That much was true. “Then I’ll get a new one. I planned on it. But right now, with the storm, it’ll probably take time.”
“Seth, can you set her up? Didn’t you say you have connections with the local company.”
Whitaker lifted his palms and backed up. “Hey, I don’t want to get into this.”
Jenna appreciated the man’s response. She turned on Brennan. “Look, Harrison, the house has an alarm system already. It’s sketchy—doesn’t work all the time, even though I’ve tried to have it fixed. Even so, I try to remember to turn it on, and, if it makes you feel better, I’ll try even harder.”
He smiled disarmingly. Because he’d gotten his way. “It does.”
“Fine!” she snapped, angry. Jesus, who did this guy think he was? “Now that we’ve settled that, you won’t have to worry about me and the girls any longer. Really.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “To tell you the truth, all your concern makes me extremely uncomfortable. I can take care of myself.”
“All right, all right.” He held his hands palms outward as if in surrender. “I’m sorry…I made a mistake.”
Jenna was still seething, but nodded. “Okay. Just so we understand each other.”
“I guess I’m too used to taking command of a situation and giving orders. Military training.”
“I guess.” She tried to rein in her temper. To his credit, the guy was giving his all to help her out. He was just a little heavy-handed.
He winked. “I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
“Good.”
“It’s just that I care, so I tend to worry about you and the girls.”
“I alrea
dy told you not to,” she said firmly. “We’re not your problem.”
Seth, as if he couldn’t stand the argument another second, ran a hand around his neck. “Look, I’d like to finish up in the pump house, double-check that it’s all working.” Before anyone could object, he walked out the back door, letting a blast of wintry air into the house. The door slammed shut behind him.
Jenna was left staring at Harrison Brennan. “Listen, I’m sorry if I flipped out. I know you’re just trying to help, but I’m really trying to make it on my own. You’re right—sometimes I do have to call in the reserves, and I appreciate everything you did for me.”
“But,” he said, a vein starting to throb in his forehead. “I sense a ‘but’ coming along.”
She shoved an errant hair out of her eyes. “But I can’t have you running my life or paying my bills, or—”
“The guy owed me,” Harrison cut in. The remnants of his smile disappeared completely. He was suddenly stern. All business. Contained fury evident in his rigid stance. The muscles of his jaw worked involuntarily, and she sensed that she’d insulted his manhood. Which was ridiculous.
Men!
“If you want to pay Whitaker yourself, hire him another time,” Harrison said. “But for today, we’re even. All of us. That was the deal I had with him. Let’s keep it neat and tidy. In the future, you can work out anything you want with him or me, but I’ll never take any money from you for helping out.”
“Fair enough,” she said, surrendering. For the moment. She glanced at the counter and the half-made sandwiches her kids had rejected. She motioned to the cutting board. “Soooo…how about a roast beef on sourdough for all your trouble?”
“Deal,” he said, and brightened as she finished placing slices of beef, dill pickles, and onion on the bread. An image of June Cleaver in pearls and a full skirt flitted through her mind, but she pushed it aside. For the moment there was peace in the house, and the promise of running water. Who could ask for anything more?
CHAPTER 11
Half an hour later, Harrison was setting his plate in the sink when he looked out the window. His silvery eyebrows slammed together, his face muscles tightened even more. “Looks like you’ve got company,” he said.
“Oh, right,” Jenna said. “Allie’s having a girlfriend spend the night.”
Harrison’s lips compressed as he watched Travis Settler hop to the snow-crusted ground. A second later, his daughter, Dani, landed beside him.
“I’d better shove off.” He was already slipping his arms into his jacket and making his way to the back door.
“Oh, well, thanks again,” she said, as Harrison slid into his boots and started off to Seth Whitaker’s truck. Jenna saw him nod curtly to Travis just as feet clattered on the stairs and Allie ran pell-mell out the back door. Without a coat.