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“No.”
He tipped his head. “I have one. Why did you ask about ladders a few minutes ago?”
She combed her fingers through her hair and expelled a frustrated breath. “I’m renovating a house I just bought that I plan to turn into a B and B. We’ve only been here three weeks, so I haven’t gotten very far. And my first guests are arriving August 1.”
“Are you doing the work yourself?” His eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Yes. Or I’d planned to, anyway. It’s mostly cosmetic. Nothing too heavy, but it does require a lot of climbing up and down ladders.” She sighed. “I guess I’ll have to find someone to help if I want to be ready for opening day.”
“I can help you, Mom,” Zach volunteered.
She smiled and reached out to take his small hand. “I know, Zach. And you’re a good worker. But I’ll need someone a little bigger, too, to carry heavy things and climb the ladder.”
“If you’re in the market for an extra pair of hands, I’d be happy to give you the name of my brother-in-law,” the doctor offered. “He’s new on the island, too. I know he has some training in carpentry and painting, and he’s already done some work at our church.”
Catherine sent him a grateful look. “That would be great. Thanks.”
The doctor pulled a prescription pad out of his pocket and jotted a couple of lines. Stifling a yawn, he gave her a sheepish grin and handed it over. “Sorry about that. I just got back from my honeymoon yesterday, and I’m fighting a little jet lag.”
Honeymoon.
The word conjured up a poignant image of white beaches, palm trees and a tall, sandy-haired man with love and laughter in his eyes.
It also reminded Catherine where she’d seen the doctor before. She’d played at his wedding two weeks ago. He’d looked quite different that day, in a tux instead of a white coat. Besides, her attention had been on her son, not the bride and groom, whose happiness had brought back bittersweet memories.
Somehow Catherine dredged up a smile. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Let me help you off the table.”
He freed her foot from the ice bags, waited while she gingerly swung her legs over the edge and supported her as she fitted her feet into her sandals.
“Is someone waiting to drive you home?”
“We drove ourselves,” Zach piped up.
The doctor frowned. “Driving in your condition isn’t the best idea.”
It was all Catherine could do to hold her tears at bay now that her foot was flat on the floor again—and throbbing with pain. How could two little toes possibly hurt this much?
Summoning up a shaky smile, she brushed his concern aside. “I don’t have far to go. Besides, my car’s an automatic, and my right foot is fine.”
“I’d feel better if you were a passenger instead of a driver. Isn’t there anyone you could call?”
She didn’t miss the subtle glance he cast toward her wedding ring.
“No.”
At the finality in her tone, he capitulated. “Okay. I’ll have one of the aides take you to your car in a wheelchair. But no more driving for a few days. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Five minutes later, as Catherine maneuvered herself into her car with the help of the aide, she thought back to the doctor’s question about whether there was someone who could assist her.
She wished she’d been able to answer in the affirmative. That she could pick up a phone and call the man who’d been the center of her world for eight glorious years.
But she was alone now, except for Zach.
And she always would be.
Because a broken heart was a whole lot harder to heal than two broken toes.
Chapter Two
Nathan braked to a stop on the side of the bike path as he approached Surfside and pulled out the directions he’d jotted down when Catherine Walker had called last night. Her street should be the next one on the left, he concluded, pocketing the slip of paper.
The three-mile bike ride from Nantucket town hadn’t taken him nearly as long as he’d expected, so he slowed his speed as he turned off the main road and headed down the dirt lane. The houses here were spread much farther apart than the ones in town, and all were constructed of weathered clapboard. Although they were too far from the beach to offer a glimpse of the sea, they had a wide-open vista of the blue sky and felt a world removed from the tourist crowds and noise. He liked that.
He had no trouble spotting the house his potential boss had described. It was a bit unusual in that it consisted of two clapboard structures joined by a breezeway. The one on the left was a story and a half, Cape Cod in style, while the smaller section on the right appeared to be one level.
Unlike the houses closer to town or in ’Sconset, it didn’t boast lush, well-tended gardens and tall privet hedges. Instead, it seemed to blend into the open, windswept terrain, as if it was a natural part of the landscape. He liked that, too.
