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My hands gripped the sides of the ladder tightly as I stared up at Zach. Edith had given us a list of last-minute things that needed to be done before the big weekend and we’d been working all morning to get them finished. We’d already pulled the extra-large grill out of storage and set it up near the bait shop, then we’d arranged tiki torches around the various camping areas. After completing a few other tasks, we moved on to our final project, decorating the lake for Memorial Day.

We talked easily as we moved around the property, hanging the red, white, and blue decorations from the light poles. Zach seemed different, more comfortable than I’d ever seen him. Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed the slight change in his smile or the relaxed set of his jaw, but I’d spent so much time with him, studying him while he worked or ate or breathed that I knew him, probably better than I knew myself.

It was ridiculous the amount of time I spent thinking about the guy. When I was with him, I couldn’t get enough of watching the way he moved or listening to him speak. Late at night, when we were each in our own cabins, I’d drift off to sleep, picturing his face in my mind. Most of the time, I felt like an infatuated teenager, but I couldn’t help it. Zach made me feel things I’d never felt with anyone else, like something had been missing before that wasn’t missing when he was around.

The memory of his hand in mine had played on my mind all night until I felt sure I’d go insane. I’d never felt that kind of connection before and I desperately wanted to try it again, just to see if it would be the same the second time around. I fought the urge to reach for him though; mostly because I didn’t want to make him feel awkward, but also because a little part of me was worried that he would reject me if I tried again.

As a pararescueman, I’d been through extensive training, which taught me to act quickly and trust my instincts. Lives had literally depended on my ability to think clearly and move forward without second-guessing my decisions. I’d jumped out of countless helicopters, often landing in enemy territory to find and rescue one of our own, and I’d done it all without a second thought.

Being near Zach was entirely different though. From the moment I’d laid eyes on him, I’d done nothing but question myself and worry over how to behave around him. I wasn’t used to feeling so insecure, and it was frustrating.

I let out a sigh as I stared up at Zach’s perfectly curved, denim-clad ass and tightened my hold on the ladder to keep it from swaying with his movements. The thin material of his white T-shirt stretched tight across his shoulders as he climbed up, accentuating the muscles of his back and leaving my throat feeling dry.

Once he reached the top, he stretched his arms around the pole, tying the two ends of the decoration together. The maneuver caused his T-shirt to rise above the waistband of his jeans and I had to swallow back a groan as I caught a glimpse of smooth, golden skin. His jeans hung low and the sight of the two sexy divots on either side of his spine made my mouth water.

I turned away as soon as Zach’s feet touched the ground, hoping he wouldn’t notice my growing erection. It didn’t help though that all I wanted to do was throw him down in the grass and lick the sweat from his body.

“God, it’s hot out today,” Zach said.

“Mhmm,” I responded noncommittally.

“You okay? You’ve been really quiet today,” he said. I could feel his eyes on me and I busied myself with lowering the ladder back down.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I just have a lot on my mind,” I told him.

“Is there anything I can help with?” he asked cautiously.

I picked the ladder up and held it at my side before I looked at him. I could see the concern in his eyes and when he smiled gently at me, something warm spread throughout my belly. I suddenly wanted to tell him that he was what I had on my mind. He was the reason that I couldn’t eat or sleep or even think clearly. Before I got a chance to say anything though, we were interrupted by the sound of an engine and we both turned to see Edith driving towards us in her truck. Dust and gravel kicked up behind her as she pulled up next to us.

“Hey, boys! The place looks great,” she exclaimed, wearing a big grin.

“Thanks. We were just finishing up. Thought we’d grab some lunch and then see what else you needed us to do,” Zach told her.

“Well, I tried to call you, but then I remembered you don’t keep your phones on you when you’re working. My sister just called, and my niece fell and broke her leg. I need to get over to the hospital and see if I can help out. I’ll probably end up spending the night,” she explained.

“I’m sorry to hear that. What can we do to help?” I asked.

“Everything’s pretty much all set, but I’d already given Freddie the night off since he’ll be working the bait shop all weekend,” Edith said. “Would you boys mind working the night shift for me?”

Zach and I shared a glance and then shrugged our shoulders. “No, of course not,” we said at the same time. Edith laughed.

“Great! Thank you so much. Brenda’s got it covered now, so you should get some rest since it’ll be a late night. I’ll be back in the morning and will take care of everything so you two can have the weekend off like I promised,” she insisted.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” Zach said. “We’ve got it covered and if you need more time with your family, you know we don’t mind helping out.”

Edith smiled at us and her eyes softened. “I know that, and I appreciate it more than you boys will ever know, but you both work very hard and you deserve some time off.” With a final wave, she drove away. We watched until her truck had pulled out onto the main road and then we turned back to each other.

“Well, it looks like I’ll be learning a new part of the business tonight,” I joked.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Zach laughed.

He lowered the tailgate on his truck and waited while I slid the ladder in before closing it up again. When we were finished, we climbed inside and drove back to the bait shop. I followed Zach out to the shed and looked around as he put the ladder away. There weren’t many people there that day, and I wondered if they were all at home, getting ready for the long weekend.

Edith had been right. We’d worked hard the last few weeks, making sure that everything was in order and I had to admit, the results were splendid. The grass was trimmed neatly around the shore of the lake and the picnic tables that dotted the edges looked pristine with their new red paint. The sky was perfectly blue with big, billowy white clouds and I couldn’t help but think the place looked like it belonged on a postcard.

The sun’s rays were hot, and I could feel the sweat trickling down my back and soaking through my shirt. I stared down at the dock at the bottom of the small hill, the water lapping against it looked cool and inviting. I heard Zach move up behind me and I had to hide my grin, so he wouldn’t know I was up to anything.

“It looks like a board is loose, down on the dock,” I told him.

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