“Hello, gorgeous. How’s northern Idaho?” Jack asked.
Panic ricocheted throughout her extremities, and her fingers and toes tingled with the anxiety. “You have the wrong number,” she said, ending the call. Then she looked up at Quint while putting the phone aside. Her ears rang. “Darn telemarketers.” Her voice came out hoarse. How had he found her so quickly? She’d only had the new number for two weeks.
“You okay?” Quint’s voice sounded like he came from far away.
“Of course.” She reached for her glass and downed the rest of the contents in three large gulps. “I’m fine.” She put the glass gently on the table.
He cocked his head, and that dark gaze bore right through her. “Uh huh. How about you tell me what’s going on? I can be a great sounding board.”
She blinked and forced a smile. “Nothing is going on.” The man had saved her enough for this lifetime, especially since he’d already put her into the friend zone. Of course, she’d put him there, too. Mainly because her life was a disaster, and he apparently liked sporty looking blondes with mean streaks, and she so did not fit that bill. “While I’m sure you’re accustomed to helping your cousins with problems, I’m a big girl and can handle mine.”
“So you admit you have a problem,” he drawled.
She faltered. “No. If I did, I could handle it.”
“Honey, all of my cousins can handle their own problems and normally do, especially since half the time, they create the problems. However, we’re all smart enough to ask for help when we need it. Right now, you’re shaky, pale, and look like you’re about to bolt.” He glanced at the crutches leaning against the wall. “Or hobble. Either way, who was on the phone?”
“Nobody,” she lied. So Jack knew she had a new number, but the state was big, so he probably didn’t know where exactly she was living. The wind threw ice against the windows, and she jumped.
Quint stood and threw all the garbage away before taking the empty wine glasses to rinse out in the sink. His broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist. “I can help.”
“You already have,” she said honestly, trying really hard not to look at his hard butt. Nope. Failed. He had a spectacular behind. She cleared her throat. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, and again, thank you for the pizza. Or thank your grandmother.”
He turned around to face her. “I will. Or you can thank her yourself at the Sunday barbecue. I’ll pick you up at three in the afternoon.” With that, he headed toward her door.
She stood. Barbecue? Had she accepted the invitation? The more time she spent with Quint Albertini, the more she wanted to break free from the friend zone. Big time. It was Friday, and getting over this silly crush she had on him in a day wasn’t likely. “That’s probably not a good idea.”
His chuckle as he opened her front door didn’t help. “No kidding. Lock your door.” With that, he and Zena left her alone in her quiet, messy, solid house. She hopped to the door and locked it, peeking out the side window as they jumped into his truck.
Yep. Quint had a truly excellent ass. But she had enough to worry about.
Her phone buzzed again from the kitchen.
Chapter 4
The snow finally let up around midmorning on Saturday, and Heather sat on her floor emptying boxes, enjoying the moment as sunlight poked through the clouds outside and made the room brighter. Christmas music played from the kitchen, and she hummed along, trying to calm her nerves. Jack had kept calling until she’d just turned off the phone the night before.
A knock sounded on her door, and she yelped. “Um, just a second.” It couldn’t be him. She needed to get a gun. Wasn’t it legal to carry anywhere in Idaho? What was the law? She pushed to her foot and hopped toward the door, looking through the side window at three women on her front porch. Were they selling something? She opened the door. “Hello.”
“Hi.” The first woman was about five-four with rich brown hair and sparkling grayish-green eyes. “I’m Anna.” She slid a heated latte into Heather’s hand and walked inside, looking around. “This place looks awesome. Check out what they did with the floors.” Then she moved toward the kitchen. “Oh, the granite is exquisite.”
The next woman had dark hair, brown eyes and looked a lot like Quint. “Excuse my sister. She’s usually falling out of trees or getting arrested and isn’t housebroken yet. I’m Donna.” Donna held out a hand, and Heather took it to shake.
“I’m Tessa.” The third woman moved inside and looked around. She had reddish-blonde hair, green eyes, and adorable freckles. “Quint sent us.” She carried a box toward the kitchen. “I brought donuts from Smiley’s Diner in Timber City where I work. I didn’t know what kind you liked, so I brought an assortment.” Her voice carried as she moved.
Donna smiled. “Give in now. We’re here to drink coffee, eat donuts, and help you unpack. You have a broken ankle, and it’ll take forever without help.”
Heather hopped with her latte to the kitchen. “This is really kind of you, but I’ve got it under control.”
Anna flipped open the donut box on the island. “Plates?”
Heather pointed to the cupboard.
Tessa opened it to bring out Appleware. “I love this pattern. We have it in our family, too.” She put four salad plates on the island. “What kind do you like?”
Heather’s head spun. “Um, chocolate?” She liked all donuts, really.
“Here you go.” Anna tossed a chocolate donut on a plate and then put a maple bar on another plate to hand to Tessa. “Donna, do you want maple or sugar-glazed?” she called.
