by Jody Holford
“Really? All that planning and that’s how you’re going to do this?” he said incredulously, banging his cup down on the counter. Maybe he shouldn’t watch. He squinted so he could barely see but couldn’t look away. Sure enough, she tried to climb the ladder one-handed, the pole in the other and the Christmas lights trailing out of her mouth. He gripped the edge of the sink with both hands and leaned forward. Maybe she would have pulled it off if she’d locked the ladder in place. Since she didn’t, he had a front row seat to a Chevy Chase show. She’d made it five rungs when the second tier of the ladder slipped down from her weight. She dropped the pole immediately but that didn’t stop her from flailing and falling flat on her ass.
“Impressive,” he chuckled, when he saw that she was okay, the string of lights still dangling in her teeth. Though this wasn’t the way he’d planned to spend his Saturday morning, he downed the last of his cup, swearing when it scorched his throat and went to be neighborly.
Anna refused to cry, as she blocked the sound of her father’s voice booming in her head: “Every woman needs a man to take care of things.” Her butt hurt and the snow was cold but she took the extra minute to recover her breath. She had all the necessary tools to get these lights up, including the determination to turn her newly purchased, three-bedroom bungalow into a Christmas Wonderland.
“Stupid ladder,” she muttered, heaving herself up off the ground.
“Kind of seems weird to blame the ladder,” commented a deep, brusque voice from behind her, making her jump. Turning, she had to tilt her head back to see the face that went with the voice. Wide shoulders, medium-brown hair sticking up at odd angles, he was looking at her through amused, blue eyes. She was trying to figure out which of his features made him so attractive – the eyes, his defined cheekbones, or the firm, unsmiling lips when he arched his dark brow. He was wearing a pair of worn jeans and a hoodie that read “Just Do It” and she’d bet money that he could “just do” plenty of things. Just because she’d sworn off men when she’d moved, didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the sight of them and he was worth taking a moment to appreciate.
“Well I didn’t throw myself off the ladder,” she huffed, brushing the snow off her, now freezing, behind. He shook his head and walked to the ladder. Extending it again, he pushed on something behind the ladder and she heard a loud snap.
“Did you break it?” she asked, stomping over. He looked at her and laughed.
“No Princess, I locked it,” he returned, not hiding a yawn. The word “Princess” had her setting her nails into the well-worn grooves of her palm while pulling a deliberately slow breath into her lungs. I moved here to get away from overbearing men, she thought. Still, he had helped her. Even though she hadn’t asked.
“Thank you,” she muttered through pursed lips. He laughed again; a solid, unabashed whoop aimed in her direction. His infectious smile had her lips twitching out of their own firm line into a grin and, finally, an accompanying laugh.
“You’re welcome. I’m Sam Gardner. Your neighbor,” he introduced, holding out his hand.
“Anna Meyers,” she replied, looking over at the house next door. “I like the color of your house.”
His was a pale, green color that looked old and new at the same time; vintage. Hers had probably been a deep and vibrant, rusty red at some point. Now, it was peeling and looked like dull copper.
“To be fair,” he commented, following her gaze, “I didn’t paint mine. I just rent. You bought right?” She nodded.
She’d think about painting hers in the summer, brightly like Sam’s and her other neighbors. Though the lots were close together, the front lawns were deep and rectangular. Long driveways led to a quiet road, made more so by the fact that the homes across the street were also set far back on their properties. So, while she was close to the neighbors on either side of her, the neighbors across the way were a fair distance. To her, the homes looked like tiny gingerbread cottages set against the backdrop of snow and trees. Looking around, she noted the lack of trees on her own property and gave a fleeting thought to planting some in the spring.
Seeing him eyeing her layout of tools, her thoughts refocused as a frown curved her lips downward. He smiled when he looked back at her and she noted that his eyes no longer looked sleepy. In fact, they seemed quite friendly now and she wondered if his tousled hair would be soft to touch. She immediately pushed the thought away. She didn’t need his help, nor did she want the knowledge of what his hair felt like on her fingers or anywhere else.
