Yours for Christmas. Сьюзен Мэллери

room, but it seemed like there were more. Of course all the girls had brought at least one parent. Adding the Grove Keepers along with him, that was a fair number of people in a smallish space.

      He kept to the back of the room, careful not to make eye contact with the mothers. The dads he could handle. They would either want to talk about a game they remembered or try to prove that his having played pro ball didn’t mean anything. He could handle that, no problem.

      The mothers made him more nervous. He didn’t mind the ones who said their sons wanted to play. It was the women who looked at him the way a hungry cat watches a goldfish that made him glance longingly toward the exit. He’d been propositioned plenty of times. For some people, a wedding ring was an accessory, not a commitment. He didn’t feel that way.

      While he was good at shutting down the lady in question, there was always the risk of hurt feelings. Or a husband feeling he had something to prove. Kenny wasn’t in the mood for either. Better to avoid the problem completely.

      He kept his attention on Angel and Taryn, who ran the meeting like the experts they were. When he felt the need to look at something more appealing, he let his gaze drift over to Bailey. Now a proposition from her would be most welcome. Then he remembered Chloe and knew he was totally screwed.

      Angel, a tall dark-haired man with gray eyes and an air of danger about him, explained about the toy drive. The Sprouts didn’t seem to care that their Grove Keeper was a former special ops guy with a scar on his neck like someone had tried to slit his throat. Kenny would guess that day hadn’t ended well for the other guy.

      Taryn stood by her husband and smiled. “You all know Bailey—Chloe’s mom. She’s going to be helping with the toy drive service project. But it’s a big job, so we have someone else joining the grove for the next few weeks. My friend Kenny Scott.”

      Kenny waved from his place by the wall. A few of the girls waved back. He saw Chloe looking at him and he winked at her. She giggled.

      Maybe he was looking at this all wrong, he told himself. Sure, he had his rules for his dating life, but this wasn’t that. He could help the girls with their service project, enjoy the holiday season and walk away without worrying that he’d gotten too involved. That made it a win-win for everyone.

      He acknowledged that at some point he was going to have to deal with the fact that holding himself apart from nearly everyone wasn’t the best idea. But not a psychological hurdle he had to deal with today.

      Taryn explained how the bins would have to be decorated and when that would happen. She also pointed to the sign-up sheets on the wall.

      “Parents, this is where you come in. We’re going to need all the bins emptied every day. Then either Kenny or Bailey will meet you at the trailer so the presents can be secured. Any questions?”

      Taryn and Angel fielded the questions. A couple of the parents walked over to the sign-up sheets and wrote their names. Kenny wondered if it was too early for him to duck out. Before he could decide, Bailey walked toward him.

      Today she had on a fluffy sweater and tight jeans. Both made his mouth go dry. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. She looked great.

      She bit her lower lip as she glanced at him. “Um, I’d like to ask you something,” she murmured. “If you have a second.”

      Did she want to come to his place for the night? Because his answer to that was a big, fat yes. But somehow he doubted that was what she was thinking.

      She drew in a breath. “Okay, so I’m buying a house. It’s so strange to think I can afford it and some nights I worry that I can’t.” She paused and shook her head. “Sorry. The rambling wasn’t supposed to be part of the question.”

      “No problem. Congratulations on the house.”

      “Thanks. It’s my first. The inspection is tomorrow.”

      She tucked her hands into her jeans’ back pockets, which made her chest stick out more. He held in a groan. Seriously, she was killing him.

      “I, ah, don’t know what happens at a house inspection. Or what I’m supposed to ask. I was going to go by myself, but now I’m worried I’ll miss something important. Would you mind coming with me?”

      It took him a second to stop looking at her body long enough to realize there was a question in all the words.

      “Sure,” he told her. “I’m happy to be there.”

      She relaxed. Unfortunately that meant she pulled her hands out of her pockets, but nothing lasted forever.

      “Really? That would be so great.”

      “Tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”

      She rattled off a time and address. He entered both into his phone’s calendar.

      “It won’t be difficult,” he told her. “The inspector’s on your side. He or she wants you to know what you’re buying.”

      “That’s what my agent told me, but it’s still a little scary. I’ll feel better having you along.”

      One of the mothers claimed Bailey’s attention. Kenny stood in the back of the room feeling as if he could take on a whole defensive line by himself. Yup, he was the man.

      * * *

      BAILEY SPENT HER morning alternating between worrying about why on earth she’d asked Kenny Scott to join her for her house inspection and being incredibly grateful that he was going to be along. There was just something about being around him that made her feel...safe. As if he knew what he was doing. A ridiculous assumption, she reminded herself. The man was a former professional football player. Why would he know anything about houses?

      But ask him she had and she was grateful he’d agreed to join her. Despite the fact that her late husband had been deployed during their marriage and gone for nearly two years, there were still some things she found hard to do alone.

      The house was in an older part of Fool’s Gold. The neighborhood was well-established, with a nice mix of residents. Young families were buying homes and refurbishing, while older couples still lived in the places where their kids had grown up.

      Bailey’s house-to-be was two stories with a large front porch. There was a small yard in front and a big one in back, a detached garage and an unfinished basement.

      While the one and a half bathrooms hadn’t been remodeled in a while, the roof was new and the kitchen’s appliances were younger than her daughter. All pluses. Bailey figured she and Chloe could live with the oversized tub and two-tone pink tile in the bathrooms a lot easier than they could handle a leaky roof.

      Bailey had loved the house from the moment she’d stepped foot inside of it. It wasn’t huge. There were only two bedrooms upstairs and a bonus area that Chloe could use as a playroom. Downstairs there was a tiny office for Bailey, a decent-size living room and the eat-in kitchen. There were lots of windows, big trees in the backyard and beautiful hardwood floors throughout.

      What had most appealed, aside from the reasonable price, was the sense of rightness she felt when she’d first seen it. Despite the fact that the house was empty, she’d been able to see herself and Chloe living here for a long time. There had been other contenders—larger homes that were a little newer. But with all that space and shininess came a heftier mortgage. Today was her day of reckoning, when she found out if her home, barely in escrow, would pass its inspection.

      She heard the rumble of a powerful engine and turned to see Kenny pulling up in front of the house. He drove a large Mercedes SUV. She was sure it cost about half of what her house did, but then he could afford it.

      It must be nice not to have to clip coupons and save for things like winter tires and unexpected repair bills. In her next life, she thought with a smile. She would remember to be rich.

      Kenny got out of his SUV and started toward her. The sun had been playing peek-a-boo with some clouds, but obviously shared