“All set.” Jack held out the envelope wondering how well the blond guy would lose it before Katherine got home. “So you must be a friend of hers.”
The blond guy grinned. “You could call me that.”
Jack filed the comment for later consideration. “What’s she up to tonight anyway?”
“Parent-teacher conferences. She forgot about it until yesterday. She forgets stuff all the time.”
“I see.” Jack smiled and held out his hand. “Well, good meeting you.”
“Yeah, hey. Don’t be a stranger.” The blond guy pumped his hand.
Jack’s mouth did not drop open through sheer force of will. Don’t be a stranger? He was moving in downstairs. How could he be a stranger? “See ya.”
He pulled the door open with numb fingers. Did it mean he would see a lot of that truck? Did the blond guy live here with her?
Couldn’t be. She didn’t have plans on Valentine’s Day. If she was living with someone, wouldn’t that imply automatic plans? Unless the guy worked long shifts. That would also explain why he hadn’t been home all that day. But the garage fit two cars. If she had a car and the blond had the yellow junker, why would she tell him he could park in the garage? Unless they weren’t living together, and he only came by occasionally. That thought unsettled Jack more.
Jack stopped before he opened his truck door. He considered going into his new apartment to eavesdrop. He might even want to stall long enough for Katherine to come home. He looked at the front yard and noticed the For Rent sign still there. He walked over and pulled it up. He turned it over in his hands. She never had put the phone number on it. That had helped his chances a lot. He propped the sign against the wall in the garage and took a minute to check it out. The two and a half car garage had a nice deep worktable along one side and a neat array of tools hanging from the peg board above it. Were those the dumb blond’s tools? Jack shuddered and retreated to his truck after closing the garage door.
As he backed out of the driveway, he spared one last look at the battered truck. He hoped he wouldn’t be seeing much of it. If Katherine liked him, Jack had misjudged her. He grinned at his refection in the side mirror. It also meant the competition wouldn’t be able to out think him. Even if he wasn’t supposed to date the landlady.
Chapter 3
Katherine smoothed her pink sweater over her hips, checking the clock for the third time in five minutes. She might have checked it more often than the students today. She had told Jack he could move in any time after he got the keys. He left a message on her machine saying he was moving in today. He had a couple of buddies who could help him and as long as the weather held, and if she didn’t mind, he’d like to get settled in. That bit of news had upended her ability to teach. Her students had been too stunned by the reversal of their fortune to even be disruptive. Ms. Pelham, the meanest teacher in school, giving them class time on Friday to finish their homework so they wouldn’t have anything to take home over the weekend? Who would have ever imagined? Katherine knew there was a rumor circulating among the students that she had a new boyfriend. The few seniors who could remember once, long ago in their carefree junior high days, when she had been happily engaged and had given easy days and light homework assignments were impressed. But less impressed than her sophomore honors class who didn’t know she knew their nickname for her was ‘Pelt Them With Homework.’
She looked over the class and every head was bent over a book or a paper. She didn’t care what they worked on as long as they were quiet. The threat that she had a huge assignment prepared to hand out if they got wild had been enough. The fact that the folder she’d held up containing the dreaded assignment was full of blank paper didn’t matter.
She turned back to the tenth grade essays she needed to finish grading. All her classwork needed to be done before she went home tonight. Yesterday, she had deposited Jack’s check after school and spent last night prioritizing her bills. With that extra income, she could be back in the financial shallows soon. Maybe she would be able to afford a TV in time for summer reruns. Part of her wanted to believe it was that, and not Jack moving in today, that had her all atwitter.
She ran her marking pencil down the margin of the essay, toting up the number of infractions and weighing them against the number of positives, checked the name of the student and assigned a grade. C. This girl had started slacking off not too long ago. Katherine knew Melina could do better work. At parent-teacher conferences, Melina’s mother had mentioned she thought her daughter had a new boyfriend, but she hadn’t seen him yet. As Melina’s mother had had to take off work for the conference, Katherine wasn’t surprised she hadn’t met the boy in question. He might explain the downward trend, though. Katherine knew there would be an argument Monday when she handed out the graded essays, because this one was superior to some others that had higher grades, and Melina was an accomplished debater despite what this essay showed. For a moment, she considered changing the grade to avoid the argument, but put away the paper before she was too tempted. She had experience fighting losing battles. Sometimes, she thought it was her real job.
Katherine turned to stare out the window. With no work to do this weekend, she would be free to…
To what?
Hang out with her tenant? Play with his dog? Pam had brought her a tube of tennis balls to celebrate renting out the apartment. She’d also commented on the sweater. Katherine looked down at it. She got compliments when she wore it, but she didn’t know what had made her pick it out of the closet today.
Or rather, she did know, and she didn’t want to admit it.
Pam had not pursued the subject.
She just didn’t want to go home in the same baggy, drab stuff she'd been wearing for months. Not with Jack there. She wanted him to see her as pretty. Those golden eyes lit with pleasure at the way she looked. His big, capable hands closing around the soft sweater, stroking the knit. His soft lips covering hers…
She jerked when the bell rang and stood to cover the motion. “Have a good weekend everybody.”
