Her Surprise Family. Patricia Thayer

“Do any of your family live around here?”

      “Uh, no,” she said. “They’re farther south.”

      He glanced over his shoulder. “Why didn’t you buy a house there? Then maybe your family would be able to help you out.”

      “I’d rather do this on my own. Besides, I could afford this place.”

      “How’d you find out about Stewart Manor?”

      She hadn’t had to answer this many questions to take out a mortgage. “It was on the Internet. You can find anything and everything if you know where to search.”

      Rafe stood and walked over to the corner window. “As far as I’m concerned, you can put all the computers in a pile and blow them to kingdom come.”

      Shelby bit back a smile as she watched the big man move around the room. So Mr. Macho was a cyberphobe. “Sounds like you’ve had some problems with your computer.”

      “None whatsoever,” he assured her. “I don’t touch the thing. I leave all the computer business to my sister. Angelina minored in computer science in college. Got one in the office and I stay clear of it.”

      “Well, if you ever decide you want to learn, just call me. I’m on the computer every day. I do graphics work and design web pages for a living.”

      He cocked an eyebrow as if to say, I’ll want to learn when hell freezes over. “Thanks for the offer, but I doubt I’ll ever require your services. How many rooms upstairs?”

      “Five bedrooms and two baths. One of the baths is connected to the master suite. The third floor is the attic.”

      “How many rooms do you want me to look at?”

      She shrugged. “I’d like you to tell me if any of them need major work. There are some water rings on the ceilings in two of the bedrooms, and in one of them some of the plaster has already fallen. I want to start painting and wallpapering as soon as possible.”

      “I think you better hold off on any decorating until we assess the damage. Tearing out old plaster causes quite a mess.” His dark eyes lifted to meet hers, and instantly she felt a jolt of awareness course through her body. Why did this man make her so nervous?

      She managed a nod.

      “I’ll go have a look.” He started out of the room and again she followed him. When they reached the staircase, he stopped. She didn’t and ran into him. He reached out and grabbed her by the arms before she lost her balance. “You better stay down here. These stairs aren’t safe. And until the repairs are done, I don’t want you using them.”

      Shelby felt the sudden heat from his gentle touch and lost any desire to argue. Then he turned and continued up the stairs. She watched as he moved with easy athletic grace over the broken steps. Finally he disappeared from view, and she returned to the living room.

      Shelby crossed to the mantel and studied the row of pictures. Her family. Uncle Ray and Aunt Celia, along with an assortment of cousins. They were spread all across the country, of course. That way people didn’t ask why they never came to visit. All she had to do was make up stories about them. And she was really good at make-believe—she made a living at it. Shelby drew a long breath and released it. She glanced around the room, feeling a flood of contentment.

      She finally had her home. And soon it would be filled with people, and she wouldn’t be all alone anymore.

      

      After checking the attic and the other bedrooms, Rafe wandered into the huge master suite. A mahogany four-poster bed sat against the wall. Heavy brocade draperies hung at the large windows, but were so filthy you couldn’t tell what color they’d once been. The floral wallpaper was faded and had water rings. There was also evidence of some vandalism, broken windows and beer bottles and some writing on the wallpaper. The floors were caked with years of dust

      He peeked into the bathroom and saw the oversize claw-foot tub. Upon close examination, he realized it was still in good condition, along with the pedestal sink. The marine-blue marble tile could use a good cleaning and some grouting, but all were easy to repair.

      Rafe’s thoughts turned to the woman he’d left downstairs. He normally didn’t stop homeowners from following him around on the job site, but he needed time away from Ms. Harris. Her wide-eyed gaze seemed to watch his every move. He couldn’t decide if it was mistrust or just plain curiosity. But it had bothered him. Damn. He hadn’t felt that awkward around a woman since he’d taken Lisa South-erland to the junior prom. And that was because he had gotten brave enough to try to cop a feel. At seventeen, getting his hands on a girl’s breasts was a major accomplishment.

      Once again he recalled Shelby Harris in her T-shirt. She had an unbelievable body. Full breasts, long, shapely legs... Rafe groaned. What was the matter with him? He was acting as if he’d never been around a woman before. But it had been a while since there’d been anyone in his life. Still, he knew better than to think about getting involved with a potential client.

      After giving himself a good talking-to. he returned to the bedroom. He stopped short when he found Shelby Harris in front of the bay windows. The afternoon sunlight formed a halo around her, softening her pretty face.

      A quiet intimacy surrounded them as they stood in silence, neither, it seemed, wanting to break the spell with words. Rafe’s gaze shifted slightly toward the large bed, and an erotic picture of this long-legged brunette lying naked on ivory satin sheets flashed in his head.

      His body tightened as his gaze darted back to her. Damnation. “Thought I told you to wait downstairs.”

      She didn’t seem intimidated by his anger. “I’ve been up here before. I know which steps to avoid.”

      “You still could have fallen. This house is old and has been vacant for a long time. If I’m going to work here, then you’re going to have to listen to my warnings.”

      Her eyes flashed defiantly, as if she was about to argue, but then she averted her gaze. “I guess I was anxious to see how much damage you found and what your bid was going to be.”

      Rafe looked at his clipboard. He knew that the house needed a lot of time-consuming work. “On the whole, the house is solidly built. I think you already knew that.”

      She nodded.

      “But the roof had been leaking for quite a few years. I was going to suggest that you replace it, but there are several bundles of shingles in the attic, so we might be able to do a fairly good patch job—for now. Once we stop the leaks, I’ll tear out the ceiling up here in the front bedroom. Then put up new drywall.”

      “What about the other three bedrooms and this room?”

      “The damage isn’t extensive. This room seems to be in the best shape, and the bathroom is fine, too.”

      “So between the parlor downstairs, the stairway and the bedroom room, what do you think it’ll cost me?”

      He didn’t know why, but he’d worked to cut his quote to the bare bones. He showed her the bid and watched her eyes widen.

      “This is so expensive. You can’t possibly need that much material.”

      “It’s not the materials. It’s the labor. I have to pay a guy to come in and tear away and dispose of the rotted wood and plaster.”

      “No, you don’t.”

      “Well, someone has to do it. And I don’t have the time. My brother and I have several other jobs—”

      “I know,” she interrupted. “I know you’re busy. That’s the reason I’m suggesting that, instead of hiring someone to do the tearing out, let me do it. I can work along with you.”

      Rafe knew it. The minute he’d pulled into the driveway, he’d had a feeling she wanted more than an estimate.

      Well, he had to set her straight. “Look, you have no idea what is involved