Yuletide Hearts

by Ruth Logan Herne

  Hank hugged her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek. “You make me proud. You know that, don’t you?”

  She did. And she appreciated Hank’s commonsense take on Dustin’s behavior, but the image in the mirror once she climbed the stairs showed a strong, rugged woman, a laborer. And while her father’s approval was a lovely thing, and Callie took pride in her work, her dexterity, her intrinsic knowledge of building, some days it would be nice to look in the mirror and have downright beautiful looking back at her, the gracious swan that evolved from the misunderstood fictional duckling.

  But that wasn’t about to happen.

  Startled awake, Callie stared at the clock, rubbed her eyes and peered again.

  She’d overslept the alarm. Not only would she not be scrubbing clapboard that morning, but she’d be lucky if she got lunches made before the bus pulled up for Jake. And what on earth was that noise?

  Her father sent her an amused smirk as she ran down the stairs in her robe. “Tired?”

  Grr.

  Hank held up Jake’s lunch bag. “We’re good to go.”

  “Thank you.” She gave him a half hug as she kissed his cheek on her way to the coffeepot. “I have no memory of turning the radio off or hitting the snooze bar. I must have zonked. And what is going on out there?” She jerked a thumb toward the subdivision.

  Hank shook his head. “Not there.” He pointed toward the street side of the house. “Here.”

  Here?

  Callie followed the direction of his finger, pulled back the curtain and stared.

  Matt Cavanaugh had brought over a small power washer. Using care, he splayed the jet of water against the siding in a slow and steady back-and-forth sweep, his attention locked on the task at hand.

  “Pretty nice of him.” Hank’s words drew her gaze around.

  “Very.”

  “Must have seen you working out there.”

  Callie was pretty sure the flush started somewhere around her toes and worked its way up. “Probably just wants to make sure we can use daylight hours on the subdivision.”

  “Most likely.”

  “Dad, I—”

  She stopped as Jake clamored down the stairs, his expression a mix of surprise and delight. “Matt’s washing the front of the house!”

  “He is, yes.”

  “Then we can put up the Christmas lights this weekend!” He raced for the door and barreled across the porch, then down the steps and around the front. Callie watched from inside, pretty sure Matt couldn’t hear a word Jake was saying.

  It didn’t matter. Matt’s grin said he understood a little boy’s excitement. He nodded and sent Jake a quick thumbs-up as he guided the spray around the windows. He spotted Callie watching and for a quick beat he forgot to move the water wand.

  Oops. His look of chagrin said he’d peeled a bit of paint.

  He swept her one more quick look, barely noticeable except for the wink. And the smile, just crooked enough to be endearing.

  Callie rolled her eyes, shook a finger at him and tried not to smile. She couldn’t feed this flirtation and she had plenty on her plate dealing with Jake and Dad, but…

  She let the curtain fall into place as Jake raced back in to grab a bagel and his lunch. “It looks great out there, Mom.” He switched his look to Hank and raised both brows. “So we can decorate this weekend? Right?”

  “When we’re not working,” Hank promised.

  “Perfect.” Jake gave Callie a quick hug and pointed toward the clock. “Matt says you’ve got fifteen minutes before you have to be at work and that you might want to get your coffee to go.”

  “Oh, he did, did he?”

  Jake grinned and headed outside. “He’s funny.”

  Funny. Right. She shooed Jake on. “Have a good day.”

  “I will.” She heard him hail Matt as he headed for the road, The General at his heels, his voice upbeat. “See you later, Matt!”

  She refused to check out Matt’s reply, to see if he heard the boy’s call.

  She never overslept. Ever.

  Her father poured a fresh cup of coffee into a thermal cup and swept her and the clock a look. “Twelve minutes and counting.”

  Laughter bubbled up from somewhere far away, a different kind of laughter. Sweet. Girlish. Kind of silly, actually.

  But nice.

