Cooking Up Trouble Read Online Free Page A

a new glass door for his shower. She frowned. What could go wrong with that? She tried to keep her tone light. “What do you need help with?”
    â€œA little heavy lifting.” She heard a loud grunt, followed by, “Gotta go!”
    She stared at the phone. What the hell? He was in trouble, but didn’t want to ask for her help. Why? But that grunt had sounded desperate. She dialed Luke’s number. No one picked up. She tried Garth. No one home. She grabbed the keys to her truck and drove to his place. When she knocked, no one answered. She pushed, and the door opened. She stuck her head in and called, “Is anyone home?”
    Nothing. But the golf cart was parked in the drive. He hadn’t gone anywhere. Had something fallen on him? Had he passed out? She walked farther into the house. “Ian?”
    A muffled noise came from the bathroom. Wasn’t that one of the rooms where the most home accidents happened? She hurried down the hallway. “Ian!”
    â€œI can’t hold it much longer.”
    â€œHold what?” She knocked on the door, and it opened. Her jaw dropped, and she stared.
    â€œOh, God, close your eyes!” Poor Ian had his body pressed against the glass of the sliding shower doors, his knuckles white with the effort to hold the entire piece in place. One false move and the whole thing would crash to the floor and glass would go everywhere.
    She tore her gaze away from awesome nakedness and glanced at his clothes, folded on top of the toilet tank. His jeans hung half-on, half-off. He’d obviously reached for them, taken his cell phone from the pocket, and then lost his grip on the shower doors.
    She tried not to notice the tanned skin and taut muscles that strained against the glass. A six-pack, maybe eight. My, oh my. She especially tried not to let her gaze roam farther south, but she was only human. And oh goodness, every part of Ian was impressive, smashed against the glass. Lots better than her bakery showcase. She cleared her throat. “Can I help?”
    He jerked, and she was worried he’d lose his grip on the metal frame, but he tightened his fingers and said, “If you could slide a couple of chairs close to the tub, I think we can scoot the whole thing on those for support.”
    She ran to grab two kitchen chairs, and with some grunts and finagling, they got the doors balanced on them and leaned the glass unit against the sidewall. Ian grabbed a towel the minute he could let go of the doors and wrapped it snugly around his waist. Even then, the man’s body proved a distraction. How could he be so fit when he was clearly not an outdoorsman?
    He ran a hand through his damp hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know who else to call. I didn’t mean for you to come. I didn’t want you to see . . . well, what you saw.”
    â€œI called around, but couldn’t get anybody.” Tessa should glue her eyes shut so her gaze didn’t roam to the gap the towel didn’t cover in back. Ian had a great ass.
    He sighed, frustrated. “The work crew came from out of town. The doors were supposed to be solid, but when I tried to get out of the tub, the whole thing started to fall on me. They’d have never gotten back in time. I can’t believe you had to see me buck naked.”
    Had to? She’d have paid the price of admission—even if she had to break her piggy bank. Tessa had to force her gaze to stay on his face. He was so upset, she felt sorry for him, but his muscular torso deserved another look. She shrugged, trying to play off the situation. “It’s no big deal.” Nervous laughter spilled out before she could stop it. “I’ve seen a naked man before. I have an older brother, and I was engaged for three years. I won’t die of shock.”
    His broad shoulders relaxed. Oh, lordy, it was getting steamy in here. Or maybe it was just her. Tessa had to get away from him, at least until