The hallway seemed more chaotic than usual. Katherine tried to keep thoughts of Jack out of her mind while she watched for trouble in the hall, but he kept slipping in. One of the junior boys joined his sophomore girlfriend at her locker, and he kissed her cheek. Katherine only realized she was staring when the boy looked up and blushed. Katherine tried to smile, but she could feel her own blush creeping up her neck. She turned the other way and found Pam staring at her.
Pam left her post beside her classroom door and waded across the thronging hall to Katherine’s. “So, he’s moving in today?”
“Yes. He had help today and he needs to get the old apartment cleaned before the end of the month.”
Pam clucked.
Katherine looked up at her friend. Pam towered over her even when she wore heels, which she had today. Pam hadn’t commented on those, although Randy had asked loudly if she had a hot date. Katherine crouched to pick up a discarded paper. Algebra homework due Monday. There would be panic on Sunday night somewhere in the neighborhood. She stood, folding the paper in half.
“You gave your kids a free day.”
“I thought it might be nice. Let them have one weekend off.” She shrugged.
Pam clucked again.
“Randy still hasn’t fixed that faucet. I may have to break down and call a real plumber,” Katherine said. “Honestly, I don’t know why I had him even try.”
“He’s cheap.”
“Yes, but I’m afraid he’s making the situation worse. I could barely turn on the tap this morning.” The hall emptied almost as rapidly as it had filled. Nobody hung out after school on Friday. A couple of students said goodnight as they darted past, but most made for the door as if they thought they might get extra homework if they made eye contact with the teachers.
Pam leaned against the wall and looked at Katherine. “So have you got a big weekend planned with your new tenant? You know, the one you can’t date?”
“But you got all dressed up for him.” Pam’s voice held a hint of sarcasm.
“It’s business.” Katherine smoothed her sweater over her hips.
Pam nodded. “Keep it that way.”
“Yes, Mother.” Katherine turned on her heel and walked back into her classroom for her book bag and coat.
“Going home already?” Pam asked from the doorway.
“Sure. It’s Friday.”
Pam groaned and walked away.
Katherine left the building, aware of how strange it was for her to be one of the first teachers to leave. Normally, she stayed until at least four-thirty grading papers and planning lessons. Today, there were no papers to grade or lessons to plan, because she'd had all day to get her work done. She should have found Randy to ask him about the faucet, but she had no desire to talk to him after that hot date comment. And besides, how difficult could it be to fix the faucet? The library had to have a book on it. She climbed in her car, prayed it would start, thanked it when it did, and then remembered she wasn’t that close to disaster anymore. If the car didn’t start, she could get it fixed. It would set her plans back by a month or so depending on the repair, but it wouldn’t be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
And she had Jack to thank for it. She drew a deep breath. After nearly two years of scraping, she was about to get some financial breathing room. He was her hero.
Dammit.
Resisting the impulse to close her eyes and remember what her hero looked like from the golden shade of his eyes to the way he filled out his blue fleece jacket, she put the car into gear. Couldn’t start that. He was the worst person in the world for her to develop a relationship with. He was her tenant. And worse, he was a firefighter.
When she got home, three guys lounged on the front porch and Jack was nowhere to be found. They watched her pull into the driveway, and one jumped up to open the garage door. He met her at her car door, holding out a hand to help her out.
“Hi, there.” He had a cute, crooked grin and a lounge singer’s tone that made Katherine want to cringe back into her car.
“Hi.”
“I’m Dan. Dan McWilliams. I work with Jack at the station.” He drew her out of the car, but didn’t step back.
She pulled her book bag between them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her face heated even though she recognized the conquistador gleam in his eyes. For an instant, she felt like a steak.
“Danny!”
Katherine’s breath caught in her throat. There was the voice she longed to hear. She looked around for the source and wondered if she was leaping from frying pan to fire.
Jack strode up the driveway. “I think we’re about ready to go back for another load. Hi, Kate. Have a good day at school?”
“Yes.”
“I left Archer in the back yard.” Jack gestured, and out of the corner of her eye Katherine could see Archer standing at the gate. “Come on up and meet the guys before we go.” He reached around Dan and took her arm.
Every nerve in her body seemed to be located in her elbow where Jack’s hand closed around it. She heard her car door close and then the garage door roll down. Archer whined and raced up and down the fence as they walked past. Jack wore a pair of jeans he must have had for a long time. They molded to his body in the way only familiar denim did. He had on a green sweatshirt. The weather had turned a little colder, but he didn’t seem to notice. She noted that he seemed impervious to the cold, and told herself she should be glad he wouldn’t notice if she kept the temperature low. But the thought seemed to come from another mind altogether because her mind was focused on his hand on her elbow.
“You met Dan.” Jack said guiding her around the corner of the porch. “This is Kevin Marshall and Lew Draper.”
“And they all work with you at the fire station,” she muttered.
“Yeah.”
