Kirby knelt, petting the dog, her blond hair falling all around her face and her shoulders and tumbling down over her nape.
Good dog, Leo, she said. Good boy.
Sams heart seemed to stop beating as he watched her with his dog. Hed never seen such gentle hands. She looked like kindness personified, and it hit him deep in his soul. Leo gazed at her with adoration, and Sam did the same.
There was something endearing about Kirby. With her head bent forward, he could see the careful part of her hair, perfectnot a hair was out of place.
For one instant, one millisecond, he wished he had the heart to try to love again. He wished he could travel back in time and change his life so he could stand here now and believe true goodness could exist in a person, and that love never ended.
So he could kneel down, lay his big, callused hand on hers and ask her to dinner. Ask her to a movie. Ask her to step into his life.
JILLIAN HART
makes her home in Washington State, where she has lived most of her life. When Jillian is not hard at work on her next story, she loves to read, go to lunch with her friends and spend quiet evenings with her family.
The Sweetest Gift
Jillian Hart
www.millsandboon.co.uk
But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
To two of lifes sweet blessings:
My cocker spaniel, Jessie, and her friend Sam,
the rottweiler, who inspired this story.
Dear Reader,
I first met younger sister Kirby when I was writing His Hometown Girl (LI #180) for the Love Inspired series. I had so wanted to tell her story and was thrilled when I got the chance. Kirbys story is about a good-hearted woman who finds her greatest love in her unlikely next-door neighbor. It is also the journey of a woman who tries hard to live her faith every day.
Thank you for choosing The Sweetest Gift. Love is one of Gods sweetest blessings. I wish so very many sweet blessings for you.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
Sister dearest, you look as though you need a café mocha with extra whipped cream.
Boy, do I. Kirby McKaslin sagged against the coffee shops counter. Could you make it a double?
Gladly. Older sister Karens diamond wedding ring glittered in the overhead lights as she began working the espresso machine. Come around and help yourself to the leftover cookies. Gramma made chocolate chocolate-chip
Say no more. Kirby dropped her purse on the counter and swung around the corner. Grammas soft, chewy chocolate cookies were heaven on earth. There were only two left in the display case and she grabbed both of them.
What about the job? Karen set the double mocha with a froth of whipped cream on the counter, her voice affectionate and understanding, as always.
Kirby couldnt hide her smile a second longer. I got it. Im the new nurse practitioner at the Three Forks Clinic. I start in two weeks.
Kirby! Thats fantastic! Karen circled the edge of the counter, arms wide. Im so proud of my little sister.
Its too good to be true. My very own clinic. Im totally in charge, and I know Im going to love it. Kirby stepped into her sisters hug. Im going to get my own patients. I still cant believe it.
I can. Ive had faith in you all along.
There was nothing like a big sister. Kirby gave Karen an extra-long hug, careful of the growing tummy beneath her loose T-shirt. Married and expecting, with a new house and a booming business, Karen had it all.
Kirby was glad for her, but, well, it would be great if that kind of future was ahead for her, too. Not that there were any prospects, but you never knew when a handsome stranger with a loving heart would walk into your life and complete it, right?
She felt optimistic as she sipped melting whipped cream and hot, rich mocha. Things were finally working out in her life. She felt great. As she pushed through the shops front door and burst onto the sidewalk she couldnt remember being this happy in a long time.
Shed head home. Let her dog out for a run. Maybe treat them both to their favorite drive-through hamburgers
Kendra! a woman shouted out from beneath the awning across the street. Kendra!
Kirby didnt need to look up from the sunshine falling on the concrete in front of her to know her excellent mood was about to take a nosedive. Doom was the cheerful former cheerleader across the street, holding tight to her newborn with one hand and waving frantically with the other.
Kendra, Im so relieved I finally found you. Janice Bemis turned on her charm. What luck! Ive been looking for you. You just have to join the class reunion committee.
Im not interested, Janice. And its Kirby, not Kendra. Someone shed gone to school with since kindergarten ought to know that sort of thing. That was the problem with being the plainest girl in the familyand the middle girl. No one could remember which one she was.
Goodness, Im so sorry.
Thats all right. She was used to it. She dug her keys out of her pocket with her free hand, heading straight to her car.
Ill give you a call and well talk! Janice promised with die-hard cheerfulness.
Right, and I have caller ID. Kirby settled on the seat of her little red sedan and let the hot, sweet double mocha work its magic. As soon as enough chocolate was in her bloodstream, she started feeling better again.
The last time I volunteered on a committee with you, Janice Appleton Bemis, you stole the boy I was interested in and humiliated me in front of half the student body. Get someone else for your committee. Thats what she should have said. Sure, easy to think of all those words now, when she was halfway down Railroad Street.
She wasnt going to let Janice ruin her mood. No way. This was the best day Kirby had had in agesfinally a better paying job, which meant she got to keep the house shed bought and couldnt quite afford.
If that wasnt good news enough, her loud and noisy next-door neighbor had been evicted yesterday.
Relief sighed through her. Another blissful night of peaceful and uninterrupted sleep was ahead of her tonight. That would make two nights in a row. It sounded like heaven.
If she ever needed confirmation that prayers came true, this was it.
Until she pulled down her street and spotted the strange pickup parked in her next-door neighbors driveway. Her happiness began to ebb. Surely Ruth Gardner, the landlord, hadnt found a new renter already.
