Page 48 of More Than a Pretty Face

I’m giddy about that even though I never once thought to ask.“Oh good.”

“I’ll let y’all get to work.If you need anything, holler.”She crosses the yard, then calls out to her husband, James, as she pushes open her front door.

“Sorry about that.”I catch his hand.“They’re very sweet.”

“No reason to apologize.They care about you.And I’m glad they pay attention to who comes and goes.”He gives my fingers a squeeze but doesn’t let go.“Next time, I’ll be ready to meet the drill sergeant.”

“He’s really nice.”Standing with our fingers intertwined isn’t going to help with the garden, but it’s a pleasant way to pass the time.“I cut some of the cardboard this week.”

He looks at our hands, then meets my gaze.“I’ll start getting it down.Anything we need to do to the ground before we lay it?”

“Nope, we put it down, then soak it with the hose.Once we have the boxes built, we can add another barrier if we need.Something like sawdust.But I’m not sure it’s necessary.”I slide my hand free.“If you put down what’s ready, I’ll start cutting more pieces.”

“Teamwork.I like that.”He whistles a tune as he lays out the pieces.

Following the old adage, I measure more than once before reaching for the box cutter.Also, I spend a fair share of time watching when Tyler leans down to get the cardboard just right.

When all those pieces are down, he eases up beside me.“How can I help?”

“I’ll hold this end while you cut the cardboard.”I hand over the box cutter, and he slices through the rest of the strip.

Working side by side, we carve up cardboard until we have enough to cover all the areas we’ve staked out.

“That didn’t take long.I’m not even all that sweaty.”He laughs.“But because I like you, I brought a clean shirt with me.”

“Want to sit for a bit and have some lemonade before we go?”I’m feeling braver than normal, and I credit Tyler’s genuine interest.

“I’d like that a lot.While you get the drinks, I’ll clean up the scraps.”He bends over and starts picking up pieces.

And when I walk back outside, carrying two glasses of lemonade, he’s already on the swing with his arm stretched across the back.I could get used to this.

“Are you working longer hours the rest of the week to be here on Saturdays?”I sit beside him, close enough that our legs are touching.

“It’s not too bad.I talked with Clint, and we got it figured out.”

“Thank you.That’s really sweet for you to go to all this trouble.”

“No trouble.I like coming over here.”He takes a long swig of lemonade.“You know where I grew up.What about you?”

“Near Austin.But I don’t go home very often.”

“We have that in common too.Maybe next weekend, we can swap reasons.”The ice in his glass rattles as he drinks the last of his lemonade.“Or whenever you’re comfortable.”

“You don’t want to hear my sad story on an empty stomach.”

“Then how does barbecue sound?The place here in Stadtburg is the best.”His arm drops onto my shoulder as he plants a kiss on the side of my head.“And I’ll listen to your sad story whenever you want to tell it.”

“Barbecue sounds good to me.”

My alarms should be going, red flags whipping back and forth, warning me that I’m saying too much and being too trusting.But Tyler is giving my fantasy mystery man a run for his money.He’s like Sir Lancelot in cowboy boots.

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