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till you try. What can it hurt?
Sam s shoulders slumped. My pride.
Pride won t pay the mortgage. It won t make you feel better if you
change your mind later. Forget your pride and go for the job.
I ll think about it, she said without a trace of enthusiasm, turning
away from him and stirring the pot again.
At least she hadn t cast a hex on him.
I guess I should see what kind of expense I m looking at to fix up the
house. Do you know any trustworthy contractors that are reasonably
priced?
He didn t want to help her move away from him, but neither did he
like it when she turned to someone else when he could handle it. I said I d
help.
She turned back to him and gazed up soberly. It took you over a
month of working on my porch in your spare time to fix it. You work for a
living, too.
How many times did he have to pound it into her head that he would
always be there for her? Let me worry about that. I ll be fine.
I-I don t know. You re too good to be true, to your own detriment
sometimes.
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Something warm and tingly started glowing inside him. She thought
he was too good to be true.
He pulled her against him and tousled her hair. It was either that or
capture her lips in a searing kiss. He refused to examine his motives or why
he was suddenly breathless at just the thought of tasting Sam s lips. He
couldn t wait to get her away from her watchdog of a sister. Let s go price
the supplies. Do you know what all you want done to the house?
Her lips twisted wryly. I might as well dream of building a magic
castle.
We ll just look and cost things out.
I guess that can t hurt. They ate hurriedly and then she took him on
a tour of a room with faded, patchy wallpaper, a cracked window, rusty
plumbing, and worn carpet. He also noted disturbing creaks in her stairs.
She punched everything into her PDA and kept a running tally. The
tapping of the stylus on the screen annoyed him, but it seemed a handy
enough gadget otherwise. Maybe this was one computer-type widget that
wasn t completely evil.
An hour later when they had finished the list, Sam headed for the back
yard and called out the door to her sister who had finally stopped dogging
them to play in her new garden where she was growing a louffa plant.
We re running to Home Depot to price some supplies. Want to come with
us?
Shantel turned at the sound of Sam s voice and waved. You two run
along. I need to work on this.
As they moseyed about the home store, he felt right looking at
household appliances with Sam. He didn t like it when other men turned
appreciative eyes on her. He wanted to tell each and every one to keep their
eyes to themselves. Unfortunately, she d hate that.
He tried to think of a plan to keep Sam in Florida. He made a mental
list of what she wanted. One, a new, better job. Two, a love interest. He tried
not to snarl at that one, but it was a challenge. Three. Three, a doctoral
program in South Florida that met her approval. Four? He didn t know what
four would be. Perhaps to have her mother move down here so they could be
together.
He should ve have dawdled repairing the porch. He held out his hand
for the PDA. Let me see your list.
She handed the PDA to him and he had to squint at the small print.
The lavatories needed gutting and remodeling so he headed for that aisle.
FORBIDDEN FRUIT Ashley Ladd 87
How fancy did you want to make the restrooms? He eyed the tubs large
enough for two with the Jacuzzi jets. He pointed to one that would fit the
two of them comfortably. Something like this would really add to the resale
value of your house. A couple could make love in there quite comfortably.
A delicious bloom rose in Sam s cheeks and she ran her hands over
the smooth surface. How he wished she was running those hands over him
instead. Hope flared in her eyes for a few seconds and then sizzled. It s
nice, but none of my bathrooms are large enough.
Patiently, he explained it to her. Not a huge problem. We can always
knock out walls and change room sizes.
But that sounds like major remodeling. That d take forever. And if
I m not going to get the enjoyment&
He hoped to persuade her into staying. If he made her house beautiful
enough, she couldn t leave. If he proved himself useful enough, hopefully
she d view him with new eyes, too. It won t as long as you might think.
Wincing, she fingered the hefty price tag. It s moot anyway as I
certainly can t afford these prices. Her shoulders sagging, she turned her
back on it and walked over to the el cheapo sinks.
Think man! He groped for a way. You could take out a second
mortgage. Or you could ask your family for a loan. He didn t know what
kind of savings Shantel had, but she didn t appear to be a pauper. Paupers
didn t talk about buying new houses.
Paling, she visibly recoiled. Oh, I couldn t ask Shantel for a loan.
Why not? Family s help each other all the time.
She veiled her eyes with her beautiful, lush lashes, and squirmed.
Shantel s going through a nasty divorce. I don t know her financial status
and I can t heap my problems on top of hers.
Why didn t you tell me?
Sam looked up at him with heartbreak welling in her eyes. It s not
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