  She hustled up the stairs, donned her layers and refused to think about the nice thing Matt was doing, saving her work, saving her time, precious commodities these days. And the joy in Jake’s step…

  That thought nipped the gladness. She didn’t want Jake hurt. He’d taken a shine to Matt, but Matt was only temporary. If Jake grew too close…

  Are you worried about Jake or you?

  Both. Callie tugged her hoodie into place, grabbed a pair of fingerless gloves and headed back downstairs.

  Matt’s grin was the first thing she saw as she rounded the bottom step, his shirt cuffs damp from the sprayer, his hands wound tight around a mug of coffee. He flicked a gaze toward the clock, then back to her. “Right on time.”

  She faced him, tongue-tied. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t get beyond that smile to create a quick comeback. And he saw that. Recognized the reaction. Probably because girls fell at his feet on a regular basis. His grin widened, lighting his eyes.

  Not me, not now.

  Callie grabbed her insulated coffee mug, not ready to play this game. Maybe she’d never be ready, and that might be okay. She headed out the door with Matt following, but as she passed the front corner of the house, she couldn’t ignore what he’d done. She turned back and caught him studying her, his gaze curious. Maybe a little concerned. “Thank you.” She waved toward the front and a hint of his smile returned. “You’re welcome.”

  “It looks much better.”

  He nodded, quiet, still watching her, one eye narrowed as if wondering something.

  She pointed over his shoulder and slightly left. “Except where you peeled the paint above the window.”

  His smile deepened. Softened. He shrugged. “Distracted.”

  Talk about smooth.

  Again the flush rose from somewhere deep and low, the pleasure of having a man flirt with her awakening sweet memories.

  Memories that crashed and burned, honey. This guy’s way cute, but he’s here today, gone tomorrow. Let’s not forget that.

  She headed across the road, chin down, knowing he followed a pace behind, not hurrying to catch up. Was he waiting for her to come back? Match her pace to his?

  Or just enjoying a walk with his coffee?

  “House looks good, Matt.” Buck smiled and nodded appreciation toward the Marek place as they drew alongside. “And that means we can rig up Shadow Jesus soon, I expect.”

  “And the lights,” Hank added. “Jake sure is excited.”

  “I got that.” Matt grinned, took a sip of coffee and settled an easy look Callie’s way. “He’s a good kid.”

  “Thanks. Same assignments as yesterday, boss?”

  A muscle clench in his chin said he recognized the marker drawn. “Sure.” He headed right while she moved to join her father and Buck on the roof they’d begun the previous day, but his light whistle followed her, the tune young. Bright. Carefree. It called to her, but she’d put carefree aside a lot of years ago and it would take more than clean clapboards and perfect teeth to bring it back. Most days she was pretty sure it was gone for good.

  So much for maintaining a distance, Matt thought as Callie headed across his roof on steady feet a few hours later. “Tom said you needed a hand over here.”

  Matt nodded, brisk, pretending immunity. “I do, thanks. The pharmacy called to say his wife’s prescription was ready.”

  “And he didn’t want her waiting.” Callie adjusted her gloves, flexed her fingers and squatted beside him, close enough to notice how her lashes curled up on their own with no help from mascara. “That’s Tom, all right. And since Dad and Buck are capping twenty-three, I was the logical choice. Looks g
ood, Jim,” she noted, raising her voice so Jim could hear. “And it’s almost straight.”

  Jim made a face at her. “Ha, ha. Do I have to remind you that I’ve put on more roofs than anyone else in Allegheny County?”

  Callie laughed. “Since there’s no one here to argue the point, I’ll let you stake your claim. In the meantime,” she turned her gaze toward Matt.

  “Do you want to feed or nail?” he asked.

  “I’ll nail. Then we can switch so neither one of us ends up with a backache later.”

  “And you didn’t leave for the diner today. How about tomorrow?”

  Callie shook her head, eyes down, working the nail gun as they edged right. “Nope.”

  Matt fought off the quick glimmer of appreciation her answer inspired. Focus on your work. Remember that you’re on a rooftop and concentration might be in everyone’s best interest. But he’d be lying to say that Callie wasn’t a pretty nice distraction, totally against the norm of women he’d known.

