A Cowboy To Come Home To. Donna Alward
for his measuring tape. “Hold this here,” he commanded, leaving her with one end. Together they measured the wall, then measured the baseboard—twice—and Cooper marked it with a carpenter’s pencil.
She held the end while he made the first cut, then angled the other side with the miter saw so the next piece would match up in the corner.
Together they moved the piece to the wall, putting it flush against the end cap of the woodwork in the doorway. “Okay, now you’re on. I’ll hold it in place and you nail it.”
“Me?”
“Sure, you. Take the nailer and press it against that hollow part there.” He pointed to the curve in the baseboard design. “Is it pressed all the way in? Okay, now squeeze the trigger.”
With a loud snap, the nailer jerked in her hand. “Is that right?”
“Looks good to me. Keep going.”
The tool felt odd in her hand, and the noise was loud, especially when the compressor kicked in again. But it was kind of fun, nailing the molding into place. They had to adjust a cut when working their way around the doorway for the walk-in closet, but for the moment Melissa forgot about how much she disliked Cooper, and simply focused on the job.
They worked in relative silence as they finished the baseboard, and then moved on to the crown molding. This was harder, getting the angle just right. It took a few tries with each piece, and nailing it in place was awkward when Melissa had to hold the nailer above her head.
It was after twelve when they finished. She stood back as Cooper took a tube of wood filler and touched up the corner seams where there were inevitable tiny gaps. He took his time and she watched him on the stepladder, the way his jeans fit and how his customary cotton plaid shirt spread across broad, muscled shoulders. Scott hadn’t been the only one on the football and hockey teams. Cooper had been a bit of a jock, too. But unlike Scott, he’d never had a girl watching from the stands.
Nope, he’d had about ten girls, all gazing at him with love-struck expressions, sighing blissfully if he ever turned his attention to them. Which he did. Just never for too long. And never at Melissa.
“Once this is dry, it’ll just need to be touched up with a bit of paint. What do you think?”
Melissa looked away so he wouldn’t know she’d been staring at him, and made a point of sweeping her gaze around the room. “It looks finished,” she said, realizing it truly did. “The crown molding was a nice touch.”
“We didn’t do that in the kids’ rooms,” Cooper said, screwing the cap back on the tube. “It’s expensive. It’s a nice addition in here, though.”
Melissa checked her watch. “My time’s just about up. Are you done here, too?”
Cooper nodded. “For today. I come out most mornings for a couple of hours and lend a hand. Bring the guys coffee. It won’t be long now until it’s ready. The drywall guy is coming back tomorrow to finish the den, and then it’s just painting the front rooms, putting down the flooring and installing the kitchen cupboards. You coming back another day?”
He rolled up the hose from the compressor as he spoke. Melissa paused. It hadn’t been so bad, being with Cooper. Awkward and at times uncomfortable, but they’d been civil, which was more than they’d accomplished in years.
Now that she’d seen the house and helped it take shape, even just a little, she wanted to come back and help out again. “I’ll have to check the work schedule at the shop and call the coordinator. Amy’s fine with running the store, but I’m the only floral designer.”
“Well, there’s always stuff to be done. I’m sure your help would be welcomed.”
On the way out of the house Melissa stopped and picked up her purse. Cooper had put the compressor in the hall by the other bedrooms and she heard his voice as he spoke to some workers. She was walking to her car when he called out her name.
She turned and saw him jogging her way. “Hey,” he said, slowing as he approached. “I’m going to pick up the lunch order from the Wagon Wheel and bring it back. You want to grab a sandwich or something?”
With him? There was letting bygones be bygones and then there was…what? Lunch for two at the busiest spot in town? They’d been civil this week, but the idea of sitting down and making pleasant conversation was unfathomable. They weren’t friends. Adults, maybe, but the time for friendship and hanging out together was long gone. It was far too late to rewrite the past.
“I have to get back to the shop, sorry,” she stated, reaching into her purse for her keys.
Cooper stood back. “Sure. Maybe another time,” he suggested, though they both knew it wasn’t really an invitation.
“Maybe,” she agreed, but it was an empty agreement.
“See you around, Mel.”
“Yeah. Bye, Coop.”
She reached for the door handle and scooted behind the wheel before he could see the color rise in her cheeks.
She’d called him Coop. After staring at his behind and being asked out to lunch.
This was exactly why she had said no. The last thing she needed in her life was a complication like Cooper Ford. They’d done a good job of avoiding each other in the past, and she could take care to do it again.
CHAPTER TWO
SHE MANAGED TO AVOID HIM for almost two weeks.
Melissa yawned and locked the door to the shop. Saturdays and most weeknights she closed at six, except for Fridays, when she stayed open until nine. Last night had been crazy busy with walk-in traffic, which had been unusual but good. and today she’d had to interrupt her design time to help Penny cover the front. People were purchasing fall arrangements, particularly sunflowers and warm-colored mums and zinnias. Premade silk wreaths for front doors were disappearing like hotcakes and so were decorative sheaves of wheat.
To top it off, she’d barely finished the weekly standing order of flowers for the church when the president of the Ladies’ Circle had come to pick it up. And Melissa had moved directly from that to working on the arrangement for a funeral happening on Monday.
Now orders were flooding in for the funeral home, and instead of taking a day off on Sunday, she knew she was going to be spending her one lazy day a week here at work, rather than at home vacuuming and doing laundry.
She loved the store and owning her own business, but there were downsides, too.
She’d walked to work this morning, taking the extra precious minutes to enjoy the cool air and fall sunshine. Now she wished she’d brought her car. All she really wanted was a quick dinner and a hot bath before falling into bed.
She’d take care of the quick dinner by stopping at the diner, she decided. The sunlight was fading as she made her way down Main Street and around the corner to the busy restaurant. The parking lot was full and she nearly considered just going home and ordering a pizza. But the great thing about the diner was the convenience of a restaurant with the advantage of good home cooking. When she stepped inside and saw that the special was meat loaf and mashed potatoes, she was sold. Total comfort food.
She placed her order and waited just beyond the counter.
The noise was deafening and she closed her eyes, reminding herself that it was only a few minutes and she could find peace and quiet at home.
And then there was a warm hand on her shoulder and a deep voice said, “Mel, are you okay?”
She opened her eyes to find Cooper’s worried ones staring down at her. For a split second something exciting leaped at the recognition of his fingers gripping her shoulder. Embarrassed, she nodded quickly, slipping away from his touch. “Fine. I’m just waiting for my order.”
“With your eyes closed?”
She