Page 40 of His Unforgettable Bride
“We see that, Juliet, and you’re dripping wet.” Tabitha’s voice carried a note of irritation. “Did you bring back our mail?”
“Yes, and I placed it on the kitchen table.” She removed her headscarf to reveal her hair pulled back from her damp, shiny face. Moisture from the rain had clumped her eyelashes together. Wet or dry, she was equally appealing.
Tabitha brushed flecks of sawdust from her overcoat sleeve. “We were just showing Gray around the carriage house. Any day now, we’ll put him to work.”
Except he could barely recall which end of a hammer pounded the nails. “Do you know anyone in town capable of instructing me, at least until more of my memory returns?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Juliet smiled. “Cy Kelly needs a place to stay for the winter. Perhaps he could teach you in exchange for room and board.”
“Cy Kelly?” Both of Livy’s brows rose. “Where and when did you meet this stranger?”
“When I exited the post office, he and I struck up a conversation, and he told me he’s looking for work.”
Tabitha crossed her arms. “And this stranger possesses carpentry skills?”
“He was once an architect and builder and said he knows everything there is to know about such things.” Was there a better available candidate in town? Not likely, or the sisters would have hired him before now.
Tabitha’s eyes were lit with interest. “Tell us more about Mr. Kelly, Juliet.”
“He’s a widower and appears older, perhaps in his fifties. He lives in the mountains but came to town because of a hurting leg and now doesn’t think he can return until spring.”
The prospect of obtaining carpentry assistance certainly appealed to Gray, but who was this man? “Should we not know more about this fellow before considering inviting him in?”
Juliet leveled a censuring look at him. “I realize he’s a stranger, but so were we not long ago.”
She had a good point. The sisters took him in even though they knew absolutely nothing about him.
“Besides,” Juliet continued, “I’m a good judge of people and can tell he’s a kind man.”
Tabitha exchanged a look with Livy. “For him to live here is a big undertaking. We’ve already added you and Gray to our household.”
Juliet ran the length of her headscarf through her clenched hand. “Perhaps Mr. Kelly can stay in the carriage house for a spell. It’s dry and shields the wind nicely.”
Livy’s brow was now wrinkled. “Tabitha, what do you think?”
“Let’s you and I chat over there.” Tabitha nodded toward the room’s far end. Whispering, they strolled in the specified direction.
First, Juliet had rescued him, and now she was championing Mr. Kelly. “I’m impressed by your nature to assist those less fortunate. Do you recall when I mentioned how we need to help each other?”
“Of course.” She grinned. “I’m not the one who lost his memory.”
He laughed. “Touché. I never expected you to find me a carpentry instructor before you realized I needed a tutor.” He lowered his voice and returned his tool to the wooden box. “I cannot remember my so-called expertise with a hammer.”
Wet stray hairs from her pulled-back tresses clung to her face’s sharp angles and planes. “Do you think that means you’re not Alex Sherwood?”
“It certainly begs the question. However, perhaps I do not recall the specifics due to my amnesia. Far too often, I question what is real or my imagination.”
“Although it pales in comparison, I sometimes wonder about that, too. For example, will I truly attend a fancy tea party next month, or is it nothing but a dream?”
“Would you feel comfortable at a formal affair?”
She shrugged. “Since I’ve never been to one, it’s hard to guess the answer.”
“If I also attend the function, I shall assist you however possible…if I can actually build the tearoom in time.”
“With Mr. Kelly’s help, especially if his gout improves, I wager you’ll soon make the sisters’ dream come true.”
He was far less optimistic than her. Earlier in the day, he had expected to walk into the building and discover peace and purpose. The opposite had occurred.
