Wade's Way: Installment 5

Hi Readers,

I'm seriously behind on uploading this installment. I'm so sorry about that. Life sometimes gets in the way. At any rate, here is the latest chapter of Bride and Wade's story. Enjoy! :)

Wade's Way by Anne Rainey

After a car accident leaves Bride Donner badly scarred and her boyfriend dumps her, she’s more than ready to retreat from the pain of living. When she inherits her dear grandmother’s large, old home in the country, Bride knows it’s the perfect place to do some serious soul searching.  But when she hires arrogant contractor Wade Jackson to restore the regal beauty, hiding is the last thing on his mind. In fact, the dangerously sexy man proves—over and over—that it’s not just the house he has designs on.  Very soon, Bride lets down her defenses and finds herself doing things...Wade’s Way.


 (please be aware that these installments are freshly typed and unedited)


Chapter Five
 
It’d been several weeks since Bride had hired Wade and Garrett’s Building and Remodeling. One part of the house or another seemed to be in a constant state of disorder, but the progress they were making was remarkable. Wade’s crew worked tirelessly. She had no complaints with the quality or the speed of the project. She kept in contact daily with her mom too. Although Bride tried to get her mom and Aunt Joan’s opinion on various things regarding the remodel, it was clear neither woman wanted anything to do with the house and were content to leave all the decisions up to her. They’d also discovered that her grandmother had left her mom and Aunt Joan a fairly decent amount of money in life insurance. And like the house, they wanted nothing to do with the money. Bride had tried to talk them both into putting the money to good use. They could pay off bills or go on an extended vacation, but they were absolutely determined not to touch it. In the end, both sisters agreed to give Bride the money for the remodel instead.
 
Now, Bride stood outside staring at Wade. She tried to drag her gaze off the man. Really she did. Damn, the view was just too delicious. Wade stood on a ladder, talking about the window shutters. She couldn’t concentrate on his words because her mind was mush. The old, worn jeans he wore rode low around his hips. She could see just a hint of the waistband of his black boxers. The white t-shirt he’d had on when he’d arrived early was now tucked into his back pocket. His strong, powerful back glistened golden tan in the noonday sun. She had the aching need to reach out and stroke him. Any part of him would work. His back. His muscular biceps. His delectable butt. Something.
 
“So, what do you think?” he said, as he turned to look down at her.
 
She mentally smacked herself back to the here and now. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
 
He frowned at her. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little flushed.”
 
I’m merely lusting after your amazing bod. That’s not at all embarrassing. “Oh, it must be the heat.” She waved her hand, fanning herself.
 
Between one breath and the next, Wade came down off the ladder. “Come on,” he took her by the hand and tugged her around to the front of the house and escorted her up the steps. “You need water.”
 
He held the screen door for her and she entered. “Water sounds perfect,” she said as he released her. She immediately missed the connection. As she walked through the house, Bride was acutely aware of how closely Wade followed behind. His presence seemed to reach deep inside of her, tugging at something that had laid dormant for too long.
 
Bride grabbed two cold bottles from the fridge and handed one to Wade. He unscrewed the cap and gulped half the contents before saying, “Damn, I needed that.”
 
She took a drink of hers more for show than anything else. It wasn’t the heat that was causing her throat to go dry and her blood pressure to rise. That honor belonged to Wade. “So, you were saying about the shutters,” she prompted, hoping to get her mind back on business and off of pleasure. And Wade would be immensely pleasurable, she was sure of it.
 
“Yeah,” he replied as he leaned against the counter. “I think we should replace the old, wooden shutters with vinyl. They’re a lot less upkeep.”
 
“That sounds perfect.” She looked around the house and smiled. “This house has been a lot of work, I know, but the longer I’m here the more I love it.”
 
Wade looked around the kitchen before saying, “Are you going to sell once it’s complete?”
 
“Well, the decision ultimately lies with my mom and Aunt Joan.” She sighed. “I suspect they want nothing to do with it. So, in the end they’ll want to sell.”
 
He crooked his head to one side. “Do you mind if I ask why they hate this place so much?”
 
“It’s not the house,” she started to explain. “It’s the memories that reside inside this big, beauty that give them so much trouble.”
 
He finished off his water and tossed the bottle into the trash. “Not a happy childhood, huh?”
 
Bride pulled out a chair and sat. “I don’t know the details. Mom never talks about any of that, but I’ve been going through my grandmother’s things and she’s kept so many childhood mementos. I can’t believe that a woman who would save all that stuff didn’t at least care about her children a little bit.”
 
