"I'm not afraid," Holly said quickly, then wondered why she bothered to lie. Of course she was afraid. Sometimes she was afraid she would die of the loneliness.

"My mistake," Rebecca said lightly. "I thought you might want something special with Jordan. It's fine that you don't, but do me a favor. Don't break his heart."

"He's not interested in me that way." Holly glanced down at herself. The long ap.r.o.n she wore only emphasized her wide hips. "I'm not his type."

Rebecca's smile widened. "Aren't you?"

Before Holly could say anything else, Austin came out of the back room and wanted to know if they were going to live there permanently. Rebecca laughed, then pointed to half a dozen wreaths she wanted to buy. Austin got them down, then collected the ornaments she indicated she liked.

As Holly wrote up the order, she had to clench her jaw muscles to keep her mouth from hanging open. Somewhere she'd heard a rumor that Austin and Rebecca were wealthy. They'd just bought more in a few minutes than any three other customers combined. She frowned. That wasn't true. All the Haynes family members had bought a lot.

A warm feeling stole over her. Her stay in Jordan's house was temporary, as was her connection with his relatives. Because she was part of Jordan's life, they were including her. She realized she should enjoy the time while it lasted and give back with the same generous spirit. She had much to be grateful for. It was almost Christmas, and this year she wasn't going to be alone.

Jordan dipped his brush in the can of paint, then straightened. Every muscle in his legs complained.

"I heard that," Holly said without looking at him. "You're doing too much."

"I'm fine."

"And a liar."

He grinned. "Okay, that too. I'll finish this door frame, then I'll quit for the night."

"Good. If you have a relapse, your relatives will blame me."

He glanced at her. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor. She wore tight jeans that outlined every generous curve and an old sweatshirt that had faded to a misty gray. Her long blond hair had been pulled back in a braid to protect it from the paint that splattered the front of her clothing.

She wielded a paint brush and roller with the speed and finesse of an expert. In one short week his dining room had been transformed. The floors had been in better shape than either of them had realized. Someone had coated them with wax. Once the buildup was removed, the natural beauty of the hardwood shone through. The old wallpaper was gone. The ceiling had been painted creamy white, and next week Holly would hang the new wallpaper. He had taken her suggestion and used the chair rail as a dividing line in the large room. The bottom would be painted colonial blue. Holly was doing that now. The top would be papered. It wasn't authentic, but it fit the shape and function of the room.

"I called about the furniture," Jordan said. He was in charge of painting door frames to match the ceiling and the chair rails. "It will be here in a week."

She looked at him over her shoulder. "Great. Just in time for Christmas."

The chandelier illuminated her features. She'd gotten into the habit of washing off her makeup when she came home from work. He could see the freckles sprinkled on her nose and the tops of her cheeks.

"Speaking of which," she said, "are you going to get a tree?"

"Sure. Sunday. It's the annual Haynes family Christmas-tree hunt."

Her eyebrows drew together. "How do you hunt Christmas trees? They can't run away."

"It's what we call it. Just the men and the kids. We leave women folk at home."

"Sounds odd, but okay." She ran her roller across the paint pan, then returned her attention to the wall. "I've put aside a few ornaments from the store. I'd like to contribute them to the decorating."

"I'd like that," he said. "I always chop down a big tree, then it looks sort of bare and I have to feel sorry for it."

She shifted until she was on her knees, then worked the roller back and forth, smoothing on paint evenly. "I hope you don't plan to do your own chopping."

It was making him hurt just watching her paint. "Doubtful. I'll get one of my brothers to do it."

"Speaking of them, Craig, Austin and their wives were in the store today. In the last couple of weeks half the town has been by to stock up on Christmas supplies. This is going to be my best month yet." She gave him a shy smile. "I know I have you to thank for that."

He shrugged. "I made a few phone calls. No big deal." There was a light in her eyes that made him feel uncomfortable. He hadn't done anything special.

"It is a big deal, and I appreciate the business. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they came to the shop as a favor to you, but that they really liked what they saw so they'll come back again because they want to."

Jordan put down the paint brush and stretched.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sore but better. I'm more mobile. I was up most of yesterday, and there aren't any repercussions today. If I continue to heal, I'll be back at the fire station by the first of the year."

"Do you miss work?"

"Yeah. I like my job."

"Me, too." She smiled.

He bent down and picked up the brush he was using and returned his attention to the door frame. They worked well together. There was just the right amount of conversation, sprinkled with laughter. He didn't have to think when he was with her. He considered telling her that, but didn't think she would appreciate the news or view it as a compliment.

"It will be nice to be here for the holidays," Holly said. "Thanks for including me."

"You're no trouble at all."

Before he could say anything else, Louise walked in with a couple of sodas. "I've got to leave for my cla.s.s," she said. "I brought you these."

He took the cola drink she offered him. "Thanks."

Her eyebrows arched in surprise. "You're welcome."

"You're the best," Holly said, and popped the top on her diet soda.

"I finished the salad," Louise said. "The steaks are ready to go on any time you want to cook them, and the baked potatoes are washed." She addressed her comments to Holly, but kept glancing at him.

Jordan understood her wariness. Since Holly had moved in, he'd made an effort to be polite to Louise. It was an armed truce. He needed the housekeeper to stay, because she made Holly's presence possible. Louise was their chaperon. If she left, Holly would go, too. He didn't want that. He figured he should probably be smart enough to figure out why, but he didn't want to have to think about it. He only knew that he liked having Holly around. If the price of that was civil conversation with Louise, he would gladly pay.

As much as he hated to admit it, sometimes he forgot he wasn't supposed to like Louise. The older woman was funny and great at her job. She genuinely cared about his family. He wondered how much of that came from guilt. If he let himself forget the past, he could be friends with her, but he wasn't willing to do that yet.

"Enjoy your cla.s.s," he said.

Louise gave him another puzzled look, then left.

Jordan finished the door frame about the same time Holly finished the first coat of blue paint. She stood up and surveyed her work.

"It's going to be stunning," she said. "The colonial blue is just the right color." She glanced at her watch. "You hungry?"