Free Black Creek Burning (The Black Creek Series, Book 1) by R.T. Wolfe

at his tools."
    "I won't mention to our brother you said that." She grinned at him.
    "Smart ass," Chase muttered as they peeked through the door leading to the mudroom/temporary
     kitchen that stood wide open—again. Brie gave her dog the command to wait outside,
     led the reluctant Goldie in and shut the door, still following her brother. Letting
     out a hello , a response came from the front of the house. They found Nathan sitting on the floor,
     leaning back against his front door. With legs straight out and crossed at the ankles,
     he stared up at his stairs. A notebook sat in one hand and a pencil in the other.
    "I noticed your family walks right on in to your house. I didn't realize it was a
     neighborhood thing," Nathan said while his eyes moved from the stairs to his notebook.
     He wore blue jeans worn at the knees and brown, lace-up work boots. His untucked Henley
     draped over the sides of his loose jeans.
    "You left your door open again. We brought your dog back." She hadn't been inside
     the house since they moved in. The rooms had been completely stripped except for the
     floors, which were rows of battered wood.
    They craned their heads to see what Nathan was looking at. At that same time, they
     heard the mudroom door release and both dogs run through the open space like roller
     derby competitors.
    "Stupid dog," Nathan said as he tossed his notebook on the floor and stood up to grab
     hold of his overly excited Lab.
    "Not stupid. Not stupid at all. Very clever." She slowly shook her head in amazement
     while she watched the two bump shoulders. "He's opening your door to get out, or in
     this case, to let my dog in."
    Nathan stood very still for a minute. "Even though you seem to have a psychic connection
     with canines, I have to disagree. The dog has no thumbs and no general intelligence.
     That dog cannot open a closed door." He smiled at her with one side of his mouth.
    She took Nathan's hand and led him to the back of the house. Standing, she let out
     two short whistles. Macey trotted over and Goldie followed. "Watch." She pushed her
     dog back out to the garage and pulled his in the house, shutting the door once again.
     The three of them watched as Goldie didn't hesitate to use his mouth to turn the knob
     and open the door to the garage. This time the dogs escaped out to the back.
    "Well, I'll be damned."
    "Save yourself on your heating bill, Reed. Get yourself a child cover for the doorknob,"
     she said.
    He shook his head and headed back to the foyer. Picking up his dropped notebook, he
     turned to her. "Are you here just to return my dog?"
    "No," Chase interrupted. "I came to take you up on your offer to show me what you've
     got planned for the place." Chase glanced at her. "I couldn't keep my sister from
     tagging along."
    Giving her brother a healthy smack on the arm, she motioned to Nathan's notebook.
     "Do you draw?"
    "No. No, not really, just sketching. Planning mostly." He started to stick the notebook
     in his back pocket.
    "Can I see?" she asked.
    Nathan shrugged and handed her the notebook while turning to Chase. "I was just figuring
     what to do with the stairs. I think I'm going to start from scratch."
    "This is what you call not really ?" She turned the sketch to face Nathan and Chase.
    "Mmm. Give it back if you're going to embarrass—"
    "Nathan frigging Reed." Chase hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I knew
     I recognized the name. You're Nathan Reed. You own Woodridge Studio, don't you?"
    "Did. I sold the place."
    Brie looked from Chase to Nathan and back again.
    "What the hell are you doing here? Why did you sell? Sorry, none of my business. Are
     you still making pieces? I've got two end tables from your place... your old place.
     They're Greene and Greene. Mahogany with little square, ebony inlays and box joints."
     Chase wrung his hands and rocked up on his toes.
    "I know what tables you're talking about." Nathan stuck the notebook back in his pocket,
     slipped his