Nikki Benjamin - The Secrets Between Them

From what he knew of her now, he believed she deserved better than that from him. But the only real alternative he had was never going back to her house at all. And that, Evan Graham acknowledged as he turned onto the main road back to Boone, he simply couldn’t do.

Hannah set another tray of peat pots filled with seedlings in the sheltered area on the wood deck that she used for the first stage of hardening off the little plants. Straightening, she tipped her face to the sun, squared her shoulders and stretched to relieve the slight kink in her lower back. The pause also gave her time to realize that she was hungry.

Will and Evan Graham were likely ready for a lunch break, as well, she surmised. They had all been working hard since early that morning, and from the slant of the sun, it had to be at least noon.

Verifying that thought, Will joined her on the deck, set down the tray of seedlings he’d been carrying and eyed her hopefully as he asked, “Do you want me to go inside and make some sandwiches, Mommy?”

“How about if you help me make the sandwiches?”

She reached out and gently ruffled a hand through his thick, dark hair.

“Okay.”

“Round up Nellie, then go in the house and wash your hands while I let Mr. Graham know we’re stopping to eat lunch now.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

As Will tore off up the hill, calling to the dog snuffling at the edge of the woods, Hannah headed around the house and down the path to the vegetable gardens. There Evan had set to work weeding almost as soon as he’d arrived—promptly at eight o’clock as they’d agreed.

She had been so relieved to hear the sound of his Jeep coming up the gravel drive that morning. Until then, she had still doubted that he would actually take the minimum-wage job she’d offered him. Even despite the fact that he had called her early the previous evening and asked if everything went okay with his references, and if she needed anything from town that he could bring with him when he came.

Hannah had not only been surprised by his request, but also pleased. In her estimation, such thoughtfulness on his part boded well for their working relationship. It also made her feel even better about her decision to hire him.

Although his “…that is, if you still want me for the job…” had come back to haunt her later in the night.

She hadn’t given his comment much thought at the time he’d made it, airily dismissing it with her own “of course, I do.” But at one o’clock in the morning, unable to sleep, she had gone over their conversation in her mind and had wondered if he’d had doubts of his own, the source of which she’d only been able to guess at.

Or had he been offering her a last chance to back out of the bargain they’d made?

But then, that hadn’t made sense. Not if he wanted and needed a job and a place to stay in the area as much as he’d claimed he did.

Of course, he could have just told her that in order to get a foot in the door—a possibility she hadn’t even entertained in the light of day.

Was there a reason his references wouldn’t have checked out? Hannah had thought, eyeing the clock on her nightstand grimly. Not that that had been the case at all. Everyone she spoke to had nothing but glowing things to say about Evan Graham. Besides, why would he have offered her references unless he fully expected all of the people he’d listed to vouch for him in a positive way?

Reminding herself that it was important to trust her instincts—and her instinctive feeling about Evan Graham had been good—Hannah had slept at last, soundly enough to awaken at seven o’clock feeling rested and ready for the day ahead. The sunlight peeping through her window had brightened her spirits, as well. They would be able to make the first small dent in all the work that needed to be done—if Evan arrived as planned.

He had pulled up by the porch at eight o’clock on the dot, causing Nellie to bark and wag excitedly and Will, still in his pajamas, to dance around the living room in glee. He had brought along a bag of bagels, still warm from the oven, and a carton of cream cheese from her favorite deli in Boone, and presented both to her with an engaging smile. He’d also looked well rested and more than ready to start work.

“I brought four cinnamon-raisin, four loaded with everything and four whole wheat,” he’d said.

“Mmm, perfect choices,” she’d replied, delighted by the rare treat.

Glad that she’d eaten only a small bowl of cereal earlier, Hannah had helped herself to a cinnamon-raisin bagel as Evan returned to the Jeep and proceeded to move his few belongings to the room upstairs.

He’d had a large, black duffel bag and a laptop computer in an expensive-looking leather carrying case. One trip up the staircase and he joined her in the kitchen, rubbing his hands together briskly to chase away the slight chill of the early-morning mountain air.

Hannah had noted that he was as neat and clean—and attractive—as he’d been the previous day. He’d obviously showered and shaved before leaving the motel, if the slight dampness of his hair and the subtle drift of spicy aftershave she’d caught were any indication. His faded jeans and navy blue sweatshirt appeared older and much more worn than the jeans and flannel shirt he’d had on yesterday, making them more suitable for the rough, outdoor work he’d be doing in the wet, weed-infested beds. She couldn’t help but notice his change of clothes did nothing to temper her feminine response to him, but she pushed the realization aside. Evan was her employee—nothing more.

He had accepted a mug of coffee, but turned down a bagel, saying he’d eaten one on his way to her place. Hannah had savored the last few bites of hers, finished her coffee and sent Will to his room to get dressed. Then she’d led Evan out to the shed where she stored her shovels, rakes, hoes, wheelbarrow and various other gardening tools along with the bags and boxes of organically approved products she preferred to use to nourish and protect her plants, as well as control pests.

She had found a pair of relatively new, heavy-duty gardening gloves for him—originally bought for Stewart who had rarely used them. She’d loaded the gloves, a shovel and a hoe into the wheelbarrow, then turned to Evan.

“I need you to work on the vegetable gardens first,” she’d said as he gripped the handles of the wheelbarrow and guided it out of the shed. “They need to be cleaned out completely. It shouldn’t be too hard since the ground is pretty wet from all the rain, but it will be a messy job for the same reason.”

“What should I do with the stuff I dig up?” he’d asked, looking back at her as they’d headed down the drive.

“You can load it into the wheelbarrow, then transfer it to the compost bin. It’s divided into three sections. The one to the left is empty, so we’ll use it to start a new batch.”

Hannah had met Evan’s gaze, hoping she wasn’t overwhelming him with his morning’s duties. He’d looked amazingly eager to get to work, and she’d smiled encouragingly as they’d continued down the drive, pausing only when they reached the first of the vegetable beds laid out neatly on the gentle slope.

“Be sure to wear the gloves so you don’t get blisters or bug bites on your hands,” she’d advised him.

“I will.”

“I’ll put a jug of ice water on the porch for you, too. You’re welcome to take a break anytime you want and help yourself to anything you need. There’s coffee in the pot on the counter and iced tea in the refrigerator if you’d prefer something besides water. If you have any questions, I’ll be working in the greenhouses, moving the seedlings out to the deck so they can start hardening off. Just give a holler.”