Chapter Six

“Son of a bitch!” After cutting his hand for the third time in the last hour, Finn tossed his wrench into the open toolbox at his feet and grabbed the rag resting on the fender of the car to wipe some of the grime off his hands. He’d been working on Cory’s car all morning, and his temper had risen with each problem he’d discovered. There was nothing major wrong with it, but lack of maintenance had produced plenty of mechanical issues for him to address. The filth coating the engine made it all the more difficult and time consuming. Why did people think they could just drive a car day after day and not have it serviced? Then they were always so surprised when something broke, and it ended up costing a ton of money to fix.

“Karl, I’m heading home for a shower and lunch. Be back in about an hour.”

“Sure thing boss. You better get that hand looked at.”

Finn looked down at the blood dripping from his hand and swore again, “Damn it.” He grabbed one of the industrial paper towels out of the box by the vehicle Karl worked on and wrapped it around his hand.

“Listen as soon as you finish with the Jeep, take your lunch. Just flip the sign on the door and lock up. There’s nothing too pressing today, and if anyone needs anything they can leave a message.”

Karl’s guileless brown eyes stared at him from his round, scruffy face. He was the perfect employee for Finn. Nothing much ever ruffled Karl. He came to work, did his job well, and went home to his wife at the end of the day after stopping for a drink with his local buddies. “All right, if you say so.”

Finn nodded and walked out the garage door. He’d driven his yellow convertible Mustang to work today, hoping to enjoy the Spring weather. Now he wished he’d taken his truck. He was filthy, and the cream-colored seats in the mustang were a bitch to clean. He grabbed a blanket from the trunk and spread it over the seat before climbing in and heading home.

As he drove into his driveway he spotted Cory working in the backyard next door. It looked like she was digging a hole, for what he could only imagine. Once he parked in the garage and got out of his car, he took several steps closer to the garage opening ready to give her a piece of his mind about the neglect of her car. He hesitated and changed direction, heading into the house. His hand was bleeding through the towel.

After showering and bandaging his hand, he made himself a ham and swiss sandwich and grabbed a can of soda and headed out to his back deck. He plopped down into the wrought iron chair and propped his legs up on the railing as he polished off his sandwich and chugged the last of his cold soda. He looked across his lawn to Addy’s backyard to see if Cory was still out there.

She knelt on the ground. Her back was to him, so he couldn’t see what she was doing. Her hair was up in a ponytail and every time she moved it danced around her shoulders. Her blue shirt rode up exposing the pale skin of her back. Finn became fascinated with watching it inch up each time she leaned forward.

The woman had a shape that made his hands itch to get a hold of her. Long legs and more than a handful on top. He dropped his legs down and stood. Maybe it was time to go over and have a chat with his new neighbor. He smirked in amusement. He couldn’t wait to hear her response to his lecture about the proper way to take care of her car.

****

Cory wiped the perspiration off her forehead with the back of her wrist and sat back on her heels. She’d been working on her aunt’s gardens for a solid three days now and had started on the backyard. Gardening was a ton of work, but she couldn’t remember when she had enjoyed herself more. She planned on finding a local nursery in the next day or two to get some advice and maybe add a few plants to the beds.

“Making mud pies?”

She glanced back to see an irritating Finn over her shoulder. His damp hair glistened in the sunlight. His mouth was quirked in that ever-present smirk he always had around her.

“Is that a tattoo?” Finn peered at the back of her neck. “Didn’t take you for the type. What’s it of? A symbol or something?”

Cory pulled her ponytail over the mark. “No, it’s just a birthmark.” She swiveled to face him and looked up at him looming over her.

His hip was cocked to the side with one hand in his pocket, and the other hanging down by his side. A white bandage caught her eye. “What did you do to your hand? Put it somewhere it didn’t belong?”

“Now it’s interesting you brought that up.”

Cory rolled her eyes and stood dusting off her knees as she did so. She leaned back against the tulip tree that was the center of the garden she was working on. She couldn’t wait to hear what antagonistic remarks he had to say…not.

“Are you aware a car requires routine maintenance? You don’t just get it in it every day and drive it into the ground. It needs some TLC every now and again to keep it running in good shape. An oil change, a tune up, fluid check, tire rotation, do any of those things mean anything to you?”

She stared at him wondering if she should bother answering him. Admittedly car maintenance was not her strong suit. She couldn’t remember the last time she had brought it in to be serviced. There had been a lot of other things going on in her life lately.

“After working on your car all morning, I know the answer is a big fat no.”

Okay, apparently this was a sore point with him, but wasn’t he going a little overboard? “Aren’t you being a little dramatic? It’s a car.”

