positioned the jack in the center of the gazebo and instructed Adam how to position the heavy post to take the weight of the roof. She’d anticipated his resistance today, but so far he’d followed her every command without question. She held the post in place while Adam put his strength behind the jack, pumping the handle. She glanced down at him, surprised to see him watching the upward movement of the beam closely as he worked. She also was suddenly aware of the muscles in his arms and the way the fabric of his shirt strained across his shoulders as he moved.
“Is that enough?”
Laura jerked her attention back to the beam. It was touching under the center of the roof but not firmly enough. “Another inch should do it.” Satisfied, she stepped back, watching as Adam rose to his full height and placed his hand on the beam.
“Will this one piece of wood hold up this whole building?”
She swallowed and took a step back. “It’s only a temporary fix until we can assess the damage to the rafters and make the repairs.”
“Okay.” He smiled. “What’s next?”
Laura searched her mind for the next task she wanted him to do, but her thoughts were muddled with things she rarely thought about. Like how strong Adam was, and how small she felt beside him. He made her aware that she was very female and he was so male. She forced herself to focus on the work. “We need to start stacking the loose bricks over there out of the way. We’ll reuse the ones that aren’t too damaged. Make a pallet out of scrap lumber and stack them on that. It’ll keep them from sinking into the ground. I need to make some phone calls.”
Without waiting for his response, she walked to her truck and climbed inside. She needed time to think and space away from Adam Holbrook. He reminded her a little too much of her ex-husband, Ted—concerned with his own life with never a thought to anyone else and no appreciation for anything of value. She closed her eyes and offered up a prayer for tolerance and forgiveness. It didn’t matter what Holbrook was like. All she needed was for him to help her get the gazebo restored in time for the festival and then he could go on about his merry way.
* * *
Adam pried the last loose brick from the foundation and stacked it with the others. He was hot, sweaty and his back ached. He had no idea dismantling the little building would be such hard work. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of his new boss. It was obvious she loved what she did. To him, the debris looked like so much broken wood. To her, each piece was a special handcrafted treasure.
Adam leaned against the side of the gazebo, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. Reaching down, he took a bottle of water from the small cooler she kept nearby. His gaze traveled around the square inventorying the rows of businesses. The usual stuff. Couple of banks. A diner. Pizza place. Antique shop. Drug store. Hardware store. Her daddy’s store? He smiled. Daddy could keep an eye on his little girl all day long from his store. Interesting. The damaged gazebo. A daughter in construction. A father willing to help out to keep her safe. Normally he would scoff at such behavior, but having met her father, and her, he could hardly blame Tom Durrant for wanting to keep watch. He found it a bit old-fashioned but sweet.
Laura had made it clear she thought he was incapable of doing anything without assistance. He was looking forward to proving her wrong. How hard could swinging a hammer be? He finished his water and tossed it into the trash can just outside the orange fence.
Laura came toward him from the truck, slipping her cell phone into the small holster on her hip. “Okay, I found brick down in Long Beach, left over from a Katrina salvage. They’re shipping it up. Should be here by Tuesday.”
She stared at him expectantly, as if he should grasp the significance of her words. The excitement in her expression lit up her violet blue eyes. He’d never seen a color like that before. Nor had he realized how the hard hat made her features appear delicate and fragile. But Adam knew better. There was nothing fragile about this lady. He blinked. She was waiting for some reaction from him. “Is that good?”
“More than good. But replacing that foundation will take time.”
“Is time a big deal?”
“Yes, it is. We’re having our annual Founder’s Day Festival at the end of the month and this ‘little house’ is the centerpiece. If this gazebo is unusable for the festival it’ll be like Christmas without a tree. It’s that important.” She sighed and pulled on her gloves. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
He watched her out of the corner of his eye, captivated by her passion for the little structure. Her eyes flashed like a summer storm, her cheeks flushed, turning her violet eyes to deep purple. He forced his mind back to the job at hand. “What now, boss?”
She pointed to the broken railing. “Start pulling that apart and stack it over there. Keep all the like pieces together. We’ll have to use them as templates later. Don’t throw anything away unless I okay it.”
“So you’re going to recycle all this? Saving the planet and all that?”
“In a way. All this lumber is original. I want to keep as much of it as possible not only for the historic value, but to keep the historic designation, too. The structure has to be comprised of a certain percentage of original materials to be on the registry.”
Adam worked a spindle loose from the splintered floor board. His gaze drifted toward Laura again. She moved like a little dynamo, never still. Even when she was on the phone, which was frequently, she paced. He’d seen her sitting on the tailgate of the truck once when she was studying her tablet, but she hadn’t sat there long. It was easy to see why her business was a success. She worked hard and with passion.
“Good morning.”
Adam turned and looked over his shoulder. A man a few years older than he was standing near the orange fencing, a warm, friendly smile on his face. He studied the gazebo intently, while slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Adam braced himself for some nasty comments. Several locals had drifted past this morning, but all they’d done was scowl. Sooner or later he’d known the words would start to fly.
The man nodded toward him. “You the man responsible for this damage?”
Adam stood and faced the man. “I am.”
The man’s smile widened. “It’s nice to meet an honest and forthright man.” He stepped forward and extended his hand. “Jim Barrett. You must be Adam Holbrook.”
The man’s handshake was firm and steady, his smile and friendly tone took any condemnation out of the words. “I seem to have acquired a reputation overnight. Literally.”
“So you have. But because you’re working to make things right, the good folks of Dover will forgive you soon enough. Provided it’s finished in time for the big festival.”
“Jim, what are you up to today?” Laura walked past Adam to the fence, opening her arms to the man for a quick hug. Apparently they were close friends.
“I just got back from rounds at the hospital and thought I’d come by and see how things are going here.” He glanced over at Adam. “Mr. Holbrook looks like he will be a competent assistant for you.”
Laura looked askance at Adam. “He might make a good saw boy eventually. We’ll see.” She turned to Adam. “Jim is the associate pastor at our church.”
Adam
