Harlequin Holiday Collection - Four Classic Seasonal Novellas

to be done on the cottage, and despite her quick words, she really couldn’t afford to hire someone.
    “Maybe you’d better see how bad the cottage is before you make an offer like that.”
    She didn’t miss the relief on his face, and it gave her a twinge of shame. David couldn’t help it that he reminded her she’d once seen the world with a foolish sense of wonder.
    She led the way into the living room. Showing him around didn’t commit her to anything, after all.
    “This doesn’t look bad.” He tugged at a piece of dangling wallpaper. “The paper will come off, and a coat of paint will do wonders.”
    A wave of relief swept over her at his assessment.
    He nodded toward the steps. “How’s the upstairs?”
    “Not as bad as this.” She hesitated, caught between what she wanted and what she needed. “Are you sure you have time to help?”
    His smile was like sunlight on the water. “Absolutely. It’ll be pure pleasure getting this place ready for you and Kristie to enjoy. It’s been empty too long.”
    She almost told him she wasn’t getting it ready to enjoy. She was getting it ready to sell.
    Some instinctive caution stilled the words. David might not be so eager to help if he knew she had no intention of staying. Thoughts of her dwindling bank account and Kristie’s upcoming surgery hung heavy. Perhaps it would be best if David didn’t know her plans.
    She wasn’t lying to him. She just wasn’t telling him everything.
    “Well, that’s great.” She managed to produce a smile. “Since you’re here, maybe you’d give me a hand with these windows.” Anyone buying the place would want to enjoy the ocean breezes. “They’re stuck.”
    “Sure thing.” He gave the nearest window an experimental tug. “Do you have a knife I can use to loosen this paint?”
    She should not be noticing the way his muscles flexed, nor the glint of sunlight on his tanned arms. “I’ll get one.”
    She scurried to the kitchen and back. She gave him the knife, then started to step away. David took her hand.
    “Just hold this for a minute—” he pressed her palm against the frame “—until I can wedge the blade in place.”
    Inches separated them. He was so close she could count the sun wrinkles around his eyes, smell his fresh masculine scent, hear the quick intake of his breath.
    She was not attracted to David Caldwell, she told herself sternly, trying to control her own breathing. He was nothing but an old childhood friend.
    So why couldn’t she get her pulse under control?

Chapter Five
    “Please, Kristie.” Allison’s voice floated down the stairs of the cottage the next day. “You have to exercise to get well.”
    The child’s answer was muted, stubborn, and uncooperative.
    Clearly Allison had a basketful of troubles. Talking with an old friend might help, if David could get her to open up.
    He resumed scraping as she came down. “Hey, Ally.”
    “I see you still say ‘hey’ instead of ‘hi.’” Her smile flickered. “I guess things don’t change on the island.”
    “Not much. Folks get married, have babies, have troubles, but life keeps on going.”
    She picked up a scraper and started working next to him. If she’d seen his words as a conversation opener, she ignored the invitation.
    Maybe he’d best be a bit more direct. “Sounds like that little girl of yours is as stubborn as her momma.”
    Allison ripped a strip of paper loose. “She won’t exercise. The doctors say she has to build up strength for her next surgery.”
    “Next surgery?” Poor child. Poor mother, too.
    She was silent for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to confide in him. “Kristie was born with a malformed hip. She’s had a series of operations. The one next month should be the last.”
    His heart hurt for them. “So you feel like you have to push her.”
    “It’s not just the exercises. She doesn’t want the surgery.” She shoved the scraper so hard it dug into the plaster. “I understand that, but we can’t give up now.”
    He leaned against the wall, studying her determined expression, trying to understand. “So you brought her here.”
    She turned, her arm brushing his as she looked out at the beach. “I remembered how peaceful the island is.”
    He had a brief, fleeting memory of the angel-girl who’d loved the island so much on her vacation visits. She wanted Kristie to have that, too.
    “I thought this place would be good for her—that the change in scene would encourage her