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Frieda snorted and reached for her cup of spiced tea. While good, it wasn’t as cinnamon-y as hers. “You haven’t been hot in over forty-five years. Now, if you want hot, I’ve heard that a single man is moving into our neighborhood.”
“You’re so far behind. You heard right and I knew that months ago,” Nora said. She considered herself not only the mistress of Dogwood Lane’s grapevine, but the Neighborhood Watch leader, as well. She shuffled the cards. “Myra’s granddaughter told me who bought it.”
Frieda arched a gray eyebrow and waited as Nora dealt another game. “You have to admit that this is exciting news. We haven’t had a single man on this street in years. I mean, not counting Elmer. He’s eighty. I heard the new guy is thirty-three. Maybe our block will become hip again.”
“Doubtful. The only new hip around here is Sue Ellen’s artificial one.”
“So what do you think he looks like?” Frieda asked. Sue Ellen’s surgery was old news.
Nora shrugged. “Not as good as my Niles, I’m sure.”
Frieda refrained from rolling her eyes. Everyone on the block knew that Nora worshipped the ground her middle grandson walked on. Although her own children declared her more of a meddler, Nora had managed to get two of her six grandchildren hitched.
All of Nora’s children were scattered around the country, and Niles lived closest. Nora usually traveled over the Christmas holidays to visit everyone, but this year everyone, including Niles, was coming to Orlando. So he’d be in town in a little less than four weeks.
Frieda peered at her cards. “Wouldn’t it be great if the new neighbor and Kate hit it off? She’s been so lonely since Sandra died two years ago, and well, you remember how disastrous her last relationship was. Who knows? Perhaps it’ll be love at first sight with the boy next door.”
It was Nora’s turn to scoff. “Absolutely not. The last thing Kate needs is some guy who will break her heart again. She should date Niles. He’s perfect for her.”
“He lives in Jacksonville,” Frieda pointed out.
“So? They have lawyers in Jacksonville, too, I’m sure.”
Frieda managed not to shudder as she drew a card from the pile. While Nora was an avid matchmaker and Frieda often assisted in her schemes, Frieda’s gut said no way to Niles and Kate as a couple.
Nora removed the queen of spades from the discard pile and added it to her hand. “Sandra would approve of Niles. He’s a nice, hardworking boy with a very good job.”
Sandra had raised Kate ever since her mother had dropped her off when she’d been six, and Frieda was positive Sandra would turn over in her grave first before agreeing. Still, Frieda could hope that maybe the new guy would be perfect for Kate. After all, Frieda and Nora had promised Sandra when she’d first gotten ill that they’d look after Kate. Of course, Nora was starting to think that meant Kate should be married off.
Frieda glanced out the window and across the street. Both houses, Kate’s and the new neighbor’s, remained dark. “When’s he arriving, anyway?” Frieda asked.
Nora frowned. “That I don’t know. I heard he’s a photojournalist who’s always jaunting off somewhere. The moving van arrived weeks ago and unloaded, so his stuff’s there. If he doesn’t show up soon, his house will be the only one on the block without holiday decorations. That would be an eyesore.”
Frieda studied her cards. If she drew the two of clubs she’d win. “Maybe he’ll be as sexy as that Arthur Kent. Remember him from the first Gulf conflict?”
“Of course I remember that far back. I had cable long before it was fashionable. You really should move into this century. Anderson Cooper’s the star now. Gin. So, where do you think Niles should take Kate? The theater? Ballroom dancing? The Nutcracker will be in town for a limited run starting next week.”
Or none of the above, if she’s lucky—unlike me, Frieda thought as she tossed her cards down, defeated again. Nora peered over her cat-eye rims. “Well?”
“Uh…” Frieda stalled. Everyone knew how tenacious Nora was. Somehow Frieda would have to help Kate get out of this one. Behind the scenes, that is. “Why don’t you let Kate decide what she wants?”
