Being the first to arrive, he unloaded everything and set his precious toolbox on the counter in the kitchen.
Immediately, he walked through the building, making a mental list and writing jobs on the walls with his flat-edged pencil.
He placed the new windows near where they were needed to save time for the installers and to avoid confusion.
Standing on the second floor, he watched as the first light of the morning peeked over Copper Mountain.
Once again, Kyle marveled at the rich golds and reds as they poured over the white-capped peak. “Damn, that never gets old, does it, Dad?”
The frigid morning winds whispered against the single-paned windows.
The first time he’d watched the sunrise here happened back when his father brought him to Marietta on a long father-son ski weekend. They’d spent the entire time outside going up and down the slopes and taking in the local sights. Just them—a nice change from having to share his father’s attention with four other siblings.
A nugget of pain pinched Kyle’s chest at the memory of the multiple bruises his father sustained after those long days of easy skiing.
That trip was right before he got his first leukemia diagnosis.
Tears threatened to fall.
And the last time he looked at me without judgment.
Shaking off the grief, he shifted his focus to the knowledge his father had given him about home repairs instead of the sad memories.
Tears fix nothing.
As one of Hollywood’s top set designers, Patrick Cavasos knew how to fix and create anything. Kyle had followed his father around from the time he could strap on a tool belt and absorbed every bit of information his dad shared.
Scanning the room, Kyle smirked. “Dad, you’d love fixing this place up. It’s like that building you had to get ready for Mom’s first movie and then the first one she directed.”
The wind subtly tapped the glass as though it was answering him. He often wondered if his father spoke to him through projects like this.
When they’d picked this building for Harry’s House, Kyle knew it would be a tremendous amount of work to get all the interior work completed. Still, he had full confidence he’d help everyone get the project done.
He had his father to thank for that. Without his dad’s teachings, they’d all be wandering around this place, wondering what to do and making things worse.
The sun continued its rise, making the snow-capped peaks glisten as though someone had sprinkled gold flakes all over them.
He wondered if Gabby would be interested in such things. Sitting with him as he watched the sun come up each morning. Maybe they could watch through his upstairs window as they sat on the battered up futon on the other side of the room from his treadmill.
The idea of holding her in his arms, the subtle fresh smell of whatever the hell that shampoo she used was tickling his nose caused his jeans to instantly become too small in the crotch.
Shaking off his infatuation, he needed to get his head on straight before the guys arrived.
The last thing they need is a foreman with his head in the clouds.
Once again, he walked the second floor, double-checking his to-do list and setting up the generators for heat; but he knew the Clark brothers would probably laugh at the heaters.
Being from Southern California, Kyle had taken a while to get used to the cold here. He’d come a long way this winter, but this morning had a chill about it he couldn’t shake.
He had no doubt those guys would show up in T-shirts, jeans, and light jackets.
At exactly eight, a creak of the front door sent Kyle downstairs. “Mornin’, Logan.”
Deputy Logan Tate growled as he entered. “Let’s get this done.”
“Bad night?”
“Don’t want to talk about it.”
“Fair enough.” Kyle couldn’t help but smirk. Logan had been seeing a lot of photographer, Charlie, since she arrived in town.
The saucy Brit handled the photo shoots of the First Responder calendar like a pro, even allowing Kyle to partially hide his face. She didn’t even ask him why and he respected her for that. But he guessed as professional as she was with the rest of them, Logan was another story. It wasn’t a big secret that Logan and she had taken things into the personal arena. This had only been validated yesterday when their dispatcher, Betty, had whispered to Kyle that Charlie was seen buying a pregnancy test. “Charlie okay?”
“The woman makes me nuts,” Logan mumbled as he put on safety goggles after checking his phone.
“Whatever’s bugging you, work it out beating the shit out of something. You’ll feel better.” Kyle patted him on the back, handed him a hammer, and pointed him toward upstairs.