“Maybe she had regrets in the end,” He said as he moved to the table and sat down across from her. “Will you show your mom the things your finding?”
 
“Yes, I think it would help give her…closure.” She shrugged. “If she still wants to toss everything after that it’s her choice, I suppose.”
 
He looked at the other end of the table where her laptop sat open and several papers were scattered about. “Is all the noise from the work interrupting your work?”
 
Bride smiled. “Goodness no. And if it does get too loud, that’s what the headphones are for.” She picked them up and said, “I put these on and the whole world drops away. Then it’s just me and my laptop.”
 
“That seems sort of lonely though.” His voice softened. “A woman as pretty as you shouldn’t be trapped in this giant house all the time by herself. She’s bound to go a little stir crazy.”
 
She squinted at him. “Did you just use a line on me?”
 
He chuckled. “Maybe,” he admitted. “What I’m trying to say is—even though it’s totally unprofessional—would you like to go to dinner with me on Friday? I know of a really great seafood restaurant in town.”
 
A date with Wade. God, how badly she wanted to say yes. Bride’s heart sped up at the idea of being alone with the man. Then she remembered her face, and the horrible scar. Could she really go out to a restaurant with him, knowing that everyone would stare at her? She went into town all the time and had to endure the gawking from strangers. Somehow she knew it’d be so much worse if Wade was privy to her embarrassment. The very last thing she wanted from him was pity. She couldn’t take it if he pitied her.
 
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Bride answered, as she stood and went to the sink. “As you said, it isn’t professional.” She started putting away the few breakfast dishes she’d washed earlier for no other reason but to avoid Wade’s penetrating gaze. A hand closed over her shoulder and tugged. She turned and Wade stood there frowning down at her. His nearness overpowered her senses. He still had his shirt off and his chest beckoned her to reach out and stroke his pecs, then lower to his hard rock abs. She longed to dip her fingers beneath the waistband of his jeans. But Bride wasn’t that brave in reality. That was just the make-believe Bride talking.
 
“How come I feel like you really want to say yes to me.” He tapped her nose. “Do you think I bite, sweetheart?”
 
She couldn’t look him in the eye. Not that staring at his massive chest was any better. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”
   
He cupped her chin in his palm and gently coaxed her to gaze toward his. “It’s the scar, isn’t it?” he asked. “Do you think it bothers me?”
 
The tenderness in his eyes nearly did her in. “Maybe it doesn’t bother you now, but people stare, Wade. They stare and they don’t care if it’s hurtful. They whisper behind their hands at the poor girl with the messed up face. I really don’t think you want to deal with all that.”
 
His hand moved from her chin to her cheek where he stroked the jagged line with a calloused finger. His touch zapped all her strength. She no longer had the will to deny him. “If people stare it’s because they see a beautiful woman,” he murmured. “And they’ll know I’m a lucky son-of-a-bitch because she’s with me.”
 
That did it. Crap. How could she say no to a statement like that? “Okay, but I did warn you. Remember that later.”
 
His smile lit up the room. “I’ll pick you up Friday. Seven work for you?”
 
She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. At that moment, Garrett walked in and started going on about something in the cellar. She caught the words pipesand older than time, but Bride was beyond the ability to think straight. When was the last time a man had made her weak in the knees? She couldn’t remember.
 
After the brothers left the room, Bride took a deep breath. Okay, she was going on a date with Wade and it was going to be fine. Better than fine, it was going to be amazing. Her heart began to race as excitement skittered up and down her spine. Real excitement, which was something she hadn’t experienced in months. She grinned, and the movement sent a shaft of pain up the side of her face. Bride turned and caught just a hint of her reflection in the kitchen window. Her scar seemed to be bigger and uglier than ever. As if mocking her.
 
Could she really do this? She pictured a crowded restaurant and all eyes glued to her. And then Bride thought of Wade’s gentle smile and warm touch and knew that she needed to at least try. She couldn’t sit in her grandmother’s house the rest of her life. Wade was right, it wasn’t healthy to stay locked away from the world. Isn’t that exactly what her grandmother had done? She had shut herself off from everyone. Where had that gotten her? She’d died alone.
 
“That’s not going to be me,” she mumbled to herself. But for good measure she did send up a quick prayer. God, please don’t let this date be a disastrous mistake.



A Touch of Amber-- February 2016!
http://annerainey.com