After all, December 1 would initiate twenty-five days of pure holiday magic. With a little mistletoe and a lot of Christmas joy, who knew what could happen?
TYLER DOUBLE-CHECKED the directions his sister had text-messaged him a month ago. The quaint neighborhood he now drove through wasn’t quite what he’d expected.
Not that it was bad or that he disliked it. He’d just expected something newer and more modern, not the starter bungalows he was passing on street after street with fifty-year-old trees. This neighborhood was located in an older part of town, built long before theme parks had transformed everything in Orlando and moved the hub of the city to the southwest. Tyler crept along, searching for 233 Dogwood Lane.
There it was. Home sweet home.
He parked his Hummer under the carport. Admittedly, the SUV was a monstrous gas guzzler, but Tyler wasn’t around enough to drive the beast much. In the two years he’d owned the vehicle, he’d put less than three thousand miles on his odometer.
Except for the unkempt yard, the house itself was presentable—and just like every other rectangular abode on the street. The two-to three-bedroom homes were early 1950s and painted shades of cream or white. All the houses had Christmas decorations on the lawn, some more abundantly than others.
Tyler exited his vehicle, stood in the driveway and glanced around the neighborhood, which he’d been pleased to discover wasn’t a traffic-jammed drive from the downtown bureau office. He reminded himself it didn’t matter what his house looked like. He’d live in it, on average, maybe a total of three months a year.
He dug out the key his sister had mailed to his P.O. box and blinked. Had the blinds across the street flickered? He shook his head. Perhaps it had been a trick of the waning sun or the Christmas lights competing with the twilight. He steadied himself and reminded himself he was back in America, one of the safest countries in the world.
He took a deep breath. Aside from being tired and jetlagged, he was still jumpy from having been in a place where gunfire was routine. The key turned easily and the side door creaked open. Once inside, Tyler nudged the door shut and flipped on the overhead light. As he set down his camera case, disturbed dust particles rose into the stagnant air. Tyler’s expression soured. He knew his stuff had been delivered weeks ago, but he hadn’t expected the dust to be this bad. A thin layer covered everything, including the moving boxes. Which meant that not only did he have to unpack, he first had to clean.
That figured, especially since he hated housekeeping and had entrusted his apartment to a cleaning service. Since Tyler hadn’t been in the country for the various homeowner inspections, he’d simply assumed the previous owners had scoured the place. Used to living in apartments, where a renter had to clean to get his deposit back and then the apartment complex cleaned to prepare for the new tenant, Tyler hadn’t even thought his house might not be habitable.
He stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders in an attempt to ease the tension he felt. From the appearance of the place, the movers had simply brought all his stuff in, set it down and then left. He’d slept in more deplorable conditions on the job, but this was his house. His home, even though he was never home much, was a haven, one he always wanted clean and presentable.
He pulled his cell phone out of the camera bag and punched speed dial. Within moments he’d connected to his twin’s voice mail. “Hey, Tara. Thanks for remembering the cleaning service. I couldn’t believe how spotless the house was when I got home. Gosh, everything in its place and not a speck of dust anywhere. Hey, on a serious note, I’m back in town and I do like the house. You did good. Love ya. Call me.”
He smiled, imagining her reaction to the first part of his message. She’d known him since the womb and would laugh at his sarcasm, aware it was only in jest. Yeah, he was annoyed by the mess in front of him, but it wasn’t her fault. She’d already gone above and beyond the call of sisterly duty.
The house was too dirty not to clean, but because he’d always had a maid service, wiping up spills with paper towels and spraying foaming shower cleaner were his limits. He didn’t even own a vacuum, since the service had brought its own.
For a moment, he thought about calling his mother, then reconsidered. While she could clean at light-speed, her help would come with a lecture on staying in the United States, finding a woman to marry and raising children, like two of his older brothers, Leo and Craig. Tonight, after traveling a long distance and then working all day at the office, Tyler wanted peace and quiet.