Without a word, Logan grabbed a mask and safety goggles, and followed Kyle, who instructed him on the most productive way to rip out the stud walls.
With Logan to work and others arriving, Kyle gave each man an assignment that he thought they could do with little or no supervision. Or at least without making things worse.
The Clark brothers—Jonah, Gavin, and Dan—arrived. They’d already offered to install the windows. He sent them up to start unwrapping them and getting them ready for install.
Forest ranger Todd Harris rolled in not long after that along with doctor Tom Reynolds.
Since these guys knew how to operate electric screwdrivers, he sent them into the kitchen to get all the cabinet fronts off, strip them of their hardware, and rip out the obnoxious blue-tiled countertops.
“Why do you get to be foreman, Cavasos?” snarked K9 officer Brett Adams before he tossed his to-go cup of coffee into the makeshift trash can near the front door.
“Because I know what I’m doing, Brett, and you’re late.”
“I had to walk the dog,” he snapped as his faithful companion, Duke, sat patiently next to him.
Giving the dog a scratch behind the ears, Kyle added, “I can’t have a dog on a job site, Brett. It’s not safe for the dog.”
“He can hang out near the door. I’ve got his blanket in the truck.”
“No.”
“Come on, man. I’m on call. Either I stay and help and the dog stays, or I have to go.”
“Why can’t your sister take care of him?”
“Casey’s at work. At the diner.”
Glancing down, the dog went doe-eyed as though to say, “Come on, man. Give me something. I want to help.”
Noticing a corner away from the chill of the front door and close to a heater, Kyle relented. “Fine, if you’ve got his bed in the truck you can bring it in, but if he starts to wander or gets in anyone’s way, you gotta take him home.”
“Great.” After setting up the dog’s bed, water, and snacks, Brett returned for instructions. He grabbed a sledgehammer, but Kyle shook his head.
“Nope, we got enough of that demo going on.”
“What am I supposed to do, Cavasos?”
“What can you do, Adams?”
“I can break stuff.”
“Good, you can pull and install all the toilets on both floors.”
Brett grimaced. “You suck.”
“You know how to unscrew it from the floor?”
“It’s not that hard.”
“You know to make sure the water’s off before you do?”
Brett’s mouth went thin. “Yes.”
I didn’t think so. “Don’t forget your safety goggles and mask.”
“You still suck.”
“Thanks for your help.” With everyone working, Kyle made a sweep-through of the site and checked the dog before starting in on prepping to replace the fuse box.
For the next couple of hours, Kyle struggled to keep his mind on the task at hand. Only problem was: his new neighbor kept sneaking into his thoughts. If the fantasy of her slipping off her clothes and him finding heaven between her thighs didn’t cloud his thoughts, the reality of his grandfather’s resort would.
For now, the fantasy won.
After pinching his finger with wire cutters, he fought with the impossible task of getting Gabriella off his mind.
Why? He’d known her for barely a day and already the idea of being with her sat high on his to-do list.
Focus, Cavasos. Focus.
Yet, their kiss from last night still made his lips buzz. Having her hands on his body gave him such rock-hard dreams, he wouldn’t need a hammer to drive the nails into the wood.
Right in the middle of cleaning up his trash, his phone beeped. Greedily, he grabbed it, hoping Dean was returning his text, but disappointment slammed him in the gut.
Mother.
He growled as he shut off his phone. “Don’t have time for this right now, Mom.”
He tucked it in his back pocket, but after several more texts buzzed, he realized why Gabriella’s smile had been such a powerful distraction.
Mentally scanning through the contracts that lay on his kitchen table, something tickled the back of his mind that might help him get both his life of anonymity and fulfill his family’s obligation.
Or is that just wishful thinking?
When his mother texted him again, he left his phone on the downstairs windowsill to avoid hearing or feeling any more messages. “Watch my phone for me, Duke. You can eat it for all I care.”
The dog wagged his tail and licked his lips.
