Jillian Hart - The Sweetest Gift

“So, are you gonna help me out or not?”

“I’ll take it under consideration.”

While she thought about it, she took a sip of her coffee—he 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 wasn’t?

“I can’t believe you conned Mrs. Gardner into hiring you. She isn’t paying you to stand on my walkway talking to me.”

“She’s not paying me. I’m fixing her house out of the kindness of my own good heart.”

“Excuse me, but you don’t look the type.”

“Appearances can be deceiving.”

“Let me get this straight. You’re fixing the plumbing next door for free?”

“Hey, don’t look so surprised. I know I don’t look like those GQ kind of men or the suit-and-tie-wearing office types who say please and thank you. I don’t have ‘feelings.’ But I’m not a jerk out to profit off an old lady on a fixed income. I’m Ruth’s nephew.”

Kirby’s rosebud mouth dropped open in surprise. “Her nephew? You?”

“That’s an affirmative.”

She stared at him. “Ruth Gardner is petite and blond, and you look like James Bond gone bad. Are you sure you’re related to her?”

James Bond, huh? He liked that. “Yep. She married my dad’s brother. He passed last year. I came for the funeral, and realized how alone Ruth was. No children of her own, and so she’d always done her best to spoil me when I was growing up. I figured I might move here and keep an eye on her. She’s the only family I’ve got.”

Kirby’s blue eyes warmed a notch as she studied him again. This time with a much higher regard. “Ruth belongs to my church. She’s a very nice lady. I’m sure she’s relieved you’re 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 can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. You’ll find a nice quiet couple or a young family, maybe. Responsible people to rent, right?”

There she went, being too friendly again. He’d gone too far. He didn’t think of himself as a man with natural charm. In fact, he tried to scare away marriage-seeking women on purpose. Looked as if he’d 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 can’t 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 he’d better stop noticing how lovely she was. The girl-next-door type was always the same. Always. He ought to know, since he’d married one, and what a disaster that had been.

Don’t 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 wasn’t going to think that because Kirby was nice, she would be any different down deep when times got tough. Because she wouldn’t be.

Keep your distance, Gardner. That would be the wisest course. He hadn’t 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 didn’t 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 wasn’t. 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. “There’s a few boards missing off the top of the fence I need to fix, but I’m gonna need access to your yard to do it. Do you mind?”

“No, but that’s half of my fence, too, and I should pay you.”

“Seeing as you’re willing to compensate me, I’d 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. “You’ll get the rest when the job’s finished.”

“What?”

“Isn’t 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 couldn’t help it. “Lady, that’s no way to treat your new neighbor.”

Neighbor? Kirby whirled around. This couldn’t be true.

“Yep. Surprised you, did I? You didn’t think I’d 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 couldn’t have heard him right. There was no possible way. Ruth had made promises. Ruth was a trustworthy, dependable Christian woman. Ruth wouldn’t have lied or broken her word. Next time I’ll find a decent, quiet, responsible neighbor, she’d 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.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. I bought furniture this morning. It’s 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 can’t be my new neighbor. I mean, the house isn’t even up for rent yet. I know, because I just talked to Ruth yesterday.”

“You didn’t speak with her today, did you? Or you’d have all the latest details.”

Doom. Kirby could feel a dark cloud settle around her like midnight fog.

What had Mrs. Gardner promised? That’s a mistake I won’t repeat again, dear—you 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 didn’t wear a ring? That was even worse!

He paced closer. “You suddenly don’t look very happy. You don’t approve?”

“I’m wary because I’ve had my fair share of neighbor disasters.”

“Like fires?”

“Not fires. Weekend parties and night-long drum practice sessions in the garage.” Which she hadn’t 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?”