Page 3 of Words from the Heart
Parker.
The tree.
The hole in the ceiling.
Delilah dropped to her knees on the porch, sucking air into her lungs. She felt as though she couldn’t breathe even though air rushed into her chest with each breath she took.
“Whoa,” Parker was at her side immediately, “Slow down. Breathe slowly. That’s it, nice easy breaths.” His hand pressed into her back.
“I can’t stay here…” She stood abruptly, Parker’s hand falling from her back.
“What? Delilah… the hole is covered at night. The bedrooms are fine, as is the rest of the house. I’ll have the roof repaired in a couple of days.”
“No…” she stomped down the steps and spun on her foot pointing at the now visible hole she’d missed earlier when she’d arrived, “that… that…” her words caught in her throat.
Parker glanced at her, then back at the house. He swiped his hand over his face, “Delilah…” he took the steps in one large stride, stopping in front of her, “That hole has nothing to do with your grandmother’s death.”
She narrowed her eyes, “What?”
“Yes, your grandmother was killed by a falling tree… but not that particular tree. That one fell on the house weeks ago. It was huge and it took she and I days to chop it down. No… that isn’t the one that took her from this earth. That –…” he pointed towards the edge of the creek, “That stump is all that’s left of the monster that took her.”
Delilah’s eyes moved with his finger, coming to rest on the remnants of a stump, at least she assumed it was a stump. It was charred black and been hacked into splinters of wood. She looked back at him, his eyes were filled with anger as he pierced the blackened wood with his gaze.
“Oh.” Delilah felt silly. She’d blown up on this man, a stranger really, over something that wasn’t even accurate. “I feel silly.” She started to laugh, “Sorry, I think I’m finally losing it.” Her laughter filled the open land, making Parker’s tense frame relax.
“It’s fine. But seriously… you can stay in the house. The roof is just a nuisance. I promise to work every off day to get it finished.”
“Wait,” she cut her eyes towards him, realizing he was still shirtless, “Off day? And do you own a shirt?”
His skin flushed, “It’s hot working up there,” he pointed towards the roof, “but yeah, I own a shirt.” As he was going to answer her, Delilah’s phone rang, interrupting the moment.
Snatching the phone from her pocket, “WHAT JOHN?” Stomping as she walked away from Parker.
He watched as she stormed up the steps, screaming profanity at who he assumed was her ex-fiancé. What a tool. Parker couldn’t understand how a man could ever step out on a woman like Delilah. Of course, he didn’t know her, but damn she was gorgeous. And feisty. He shook his head as he headed towards his truck. His body reacted to her in ways it shouldn’t. He wasn’t the relationship type. His real job, the one he needed to go home and get ready for, was dangerous and wasn’t built for family life. He tossed the hammer into the toolbox in the bed and hopped in the driver seat. Glancing one last time at the woman on the porch, he sighed and pulled off. She was going to be trouble for him, he could feel it deep in his bones. Isabell had talked about Delilah so much, that Parker felt like he knew her. But a part of him wanted to know the hidden parts Isabell didn’t know about.
Damn, he was doomed.
