The Christmas Date

The rest of her sentence died on her tongue. Outside on her doorstep was the guy from the gas station. She dropped the curtain. What was he doing here? Every one of Nora’s safety lectures flitted through Kate’s head. Had he followed her all day? Should she call 911?

The knocking restarted, this time accompanied by his voice, which called, “Hello.” She pushed the curtain aside again, and he gave her a disarming grin and held up his driver’s license. “Hi. I’m your new neighbor. I bought the house next door. From the Dorhacks?”

Kate’s hand trembled as she let the curtain drop into place. She chided herself for letting Nora’s paranoia rub off. She opened the door and immediately noticed the massive black Hummer directly on the other side of her carport. Okay, maybe she was as clueless as Nora maintained if she’d missed that. Somehow, she regained her voice and poise. “Hello.”

“Hi. I’m Tyler Nichols.”

She blushed. “Kate Merrill.”

He smiled and something inside her jumped to attention. “I’ve been in Iraq for the past few months,” he said. “Just got home today. Pity we didn’t know each other this morning.”

“Oh.” She gripped the door handle. Even though he stood lower than her, his height put him eye-to-eye, providing her a clear view of brown orbs that were flecked with gold. She swallowed. “Well, welcome to Dogwood Lane.”

The smile didn’t fade as he studied her. “Thanks. What a coincidence.”

Kate sidestepped the comment. “Uh, so you were working overseas?” she managed to say.

He nodded, and the dimple in his cheek creased more. “I’m a photojournalist with a wire service.”

Gorgeous man, glamorous job. And not only had she made an idiot of herself this morning, but now she was leaving him standing on her doorstep. “Uh, please come in. Besides, if you remain out here, Nora’ll be here any second.”

He frowned. “Nora?”

“Nora,” Kate confirmed as another strand of her hair escaped its bun when she stepped back into the kitchen. She resisted the urge to replace the wayward lock. “You’ll meet her soon enough. She lives across the street and keeps a pair of binoculars by each window. Everyone in the neighborhood calls her Nosy Nora. Not to her face, of course,” Kate added hastily, blushing again. “Some twenty years ago she foiled a crime on this street, so everyone’s very grateful she’s observant.”

He was observant, too, she noticed as his gaze flicked around her kitchen, which sorely needed updating. The green metal cabinets had gone out of style decades ago. He returned his attention to her face.

“I’m sure you’re busy, especially since it’s a Friday night. I just came over to say hello. I’ve got to get back over there and clean.”

“You’re not going out?” Kate stared at him. Didn’t men like him always have somewhere exciting to be? Jack had always had somewhere to go, someone to impress.

But Tyler was shaking his head. “No. I’ve got hours of work to do, starting with finding the closest place to buy cleaning supplies.”

“We’re pretty residential here. You’ll have to drive at least two miles before you get to the nearest superstore,” Kate told him.

He grinned wryly. “That’s what I figured. Well, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around. I better get to it. I recognized you and like I said, I just wanted to say hello.”

He could charm without even trying. His proximity rattled her brain, scattering her priorities and overriding her to-do list. Maybe she should have taken Wendy’s advice and gotten on the dating circuit sooner. That might have helped with her reaction to this man.

“I saw the inside of the house right after Myra’s kids put her in a nursing home. They were so happy to unload the place that I’m not surprised they didn’t clean it before they sold it.”

“Well, my stuff sitting there collecting dust didn’t help. I’ve been traveling with a marine unit for the past two months. Although, as dirty as it is, it’s better than the front line.”

Raised by Sandra always to be charitable and volunteer, Kate made an instinctive decision. “Do you need some help?”

His eyebrows shot up. “You’d do that?”

“Of course,” she said. “It’s what neighbors do, especially on this street. I’ve got tons of cleaning stuff I can lend you. Give me a few minutes to get changed and I’ll come over. I’d suggest you find some grubbier clothes.”

He still seemed a little surprised. “Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll see you in a few then. Be sure to knock loud. I’ve discovered that the doorbell’s broken. I guess I’ll have to fix that at some point.”

And then he walked away, affording Kate a great view of his backside.

SO THAT WAS his next-door neighbor.

Tyler whistled to himself as he crossed the short distance to his house. The spontaneous way she’d offered to help, without hitting on him, had impressed him. Perhaps he’d misjudged her this morning. Then, he’d found her a bit amusing.

