Should've Said No by Tracy March

sash channel, her gaze on him.
    He raised his eyebrows. “Dark Temptation doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” Carden struggled to play it seriously. He surprised himself, flirting with her, because he always aimed dead straight.

    Lindsey laughed, a sunny sound that brightened the whole place. She tossed the candle in the air and caught it. “I’ll stick with vanilla for now.” She went to work on the second channel. “And salted caramel chocolate chunk later.” She finished up and set the candle on the fireplace mantel. “Now let’s see if this one will open.”
    Carden stepped forward and she held up her hand, palm out.
    “Whoa, cowboy.” She grinned. “Let me give it a try.” She faced the window, clenched her delicate hand into a fist, and banged on the sash. The girl meant business. Carden liked that she was determined to do things for herself, which didn’t come as much of a surprise considering she’d driven that beat-up U-Haul more than halfway across the country. Lindsey bent at her knees and pushed up on the window with the heels of her hands. It creaked a couple times, then squealed as she lifted it. The cross-breeze caught the hem of her top and it fluttered ever so slightly.
    “Sweet,” she said as she grabbed the candle and stepped over to the next stubborn window.
    Carden picked up the bag from the hardware store and headed toward the hallway. “Looks like you’ve got everything under control out here. I’m going to get started in the bathroom.” She might not need him to help with the windows now, but he didn’t mind hanging around, just in case she got into a jam.

Chapter 8
    As soon as Carden disappeared down the hall, Lindsey pinched her eyes closed, took a deep breath, and blew it out quietly. Getting the windows open was easy compared to the hard work it took to act as if he wasn’t getting to her. The guy was irresistible without props, but then he’d gone and brought her ice cream— ice cream! —and then he’d put on that sexy tool belt. On top of that, he’d taught her the candle trick for the windows, and he was fixing her toilet. He hadn’t even brought up the subject of the first night they’d met, as if he knew she might die of embarrassment.
    Why on earth is the guy still single?
    Red flags started snapping in her head the second the thought crossed her mind. She’d asked herself the very same question about Hopper when she’d gotten swoony over him and lost all her good sense.
    She shook her head, her gaze settling on her couch strewn with books and journals about Thistle Bend she’d brought home from the hardware store/gas station/museum. Turning the place into a credible, memorable museum had to be her focus while she was here. There was no other way to get her sidetracked career back on the rails. She needed to study and interview people and create exhibit designs. The last thing she needed to contend with was another romantic delusion like the one she’d experienced with Hopper.
    In the bathroom, tools clanked and water ran. Lindsey imagined Carden working in there, nearly filling the whole tiny room, repairing things, being neighborly. Smokin’ hot and neighborly. His conversation with Holly had confirmed how much he thought of Dean, and Stella had said he enjoyed helping people in town. Lindsey warned herself not to jump to the conclusion that Carden was there because of her. She just happened to be the current tenant in a cabin that needed fixing. Forget the awareness that swirled through her when he’d shown her how to wax the sash channels, standing so close behind her, his strong hand over hers, the pressure just right.

    Lindsey chased the thoughts out of her head as she finished the final window in her bedroom. The toilet flushed a couple of times—hopefully fixed and never to be mentioned between her and Carden again after tonight. She’d had enough toilet talk to last her forever. After the tank filled, quiet settled again in the cabin, chirping