to seem crazy even to her.
“Well, Ms. Harris,” he said as he stood and faced her, “there’s bad news. You’ve had a water leak around these two west windows.” He pointed out the spots.
Shelby’s gaze was glued to his large hand with the long, tapered fingers. Strong, capable hands that carved wood. She couldn’t help but wonder how the roughened palms would feel on her skin.... She blinked away the thought and turned her attention back to what he was saying.
“First, I’ll have to go up to the attic and find the leaks, then I’ll have to replace these frames and tear out the plaster.” He went down on one knee. “See the moisture here? It’s worked down into the baseboards. This section of wood is warped and will have to be replaced, too.” He stood and walked into the hall again. She hurried to keep up. “The stairway needs to have those steps and spindles replaced. All in top-grade oak.” He kept walking until he finally reached the living room.
This was the room where Shelby had taken up residence. She’d cleaned and hung curtains, then arranged her furniture which consisted of a sofa, a chair, a portable television and a bookcase. A desk and computer were against the far wall. The only other rooms she’d used since moving in three days ago, had been the small servants’ quarters off the kitchen, which consisted of a bedroom and bath.
Rafe approached the huge stone fireplace and began to check out the carved-oak mantel. She held her breath when he stopped and eyed the framed photographs lined up on the top.
He looked at her. “Family?” he asked.
Shelby hesitated, then answered, “Yes.”
He smiled. “I didn’t think anyone had more family than I do.”
He studied the assortment of pictures, and a wave of envy washed over her Like most people, Rafe Covelli seemed to take his relatives for granted. But there are those of us who don’t have a real family to claim.
She shook away the rush of loneliness. “You have a big family, Mr. Covelli?”
He nodded. “A grandmother, a mother, a brother and sister, but also a large assortment of aunts and uncles and cousins. Family reunions are a madhouse.” He smiled as his gaze met hers. Like a magnet, his dark eyes held her captive, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. Finally he turned away and moved on to finish his appraisal.
He leaned down and examined the floor. Then wrote more notes on his clipboard. “Do any of your family live around here?”
“Uh, no,” she said. “They’re farther south.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Why didn’t you buy a house there? Then maybe your family would be able to help you out.”
“I’d rather do this on my own. Besides, I could afford this place.”
“How’d you find out about Stewart Manor?”
She hadn’t had to answer this many questions to take out a mortgage. “It was on the Internet. You can find anything and everything if you know where to search.”
Rafe stood and walked over to the corner window. “As far as I’m concerned, you can put all the computers in a pile and blow them to kingdom come.”
Shelby bit back a smile as she watched the big man move around the room. So Mr. Macho was a cyberphobe. “Sounds like you’ve had some problems with your computer.”
“None whatsoever,” he assured her. “I don’t touch the thing. I leave all the computer business to my sister. Angelina minored in computer science in college. Got one in the office and I stay clear of it.”
“Well, if you ever decide you want to learn, just call me. I’m on the computer every day. I do graphics work and design web pages for a living.”
He cocked an eyebrow as if to say, I’ll want to learn when hell freezes over. “Thanks for the offer, but I doubt I’ll ever require your services. How many rooms upstairs?”
“Five bedrooms and two baths. One of the baths is connected to the master suite. The third floor is the attic.”
“How many rooms do you want me to look at?”
She shrugged. “I’d like you to tell me if any of them need major work. There are some water rings on the ceilings in two of the bedrooms, and in one of them some of the plaster has already fallen. I want to start painting and wallpapering as soon as possible.”
“I think you better hold off on any decorating until we assess the damage. Tearing out old plaster causes quite a mess.” His dark eyes lifted to meet hers, and instantly she felt a jolt of awareness course through her body. Why did this man make her so nervous?
She managed a nod.
“I’ll go have a look.” He started out of the room and again she followed him. When they reached the staircase, he stopped. She didn’t and ran into him. He reached out and grabbed her by the arms before she lost her balance. “You better stay down here. These stairs aren’t safe. And until the repairs are done, I don’t want you using them.”
Shelby felt the sudden heat from his gentle touch and lost any desire to argue. Then he turned and continued up the stairs. She watched as he moved with easy athletic grace over the broken steps. Finally he disappeared from view, and she returned to the living room.
Shelby crossed to the mantel and studied the row of pictures. Her family. Uncle Ray and Aunt Celia, along with an assortment of cousins. They were spread all across the country, of course. That way people didn’t ask why they never came to visit. All she had to do was make up stories about them. And she was really good at make-believe—she made a living at it. Shelby drew a long breath and released it. She glanced around the room, feeling a flood of contentment.
She finally had her home. And soon it would be filled with people, and she wouldn’t be all alone anymore.
After checking the attic and the other bedrooms, Rafe wandered into the huge master suite. A mahogany four-poster bed sat against the wall. Heavy brocade draperies hung at the large windows, but were so filthy you couldn’t tell what color they’d once been. The floral wallpaper was faded and had water rings. There was also evidence of some vandalism, broken windows and beer bottles and some writing on the wallpaper. The floors were caked with years of dust
He peeked into the bathroom and saw the oversize claw-foot tub. Upon close examination, he realized it was still in good condition, along with the pedestal sink. The marine-blue marble tile could use a good cleaning and some grouting, but all were easy to repair.
Rafe’s thoughts turned to the woman he’d left downstairs. He normally didn’t stop homeowners from following him around on the job site, but he needed time away from Ms. Harris. Her wide-eyed gaze seemed to watch his every move. He couldn’t decide if it was mistrust or just plain curiosity. But it had bothered him. Damn. He hadn’t felt that awkward around a woman since he’d taken Lisa South-erland to the junior prom. And that was because he had gotten brave enough to try to cop a feel. At seventeen, getting his hands on a girl’s breasts was a major accomplishment.
Once again he recalled Shelby Harris in her T-shirt. She had an unbelievable body. Full breasts, long, shapely legs... Rafe groaned. What was the matter with him? He was acting as if he’d
