Housekeepers Say I Do!: Maid for the Millionaire / Maid for the Single Dad / Maid in Montana

Ayleen maneuvered Cain into a seat, but not once did Liz even glance in his direction. It was one thing to appreciate the gift of his help, quite another to be stuck spending time with him. Worse, the whole idea that he’d be willing to actually work, physically work, to thank her for a few hours of caring for him gave her a soft fluttery feeling in her stomach.

She ignored it. They had to spend time together the next day. Maybe hours. She couldn’t be all soft and happy—but she couldn’t be angry with him, either. He was doing a huge favor for a charity that meant a great deal to her.

Of course he’d wanted to do it anonymously. Being with her probably wasn’t a happy prospect for him any more than it was for her. With anybody else she’d be figuring out a way to make this deal palatable for them. So maybe that’s what she needed to do with Cain. Find a way to make this easy for him, as if they were two friends working together for a charity.

The thought caused her brow to furrow. They’d never been friends. They’d been passionate lovers. A distant married couple. Hurt divorced people. But they’d never really been friends. They’d never even tried to be friends.

Maybe becoming friends was the real way for them to get beyond their troubled marriage? To pretend, even if only for a few hours, that the past was the past and from this point on they were two nice people trying to help each other.

Cain was already at Amanda’s house the next morning when Liz arrived. Instead of his black Porsche, he waited for her in one of his Nestor Construction trucks. An old red one.

Keeping with her decision to treat him as she would a friend, she smiled and patted the side of the truck bed. “Wow. I haven’t seen one of these in years.”

He walked around the truck and Liz’s smile disappeared as her mouth fell open slightly. She’d already noticed his T-shirt, but for some reason or another, the jeans he wore caught her off guard. He looked so young. So capable. So…sexy.

She cleared her throat, reminding herself that this was a new era for her and Cain. Friends. Two nice people working together for a charity.

“Mostly, we use Cain Corporation trucks now.” He grinned. “But when I ran Nestor Construction, this one was mine.” He patted the wheel well. “She was my first.”

“Ah, a man and his truck.” Eager to get out of the sun and to the reason they were here, Liz turned to the sidewalk. “Come on. This way.”

They walked to the front door and Liz knocked. Joy answered, but Amanda was only a few feet behind her. She grabbed the giggling three-year-old and hoisted her into her arms. “Sorry about that.”

Liz laughed. “Good morning, Joy,” she said, tweaking the little girl’s cheek as she passed.

Joy buried her face in Amanda’s neck. “Morning.” Amanda looked pointedly at Cain. “And this is Cain?”

Cain held out his hand for shaking. “Sorry about our first meeting.”

Amanda smiled. “That’s okay. Neither one of us was in good form that day. Can I get you some coffee?”

Cain peered over at Liz.

Liz motioned for everyone to go into the kitchen. “Of course, we’d love some coffee.”

When Amanda walked through the swinging door out of sight, Liz caught Cain’s arm, holding him back. “If she offers something, take it. A lot of the women who come to us have little to no self-esteem. It makes them feel good about themselves to have coffee or doughnuts to offer. Take whatever she offers and eat it.”

Looking sheepish and unsure, he nodded and everything inside Liz stilled. For the first time in their relationship she knew something he didn’t. He needed her.

Their gazes caught.

Liz smiled, downplaying the reversal of their roles and seeking to reassure him.

The corners of his mouth edged up slowly in response, and his entire countenance changed. Crinkles formed around dark eyes that warmed.

The hallway suddenly felt small and quiet. The memory of how much she’d loved this man fluttered through her. With one step forward she could lay her palm on his cheek. Touch him. Feel his skin again. Feel connected to him in the only way they’d ever been connected. Touch.

But one touch always led to another and another and another. Which was probably why making love was the only way they’d bonded. They’d never had a chance to be friends. Never given themselves a chance to get to know each other.

Sad, really.

Instead of stepping forward, she stepped back, motioning to the door. “After you.”

He shook his head. His voice was rich, husky when he said, “No. After you.”

He’d been as affected by the moment as she had been. For a second she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, as another possibility for why he’d been so insistent on thanking her popped into her head. He hadn’t forgotten their sexual chemistry any more than she had. They hadn’t been good as a married couple, but they had been fantastic lovers. What if he was being kind, using this “thank you” as a first step to seducing her?

A sickening feeling rose up in her. He hadn’t hesitated the first time. He’d done everything he’d had to do to get her to Miami, into his bed. Working for a charity was small potatoes compared to some of the things he’d done to woo her, including whisk her to Vegas and seduce her into marrying him.

Well, six years later she wasn’t so foolish. So young. So inexperienced. If he dared as much as make a pass at her, he’d find himself with a new Friend Indeed employee as his liaison. He’d still have to fulfill his end of the bargain. He just wouldn’t do it with her.

She headed for the swinging door. Cain followed. In the kitchen, Amanda already had three mugs of coffee on the table. The room was spotless and smelled of maple syrup. Amanda had the look of a woman who’d happily served her daughter breakfast.

Cain took a seat at the table. “We can use this time to talk about what you need me to do.”

“You’re doing the work?”

Liz caught Amanda’s hand, forcing her gaze to hers for reassurance. “Yes. Cain worked in construction to put himself through university.”

“And as a bartender and a grocery boy. I was also a waiter and amusement-park vendor.” He smiled at Amanda as she sat. “School was four long years.”

Amanda laughed.

Liz pulled her hand away. “So go ahead. Give Cain the list of things that need to be done.”

“First, the plumbing.”

He took a small notebook from his shirt pocket. “Okay.”

“There are some places with missing baseboard.”

“Uh-huh.”

“The ceiling in the first bedroom has water marks.”

Without looking up from his note taking, Cain said, “That’s not good.”

“And most of the walls need to be painted.”

“You guys can help with that.”

Liz hesitated. She didn’t want to agree to time in the same room with him, but from the sounds of the list Cain’s work here wouldn’t be a few hours. He’d be here for days and Liz would be, too. If she had to be here to oversee things, she might as well have something to do. Plus, the more she did, the sooner her time with Cain would be over.

“Sure.”

Because Amanda had stopped listing repair items, Cain finally glanced up. “That’s it?”

“Isn’t that enough?”