Chapter 3

 

Glancing at her watch, Brie slipped on her tennis shoes as she headed to the front door. "Feel up to a tour of the neighborhood, first?" If she got started on the walk early enough, perhaps she could avoid the neighborhood gossip ladies and their endless questions and insinuations about Rye. Though sweet and caring, those women poked their noses into anyone's business they wanted to, or found interesting. If at all possible, she planned on staying below their radar.

Shrugging, he followed, stepping out the door. "I take it you do this often?"

Brie fell into step beside him, leading the way to the sidewalk, then hooked a hard left. "Yeah. My morning walk. I enjoy it, anyway."

Nodding, Rye shortened his stride, easily keeping pace. He checked out one house after another and softly asked, "Do you enjoy your work?"

Thinking about that question, she answered truthfully. "I used to. Now, things are just so chaotic with the shortages. I think we're all pretty run down and simply tired." A few more steps passed before she asked in return, "How about you? Is police work all you dreamed it to be?"

Rye smirked at that. "I like being a cop, especially a detective. Like anything else, you have good days and bad. Can't win every battle, but I think every little bit helps." Glancing down, he watched her hair blow in the breeze, the ponytail lightly swaying.

"Don't you worry about the danger?" Turning, she surveyed his face, waiting for his answer.

He took his time before speaking. "Sure. Anyone who tells you different is lying. But, it's part of the job. Just have to be careful out there."

A blue-haired elderly lady walked out to the sidewalk from her front porch, morning paper in hand. "Oh, good morning, Brie."

Sighing, Brie paused, plastering a smile on her face. "Thelma. How are you today?"

"Just fine. Now, aren't you going to introduce me to your…friend?" She smiled widely at Rye, her eyes traveling the length of his body and back.

Just resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Brie quickly did the introductions. "Thelma, this is Rye. Rye, this is Thelma."

Giving the neighbor a charming smile, he held out his hand, taking hers and lightly kissing the back of it. "My pleasure, madam."

Thelma tittered at his attention. "Oh, my. Such a mannerly one, too." Not taking her eyes off him, she asked Brie, "Is he your new beau?"

Her face fired. Here we go. Of course, the neighborhood gossips would have this tidbit of information spread in a matter of minutes. Probably by that afternoon, they would have ballooned the story to include something outrageous like she finally found a man and they were already shacked up together or some such nonsense. "He's a close friend of the family."

Thelma slowly removed her hand from his grasp. "Oh, that's just too bad." Leaning over to Brie, she whispered, "This one would have livened up the neighborhood, dearie."

Uh-huh. Brie managed a lukewarm smile. Her older, widowed neighbors were forever trying to play matchmaker. The last time she went out on a date with someone Thelma suggested, it proved to be a disaster.

Rye grinned, obviously enjoying her embarrassment. "Well, Thelma, it was certainly good meeting you. We best get on with our walk. I trust we'll see you again soon?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Thelma nodded. "Most definitely." Giving a little wave, she watched them move past, her eyes checking out his backside.

They hadn't taken more than a dozen steps when a loud female voice hollered out, "Thelma! Thelma! Are they hot and heavy in the sack?"

Not for the first time, Brie wished a sudden wormhole would open up and allow her to just drop to the other side of the earth. A quick peek found Rye's lips twitching as he fought back laughter. Just great! He finds this amusing? "Ummm…that was Jane. She lives on the other side of Thelma in that blue house we just passed."

Thelma yelled back, "No! This one is family."

They heard a distinct snort, quickly followed by, "I swear! All the nice looking ones are gay, taken, or family. What's this world coming to?"

Brie sputtered, breaking into a giggle. Nosy neighbors, yes, but they were sweet and funny. All in all, they made the neighborhood a better place to live.

Rye simply rolled his eyes, his steps never slowing.

The creaking of springs from a garage door opening caught their attention. A tall blonde stepped out, unlocking the car door in the process.

Rye's head swiveled toward the noise. "Damn."

Brie stopped and turned to see what had captured her roommate's attention. One glance said it all. Long blonde waves fell to Bunny's waist, while a miniskirt barely covered a rounded rear. If she bent over, everyone could tell for sure if she had panties under or not. A narrow waist led to a bust that fell short of popping out of her shirt.

Bunny emerged from the garage to the car waiting in the driveway and Rye became immediately ensnared. It was remarkable that his tongue didn't hang out as he focused on Bunny and her attributes. He licked his lips more than once, like a starving man eyeing a juicy treat.

Brie crossed her arms and waited, watching his expression with a sigh of disgust. Men and their obsession with boobs. The bigger the better, even store bought made the grade.

