Christmas Homecoming. Lenora Worth

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СКАЧАТЬ woman stepped into the room, careful to avoid the corner where Jeremy was working, her dark eyes inquisitive and full of mirth. “Really.”

      “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he slowly lowered the brush over the bucket. Then he waved a hand toward the wall. “Does it look that bad?”

      She gazed up, looking around the room. “No, it actually looks pretty good, considering all the crayon marks and dents and pings we’ve had to endure. We’re going to paint a mural of Noah’s Ark over most of it anyway, so I think it’ll be just fine.”

      Jeremy held up his hands. “I’m certainly not going to sign up for that particular job, so don’t even ask.”

      She laughed at that, the sound as soft as a melody. “I heard you talking to yourself,” she said, advancing another step. “Thought you might need some company.”

      Jeremy grinned, some of the tension leaving his body. “Thanks, I think. That makes me feel much better about things. I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t disturb you with my groans and rantings.”

      “Not at all. I just came by to gather some papers— I teach Sunday School here.” Then she smiled again. “I heard all this noise, and thought maybe someone had unleashed an old bear in the nursery, so I came to inspect. I’m the nosy type.”

      Her vivid smile brought a ray of light into the open, airy room, immediately pushing away the winter chill. She was petite and olive-skinned with big hazel eyes and long brown hair that reminded Jeremy of an antique doll his sister Heather had received for Christmas long ago. He caught a whiff of a light, exotic scent that had somehow gotten past the paint fumes.

      “I’m not a bear,” he said, his hands braced on the ladder. “Just a frustrated artist, I think.”

      “I’m Gabriela Valencia,” the woman said, her smile still intact as she stared up at him. “Gabi. And we do appreciate your efforts, believe me. We’ve been hoping to remodel this part of the building for months now. We need all the help we can get if we want to have it done by Christmas.”

      “Well, Gabi, I’m just a volunteer,” Jeremy said, not ready to tell her who he really was, even though she had an expectant look on her pretty face. He didn’t want to see her smile vanish just yet. And he figured it would the minute she heard his name.

      “We like volunteers,” she replied. “They work cheap.”

      He laughed at that, surprised that he remembered how to laugh. “It is kind of nice to be alone and busy. No clocks ticking, no deadlines to fight.”

      “You sound like a man who speaks from experience.”

      He looked out the window. The sky looked gray and cold. “You could say that.”

      He didn’t want to elaborate. He’d reluctantly agreed to help out here at the insistence of Dawn Leroux. The woman who’d once been his brother Tim’s administrative assistant was now the woman Tim loved and planned to marry. She could be very persuasive when she set her mind on something. No wonder Tim had fallen so hard for her.

      And no wonder Tim seemed more mellow and relaxed. His brother was in love…and happy. Jeremy envied that, and he was going to try very hard to mend fences, not tear down his brother’s newfound contentment.

      When Jeremy had arrived home just in time for Thanksgiving dinner at the Hamilton estate, he’d been surprised by two things. First, his brother Tim had apologized to Jeremy and welcomed him back home and back to Hamilton Media, when he was ready. And second, Tim introduced Jeremy to his fiancée, Dawn Leroux, and explained that because of Dawn, he was now a changed man. After some quiet conversation around the fireplace later, Dawn had gently suggested Jeremy might enjoy doing some volunteer work at the church to get his mind off his problems.

      Painting had certainly done that, he thought now as he gave up and came down off the ladder, his manners kicking in, in spite of his discomfort at being here. “I’m kind of new to this type of work.”

      “I can see that,” the woman said, circling the long room with a critical eye. She pointed to the wall he’d just finished. “You missed a spot there.”

      Jeremy looked up, then laughed. “Or two. I guess it’s true you get what you pay for. I painted the ceiling, too, but I think I got most of the paint on me and the drop cloth.”

      She nodded. “It’ll turn out just fine, I think. This old building has seen a lot of children come and go, my two girls included. We want to give it a fresh start for all the other babies we hope to bring into the church.”

      “A fresh start.” Jeremy wiped his hands on an old rag. “I like the sound of that.”

      “Would you like something to drink?” she asked as she started toward the door. “We have some coffee in the office and there might even be a pastry from Betty’s left in the break room.”

      Jeremy closed his eyes for just a minute. “Ah, Betty’s Bake Shoppe and Bookstore. Fuel and knowledge all in one place—what an unbeatable combination.”

      “You’ve eaten there?”

      He liked the slightly accented sound of her question. And he really liked the beautiful flash of fire in her eyes.

      “Many times,” he said, not bothering to explain. “But I don’t need anything, thanks.” Then, since he wasn’t quite comfortable being back home, let alone working at the church, he looked at his watch and started putting his brushes in the soak bucket in the corner. “I have to go. I’ll clean up here and try to hide the mess I made.”

      She looked confused and a bit disappointed. “I didn’t mean to interrupt—”

      Jeremy regretted being so standoffish, but he was still uneasy with his new identity, or lack thereof. “No, no. It’s just that I only had a couple of hours and I’ve already worked past my time here. I’ll be back to finish the job, I promise.”

      “Okay, then.” She pointed to his hair. “You…uh…have a big glob of paint right in the middle of your head.”

      Jeremy reached up to rub his fingers over the sticky matted spot of cream in his dark hair. “I don’t think I’ll give up my regular job just yet.” Whatever that job might be.

      “Turpentine,” she said, nodding. “It smells terrible, but it’ll take the paint out. Just be careful, or you might wind up with a bald spot.”

      “Right.” Jeremy wondered how such a dainty little woman could possibly know anything about remodeling and repair. But then, she obviously was a married woman. She’d mentioned two kids. Probably helped her husband around the house on weekends. That image brought Jeremy a pang of regret, to be quickly replaced with a resolved indifference. “I’ll have to get a shower before I go—”

      He’d almost said before I go to Hamilton Media, but Jeremy remembered he didn’t really have a place there anymore, in spite of his brother Tim’s efforts to bring him back into the family business. “Before I go to work,” he finished, uncomfortable with the way her big eyes watched him.

      “You must keep long hours,” she said as she led the way out the door. “It’s close to five now.”

      “I have odd hours, true,” he СКАЧАТЬ