The sound of tires crunching on pavement caught his attention. He moved to the front window and watched as a sensible little four-door sedan pulled into the driveway next door. He strode to a side window and parted the old-fashioned Venetian blinds. Once under the carport, the vehicle sputtered to a stop. Clogged fuel injector. Easy enough to fix.
The car door opened and the driver climbed out. No. It couldn’t be. What were the odds?
He frowned. But there she was, the woman who, for some reason, he’d been unable to get out of his mind.
Maybe it had been the severe way she’d secured her blond hair in a bun, or the way she’d haughtily held her neck and shoulders, as if he carried the plague. He’d made a career of never forgetting a face, but clearly she wasn’t very observant. She’d failed to notice the Hummer parked parallel to her driveway, and seemed preoccupied with getting into the house as quickly as possible.
Curiosity piqued, Tyler decided it was time to formally meet his new neighbor.
Chapter Two
As she entered her kitchen, Kate tossed her keys on the table and set the pint-size carton of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the freezer. She’d eat the chocolate, caramel and fish-shaped-candy ice cream later. Because of a last-minute request from the boss, she’d left work a little later than normal, which was okay, she’d rationalized, since she’d arrived late.
Still, she hadn’t factored the horrible traffic an accident had produced, which had left her with the task of getting dinner, freshening up and finding something to wear in a little less than the two hours she had before Wendy arrived.
Kate had the start of a headache, as well, and something seemed out of place, though she couldn’t pinpoint what. Maybe she was just tense from the day, and the fact she’d agreed to go to a party she really didn’t want to attend.
She took two acetaminophen tablets out of her purse, poured a glass of water and shrugged off the melancholy as her cat, Jeckyll, hopped onto the kitchen table with a meow. Tonight Kate didn’t scold him, for Wendy’s prophetic words popped into Kate’s head: you’ll end up an old maid with just your cat. Kate swallowed the tablets, set the water glass down and absently scratched Jeckyll behind the ears.
The huge yellow tomcat arched his back and purred. Then he rose on his hind legs and planted his two huge front feet on Kate’s blouse. Dirty paw prints instantly marred the white fabric above her breasts. Figured. Her headache grew worse as she grabbed a paper towel and attempted to wipe the dirt off the material. Because she’d watered the plants late last night, brushing the dirt off was hopeless. She needed to toss the garment into the washing machine immediately.
“Bad cat! I told you to stay out of the corn plant,” she chastised. She began unbuttoning the blouse as Jeckyll jumped off the table and nonchalantly strode into the living room, tail held high. Kate glared after him, fingers freezing on undoing the fourth button as she heard a knock on the side door.
Probably Nora. Kate closed her eyes for a moment. She loved Nora—the woman was practically her second mother. But at this moment Kate was simply too uptight to deal with anyone.
The rapping continued and Kate went to the door. She flipped on the porch light and slowly pushed the curtain aside so that Nora, head of the Neighborhood Watch patrol, wouldn’t scold her—again—for not being careful enough. “Yes?”
The rest of her sentence died on her tongue. Outside on her doorstep was the guy from the gas station. She dropped the curtain. What was he doing here? Every one of Nora’s safety lectures flitted through Kate’s head. Had he followed her all day? Should she call 911?
The knocking restarted, this time accompanied by his voice, which called, “Hello.” She pushed the curtain aside again, and he gave her a disarming grin and held up his driver’s license. “Hi. I’m your new neighbor. I bought the house next door. From the Dorhacks?”
Kate’s hand trembled as she let the curtain drop into place. She chided herself for letting Nora’s paranoia rub off. She opened the door and immediately noticed the massive black Hummer directly on the other side of her carport. Okay, maybe she was as clueless as Nora maintained if she’d missed that. Somehow, she regained her voice and poise. “Hello.”
“Hi. I’m Tyler Nichols.”
She blushed. “Kate Merrill.”
