“I don’t see anything, dear. There now. You don’t even have any gloves for your poor hands. Dom, why don’t you grab your work gloves and take care of these for Kate.”
“No, really, I wouldn’t want—” she attempted.
“Not a problem,” Dominic said smoothly, and without waiting for any further objections, headed over to his truck and grabbed some gloves from the seat.
Kate really wanted to object. She wanted to be able to refuse his help, only—another glance at the leaves assured her there was no way on God’s green earth she was going near those piles again. Instead, she watched Dominic bend down and grab an armload of leaves, his back to them.
“Why don’t you come inside for a few minutes while Dom finishes up? I have some water on for tea and a plate of fresh butter cookies I made this afternoon.”
Kate’s gaze, however, was on the figure before her, whose jeans had crept dangerously low to reveal a small expanse of tanned skin under his plaid flannel shirt. Hunched over, with his weight supported by his quads, Kate couldn’t help but notice the tautness of his jeans as they stretched over his upper thighs and backside. He stood easily and dumped half the pile of leaves into the canister and turned to meet her eyes.
That’s right. Glenda had asked her a question. Something about tea…
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine. Nothing a long, hot bath couldn’t cure.”
At that statement, Dominic broke into a wide, easy smile, and an impish gleam entered his eyes as he watched her. Oh, great. Now he was probably picturing her naked.
Glenda waved her hand. “You can take a bath later. You’re coming with me right now and we’re having some tea. I won’t take any arguments. We’ve had so few opportunities to visit, now seems as good a time as any.”
She grabbed Kate firmly by the shoulders and led her up the driveway, and Kate, realizing the decision was already made for her, quietly followed. Maybe if she hurried she could get in and out before Dominic finished.
Chapter Three
When Dominic opened the door, the scent of cookies assailed him, and the warm air bit at his cheeks. It was colder outside than he’d thought. The two women seated at the kitchen table paused in their conversation when he stepped in.
“There’s a mug of tea on the counter for you. Earl Grey,” Glenda offered. “I was just giving Kate the name of a couple neighborhood kids who could help her with the yard work in exchange for a few bucks.”
He nodded and headed to the kitchen sink to wash up. “I pulled the garbage can up the driveway and left it next to the recycling bin. Your rake is in the shed out back. It’s definitely seen better days.” He reached for a paper towel and glanced over at Kate.
“Came with the house. I’ve been meaning to get to Home Depot—”
“Well, look no farther in the meantime, honey,” Glenda said and scooped two teaspoons of sugar into her tea. “Feel free to use whatever I might have in the garage. My Danny always loved tinkering around in our garden, which for Danny meant we had to have state-of-the-art everything. Half the stuff I don’t even know what to do with,” she said and laughed merrily at the memory of her husband.
A loud buzzing sound from the basement brought Glenda to her feet. “That’s my whites. I’ll be a minute. If I don’t hang up a few of those shirts they’ll be a mess when I try to iron them later.”
Dominic tossed the paper towel in the garbage and picked up the mug Glenda had left for him. He preferred coffee but this would do. He brought it to his lips, using the opportunity to watch Kate, who squirmed in the quiet of the kitchen. He would bet she was wishing she’d finished her tea before he’d arrived.
Which was why he’d made sure to work fast.
Almost absentmindedly, she tried to run her fingers through her windblown hair but grimaced and gave up halfway through when it looked like a certain knot wouldn’t budge.
She looked up at him, her expression serious and intense. “Thanks for the help outside,” she said with absolute sincerity, distracting him enough so he took a large swig of scalding tea. “I was—what you might say—acting like a freak out there. I hate spiders. And when I saw one crawl up my sleeve…” She stopped, her cheeks getting rosier by the second. But she didn’t look away, still meeting his gaze. “Well…thanks.”
“Like I said, no worries. We all have something we’re afraid of. If there had been a snake out there, you probably would have heard a few girlish shrieks followed by some choice words from me.”
Her mouth cracked into a very slight smile. Progress.
“You and Glenda must be close. Two visits in the same week.” She raised her mug to her lips and sipped.
“She’s a sweet lady. Since my uncle died, my brother and I try to get over here as often as we can. Lend a hand. These old houses always seem to have something or another going on, as I imagine you’ll figure out soon enough.” From the way she flinched, he had a feeling she probably already was. “Did you find someone yet?”
She looked at him, perplexed initially, and then he saw understanding dawn. “I’ve talked to a few people,” she said vaguely. He translated that into a no.
“I told you,” wheezed Glenda as she reached the top of the stairs, a laundry basket with clothes in her arms. He hustled over and relieved her of her burden, and she took another breath and continued, “Dominic is the only person you want. At the least, let him in to have a look. Glance through the estimates the other clowns gave you. He’ll tell you what’s what.”
“I couldn’t impose—” Kate started.
Did she ever let anyone help her out? “I could take a look,” he said easily and cut off the rest of her objection. “At least give you an idea of what needs to be done, and you can compare it to the bids you’ve received. Besides, I’m curious to see the inside the old place. Turn of the century, right? What have you got to lose?”