Men For Hire by Jennifeer Denys Michelle Roth Bella Settarra Tina Donahue

minutes later, Stella was armed with the number. She dialed and spoke to a nice woman named Jennifer. When she had outlined the situation and the fact that she needed someone who was basically certified and experienced in almost any kind of repair you could think of, she had clucked her tongue and said, “Well, luv, let’s see who we have available. And where did you say you were, again?”
    “Just outside Orsett.”
    “Hmm, well… I’ve got someone for you. He’s licensed in everything under the sun. He does home inspections too. Might be just the ticket. He can let you know if there are any other issues too,” Jennifer added.
    “Perfect!” Stella said.
    “Ian Starling. I’ll email you over his profile so you recognize him when he arrives. You never can be too careful, I’m afraid.”
    The next twenty minutes were spent haggling over price. In the end, Stella wanted the repairs done right, so she hadn’t had much bargaining power. Still, to her surprise, they ended up at what she considered a fair hourly rate. She would only be responsible for materials above and beyond that.
    As she locked up the cottage and headed to her car, she heard her mobile buzz. She checked her email and found that Jennifer had already sent her a standard agreement for services and a fact sheet on the worker she’d hired. That , she thought, is a nice touch .
    She opened the agreement and saw that it was three pages of text. Clearly, she’d be looking that over later. She moved on to the profile and her mouth dropped open.
    Her handyman was absolutely gorgeous. Ian Starling had an olive complexion. His sandy brown hair was curly and streaked blond like he had been in the sun too often. He had a chiseled face and full lips.
    Dear Lord , she thought as she put the phone back in her bag. She needed to stop. At this rate, she’d need a cold shower. It had been months since been interested in anything other than burying herself in her art. Maybe she’d start going out again. She’d probably need to, lest she jump her poor, unsuspecting contractor.
    Laughing at herself, she slid into her car. She needed some cleaning supplies. The repairs wouldn’t start until the middle of next week. That would give her plenty of time to clean out all of the rubbish the previous tenants had left behind. Slobs .
    As she drove back up the rutted, tree lined road, she vaguely thought about having the lane paved. This was going to be hell on her old car. She really needed to rethink this whole commute. Maybe she’d get a new mattress delivered and stay there. It was something to consider.
     
    * * * *
     
    Five days later
     
    Stella bobbed her head and sang along with the music as she planted another bulb in the front garden. She patted down the soil and hazarded another look at the sky. It was a cool, gloomy morning.
    Good , she thought. Her flowers needed a nice, hard rain. If the packaging hadn’t lied to her, she could expect tulips of varying colors in the springtime. She started digging another small hole with a trowel when she felt a gentle tap on the shoulder. Startled, she let out a small scream and then twisted around.
    The contractor that wasn’t due until much later in the day stood a few feet away from her in the spongy grass. He held up his hands in what she supposed could pass for a non-threatening manner as she pulled out her earphones. A small smile played on his lips. Clearly he’d heard her singing.
    “Err… Sorry,” he apologized. “I tried to get your attention but … the music. I’m your contractor. Ian Starling.”
    Stella set the trowel down, then brushed off her hands on her trousers. As she stood, she said, “Stella Whitman. You scared me. I didn’t expect you until later in the day, Mr. Starling.”
    She extended her hand in greeting and then realized it was still a bit dirty. Before she could retract it, he reached out and grasped it firmly in his. She felt a flare of warmth suffuse her entire body. With a slight