her driveway, she noticed a shiny black Range Rover parked next door and her heart gave an involuntary jump. She thought of Caleb Ford’s piercing blue eyes and lean, muscular body, then pushed the memory of her neighbor from her mind. She parked and climbed the rickety porch steps, her feet aching the entire time. Forget yoga tonight—she was heading straight to the bathtub and staying in there for hours.
Kicking off her flip-flops, she closed the door, hopped over the stack of two-by-fours on the floor and made a beeline for the narrow staircase. The moment she reached the top step, the doorbell chimed, startling the hell out of her.
Sighing, she headed back downstairs, determined to get rid of whoever had rung the bell. No one she knew would show up unannounced, so it was probably someone selling newspaper subscriptions or something equally annoying, and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with that right now. She paused in front of the door and peered into the peephole.
A shaky breath flew out of her mouth when she found Caleb Ford’s blue eyes peering back at her.
Shoot. She was so not prepared for a visit from the hottie next door. She had convertible hair, wasn’t wearing a spot of makeup and she hadn’t even bothered putting on a bra when she’d changed out of her nursing scrubs.
But she couldn’t not answer the door. He knew she was home. He’d probably seen her pull up just now.
The doorbell rang a second time.
Maybe she shouldn’t answer it all. She didn’t know this guy—just because he was renting the house next door, that didn’t make them buddies. She didn’t owe him anything.
Actually, you do. He helped you escape death.
A sharp knock rapped against the door, making her jump. Wow, this guy was overeager, wasn’t he?
Taking a deep breath, she finally reached for the knob and opened the door. And then there he was, standing on her porch and looking even sexier than she remembered.
He hooked his thumbs through the belt loops of his faded blue jeans. The stance just screamed cool, emphasized by the way the sun was setting directly behind him. Dark oranges and reds lit up the sky, and in turn cast a ruddy glow over him. He looked like a cowboy in the Wild West, standing in the sunset.
Vivid imagination, Marley.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Caleb asked in a deep sexy voice that made her shiver despite the balmy breeze drifting into the hall.
She shook the cobwebs from her mind and tried to remember what she’d been doing before being assaulted by his sex appeal. “I was about to take a bath,” she admitted.
Something flickered in his eyes. Heat?
“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry I interrupted you. I came by to see about your arm.”
“My arm?” Then she remembered, and glanced down at the bandage covering the cut. “It’s fine, just a scrape.”
“Oh,” he said again, shifting awkwardly. “I guess I’ll go then. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
Promise to keep an open mind. Be open to some flirting, or heck, even a casual conversation.
Gwen’s words buzzed in her head. She hesitated. Okay, maybe she could manage some light-hearted small talk, a flirty remark or two. It wouldn’t kill her. He was obviously trying to be nice, coming over to check on her.
Besides, did she really want to send away the first man who’d made her feel anything close to desire in months?
“The bath can wait a little while longer,” she found herself saying. “Do you want to come in for a quick cup of coffee?”
He nodded. “Sure, if it’s no trouble.”
“None at all.” She opened the door wider. As he stepped into her narrow front hall, she felt overpowered by the sheer maleness of him. He was at least six-two, his big firm body dominating the small space. Before she could stop herself, she imagined that big firm body dominating her, and her breasts immediately ached, her nipples poking out against the front of her tank top. She wasn’t surprised when Caleb’s eyes dropped to her chest, lingering only for a second.
And with that one brief look, a rush of heat filled her body. She was rooted in place, watching his face as he watched her, and for a moment she experienced a sense of familiarity. As if they knew each other. There was something unbelievably intimate about his gaze.
She cleared her throat. “Uh, the kitchen’s this way.”
Caleb followed her down the hall, keeping a respectful distance behind her. As they entered her kitchen, she experienced a twinge of embarrassment at the chaos in the large airy space. Last weekend she’d scraped off most of the awful flower-patterned wallpaper the previous owners had described as charming in the real estate listing, and the walls were now bare. Paint cans sat near the splintered oak counter, which she needed to replace, and since she planned on painting the pantry, too, all the food from there rested in boxes against the wall. The room was a disaster.
“Sorry for the mess,” she apologized. “I’m doing some renovating.”
He raised a brow. “On your own?”
“Yep,” she replied, gesturing for him to sit at the table tucked in the corner of the room. “I’m about to start the kitchen, which leaves me with, oh, every other room in the house.”
Caleb’s mouth lifted in a crooked smile. Marley’s breath caught in her throat. Wow. This man definitely needed to do that more often.
He sank into one of the tall-backed chairs and crossed his ankles. “You’re a do-it-yourself type then.”
“Of course. It’s not fun hiring someone to do the job for you.” She shrugged. “Way more satisfying knowing that I did the work.”
She flicked on the coffeemaker and opened the cupboard above the sink, pulling out two mugs. “So what brought a New Yorker all the way across the country?”
There was a long pause, and then he chuckled. “Checking up on me, huh?”
She turned around and met his knowing look. “What?”
“I never told you I was from New York.”
Heat scorched her cheeks. Shoot. Totally busted. How could she slip up like that?
“I called Debbie in Paris,” she admitted. “I just wanted to make sure you were on the up and up. They didn’t mention a renter before they left.”
“It was a last-minute thing,” he said, not offering further explanation.
The coffee machine clicked, and she poured the hot liquid into the mugs, glancing over at him. “Let me guess, you take yours black.”
His lips twitched. “How’d you know?”
“Just a feeling.” She dumped two spoonfuls of sugar into her cup, then walked over to the table and handed him his. Rather than sitting, she leaned against the counter again, blowing on her coffee to cool it.
“You’re just going to hover over me like that?” Caleb asked.
“I hate sitting down,” she confessed. “Probably because of my job. I’m on my feet all day, and I’ve gotten used to it. I go a little stir crazy when I’m in a chair.”
“So…” He held his cup in one hand, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Do you usually make sure everyone you meet is on the up and up?”
The blush returned to her cheeks. “Not really. I just…well, I like the Strathorns and I wanted to make sure…” Her voice trailed, and she made a wry face. “Sorry, I guess I’ve been having some trust issues lately.”
He appeared to mull over her remark, then raised his mug to his lips. She watched his throat work as he swallowed, her stomach doing a funny little flip. Caleb Ford