a mat,” he said giving her his best grin.
She drummed her fingers on the table and stared at him.
Daisy picked her head off his leg and crossed to her mistress. Sitting down, she howled at Sarah, turned, and laid her head back on Hunter’s thigh, thumping her tail the entire time.
“See, even the dog likes me.” He took another sip of coffee.
They stared at each other for several minutes.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said, standing. “I’ll check your references and I’ll talk it over with my advisor. But the answer will still be no.”
Why was she so adamant?
He stood as well. “Who’s your advisor? Maybe I could convince him of my sincerity.”
She smiled. “My advisor is my mother, and trust me — she’s tough.” She gestured to the hallway. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“Sure.”
They walked to the front door, the dog trailing behind. “I’ll call you next week sometime.”
“Thanks,” he said, turning to shake her hand. “I appreciate the chance.”
“I haven’t given it to you.”
“True,” he said. He studied her and her face heated under his stare. Her gaze dropped to his lips and she licked her own.
He looked back into her eyes and saw an openness that hadn’t been there before.
He lowered his head and kissed her gently before he whispered. “I’m very handy.”
She took a step back. “I think you should leave.”
He straightened up, took a card from his pocket and scribbled something on it. “Here’s my cell phone. Give me a call if you need anything.” He smiled. “Anything at all.”
“Okay,” she whispered and set her fingertips on her lips.
He smiled as he strode back to the Jeep.
Score one for the good guys.
Chapter 7
The Saturday of the work party held the promise of spring even though the calendar said it was still February. Mandy had managed to get ten people to show up. Sarah’s mother and Annie had been there in the morning, but both had left at noon, right after partaking in the rustic, but substantial spread Mandy had laid out in the kitchen. Sarah noticed Annie pick up one of Mandy’s catering cards on her way out the door.
In the middle of the afternoon, Sarah heard a yell from the foot of the stairs.
“Sarah!” Mandy called up. “Look what I found wandering outside.”
Sarah leaned over the upstairs railing and looked down to the entry hall.
Hunter
. The man couldn’t take the “no” she’d given him the week before for an answer.
A shriek came from one of the three upstairs bathrooms and a small girl ran out of the room, and tugged at Sarah’s shirt. “My mommy’s all wet. She says she needs help.”
Sarah looked down at Hunter who was looking bewildered. “Work party. You’re just in time. We seem to have a plumbing problem. Come on up.”
Her heart sank as she watched Hunter peer at the stairs before beginning the climb. His progress was laborious.
The things I take for granted.
“You really don’t need to fix this. I’m sure I can figure it out,” she said quickly.
“No you can’t.” Mandy yelled. “I’ve seen you after you’ve changed a washer, remember?”
“So have I,” Hunter added. “It’s not a pretty sight.”
Mandy chuckled and Hunter joined in. Sarah gave a mock groan and gazed at the small army of workers who were scraping wallpaper in the five upstairs bedrooms. Mandy was a miracle worker.
Hunter reached the top of the stairs. “Let’s see what the problem is.”
She led him to the bathroom at the end of the hall. A young blond was attempting to stop the water spraying from a jury-rigged shower head with little success. Everything in the room was wet and rags littered the floor.
“I followed the instructions,” the woman said. “But they must be wrong.”
“You got a crescent wrench?” Hunter asked Sarah as he maneuvered himself into the big clawfoot tub that dominated the room.
Sarah put the wrench in his hand.
“Did you turn off the water?” Hunter asked the blond.
“I
She drummed her fingers on the table and stared at him.
Daisy picked her head off his leg and crossed to her mistress. Sitting down, she howled at Sarah, turned, and laid her head back on Hunter’s thigh, thumping her tail the entire time.
“See, even the dog likes me.” He took another sip of coffee.
They stared at each other for several minutes.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said, standing. “I’ll check your references and I’ll talk it over with my advisor. But the answer will still be no.”
Why was she so adamant?
He stood as well. “Who’s your advisor? Maybe I could convince him of my sincerity.”
She smiled. “My advisor is my mother, and trust me — she’s tough.” She gestured to the hallway. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“Sure.”
They walked to the front door, the dog trailing behind. “I’ll call you next week sometime.”
“Thanks,” he said, turning to shake her hand. “I appreciate the chance.”
“I haven’t given it to you.”
“True,” he said. He studied her and her face heated under his stare. Her gaze dropped to his lips and she licked her own.
He looked back into her eyes and saw an openness that hadn’t been there before.
He lowered his head and kissed her gently before he whispered. “I’m very handy.”
She took a step back. “I think you should leave.”
He straightened up, took a card from his pocket and scribbled something on it. “Here’s my cell phone. Give me a call if you need anything.” He smiled. “Anything at all.”
“Okay,” she whispered and set her fingertips on her lips.
He smiled as he strode back to the Jeep.
Score one for the good guys.
Chapter 7
The Saturday of the work party held the promise of spring even though the calendar said it was still February. Mandy had managed to get ten people to show up. Sarah’s mother and Annie had been there in the morning, but both had left at noon, right after partaking in the rustic, but substantial spread Mandy had laid out in the kitchen. Sarah noticed Annie pick up one of Mandy’s catering cards on her way out the door.
In the middle of the afternoon, Sarah heard a yell from the foot of the stairs.
“Sarah!” Mandy called up. “Look what I found wandering outside.”
Sarah leaned over the upstairs railing and looked down to the entry hall.
Hunter
. The man couldn’t take the “no” she’d given him the week before for an answer.
A shriek came from one of the three upstairs bathrooms and a small girl ran out of the room, and tugged at Sarah’s shirt. “My mommy’s all wet. She says she needs help.”
Sarah looked down at Hunter who was looking bewildered. “Work party. You’re just in time. We seem to have a plumbing problem. Come on up.”
Her heart sank as she watched Hunter peer at the stairs before beginning the climb. His progress was laborious.
The things I take for granted.
“You really don’t need to fix this. I’m sure I can figure it out,” she said quickly.
“No you can’t.” Mandy yelled. “I’ve seen you after you’ve changed a washer, remember?”
“So have I,” Hunter added. “It’s not a pretty sight.”
Mandy chuckled and Hunter joined in. Sarah gave a mock groan and gazed at the small army of workers who were scraping wallpaper in the five upstairs bedrooms. Mandy was a miracle worker.
Hunter reached the top of the stairs. “Let’s see what the problem is.”
She led him to the bathroom at the end of the hall. A young blond was attempting to stop the water spraying from a jury-rigged shower head with little success. Everything in the room was wet and rags littered the floor.
“I followed the instructions,” the woman said. “But they must be wrong.”
“You got a crescent wrench?” Hunter asked Sarah as he maneuvered himself into the big clawfoot tub that dominated the room.
Sarah put the wrench in his hand.
“Did you turn off the water?” Hunter asked the blond.
“I
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