  “I switched with Gina,” she continued, working as she talked. “She’s a single mom, too, and she can use the extra shifts. She’ll do doubles, which will help her out at this time of year.”

  “Christmas.”

  “Christmas and winter clothes,” she told him as she shifted her angle to give him more room. “With kids you go right from back-to-school clothes to winter clothes and then Christmas. There’s no such thing as saving a dime in the fall. Not with children.”

  Tom’s truck pulled back in a few minutes later. He climbed out, surveyed their progress and whistled, appreciative. “Nice work.”

  Matt grinned, showed a thumbs-up and jerked his head toward Hank and Buck. “Can you finish up with Hank and Buck?”

  “And let you have the pretty girl all to yourself?” Tom drawled. He tipped his wool hat toward Callie, ever the gentleman. “Good thing I’m a happily married man. I might be giving you a run for your money.”

  Matt shook his head, pretending indifference, but when he glanced Callie’s way, twin spots of color brightened her cheeks.

  The wind, he decided.

  “Ready here.”

  He started feeding her shingles again, her speed and concentration commendable when it was all he could do not to notice how she moved, the way she handled the nail gun as though born to it, her manner decisive, her gaze intent, her lower lip drawn between her teeth as she squared up each section.

  She didn’t talk, she worked, and Matt appreciated that. Talking slowed things down, and they were already racing the clock. Callie understood the time line and stayed focused on the job at hand while Matt had a hard time focusing on anything but her.

  A car pulled up. Amanda climbed out, toting a drink tray of fresh coffees from the convenience store at the crossroads.

  “She’s a lifesaver,” Callie muttered from behind Matt.

  Matt met her gaze and smiled. “I’ll say. Now if she only thought to bring doughnuts…”

  Amanda set the tray of large coffees down on the saw table tucked inside the garage of number seventeen, then headed back to the car and pulled out a big box of doughnuts.

  “No wonder he loves her.”

  Callie laughed out loud, Matt’s easy humor a comfortable draw. “And times aren’t easy for them.”

  “Exactly.” Matt nodded her way, before tilting his gaze toward Amanda. “But they go the distance. That’s why I contracted Jim initially, but the closing took weeks longer than expected and he was already treading water.”

  “Tough business climate for builders,” Callie noted as she climbed down the ladder ahead of him, pretending not to notice how nice he looked from behind in his jeans, his movements sure and steady. A guy who looked that good in denim ought to be doing TV commercials.

  This is a work relationship, it’s money in the bank, Callie. It’s a chance to get through this winter in the black, instead of the red. You can’t afford to let anything mess this up.

  She knew that, but couldn’t deny the pull. She’d been a soldier for years. A good soldier learned to assess and acclimate, then decide.

  She’d assessed Matt, all right, and she was tempted to get a little more acclimated, but when it came to the decision-making part of things, she had one job first and foremost: to take care of Jake and her father.

  She couldn’t afford to tip this job into negative territory, and romance gone bad could do just that.

  Nope, she’d be friendly, work hard and hope Matt kept them on as he proceeded to finish the homes her father had started.

  Matt turned and handed her a coffee. Their eyes met. He stood, holding the coffee, her hand skimming his, their gazes locked, electrifying the moment.

  “Cream?” He half choked the word, then rolled his eyes, smiled and leaned forward, his voice soft. “I don’t think my voice has broken like that in nearly twenty years, and I was talking to a pretty girl that time, too.”

  Callie accepted the coffee, slanted him a wry glance and reached for two little creamers. “Twenty years between girls? That’s so not normal. You get that, right?”

  He grinned and added sugar to his coffee before sidling her a look. “Maybe it depends on the girl.”

  “Makes men choke.” Callie nodded, stirred her coffee, put the lid back on to help ward off the cold and turned his way. “I’ll put that on my list of attributes if I decide to go on one of those internet dating sites.”

  “Or you could spare yourself the trouble and just go out with me.” The look he sent her said he was only half-teasing.