Around eleven, an argument between Logan and his brother Lyle erupted from upstairs where Logan had been working since he arrived. After a few choice words and an apology, Logan handed off his work to his brother and stormed out.
By one, all the dead drywall, half the windows, and all the toilets had been pulled and thrown into the dumpster. They cleaned up the trash and swept before all decided to take breaks for lunch and come back in an hour.
Despite the midday sun, the temperatures sat in the thirties with a brisk wind-chill, but most of the men appeared unfazed by the weather as they dispersed in several directions to either head home or walk to a local eatery.
Frigid spring weather was simply a way of life here in Marietta, but a nice relief from the sweaty work they’d accomplished so far.
Brett decided to take Duke for a walk and let him run around Bramble Park, a couple of blocks away.
For whatever reason, Kyle simply didn’t get along with the guy, but he did respect the fact Brett took his K9 officer duties seriously and treated the dog like family.
Walking the site again, Kyle heard the Clark brothers talking.
Reaching down, he scooped up several strips of molding and headed upstairs.
“What are you losers looking at?” Kyle asked as he entered the room, dropping the molding on the floor.
The three men were standing next to the window, looking out.
The two older, Gavin and Dan, were playfully elbowing the youngest, Jonah.
“Don’t you have windows to put in? It’s getting cold up here.” But Kyle knew these guys could easily stand in T-shirts and shorts when it snowed outside.
“You’re right.” Jonah angrily gnawed at his lunch. “But the two knuckleheads over there are busy people-watching.”
Glancing out the window, Kyle saw a young woman crossing the street. He could only guess that the scowl on Jonah’s face indicated the pilot didn’t want to be asked anything about her.
But after an encouraging wink from Gavin, Kyle simply couldn’t help but yank Jonah’s chain. He quickly commented about her being too young for his tastes and her appealing look that screamed sexy girl scientist.
Jonah’s face turned a bright shade of red.
Then Gavin and Dan explained who she was.
A nice girl. Knew her in school. Back in town after a decade away. Smart as a whip.
The more they talked about her, the more Jonah looked like he was one of those cartoon characters that literally blow their stacks.
Kyle smirked at the banter. He and his brother, Coleman, used to give each other grief this way. See how far they could push each other’s buttons until one of them exploded or gave up.
Apparently, Jonah’s limit was reached when Kyle asked if she was dating anyone. He lost his shit, demanding Kyle leave her alone.
“No worries, man.” Kyle threw his hands up in surrender as he moved away. Catching the smirks of Gavin and Dan, Kyle lifted a shoulder. “He’s got it bad.”
“Shut up, Cavasos.”
For years, the longing for family had been filled with college friends, his time in the military, and now the first responders here, but it never quite filled that want to reconnect with his own family.
How he wished a single mistake hadn’t sent the Cavasos family into total and unrecoverable chaos.
Shaking off his sadness, Kyle decided a quick trip to Big Z’s hardware was in order. He needed a few more cases of caulk, as well as brooms, painter’s tape, and garbage bags. Plus, he would check on the shipment of insulation that would be delivered within the week.
“How’s the remodel coming along, Kyle?” Paul Zabrinski, owner of Big Z Hardware, asked as he rang up Kyle’s order.
“Slowly. We’re getting a lot done today, Paul. Add the insulation on this ticket, too, if you would.”
“Um, sure. Let me know if you need any other help. I’m sure I can round up a few people.”
Without thinking, Kyle swiped his credit card and signed for it. “I’ll keep you posted. Thank you.”
Paul’s raised an eyebrow. “You’re paying for this yourself?”
“Yep.” Glancing at the wall clock, Kyle calculated how much time he had to get back and unload before the guys returned. “You have a good—”
“Don’t you need a receipt?”
“No thanks. It’s fine.”
“That’s a mighty expensive bill there, son. You’re not going to have the fundraising account cover it?”
