Suddenly, all thoughts of his friends disappeared when he saw Callie getting out of her car. He continued to look in her direction and waved when she waved at him, and realized he’d been thinking about her way more than he should.
Between spending so much time in the Navy and then returning to civilian life and getting caught up in finding a job, dating hadn’t really been a priority. Sex had, dating hadn’t. So while he could easily say he was totally fine with the amount of female companionship he’d had in his life, he’d never felt the need for anything more serious than a night or two of fun.
That probably also had to do with his small-town upbringing and the countless times he’d gone out with a girl, only to have her parents and everyone who knew them asking his intentions and planning their future.
Reason number four-hundred and eighty-six why he wasn’t moving back home and why he wouldn’t date or get involved with another small-town girl.
And Callie was a total small-town girl.
Which was a real shame, because Ford found himself inexplicably drawn to her. He was physically attracted to her—that was a given—but after spending even such a short amount of time with her last weekend, he found that he liked talking to her as well. She had a lightness about her that made him want to see things her way and break free of his pessimistic view of the world.
From where he stood in front of the house, he had a clear view of Callie walking back to her car with an armload of bags. Then she went inside and came back out a minute later with more bags.
Ford frowned as he watched her, trying to figure out what exactly she was doing. She slammed the hatch down on her SUV and then stood with her arms folded. A minute later, she opened the hatch and started taking the bags back out again.
He couldn’t help but watch in amusement. Even from this distance he could see—almost feel—her frustration.
“What in the world are you doing?” he asked softly, taking a step in her direction. With his hands in his coat pockets for warmth, he watched her take the last of the bags and slam the hatch down again before walking into the house.
He wondered if she’d come out again.
Sure enough…she was walking back out to her car.
“Okay, now I have to know,” he murmured as he walked across the yard. When he reached her driveway, she was unloading again. She startled when she spotted him. “Everything okay?”
Those wide blue eyes stared back at him. “Excuse me?”
He laughed softly. “I’m not trying to be nosey but…I saw you going in and out of your house with these bags multiple times. It seems like something’s going on. Can I help you with anything?”
Her shoulders seemed to relax a bit, and it was cold enough that he could see her breath as she let it out. “I’m trying to find space for some things,” she explained. “Part of me is fine with just taking them to school with me and working on the crafts there, but I prefer doing it at home. So just when I think I’m okay with it, I change my mind.”
Nodding, he looked at the bags. “And there’s no room in the house for this stuff?”
“Follow me,” she said, but he detected a hint of reluctance.
It was a simple enough request, but for some reason his eyes couldn’t seem to look away from the soft sway of her hips or how enticing she looked in the snug denim.
Maybe coming over here wasn’t the best idea…
Once they stepped into the small house, it was he stopped short.
There were shopping bags littering the floor and the coffee table. The space was a lot more cramped than he remembered it being, but that probably had more to do with the amount of furniture and craft supplies that Callie had. One long sofa sat under the front window and on the side wall, there were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that were filled with pictures and knickknacks along with a large variety of books. He hadn’t paid too much attention to the decor when he’d been in here a week ago, but all of a sudden, he couldn’t imagine how she was living like this.
“With the holidays coming up, everything we’ll be doing in art will be centered around them. So there’s always things like making turkeys out of colored paper cutouts of our hands or making them out of pinecones, but I wanted to do some fun projects with the kids with snowmen. And then I decided to do some larger crafts for myself with that theme to give to friends and family.” She smiled bashfully. “It’s kind of my thing.”
“Your thing?” he asked with a hint of confusion.
“I love doing the handmade-gift thing,” she admitted. “Anyone can go to a store and buy a sweater or something like that. I prefer to take the time and make something that I think people will enjoy.”
“Like a handmade snowman?”
She gave him a pointed look. “It’s not just any snowman. I’m going to make it out of grapevine and twinkly lights and…” Callie paused and could obviously tell he wasn’t quite following her. “Trust me, it’s going to be adorable and people are going to love it.”
“If you say so,” he said as he shook his head and tried to imagine where she was going to work on all this stuff. Or store it. “Although, I guess I understand what you’re saying. I used to make stuff out in the workshop and give them to my family as gifts.”
Moving some of her bags aside, she sat down. “Really? Like what?”
“I made picture frames for my mom and some shelves for her office. Then I made a small bookcase for my dad one year.” He paused. “And I made a toolbox for my grandfather.” His voice had grown quiet as he remembered how excited he’d been to give that gift to him. Amazing how, so many years later, the memory still got to him.
“I’m sure he loved it,” she said softly.
Ford turned and looked at her with a small smile. “Grams told me he used it right up until he died.”
Without warning, she stood and walked over and hugged him.
It was an unexpected gesture, but that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate it. Hell, he even needed it.
She smelled even better than he imagined, was his first thought, and before he gave in to the urge to linger, he pulled back. Or at least, that was his plan. One look at the sweet smile on her face, however, and Ford couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her and hug her back.
