Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
"Okay," I whisper.
"Sunshine?"
"Yeah?" I poke my head into the closet, peering down into the crawlspace at Caleb.
"Can you grab some towels? Otherwise, I'm going to fuck up your carpet when I crawl out of here," he says, shaking water out of his hair. He put on a pair of waterproof coveralls, but they're drenched. He looks like he's been swimming.
"Yeah. Give me a minute." I set Koda on the floor, admonish him to stay, and then scurry down the hall to the bathroom. I don't know how many towels Caleb needs so I scoop up as many as I can carry before hurrying back to the living room.
Koda isn't where I left him.
I'm not sure where he is until I hear Caleb talking to him.
"You like swimming, little guy?" he murmurs.
Oh, no.
I practically sprint the rest of the way, only to trip over my own feet and careen into the wall. The towels tumble out of my hands, landing on the floor in a heap. I crack my head against the edge of the door.
"Ouch!" I mumble, rubbing my forehead.
"Jesus, Sunshine," Caleb rumbles. "You okay?"
"Fine." I drop my hand, peering down into the hole. "Oh, Koda." He's perched on Caleb's shoulder, staring up at me with a smile on his adorable little face, clearly pleased with himself. "What are you doing down there?"
"I guess he wanted to go for a swim. He jumped in as soon as you were out of sight." Caleb chuckles. "I caught him before he hit the water."
"I don't think he sees very well sometimes," I mutter.
"He sees fine, baby. He just wanted to play in the water. It's too fucking cold for him, though. Here." Caleb hands him up to me, his rough fingers brushing against mine. His touch sends an electric jolt up my arm. "He'll just have to stick to the bathtub for now."
My heart flutters as he grins, not in the least annoyed by my crazy dog. He's gentle and patient with him. Most guys only tolerate little dogs. But Caleb seems to genuinely like Koda. He's careful and protective of him. I appreciate that because God knows Koda is a handful on a good day.
I step out of the closet, allowing Caleb to haul himself out of the crawlspace. He doesn't even break a sweat as he lifts himself out of the small space. Water sluices off him, falling back into the hole.
"Can you hand me a towel, baby?"
I quickly scoop one up, holding it out to him.
He tosses it on the floor and then hauls himself the rest of the way out of the space before stepping out onto the towel. "I'm going to get muddy prints all over it," he says with a grimace. "Sorry, Sunshine. I don't want to fuck up your carpet."
"It's okay." I grab another towel, holding it out for him.
He reaches for it, his hand sliding across mine.
I shiver at his electric touch.
He notices. His blue eyes tangle with mine. "Is your head okay?"
"It's fine," I mumble, reaching up to touch it. "That's not the first time I've bumped it. It probably won't be the last either."
"Ah." He grins at me. "So you're clumsy, huh?"
"No. The floor just has it out for me," I retort with a huff.
His deep chuckle rolls over me, hitting me deep in the stomach. God, he has a great laugh. I don't think he uses it much, though. It's a little rusty. "The floor is a dick then, Sutton."
"So is my plumbing."
Humor dances in his eyes.
"Don't even say it," I groan, already knowing his mind is in the gutter. Oh, my goodness. He has a filthy mind! I kind of love it. My dad is overprotective, so everyone in my life back home always handles me with kid gloves. They're never inappropriate or rude, and they wouldn't dream of saying dirty things to me. I like that this man doesn't know who my dad is and isn't looking over his shoulder, worried about offending him.
It's a nice change.
"I didn't say anything," he says, smirking at me. "But you're right. Your plumbing is a dick. The immediate issue is the leak. One of the pipes froze and caused a small crack that's gotten bigger. It's a fucking mess down there, Sunshine. I sealed it off to stop the leak, but the pipe needs to be replaced."
"Okay," I whisper. "What else?"
"Well, once the pipe is replaced, we're going to have to pump all of the water out, dry it out, and run a dehumidifier to keep it from molding, and then tear out the insulation and replace it," he says. "And then you need to consider upgrading the pipes down there and those in the kitchen because they're fucking old." He must see the look on my face because he pauses. "Your inspector didn't mention any of this when you bought the place?"