He nodded. She was going to change the washer, she said. He’d love to see her do that. With her soft hands there was no way she’d get those rusted pipes loose.
She waded back to the steps and got a wrench from her toolkit then pulled on her work gloves. “I need you to turn off the main so I can get started.”
“The main?” He stared back at her, feeling stupid. Now where the heck was this main she’d asked about?
She cocked her head to one side. “You do know where it is, don’t you?”
Defeated, he shrugged then gave her a rueful grin. “Nope. Sorry.”
“No problem,” she said. “I’ll get it. I’ve worked on so many of the houses in this neighborhood I can make a pretty good guess where it is.” She waded to the back door and climbed the couple of steps then shoved it open. She was outside for less than a minute when she called out, “Found it. It’s off now.”
When she returned she picked up her wrench again and advanced on the water heater. After she'd clamped the nut with the device she pushed. It didn’t even budge.
Jake stepped forward. “Let me –” he began but she put up a gloved hand, cutting him off.
“Step back, please,” she said, her voice firm. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Uh huh,” he said sarcastically, then was just about to step forward and pluck the wrench from her hand when she swung it up, making him jump back. She’d almost brained him with the thing.
She brought it down and gave a surprisingly gentle tap to the rusted pipe. “Loosens up the rust buildup,” she said with a quick grin. After hooking the wrench onto the nut again she pushed. This time it turned without a fight. Water gushed out then stopped, giving her free access to the pipes. She stuck her finger in and pulled out a rubber washer, so worn and cracked that it was crumbling in her hand. “The guilty party.” She held it up then rested it on top of the water heater. She pulled a new washer from her pocket and within a couple of minutes she’d inserted it and was tightening the pipes with a brand new nut.
“This one’s all set.” She raised her eyes to the still dripping pipe above. “I’ll have to get my step ladder for that one.”
Before he could offer to help she was back up the stairs and through the door, leaving him standing there in the water. Talk about a bundle of energy. He shook his head then trudged up the stairs in her wake. Proficient or not, she’d need help with that stepladder.
Jake soon came to realize how competent a plumber Sam was. Within thirty minutes of first entering his house she had fixed both pipes and had used the sump pump to clear the water from his basement. With all the water gone the damage was clearly evident – sodden carpeting, a soaking wet sofa, and boxes of books that had sucked up the water like sponges. He would have to dump the whole lot, including the book he’d gone looking for.
“Looks like you’re going to need a lot of help,” Sam said as she surveyed the damage.
Jake grunted, not at all happy with the prospects before him. He knew he needed help but he was not enthused with the idea of having strangers trudging through his house. As his eyes wandered over the mess he folded his arms across his chest and gave a deep sigh.
“I’m not doing anything tomorrow. I’ll come back and help, if you like.”
His head jerked up and he turned to look at the woman who, toolkit in hand, looked ready to leave. “Why?” He frowned and looked at her with suspicion. Was she some sort of Good Samaritan?
She shrugged. “I told you, I’m not doing anything tomorrow.” She didn’t wait for a reply but slipped past him and headed up the stairs.
Was she leaving? She hadn’t even been paid.
“Yes,” he called out to her disappearing back.
She stopped at the top of the stairs and leaned against the door jamb, looking down at him. She tilted her head. “Yes?”
“Yes.” Then he added grudgingly, “Please. I would appreciate the help if you can make it.”
“Of course,” she said cheerily. “I can be here by ten o’clock but now I have to run. I have to go put on my interior decorator hat.”
“Hang on a second.” He climbed up the stairs behind her. “Let me grab my check book.”
A couple of minutes later, check in hand, Sam headed out front where she climbed up into the truck and perched on the edge of the seat. It looked like she wouldn’t be able to reach the pedals otherwise. She started the engine and then gave him an infectious grin and a wave. “See you tomorrow,” she called as she backed out of the driveway.
He almost grinned back at her but caught himself just in time. Instead, he nodded then watched as she drove away.
******
“Hi, sweetie. That was quick.” Alvin Fox was coming out through the front door just as Samantha drove in. “Meg told me you’d gone out to the Sullivan place so I thought you’d be there for a while.”
“Nope,” Sam said as she swung her toolkit out of the truck and walked toward her dad. “Just a couple of leaky pipes. Nothing good ole Sam couldn’t handle.”
“That’s my girl,” Alvin said and leaned down to receive the kiss she was aiming at his cheek.
She deposited the toolkit on the ground beside their feet then straightened and folded her arms across her chest. “That job was nothing compared to the work that still needs to be done. That place is a mess.”
“Water damage?”
“Among other things. The whole basement needs to be cleaned out and the rest of the house…let's just say it needs a major overhaul.” She shook her head. “Looks like since the Sullivans left the current owner hasn’t even had a chance to furnish the place.”
“There goes the interior decorator in you.” Alvin chuckled. “Next thing I’ll hear is that you’re over there fixing the place up. I know you.”
“Uhmm, well…” She cleared her throat. “I’m going back there tomorrow morning.”
Alvin narrowed his gaze. “Don’t tell me you convinced the family to redo their entire house?”
“I plead not guilty.” She put up her hands in protest. “All I did was offer to help clean the mess in the basement. And from what I could tell it wasn’t a family. It was just…a guy.” She frowned even as she said the word. He hadn’t been the type you’d classify as a ‘guy’. He was all man, and a serious-looking one at that.
“A guy, huh?” Alvin put his hand to his chin and looked thoughtful. “A guy all alone in a big old house on the outskirts of town. And I should let my little girl go out there to help him clean up?”
“Dad, I’m thirty-two years old. Not exactly what anybody would call a little girl. And besides, he’s not like a biker kind of a guy. He’s actually quite mature.” She tapped a finger against her chin. “I’d guess…late thirties, maybe even forty.”
“Ah, haa,” Alvin said, drawing out the sound. “I see.” He gave her a look of amusement.
“Dad, it’s not like that,” she said, quickly defending her position. “It’s just…he seemed so distant. Almost…sad. Like he needed a friend, you know?”
“And, of course, in steps my little Samantha, always ready to befriend the friendless.” Alvin gave a sigh but it was lightened by his understanding smile.
“I just want to help, Dad.” She gave a shrug, picked up her toolkit and headed into the office. “I’m heading out to Mrs. Roach’s place. I’ll give you a call tonight, okay?”
Alvin called his goodbye to her and then she heard his truck roar to life. She’d ended the conversation a bit abruptly but she’d had to. She hadn’t been completely honest with her father and, much to her annoyance, she had one of those faces that could never hide a secret. If she hadn’t moved she would have been turning pink in a minute.
The truth was, there was more to her offer to help than she’d let on. The moment she’d laid eyes on her new customer she’d felt an attraction that had almost knocked the breath out of her. Oh, she’d done a great job hiding it behind her super cheerful act and competent ‘plumber girl’ exterior. But today, out there at that big old house, she’d felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. A very long time.
After a hiatus of four difficult years she, Samantha Fox, had met a man who'd begun to kindle the dormant embers of her heart. And he wasn’t wearing a ring.
CHAPTER TWO
Sam was surprised when she got back from her appointment with Mrs. Roach to hear that Jake McKoy had called. He wasn’t going to need her help with the basement after all.
She frowned, the disappointment tart on her tongue, then she forced a smile and shrugged. “Well, that’s good news. Now I can spend my Saturday morning sleeping in late.”