It amazed him how simply standing here listening to her talk about making snowmen had made him feel better than he had in a long time.
Too long.
Which was crazy. It was borderline ridiculous, and he’d never admit it to anyone. Maybe he was just reacting to their common love of making things by hand. Other than his grandfather, Ford hadn’t met anyone else who found simple joy in creating things—big and small—on their own, from scratch. Maybe it was a dying art, but that couldn’t be true. Otherwise there wouldn’t be any new furniture designs or art galleries or…anything.
Ford cleared his throat and took a step back. “Um…yeah, so I totally get the appeal of doing gifts you make yourself.”
Callie took her own step back and gave him a shy smile. “Like I said, it’s kind of my thing.” Then she looked around the room and sighed. “And I just have to accept the fact that it might be a little crowded in here for a while.” Then she laughed. “Good thing Christmas is less than a month away, right?”
Right.
Christmas.
That was something he did not want to talk about right now.
“You’re more than welcome to use the workshop for extra storage, Callie. It’s a heated space and there’s plenty of surface area for you to use to work on your projects.”
“Really?” she asked excitedly. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”
He shrugged. “Not at all. I’ll be in and out of there to do some of the carpentry work for the interior of the house, but the space is big enough for both of us to work.”
“Oh my goodness, Ford! I really appreciate the offer. Thank you!” And then she was hugging him again, and this time he didn’t hesitate to hug her back.
“No problem,” he said a
s he pulled back. “Why don’t I help you move this stuff over, and then I need to get back to work.”
She was beaming at him, and he found that he really enjoyed making her smile. Which was a new feeling for him but not one that was unpleasant.
Something to think about at another time, because Callie was already gathering up her bags and chatting about all she could accomplish thanks to the extra space.
He was more than willing to listen to her talk.
It took his mind off of all the things he had waiting for him over at the main house.
* * *
The distraction only lasted so long, and only until Ford stepped out of the workshop and looked over at the house. The tarp was almost in place and the wind was whipping to the point that it stung his skin. The sky was a miserable shade of gray and the clouds looked ominous.
Why hadn’t anyone kept a better watch on the weather before tearing up the roof? This was the kind of stuff he needed to talk to Dennis about. He had sent the roofing crew over and Ford had been too tied up in securing materials to check on the weather.
Which was a rookie mistake he was now paying for.
For the next hour, he helped out where he could and then did an inspection to make sure the tarp was as secured as it possibly could be. Just when he stepped down off the ladder, the first drops of rain began to fall. Most of the crew was gone and he yelled for everyone else to head out and silently prayed the weather would pass quickly, and that perhaps by tomorrow they’d be able to get right back to work without losing any time.
With nothing left to do, Ford watched the last of the trucks pull away before heading into the house. It didn’t take long for him to begin to feel the chill. He stepped back outside and went into the garage and found a few smaller tarps, along with a hammer, some nails and duct tape that he could use to try to seal off the stairwell and hold the heat in as best as possible. Callie was nowhere in sight, so he figured she was done for the day with her crafting.
Getting the rooms secure took another hour, and by then the sky was black and the rain had turned to ice.
Luckily, he had stocked up on groceries and had picked up more premade meals for the week from No Man’s Land, so dinner wasn’t going to be an issue. Tonight definitely seemed like a good night for some hot soup and maybe some biscuits, he thought.
“Shower first,” he murmured, taking the time to preheat the oven before heading into the bathroom. It would have been easier to use the master bath in his grandmother’s room, but there was a full bathroom right off of the kitchen and next to the bedroom he’d been using. It wasn’t nearly as nice as the one in the master, but right now he didn’t care. Warming up in the shower and washing the day off was his main concern.
The hot water felt glorious, and it didn’t take long for him to start to relax. Unfortunately, plumbing wasn’t something he’d upgraded yet, and with the bad weather moving in, he didn’t want to risk using all the hot water. Reluctantly, he shut off the water and grabbed a towel and quickly dried off.
“Dammit.” Looking around the small bathroom, Ford realized he hadn’t brought in clean clothes. The thought of leaving the warmth of the room in just a towel wasn’t at all appealing, but what could he do? Opening the door, he stepped out—and came to a dead stop.
Callie was in the kitchen.
How…? Why…?
Clutching the towel around his hips, he stared at her and noted her eyes had gone wide with surprise too.
“Oh!” she gasped, and quickly turned her back. “Oh, God. I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”
He was torn between asking why she was there and stepping into his room to get dressed.
“What are you doing here?”
Clothes could wait, right?
With her back to him, she said, “I noticed a small leak in the loft when I got back to the house and with the weather being what it is, I thought I’d come over and ask what I can use to patch it. I knocked and figured you were working and didn’t hear me, so I let myself in, and I heard the oven timer beep. You didn’t answer when I called out. and then I wanted to make sure nothing was cooking that was going to burn…” He saw her head drop a little as she shook it. “I’m so sorry to just barge in like this. I should have called first.”
