Nope, but are you offering? I could think of someone to call long distance.
No.
What was he doing? Sam Gardner knew better than to tease a pretty young woman, especially one so seemingly good and innocent, because hed learned from experience. No good could come from it. Hugging a nestful of rattlers would be less hazardous.
Thats why he did it. He saw the way shed looked him up and down as potential marriage material. Single women of a certain age had that common habit, and he had to make it clear. He was not a candidate for holy matrimony. The question was, did she get the hint?
Her bow-shaped mouth drew down. Oh, yeah, she was expecting the worst from him.
You want me to fix you a sandwich? Run to the hardware store for you? Lend you money? My grandmother warned me about men like you.
Good guys, you mean?
Her delicate brows arched above her perfect, blue-sky eyes. Hed managed to offend her pretty well.
Good. Mission complete.
No, men who try to offend women on purpose.
Oohbusted. Hed have to watch this one. She was smarter than she looked. You cant blame a guy for trying to make a memorable impression.
Memorable? You would have been better off wearing a ski mask and asking for all my money. Id be more relaxed around you.
I had you believing that for a few minutes. Cmon, I saw that look on your face when you dashed for the door.
I did not dash.
You were ready to.
Maybe, but you do look like a man who cant be trusted. She lit up as she said that. And she may as well have plastered single and looking on her forehead in neon-red ink.
He hadnt been promoted as fast as he had in the armed forces without being dead-on when it came to reading people and knowing what they were capable of. And pretty blond women of a certain age without a diamond on their left ring finger wanted only one thing.
Yep, hed be wary of her. Friendly, but wary.
So, are you gonna help me out or not?
Ill take it under consideration.
While she thought about it, she took a sip of her coffeehe could smell the chocolate and caffeine from four paces away. That frilly drink probably had extra whipped cream and those chocolate candy sprinkle things, too.
She eyed him over the top of the pastel-pink straws she was daintily sipping from. Was she still trying to figure out if he was suitable marriage material? Or had he convinced her that he wasnt?
I cant believe you conned Mrs. Gardner into hiring you. She isnt paying you to stand on my walkway talking to me.
Shes not paying me. Im fixing her house out of the kindness of my own good heart.
Excuse me, but you dont look the type.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Let me get this straight. Youre fixing the plumbing next door for free?
Hey, dont look so surprised. I know I dont look like those GQ kind of men or the suit-and-tie-wearing office types who say please and thank you. I dont have feelings. But Im not a jerk out to profit off an old lady on a fixed income. Im Ruths nephew.
Kirbys rosebud mouth dropped open in surprise. Her nephew? You?
Thats an affirmative.
She stared at him. Ruth Gardner is petite and blond, and you look like James Bond gone bad. Are you sure youre related to her?
James Bond, huh? He liked that. Yep. She married my dads brother. He passed last year. I came for the funeral, and realized how alone Ruth was. No children of her own, and so shed always done her best to spoil me when I was growing up. I figured I might move here and keep an eye on her. Shes the only family Ive got.
Kirbys blue eyes warmed a notch as she studied him again. This time with a much higher regard. Ruth belongs to my church. Shes a very nice lady. Im sure shes relieved youre helping her out with this house. She had nothing but problems with the last renters.
Yep, but I came and evicted them. No more problems.
I cant tell you how much I appreciate that. Youll find a nice quiet couple or a young family, maybe. Responsible people to rent, right?
There she went, being too friendly again. Hed gone too far. He didnt think of himself as a man with natural charm. In fact, he tried to scare away marriage-seeking women on purpose. Looked as if hed better try harder.
So, what about that favor? I had to shut off the water to the house. Trouble is, I need to flush a pipe, and I cant turn on the main valve. Would you let me use your garden hose for about five minutes?
Five minutes, not six?
How about five and a half?
Deal. The hose is in the back. Just go through the side gate. Soft humor sparkled in those pretty blue eyes of hers.
Not that he was dazzled in the least by her pretty blue eyes. He was a disciplined man, and he knew enough about women to know hed better stop noticing how lovely she was. The girl-next-door type was always the same. Always. He ought to know, since hed married one, and what a disaster that had been.
