Free Tackling Summer by Kayla Dawn Thomas Page A

two men. David immediately stiffened.
    “How’s the stew?” she asked.
    “The best I’ve ever had,” Maddox said, shoveling in another spoonful.
    David ignored his mother’s question, continuing to eat. Maddox saw the brief pleading look Christine gave him.
    “Glad you like it,” Christine said to Maddox.
    Maddox nodded and swallowed. “Don’t know when I’ve been so hungry.”
    She laughed and took a bite from her own bowl.
    Without a word, David stood and left. Christine followed him with her eyes. Maddox had only known these people for a couple of weeks, but even after that short of time, he could tell some things weren’t right. “You okay?”
    “Of course,” Christine said shifting her gaze away from her son.
    “My mom’s not much of a cook,” Maddox said trying to ease the tension.
    “Oh really?”
    “Yeah, we hire someone to do it. Mom and Dad work a lot.”
    She nodded. “Every family is different.”
    “Think I’ll hit the creek, see if I can get some of the dirt off,” Maddox said as he stood. Fritz came along at the same time.
    “Good work today,” the older man said.
    “Thanks,” Maddox said. The praise felt good. For the first time in a long time, he felt appreciated. “Going to loosen some of the dirt.”
    Fritz laughed and Maddox wondered at his enormous mustache. He didn’t know many guys who could pull that off but couldn’t imagine Fritz’s face without it. It would be too small. The thought made him bite his cheek. It wasn’t cool to laugh at another man’s face.
    Before he embarrassed himself, Maddox ran his dishes through the soapy pan of water Christine had left outside the canvas cook tent. These folks were efficient, that’s for sure. Then he grabbed the towel he’d stashed in his duffle bag and headed through the trees. Within minutes he could hear running water and his tired muscles sagged with relief at the idea of being submerged in it. They tensed up again the moment he hit the creek bank and spotted Chanel knee deep in the swift current. Back to him, jeans rolled up, she was bent over scrubbing at her face with both hands. He couldn’t help but admire her fine body and think about how she’d looked as she’d both roped and wrestled calves throughout the day. Her arms and shoulders were defined without being bulky, and she moved with a natural grace like no other woman he’d encountered. Maddox spent a lot of time with physically strong women, but Chanel was in a class of her own. She had a toughness about her that made them look like wimps. And after his own experience today, he knew this work was a lot more intense than what they were assigned in the gym. Aside from all that, there was a jagged edge to Chanel he couldn’t quite lay his finger on. It annoyed him that he wasted any time at all trying to figure it out. It didn’t matter. At the end of July, he was out of here. He’d dodge her on campus. He just needed to stay neutral and focused until then.
    She went from washing her face to splashing water up her arms. Maddox spotted the longneck she’d placed on a flat rock near the water. A drink was what he needed. He snatched it up and pressed it to his lips just as she turned around.
    “What the hell?” Chanel shouted over the roaring water. The front of her tank top was wet, bringing his attention to her perky breasts. They weren’t as large as Lila’s, but they still called to him.
    “Stop looking at my boobs!” Her screech jerked his gaze back to her face.
    Chagrined at being caught, he forced himself to take a couple slow swallows from the bottle. The sun was setting over the trees behind her, setting her hair aglow in the pink and orange light.
    “I’ve been looking forward to that beer all day!” She started to slosh through the current toward him, a glint in her eyes.
    Maddox tipped the bottle a little higher, pouring more into his mouth. The closer she got, the harder he chugged, until she was close enough to splash a sheet of icy