Now didn’t seem like the time to remind her that he hadn’t given her his number.
“Anyway,” she went on, “I’m going to go and…I’m sorry. Really. I…I swear I won’t just let myself in next time. That was so rude of me. Like you don’t have to deal with people just traipsing through your home enough with all the work, and then I go and do it too. God, I can’t believe I did that!”
She was totally rambling and it was kind of amusing, he thought.
“Listen, Callie,” he began, “just…just give me a minute to get dressed and I’ll be back out. I want to see what’s going on with the loft. Just give me a minute. Two, tops.” And without waiting for her reply, Ford stepped into his bedroom and quickly put on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
Back out in the kitchen, he found Callie still standing with her back to him, and he laughed softly. “It’s safe to turn around,” he said. “I’m dressed.”
When she faced him, he saw the flush in her cheeks and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I am so embarrassed,” she said.
He laughed again. “I don’t see why. I’m the one who got caught in nothing but a towel.” Ford thought that would make her relax, or at least look at him, but it didn’t. “Seriously, Callie, it’s fine. It’s not a big deal. Trust me. I’ve had to bunk with over a hundred guys, I’m not the least bit modest.”
Then she did look up at him, and he felt those blue eyes on him like a caress.
“I really thought you were working. But the timer…”
“I know,” he said with an easy grin. “I was just preheating the oven for some biscuits to go with dinner.”
“Oh.”
He walked across the kitchen and looked out the window and saw the ice turning to snow. “You didn’t walk over, did you?”
“I have my umbrella. It didn’t seem like a big deal since I was only planning to ask you what I should use, but it does look like it’s getting worse so…I should go.”
“It’s going to be slick out there. Let me drive you over.”
With a mirthless laugh, Callie shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. It’s not that far, and there’s no reason for you to drive me across the property. I’ll be fine. I’ve walked through the snow and ice before.”
“It’s not up for debate,” he said firmly as he turned to grab a pair of socks and his boots from his room.
“Ford!” she called after him, right before she stalked toward his room and they collided in the doorway.
Three things hit him at once. First, they were developing a habit that had them running into one another. Second, he wouldn’t mind sharing a meal with her again. And third…he really liked the way she felt whenever she was close to him.
Dangerous territory.
Definitely dangerous territory.
There was no way he could keep thinking like this. He was only planning on being in Eagle’s Ridge for another few weeks and then he was gone. On top of that, he didn’t do relationships with the local girls anymore.
No matter how much this particular one was tempting him.
If he thought her gaze was a caress earlier, it was an out-and-out stroke this time. Slowly she looked at him, from his chest up to his eyes, and when she slowly licked and then chewed her bottom lip, Ford almost groaned.
Tempting.
So. Very. Tempting.
Callie cleared her throat and said, “I really don’t need a ride, Ford. Stay in and stay warm. It looks like you’ve got enough to deal with. I’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll flash the front porch light when I get to the house to let you know I made it there safely.”
Unable to help himself, he gently grasped her shoulders and turned her around and gave her a little nudge back toward the kitchen.
“Like I said, Callie, it’s not up for debate. Grab your umbrella and meet me out front. I’ll be there in a minute.”
He wasn’t an idiot. He had a feeling she was contemplating just making a run for it while he put his boots on. He could see it in the way she was eyeing the back door and then looking at him.
“Just let me do this,” he said with a huff. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry and would love to have some dinner. So the sooner we get you home, the sooner that can happen.”
Wordlessly, she nodded and walked back to the mud room. Ford heard the back door open but she called out that she was just grabbing her umbrella. When she walked back through the kitchen, she looked at the oven. “Do you need to put the biscuits in?”
“I’ll wait until I get back. I’m just having soup and thought biscuits sounded good with them. They’re just the store-bought ones in the can.” He stood and went to grab his coat. “Come on. Let’s get you home before the weather gets worse.”
She didn’t speak again until they were in the truck. “I’ve got soup going for dinner tonight too, but I’m making grilled cheese with mine.”
Damn, he thought. That sounded better than the biscuits.
Rather than comment on it, he simply nodded and started the truck. The ice was pretty thick on the windshield and he had to admit, it had been a long time since he’d dealt with winter weather like this. Virginia got its share of snow in the winter, but nothing like this in the time he’d lived there. The windshield wipers weren’t moving anything and he had a feeling it would have been quicker for her to walk home rather than waiting for the truck to warm up.
As if reading his mind, Callie looked over at him. “I really do appreciate the offer, Ford, but maybe I should just go.”
“Or…”
“Or…?” she repeated.
“Or you can stay and have dinner with me and I can let the truck warm up for a few minutes before we leave later.”
A slow smile crossed her face. “You know it’s only going to be worse later on, right?”
Ford: 7 Brides for 7 Soldiers Page 6