Harlequin Holiday Collection - Four Classic Seasonal Novellas

day, whistling as happily as if she’d given him a gift by letting him work. She didn’t feel that carefree, unfortunately.
    His innocent comment to Kristie about friends helping each other had stung her. David helped because he had a good heart, and because he lived in a place where such simple acts of kindness were routine.
    And all the while she was deceiving him—carefully avoiding the truth about why she was fixing up the cottage. If he knew she intended to sell it…
    Well, what? Did she imagine he’d stop helping her if he knew that? That was silly. David wasn’t that kind of person.
    Maybe she was just afraid of the disappointment in his eyes if he knew she’d kept it from him. David’s honesty had always made her want to measure up. Somehow that hadn’t changed.
    A car pulling into the drive brought her to the window with a ridiculous leap of her heart. It wasn’t David. His grandmother came toward the door, carrying a basket.
    She opened the door. “Mrs. Caldwell, how nice to see you.”
    “Just dropping by with a little something for your supper. I know you and David have been painting all day.” She bustled in, put the basket on the table, and started unloading it.
    “You didn’t need to do that.” She felt helpless in the face of all this goodwill. She couldn’t very well close the door to keep out kindness, but it only increased her guilt.
    “This is chicken pot pie, and that one’s pickled beets. And I brought another tin of my Christmas cookies, ‘cause David said your little girl really enjoyed them.”
    “You’re all being too kind.”
    “I don’t reckon there’s such a thing as too kind.” Her faded blue eyes, sharp behind her glasses, inspected Allison.
    “David’s here every day helping, and now you come with food.” There was a ridiculous stinging behind her eyes.
    “David comes because he wants to. After all, the two of you were always special to each other. Now that you’re back, it’s only natural he wants to help.”
    Special to each other. “I’m not here to stay for good, you know. I’ll be starting a job in Atlanta in a few months.”
    Gran Caldwell just smiled and shook her head. “You still belong here, even if you spend some of the time away.”
    “I don’t—”
    But David’s grandmother was already picking up her basket. “I’d best get home. Don’t you worry about David. Land, that boy was over here fixing the roof when we didn’t know if you’d ever come back. He’s not going to mind a bit of painting.”
    She whisked out the door before Allison could say anything, even supposing the huge ball of guilt in her throat would have allowed her to speak. David had fixed the roof, and he’d never even mentioned it. How much more did she owe him?

Chapter Thirteen
    Allison waited, nervous but determined, for David to arrive. She had to find out how much the materials had cost to fix the roof, even if he wouldn’t take money for labor. And she also had to tell him the truth about why she was fixing the place.
    This was no big deal, she assured herself. But that didn’t seem to erase the sensation of dread in her stomach.
    It was just as well that she had to be out for the rest of the day. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and they’d skip working. By the time the holiday was over, they’d both be back to normal.
    The sound of his footstep on the porch sent her pulse accelerating. Yes, indeed, normal was certainly a good idea.
    “Hey.” He stopped, taking in her business suit. “What’s happening? You don’t look ready for painting.”
    “I have to go to Beaufort today. The firm I’m going to be working for asked me to take care of something for them.”
    “The day before Christmas Eve? Can’t they wait until after the holiday?”
    She’d asked herself that, but it annoyed her coming from him. “This job could take me right to the top. I can’t refuse the first thing they’ve asked me to do.”
    His gaze assessed her. “Fine. Kristie can stay with me.”
    “No, I’ll take Kristie along.” She swallowed. Just say it. “But I wanted to ask you something. Your grandmother said you fixed the roof on the cottage. I’m sure that must have cost something for materials, and I want to pay you.”
    He looked just as offended by that as she’d thought he would. “You don’t owe me a thing,” he said flatly.
    “But the roofing materials—”
    “We always have stuff like that around the inn for repairs. We don’t want money for doing a