Delinquent Daddy (Banks / Kincaid Family #2)(53)

She stepped lighter as she followed the crew inside and was finally able to admit that Nora had been right. Boston looked great in the old jeans and sweatshirt Cameron had brought over for him. It reminded her of how he'd looked in college.

197

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

Too bad it wasn't July, instead of November. The heat might've forced him to peel off his shirt while he worked.

Even so, there was something about men and power tools that was beyond yummy. He kept pausing throughout the morning to pay attention to Cassie too, which made him that much more attractive. Once he'd picked her up and held her over his head so she could pull a dangling limb hanging broken from a high branch.

Another time, Ellie had caught sight of him teasing Cassie and then grinning at her as he tucked a leaf behind the girl's ear. It was so similar to a time in college when he'd plucked a flower out of the campus flowerbed and slipped it behind Ellie's ear. Her heart jumped like crazy.

She'd spun away from the scene and promptly severed a large limb to alleviate the pressure building in her chest. But it hadn't seemed to help because she could still hear laughter across the lawn; Boston's and Cassie's both. And she'd ached for something she knew she shouldn't.

After pausing for lunch, everyone set back to work. Cassie and Keller were tired of raking and went inside Keller's house to play video games. By late afternoon, most of the mess was cleaned in both yards. As Cameron and Monty cut the last large limb, Boston hauled stacks of wood to the already overflowing trailer. Ellie tried to assist him, though she could only carry one block at a time.

Every once in a while she could hear Nora and Mendel arguing in their yard. Cameron, Monty and Boston grinned at each other as they listened.

198

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"They're better than watching a soap opera," Cameron admitted and started his saw to cut his way through a limb connected to the main trunk that was sticking up in the air.

Ellie bent over, too busy picking up another log to notice where she was standing.

But she heard Boston's sharp call loud and clear.

" Ellie!"

She glanced up just in time to see him charge toward her.

It wasn't until she noticed the panic on his face that she caught motion from the corner of her eye. The limb above her cracked and began to fall...on her. The log she'd just lifted slipped from her fingers and she cringed, bracing for the impact.

It never came.

Boston hurled himself toward her, his hands lifted to catch the tree. He cursed as he did so, and she could only imagine how much it injured him to save her. As the branch settled over them, he gritted his teeth and held the wood off them, straining with all his might. Leaves and limbs covered Ellie and Boston like an umbrella, cocooning them inside.

Boston continued to hold the large limb above them; Ellie knew it had to hurt.

But he still immediately glanced at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she answered, breathing hard. "Are you?"

He nodded, but she could see it in his eyes. He wasn't comfortable at all.

"You guys all right in there?" Cameron asked from outside the branches.

199

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

Boston's gaze stayed on Ellie. She stared back at him with wide eyes. They were close. Boston had his hands up, holding the branch off them. He looked down at her like it would be nothing to tilt his head a little and press his mouth to hers.

Ellie stopped breathing, waiting for him to do just that.

"Yeah," he finally answered Cameron. "But could you get this damn tree off us?"

Ellie abruptly snapped back to reality.

"Oh, my God," she cried. "I'm sorry, Boston. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," the words came from between gritted teeth.

Cameron and Monty lifted the branch together and pushed it to the side. As soon as it was gone, Boston dropped his arms, sucking in a breath. He pressed his palms together as if trying to hide them. But Ellie saw blood seep through the cracks "Boston, no," she breathed, snatching his wrist. She pried his hands apart and turned them up, only to gasp at the sight of torn and raw flesh. Biting her lip, she looked up at him with concerned eyes.

"They're okay," he said.

She shook her head. "No, they're not. Damn it, this is my fault. If I would've just looked where I was going in the first place... You should've let the tree fall on me."

As she was talking, berating herself and him too for getting hurt on her account, she kept a hold of his wrists and began dragging him toward the back entrance of the house.

Boston followed meekly and only once said, "Ah...El?

Where're we going?"

200

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"I'm going to patch you up," she huffed, still furious with herself.

"Ellie." He laughed uneasily as he followed her inside. "I'm fine. Really. It's just a couple scratches."

But she was determined. She didn't let go of him until they were in her bathroom. She closed the toilet seat and ordered him to sit.

"Yes, ma'am," he murmured, all the while giving her an amused look.

Turning on the water, she reached for his fingers again and didn't even notice how easily he handed them over. She plunged his hand under the warm stream, getting her own fingers wet in the process. Cringing at the blood that filled her drain, she muttered, "Just a couple scratches," and grabbed a washcloth. After thoroughly cleaning one palm, dabbing out chunks of bark and dirt, she took care of the other, continuing to grumble to herself as she opened the medicine cabinet and searched for some ointment and gauze.