took a bite to cover her feelings of guilt and any risk of a telling glance.
“What if he’s some mass murderer or something?” Miles went on. “Have you checked him out?”
She stifled a laugh at his intimation. “I’ve called four references. He comes highly recommended. And I’m sure our local sheriff is on top of any wanted posters coming through the fax machine; there’s not a whole lot of crime here to distract him.”
“There’s just something about Kenbridge I don’t like.”
“Maybe you’re jealous,” she teased.
“Do I have cause to be?”
Julia covered his hand and gazed up into his eyes, willing her soul into the words. “Of course not.”
Miles stayed for the weekend, then left to meet a potential law firm associate in Boston. Before he departed, he sought out Trevor and found him in the kitchen taking apart the pipes to install a disposal.
“Kenbridge?”
Trevor ducked out from under the sink and looked up at Miles, dressed elegantly in an expensive olive-green suit, perfectly contrasting tie, and a camel’s-hair overcoat. Trevor stood, wiped his wet, grimy hands on his jeans, and met the other man’s eyes.
“Look,” Miles said shortly. “I’ll make my point so I can get out of here and back to civilization.”
Trevor watched him calmly, not saying a word.
“I don’t want you anywhere near Julia. You are her hired man and nothing else. You touch her and you’ll pay.”
“Worried?” Trevor baited him.
“Not at all,” Miles lied. “Just a warning in case you ever think of making a move. I plan on Julia being my wife someday. I know it’s hard on a man like you to be near such an attractive woman. But don’t touch. She belongs to me.”
“Julia doesn’t strike me as a woman who likes to be owned.”
Miles moved within an inch of Trevor’s face, but Trevor did not budge. “Don’t mess with me, Kenbridge,” he warned.
“Something tells me that I’d take distinct pleasure in ‘messing with you.’ We’ve just met, but I know you. I know your kind. And from what I’ve seen of Julia, you’re not the man she needs.”
“Miles?” Julia called from the entryway. “Miles, you’d better get going if you want to make your train.”
He turned on his heel and stalked to the kitchen doorway, then faced Trevor once more. “You don’t know anything. Cause any trouble between us, and I’ll personally boot you out of here.”
Trevor could hear Miles speaking with Julia in low, earnest tones as they stood in the entry, and he could not resist peeking around the corner to look at them. Miles bent his head to kiss her good-bye, and Julia quickly gave him a perfunctory peck on the cheek, not the passionate, warm kiss Trevor assumed would be natural between a couple in love.
He went back to his work, whistling a bright little tune he had heard Tara humming the day before.
“Julia!” Trevor called from the southwest corner bedroom. “Julia!”
She hurried up the stairs, wondering what had happened now. After patching the roof temporarily, Trevor had moved on to the task of expanding the two existing water closets into full bathrooms and adding a third.
She walked through the doorway and almost into Trevor, who was on his way out to get her. “There you are!” he said. “Check it out …”
He walked to the corner of the room and paused beside a wall panel that had not yet been removed. Reaching behind an exposed wall stud, he pulled a wire, and a hidden door popped open.
Julia gasped. “A hidden doorway! Where does it go?”
“I don’t know,” Trevor said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Let’s explore.”
“I’ll go grab my flashlight!”
“Grab mine, too, while you’re at it. It’s downstairs by the kitchen sink.”
Julia returned within a minute, slightly out of breath after running up the stairs. She smiled at Trevor. “Let’s go.”
Trevor nodded excitedly. “Ladies first.”
Acknowledging his dare, she passed him smugly,
“What if he’s some mass murderer or something?” Miles went on. “Have you checked him out?”
She stifled a laugh at his intimation. “I’ve called four references. He comes highly recommended. And I’m sure our local sheriff is on top of any wanted posters coming through the fax machine; there’s not a whole lot of crime here to distract him.”
“There’s just something about Kenbridge I don’t like.”
“Maybe you’re jealous,” she teased.
“Do I have cause to be?”
Julia covered his hand and gazed up into his eyes, willing her soul into the words. “Of course not.”
Miles stayed for the weekend, then left to meet a potential law firm associate in Boston. Before he departed, he sought out Trevor and found him in the kitchen taking apart the pipes to install a disposal.
“Kenbridge?”
Trevor ducked out from under the sink and looked up at Miles, dressed elegantly in an expensive olive-green suit, perfectly contrasting tie, and a camel’s-hair overcoat. Trevor stood, wiped his wet, grimy hands on his jeans, and met the other man’s eyes.
“Look,” Miles said shortly. “I’ll make my point so I can get out of here and back to civilization.”
Trevor watched him calmly, not saying a word.
“I don’t want you anywhere near Julia. You are her hired man and nothing else. You touch her and you’ll pay.”
“Worried?” Trevor baited him.
“Not at all,” Miles lied. “Just a warning in case you ever think of making a move. I plan on Julia being my wife someday. I know it’s hard on a man like you to be near such an attractive woman. But don’t touch. She belongs to me.”
“Julia doesn’t strike me as a woman who likes to be owned.”
Miles moved within an inch of Trevor’s face, but Trevor did not budge. “Don’t mess with me, Kenbridge,” he warned.
“Something tells me that I’d take distinct pleasure in ‘messing with you.’ We’ve just met, but I know you. I know your kind. And from what I’ve seen of Julia, you’re not the man she needs.”
“Miles?” Julia called from the entryway. “Miles, you’d better get going if you want to make your train.”
He turned on his heel and stalked to the kitchen doorway, then faced Trevor once more. “You don’t know anything. Cause any trouble between us, and I’ll personally boot you out of here.”
Trevor could hear Miles speaking with Julia in low, earnest tones as they stood in the entry, and he could not resist peeking around the corner to look at them. Miles bent his head to kiss her good-bye, and Julia quickly gave him a perfunctory peck on the cheek, not the passionate, warm kiss Trevor assumed would be natural between a couple in love.
He went back to his work, whistling a bright little tune he had heard Tara humming the day before.
“Julia!” Trevor called from the southwest corner bedroom. “Julia!”
She hurried up the stairs, wondering what had happened now. After patching the roof temporarily, Trevor had moved on to the task of expanding the two existing water closets into full bathrooms and adding a third.
She walked through the doorway and almost into Trevor, who was on his way out to get her. “There you are!” he said. “Check it out …”
He walked to the corner of the room and paused beside a wall panel that had not yet been removed. Reaching behind an exposed wall stud, he pulled a wire, and a hidden door popped open.
Julia gasped. “A hidden doorway! Where does it go?”
“I don’t know,” Trevor said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Let’s explore.”
“I’ll go grab my flashlight!”
“Grab mine, too, while you’re at it. It’s downstairs by the kitchen sink.”
Julia returned within a minute, slightly out of breath after running up the stairs. She smiled at Trevor. “Let’s go.”
Trevor nodded excitedly. “Ladies first.”
Acknowledging his dare, she passed him smugly,
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