“Talk to Mary?” he asked, dropping the chains near the rear wheels of the flatbed.
Nodding, she took a moment to share it with him. A lazy smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Mary’s a force of nature,” he drawled, pointing to the other side of the ramp.
“You could say that,” Dana said.
“I’m going to have you stand over there, out of the way. I’ve got the keys to the tractor and it needs to come down.”
“Right,” she said. “Is there anything I can do to help you, Colin?”
Shaking his head, he said, “I’ve done this a few times.” And then he suddenly gave her a boyish grin. “I’m not used to having a partner to help me out.”
Her heart wrenched as she stepped away. For a moment, that intensity in his features disappeared. She saw, instead, a little boy, carefree, living in the moment, his eyes shining with humor. It was a breathtaking change. And it was gone in seconds.
Hurting for him, Dana stood well out of the way while he lithely moved up the ramp to the old tractor. Every movement continued to remind her of the lithe jaguar of South America. That, too, made her heart beat a little harder. Colin seemed unaware of how sexy he looked to her.
She’d grown up with working hands, all lean like wolves, graceful in their own male way. Whatever it was about this man, he touched her heart and curiosity. Dana wanted to know a lot more about him and she was glad he would be working here with her. She watched him back the Deere effortlessly down the ramp to the ground.
The breeze was slightly warmer now, the sun higher and warming the jacket she wore. In no time, he had the disc plow and other items off the truck, all neatly placed in a row near the road. A box of tools was next. And then rakes, spades, post-hole digger, and a lot of other tools were set next to the box, which had a padlock on it. It took nearly an hour, and Dana was able to help him with the tools, all of them in one pile.
“Why don’t you bring your truck up here?” he suggested. “We can lift the box and tools into the back and drive it up to the log cabin. I don’t really want to have those things in sight of others.”
“Agreed,” she said. “I’ll be back in a bit.” She began trotting down the road to where her truck was parked. The sun was higher, the air warming, and by the time she reached her truck, she shucked off her coat, her long-sleeved blouse keeping her comfy.
They moved equipment until noon. Colin was easy to work with. He’d pulled a notebook and pen from the flatbed, a measuring tape, and they measured the width of the creek, how deep it was, and the distances for a bridge to be built. He had knee-high rubber boots that he’d brought with him, but she didn’t have any.
He didn’t say much, but would answer her if she asked a question. How badly she wanted to know more about him, the man who was stirring her heart and emotions. Patience was something Colin had a lot of.
On another page, he started a list of things she’d need, explaining that Chase had a forewoman who took care of any and all of the tools that a wrangler might need out on a job site. He promised that he’d take Dana over to her office today, once they got back to Three Bars.
Dana was glad to see Colin wading into that cold mountain-creek water. She stood on the other side, feet dry, holding that long, cloth measuring tape. The water wet his Levi’s, his thighs hard and curved, making her watch him more than was advisable. Did Colin know how beautiful he was physically? Dana kept it to herself. He probably had a special person in his life, and that thought slowed her heart to a more realistic beat.
She wrapped up the cloth tape as he came across and then stood nearby, finishing out his notes on the bridge. “Do you have someone who can build a bridge?” she wondered.
“Yeah, me.” He managed a wry, one-corner hook of his mouth while simultaneously giving her a glance from beneath his hat.
“You trained for this?”
“Well, kinda,” he admitted hesitantly. He stopped writing and looked up, gauging the place where he saw the best site for said bridge.
“Are you an engineer?” she pressed. His mouth thinned a bit.
“I was in the Army Rangers,” he admitted quietly, adding more notes, “Seventy-Fifth Regiment, Special Ops. We had to learn a lot of things that we might need out on a mission.”
So, he was in the army. In her eyes, he was a hero. “Afghanistan?”
“Yes.” He tucked the pencil into his left pocket and slid his clipboard between his left arm and the side of his body. “Sometimes, we were able to stay in an area long enough to work with other army specialties and we would sink a well or build a bridge for the people there. Part of our plan to show them we weren’t there to kill them.”
Hearing the sudden catch in his gruff tone, she said nothing.
Colin pulled a smartphone from his pocket and took several photos of the area where the bridge could be made.
“I don’t know much about the military,” she apologized. “Sometimes my curiosity gets me in trouble.”
Tucking the phone back into his pocket, he cocked his head, slanted her a glance. “I don’t mind your questions.”
“Really?”
“There isn’t a mean bone in your body.”
She laughed a little. “Now, how do you know that?”
His mouth curved ruefully, and he put his clipboard into his right hand. “Just do.”
Turning and following him, she hurried to catch up to his long, lanky stride as he headed toward the flatbed. “Where are we going now?”
“To eat,” he said, stopping at the truck. He opened the door and placed the board on the seat, then picked up a small plastic carrier. Turning, he said, “Lunch. Hungry?”
Blinking, Dana looked at her watch. Indeed, it was noon. And as if to seal the deal, her stomach growled. She felt heat fly into her face as she put her hand over her belly.
Chuckling, Colin gestured to the end of the flatbed. “Want to sit on the ramp with me and eat? This morning Chase’s wife, Cari, made this up for us. She wanted to make sure you were well-fed.”
Dana sat down on one of the metal ramps. He came and sat about three feet away, placing the plastic cooler between them and opening it up. “That was very kind of her.”
“You’ll meet her tonight at dinner,” he said. “She made us three sandwiches with beef, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.” Looking over at her, he said, “By any chance are you vegetarian?”
“I am.”
“Humph, must explain this third sandwich then. Cari said it was for you.”
“How did she know that?” Dana wondered, taking the thick sourdough sandwich and opening it up.
“Probably through Mary.” He chuckled and opened up one of his sandwiches. “Mary knows everyone in Silver Creek Valley. And I mean everyone.”
“I’m glad I’ll be able to thank her tonight,” she said, appreciating the homemade sourdough bread. There were slices of cucumber, apple, red onion, carrot, and tomato topped with thick hummus. Her mouth watered and she sank her teeth into the giant sandwich. Making a sound of gratitude, she closed her eyes and simply allowed the spices, the garlicky hummus and different textures to blend. It was delicious!
“You really like that stuff?” he teased unmercifully, watching her green eyes shine with laughter.