Leaning his bike against the rail fence that separated the property from the dirt road, he walked up the gravel path to a front porch rimmed with budding hydrangea bushes. After ascending three steps, he rubbed his palms on his jeans and knocked on the door.
“Hey, Mom, he’s here!”
The sound of a child’s voice drifted through one of the front windows, which was open two or three inches. That was followed by the sound of eager, running footsteps. And a woman’s voice.
“Wait for me, Zach. I’ll open the door.”
Zach.
Nathan had only the space of a few heartbeats, while he listened as a lock was slid back and a dead bolt turned, to process that name and come to a startling conclusion.
But it was more warning than the woman who opened the door was granted.
Stunned, Nathan stared at the wary violinist. The mother of the friendless, blond-haired little boy.
She stared back.
Several beats of silence passed.
Her son recovered first. A wide, welcoming smile split his face as he beamed up at the visitor. “Hey, Nathan! It’s me, Zach, remember? From the wedding. You gave me your cake!”
Grateful for the distraction, Nathan tore his gaze away from the woman’s startled green eyes and smiled down at the youngster. “Hi, champ. I’m surprised to see you again.”
“Yeah. Me, too. Isn’t this cool, Mom?”
One look told Nathan that cool didn’t come anywhere close to describing Catherine Walker’s reaction. Cautious, guarded, uncertain—those adjectives were more accurate. Placing a protective hand on her son’s shoulder, she edged closer to him.
“Mr. Clay, I assume?”
“Yes.”
She hesitated for another moment, as if still processing this peculiar coincidence and debating how to proceed. But at last she took a deep breath and stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind her. “All the work’s in that building.” She gestured toward the smaller structure on the other side of the breezeway. “I’ll show you around and you can put together an estimate.”
He followed her in silence, noting her limp—and the sturdy, somewhat clunky hiking boots that were out of place with her slim capri pants. When they reached the porch steps, she descended slowly, one at a time, bottom lip caught between her teeth, features contorted with pain.
In his thirty-four years, he’d had more than his share of cuts, scrapes and broken bones. And he knew how much they could hurt. For an instant he was tempted to take her arm in a steadying grip. But he quashed the impulse at once, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans instead as he followed at a nonthreatening distance. If he so much as breathed on her, he suspected she’d send him packing.
“My brother-in-law told me about your accident,” he offered. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll live. But it’s not very convenient.”
“She dropped a can of paint on her foot in there.” Zach pointed to the breezeway, throwing the words over his shoulder as he trotted along beside his mother, his hand firmly held in hers. “I heard it all the way in the living room. Then her toes got purple. And they puffed up. They look really gross. And she can’t walk very…”
“Zach.” Catherine’s quiet but firm tone cut him off. “I’m sure Mr. Clay doesn’t want to hear about my toes.”
“He might. Did you ever break anything?” Zach directed the question over his shoulder.
“A couple of fingers once.”
“Yeah?” Zach gave him an interested glance. “How?”
He should have seen that question coming, Nathan realized in dismay. No way did he intend to share that bit of background with this duo. Telling this wary woman they’d been smashed by a police officer’s baton wasn’t likely to win him any brownie points.
Pulling open the door of the breezeway, Catherine saved him by changing the subject.
“Let me explain the project.” She stepped inside and he followed. “I plan to use the smaller part of the house as a B and B. It’s already set up as guest quarters, with two large bedrooms, each with a private bath and a separate entrance. However, it’s in desperate need of some TLC. I have guests booked beginning August 1, which would have given me plenty of time to get the work done myself. But now I’m going to need some help.”
She took a key out of her pocket, fitted it into one of the two doors in the breezeway that led into the structure and pushed it open.
Nathan followed her in. The empty room was large and boasted a vaulted ceiling, but evidence of disrepair was obvious. Some of the drywall was damaged, paint was flaking off in several areas and the stained carpet smelled musty.
