Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance by Mona Ingram Page B

and she
knew she was going to fall. It was as if it was happening in slow motion and
she could do nothing to stop it. She had the presence of mind to drop the
garland and clutch at the ladder, but it was no use and she closed her eyes,
hoping her landing wouldn’t be too undignified.
    Her landing was surprisingly
comfortable, and when she opened her eyes, she was looking into the bluest eyes
she’d ever seen. Blue eyes that crinkled at the edges as they smiled down at
her.
    She was being held by the
building maintenance man, and for one wild moment she thought she’d be quite
happy to stay right here in his arms, thank you very much. His face was inches
away, smiling down at her, lips twitching as he watched her squirm. His beard
was several days old again, and she ached to reach out and touch it. Maybe he wouldn’t
notice if she–
    “Well,” he said, putting her down
slowly. His gaze didn’t move from her face. “What have we here?” His voice was
husky, the way she remembered, and she swallowed hard. He stepped back to
survey her handiwork. “Looks nice, but what is it?”
    “I thought you’d know,” she
stammered. There was definitely something lacking in the building’s
communications. Maybe he hadn’t been reading his mail.
    “Know what?” He seemed amused.
    “Know that I was opening my
shop.”
    He picked up the ladder and
smiled at her. “Nope. Nobody ever tells me anything.” He didn’t seem the
slightest bit upset.
    Close up, he was even more
attractive than she remembered. Especially his hair. It grew every which way on
his head, as though it couldn’t make up its mind. Maddie was getting tired of
pretty boys who spent more time on their hair than most women. Too bad he was
so cheeky.
    She would be happy to look at him
all day, and he seemed inclined to do the same, but she had things to do. And
now that he was here...
    “Could you help me finish up
here?” She motioned to the ladder. “It’s not the sturdiest of ladders, but I’ll
hold it steady if you could finish hooking the lights in place.”
    He examined the ladder more
closely. “Is this David’s?”
    “Yes. Or to be more precise, it
belongs to the building. He loaned it to me.” She looked toward the front of
the lobby. “He’s not here right now.” Now she was babbling.
    “I’ll make sure it gets replaced
with a sturdier one.” He kicked the legs open and climbed up a couple of steps.
Strong legs encased in faded blue jeans were right in front of her face, and
her throat went dry.
    “Are you looking at my butt? I’m
not sure whether to be flattered or call Human Resources.”
    Maddie pulled back, shocked, and
then realized he was laughing at her. He pointed to the garland and wiggled his
fingers. “Pass me that, and let’s get this done.”
    Of course. He had other things to
do, and she wasn’t on the list. But she’d like to be.
    * * *
    “What about that sign?” The sign
was leaning up against the shop, and he tilted his head to read it. “Gift
Wrapping? That’s a good idea.”
    “I thought so. I’ll also be
offering a gift buying service.”
    “Another good idea.” He picked up
the sign. “Why don’t I hang this for you? Do you have a hammer and nails?”
    “No, I wasn’t sure if I’d be
allowed to put any nails in the wood.”
    “Don’t worry, they’ll never
know.” He gave her a grin that curled her toes. “Besides, I’ll use really small
nails. Back in a minute.” He disappeared down the stairs that led to the
basement. Maddie ran inside her little shop and dug inside her purse, searching
for her compact. Her softly braided hair had come loose, framing her face in
disobedient wisps. Her cheeks were flushed from working and the sparkle was
back in her eyes.
    She hadn’t looked this animated
in a long time, and it suited her. Nothing like the excitement of a new venture
to make a girl come alive. Of course the sudden change had nothing to do
with...what was his name? She couldn’t