Dont think about it, man. Sam forced the memories away even before they could bounce off the titanium shield around his heart. He was well protected. Self-controlled. He wasnt going to think that because Kirby was nice, she would be any different down deep when times got tough. Because she wouldnt be.
Keep your distance, Gardner. That would be the wisest course. He hadnt survived some of the toughest battles in recent military history only to let another woman take him down. He knew how to get out of disasters alive and when to avoid them entirely.
He knew exactly how love could break a man, and what a nice, sweet-looking woman could do to his soul.
He was here for a reason, nothing more. Is the gate locked?
No. She flicked a golden strand of hair behind her slim shoulder, her brows furrowed beneath her wispy, windblown bangs, as if she were trying to look deep inside him.
Good luck. He didnt let anyone close, most of all a lovely woman like her with a heart-shaped face, a creamy clear complexion and a few freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose. Freckles she tried to hide with a light coat of makeup. Not that he was noticing. He wasnt. Really.
Her lips were bare of lipstick or of that shiny-looking stuff women wore on those makeup commercials. Her mouth was softly shaped and kind, as if she smiled. A lot.
Yep, she was sure going to be trouble. Trouble because he liked her on sight. And hated that he did. Theres a few boards missing off the top of the fence I need to fix, but Im gonna need access to your yard to do it. Do you mind?
No, but thats half of my fence, too, and I should pay you.
Seeing as youre willing to compensate me, Id sure appreciate a tall glass of iced tea.
Fine. Iced tea it is. But only half a glass up front, she called over her shoulder as she unlocked her front door. Youll get the rest when the jobs finished.
What?
Isnt that the standard business practice? When I had my new roof put on, it was half payment up front. The rest on completion of a satisfactory job.
He laughed. He couldnt help it. Lady, thats no way to treat your new neighbor.
Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Neighbor? Kirby whirled around. This couldnt be true.
Yep. Surprised you, did I? You didnt think Id be your new next-door neighbor. Your new next-door nightmare.
The keys tumbled from her fingers and hit the front step with a terrible, final clink as if to say, Disaster.
She rescued her keys from the ground, heart pounding and her mind spinning. No, she couldnt have heard him right. There was no possible way. Ruth had made promises. Ruth was a trustworthy, dependable Christian woman. Ruth wouldnt have lied or broken her word. Next time Ill find a decent, quiet, responsible neighbor, shed said.
This man looked anything but quiet and responsible. He looked as if a squad of Special Forces commandos might come by at any moment and recruit him.
Youre kidding, right?
Nope. I bought furniture this morning. Its gonna be delivered tomorrow between ten and noon. He wedged his hands in his jeans pockets, widening his stance. His chest was impressively broad and strong looking.
Not that she should be noticing. You cant be my new neighbor. I mean, the house isnt even up for rent yet. I know, because I just talked to Ruth yesterday.
You didnt speak with her today, did you? Or youd have all the latest details.
Doom. Kirby could feel a dark cloud settle around her like midnight fog.
What had Mrs. Gardner promised? Thats a mistake I wont repeat again, dearyou have my word on that. No more bachelors in my rental house. I know there are discrimination laws, but those single men can sure be trouble.
Sam Gardner looked like a single man to her, nephew or not, since no wedding ring marked the fourth finger of his left hand.
Or was he the kind of married man who didnt wear a ring? That was even worse!
He paced closer. You suddenly dont look very happy. You dont approve?
Im wary because Ive had my fair share of neighbor disasters.
Like fires?
Not fires. Weekend parties and night-long drum practice sessions in the garage. Which she hadnt been able to sleep through.
Please, at least let him be married. Stable. Did she dare hope that he was very busy being a plumber during the day so he had to sleep at night? Will you be inviting over large numbers of people and playing heavy metal music extremely loud after midnight?
Probably. The good news is that I wont be living alone for much longer. My rock-band buddies will be moving in shortly. One dark brow quirked. Is that what you mean by neighbor disasters?
