LITMIR.BIZ

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been easier for her. Mandy took it hard. I try not to dwell on the loss, but I can’t imagine pretending he didn’t exist.”

      “You still talk about him?”

      “Maybe not as much as I should,” she admitted, seeing her neighbor in a different light. When he’d read Mandy and Alyssa’s letter, he must have been reminded of his nieces. It was a tragic situation. “I’m so sorry I threw you out earlier. I didn’t realize.”

      “It’s okay,” he replied, relaxing a little. “I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about…what kind of person I am.” His gaze fell to the pronged fork on the table, out of his reach.

      “I’m overprotective,” she said, chagrined. “I don’t mean any insult.”

      He gave her a curious look, as if contemplating the reason for her caution.

      The girls burst back on the scene, begging for dessert, so Leah rose to get the ice cream. Grabbing a few small plates, she scooped smooth vanilla bean alongside the warm cherry torte. “Do you want some?” she asked Brian, serving her daughters first this time.

      “Is it as good as the cookies?”

      “Better,” she said.

      His brows rose in agreement as he took a first bite. “Wow.”

      Leah lifted a spoon to her mouth, enjoying the sweet, tart cherries and creamy vanilla ice cream. By the time dessert was over, they were all stuffed. Mandy and Alyssa had both been up since the crack of dawn and looked tired. Leah put on a Disney movie for them and returned to the kitchen, surprised to see Brian at the sink.

      “I thought I’d help you load the dishwasher.”

      “It doesn’t work,” she said, surprised. “I’ve never used it.”

      “Do you mind if I take a look?”

      “Go ahead.”

      He glanced into the cabinet under the sink, checking the wiring. “It’s not hooked up right.”

      “Really?”

      “I can fix it if you want.”

      She crossed her arms over her chest, drumming her fingertips against her elbows. “How long will it take?”

      “Half an hour.”

      “What do you charge?”

      He shrugged. “A plate of leftovers.”

      “I was going to offer you that anyway.”

      “Then it’s a deal. I’ll get my tools.”

      Brian came back five minutes later with a scarred metal toolbox. Setting it on the floor, he opened the sink cabinet and hunkered down. “You have an old towel?”

      She had nothing but old towels. Grabbing a couple of different sizes from the bathroom, she brought them to him. He placed one of the large ones over the lip of the cabinet, making a more comfortable spot to lean against. Then he stretched out on his back and got to work, unscrewing bolts and taking the plumbing apart.

      With his head under the sink and his long legs sticking out, he should have looked odd. Instead he seemed at ease, even masterful. There was something very manly about this task. As he cranked a wrench, shifting his weight in the cramped space, the hem of his T-shirt rode up, revealing a strip of his taut abdomen. She averted her gaze.

      John had never been handy with tools.

      Leah concentrated on putting away the leftovers. She packed a hefty portion of ham, potatoes, and green beans into a plastic container for Brian. Then she wrapped a piece of cherry torte in foil and added a tin of cookies to the stash.

      “There,” he said, making a final adjustment. “Turn it on.”

      She pressed the button to start the dishwasher. Water rushed into the machine, beginning a new cycle. “It works!”

      He moved his head out from underneath the sink. “Run it once without any dishes to make sure.”

      “Thank you so much,” she said, marveling at his skills. She’d been meaning to get the dishwasher fixed for ages. “You’re a lifesaver.”

      “It was nothing.”

      “Are you sure I can’t pay you?”

      He gathered up his tools, preparing to leave. “I’m sure.”

      Leah was both sorry and relieved to see him go. Although she enjoyed his company and appreciated his help, his presence unnerved her in a way she didn’t want to analyze. She also couldn’t afford to let anyone get too close. Intuition told her that Brian Cosgrove had a canny mind, along with deft hands.

      To keep her children safe, she had to stay guarded.

      Turning back to the counter, she put the food containers in a striped gift bag. “Merry Christmas,” she said, handing it to him.

      He accepted the bag with a polite nod and she saw him out, locking the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, the house seemed empty. And too quiet. She went to check on the girls, noting that Alyssa had fallen asleep with Dr. Elmo in her arms. Mandy was still watching 101 Dalmations.

      Leah curled up beside her, staring sightlessly at the screen.

      Brian wasn’t able to relax when he came home from Leah’s.

      The meal had been fantastic. Even after tasting her cookies, he hadn’t expected her to be such a good cook. Maybe because she was on the slender side and had kind of a skittish personality. Sharing a meal with a neighbor seemed out of character for her. Brian imagined that most chefs were round and gregarious.

      It wasn’t that she wasn’t friendly. It was more like she wasn’t happy.

      She’d lost her husband and was raising two kids on her own, so that was understandable. Most women in her position wouldn’t feel overjoyed.

      But there was a deeper issue with her, he suspected. She’d panicked when she saw him this morning. She’d also made sure he didn’t have access to the serving fork. Although his sister had often moved sharp items out of the children’s reach, Leah’s kids weren’t babies. She considered him a threat.

      He wasn’t insulted by her attitude. She was a protective mother and he respected that. What unsettled him was the thought of someone traumatizing her so badly that she expected others to do the same.

      In a way, she reminded him of himself. He’d been bounced around a lot when he was a kid. So had his little sister. A few of the foster homes they’d lived in were just as dysfunctional as his mother’s house, and it wasn’t unusual for him to get picked on or roughed up. As he got older he’d become less of a target. He’d learned how to defend himself and his sister, but he’d never forgotten how it felt to be small and scared.

      During the meal, he’d wondered if Leah’s husband had been abusive. Then her eyes had softened when she spoke of him and he dismissed the idea.

      Whatever she’d gone through was none of his business. He was drawn to her and he had the strange feeling that she shared his interest. But he also realized that she didn’t welcome the attraction. He should forget about their impromptu Christmas get-together.

      She wouldn’t invite him back.

      Brian decided to keep an eye out for her anyway. The remodel would take several more months, and he liked the idea of being her unofficial security guard. No one could approach Leah’s house without him noticing.

      He’d had no control over his foster-care childhood or his sister’s untimely death. He had no chance at having a relationship with his nieces, his only relatives. But he could take on the responsibility of watching over Leah and her children.

      He could do it from a distance.

      Chapter 3

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