Katherine licked her lips. Oh look, she thought, he asked his brothers to help him. Heroes to a man. Not that they seemed like bad guys. Kevin had a sweet face but wasn’t as tall as Jack. Lew stood a hair taller, had a playful grin, red hair and green eyes. Dan with his lounge singer charm stood about as tall as Kevin. They all looked down at her pleasantly. Probably nice guys. All of them ready, willing, and eager to get killed in the line of duty. She drew her coat closed and folded her arms. “It’s been nice meeting you, but I’m getting a little cold so I’m going to go inside. If you need anything, knock.” She smiled and escaped their circle.
* * * *
Kevin waited until he heard the side door close before turning to Jack. “I see what you mean. Hot and cold running Katherine. What was that about?”
“What was what about?” Lew asked.
“Never mind. Let’s go get another load. I think we can get the bedroom stuff this time.” Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back to his truck, all the while watching her closed door. He’d been waiting for her to get home all day. Every time they pulled in the driveway, he’d checked his watch to see if school had let out yet. He’d held them up on this last run shifting boxes around because he figured she might get home soon. He hadn’t just wanted to see her, he’d been looking forward to it as a reward for a long hard day.
She’d seemed happy to see him when he got to her in the garage, but it might have been because he was rescuing her from Dan. She looked great in that pink sweater. So neat and professional, and at the same time utterly sexy and enticing. He wondered how her male students managed. If he'd had a teacher who looked like her, he’d have been inclined to get better grades. Or seek out tutoring.
But the moment he’d introduced the others, he could almost feel the sea change without having to see her face. ‘And they all work with you at the station.’ She said it like a curse. Like they shouldn’t work with him. Or like they shouldn’t be helping him move. He had to be missing something.
* * * *
Katherine retreated into her abbreviated home and stood at the top of the stairs scowling until she heard the trucks pull out of the driveway. They were all alike. They didn’t work jobs, they married them. She looked down at herself. What was she thinking dressing to impress a guy who would be more impressed by a fire engine? If she even wanted to compete, she would have to wear red. It would add a little spice to her predominantly blue wardrobe. She bit her lip. An old picture hung at eye level. Gary wearing the uniform that never came off in his mind. It would be the same thing all over again.
But she wasn’t supposed to be dating the tenant, anyway. She had to put him out of her mind. Stop acting like a moony kid. Be the landlord.
She hung her book bag on the back of her office door and stood looking out the window over the backyard. It always looked worse this time of year. The clean white snow melted, leaving behind the moss and weeds that grew in the deep shade of the two huge oak trees flanking the house. Another thing she’d always meant to get to with Gary, but had never had the time. The yard needed to be tilled to loosen the rock hard soil. Then fertilizer should be put down and tilled under, but it had to be the right kind and the dirt needed to be tested to find out what kind it needed. She had already done the research, but could never get Gary to till up the yard. Then later, she hadn’t been able to get his buddies to do anything despite their promises at his funeral.
Something dark streaked around the garage and skidded to a stop at the bottom of the fence barking. Archer. He told her he left Archer in the backyard. Katherine grinned. This tenant she could be friends with. She hurried into her bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Then she grabbed a tennis ball out of the tube in her book bag.
Archer met her at the gate, leaping up on his hind legs as if he knew what she had in mind.
“And what are you so excited about?” she asked him. She opened the gate and squeezed through the smallest opening she could, afraid the dog would make a run for it.
Archer yipped at her.
“Do you know how to play fetch? Do you?”
Archer leaped up on his hind legs so high his head came level with hers. Then he dropped back onto all fours and raced around the yard, ending up back in front of her.
Katherine pulled the tennis ball out of her pocket and held it up for him.
Archer barked, raced half way up the yard and back and barked again.
Katherine threw the ball as hard as she could. It bounced against the slope below the fence, ricocheted off a tree trunk and nearly sailed into the neighbor’s yard, but snagged in a stumpy tree growing beside the fence and dropped to the ground.
Archer chased it from hillside to tree to fence, threw it up in the air, caught it, raced back and stood in front of her, the ball held in his salivating mouth. He wagged his stubby tail so energetically most of his hindquarters were in motion.
“Oh, so you want to play that way.” She grabbed at the ball in his mouth, but he twisted away. She grabbed for the other side. He leaped away, yipping around the ball. She stalked him across the yard and leaped at him, but he slipped through her arms.
“I’ll get you eventually.” She laughed.
Archer snorted and watched her climb to her feet with the ball still clenched in his teeth.
* * * *
Saturday night, Jack knocked at Katherine’s door. He heard her come down the steps before the door opened. She wore a yellow terry cloth bathrobe that she clutched closed with one hand while she used a towel to dry her hair with the other. As dirty as she'd gotten playing with Archer earlier, she’d needed a shower. But then she didn’t know he knew she’d been playing with the dog. Kevin spotted her wrestling with him Friday, and today when Jack came back from cleaning his old apartment, he’d found her sitting on the back stairs trying to look innocent with leaves in her hair.
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