Oh, she still had that naiveté to her, as real as it was refreshing. But her eyes reflected intelligence. He’d read determination on her face. She’d never play poker, but she’d covered her shock well.

He’d also found it intriguing that he’d wanted to pull her hair out of that infernal bun she wore. Yeah, maybe he’d been without a woman for too long, because his male interest had roared to life the moment she’d opened the door. He chuckled. Those sexy paw prints on her chest had been pretty impressive. Lucky cat. He wondered if she realized the top part of her blouse had been unbuttoned, giving him a nice peek at the white satin bra she wore beneath. Since his mother had raised him a gentleman, Tyler had kept his gaze on her face, but it hadn’t been easy.

Fate had to have a sense of humor. The first flare of life his libido had felt in a long time was for his next-door neighbor, a slip of a girl who, from her wary expression, wasn’t too impressed with him in the slightest, especially if this morning was an indication.

Not that it mattered. He’d always maintained that one should not seduce one’s neighbor. That rule was part of Tyler’s personal set of commandments for his life. Getting involved in a relationship with your neighbor made life awkward afterward, even if one neighbor—him—would never be in town. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.

Which was too bad. Because Kate Merrill had potential.

KATE CLOSED the door, picked up Jeckyll and shook her head. Darn it all. What in the world had gotten into her? She’d just offered to clean the man’s house. Had her celibacy caused her to lose brain cells? She definitely ought to have listened to Wendy more. Wendy! Kate glanced at the clock. Well, she’d just go next door, lend Tyler Nichols her stuff, make some excuse to leave. After all, she’d been expecting an elderly neighbor with a potbelly, the standard on Dogwood Lane. Would she have offered to clean for him? Not by a long shot. So why should she do it because Tyler Nichols was sexy? He probably had a harem to do his bidding.

The reality was that Tyler wouldn’t pay much attention to her after she helped him. He’d probably be out of the country somewhere, or with a woman who was more sophisticated than Kate was.

Which was good, Kate reminded herself. She didn’t need or want to become involved with anyone at this point in her life, especially someone who lived right next door.

Kate focused. While she might have sensed a flicker of interest on his part, she’d misread signals in the past. Still, she could look, right? Looking was harmless. And Tyler Nichols was definitely eye-catching. Maybe she needed to borrow one of Nora’s many pairs of binoculars. Maybe she should partake in a night of unbridled lust the way Wendy had suggested.

Tyler Nichols was probably phenomenal in bed.

Kate closed her eyes for a moment, letting her imagination take her away. He would lave her breasts, kiss her lower and lower, bring her to heights never imagined. He’d never call her a cold fish as Jack had—Jeckyll shifted in her arms and Kate’s eyes flew open.

She couldn’t do it. Just going to bed with someone you only lusted for seemed cold-blooded, if not plain dumb.

Deep down, Kate wanted commitment, not a quick roll in the hay—her mother’s norm. Despite his good looks, which tingled her toes, she determined to steer clear of Tyler after she gave him her cleaning supplies.

As Kate put down Jeckyll, she noticed her gaping blouse and the paw prints. Embarrassment heated her face. She’d already exposed and rattled herself enough, she decided.

Sighing, she went and changed clothes, then grabbed her cleaning supplies. A knock sounded, and Kate placed the container with the supplies on the counter and threw open the door.

“Haven’t I told you never to do that?” a familiar voice chided.

Not waiting for an invitation, the four-foot, ten-inch presence who dominated Dogwood Lane ushered herself in. Her snow-white hair still styled as it had been for the past twenty years, Nora waved some envelopes under Kate’s nose. “You really need to check the window first. I could have been anyone. A mugger. A rapist. A murderer.”

Kate sighed once more. She knew the entire spiel by heart. Hadn’t she just thought it earlier, when she’d first seen Tyler at her door? “Nora, there hasn’t been any crime in this neighborhood in decades, as you like to brag. You foiled the last one.”

“Well, I’d hate for another crime spree to start with you. I noticed you didn’t get your mail, so I grabbed it as I came over. You shouldn’t leave it in your box. Might get stolen. I told you that Forrest hates to put mail in a full box, which yours would have been tomorrow. And don’t forget, as of tomorrow, everyone on the block needs to have his or her Christmas lights up. It’s tradition.”

Kate clenched a hand behind her back and mentally counted to ten. “The new neighbor’s name is Tyler Nichols.”

“Who, dear?” Nora acted as if she hadn’t heard, but Kate knew better.