Deeper Than Need Read Online Free PDF Page B

should.
    He looked just this side of angry, and judging by the temper she could see firing in his eyes, she suspected he was angry. She suspected he kept a lid on it, probably because of Micah and maybe her.
    But wow, Noah wore the grim, broody look well.
    Of course, there really wasn’t anything he didn’t wear well.
    He came striding her way, his long legs eating up the busted pavement in no time. She hadn’t so much as managed to wipe out any of the dirty thoughts flooding her brain as he came to a halt in front of her.
    “I have some bad news,” he said, blunt and matter-of-fact.
    “Well, going by the look on your face during that phone call, I didn’t think you were going to tell me that everything is moving along ahead of schedule and you will be done here in no time,” she said sourly. The banana nut muffin she’d been eating seemed to taste like sawdust now and she put it down, dusting the crumbs from her fingers. Stroking a hand down Micah’s back, she leaned over and kissed him on the temple. “Baby, why don’t you go get busy with your schoolwork?”
    “But Mama—”
    “No buts,” she said, giving him a warning look. He actually paid attention, heaving out a heavy little sigh like she’d all but broken his heart. As he passed through the door, she reminded him, “Remember the off-limits rooms, pal.”
    Micah’s face wrinkled with a sulk, but he nodded and let the door slam shut with a bang as Noah dropped down to sit next to her.
    There was a plate of muffins between them and she lifted it up, displaying it in front of Noah. “Want one?” she offered. “I don’t think I’m going to be overly hungry here in a minute.”
    Noah’s mouth flattened out. “I’m sorry. I…” He eyed the muffins and then shook his head and stared off down the sidewalk like the answers were written there on the ground.
    “Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong so I can stop worrying and just start dealing with the problem?” she suggested.
    “The guys who were handling the floor repairs were supposed to be out today.”
    The word supposed made her belly twist and knot up. Supposed. Yeah, the flooring issues were one of the jobs that just couldn’t be put off, because there were some hazard issues—there was one area, in particular, that really worried her. The pantry just off the kitchen had a spot in the middle of the floor where the floor dipped.
    It was the root of her nightmares about the floors, truth be told. When she’d first moved in, she’d been in there checking things out and it had seemed like the floor had tried to give way under her feet. It was one of the first things down to be repaired, but the crew Noah had found to do the work hadn’t been able to start until this week. It was one of those off-limits rooms, barred off with a bench across the door so Micah wouldn’t accidentally go in there, but the repairs needed to be done.
    “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to tell me the floor work isn’t going to get started as planned?” she asked, her skin going tight and hot.
    “Because the fool I hired to do the work was over at Belterra last night with his girlfriend. She won a lot of money. They figured they’d rather go to Vegas and get married. Never mind he had commitments.” Noah continued to sit there, his shoulders tight, lines bracketing his mouth.
    Trinity groaned and dropped her head into her hands. “You’re kidding me.”
    “I’m afraid not.” He rubbed the back of his neck, frustration in every line of his body. “He works with his brother and a small crew of men, but Teddy is the one with the most experience in older homes like this. His men don’t feel like they can handle it without him. So they aren’t going to do it since he won’t be here.”
    Well, she’d wanted to find a way to stop thinking the dirty thoughts. Noah had done her a favor, in a roundabout way. She was still hot, but it was the kind of hot that meant she wanted to explode. Maybe she