Hell, Yeah Read Online Free Page A

palm trees. Chainsaws were tearing up the forest where the deer and wild possum lived. A plumber’s truck pulled in and two men threw open the back door and commenced to hauling out vicious looking black tubing. And everywhere the men were yelling above the machinery.
    She jerked a fleece-lined leather jacket on over her faded flannel pajamas and stomped across the bedroom and living room cussing all the way. She slung open the front door expecting her very presence and drop-dead looks would quiet the noise and put her world to rights.
    It didn’t.
    Cold wind rushed across her bare feet and shivers danced up her spine. She slammed the door shut and shoved her feet down into a worn pair of brown cowboy boots. Frozen grass crunched under her feet with every step. Her anger was fueled to the over-full level by the time she reached the edge of the wooded area.
    Leave it to a bunch of idiot men to make a mistake and start tearing up the wrong property. When she got through with them they’d all have their little tails tucked between their legs and glad to go home to watch the New Year’s Day parade on their television sets. Why in the hell were they working on New Year’s Day? Didn’t they know it was a holiday?
    Someone had made a major mistake. That land belonged to Amos and he was going to be madder than a rabid coyote when she called him. She felt around in her coat pocket but her cell phone was in the apartment. Besides, she couldn’t hear jack shit with all that noise going on anyway.
    An enormous tree fell and landed so close to her backside that the dead branches tangled up in her hair. She grabbed her head and ducked.
    “Lady, what in the hell are you doing out here?” the tree trimmer yelled.
    “What in the hell are you doing out here?”
    “Getting ready for a trailer to be brought in on Monday,” he said.
    She gritted her teeth until her jaws ached. She was truly living a nightmare; maybe not one where that sexy hunk of a cowboy was arguing with her, but a bad, bad dream still. What was she going to do with neighbors? And why in the devil would they want to live right behind a noisy beer joint?
    A familiar voice yelled behind her. “Hey, Cathy!”
    She whirled to see Amos only a few feet from her. “What are you doing here?”
    “I didn’t think about all this noise and confusion interrupting your beauty sleep, but it won’t last but a couple of days. We’ll have the trailer in by Monday and then it’ll be quiet around here again.”
    “Trailer? Nobody asked me if I wanted a trailer on my land,” she hollered, even though he was right behind her.
    “It’s not on your land. The Honky Tonk land ends one foot behind your garage. Think about where you mow the backyard, Cathy. All the acres behind it belong to me,” Amos said.
    “Oh.” All the air left her lungs.
    Amos took her arm and led her back to the Honky Tonk. “Come on inside. I’ll explain.”
    When they were inside the apartment she shook off his hand and threw her coat on the couch.
    “It’s not a nightmare, is it?” she moaned.
    “No, it’s not a dream. I’m really putting a business back there, at least a temporary one. It’ll be there at least two months, maybe longer.” Amos pulled out a chair at the small kitchen table and hung his coat over the back before sitting. “You going to make coffee or you want me to do it?”
    “I’ll make coffee. You explain,” she said.
    Amos chuckled. Cathy reminded him more of Ruby than Daisy ever did. Slow to wake. Grumbling when she did. Neither of the O’Dell women looked like Ruby and Daisy didn’t even act like her. But if he shut his eyes and didn’t look at Cathy, she could be Ruby’s daughter.
    “I’d thought to put my business trailer over on my property next to Tinker’s rent house, but there will be times there’ll be equipment parked around and kids live there. So I changed my mind at the last minute. Meant to come by and tell you but got all involved with the holiday