He stared hard at her for a moment and then pointed his finger at her. “People like you shouldn’t own a car. In fact, I have serious reservations about giving you back the car once I’m done with it.”

“Oh, for goodness sake, now you’re being ridiculous! It’s a car, not a child, and it’s mine. You have no right to keep my vehicle. Isn’t it your job to fix it? And stop pointing that damn finger at me!”

“This finger? Do you see all these cuts and bandages on my hand? That’s from your car. It’s as temperamental as its owner. And it’s a good thing a car isn’t a child. Because then you’d be arrested for neglect.”

Cory closed her eyes and tried counting to ten, but all she could picture was a branch hitting Finn in the head. She opened her eyes and blasted him. “You are an idiot!”

Before he could reply, a crack split the air and a branch above them crashed down.

Finn jumped forward, shielding her body with his own and plastering her against the tree.

Cory’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the fallen branch behind him. It was just a coincidence, right? She couldn’t have done that. It wasn’t possible.

“Are you all right?”

She blinked up at him and tried to focus. “I think so. You?”

“Mm.”

Awareness dawned.

His hands were wrapped around her back, holding her body against his from the chest down. His legs caged hers in against the tree. She looked up, ready to tell him to move.

Apparently, he had been waiting for her gaze to meet his.

His gaze dropped to her lips before he leaned in and captured them.

Her breath stuttered in her chest.

She raised her arms to shove him away, but her treacherous hands clutched at his arms instead.

There was no gentle persuasion.

His mouth devoured hers.

Strong hands pressed against her back, arching her even closer against him.

Her fingers inched over his shoulders. She needed to get even closer.

He palmed her bottom and lifted her against him, so she cradled him against her core. She gasped at the feel of him.

A harsh groan sounded from Finn as he rocked against her.

Cory tore her mouth away and turned her head. “Stop! This is insane.”

Heavy breaths fanned her cheek.

“Let me go.”

As his hands dropped away, she fell back against the tree. Her legs too shaky to support her.

She spared him a quick glance and blushed. He stood in front of her with his legs braced and hands on his hips. His arousal extremely evident, swelling against the front of his jeans.

“If you’re waiting for an apology, forget it. You were just as involved there as I was.”

A puff of air escaped her mouth. How did she deal with this? My God, her aunt could’ve spotted them at any time.

“I’m not waiting for an apology. Did it occur to you Aunt Addy could have walked out the back door, or looked out a window?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure she knows about sex and has probably had it a time or two. Who knows, she may have found herself against this very tree when your great uncle was still alive.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, please don’t put those images in my head. Do you have to be so crass?”

“Sorry, princess, if I insulted your delicate sensibilities. I momentarily forgot you like them slick and polished, don’t you? How did your date with Marks go? Did he kiss your hand when he wished you goodnight?”

“That’s really none of your business.” Cory brushed past him and headed for the house. “Let’s just forget this ever happened.”

“Yeah good luck with that, princess.”

She closed and locked the door, half afraid he would follow her inside to finish the conversation. Cory spotted him stalking across the yard back to his own yard and let out a sigh of relief as she sagged against the door. What on earth had happened out there?

“Coralea, are you all right?”

Cory looked over to where her aunt stood in the doorway to the kitchen. “Um, yeah.”

“You’re all flushed dear. You’ve done too much. Come in and sit down. I’ll get you some water.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to head straight for the shower and then lie down for a bit, okay?”

“Of course, but take a glass of water with you.”

“Okay, I will. Thanks.”

She grabbed the glass and climbed the stairs to her room. She took a couple of quick gulps before setting it down on the nightstand next to the boxes, picking the smallest one up.

What had happened with the branch? She had pictured it hitting him and then it fell. What kind of crazy coincidence was that? It couldn’t have been her. If she was going to make a branch hit anyone over the head, it would’ve been her ex-husband. If she had that ability she would’ve sent a few branches John’s way. Possibly the whole tree, on his car, on his house.

Cory stared down at the box, now opened in her palm. She didn’t remember opening it.

A smaller carved wooden container was nestled inside just like the previous ones. On top a verse:

Harm None

Evil cannot be undone

The box fell from her hands onto the bed, and she slowly backed away. “Well, hell.” Rubbing her suddenly chilled arms, she stared at the words carved into the wood. Cory felt a piercing ache on her neck. It disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. She rotated her neck trying to loosen up her muscles as she reread the words.

“I wouldn’t really have hurt him. I truly wouldn’t. And for pity’s sake, I’m talking to a possessed box. Great! Loony bin here I come.”