Three Sisters. Сьюзен Мэллери

pushed her hair out of her face and tried to remind herself that she loved the house. She’d uprooted her life for a reason that had seemed very compelling at the time.

      “More coffee,” she said aloud. “Then I’ll remember why I thought this was a good idea.”

      She crossed the attic floor and stared out the window. She might be living in tight quarters, but she sure couldn’t complain about the view. From up here, she could see across the whole west half of the island. Beyond that the sound sparkled in bright morning sun. Right now, coffee in hand and nothing horrifying dive-bombing her head, she could see the potential. At three in the morning, not so much.

      A truck pulled into her driveway. She glanced down, wondering who could be visiting her at eight on Saturday morning. It wasn’t as if...

      “Crap,” she said, putting her coffee on the windowsill and glancing down at the oversized T-shirt she slept in. “Double crap.”

      Zeke, her contractor. They had an appointment. Something she would have remembered if she’d had more than four hours of sleep in the past three nights.

      She ripped off her T-shirt, pulled on jeans and fastened up a bra. After grabbing the same shirt she’d worn yesterday, she shoved her feet into sandals and hurried down the stairs. She paused at the second-story landing long enough to pull the shirt on and smooth it into place.

      Aware that she hadn’t showered since she’d arrived and that her hair looked like something out of Halloween 5, she was grateful she’d at least brushed her teeth. Civilization required standards. Hers might not be especially high, but at least she’d kept some.

      She jumped down the last three stairs and headed for the door at a run. She pulled it open just before Zeke knocked.

      “Seriously,” she said with a laugh. “You drove? You live—”

      Next door. The words stayed on her tongue as her jaw dropped open. Because the guy standing in front of her wasn’t Zeke King, her contractor and neighbor.

      Zeke was tall, with dark hair and a nice smile. Good looking, she supposed. But even if that exact description could be used for the man standing in front of her, nothing about them was the same.

      While his height was probably within a half inch of Zeke, he looked taller. His hair was darker, his smile brighter. Sexier, she thought, carefully closing her mouth and wishing desperately she’d showered and put on makeup. Maybe that great suit that made her look as if she actually had curves and hey, boobs.

      “Morning,” the man said, his voice low and smoky.

      Her unpainted toes curled ever so slightly.

      “You must be Andi Gordon. I’m Wade King. Zeke’s brother.”

      Zeke had a brother?

      There were a few lines by Wade’s eyes, and the planes of his face were more sculptured. She would guess he was older than Zeke by a couple of years. If she hadn’t spent the past decade getting her heart trampled by a no-good jerk who’d left her at the altar and then had married his secretary two weeks later, she just might have wondered if Wade was single.

      “Andi?”

      “What? Sorry.” She shook her head. “I’m not all here. Come on in.”

      She stepped back to allow him entry into the house.

      “Where are you?” he asked.

      “Excuse me?”

      “You said you’re not all here.”

      “Oh, right. Lack of sleep. I have bats.”

      Wade laughed.

      She suddenly found him slightly less sexy. “I’m not kidding. I have bats and no hot water. When I’m awake I’d say the lack of hot water is the bigger problem, but flying rodents are keeping me up at night.”

      He dropped his worn backpack onto the dusty floor. “You really hate bats.”

      “I hate anything that flies into my hair at three in the morning. I’ve been beating them back with a broom.”

      “I’d pay money to see that.”

      “I’d pay money to get them gone. Do you know the percentage of bats that carry rabies?”

      “No.”

      “It’s really high.”

      His mouth twitched. “As long as you have the actual number.”

      She put her hands on her hips. “Why are you here?”

      “I’m your contractor. Wade King. You really are tired.”

      “I remember your name. You’re Zeke’s brother. You work together?”

      “Yes. King Construction. No relation.”

      “What?”

      “King Construction. The Kings of California?” His tone was helpful. “They’re a big deal in— Never mind. Zeke and I work on all the jobs together. We’ll be in and out here, but I’m going to take point.” He pulled on his backpack. “I have the plans with me. Are you up to looking at them? I know you met with Zeke right after you made your offer, but I want to confirm everything before we get started with the demolition on Monday.”

      “Can I have hot water and no bats?”

      He flashed her a grin that made her knees go weak. “Sure. I’ll take care of both before I leave.”

      “Then I’m happy to look at plans.”

      * * *

      Shortly after ten, Andi stood under a spray of hot water and decided that she was never going to ask for anything or complain, ever again. Her shower was heaven. She rinsed the lather out of her hair, then reached for her birthday-cake-scented shower wash and squeezed a generous dollop into her palm. The sugary fragrance surrounded her, chasing away the last of her exhaustion. As long as she had hot water and coffee, she could be a happy person.

      Twenty minutes later, she had dressed in clean clothes and combed out her wet hair. She followed the sound of cursing to the third floor and stood watching as her very hunky contractor discovered she hadn’t been lying about the bats.

      “See?”

      “This is not a good time to be smug,” he told her, waving what looked like a butterfly net toward a dark corner of the space she’d claimed as her living room.

      “Sure it is. You didn’t believe me. Oh, and I wasn’t kidding about the rabies, either. Don’t let them bite you.”

      He gave her a quick glance. “Not getting bitten was the plan.”

      Something dark swooped from the rafter. Wade swung the net and snagged the shadow before it could retreat behind the large armoire against the wall. Andi had to admit she was torn between his impressive eye-hand coordination and the ripple of muscles she’d seen under his worn T-shirt.

      The bat fluttered in the net. Wade held the opening against the wall, so it couldn’t get out.

      “Grab this, please.”

      She took the handle while he pulled on gloves. “You’re not going to kill it, are you?”

      “No. I’m going to take it out to the trees and let it go. I could only find this one, so once it’s gone, you should be fine.”

      “Good.” She shivered. “I hope it doesn’t attack you.”

      One eyebrow rose. “Me, too.”

      She watched from the window. Wade appeared on her patchy lawn and walked toward a grove of trees. Seconds later, something fluttered in the leaves and he was heading back for the house.

      Impressive, she thought, wishing she’d called after the first night. She could have been bat-free that much sooner.