“Where you from?” he asked.
“Idaho.”
“Long way.”
“This was the house my mom grew up in, so it was worth the move,” she replied, waiting for him to laugh at her again. His compelling eyes met hers and held them easily.
“That’s a cool connection. Past and present combine,” he nodded.
Smiling brightly, she replied, “Yes, exactly. It feels meaningful.”
“You hanging those just on the eaves there?” he asked, moving beside her as she picked up the thick strand of bulbs.
The paint on the trim was chipping where he pointed and a few of the shingles above were loose. She’d known when she purchased the home that it needed some repairs. Still, the covered porch flanked by the wide-framed windows, with their aging window boxes, made her feel like she’d finally found her place.
“I was going to trail them along there and then hang some on the second level,” she answered. She followed his glance up to the dormer window facing the street.
“Are you going up through the attic and out that window?”
“Seems safer than me scaling the roof,” she smirked.
She saw him roll his eyes as he pushed down on the ladder again, leaning on it with all his weight, testing the lock. When she’d left Idaho, she’d told her dad, her brother, and her rotten ex that the last thing she needed, or wanted, was a man in her life. They had been experts at pointing out how much easier it would be if she’d just let them handle all the little details that made up a life. She’d never given them reason to believe she couldn’t take care of herself but they’d been unwilling to let her try. She didn’t come here for easy and she didn’t need, or want, a man to make things all better.
“Well, I need to get these up,” she said. “Have a great day.”
“I’ll help you,” he huffed, grabbing the sleeve of her coat as she turned away. She arched her brow as she glanced down at his hand, then looked him squarely in his friendly, albeit sexy, blue eyes.
“No thank you, Sam. I’m perfectly capable of handling this on my own. Without a man…I mean a hand. With no help. Thank you,” she felt her cheeks warm as she stumbled over the words. When he laughed again, little creases forming at the corners of his eyes, she was pretty sure he was laughing at her.
“Alright then. Good luck, Anna. Nice to meet you.” He turned and gave her a one arm wave as he walked across the lawn, back to his own perfectly painted house.
Stomping the snow off his boots, Sam closed the door harder than intended and tossed his coat on the back of the couch. Heeding the rumbling in his stomach, he headed back to the kitchen.
“Stubborn woman,” he mumbled, catching sight of her again through the window over the sink. He scoffed when she double-checked the ladder lock that she’d just watched him secure, twice.
“Determined,” he concluded.
Walking to the fridge, he switched his focus to a much-needed breakfast. His stomach growled approval. As the bacon began to sizzle, he heard the steady pop of the staple gun from outside. He tried to imagine any of his three sisters handling loaded tools and shuddered.
“Not looking,” he chanted, flipping the bacon and doing his best to not think about the delightfully cute blond with the killer smile and serious stubborn streak.
About the Author
Jody Holford lives in British Columbia with her husband and two daughters. She’s unintentionally funny and rarely on time for anything. She
loves books, Converse shoes, and diet Pepsi, in no particular order.. Whether she’s writing contemporary romance or cozy mysteries, she’s a big fan of love and finding happily ever after. Probably because she’s lucky enough to have both. Learn more and signup for her newsletter on her website: http://www.jodyholfordauthor.com/
Also by Jody Holford
Britton Bay Cozy Mysteries
Deadly News
Deadly Vows
Deadly Ride
Deadly Drama
The Love Unexpected Series
Let It Be Me
Never Expected You
Story of Us
For the Love of the Game Series
Covering All the Bases
Catching Her Heart
The Kendrick Place Series
More Than Friends
The Bad Boy Next Door
Hate to Love Him
The Angel’s Lake Series
Falling for Home
Falling for Kate
Forever Christmas
The Some Kind of Series
Some Kind of Christmas
Some Kind of Love
Some Kind of Forever
Some Kind of Always
Standalones
With These Shadows
Caught Looking
Damaged
Always You
T-Shirt
Make Me Listen
