered. "I know about the two of you, pal. I know you had a thing once."
Pete slapped his hand on the steering wheel in frustration. "Dammit, where'd you hear about that?" he demanded, knowing even as he asked that he was giving himself away. "I know you weren't around back then."
"Then it's true?"
Pete nodded. "What exactly did you hear?"
"That the two of you had a summer fling, maybe more than that."
"It was more than that," Pete admitted. "And I broke her heart. Do her sisters know about that?"
"I don't think so," Mike said. "You'd never have set
69 69
foot inside Rose Cottage if they knew. In fact, Ashley would most likely have taken a shotgun to you when you showed up to do that work for her and Josh."
'That's what I figured." He gave Mike a worried look. "Are you going to tell them?"
"Not unless it seems like you're going to hurt her again. You and I are friends, Pete, but Jo's family now. I have to look out for her."
"I respect that," Pete said. "I certainly don't want to hurt her again, but I'm wondering if we should start spending quite so much time together when there's all this past history that needs to be resolved."
Mike's expression turned thoughtful. "Okay now, it's a given that I'm no expert on women, not even my wife, but it seems to me if Jo agreed to do this, then she's ready to spend more time with you. Maybe this is your chance to make things right with her. A couple of jobs will give you plenty of uncomplicated time together."
"It gets complicated when we're in the same room," Pete said dryly.
Mike laughed. "A whole lot of pheromones bouncing around?"
"You have no idea."
"Okay, this is definitely a guy approach, but maybe you should just take her to bed and get all mat out of the way," Mike suggested.
Pete gave him a horrified look. "Her engagement just broke up. She's an emotional mess. And you want me to take her to bed?"
"Just a thought," Mike said.
Pete shook his head. "How the hell did you ever land a classy woman like Melanie?"
70 70FOR THE LOVE OF PETE
"I didn't. She landed me."
"I hope you count your blessings every night," Pete told him.
"Believe me, I do. Every night and every morning," Mike said fervently. "So, are you okay with this work arrangement? You're going to let Jo do the design work?"
"Yes," Pete said. And he'd suffer the torment of the damned every single minute he was around her.
It was nearly dark when Pete finally pulled up at Rose Cottage with a load of lumber. Jo heard the truck rumble into the yard, grabbed a jacket and went outside and around to the front of the house to meet him.
"I was expecting you earlier," she said as he jumped down from the cab of the truck.
"Sorry. I got held up. I ran into problems on every job this morning."
"Anything major?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Just time-consuming. I figured I'd drop this lumber off tonight, then come by first thing in the morning to get in an hour or two of work here before I head over to the house I'm building in White Stone. I thought maybe you'd like to go with me, since that's one of the ones I'd like you to landscape."
"Sure." She studied him curiously. He hadn't once looked directly at her. "Pete, is everything okay? You seem a little distracted."
"Just one of those days, I guess." He began pulling the boards off the back of his truck and stacking them neatly.
Without being asked, Jo went to help him, but as she reached for a board, he scowled at her. "What do you think you're doing?"
71 71
"Helping."
"You don't need to do that."
"But I can, so why shouldn't I?" she asked, meeting his gaze. There was
Mike studied him intently, then began to chuckle. "You're scared of her, aren't you?"
Pete glowered at him. "Why on earth would I be scared of a little bitty thing like Jo D'Angelo?"
"Maybe because you're attracted to her," Mike suggested. His expression sobered. "I know about the two of you, pal. I know you had a thing once."
Pete slapped his hand on the steering wheel in frustration. "Dammit, where'd you hear about that?" he demanded, knowing even as he asked that he was giving himself away. "I know you weren't around back then."
"Then it's true?"
Pete nodded. "What exactly did you hear?"
"That the two of you had a summer fling, maybe more than that."
"It was more than that," Pete admitted. "And I broke her heart. Do her sisters know about that?"
"I don't think so," Mike said. "You'd never have set
69 69
foot inside Rose Cottage if they knew. In fact, Ashley would most likely have taken a shotgun to you when you showed up to do that work for her and Josh."
'That's what I figured." He gave Mike a worried look. "Are you going to tell them?"
"Not unless it seems like you're going to hurt her again. You and I are friends, Pete, but Jo's family now. I have to look out for her."
"I respect that," Pete said. "I certainly don't want to hurt her again, but I'm wondering if we should start spending quite so much time together when there's all this past history that needs to be resolved."
Mike's expression turned thoughtful. "Okay now, it's a given that I'm no expert on women, not even my wife, but it seems to me if Jo agreed to do this, then she's ready to spend more time with you. Maybe this is your chance to make things right with her. A couple of jobs will give you plenty of uncomplicated time together."
"It gets complicated when we're in the same room," Pete said dryly.
Mike laughed. "A whole lot of pheromones bouncing around?"
"You have no idea."
"Okay, this is definitely a guy approach, but maybe you should just take her to bed and get all mat out of the way," Mike suggested.
Pete gave him a horrified look. "Her engagement just broke up. She's an emotional mess. And you want me to take her to bed?"
"Just a thought," Mike said.
Pete shook his head. "How the hell did you ever land a classy woman like Melanie?"
70 70FOR THE LOVE OF PETE
"I didn't. She landed me."
"I hope you count your blessings every night," Pete told him.
"Believe me, I do. Every night and every morning," Mike said fervently. "So, are you okay with this work arrangement? You're going to let Jo do the design work?"
"Yes," Pete said. And he'd suffer the torment of the damned every single minute he was around her.
It was nearly dark when Pete finally pulled up at Rose Cottage with a load of lumber. Jo heard the truck rumble into the yard, grabbed a jacket and went outside and around to the front of the house to meet him.
"I was expecting you earlier," she said as he jumped down from the cab of the truck.
"Sorry. I got held up. I ran into problems on every job this morning."
"Anything major?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Just time-consuming. I figured I'd drop this lumber off tonight, then come by first thing in the morning to get in an hour or two of work here before I head over to the house I'm building in White Stone. I thought maybe you'd like to go with me, since that's one of the ones I'd like you to landscape."
"Sure." She studied him curiously. He hadn't once looked directly at her. "Pete, is everything okay? You seem a little distracted."
"Just one of those days, I guess." He began pulling the boards off the back of his truck and stacking them neatly.
Without being asked, Jo went to help him, but as she reached for a board, he scowled at her. "What do you think you're doing?"
71 71
"Helping."
"You don't need to do that."
"But I can, so why shouldn't I?" she asked, meeting his gaze. There was
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