Page 81 of Love and Other Trials
She made a crashing noise while he picked her up and turned off the shower. Toweling them both off in the steamy shower stall, he took his time drying her, giving her a massage as he went. Her soft moans had him wanting to give her a little more TLC.
“I’m not going to be able to stand up much longer,” she whispered heavily.
He set her onto the toilet lid and dried her hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
After she was dry, he wrapped her in a resort robe and picked her up again, carrying her to his bedroom. She curled up on her side the moment he set her down, eyes still closed. He kissed her cheek. “Sleep.”
Pulling the door closed, he found Sherlock outside in the hallway as if protecting his mistress. “She’s exhausted. Watch over her while I go work.”
The rain had finally stopped. His break was over.
Refreshed, he winced as he put on his wet, mud-soaked tennis shoes. The others were already digging up the new mud from the rainstorm. A fever of resignation hung in the air. He picked up his shovel and joined in.
Nicely dressed guests came and went, passing them on their way to the welcome party. Ariel came over at one point to check on them, but he waved her away, yelling that she looked too nice in her blue dress and should go have fun at the party. She made a face but didn’t come closer. Sherlock didn’t either. Smart dog.
He and the other men continued to work as the sun went down. Ariel supervised the nighttime lights being set up. Wedding guests came from the lodge after the party had broken up and watched their progress before taking off to their cottages. Even Rob’s mom, whom Dax briefly said hello to. Then he was back at it. At times Dax felt like any progress they were making was sliding off his shovel like the mud he was shoveling.
But he kept going. The others did the same.
Rob came back from the party in his earlier work clothes and set to work beside them. He finally called it at two. “Get some shut-eye,” he called. “We’ll start at dawn.”
Dax carried his shovel back to the cottage so it wouldn’t rust on the ground. Ariel was inside on the computer, still in her blue party dress. “Jeez! I lost all track of time. I’m glad you stopped.”
When Sherlock rose up and crossed to his side, he gave him a healthy pat since his hands were filthy. “Time for you to shut down as well.” He watched her rub her eyes after closing her laptop. “How was the party?”
She was still sexy as hell despite her fatigue when she stretched. “About what you’d imagine. A lot of drama. Even though most of the guests have been to a Deverell wedding before, they ate up the mud pit incident like a helping of fried okra. I spent most of the time talking to the event manager. They’re freaking out about the status of the area and what we’re going to do if…”
She didn’t need to state the obvious. He didn’t know either. As he’d kept digging, he’d told himself brick by brick, just like she’d said. He stopped in front of her and leaned over until they were eye to eye since he was too muddy to sit next to her on the couch. “So you’re calming them down too. Good Lord! Is there anyone you aren’t soothing?”
“You and Jeffrey,” she answered without pause, crawling off the couch. “Now, this time it’s me telling you to grab a shower. Are you hungry? I made you a plate of canapés and hors d'oeuvres.”
“What’s the difference?” he asked as he headed back to his bathroom.
“Canapés are served with bread or pastry. Usually cold. The food tonight pleased Tiffany at least, and by that, I mean she didn’t complain. God, Dax. I’m not sure we’re going to make it.”
He took her shoulders. “We’ll make it. Me and the guys aren’t going to quit until that damn field would pass for a championship football game.”
Her big blue eyes were red and heavy with fatigue, but in them was a belief in him. She trusted him, and that had his heart swelling in his chest. “You’re the best part of this, you know.”
“So are you.” She smiled and opened the shower door. “Come on, let’s shower and crawl into bed. We have a big day tomorrow.”
He didn’t want to think about starting the manual labor at sunrise, so he stuck his head under the showerhead and let the water clear his head. She showered quickly, her whole body nearly hunched over with fatigue. Yeah, they were both bushed. When he left the shower, she was already wrapped in a towel. She touched his chest sweetly as she handed him a warm towel from the rack.
They brushed their teeth side by side, another homey little moment he savored. She’d brought her toiletries into his bathroom when he’d told her to use it since it was bigger than her own. He liked seeing her put moisturizer on her face afterward even, and then she was tugging his hand and drawing him to the bed.
He curled around her when she nestled into the covers, her eyes already closed. “Good night.”
Her voice was hushed with fatigue. He kissed the side of her neck and tightened his arms around her. That they could be like this without sex somehow confirmed his conviction that they were right for each other. “’Night, Elizabeth.”
The way her mouth curled into a smile had him smiling in turn.
He knew what they were facing with the wedding. Right now, the odds seemed against them. But here, with her, the entire world was at his feet.
And nothing was going to change that.
NINETEEN
She’d madeit to Friday.