  An offer she’d love under different circumstances. She’d figured that out when she’d found him sitting at their kitchen table, firm but at ease, decisive, but kind when pushed to ask for their help. Matt’s warmth and self-confidence spelled “good guy” in bold letters, but this good guy was also her boss.

  “I never date the boss,” she told him, keeping her tone easy but her answer firm. “If things go bad it makes for a rough work environment.”

  His look said he agreed but wished he didn’t. He handed her the open box of doughnuts and indicated them with a glance down. “May I offer you first choice in doughnuts at least?”

  She grinned, wishing she could have said yes to going out, but glad he recognized the dangers, too. “That’s quite chivalrous of you.”

  “The least I can do, ma’am.” He tugged his wool hat slightly, the maneuver endearing, but Callie couldn’t risk endearment.

  Could she?

  Not when he controlled the paycheck.

  Chapter Five

  Callie walked into the familiar setting of the Jamison Farmers’ Free Library for the weekly fundraising meeting that evening. In partnership with Walker Electronics, the towns were raising funds to upgrade and expand the tiny library tucked in the vintage village. Callie loved being on hand to help raise money for the good cause because Hannah Moore, the former librarian, had tutored Jake the last two years, inspiring him, laughing with him.

  And now Hannah was engaged to Matt Cavanaugh’s brother, Jeff Brennan, her cochair on the library committee. Which meant Callie couldn’t stop thinking of Matt while seeing Jeff and Hannah.

  But she was having a hard time not thinking of Matt without Jeff and Hannah around, so tonight wasn’t much different than every other night this past week.

  “Callie.” Hannah sent her a quick grin of acknowledgment and handed off meeting minutes from the previous week. “Do you mind setting these around for me?”

  “Glad to.” Callie laid a copy on each chair while Hannah finished measuring coffee.

  “Done.”

  “Me, too.” Hannah crossed the room and grasped her hands. “Hey, I wanted to say I’m sorry about your father’s subdivision. It’s got to be hard, watching it being developed right across the street from you.”

  “Actually…”

  “We all know how hard you worked on it…”

  Callie grasped her friend’s hand to shush her. “Hannah. Pause. Breathe. Dad and I are still working on it.”


  Hannah frowned. “Huh?”

  “Matt hired us to crew with him.”

  Hannah’s frown turned into surprise. “Gutsy move. Not like that should surprise me.” She sent a wizened look toward the door as Jeff walked in, looking confident and happy to see his future bride. “They are brothers.” She refocused her attention on Callie as Jeff paused to talk to Melissa, the young woman taking over Hannah’s job at the library. “Are you okay with all this?”

  Callie’s hesitation outed her.

  “Oh, honey.” Hannah made a face of concern. “You don’t have to work for him, you know. Not if it’s that hard.”

  Hannah had clearly misunderstood her pause in conversation. As Jeff moved into their area, Callie hedged. “It’s fine, really. Matt’s amazing and we’re already making great progress on the houses. And that’s good for Dad, mentally and physically.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Jeff slipped an arm around Hannah, planted a soft kiss to her hair, but kept his attention on Callie. “And I told Matt he could stay with me, but he said he was going to finagle a spot onsite because he can’t afford to lose time with the short days now.”

  “And that’s a fact.” Callie didn’t mention that Matt had moved into their extra room, and that his burly presence added a whole new dimension to their home. That his laugh shook the rafters and his smile…

  Oh, that smile…

  Luckily other committee members began trooping in, saving her from making a complete fool of herself. Jeff moved off to greet people, but Hannah stayed put. She swept Callie an up-and-down look before nodding. “Hmm.”

  Callie frowned. “Hmm?”

  “Hmm.”

  Hannah tossed Callie a knowing look over her shoulder as she set pens around the table. Callie shook her head, firm. Resolute. “No hmms. Strictly business.”

  “I know exactly what you mean.” Hannah jerked a thumb toward Jeff in the crowd of new arrivals. “A few months ago I was fighting tooth and nail to get off this committee. Now I’m marrying my cochair. Oh, I get it, Cal.”