Chapter One
“One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war.” Hunter locked eyes with his six-year-old opponent and pretended to give his all to the battle.
His hand and thumb dwarfed April’s, but that didn’t stop the girl from trying to capture his thumb with hers. She rose from the wooden chair, planted her feet squarely on the floor. Her wrist flexed and tensed, her thumb rotated and jabbed. “I’m gonna win this time.”
Hunter grinned, continuing the charade for another thirty seconds. If he let April win too soon, she’d pout. He eased his grip and relaxed his muscles until April overtook his thumb and pressed it down for the requisite amount of time. “You win.”
She pumped her small hand in the air. “Told you I would.”
Across the room, a female cleared her throat. Beth Aguilar stood at the entrance of the dining room with one hand on her hip. She wore a pair of loose-fitting jeans and an oversized button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows. A twisted red bandana around her head kept her chestnut brown hair from falling in her face. “Didn’t I tell you to clean your room, missy?”
April grimaced. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Go upstairs and finish it now.” Beth kissed her daughter’s head as she passed by. “I’ll be up in a few minutes to check on you.”
Rising to his feet, Hunter brushed his palms against his jeans, wiping away the remnants of cookie crumbs April had transferred to him. “I’m sorry. If I knew she was supposed to be cleaning, I would have made her go about her business.”
“That’s not your fault, but I appreciate it.” Beth’s gaze darted around the room. “I hope she didn’t distract you from anything important. She knows better than to disrupt.”
He shook his head, pointed to his empty plate on the table. “I’m off today unless an emergency surfaces. April came in right as I finished a late breakfast. Besides, she nor Dex are ever a distraction. They’re my little helpers.”
A snorting laugh erupted from Beth. “Helpers is not the word I would use to describe them.”
Standing beside her now, he nudged her arm. “You have to admit, this place isn’t the same since April started school.”
Beth sighed. “She drives me up the wall, but I do love her to pieces and miss having her with me all day.”
“Have you heard from Addy since she left yesterday?”
“She called last night to let me know her flight landed safely in Phoenix.” Beth’s brows furrowed. “She didn’t even ask about the boardinghouse.”
He smiled at her. “Because she’s confident it’s in capable hands.”
Doubt marred Beth’s features. “What do I know about running this place?”
Crossing his arms, he leveled his gaze with hers. “You’ve lived here, what, two years?”
“Two years last month.”
“In all that time, you’ve been helping Addy and pretty much running the day to day operations for the last year.” He issued a pointed stare. “If you’re not qualified, then I don’t know who is.”
“Addy.” A sliver of a smile appeared.
“You know what this place means to her, and if she didn’t believe in you, she’d never have left it in your care for a month.”
“That’s true.” She wrung her hands. “And in my head, I know that, but I don’t want to let her down.”
“You won’t.” He laid a hand against her arm. “I’ll help with anything you need.”
“Actually…” Her shoulders rolled and her lips twisted. “I have a favor to ask.”
“What’s that?”
“I know it’s your day off, but the water isn’t draining from the washing machine. If I don’t get these sheets done, our new guests tomorrow will be sleeping on a bare mattress.”
They wouldn’t—Addy had a backup set for every room she rented, but she also prided herself on fresh linens. Sheets that had sat in the closet for weeks, though clean, would never live up to Addy’s standards.
“Has it done that before?”
Beth shook her head. “This is the first time.”
“I’ll take a look.”
“You’re the best.” The worry lines disappeared from her face. “If you need me, I’ll be finishing the cleaning upstairs.”
“Where’s Lynne?”
“Her husband has pneumonia, so she’s home with him this week.”
“Of course, it would happen while Addy’s gone.” His statement came out as unfeeling, which bothered him as he hadn’t meant it that way. “I only meant Newton’s law and all.”
“I know what you meant.” Her gentle smile underscored her words.
Regardless, he went the extra step to show he cared. “Is there any soup leftover from last night? If so, I’ll run a large bowl to them after I fix the washer.”
“There’s plenty. I’m sure Lynne and Abe would appreciate it.” She stepped around him and went into the kitchen.
He followed her, grabbing his thermos from the table on the way.
Beth dug in the pantry and turned around with a gallon-sized plastic bag in her hand. She opened the bread box and filled the bag with homemade yeast rolls. When she turned around, she handed them to him. “Take these with you. Abe’s always asking for Lynne to bring extras home.”
“Will do.” He set them on the counter where he would see them when he returned for the soup. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
“Let me know what you find out about the washing machine.”
He left the kitchen, descended the private stairwell that only Addy and employees had access to. The dryer rumbled in an even cadence, and the scent of fresh linen filled the unfinished basement.
His toolbox rested on an old cabinet where he’d left it yesterday after adjusting the water heater. He scooped his hand through the handle as he walked by and went to the far corner where the laundry area was set up. After reaching behind to unplug the appliance, he pulled it from the wall and unscrewed the back panel.
With one knee on the ground, he began his investigation, praying it would be an easy fix. He checked the pump for obstructions and found that a substantial amount of lint had found its way into the pump causing it to malfunction. He carefully cleaned it out, then reassembled and tested the washer. It appeared in good working order.
He was glad he wouldn’t have to drive around looking for parts, but he would have for Beth. She was so nervous about being left in charge. Why, he didn’t know. She was a natural innkeeper, and the guests loved her.
He put everything back in place and brushed his hands against his pants to rid them of the excess grime. His usual sense of satisfaction from a task completed didn’t come. That had been happening a lot lately. He was thankful for his job, even enjoyed it most of the time, but he wanted more.
What kind of life could a handyman at a small bed and breakfast enjoy? He barely made minimum wage. Granted, he also received free room and board which would have been a main expenditure, but it wouldn’t support a family.
The hypothetical family he wanted to have someday.
All three of his sisters had married in the last several years and it had him thinking about settling down. He’d played enough those first years out of high school to last a lifetime. His wild oats had been sown, and he’d reaped the consequences—nearly two years in jail for a stupid decision that he’d regret for a lifetime.