She saw the next six months of peaceful nights sleeping vanish before her eyes. Yes, thats exactly what I mean.
Catastrophe. There was no other word for it. And this was Mrs. Gardners relative. There was no way shed evict her own nephew.
I throw wild parties at least three times a week. Thats why I got booted out from my last five apartments. He winked at her. Did that answer your question?
He was teasing her. Great. Shed been praying for a nice responsible Christian man for a neighbor and what did she get? A comedian. Hed been teasing her all along.
She didnt want to like him. The only reason a handsome man like him paid any attention to a girl like her was that they wanted something. Wasnt that the way it was? She was ordinary looking, nothing special, and that was okay, because it just showed this man was not her Mr. Right.
Her true love would see past her plainness and see her. And hed love her, shortcomings and failures and strengths. Thats the way love should be.
She unlocked her second lock as her little dog barked through the wooden door. Oh, about the hose. Please dont forget to coil it up when youre through.
Ill leave it the way I found it. Dont worry. I might be loud and inconsiderate when Im playing my drums all night, but Im careful with garden hoses.
Why was she laughing? She shouldnt be encouraging him. She snatched her mail from the slim black box next to the front door. She wasnt even going to look at the bills that had come. She had bigger problems. Her new neighbor. So he wasnt what shed prayed for. He wasnt going to be a problem, right?
Maybe she wasnt seeing the whole picture. Maybe hed taken off his wedding ring when he worked so he wouldnt catch it on a pipe or something. That meant there was a chance he could be married and responsible.
He didnt look responsible, but still, a girl had to have hope. Will your wife be joining you?
No, no wife. No woman can put up with all the groupies from my band.
I cant believe Mrs. Gardner is letting a man like you stay in her house.
Theres this nondiscrimination law. She had to let me in or I threatened to sue. Dimples cut into his cheeks as he tunneled his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, standing strong and at ease, like a man always in charge. Dont worry, Ill be a good neighbor. I wont throw parties and dont play loud music. Im usually working.
Working. She should have guessed it by the hard, lean look of him. Dont tell me youre one of those workaholic types.
Yes, but its not my fault. Its genetic. I tried a support group for a while, but it cut into my work time.
I suppose its a competitive, stressful calling, being a plumber. Nighttime leaking pipes, early-morning bathtub backups and emergency pipe unclogging.
Are you mocking me? That seemed to make those troublesome glints in his eyes shine more brightly. Sure, go ahead and make me angry. I may have to go let off steam. Did I mention I play drums? Yep. I plan to set up in the garage. Will that bother you at night?
He flashed her a grin before padding soundlessly away. He moved like a well-trained athlete, like a man comfortable with his power. Not married, huh?
She was a woman. She couldnt help noticing the wide, capable cut of his shoulders beneath the plain gray T-shirt. Or his long legs encased in denim as he disappeared around the corner of her house.
Not that she was interested. She wanted a nice Christian man. He looked like anything but.
Best get the tea steeping, because Im a fast worker, he called from the side yard, out of sight.
The side gate of the fence squealed open and then snapped shut.
He might not be Mr. Right, but he was funny. Heroes in the movies werent this good-looking.
Her dog started barking an enthusiastic greeting through the door. Kirby banned all thoughts of Sam Gardner from her head and turned the old brass knob.
The instant she opened the door, the little spaniel leaped at her knees, panting happily. Kirby knelt to hug the wiggling creature. There was nothing like being welcomed home. And until she had a family of her own, she was blessed with this little animal that was always so glad to see her.
Cmon, Jessie. Lets get you outside. Kirbys problems felt far away as she set down her purse and followed her best friend through the house. The little blond dog, nothing but fluff, curls and long ears, dashed ahead, leading the way.
Did you have a good day guarding the house? Kirby talked to fill the silence that was broken only by the occasional creak of the wood floorboards and the tap of her heels. I know, its a tough job, but you did well. Yes, you did.
The dog panted happily, already at the back door, sitting politely and gazing at the doorknob.