a thick wall of protection around him. With Ty you always knew where he stood. He didn’t keep his feelings hidden. I suspect Adam has kept his feelings buried most of his life. Don’t be too hard on him.” He turned and picked up his cell phone and slipped it in his pocket. “Time to get to the store. Your mother will be wondering where I am.”
“You’re leaving me here alone with this stranger?”
“I don’t think you’re in any danger. That’s one of the reasons your mom and I agreed to let him stay here. I wanted to make sure he understood that you’re my baby girl and he’d better watch his p’s and q’s.” He chuckled and started for the door. “Maybe I should have warned him about you. You’re tougher than both your brothers put together.”
Laura waved goodbye to her dad, then checked her watch again. She’d lost nearly half an hour waiting for Mr. Rich Adventurer. If he wasn’t down in ten minutes, she’d go in and drag his spoiled self out by the scruff of his neck.
She had to admit, she’d been surprised at her first glimpse of him. She tried to ignore the way his startling green eyes had made a swift but thorough assessment of her. Doubtful she could compare with the kind of women he was used to. And she felt sure he was used to taking his pick of leggy beauties.
She couldn’t blame her fellow females for falling for this guy. He had all the right stuff on the outside. His six-foot frame and thick light brown hair made him boyishly handsome.
But she preferred a man of faith. A man with character in his face and compassion in his heart.
Heavy footsteps on the stairs let her know Holbrook was finally ready. He stepped through the kitchen door and stopped, his green gaze slamming into hers. Her throat closed up and her heart skipped a couple beats. A short while ago he’d resembled James Bond fresh from saving the world. Now, he stood in the kitchen looking ready for a photo shoot for a Rugged Men of the South calendar. The gray knit Henley shirt hugged his chest and broad shoulders like an old friend and brought out the vibrant green of his eyes. The jeans called attention to his narrow waist and long powerful legs. A pair of well-worn dark boots anchored him to the floor. Apparently, adventurers needed sturdy footwear in their wardrobes.
She shook her head, trying to regain her composure. “If you’re ready, we need to get going.”
There was a half smile on his face. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Laura pushed through the back door and headed for her red truck. “I hope you’re ready to work because we have a lot to do and very little time to get it done.”
Chapter Two
Adam followed Laura Durrant to her truck and climbed in, wondering how so small a woman could command such authority. Her no-nonsense attitude was intriguing and a bit intimidating. He’d decided to be a good scout, do what he was told and get the lay of the land. Eventually he’d find a loophole, some way to get out of Dover and back to Atlanta on time. Of course there was always his last resort—calling one of his dad’s lawyers. He didn’t want to think about the repercussions of that.
He glanced over at Laura Durrant. Her slender figure was obscured by stained and faded jeans, ending in heavy brown work boots. That explained the loud thumping on the stairs. Her purple T-shirt was worn and faded, with a quarter-sized hole in one sleeve. Her head was covered with a ball cap and spikes of hair stuck out from the adjustment opening in the back and the edges over her ears. He guessed at its color. Dishwater blond? What stood out the most were her violet blue eyes. Eyes that were staring at him with disdain. She looked small behind the wheel of the big truck but absolutely in control. Which raised a lot of questions. “So, you’re in charge of the work detail, huh?”
“That’s right. You answer to me.”
“What do I call you?”
“You can call me Boss or LC.”
“I thought your name was Boo.” He saw her scowl at the name.
“My dad is the only one who calls me that. And my brother Ty sometimes. LC is the name of the company. LC Construction and Restoration.”
Adam wanted to ask what the initials stood for, but decided it might be safer to wait on that. “So how long do you think this repair job will take? How much damage did I do?”
She glanced at him briefly, eyes narrowed. “It’s not a repair job, Mr. Holbrook. It’s a restoration and that takes a lot more time.”
“Restoration. Repair. Same difference, isn’t it?”
“Not even close. The building you drove your little car into is a National Historic Landmark. Which is why I’m doing the job. If all it needed was repairing, any competent carpenter could do the work in a few days.”
“And what makes you different?”
“I’m a certified restorationist.”
“Meaning?”
“I’m qualified to restore old homes and buildings to their original state when possible. That’s what I do.”
“I didn’t know there was such a thing. How did you get to be one?” She exhaled an exasperated sigh as if reluctant to explain.
“I studied architecture in college, but I found I didn’t like the designing as much as I liked the hands-on ground-level work. When I moved home, I bought this construction company from a local man who was retiring. He did a lot of restoration work, so all I had to do was expand on that customer base.”
“Still, a girl in construction. Where did that come from?”
Laura turned and smiled, her expression softening the way it had when she’d looked at her father earlier. Something inside Adam shifted.
“Oh. My dad owns the hardware store in town. I grew up around nuts and bolts.”
She turned back to the road ahead. “So how did you come to lose control of your car and ram it into our historic gazebo?”
For a moment Adam considered avoiding the question, but then he remembered her uncle was the judge and her father his jailer. No point in trying to hide the truth. “I left a friend’s house in Dallas early yesterday morning and planned on spending a few days in New Orleans. You know, eating fine food, listening to good music, maybe do a little deep-sea fishing. I got hungry, saw a billboard for some mom-and-pop diner in Sawyers Bend—”
“Jingles.”
“What?”
“The name of the diner is Jingles.”
“Right. Well, somehow I missed the turnoff and ended up in your fair community. I was trying to find a way back to the interstate on my smartphone and the rest you know.”
“You didn’t have GPS in that fancy car of yours?”
“No, it’s a vintage machine. I was going to have it installed after my meeting in Atlanta.”
Laura Durrant pulled the truck to a stop along the fence line near the gazebo. “Too bad you didn’t have that done before you left Dallas. Might have saved everyone a lot of trouble.”
Adam
