Yuletide Hearts

“And the lights,” Hank added. “Jake sure is excited.”

“I got that.” Matt grinned, took a sip of coffee and settled an easy look Callie’s way. “He’s a good kid.”

“Thanks. Same assignments as yesterday, boss?”

A muscle clench in his chin said he recognized the marker drawn. “Sure.” He headed right while she moved to join her father and Buck on the roof they’d begun the previous day, but his light whistle followed her, the tune young. Bright. Carefree. It called to her, but she’d put carefree aside a lot of years ago and it would take more than clean clapboards and perfect teeth to bring it back. Most days she was pretty sure it was gone for good.

So much for maintaining a distance, Matt thought as Callie headed across his roof on steady feet a few hours later. “Tom said you needed a hand over here.”

Matt nodded, brisk, pretending immunity. “I do, thanks. The pharmacy called to say his wife’s prescription was ready.”

“And he didn’t want her waiting.” Callie adjusted her gloves, flexed her fingers and squatted beside him, close enough to notice how her lashes curled up on their own with no help from mascara. “That’s Tom, all right. And since Dad and Buck are capping twenty-three, I was the logical choice. Looks good, Jim,” she noted, raising her voice so Jim could hear. “And it’s almost straight.”

Jim made a face at her. “Ha, ha. Do I have to remind you that I’ve put on more roofs than anyone else in Allegheny County?”

Callie laughed. “Since there’s no one here to argue the point, I’ll let you stake your claim. In the meantime,” she turned her gaze toward Matt.

“Do you want to feed or nail?” he asked.

“I’ll nail. Then we can switch so neither one of us ends up with a backache later.”

“And you didn’t leave for the diner today. How about tomorrow?”

Callie shook her head, eyes down, working the nail gun as they edged right. “Nope.”

Matt fought off the quick glimmer of appreciation her answer inspired. Focus on your work. Remember that you’re on a rooftop and concentration might be in everyone’s best interest. But he’d be lying to say that Callie wasn’t a pretty nice distraction, totally against the norm of women he’d known.

“I switched with Gina,” she continued, working as she talked. “She’s a single mom, too, and she can use the extra shifts. She’ll do doubles, which will help her out at this time of year.”

“Christmas.”

“Christmas and winter clothes,” she told him as she shifted her angle to give him more room. “With kids you go right from back-to-school clothes to winter clothes and then Christmas. There’s no such thing as saving a dime in the fall. Not with children.”

Tom’s truck pulled back in a few minutes later. He climbed out, surveyed their progress and whistled, appreciative. “Nice work.”

Matt grinned, showed a thumbs-up and jerked his head toward Hank and Buck. “Can you finish up with Hank and Buck?”

“And let you have the pretty girl all to yourself?” Tom drawled. He tipped his wool hat toward Callie, ever the gentleman. “Good thing I’m a happily married man. I might be giving you a run for your money.”

Matt shook his head, pretending indifference, but when he glanced Callie’s way, twin spots of color brightened her cheeks.

The wind, he decided.

“Ready here.”

He started feeding her shingles again, her speed and concentration commendable when it was all he could do not to notice how she moved, the way she handled the nail gun as though born to it, her manner decisive, her gaze intent, her lower lip drawn between her teeth as she squared up each section.

She didn’t talk, she worked, and Matt appreciated that. Talking slowed things down, and they were already racing the clock. Callie understood the time line and stayed focused on the job at hand while Matt had a hard time focusing on anything but her.

A car pulled up. Amanda climbed out, toting a drink tray of fresh coffees from the convenience store at the crossroads.

“She’s a lifesaver,” Callie muttered from behind Matt.

Matt met her gaze and smiled. “I’ll say. Now if she only thought to bring doughnuts…”

Amanda set the tray of large coffees down on the saw table tucked inside the garage of number seventeen, then headed back to the car and pulled out a big box of doughnuts.