He smiled and something inside her jumped to attention. “I’ve been in Iraq for the past few months,” he said. “Just got home today. Pity we didn’t know each other this morning.”
“Oh.” She gripped the door handle. Even though he stood lower than her, his height put him eye-to-eye, providing her a clear view of brown orbs that were flecked with gold. She swallowed. “Well, welcome to Dogwood Lane.”
The smile didn’t fade as he studied her. “Thanks. What a coincidence.”
Kate sidestepped the comment. “Uh, so you were working overseas?” she managed to say.
He nodded, and the dimple in his cheek creased more. “I’m a photojournalist with a wire service.”
Gorgeous man, glamorous job. And not only had she made an idiot of herself this morning, but now she was leaving him standing on her doorstep. “Uh, please come in. Besides, if you remain out here, Nora’ll be here any second.”
He frowned. “Nora?”
“Nora,” Kate confirmed as another strand of her hair escaped its bun when she stepped back into the kitchen. She resisted the urge to replace the wayward lock. “You’ll meet her soon enough. She lives across the street and keeps a pair of binoculars by each window. Everyone in the neighborhood calls her Nosy Nora. Not to her face, of course,” Kate added hastily, blushing again. “Some twenty years ago she foiled a crime on this street, so everyone’s very grateful she’s observant.”
He was observant, too, she noticed as his gaze flicked around her kitchen, which sorely needed updating. The green metal cabinets had gone out of style decades ago. He returned his attention to her face.
“I’m sure you’re busy, especially since it’s a Friday night. I just came over to say hello. I’ve got to get back over there and clean.”
“You’re not going out?” Kate stared at him. Didn’t men like him always have somewhere exciting to be? Jack had always had somewhere to go, someone to impress.
But Tyler was shaking his head. “No. I’ve got hours of work to do, starting with finding the closest place to buy cleaning supplies.”
“We’re pretty residential here. You’ll have to drive at least two miles before you get to the nearest superstore,” Kate told him.
He grinned wryly. “That’s what I figured. Well, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around. I better get to it. I recognized you and like I said, I just wanted to say hello.”
He could charm without even trying. His proximity rattled her brain, scattering her priorities and overriding her to-do list. Maybe she should have taken Wendy’s advice and gotten on the dating circuit sooner. That might have helped with her reaction to this man.
“I saw the inside of the house right after Myra’s kids put her in a nursing home. They were so happy to unload the place that I’m not surprised they didn’t clean it before they sold it.”
“Well, my stuff sitting there collecting dust didn’t help. I’ve been traveling with a marine unit for the past two months. Although, as dirty as it is, it’s better than the front line.”
Raised by Sandra always to be charitable and volunteer, Kate made an instinctive decision. “Do you need some help?”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’d do that?”
“Of course,” she said. “It’s what neighbors do, especially on this street. I’ve got tons of cleaning stuff I can lend you. Give me a few minutes to get changed and I’ll come over. I’d suggest you find some grubbier clothes.”
He still seemed a little surprised. “Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll see you in a few then. Be sure to knock loud. I’ve discovered that the doorbell’s broken. I guess I’ll have to fix that at some point.”
And then he walked away, affording Kate a great view of his backside.
SO THAT WAS his next-door neighbor.
Tyler whistled to himself as he crossed the short distance to his house. The spontaneous way she’d offered to help, without hitting on him, had impressed him. Perhaps he’d misjudged her this morning. Then, he’d found her a bit amusing.
Oh, she still had that naiveté to her, as real as it was refreshing. But her eyes reflected intelligence. He’d read determination on her face. She’d never play poker, but she’d covered her shock well.
He’d also found it intriguing that he’d wanted to pull her hair out of that infernal bun she wore. Yeah, maybe he’d been without a woman for too long, because his male interest had roared to life the moment she’d opened the door. He chuckled. Those sexy paw prints on her chest had been pretty impressive. Lucky cat. He wondered if she realized the top part of her blouse had been unbuttoned, giving him a nice peek at the white satin bra she wore beneath. Since his mother had raised him a gentleman, Tyler had kept his gaze on her face, but it hadn’t been easy.