The innocent comment froze Kyle in his tracks. Had he just paid for almost two thousand dollars worth of supplies without blinking an eye?
Dammit! “You’re right. A receipt would be great.”
You can’t throw money around like this. People will start to suspect something.
“I wondered. Got your mind on other things I expect.” Paul gently folded the receipt before handing it over. “We all appreciate you guys working so hard on that project. Harry was a good man.”
“The best.” He pushed the cart out as fast as he could go before he bought out the store. Kyle mentally kicked himself. He hadn’t meant to use his credit card, but he’d been so distracted by his mother’s calls and Gabriella’s…well, Gabriella in general, that it didn’t even compute he’d pulled out his wallet.
He chuckled at Paul’s wide-eyed response when he said he didn’t need a receipt. If they only knew. My sisters have bought one pair of shoes that would make that bill look like penny change.
As he unloaded the supplies into the back of his truck, high school history teacher Chelsea Collier walked by. She gave him a quick wave and he gave her a heads-up on the new teen in town and her mom. “She’s a good kid. Into art and pretty sharp. She met Frederick Westbrook last night.”
“That’s a good start. He’s a great student. Nice young man. I’d be glad to come by and meet her.”
“Might want to start at the diner. Gabriella will probably be there too.”
“Good idea. Kind of neutral territory.” She pulled out her phone and her thumbs quickly tapped on the screen. “I’m out grabbing some supplies for metal shop and grabbing lunch for a few of us, anyway. Might as well say hi.”
People like Chelsea Collier were one of the many reasons Kyle loved living in Marietta. Someone always ready to lend a hand. “Much appreciated, Chelsea.”
“No problem. Her name was on the updated class roster they sent me yesterday. Guess they registered online.”
“Thanks, Chelsea. It’s a big move. I’d bet Trinity needs a friend or two before she walks in on Monday.” He tossed the last bag full of painter’s tape onto the driver’s side seat.
“Gla
d to do it, Kyle. Thanks for your work on Harry’s House.” She patted his arm before heading inside the store.
“And Chelsea?”
“Yes?”
“I didn’t ask you to do this.”
She gave him a look of understanding. “You got it.”
On the way back to the job site, Kyle shoved down two protein bars and a bag of cinnamon almonds, but he knew he’d be starving within the next hour. The diner came into view, but he didn’t have time to stop.
Besides, she’s busy. I’m busy. But rational thought had little effect on his want to stop and linger at the counter while he watched Gabriella work. Even though she’d said she wouldn’t go in until Monday, he was sure she’d be there.
When he walked into the building, the delicious smell of sugar and bread hit him in the face. “What the hell?”
The others had also arrived, but were crowded around one of the remaining kitchen counters.
Standing next to it, Brett pointed. “Check this out.”
“What is that?” Jonah Clark asked as he shoved his cap into his back pocket.
Brett smiled like he’d won the lottery. “Dig in, boys.”
Confused, Kyle approached to find a large platter of different types of cookies, chocolate-dipped pretzels, and brownies. Next to that sat a couple of loaves of sliced bread that smelled of cinnamon.
“Who brought this?” Lyle Tate lingered over the cookies before grabbing two.
The homemade sweets sat perfectly arranged on a decorative tray.
Tom Reynolds mumbled around a mouthful of something, “Holy crap. It’s still warm.”
“I’m gonna try these.” Kurt Mayall snatched what appeared to be sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate chip cookies with nuts.
“Try these.” Brett pointed to a row of bite-sized brownies with powdered sugar and flecks of red. “I’ve already eaten two, but there’s some sort of spice on them. They’re hot.”
A slow smirk spread across Kyle’s face at the familiar chocolate treats.
Brownies Picantes.
“Wuss.” Greedily, Kyle picked up three and shoved them whole into his mouth. The pinch of the pepper immediately burned his tongue, as he savored the layers of powdered sugar and rich chocolate that followed.
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