Mountain Sanctuary by Lenora Worth Page A

strangers if you give them a chance. It’s more like a sanctuary of sorts.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    She whirled like a dancer to leave.
    “Hey,” he said, wanting to prolong their time together. “I was wondering, just how long did you want me to stick around?”
    She seemed confused and put off, her eyes flying wide as she held a hand to the door. “I hadn’t thought about it. Something new crops up here on a daily basis, but if you could just finish the repairs and paint touch-ups on the shutters and help some with the gardens and cooking for a while, I’d really appreciate it.”
    Adam thought about that. He could find any number of tasks to keep him here indefinitely, but that wouldn’t be honest or fair. “How about three months? Say around Labor Day?”
    “Three months?” She rubbed a hand across her neck. “The end of summer?”
    “Yeah. I figure summer’s the busy season, right?”
    “Spring and summer, but we get a lot of leaf lookers, too.”
    He laughed at that. “You mean, when the trees change color?”
    “Yes. Fall is pretty around here. People love to hike the mountain when the weather gets cooler.”
    Adam thought about how beautiful the park would be in the fall. He might not be here to see that. “Well, let’s shoot for a three-month trial period, okay?”
    “Okay.”
    Did he sense disappointment in her eyes?
    Not wanting to push that issue, he forged on. “Anyway, I can’t stay in your guest room for three months. You need to rent that to a paying customer. I could move into a hotel or an apartment in town—”
    “No.” She laughed, pushed at her hair. “I mean, that’s silly. I don’t mind letting you have the room, but—” She stopped, looking toward the back of the long garage. “Hey, what about the carriage house?”
    He glanced around. “We have a carriage house?”
    She nodded, pointing toward some stairs tucked away toward the back. “This was it long ago. And there’s a tiny apartment right up those stairs. My mama used to rent it out some at first. According to the people who used to work here, she started sleeping out here a lot herself, especially after a long day of painting. And whenever she didn’t want to be disturbed.” She stood silent for a minute, then said, “You could move in there, fix it up to your liking. Do whatever you need to do.”
    Adam thought about that. He’d have his own space, but he’d still be on call whenever she needed him. “You don’t mind?”
    “Of course I don’t. It’s not much—just two rooms with a tiny efficiency kitchen and a bath, but it’s already furnished. Just bring your duffel bag on over tomorrow and settle in.” Her gaze hit on the stairs. “I don’t go up there much.”
    “It won’t bother you, me living in your mother’s private space?”
    “It won’t bother me at all. I think that room needs a new tenant. And it makes perfect sense, right?”
    “I guess it does.” Then he raised a hand. “I’ll pay rent.”
    “No, I’m not paying you enough for that, Adam. Just consider it part of your salary. A perk.” She grinned at that. “Along with all the other perks—such as babysitting, cooking, taking long walks at night.”
    He laughed, coming close to stare down at her. “I know one perk I really like.”
    “Oh, and what’s that?”
    “My boss,” he replied. Then he touched his lips to her forehead in a quick brush. “Thanks, Stella.”
    Too late, he realized what he’d done. Her startled expression went from confused to vexed in about two seconds flat. “I’m going to…I’m going inside. You can go up and look at the apartment if you want. There are boxes in the back, to pack up any of my mother’s things—”
    Then she was gone, her skirt swishing through the night as she strutted purposely back toward the big house.
    And left Adam purposely wishing he could have kissed her on the lips instead of her cute little forehead.

Chapter Eight

    W hat had she been thinking