Page 39 of One Touch

Wiping my dirty hands on my jeans, I packed up my tools for the day and secured the farmhouse before loading up my truck. After a hot shower and a change of clothes, I would head up there, and it would have absolutely nothing to do with the nagging desire to keep an eye on Kate Sullivan.

FOURTEEN

BECKETT

Downtown Outtatowner had been transformedfrom a tourist coastal town to the annual fall festival, with twinkle lights strung between the lampposts that lined the main thoroughfare through town.

The closer to the beach I walked, the more densely populated it became. Kids buzzing from a sugar high of cotton candy and fried Twinkies zoomed between parents. The crashing waves of Lake Michigan were inaudible over the artificial, tinny music blaring from the carnival rides. Cheering and laughter melted together until it was a nearly unrecognizable throb of sounds.

A portion of the main public beach was sectioned off to allow for town-managed bonfires to line the waterfront and draw in those wanting a break from the lights and sounds of the carnival. While I would have much preferred my own bonfire on the private beach in front of my house, there was something charming and inviting about gathering to have a good time with friends and neighbors.

I checked my phone again, confirming that Duke was grabbing food at the Snack Shack, and I headed in that direction. He hated crowds even more than I did, so I was pretty sure I could convince him to close the night out at my place ... after I got my eyes on Kate again.

“Glad you could make it out.” Duke whacked a hand on my back in greeting. “I was worried you were going to work yourself to death over there.”

I shrugged and looked over the menu, even though it hadn’t changed since I was twelve.

“The progress you’ve made is phenomenal. I’ve been following the updates on Kate’s posts, but to see it in person doesn’t even do it justice.”

That was an understatement, considering I’d thrown myself into the work and had doubled our rate of progress over the past week. Being in such proximity to Kate was driving me mad. The sooner I finished the house, the sooner I could forget all about that particular long-legged brunette with enchanting green eyes.

Lee’s laughter drew my attention. “C’mon. Do it. Do the face.”

From a few feet away, Kate scowled at her brother. “No.”

He directed his shit-eating grin at her. “Please? I haven’t seen it in so long, and I missed you and that face.” Lee was an expert at ratcheting up the charm and poking at Kate to get his way.

Kate’s eyes flew to the night sky. She sucked her cheeks into her mouth to form a perfect little fish face. I coughed to cover my laugh, realizing she really did kind of look like a catfish.

Lee cheered and flung an arm across her shoulders.

“I hate you.” She playfully pushed him away.

Pink stained her cheeks as she looked at me. Lee loved getting under his little sister’s skin and doing what he could to embarrass her, but what she didn’t realize was that even with that ridiculous face, she still looked so fucking cute.

I accepted the plastic cup of beer Duke slid in front of me and nodded a greeting at Wyatt. His nose was buried in Lark’s hair, and she was wrapped around him, giggling at something he’d said. Something akin to envy flashed through my mind.

I looked down the beach, noticing the crowded bonfires. Lots of unfamiliar faces with only a handful I recognized. Outtatowner was changing, and something about that unsettled me.

Duke wiped his hand on a napkin and tossed it into the trash. “Hang on. I gotta go take care of something.”

My eyes moved to the group of Kings, who always seemed to appear as though they were looking for trouble. “Want some help with this?”

Wyatt had already stepped to Duke’s side when his shoulders tensed and his voice turned hard. “Yeah, you better.”

Together we walked up to the group of Kings, who were shooting the shit near a bonfire.

Duke stepped up to JP King. “Hey, you’ve been driving through my west pasture?”

JP and his brothers looked over at Duke. “Man, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Duke took one step into his space.

Here we go.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. This is the second time I have found tracks near our land, and you’re the only one with a shiny new four-by-four.”

A guy I didn’t recognize stepped forward. “He said it wasn’t us.”

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