Hey Jude (Lennox Valley Chronicles #1)

“Well, then, we’ll have to figure it out.” I give him a slightly smug smile.

He tilts his chin at me. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to be the brains and I was supposed to be the muscle?” he teases.

My eyes can’t help but slide over his muscular chest and arms and I vividly remember the heat of his body close to me earlier. I force myself to shake off the memory and take a breath, meeting his eyes. “Yeah, well, I’m stronger than I look.”

* * *

The first wheelbarrow full of gravel doesn’t budge when I push it.

Jude watches me, clearly enjoying himself.

“What’s wrong with the wheel? Is it stuck on something?” I lower the handles and look at the side to see if there’s anything in the way.

He chuckles, his arms resting on the shovel. “Nope. It’s just that damned heavy.”

“Are you kidding me?” I heave the handles up again and throw my body into it with a grunt. It shifts the slightest bit forward, then back into place. I huff out a frustrated breath.

“Here, switch with me.” Jude moves to take the wheelbarrow and holds out the shovel.

Sighing, I give in. “Fine.” I take the shovel from his hands.

He gets the wheelbarrow going on the first try, and I squint at him resentfully. He walks off with the load, smiling smugly, though my eyes can’t help but linger on his arms and back as he goes. His muscles strain under the weight. Dumping the load between the pieces of wooden trim lining the pathway, he quickly returns for a refill.

I drive the shovel into the pile of gravel and my eyes widen as I try to lift the handle, realizing it, too, will take far more effort than the soil did yesterday.

Again, Jude watches me. “Yeah, you’re gonna want to lift with your legs.”

“You’re just loving this, aren’t you?” I grouse at him with a frown.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Jude paints on an innocent expression. “We’re in this together. We can handle it, right? At this rate, we’ll be done by the time it’s dark.” He looks at the sky, then lifts an eyebrow at me pointedly.

Raindrops start to hit our faces and we both look up at the clouds, frowning, then back at each other.

“Okay, look… I’m sorry,” I admit. “This is obviously not… ideal. But those guys had to leave, and we’re stuck here, so let’s just get on with it.” I brace my hands in a better position on the shovel handle. This time, I lift it with a little more grace and carefully pivot to the wheelbarrow, dumping the gravel inside. I blink as more raindrops hit my face.

We shovel and haul load after load until we’re both sweating despite the cool rain. I take off my hoodie and throw it on the grass. It’s already wet and dirty enough that I don’t care if it gets any worse; I’m too exhausted to put it anywhere else. Standing in my t-shirt, the rain feels cool against my bare arms. I turn my face up to the sky with my eyes closed for a moment, appreciating the brief pause to breathe before getting back to work.

When the pathway is filled, we move on to the area around what will be the firepit in the middle of the sunken garden. The work is hard; we have to bring the gravel down a small hill, and the wet grass is slippery. By the time we’re done, we both collapse on the ground, exhausted and sodden from head to toe.

“Oh, my God,” I pant. “Are we done yet?”

“You wish.” Jude grins at me between breaths. “We have to level out the gravel before we go.”

I groan and fall backward, closing my eyes and feeling the rain beating against my skin. I hear Jude moving at my side but don’t open my eyes.

“Here. Drink.”

I crack an eye open to see him holding out my water bottle. I push myself up and he sits back down beside me, drinking from his own.

“Thanks,” I say gratefully. We sit in silence for a few minutes, looking out over the cliff at the river. The rain clouds drape the mountains across from us in mist.

“Okay, champ. Break’s over.” He slaps my knee and jumps up, holding out his hand. Looking up at him with a frown, I take it and he hauls me to my feet in one strong pull. “You gonna survive?” he asks, his voice rough. He’s standing close enough again that I can’t think.

I step back to clear my head, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah. Let’s get this over with. It’s getting dark.”

As we crouch down and get to work leveling the gravel path, rain collects in the trenches next to it, huge muddy drops splashing up beside us.

I notice Jude watching me, smiling. “What?” I ask, feeling self-conscious. I probably look like a drowned rat.