Fate had to have a sense of humor. The first flare of life his libido had felt in a long time was for his next-door neighbor, a slip of a girl who, from her wary expression, wasn’t too impressed with him in the slightest, especially if this morning was an indication.
Not that it mattered. He’d always maintained that one should not seduce one’s neighbor. That rule was part of Tyler’s personal set of commandments for his life. Getting involved in a relationship with your neighbor made life awkward afterward, even if one neighbor—him—would never be in town. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Which was too bad. Because Kate Merrill had potential.
KATE CLOSED the door, picked up Jeckyll and shook her head. Darn it all. What in the world had gotten into her? She’d just offered to clean the man’s house. Had her celibacy caused her to lose brain cells? She definitely ought to have listened to Wendy more. Wendy! Kate glanced at the clock. Well, she’d just go next door, lend Tyler Nichols her stuff, make some excuse to leave. After all, she’d been expecting an elderly neighbor with a potbelly, the standard on Dogwood Lane. Would she have offered to clean for him? Not by a long shot. So why should she do it because Tyler Nichols was sexy? He probably had a harem to do his bidding.
The reality was that Tyler wouldn’t pay much attention to her after she helped him. He’d probably be out of the country somewhere, or with a woman who was more sophisticated than Kate was.
Which was good, Kate reminded herself. She didn’t need or want to become involved with anyone at this point in her life, especially someone who lived right next door.
Kate focused. While she might have sensed a flicker of interest on his part, she’d misread signals in the past. Still, she could look, right? Looking was harmless. And Tyler Nichols was definitely eye-catching. Maybe she needed to borrow one of Nora’s many pairs of binoculars. Maybe she should partake in a night of unbridled lust the way Wendy had suggested.
Tyler Nichols was probably phenomenal in bed.
Kate closed her eyes for a moment, letting her imagination take her away. He would lave her breasts, kiss her lower and lower, bring her to heights never imagined. He’d never call her a cold fish as Jack had—Jeckyll shifted in her arms and Kate’s eyes flew open.
She couldn’t do it. Just going to bed with someone you only lusted for seemed cold-blooded, if not plain dumb.
Deep down, Kate wanted commitment, not a quick roll in the hay—her mother’s norm. Despite his good looks, which tingled her toes, she determined to steer clear of Tyler after she gave him her cleaning supplies.
As Kate put down Jeckyll, she noticed her gaping blouse and the paw prints. Embarrassment heated her face. She’d already exposed and rattled herself enough, she decided.
Sighing, she went and changed clothes, then grabbed her cleaning supplies. A knock sounded, and Kate placed the container with the supplies on the counter and threw open the door.
“Haven’t I told you never to do that?” a familiar voice chided.
Not waiting for an invitation, the four-foot, ten-inch presence who dominated Dogwood Lane ushered herself in. Her snow-white hair still styled as it had been for the past twenty years, Nora waved some envelopes under Kate’s nose. “You really need to check the window first. I could have been anyone. A mugger. A rapist. A murderer.”
Kate sighed once more. She knew the entire spiel by heart. Hadn’t she just thought it earlier, when she’d first seen Tyler at her door? “Nora, there hasn’t been any crime in this neighborhood in decades, as you like to brag. You foiled the last one.”
“Well, I’d hate for another crime spree to start with you. I noticed you didn’t get your mail, so I grabbed it as I came over. You shouldn’t leave it in your box. Might get stolen. I told you that Forrest hates to put mail in a full box, which yours would have been tomorrow. And don’t forget, as of tomorrow, everyone on the block needs to have his or her Christmas lights up. It’s tradition.”
Kate clenched a hand behind her back and mentally counted to ten. “The new neighbor’s name is Tyler Nichols.”
“Who, dear?” Nora acted as if she hadn’t heard, but Kate knew better.
