“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Dominic said and scratched his chin like he was pondering something, “but I think there’s a city ordinance that requires you to keep the walkways clear of all debris. It’s a safety issue. That mound of leaves you’re accumulating could earn you some hefty fines if you’re not careful. Even a fancy lawyer should be able to handle a rake if she puts her mind to it.”
“I was already planning on getting to it today, but thank you for your concern.” She brushed a wad of hair from her eyes, and the last leaf in her hair loosened and fell to the ground. Too bad. He’d liked the effect.
Dominic straightened from his perch and lumbered toward Glenda’s side door. “I only mention it because we might see some snow in the next few days. You don’t want those leaves sitting on your lawn all winter long. It’ll rot the grass.”
He tapped on Glenda’s door then let himself in.
…
Kate peeked around the corner of her front room window for the fourth time in the past hour, holding her breath.
The white pickup was still parked in Glenda’s driveway.
Dominic Sorensen didn’t appear to be in a hurry to leave, making her efforts to avoid him and any further embarrassment impossible.
What, was he moving in?
For the last hour or so, Kate had confirmed that there was, in fact, a city ordinance that mandated home owners keep the walkways unobstructed. But having grown up living in a series of trailer homes, then a small condo apartment with her grams, and, later, one rented half of a duplex after she graduated from law school, she’d never had any experience with the obligations of home ownership.
Kate tried to figure out her options. If she could put this off until tomorrow, she would. But Sunday was not a possibility, and the rest of the week was no good, either, not with her work schedule.
Sure. The stupid leaves might look amazing, as she was just appreciating earlier, but they were quickly losing their appeal now that they’d hit the ground.
How diligently did the city enforce this rule? Did she dare risk a citation? From the way the sun was waning, she guessed she only had about another hour of good light to get the task done. She was going to have to risk it.
With resolve, she strode through the front room toward her half-gutted kitchen—with the hideous blue floral wallpaper—where she kept a light jacket and rubber boots by the door. When she’d bought the house, she’d found a few gardening tools in the shed out back, including a rather decrepit rake. But since she didn’t have time to go to Home Depot, it would have to do.
Glenda’s small terrier barked from her backyard. Kate stuck her head out the back door for a minute to hear the low murmur of voices, confirming they—meaning, Dominic—would be preoccupied for the time being. She didn’t need an audience. Especially since she had no clue how someone raked a lawn.
It can’t be that difficult. Right?
She took another deep breath of the smoky-scented October air and marched around the back of her yard. At the top of the driveway she collected the garbage can and rolled it behind her to the sidewalk. Pensive, she stared at all the work now spread across her lawn. A little awkwardly, she took a large swath of the leaves with the rake. The crush of the dry leaves bristled loudly in the air. She took another sweep, revealing damp grass underneath.
Actually, this might not be so bad. It is kind of peaceful out here.
By the time she had three large piles of leaves and the lawn green and naked again, the sun had hit the Oquirrh Mountains, leaving the evening sky a
purplish hue. Satisfied, she wiped a sleeve across her nose, which was cold and slightly damp from the chill in the air. Now all she had to do was get these leaves off the ground and up into the can. She wished she had a pair of gloves and would bet Glenda had some she could borrow, but there was no way she was going to ask for them now.
She could do this. How difficult could it be? She bent down and scooped up an armful of leaves and with the other hand clapped the teeth of the rake over the leaves and started the slow process of getting them into the canister. Kate was at the bottom of the first pile when a strange tickling sensation on her right wrist caught her attention.
She glanced down in time to see a brown-legged spider crawl up her sleeve.
A high-pierced screech of terror ripped from her throat. She tore the jacket from her body and threw it to the ground, trying to find the spindly-legged arachnid. She didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until Glenda’s voice reached her.
“Kate, dear, what on earth is the matter?”
A choked-off laugh told Kate that her neighbor hadn’t arrived alone. She ran her fingers through her hair, frantically searching for the beast, but tried to keep her voice level and even despite the frantic beating of her heart. “Oh. Just a large spider. It—it kind of surprised me.”
No use. Where the hell was it? Wait. Was that another tickling at her neck? Shiiiit!
Her composure abandoned, Kate danced in a circle, her fingers scraping against the skin of her neck to try and get rid of any creepy crawly things. She still couldn’t feel anything, though.
Okay. Take deep breaths.
The fog of fear began to lift and Kate looked more carefully down her body—and became aware of the silence from her two visitors. At another attempt for calm, she smoothed her hair and paused when her gaze met Glenda’s wide, questioning eyes. Kate tried to give the woman a reassuring smile. She darted a quick glance at the taller figure standing beside her neighbor. Although his mouth was set in a straight line, his blue eyes looked suspiciously bright.
Humiliation flooded through her and she was at a loss of how to explain her behavior. “A—a spider. I saw a spider crawling up my arm and I—” A shudder racked her body. Oh, God. She really, really hated spiders. Worse than anything. And the size of that one? Uneasy, she glanced back at the piles of leaves waiting to be loaded into the garbage.