Read Online Stacy's Destiny by Dixie Lynn Dwyer - Free Book Online

crap! She hoped he wasn’t going to tell Marie about the incident in town. The older woman would never let Stacy out of her sight. She suddenly felt herself getting angry. How dare he treat her like some child. She was a grown woman, and she would have handled Gutry.
    The closer Max drove up the driveway in the patrol car that led to her cottage, the faster her heart pounded in her chest, and damn it to hell, she was feeling that quivering from her belly to her damn pussy. How easily this guy and his brother set her body on fire was disturbing to her. She cleared her throat and gripped the top of the tailgate. She was like some naive city girl who couldn’t handle the sight of a few sexy real-life cowboys, boots and all. She just kept reminding herself about the men at Mercer and other businessmen she met in the year she worked there. These guys weren’t any different. Oh hell, who am I kidding? She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the deputy as his vehicle turned right instead of going straight to Marie’s place. He parked the vehicle, and she pulled down the tailgate to the pickup truck.
    * * * *
     

    “I hope you don’t think y’all are going to pull that piece of machinery down all by yourself,” Max stated with attitude as he approached the truck.
    He watched as Stacy crossed her arms in front of her chest in an attempt to appear annoyed at him for showing up at her place. But damn, did she look adorable. He wondered if she knew that she pouted.
    “What are you doing here?” she countered.
    He raised his eyebrow in question to her tone, and she lowered her eyes a moment but quickly recovered as she exhaled in annoyance and reached for one side of the power washer.
    He quickly rushed to her side.
    “Let me help you with that.”
    They both grabbed a side, and he was surprised at how strong she was. Then he wondered if her anger was feeding that strength. They placed the machine down on the ground, and as Stacy bent, he got a nice view of her cleavage from the V-neck in her T-shirt. She apparently caught his eyes’ direction because she crossed her arms in front of her chest and took a few steps away.
    “Thank you for the help, deputy. You can leave now.”
    He chuckled at her tough attitude. The woman had a chip on her shoulder.
    “Listen, I’m not trying to cause you any trouble. I just stopped by to help you get the power washer out of your truck.”
    “Isn’t that above and beyond the call of duty, deputy?” she countered, staring at him as if she could read his mind or were trying to find a hidden meaning about coming to her aid.
    “It’s the kind of man I am, ma’am, and I was trying to be neighborly.”
    Man, this woman was proving the stereotype that redheads had fierce tempers.
    She thought about his statement a moment, and she undid her arms, giving him a better view of her abundant breasts. Even though they were covered, he could tell she was built.
    “I appreciate your help. Both in town and here, but I really just want to get things started on the cottage. As you can see, I have a lot of work to do.”
    He walked closer to the cottage, following her to the front porch and the door leading to her home.
    “Whatcha planning on fixing first?” he asked, leaning his hands on his holster and his belt.
    She released another annoyed sigh, and he had to hide his grin. He found her irresistibly charming and unlike any other woman he’d ever met. Women basically threw themselves at Cantrell men, but this one wanted nothing to do with him or his brother. He liked that about her.
    “I’m planning on power washing the house, then fixing some of the shingles and gutter before I repaint the whole place.”
    He swung his head back at her in shock.
    “Reshingling and fixing the gutters? You’re not planning on climbing up there on a ladder and doing this all by yourself?” He allowed his upset to show, which truly wasn’t like him, but damn, if he was going to stand by and let his woman take a