to push out the other. Looking back, Marshall was struck by the fact that his role in the family and in the business couldn’t have been as easy as Conrad made it look. Perhaps they’d taken advantage of the fact he was a bachelor.
Turning the screen off, Uncle Conrad gestured to the living room, reading glasses spinning loosely in his hand. “I don’t know where they found this new housekeeper for you, but I can already see a difference.”
“And that’s just from minimal time working before she went to the hospital to volunteer. She’s a spitfire full of energy, that’s for sure.” He looked sidelong at his uncle, face tight as he remembered the way she’d flung herself into the pool to save his dog. From across the room by the floor lamp, Nugget stretched lazily, then moved to settle beneath Marshall’s feet, head resting on his paws.
“Spitfire, huh?” He scratched his chin. “I’m sure she’ll be a great help preparing for Christmas and the charity shindig.”
Marshall grunted in response, his mind still filling with images of Tally soaking wet, every curve outlined and calling to his hands.
“Yeah, I’m on the fence about this whole bachelor auction.”
“A bachelor auction?” He pulled his thoughts away from those tempting memories of Tally in the pool, memories that must be messing with him. He couldn’t have heard his uncle right. “Please say you’re kidding about them planning to parade us around on a stage.”
“Wish I could accommodate you, but I’m afraid not. The publicity’s already in the works.”
“And you’re participating as well?” He hadn’t really given a thought to his uncle’s single status. But Conrad was fifteen years younger than his brother.
He shrugged. “The money goes to charity.”
Marshall’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll make a big fat donation instead.”
“You’re welcome to donate whatever you wish. But just so we’re clear, if I’m hauling my old self on that stage, so are you.” He set the tablet on a side table, careful not to move the bear statue.
“You’re far from old.”
His uncle dated widely, but commitment hadn’t worked out well for him. One engagement had been broken off just shy of the altar. And Conrad’s brief marriage had ended not long after his wedding on a glacier.
“Well, thanks for the sweet talk, nephew, but you’re not going to distract me. You’re expected to participate.”
Marshall rolled his eyes, though he still hadn’t given up on trying to get out of the bachelor auction. Tapping his phone screen again, he noticed a car coming up the driveway. Except it wasn’t Tally’s car.
On the screen, he watched as the passenger-side door opened. Red hair whipped in the wind. So it was her.
A stab of jealousy and disappointment flashed through him. He hadn’t considered that she might already have a man in her life. And that thought worried the hell out of him, because it shouldn’t matter. He shouldn’t be thinking of her that way.
Then he realized he was thinking with his libido rather than his brain. Not cool. Something must have gone wrong for her to have gotten a ride with someone else. The weather led to too many traffic accidents.
Concern sent him to his feet as the front door opened.
Nugget lifted his head from his paws.
Tally took his breath away with her face pink from the cold. He lost track of how long he stared at her—and she at him—until his uncle cleared his throat and reached for the shopping bag of cleaning supplies she carried. Marshall then noticed the woman standing beside Tally. A lovely brunette, someone who might have caught his attention on another day. But right now, he only had eyes for a certain redheaded spitfire.
“My car died. I caught a ride with a friend.” She gestured to the brunette holding another bag of cleaning supplies. “This is Felicity Hunt. She’s a social worker who was up at the hospital for a case.”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Hunt.” He crossed the room to take Tally’s parka. The heat of her body clung to the well-worn jacket. Her crocheted mittens hung half out of the pocket. “You could have called me. You would have rescued me from plans of a bachelor auction at the Christmas fund-raiser.”
“Bachelor auction?” Felicity echoed.
Conrad chuckled under his breath.
Tally tipped her head to the side, then said, “I handled getting home, but thank you for the offer.”
Marshall’s broken arm be damned, he needed to do something for her. “I’ll send a tow truck and have my mechanic look at it.”
Tally winced. “I don’t want to take advantage. You can deduct it from my paycheck.”
Marshall appreciated her independence, but the repair was a drop in the bucket to him. “We can discuss it later.”
Conrad stopped alongside him. “Ms. Hunt, could we offer you supper to thank you for your trouble?”
“I’m fine, thanks. My workday started early, so I should head home.”
Marshall nodded to the tall brunette. “That was kind of you to go out of your way.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “It’s not that far, but I should be going.” Felicity turned to Tally. “I’ll see you next week. Today was so busy we didn’t get to chat much, and it seems we have, um, lots to talk about.” Grinning, she jabbed her hands into her coat pockets.
Conrad grabbed his coat from the nearby elk antler coat rack, yanking on his overcoat. “I’ll see you to your car.”
Marshall looked at his uncle in surprise. Interesting.
Tally picked up both bags of cleaning supplies, bright red hair sliding forward over half of her delicate face. Backing toward the door, she took a deep breath. “I’ll get to work now.”
He usually enjoyed the solitude of his life. But he was restless and couldn’t work that off with a ride. Ah, hell, who was he fooling? He’d been waiting for her to get back all afternoon.
“You’ve been volunteering since lunch. I thought you could use a break. I pulled a meal from the freezer and placed it in the oven.”
She turned toward him, her eyebrows knit with...confusion? She assessed him a moment before speaking. “That’s thoughtful. But I’m supposed to be taking care of you.”
“I can take care of myself.” Frustration made him snap. Then he forced himself to relax, half grinning. “Although if you want to discuss giving me a bed bath, I’m open to the topic.”
She lifted one eyebrow, crossing her arms under her full breasts. “That’s most definitely not in my job description.”
He scrubbed his jaw with his hand, awareness searing his veins. “You’re right, and I was out of line.”
“You’re forgiven. And I’ll gladly take you up on the supper.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“I want you to know I’ll be washing an extra load of laundry to earn my keep.”
“You’re stubborn and prideful.”
“I’m doing my job. And from what I was hearing your uncle say earlier, there will be a significant amount of company coming in for the holiday event. That means you do need me to get the house ready.”
“Let’s deal with supper first.”
Having her here, living under his roof, was a major temptation when he was already on edge with wanting her. And even for a man who’d spent years of sobriety learning to resist enticement, he was feeling decidedly weak when it came to this woman.
Felicity Hunt had learned independence