Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [55]
"I was thinking more along the lines of having a beer and a burger together, maybe listening to some music," he said with a wistful smile.
"You can always leave," she said. "No one's forcing you to be here."
"I'm staying," he said, picking up some gloves. "But I don't have much experience, so I might need some help."
"No problem."
"And maybe while we're gardening, you can answer some questions."
"I'd be happy to tell you about this garden. Last year I had to put blankets on the roses to protect them from the frost. And then there was the fungus that attacked the fruit trees, the pesticide that killed more than the pests."
"Stop, stop," he said, holding up his hand. "I cannot listen to you talk about fungus. A man has his limits."
She smiled. "Then why don't we talk about you for a change. Tell me about one of your reporting adventures."
"Well, let's see. I jumped out of a plane over Paraguay. Then there was the time I got thrown into a Mexican jail for interviewing the wrong person."
"How did you get out?"
"I bribed the guard."
"Very impressive, unless you're embellishing."
He grinned. "I did bribe the guard and I did jump out of a plane, but if it makes you feel better, I sprained my ankle when I landed."
"It doesn't matter to me at all. Our lives aren't in competition. I don't really care how brave or daring you are."
"You were probably more brave and daring during your ocean-racing days than I've ever been."
She shrugged, disappointed that the conversation had returned to sailboat racing. Tyler was like a dog with a bone; he just didn't quit. "You should get back to work," she said, ignoring his question. "All this chatting isn't getting my roses pruned."
"You're a slave driver."
"Don't make me take out my whip." She put a hand up to ward off what was sure to be a sexy reply. "Forget I said that."
He grinned. "If I must."
Kate knelt on the ground a few feet away from Tyler and spent the next twenty minutes clearing away the weeds threatening to suffocate her hollyhocks. The familiar task should have relaxed her, but she was all too aware of Tyler's very male presence. When he bent over to toss some blossoms into a trash bag, she couldn't help noticing his fairly spectacular ass. Unfortunately, Tyler caught her staring, and she flushed.
"See something you like?" he drawled.
"Just making sure you were doing it right."
"I've never had any complaints."
She rolled her eyes. "You are one cocky --"
"Son of a bitch," he finished. "I know. I've been told that a few times." He sat down on a nearby redwood bench. "You really love this, don't you? Your face is practically glowing. I must admit I haven't met many women in my life who were content with simple pleasures like the joy of weeding a garden."
"What kind of women do you usually meet?"
"The ones I work with are ambitious, determined, ruthless."
"The female version of you."
He tipped his head in acknowledgment. "Possibly." "
What about the women you don't work with but see socially?"
"The same."
"So, you like women in power suits?"
"Actually, I prefer them in a lot less clothing than that," he said with a teasing grin.
"Bathing suits, lingerie."
"Sure," he said agreeably. "You must have spent a lot of time in a bathing suit, living on a boat."
"Sometimes, but it wasn't always warm. In fact, we often had to wear heavy weather gear on deck when we were racing. It was not very attractive, as Caroline used to say, but it was necessary."
"I still wonder how three girls and a slightly crazy father could beat the best sailors in the world."
"Slightly crazy?" she asked with a rueful smile. "My father has never been slightly anything."
"How did you do it, Kate?"
"With a lot of hard work, determination, stubbornness, and luck. We had a good boat, too. The Moon