No, probably not. Its only a repairman, she told herself. Theres no way someone else could have moved in already. And Ruth had promised shed find a renter more suitable to the neighborhood.
Thats definitely a repairman, Kirby decided as she slowed down, fighting the seat belt to twist around for a better look. It certainly wasnt someone moving in, not with the ladder and a big box of tools in the back of the pickup.
Just how many repairs would the house need? How soon before it would be rented? After six months of torment putting up with noise, she had a right to be curious.
Who was fixing the house? Was it a general contractor, meaning the job would take a long time? Or a handyman come to do minor repairs?
Ooh, there he was. The workman loped down the front steps and into sight. He was a dark-haired man, probably six feet tall with wide shoulders and lanky rather than bulky build. He wore a red baseball cap and a gray T-shirt and jeans. A tool belt hugged his lean hips. That was all she saw before she pulled into her driveway and the hedges separating the properties hid him from her sight.
Hmm Whether he was there for major repairs or minor, he was definitely handsome. Not that handsome men paid her any attention, lets face itshed never had that kind of luck. But it never hurt a girl to look and admire Gods creation in the pleasing form of a hardworking man.
Especially a girl who wanted a husband to call her own. But not just any manthe right one. That man was turning out to be harder to find than shed ever dreamed.
Kirby killed the engine and set the parking brake. Her keys tinkled merrily as she climbed from the car, careful not to spill her steaming mocha. The tepid breezes whipped her dark blond hair into her face, and out of habit she folded the long strands behind her ear as she headed up the walk.
Who would her ideal next-door neighbor be? How about as handsome as the workman next door? And if the angels were kind, hed be quiet and sedate. Polite. Hardworking. Kind. Christian.
Oh, and wonderful in every way. Someone exactly the opposite from the single, wild-haired guy whod just moved out and whod played his bass guitar in his garage night after night from midnight until four in the morning.
No, her ideal man would be soft-spoken and considerate and looking for his true love. Of course, hed take one look at her and fall instantly in love
Howdy. A bold male voice came out of nowhere.
Kirby yelped and a bubble of foam popped up through the drink hole in the plastic cover, scorching her hand. A suspicious rustling had her turning toward the hedge along the property line.
A man climbed through the foliage like James Bond on a mission.
Or like a prisoner on a jailbreak.
Evergreen needles dusted his dark, short hair. Yep, it was the workman from next door. He was more powerful looking up close. Developed muscles corded his lean, rock-solid arms. He looked intimidating as he straightened to his full height, probably a few inches over six foot, on the lawn in front of her.
Why was he coming through the shrubs instead of walking around on the sidewalk like a normal person?
I scared you, he said, apparently not shy at all, as he dusted bits of green hedge off his gray shirt.
Say something. Kirby took a breath, trying fruitlessly to get past the shyness that always haunted her.
Im sorry. I guess youre not used to men bursting through your hedges.
Most people use the sidewalk. There are fewer branches to trip over. Oh, that was brilliant, Kirby.
Im a unique sort of guy. I never take the easy route. My friends call me Sam.
Friends? Then what do your enemies call you?
Deadly with an M-16. His rugged face was as unforgiving as stone.
Adrenaline kicked up in her blood. Okay, time to run into the house and lock the door. It wouldnt hurt to be on the other side of the dead bolt. A man who mentioned a gun had to be dangerous, right?
I used to be in the military.
Okay, so now he tells her, after scaring her to death. Who is this guy? she wondered. Kirby took a few more deep breaths, wiped her hand off on her slacks and studied him. He didnt look dangerous at all with the sunlight spilling over him and his hands jammed harmlessly into his front pockets.
What an imagination she had. Thanks for clarifying that. For a minute there, I thought you might be a convict on the loose.
Nope, just a man come to fix the plumbing next door. One corner of his mouth crooked in the attempt at a grin, but it was a failed attempt. His face seemed too hard for a smile. Sorry, I guess I scared you. Didnt mean to.
Really? Heres a hint. Next time you introduce yourself to a woman, dont mention an assault weapon.
He winced. I was kidding about that. My buddies call me the comedian.
Comedian? He looked dead serious. As if there wasnt one thing amusing about him. But he was a big man and in fantastic shape, and so she wasnt going to argue. If he thought he was funny, then she was happy to let him think that.
At least her heart rate was almost back to normal. Fine, well, Im going to go in now. Nice meeting you Whatever your name is.
Sam.
What? Her pulse rocketed up a notch.
Sam Gardner. His rock-hard brown gaze pinned hers. Guess I should have introduced myself properly. So a woman alone and as skittish as you would feel comfortable.
Shed be offended by his tone, except that there was a glimmer of humor in his eyes. Oh, she knew about men like him. Too handsome for his own good, and he knew it, too.
Shouldnt he be next door repairing the plumbing? Why was he bugging her?
He arched his brow, and on his granite face it was more of a demand than a question. Ive told you my name. So itd be polite if you told me yours.
I never said I was polite.
Darlin, you have it written all over that peaches-and-cream complexion of yours. A hint of a smile played on his mouth. Go ahead. You can say it. My name is?
Kirby. Is there some reason you climbed through my hedge?
There sure is. I only crash through hedges for a good cause. Im here because Im in trouble.
Oh, I see. Of course thats why he was here. Why he was laying on the charm. He wanted something. Let me guess. You need to use my phone to make a long-distance emergency call.