church?”
Mr. Dunn nodded. “Yup. Heard Julie got the house. Must be moving in.”
Tony stored that bit of information away and left the store whistling.
He’d find a reason to go and pay the little lady a call and remind her how neighborly Ferndale could be.
Tony stood on the sidewalk in the hot noon sun and shifted the ladder on his shoulder to a more comfortable position. He contemplated the cottage belonging to the very enticing Julie Kerns.
Two things came to mind.
First, the house was a marvel of workmanship, with all the trim and special touches that went into a Queen Anne. Not as fussy as most Victorians, he’d always liked the design.
Second, the place needed a heck of a lot of work.
For starters, the top two wooden steps to the porch were rotten. He glanced up and noted the rain gutter had rusted through in several places. That explained the rot.
He leaned the new ladder she’d ordered against the side of his truck and hefted the five gallon cans of plastering compound and primer.
Skirting the rotten wood, he climbed the stairs and set the cans beside the front door. The doorbell, a round crank set in the wall, rang loud enough to be heard in the next block.
Within moments, he saw her through the beveled glass window set in the middle of the door. She wore baggy old jeans and a big shirt. He missed yesterday’s outfit.
Julie opened the door and raised an eyebrow. “Hello, cowboy.”
He grinned at her and tipped his hat. “Afternoon, Miss Kerns.” He’d forgotten how pretty she was.
“Please, it’s Julie.” She didn’t seem surprised that he knew her name.
“I’m Tony. Tony Graham.”
She gave him that great smile of hers, then glanced down and spotted the cans. “Do you work at the hardware store?”
“No, ma’am. Just doing Cliff a favor. His wife took the truck to Redding to do some shopping.”
Tony hoisted the cans and she stood aside so he could enter. “Where do you want these?”
“Upstairs. But you can leave them right there.”
“I’ll take them up for you. Lead the way.”
He enjoyed the sway of her hips as she climbed the stairs ahead of him.
She turned into one of the front bedrooms. He set the cans inside the door. She’d been busy. All the furniture had been pushed into the middle of the room and covered with a tarp.
Tony gave a low whistle when he looked up and saw the water damage to the ceiling and walls. Big chunks of plaster were missing. “Roof?”
She nodded. “Yes. Bessie hated to spend money and waited until the leak got really bad before she had it repaired.”
He nodded. Lots of people put off work, then ended up paying more. He didn’t understand their logic.
Dubious that a novice had a chance of doing a decent plaster job, Tony wandered over to a damaged wall and turned to eye the book she held. “You ever do any plaster repair?”
“Not yet.” She slapped the book she was holding closed and set it on top of the tarp, then put her hands on her hips.
She sure did look determined.
She studied him for so long he wanted to squirm. Then she squared her shoulder as if she had made a decision and asked, “Have you had lunch?”
It took him a moment to react. He didn’t expect the question. “No. I was just about to take a break.” His lunch was in his truck.
“Good. Have lunch with me.”
Tony was both surprised and pleased at her invitation. He had been trying to decide how to ask her out. Now they could get acquainted over a sandwich at the kitchen table.
“Sure. That would be great.”
“I have to warn you, I have an ulterior motive.”
Tony raised an eyebrow as a quick fantasy shot through his mind.
She tapped her book with a slender forefinger. “I want to pick your brain about plastering techniques.”
Oh, well, he thought, feeling a little deflated, at least she wanted to have lunch with him.
He followed her downstairs and instead of turning toward the back of the house where he assumed the kitchen would be, she went out the front door.
“We’re going out?”
Julie looked back at him over her shoulder with a smile. “My treat. I don’t cook.”
He wanted to ask her why not. Cooking was basic for existing as far as he was concerned. Did she eat all her meals out? It seemed a little too soon to ask. Some women got so prickly when a guy asked questions like that.
“Okay.” He wasn’t comfortable with her picking up the tab even if it was her idea, but they could discuss that when the time came.
Tony closed the front door behind him and walked with her a half block until they hit Main Street. They chatted about how the town had not changed at all in the years since she had left.
“Village Bakery okay with you?”
“Sure.” He’d eat the lunch in his truck for supper.
They found a table and gave the waitress their order.
Julie smiled at him and he went warm all over. What a beauty, with her streaked brown hair and blue-green eyes. He smiled back and noticed she had flecks of gold in her eyes that matched the streaks in her hair.
“Now, about plastering.”
He didn’t care why she had invited him to lunch. If she smiled at him like that she could have anything she wanted. “What do you need to know?”
She shrugged. “Everything.”
Tony laughed loudly enough that everyone in the bakery turned to look at the two of them.
“You sure you want to do this yourself? I’d be glad to help.” He could take some time off from building his house.
She hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the table, then back up at him. “No, thanks. I’m going to do it myself, but I’m not above wangling a few tips. How did you learn to do plastering?”
“My dad and I built the house my folks live in now when I was a teenager. He was in construction before he started ranching.”
“Do your parents live around here?”
“No. Wyoming.”
“How