"Who's that?" His voice sounded a little more ragged than she recalled.

"Bunny."

"Bunny? That's her name?" He continued to stare. As she slipped into the passenger's seat, he bent and turned his head, checking for one final glimpse.

A Hispanic appearing man strode quickly from the darkened garage, heading directly for the car. The shorter, dark-haired man with the sunglasses spoke to Bunny, then climbed into the driver's seat. In a moment, the car rolled from the drive into the street.

Watching the Porsche pass, Brie answered, "We don't know her name. That's just what the neighborhood calls her. Probably more like her occupation than her name would be my bet." She couldn't keep the boredom out of her voice.

If she were completely truthful, she would recognize a tug of jealousy seeing Rye so actively interested in her neighbor. So, Bunny was a knockout. His eyes didn't have to bug out of his head at the sight. For a split second, she wanted, needed him to look at her like that, like the sun rose and set on her. She consoled herself with the knowledge she had one positive trait Bunny didn't—brains. Of course, she didn't know that for sure, but it just seemed reasonable that the potential Playboy cover carried fluff between her ears.

Nodding, Rye followed the car until it moved out of sight. His attention returned to Brie. "What does he do?"

Shrugging, Brie started walking again, checking both ways before crossing the street. "No one knows. Mr. Gomez is very quiet, always in a hurry. Dresses to the max, has a fancy car. I would venture something profitable."

Rye quickly nodded before stepping out once more on their morning walk, remaining, for the most part, mute. Brie peered in his direction now and again, but decided the hamster wheel in his mind was spinning in circles in thought. Probably not a good idea to interrupt a male mind at work.

 

* * * *

 

An hour later, Rye followed behind Brie as she bounced across the large backyard. A huge stack of landscape bricks was off to one side, surrounded by containers of flowers and plants of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Damn, she was serious when she mentioned landscaping. A rolled-up blue garden hose sat on the small patio under a metal loveseat painted bright white. Two huge rocks the size of bedside tables loomed over a carpet of lush green. A pile of tools leaned against the large oak tree that served as the centerpiece of the backyard.

"So, what do you think?" Brie smiled, pride evident in the sparkle in her eyes.

Rye scoped out the yard once more, picturing the landscape blocks in place and the new addition perennials in the ground. He had to hand it to her, she had vision. Lots of work involved, but it would be a pretty view from the back patio sitting in the shade and sipping lemonade. "Looks like you have something here, Brie."

Beaming from the offhanded compliment, she hastened to the tree, picking up the shovel. "I thought I would go ahead and get the plants in the ground first, then work on the bricks afterward. That way, if it rains, it's not a big deal."

Nodding, he headed over to stand next to her, tugging at the shovel handle. "Sounds like a plan. I'll dig, you plant."

Brie shook her head and frowned. "No. First of all, I was told your shoulder is injured. I won't be responsible for doing more damage. Secondly, I'm more than capable of digging holes." She pulled the shovel handle back in front of her, the metal end still resting on the ground.

"My shoulder is fine. Besides, I'm not going to stand here and watch you dig holes." Again, he yanked the handle toward his chest, while her hands still grasped tight.

"I like to dig holes. You can put the flowers in the ground." Once more, she tugged it back to her.

"I'm going to dig the damn holes. Now let go of the shovel."

"No! It's my shovel. You let go!" Brie watched as he wrenched the handle toward his chest.

"Damn, stubborn woman. Give me the frigging shovel!" His voice wasn't close to yelling, yet the tone would have made hardened criminals take note.

"Fine! Mule-headed man." She suddenly let go. As he pulled against her, the handle flew back, whapping him in the nose.

"Ow! Shit!" His grabbed his nose, checking for blood. Luckily, he didn't see any on his fingers. Just how did I know she was going to be a nuisance?

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Here, let me look at it." Brie bit her lip, stood on tiptoe, and leaned in for a closer inspection. Her expression slipped to remorse for a second before something mischievous sparkled in her eyes.

"It's fine." Pushing her hands away, he carried the hard won tool over to the nearest empty flower bed. In all honesty, he wanted to feel her hands on him way too much. Start at his nose and work her way downward. Even the idea of her fussing over him appealed. A simple childish argument had parts below sitting up and taking notice. The flash of fire in her eyes, the flush of anger in her cheeks—she was breathtaking when her temper lit.

Even more frightening was the fact that a gorgeous sex goddess resided directly across the street. Yet, his traitorous body seemed only interested in the feminist green thumb with an attitude. Shaking his head, he decided either someone upstairs was having a heyday with this, or he was in need of some serious therapy.

