Chapter 4

• Securing the safety chains, Gage flipped the power switch for the overhead pulley. Working around equipment that weighed fifty tons or more was second nature to him. Most men would be wary standing beside a machine with tires as tall as these, but to him it was no different than leaning against a regular pickup.
• Satisfied that the winch hanging from the ceiling was supporting the weight of the bin, he hit another switch to lock it in that position.
• “Need a hand, Boss?”
• Glancing over his shoulder at Jake as he sauntered across the floor, he shook his head. “No, I got it.”
• “Hydraulics go?”
• Shaking his head, Gage walked over to the wall of tools, he grabbed one of the rolling carts filled with tools. “No, the cylinder won’t retract.” He motioned to the side of the truck. “Looks like it got dinged by the loader’s bucket, probably just a bent cylinder bracket.”
• Jake nodded and stopped. “Give me a shout if you need a hand. I’m in limbo waiting on parts that are three hours late.”
• “See if Gary needs a hand with that wheel dozer. They need it back on the site by tomorrow night.”
• “No problem.” Turning on his heel he walked out of the bay whistling softly under his breath.
• Gage stopped and watched him leave. Sighing, he dropped his chin and stared at the floor. The last few weeks he’d preferred to work alone. Grinding his teeth, he inhaled deeply and tried to let some of his tension ease. Kelsey’s delay in coming home was really starting to put him in a place he wasn’t comfortable with. Shaking his head, he laughed softly and picked up the pry bar. Who was he kidding? He’d been in an uncomfortable place for seven years.
• He hadn’t slept at all last night. Just as he’d been about to drift off, a stupid thought had crossed his mind. What if Kelsey had found a boyfriend while she was away? More than once he’d struggled with this, almost going to find out a few times, but he knew that he would have ended up marking her as his. The very idea of another male touching her filled him with thoughts of violence. An emotion his cat clung to tighter each day.
• Exhaling loudly, he looked down at the bar he was white-knuckling in his hand. Clenching his teeth, he moved back over to the truck and studied the bracket on the cylinder. He just had to keep busy, she’d be home soon.
• Then what? Well, he had his own delusions about that too, and could only hope some sort of miracle happened and she walked in wanting him just half as much as he wanted her. With a snarl, he brushed the thoughts aside and began prying on the arm of the bracket.
• Widening his stance, he put a little more muscle into it; he only had to get it freed up enough that he could get the bracket off. The damn thing wouldn’t budge one way or the other. With a curse under his breath, he reached deep inside and tapped into some of his animal vigor, if that didn’t do it he’d have to get the torch to get it off.
• Yanking hard, he felt it move a hair. With a low growl, he reefed on it once more and it let loose, smashing his knuckles into the sharp metal on the edge of the frame. Cursing, he heaved the tool across the floor and looked down at the flesh ripped off the back of his hand. Blood ran across his knuckles and dripped onto his boot.
• “That’s not quite the welcome I expected.”
• Spinning, Gage looked over to see Kelsey standing there with her hands on her hips, brows furrowed and the pry bar he’d tossed just a few feet from her boots. Shit, he’d almost hit her with it.
• The expression on her face changed when she spotted his bloodied hand. Grabbing a handful of paper towels from the dispenser on the wall, she started walking toward him. He could only stand there, unable to move. “I didn’t know you were there.” How hadn’t he sensed she was there? “Sorry.” God, she was lovely. A chill moved up his spine when she was only a foot from him and he caught her scent. It was Kelsey’s unique scent, only more potent than it had ever been before. There would be no holding his animal in check now.
• She stopped in front of him and placed the paper towel over his bloody hand. “Let’s rinse this off and see how bad it is.” Taking his wrist, she tugged on it and walked in the direction of the sink.
• He followed her like a cub on a leash. If he’d been in his right state of mind, he would have objected, but all he could do was breathe her in and let her scent soak into every pore of his body. Later he’d admit he was in deep shit here, but for now he just wanted to take pleasure in knowing she was finally here. She was home.
• She grabbed his hand and put it under the water, only to pull it out a few seconds later and start dabbing at it with a dry cloth. He knew it hurt like a bitch, but the pain wasn’t really registering in his brain. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, she was breathtaking. Gone was that pretty girl that had gone away. She was now a beautiful woman. Her light auburn locks were much shorter than the last time he’d seen her, now falling to frame her pale freckle-dusted face. He wanted to reach out and touch her hair to see if was as soft as he thought it would be.
• “You’re staring,” she said softly still bent over his hand.
• “I haven’t seen you in over a year. You’ve changed.”
• She smirked as she examined the gash. “Not really.”
• “You’re beautiful, Kel,” he admitted in a whisper.
• Color flooded to her cheeks as she glanced up at him. “Are you all right?”
• He blinked to break the hold her enthralling amber eyes had on him. “I’m fine.”
• She raised both eyebrows at him. “You just paid me a compliment and didn’t growl it out.”
• Gage knew she thought he’d been indifferent to her for years, but he hadn’t thought he’d behaved that badly. “I’ve always thought you were beautiful, Kel, just didn’t voice it for fear you’d smack me over the head with a wrench.”
• Her hand froze holding the cloth on his; slowly she lifted her head, her eyes searching his face. A confused expression filled them. “Who are you and what have you done with Gage?”
• He smirked, even though it wasn’t the emotion he was feeling deep inside. He’d been an ass to her on purpose, to keep her from getting too close to him and apparently, he’d done a good job of it. This wasn’t going to be as simple as letting nature take its course. He was going to have to convince her of his sincerity first. Why did he fear that was going to be harder than the rest? “I killed him and took over his body.”
• She smiled and shook her head. Lowering her head again she checked his hand. “It’s not bad. You heal quickly, so I’ll just clean it up a bit.”
• All he’d have to do is shift and it would be healed when he took his two-legged form again, but he couldn’t tell her that. “How are the folks?”
• She was quiet for a minute while she held his hand over the sink again and poured some peroxide over it. “Good. Your dad seems really distracted with the new contracts though.” Glancing up at him, she gave him a concerned look. “Business is good, right?”
• He nodded and tried to keep his expression easy. He knew the reason his father was keeping his distance. Kelsey was close to her body announcing what she really was and it played havoc with any male cat in range. The fact that his cat was clawing inside him only confirmed what he thought. “Business is great. We’re having a hard time keeping up most of the time.”
• “Summer is peak time.”
• She had always been aware of everything going on at the shop, even when she was in school and wasn’t able to be here other than weekends. “Keeps us out of trouble.”
• Grinning, she gently placed a large strip of tape over the gauze on his hand. “I’m sure you guys still find time for trouble.”
• She finished covering the cut but continued to hold his hand.