he called, his deep voice reaching them in the kitchen.
Followed by Bozo and Chloe, Amanda went to meet him. Standing in the entry hall with a bulging black trash bag at his feet, he pulled a wet stocking cap off his head. His burnished face was red from the cold, and his tawny hair stood up in spikes. Amanda had never seen so handsome a man, not because he was
GQ
perfect, but because he looked good without trying. “Man, this house smells divine!” Indicating the garbage sack with a dip ofhis head, he added, “That’s from Myrna across the road. She called me on my cell and asked me to drop by her place to pick it up.”
“Her kids left a bunch of outerwear at her house, and Tony asked her to get rid of it. She called to see if Chloe and I might want some of it, asked our sizes, and said she’d set aside whatever would fit us. The rest is going to Good as New.”
Jeb stripped off his soiled leather gloves and smoothed his hair. “I’ve still got houses to visit, so I’m short on time. Let me shed a few layers, wash up, and I’ll be ready to eat.”
Chloe, leaning against Amanda’s leg, stiffened. “I, um, laid out soap and a towel for you by the kitchen sink,” Amanda said, her voice wobbly with nervousness.
He laughed. “My hands are too filthy for that. Frozen traps, sewer lines, you name it. I don’t want all those germs in the kitchen. Be right in.”
Chloe made a soft bleating sound that made Amanda’s heart twist. “I can disinfect the kitchen sink,” she tried. “I have a towel and a bar of soap all laid out for you in there.”
Please, God, don’t let him go in that bathroom
. “It’ll be nicer. That way, you can fill us in on your day while you wash up.”
“I’ll fill you in over lunch,” he replied.
Jeb divested himself of his jacket, kicked off the chained boots, gave the growling Bozo a pat on the head, and then walked in stocking feet around Amanda and Chloe toward the bathroom. Chloe spun to follow him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jeb. I didn’t mean to do it!”
Jeb froze with his hand on the door handle. “Do what, honey?”
Amanda could see Chloe trembling and wished shehad a weapon. Her insides clenched tight, she took a step toward her daughter.
Jeb opened the bathroom door, stared at the disaster for a second, and then said, “Holy Toledo, what happened here?”
Chloe started to sob.
Chapter Five
Jeb stared in amazement at his once-beautiful bathroom. The foam Chloe had sprayed on everything but the walls had gone watery and dripped, leaving pools of liquid white on the countertops and the slate floor. He’d dealt with some pretty awful messes in his day, which went with the territory when you raised livestock, but he had never witnessed a bathroom attack.
It wasn’t really funny, especially considering Chloe’s distress, but Jeb felt an urge to laugh swelling at the base of his throat. He kept a spray can of bubble cleaner in one of the vanity cupboards, which he used to clean the porcelain sinks, and he chose to use it for precisely the same reason that Chloe had, so the bubbles could do most of the work.
“This is a quite a disaster,” he found the presence of mind to say.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said in a tiny, choked voice.
Jeb turned to look at the child and saw that she was trembling with apprehension. He swept her up in his arms. She shrieked with fear and pushed against Jeb’s chest, trying to escape his embrace. “Hey, hey, hey,” he crooned. “Don’t be scared, sweetie. I’m not mad.”
Chloe fixed a swimming brown gaze on his and stilled in his embrace. “You aren’t?”
Jeb noticed that Amanda stood as stiff as a board and had knotted her slender fists.
Fair enough
. She’d said in one of her breeze-delivered notes that she’d die before she ever let him—meaning her nameless husband—hurt this child again. So now she expected the worst from Jeb.
Ignoring the mother, Jeb focused on the little girl, whose body quivered against his
Followed by Bozo and Chloe, Amanda went to meet him. Standing in the entry hall with a bulging black trash bag at his feet, he pulled a wet stocking cap off his head. His burnished face was red from the cold, and his tawny hair stood up in spikes. Amanda had never seen so handsome a man, not because he was
GQ
perfect, but because he looked good without trying. “Man, this house smells divine!” Indicating the garbage sack with a dip ofhis head, he added, “That’s from Myrna across the road. She called me on my cell and asked me to drop by her place to pick it up.”
“Her kids left a bunch of outerwear at her house, and Tony asked her to get rid of it. She called to see if Chloe and I might want some of it, asked our sizes, and said she’d set aside whatever would fit us. The rest is going to Good as New.”
Jeb stripped off his soiled leather gloves and smoothed his hair. “I’ve still got houses to visit, so I’m short on time. Let me shed a few layers, wash up, and I’ll be ready to eat.”
Chloe, leaning against Amanda’s leg, stiffened. “I, um, laid out soap and a towel for you by the kitchen sink,” Amanda said, her voice wobbly with nervousness.
He laughed. “My hands are too filthy for that. Frozen traps, sewer lines, you name it. I don’t want all those germs in the kitchen. Be right in.”
Chloe made a soft bleating sound that made Amanda’s heart twist. “I can disinfect the kitchen sink,” she tried. “I have a towel and a bar of soap all laid out for you in there.”
Please, God, don’t let him go in that bathroom
. “It’ll be nicer. That way, you can fill us in on your day while you wash up.”
“I’ll fill you in over lunch,” he replied.
Jeb divested himself of his jacket, kicked off the chained boots, gave the growling Bozo a pat on the head, and then walked in stocking feet around Amanda and Chloe toward the bathroom. Chloe spun to follow him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jeb. I didn’t mean to do it!”
Jeb froze with his hand on the door handle. “Do what, honey?”
Amanda could see Chloe trembling and wished shehad a weapon. Her insides clenched tight, she took a step toward her daughter.
Jeb opened the bathroom door, stared at the disaster for a second, and then said, “Holy Toledo, what happened here?”
Chloe started to sob.
Chapter Five
Jeb stared in amazement at his once-beautiful bathroom. The foam Chloe had sprayed on everything but the walls had gone watery and dripped, leaving pools of liquid white on the countertops and the slate floor. He’d dealt with some pretty awful messes in his day, which went with the territory when you raised livestock, but he had never witnessed a bathroom attack.
It wasn’t really funny, especially considering Chloe’s distress, but Jeb felt an urge to laugh swelling at the base of his throat. He kept a spray can of bubble cleaner in one of the vanity cupboards, which he used to clean the porcelain sinks, and he chose to use it for precisely the same reason that Chloe had, so the bubbles could do most of the work.
“This is a quite a disaster,” he found the presence of mind to say.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said in a tiny, choked voice.
Jeb turned to look at the child and saw that she was trembling with apprehension. He swept her up in his arms. She shrieked with fear and pushed against Jeb’s chest, trying to escape his embrace. “Hey, hey, hey,” he crooned. “Don’t be scared, sweetie. I’m not mad.”
Chloe fixed a swimming brown gaze on his and stilled in his embrace. “You aren’t?”
Jeb noticed that Amanda stood as stiff as a board and had knotted her slender fists.
Fair enough
. She’d said in one of her breeze-delivered notes that she’d die before she ever let him—meaning her nameless husband—hurt this child again. So now she expected the worst from Jeb.
Ignoring the mother, Jeb focused on the little girl, whose body quivered against his
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