 

* * * *

 

Brie had to give him credit. Rye didn't once complain about his shoulder or digging two dozen holes in the ground. Heck, he didn't even goad her about how she had intended to do all this work herself. If his shoulder bothered him, he certainly wasn't letting on, and she had watched him closely, too.

It didn't take them long to get into a routine. She pointed out a few places for holes, then set about placing the plants in the previously made ones. By the time she had them all settled, he asked where she wanted the next set. Time flew until she patted down the final plant while he collected the rocks, using an empty container as a bucket. Standing, Brie looked back over their progress. A wandering line of plants outlined the privacy fence, immediately brightening up the yard. She smiled at Rye, speaking sincerely. "Thank you."

He tossed a final rock in the container, and stood, gaze roving over the newly finished scene. "That sure made a difference, didn't it?" Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he took a minute to enjoy their efforts.

Nodding, Brie soaked in the sight once more before bending to gather the empty containers. For a second, she thought about working on placing the landscape stones around the large oak in the center of the yard, but thought better of it. Rye didn't act like his arm hurt, but that was probably more than enough activity for one day. That led to the question of what to do now?

Leaning on the shovel, he watched her bend over to corral the containers.

"Are you getting hungry?" Brie asked as she stacked the containers together, making four towers.

He shrugged. "Somewhat. What did you have in mind?" His gaze roamed over the yard and the stack of brick waiting to be placed. "Don't we need to finish those up?" He gestured toward the tree.

Dusting off the back of her jeans, she walked over. "Nah. They'll wait for us. Besides, it's a good time to take a break and find some lunch." Standing beside him, she surveyed the area once more. "What to eat? Well, they have that new cafeteria-style place over on the south side. Have you tried it, yet?"

Rye shook his head. "Sounds good to me. I think I'll clean up first, though." He returned the shovel to rest against the tree, and headed back toward the house.

Brie followed suit. "There should be plenty of hot water for both of us to take a shower, so go ahead."

Opening the back door, he waited for her to dash past him before following. A wry smile appeared on his face, causing her to pause.

Deciding she really didn't want to know, she scurried down the hall.

Thirty minutes later a fluttering noise and footsteps caught Brie's attention as she glanced upward and gasped at the sight before her. Rye marched out of the bathroom and into the hall, towel drying his hair, leaving the rest of him without cover. She stared in stunned silence for a long moment, soaking in the toned body in all its glory on display for her appraisal, from just outside her bedroom. A strong, wide chest tapered to a narrow waist. Scattered dark hairs accented his six pack abdomen, drawing her eyes downward as they led a path straight to his groin. "Rye! You're naked!" Her voice squeaked out.

He chuckled as one side of his mouth kicked up in a lopsided grin. "Yeah, that happens when you just get out of the shower." He made no move to cover anything, appearing more than comfortable with his nude body.

Brie squeezed her eyes tightly shut. No, can't look. No peeking. "Clothes are good, you know." Hearing his chuckle, she couldn't resist. She peeked. Oh, my. Wow. Goodness gracious. The urge to fan herself hit hard even as her mouth began to water. If it came down to a choice between her all-time favorite food, chocolate, and Rye, well, that would be a tough one. Hmmm. Maybe she could just dip Rye in the chocolate? Oh, my God. What was she saying? One day with him and she was acting like a sex-starved hussy. That little devil on her shoulder quietly whispered, "Well, if the name fits." She was going to have to do something about that wicked little voice.

Rye remained still, that crooked grin plastered on his face as his big right hand absently rubbed the fluffy towel over the top of his head. "You've never seen a naked man before?" he teased.

She jerked her gaze back up to his face, mortified at being caught. "I've never seen yours…it…him…that…" she stammered. Brie pointed in the direction of his ever growing shaft. "What do you call it, anyway?" Her head tilted in question.

Eyebrows shooting up, he bit his tongue. "A penis?"

Her face flamed all the hotter, like molten lava. "No. I know that." An exaggerated eye roll followed. Indicating his erection once more, she asked again. "Doesn't it have a name? I thought men tended to give them names."

Shifting his weight, he pulled the towel from his head, immediately wrapping it around his waist. "Bam Bam." The words softly whispered across the distance. He turned to head back to his bedroom, but paused to peek over his shoulder back at her.

Brie stood there with her gaze soaking up the hunky image of Rye. Embarrassment at getting caught staring wasn't enough to erase that lickable image from her mind.

With a small smile, Rye tugged the towel free once more and strode slowly back into his room, closing the door in his wake.

Where is a quarter when I need one?