a deep breath.
Something different, indeed. She’d practically hyperventilated when she’d looked into his eyes.
Meg chuckled. Even as bushed as she was, she could still fantasize about a good-looking stranger. She shifted her attention and gazed out the window.
“What a stranger,” she whispered. He was unique, but strange? No. She’d felt quite at ease with him even though he hadn’t said much. And in those few short moments, she’d sensed he had some kind of worry on his mind.
Meg shrugged her shoulders. Oh well, she’d never see him again. She crossed the kitchen and stopped to check the answering machine. The green light held steady, thank goodness. She tapped the beeper attached to her waistband as if knocking on wood.
This afternoon she’d finished her office appointments, returned all telephone calls and completed her house visits. For the first time in three weeks, she was caught up on everything except sleep.
Maybe if I splash my face with cold water, I’ll feel better.
Back at the sink, Meg turned on the faucet, cupped her hands and splashed cold well water onto her face in an attempt to relieve the soreness in her eyes. Then she patted her hand on the counter, in search of a towel.
Darn! All her towels were in the hamper with the other laundry she planned on doing. As she straightened, droplets of water ran from her face and hair onto her collar. A knock brought her gaze to the locked screen door.
Steve Hartly stood on her back porch, outlined by the wooden frame, his image blurred by the gray mesh of the screen.
“Oh!” Meg’s heart raced against her ribs, her breath coming in quick puffs. Why was he standing on her porch out in the middle of nowhere?
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” His deep voice carried across the room to her.
“What in the world?” Meg’s chest heaved and her hand fluttered to her heart.
Steve’s expression turned to sheer surprise. “I saw a car…but didn’t realize it was…”
“What are you doing here?” Maybe he was strange. He could easily have waited and followed her home. The thought quickened her heartbeat, causing her chest to tighten.
“I saw a car and figured it was my neighbor.” Steve rested his hand against the doorjamb and squared his shoulders. Even through the screen the man looked extremely handsome.
“Where were you when you saw me?” Meg reached for a paper towel and patted her face dry, her heart still stampeding. At least the screen was locked.
“I own the house down the road.” His left hand went to his head and he scrubbed his hair with his fingers.
“You bought the Lemon House?”
“No.”
“If you bought the house down the road, then you own the Lemon House.” She pressed her fingers against her lips.
How in the world could he live in that dilapidated old place? And right down the road from her. She drew a wooden kitchen chair out from under the table and sat down.
He nodded. “Oh, Lemon House, right. I get it.”
“Everyone in town calls it that.” She stood. “Sorry I didn’t ask you in. Blame my bad manners on surprise.” Meg walked to the door, unlatched it, then pushed it open. “Please, come in.”
Steve filled the entire door frame with his brawny physique. Grime and dirt covered his jacket. A wave of sympathy rolled up Meg’s spine. The Lemon House’s condition was probably worse than she imagined. It had been years since she’d even been inside the abandoned place.
“Can I offer you a cold drink?”
“No thanks.” He looked around her bright kitchen.
“I didn’t think anyone would buy that old house.”
“I failed to ask the Realtor for details.” He smiled a little, and her breath caught in the back of her throat.
She stepped back a tiny bit and looked up at him. Steve was taller than she’d realized. “You don’t plan on staying there, do you?” The idea of him living in the falling down house didn’t sit comfortably with her.
“I came over to see if you know of a repairman. All the windows are broken out.…” He squared his shoulders again.
Meg held back a smile. It was hard to believe anything could daunt Steve Hartly. She studied the pained look on his face and another wave of sympathy moved through her.
“I might know of someone who can help you. Please, why don’t you sit down?” She found her own chair at the table.
Steve joined her and folded his hands in front of him. The fact that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring intrigued Meg.
Her gaze moved to his, and she found him staring at her. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
“Thanks. Anybody else live around here?”
“Just me…and now you.”
The worry line between his dark brows deepened.
“Are you going to make some of the repairs yourself?” Her heart thumped hard in her throat. The man sitting across from her seemed to undermine her self-possession.
“I was planning on making the minor ones. Now I’m thinking about just renting a bulldozer and…”
“Oh, it can’t be that bad. Besides, Jackson has a great hardware store. Down the street from the café. Bowden’s. Family-owned. Saturday nights they sponsor a country-and-western dance at the Sunshine Café. People come from miles around to dance and have fun.”
“I’m not sure one small hardware store is going to have all the supplies I need.”
The man had such a sincere voice. She drew an invisible line on the table with an index finger, then shifted her attention back to him. “I haven’t been inside the Lemon House in years. Pretty bad?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope I thanked you properly for helping Erin.” She hadn’t talked to another doctor casually in a long time, and right now, it felt remarkably good to sit across from Steve.
“No need to thank me again.” His left hand curled into a fist, his knuckles growing white. “Just doing what any doc—anyone would do if they could.” A dark look swept across his face.
“What if I had been out of the office and you weren’t there?” She stopped when his look grew more troubled.
“It worked out. That’s all that matters.”
“Yes, I guess you’re right. Sometimes I worry. People in Jackson are good folks. I do my best.”
“I can see that.”
Meg’s hand swept through her
