Page 4 of The Playboy and the Widow
“You answered the phone?” This was another of her less-than-intelligent deductions.
Cliff nodded. “Shirley’s at some meeting, and George had to run to the store for a minute. I’m watching Mikey. I hope you don’t mind that I brought him along.”
She shook her head.
Cliff was down on all fours by this time. “Now what seems to be the problem?”
For a full moment all Diana could do was stare. It wasn’t that a man hadn’t physically attracted her since Stan’s death, but this one hit her like a sledgehammer, stunning her senses. Cliff Howard was strikingly handsome. His eyes were mesmerizing, as blue and warm as a Caribbean sea. She couldn’t look away. He smiled then, and character lines crinkled about his eyes and mouth, creasing his bronze cheeks. She’d never stared at a man quite this unabashedly, and she felt the heat of a blush rise in her face.
“There’s a problem?” he repeated.
“The sink,” she murmured, and pointed over her shoulder. “It’s leaking.”
“Bad,” Katie added dramatically.
“If you’d care to move, I’d be happy to look at it for you.”
“Oh, right.” Hurriedly Diana scooted aside, sliding her rear end into a puddle. As the cold water seeped through her underwear, she bounded to her feet, wiping off what moisture she could.
Something was drastically wrong with her, Diana concluded. The way her heart was pounding and the blood was rushing through her veins, she had to be afflicted with some serious physical ailment. Scarlet fever, maybe. Only she didn’t seem to be running a temperature. Something else must be wrong—something more than encountering Cliff Howard. He was only a man, and she’d dated plenty of men since Stan, but none of them—not one—had affected her like this one.
“Does your husband have a pipe wrench?” he called out from under the sink. “These pliers won’t work.”
“Oh dear.” Diana sighed. “Can you tell me what a pipe wrench looks like?”
Cliff reappeared. “Does he have a toolbox?”
“Yes... somewhere.”
Women! Cliff doubted he would ever completely understand them. This one was curious, though; her round, puppy dog eyes had a quizzical look, as though life had tossed her an unexpected curveball. The bang on her head had to be smarting. She shouldn’t be working under a sink, and he wondered what kind of husband would leave it to her to handle these types of repairs. This was a woman who was meant for lace and grand pianos, not greasy pipes.
“When do you expect him home?” he asked patiently. The flicker of pain that flashed into her eyes was so fleeting that Cliff wondered at her circumstances.
“I’m a widow.”
Cliff was instantly chagrined. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded, then forced a smile. In an effort to bridge the uncomfortable silence, she asked, “Does a pipe wrench look like a pair of pliers, only bigger, with a mouth that moves up and down when the knob is twisted?”
Cliff had to think that over. “Yes, I’d say that about describes it.”
“Then I’ve got one,” Diana said cheerfully. “Hold on a second.” She hurried into the garage and returned a minute later with the requested tool.
“Exactly right.”
He smiled at her as though she’d just completed the shopping center project. “Should I be doing something?” she asked, crouching.
“Pray,” Cliff teased. “This could be expensive.”
“Damn,” Diana muttered under her breath, and looked up to find Katie giving her a disapproving glare. In her daughter’s mind,damnwas as bad as theSword. “Don’t you have any homework?” she asked her younger daughter.
“Just spelling.”
“Then hop to it, kiddo.”
“Ah, Mom!”
“Do it,” Diana said in her most stern voice.
