Texas Daddy. Jolene Navarro

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      The man on the stairs came into view. He had his back to her. Her stomach dropped with a heavy thud. It was Adrian.

      Worn fitted Levi’s jeans, boots and a blue button-up shirt tucked neatly had him looking all business with a pair of work gloves in his back pocket. The silver Stetson was not the same one he’d worn when he hauled her out of the rain.

      He wasn’t much taller than she remembered. But he had filled out. In a very nice way. Too nice for her comfort.

      Hands on his hips, he arched back and studied the ceiling. He moved through the doors to the front of the room and stopped at one of the large ten-foot windows.

      She had a perfect view as he gently ran his fingers along the wood trim then dropped to the floor and thoughtfully traced the baseboards.

      He muttered some words she couldn’t hear then turned his attention to the broken laminate tiles in the floor. Slowly, he pried one of the squares up and touched the flooring he found underneath. He caressed the building as if comforting and reassuring hurt feelings.

      Standing, he turned her way. His eyes went wide for a second, and then he smiled at her. “Well, Ms. Bergmann, what a pleasure to find you hiding up here.” In a few steps, he stood in front of her. The morning sun flooded through the windows behind him. The light made it hard to see the details of his face.

      Why did she feel guilty for watching him? “I’m not hiding. Daddy asked me to meet you and George here.” Standing over her, he seemed taller than six foot. Using the arm of the chair, she got herself to her feet. “He wanted to make sure you didn’t get any crazy ideas of making a grand statement with the remodel. He’s still not sure he wants to waste the money on this part of the building.” She looked to the back stairway. Maybe George got stopped downstairs by one of her sisters. “Where’s your partner?”

      “My partner needed to finish up another job and sent me. My specialty is uncovering the beauty in old buildings. I can keep it as simple or as complicated as you want it.”

      “Simple. I... We... I mean, he, my father, wants to keep it simple.”

      “What about your sisters? They gave me a long list of ideas, and every time they saw me they added more.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and his shirt stretched across lean hard muscles. She looked toward the door, not wanting to remember how comforting it felt to be held by those arms. He had just been helping someone in trouble. He hadn’t meant anything by it.

      “My sisters are great with ideas, but Daddy’s the money man.”

      He nodded as his eyes scanned the room. “What about you? What part are you playing?”

      “Not any. I’m just a temporary guest who plans to move on as soon as I can.”

      His attention came back to her and he paused until they made eye contact. “That’s a shame.”

      Now, why did her insides have to get all gooey? Ugh, she had the worst taste in men. He was a bull rider. Maybe a retired one, but still, they were all adrenaline junkies and thought they were some kind of gift to the women of the planet. It must have to do with the arrogance of thinking they could ride a two-thousand-pound animal made of muscle. She had enough issues without dating a risk taker, and he had a kid. That made him off-limits.

      Stay on topic, Nikki girl. You’re here to talk about the building. “So what do you think? Can it be made into usable space at a reasonable price?”

      He ran his fingertips along the decorative cuts on the unhinged door. “My guess from the designs cut into the wood is that this door was brought over from Europe, maybe Germany. This is one solid piece of wood, not small pieces glued on. It’s beautiful.” His gaze cut across the room. “I had no clue there was such a big pulley up here. The wheel is at least eight feet wide. It’s amazing.”

      She could see the appreciation in his eyes.

      He waved her to follow him. “Come here.”

      Without waiting, he moved to a moldy part of the wall that had started to crumble. He took the work gloves from his back pocket. With them on, he carefully lifted a corner of the drywall and pulled. It gave way under the pressure, and he moved back.

      With a gleam he looked at her, waiting for her reaction. He acted as if he was sharing a found treasure.

      Looking at the exposed stone wall then back at him, she waited.

      “This is incredible and a pretty easy fix.” He stepped over the new debris and laid his palm on the stone-and-plaster wall. “Come here.”

      Carefully she stepped around the rubble and touched the wall.

      “Do you feel that? That’s a building that has provided shelter and a living for over one hundred and thirty years. It’s been covered and hidden away.” He gazed at the wall, his hand pressing against it as if listening for a heartbeat. He looked at her and smiled. “Do you feel it?”

      The cool stone seemed to have a life all its own. “So you want to take the Sheetrock down and expose the stone.”

      He nodded. “It was probably added in the sixties trying to make the room look more modern. The fifties and sixties did a great deal of damage to these old places.”

      Their hands were close. Would he tear down her walls and expose the truth she had hidden? He wouldn’t be as excited at what he found there. She feared the damage went too deep.

      His rich, warm eyes searched her face. Oh no, he looked as if he might kiss her. His breath was warm and had a faint smell of citrus, like he just ate an orange. They now stood less than an inch apart.

      She blinked. She didn’t move away from him, and that scared her most. She actually leaned in.

      “Hello!”

      “Hello!” The greeting’s echo came from the back stairs as her twin sisters emerged. Each holding a cup of coffee.

      In the same motion, Adrian and she turned away from the wall, away from each other, and faced her sisters. She glared at them. “I thought y’all were running the store while Daddy went to Uvalde.”

      “Oh, Sammi has it under control—”

      “She’s been asking for more responsibility—”

      “And we are so excited about what Adrian is going to do up here—”

      “Adrian, can you see this as a quaint teahouse with mix-matched chairs and sofas? Lots of books and—”

      “There are less than four hundred people in Clear Water, and only three like hot tea. Daddy will not go for a tearoom.” Rolling her eyes, Danica turned to Adrian. “I think it should be more practical, maybe a dual purpose. A nice place where people can meet, maybe even have small receptions and parties.”

      Jackie gave an identical eye roll. “That is soooo practical, Dani.”

      Nikki rubbed her leg. Her head started to throb. Not much changed with her sisters. She should have never agreed to leave the house, to meet with Adrian. The almost kiss was too close for comfort. She took a deep breath and tried to figure out a way to leave.

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