Fixer-Upper Read Free

Dakota drank his own water much slower, gaze flicking over Jake. It was making Jake nervous.
    “You can help me pull up the grass, if you want,” said Dakota when he’d finished.
    Jake looked at him in surprise, the bottle cap falling from his fidgety fingers. He bent to pick it up, grimacing at the wet dirt clinging to it. “Really?”
    “Yeah. I can always use the extra hand. We have to clean this up a bit first, but I don’t think you’ll mind helping with that.”
    “I won’t.”
    Dakota clapped him on the shoulder. “I know. I’ll go put the mower back and get some bags and the blower. You can take your pick.”
    “Thank you,” said Jake, completely and wholeheartedly meaning it.
    “You’re welcome.” He disappeared around the side of the house, and Jake collapsed back against the dirty wall. Turning his head, he watched a roach disappear through a crack in the glass of the window to his left.
    Possibly, he’d have to get an exterminator.

Chapter Two
     
     
    Day Three
     
    RIPPING UP grass was a lot harder than it sounded. Or possibly Jake was a lot more out of shape than he had thought. He wasn’t going to complain, though. Not when Jasper and Dakota were the only ones who would let him help. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck as he hunched over the shovel and tried to shove it deeper. They’d watered the yard the day before, and again that morning, in an effort to soften the earth. Jake didn’t think it had worked. He did think it made a bigger mess.
    The parts of the ground that weren’t covered with grass were nothing but a muddy mess that had to be walked through to get to the islands of grass scattered throughout the large yard. He’d gotten boots just for doing this work, on Dakota’s recommendation at the end of the first day, and they looked like he’d owned them for several years already.
    “How’s it coming?” asked the man in question, coming up beside Jake and clapping a hand to his shoulder.
    Jake smiled at him, hoping it didn’t look too forced. “Great,” he lied. “It’s coming along.”
    If Dakota doubted his word, he didn’t say anything. “Fantastic,” he said, grinning and clapping Jake again. “Don’t forget to take water breaks. You’re sweating it all out.” He walked away.
    His clothes were soaking, he could feel where the material was clinging to his skin in a frankly uncomfortable way, and he could feel the sweat dripping down his face, the moisture soaking his hair. He knew he was sweating a lot. Having it pointed out was mortifying. Especially when it was pointed out by a crazily attractive man who didn’t look like a drowned rat after being outside for a couple hours.
    If he’d had a solid surface to bang his head against, he totally would have.
    The shovel finally went into the ground, and he focused on the task of working it under and pulling the grass up. He put his foot into the divot of the shovel and pressed, leaning back.
    He possibly overcompensated.
    The grass came up with a tearing sound, and, not expecting it to be so easy, he went over backward. The grass went flying over his shoulder, and as his back connected with the ground, he watched the wet hunk of dirt and grass hit Dakota square in the chest before dropping to the ground. It left behind a large dirt smudge and a significant wet spot. Dakota looked from him to the lump of grass at his feet. He stretched out his shirt to look at the dirt.
    Laughter from Jasper and the construction crew could be heard, loud and boisterous as it was.
    “I can see it’s coming along great,” he said dryly, one eyebrow rising up in clear judgement.
    Jake closed his eyes and resisted the urge to cover his face.
     
     
    Day Six
     
    “DO NOT, under any circumstances, cut any of your own limbs off,” warned Dakota as he handed over the tree pruner.
    Jake took the pruner from him. “I’m not going to maim myself,” he said, affronted.
    “Do you know how to use it?”
    He looked from the