Hard Irish Read Free Page A

She wasn’t about to give Dessie an inch to hang her with.  Truth was Rocky had more than an itch, she had a fever, but she damn well was not going to give into it, no matter what the temptation.  Thus the meditation.  Not that it helped a whole lot.  The heated thoughts that wiggled their way into her mind kept her in a state of need.
    But hormones had landed her on the wrong side of love more than once and she refused to give into them ever again.   Next time she tangled with a man, she’d connect with his mind first and make sure he was Mr. Right before anything else happened between them.
    She arched her eyebrow and turned the tables.  Dessie only dished out advice when she had a problem and didn’t know what to do.  “So who has your thongs in a wad today?”
    “That obvious, huh?”
    “Only to those who love you.  Now give it up.  What’s ailing you?”
    “The new bouncer at the Golden Bunny.  OMG he’s Robert Redford redone and melts me with one look.”
    “So?”
    “So he’s too young.  I may purr and scratch, but cougaring ain’t my thing.  Trouble is he doesn’t want to take no for an answer.  Come save me.  You really ought to swing by the club and meet him today.  He’s got great sex written from head-to-toe of his hard body.”
    “Not going to work, Dessie.  I’m not going to let your Chai Tea seduce me into another man-mistake.  I work with hard-bodied men day in and day out and married one, that doesn’t necessarily make a man great.  Might even be just the opposite.  I have to stop by the office to set up a few things for the new job tomorrow and then I’m going to see Da today anyway.”
    Dessie put her hand to her forehead as if she might faint.  “I’ve wasted years of my life.  Haven’t you heard a word I’ve been saying, Rocky?  There’re men who’ve got brains, brawn, balls and heart, but you aren’t going to find him up here and you aren’t going to find him in the nursing home either.  You work too much.  You need to get out and date.”
    “Job pays the bills.  Besides, I’m not that bad.  I dated Cam Phillips after Newsline did the segment on Building-A-Future.”  The free summer work camp she held every year to teach area kids the basics of building and how to use tools had garnered national attention after she’d won a local humanitarian award.  The well-known anchor had been interested in her for a time.
    “That’s been over a year ago.  He flew in from LA three times over two months.  You kept him at arm’s length and as soon as a gossip monger splashed your picture in the paper with his, you sent him packing.”
    “Like Da said from the start, I’m a private person.  I wasn’t about to become chum for the sharks.”
    “I think your father didn’t want you leaving the hole he pegged for you to live in and sabotaged that relationship before the first date.  I like your dad, but did you ever have a choice about what you wanted in life?”
    “It doesn’t matter.  I like being in construction.  Building things, improving things, making the world around me a better place.”
    “Just make sure you haven’t locked yourself in a prison.  And give your Da a hug for me while you’re there.”
    They both heard Pebbles bounding back up the steps.
    “I will.  Thanks for the tea,” Rocky made a quick exit to the metal stairs spiraling into her house and Dessie turned to meet Pebbles who proceeded to shake, rattle, and roll water in every possible direction.  Dessie laughed and bent down, hugging Pebbles’ enormous neck—a show of true love if there ever was one.  Rocky smiled.
    Her smile widened an hour later as she arrived at McKenna Construction’s main office.  Even though the office was closed on the weekends, she thankfully saw Maggie Dupree’s Mini Cooper parked out front.  Rocky didn’t have a moment to waste and had had everything possible sitting on go.  To win the bid, she’d promised to have the renovations