A Gift of Family. Mia Ross

morning.”

      He didn’t add anything more, and she couldn’t decide if he was shy or rude. Then again, he’d been a total gentleman helping her the way he had, so rude was off the list. That left shy, and she could work with that. “Then welcome to Harland. How are you enjoying it so far?”

      “Lisa Jean Sawyer,” Ruthy scolded as she came out of the kitchen with loaded platters for two of their early-bird dinner regulars. “Are you grilling my favorite nephew?”

      “Just a little,” Lisa answered with a laugh. “He doesn’t seem to mind too much.”

      Looking slightly awkward, Seth didn’t say he minded, but he didn’t say he didn’t, either. The guy was so laid-back, he made a turtle look like an Indy driver. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about fending him off, Lisa mused. Although she couldn’t imagine any woman with a brain rejecting whatever advances he wanted to make.

      Eyeing Lisa like he wasn’t quite sure what to make of her, he turned to his aunt. “Which idiot jammed the fry skimmer down your sink?”

      “Oh,” she confessed without blinking, “that was me.”

      Grimacing, he shook his head. “Can I ask what you were thinking?”

      “I was thinking there was something stuck in the disposal, and I had to get it out,” she retorted as she poured coffee for her customers. “I’m sure they’ll have whatever parts you need at Harland Hardware. Just ask for Gus and tell him who you are.”

      The expression that flashed across Seth’s tanned features had only one name: terror. His jaw was clenched so tight, Lisa knew it must hurt, and her heart went out to him. He was obviously former military of some kind, and she’d expect someone like that to have nerves of steel. Something horrible must have happened to make this imposing guy so jumpy.

      Apparently, Ruthy noticed it, too. Putting down the coffeepot, she took one of Seth’s hands in both of hers and gave him a bracing look.

      “Tell him you’re my nephew and you’re working on a project for me,” she clarified. “He’ll get you whatever you need and bill me for it.”

      Seth relaxed a bit and nodded. “Okay.”

      Reaching up, Ruthy pulled his head down to whisper something in his ear. Whatever she said must have been just what he needed to hear, because the tension left his face, and he grinned. He had a really nice smile, Lisa decided. She wondered what a girl would have to do to see it more often.

      “So,” he said with a little more confidence. “Where is this place?”

      “Lisa’s not busy right now,” Ruthy replied casually. “She can go with you, introduce you to Gus.”

      They both glanced toward Lisa, and she smiled. “Sure. No problem.”

      Taking off her ruffly white apron, she draped it over the back of a chair and met Seth at the door. He glanced at the mistletoe kissing ball suspended overhead and shook his head again before opening the door for her. The silver jingle bells hanging from the knob alerted everyone in the diner that they were leaving.

      Just as they were about to go, she heard the unmistakable sound of a camera shutter. Looking back, she saw Ruthy standing on the other side of the lunch counter, a digital camera in hand.

      “What on earth are you doing?” Lisa demanded with a laugh.

      “I always take a picture of the first couple under the mistletoe. Then I add it to the collage.” Motioning to the frame beside the door, she added, “It’s tradition.”

      Seth groaned. “We’re not a couple.”

      “You’re two people under the mistletoe,” she argued.

      “We just met, Aunt Ruth. We’re not the kind of couple you’re talking about.”

      “You could be.”

      When he glared at her, she gave up. “Fine. I’ll delete it.” Glancing down at the display, she sighed. “It’s such a nice shot, though.”

      Four people sidled past them into the diner, with three more close behind. Lisa suspected that if she didn’t do something, these two would argue so long the dining room would be overflowing by the time she got back to help.

      “It’s not a big deal, Ruthy. Just keep it.”

      She marched out, figuring Seth would follow quickly enough. He did, but out on the sidewalk, he looked down at Lisa and grumbled, “She jammed that disposal on purpose, didn’t she?”

      “Why would she do that?”

      “My hunch is she wanted me to notice you. She invented a kitchen crisis to get me downstairs.”

      “I wasn’t even in the kitchen,” Lisa pointed out. “How could she know you’d see me out in the dining room?”

      “Those swinging doors aren’t that high. With you up in the window like that, I saw you right off.”

      “She’s quite the matchmaker, so it sounds like something she’d do.” Since he didn’t seem seriously upset by his aunt’s supposed meddling, Lisa laughed. “I can’t imagine what she’s thinking.”

      Being Lisa’s godmother, Ruthy knew her better than most. Well enough to know this soft-spoken handyman was nothing like the brash, outgoing guys she enjoyed dating.

      “Christmas lights and mistletoe,” he replied grimly. “They make folks nuttier than usual.”

      “I think it’s sweet, her wanting to set you up for the holidays. Of course, you should get to pick the girl,” Lisa added to make it absolutely clear she wasn’t even remotely interested in being his Christmas crush.

      “I’m not real good at that,” he confided quietly.

      “Most guys aren’t.”

      “She’s just like my mom. They think I need somebody,” he said, looking over Lisa’s head as a tractor rumbled down Main Street.

      “Do you?”

      As soon as the words jumped from her mouth, she regretted them. It was none of her business if he needed someone. Or no one. Still, she couldn’t help being curious about why he constantly avoided her eyes. She also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his hesitance than simple shyness.

      After a long pause, he shrugged. “I’ve always done fine on my own.”

      “I like my independence, too,” she rambled to avoid another awkward silence. “Being the youngest, everyone was always telling me what to do. The best part of being a grown-up is finally getting to do my own thing.”

      “Independence is different from being alone.” With an appreciative glance, he added, “Something tells me you’re not alone all that much.”

      Her intuition told her he was trying to say something without insulting her, and she wasn’t sure she liked his tone. “I have company when I want it, if that’s what you mean.”

      “I don’t doubt that for a second.”

      Irritated now, she had to admit his comment about being alone was dead-on. She hated it but she couldn’t imagine how this stranger had picked up on it so quickly. Both of them seemed uncomfortable with the subject, so she decided it was better to switch to a less personal topic. Seth wasn’t big on conversation, which left her pretty much on her own.

      “What are your plans for the holidays?” she asked.

      “Home with my family. After that...” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him one way or another.

      Having grown up in Harland, the baby in a large, loving family, Lisa couldn’t begin to understand his careless manner. But God wired everyone differently for a reason, and she never questioned His logic.

      As they headed