“The other room’s worse,” she told him as she limped over to the bathroom and pushed the door open. “It has peeling psychedelic wallpaper that will have to be stripped—meaning lots of drywall repair, I suspect. I also want to install Pergo wood-grained flooring in both rooms. Any experience with that?
“No. But I’m a fast learner.”
She gave a slight nod. “I installed some a few years ago in our old house. It’s not that hard. I can guide you through it. Maybe even help by that point.” She flipped on the light in the bathroom. “These aren’t as bad. They need more redecorating than repair.
He moved close enough to get a glimpse of a basic bathroom over her shoulder. The fixtures and tile floor appeared to be in decent shape, but the space was bland.
Stepping back into the room again, he planted his fists on his hips and gave it a dubious scan.
“Believe it or not, Mr. Clay, this room has great potential.”
At Catherine’s wry comment, Nathan felt heat rise on his neck. He hadn’t meant for his skepticism to be so obvious.
“I’ll have to take your word for that. The repairs I can do. The decorating…” He shook his head. “Making this room appealing would be beyond my talents.”
“I can take care of that part. I used to be an interior designer.” She moved toward the door. “Let me show you the other room.”
When he leaned around her to open the door, she jerked back.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He eased away, pulling the door wide, wondering again why she was so skittish.
A soft flush colored her cheeks, as if she was embarrassed by her reaction. “Thanks.”
She limped through, tugging Zach along with her, but he pulled free. “We’re not crossing a street, Mom. And there aren’t any strangers around. We know Nathan now. You don’t have to hold my hand.”
As he dashed ahead to wait at the adjacent door, Catherine’s flush deepened. Averting her head, she led the way to the second door in silence, inserted the key in the lock and pushed it open. Gesturing Nathan inside, she remained on the threshold as he and her son entered the room.
Catherine’s assessment had been correct, Nathan concluded, inspecting the sorry wallpaper and faded vinyl floor covering. This room was in worse shape.
He shook his head. “I hope the part of the house you’re living in is in better condition than this.”
“Nope,” Zach chimed in. “There were spiders in my room when we moved in. Yuck!”
“Just a few. And they’re gone now,” Catherine corrected her son before answering Nathan’s question. “It’s livable until we get the guest quarters fixed up.”
Her response suggested it wasn’t much better than the room in which he was standing. Making him wonder what had compelled her to buy such a fixer-upper.
As if she’d read his mind, she folded her arms across her chest and regarded him from the threshold. “Prices are very high on the island. Especially property. This was the best I could afford. Besides, it met my criteria of keeping our home and the guest quarters separate. I wanted to maintain some privacy.”
She glanced around the guest room, her features tightening in pain as she shifted her weight to relieve the pressure on her injured foot. “This property used to be owned by an older couple, but they hadn’t visited for a long time. And this section has been ignored for years. According to the Realtor, after the woman’s husband died she became too feeble to travel. But she hung on to this place because it held a lot of happy memories for her.”
“Kind of like you kept those hiking boots you’re wearing, huh, Mom?”
At Zach’s comment, she sucked in a sharp breath. Before she could recover, the youngster continued.
“My mom and dad used to go hiking a lot when I was little. Mom says my dad used to carry me on his back. That was when we lived in Atlanta, before my dad went to heaven.”
As Zach’s last comment echoed in the empty room, Nathan tried not to let his shock register on his face.
Catherine’s husband was dead.
Now he knew why Zach had been with her at the wedding instead of at home with his dad. And why she’d planned to tackle this job alone.
It also explained the deep sadness in her eyes when their gazes met for a brief, compelling instant before she jerked hers away and took a clumsy step back.
“So…do you want to bid on the job?”
“Yes.” His response was immediate. The work was within his abilities, and he wanted to spend more time with these two people who seemed in such desperate need of a friend.
“Could you get back to me by tomorrow with a number? I need to move on this quickly.”
“I can give you an estimate now. For labor, anyway. We can adjust it if the project is finished sooner.” He’d been doing some mental calculations as they’d looked over the structure, and he’d already estimated the number of hours it would take to complete the work.
Her eyebrows rose. “That’s fast.”
