Chapter Four
“At least we have an intact foundation.” Neil pointed to the rear of the structure. “This part of the house didn’t suffer as much as the front where the kitchen was, so we’ll be able to salvage some of the exterior walls. That will save time. Now.” Neil, the architect in the family, spread his initial drawings on the makeshift plywood work table.
Paxton looked around at the site of the mostly burned to the ground house. At least one positive he could think of at the moment for his work was that tilling under the mounds of ash surrounding the former home would be good organic fertilizer for the miserable clay crud that passed for soil in Texas.
“Pier and beam makes redesign much easier, not to mention that will save us money, too,” Owen glanced around.
Paxton looked at the drawings then the existing foundation. “Same footprint as this foundation? How many square feet?”
Neil looked up at him. “Still thirteen hundred, but much more efficient. As you can see, I’ve added a rear entry garage. The original house didn’t have one. Families don’t want to unload groceries and children in the heat or rain.”
Paxton could agree with that. “Good thing there’s a big yard even with the driveway and garage added on.” Looking at his brother’s plans, he could picture what the place could be. Already ideas for plants once the house was built were swimming in his mind.
A car pulled into the driveway.
“Grace promised to bring lunch,” Owen said without looking up. “This way we won’t lose any time. There’s a lot to do and a crazy tight schedule.”
“The more the merrier.” Paxton chuckled. “Think she’s any good with a hammer?”
“She’s a lawyer.” Neil frowned.
“Hey, I’m a landscaper but I know how to use a drill and milk a cow. What’s your point?”
Shaking his head, Neil rolled his eyes and pointed to the salvaged walls. “Everything that couldn’t be saved is gone. All of this is remaining. Structurally the walls are fine.”
The sound of laughter and giggles filled the air as not one but two women climbed out of the car. Paxton stood a little straighter, recognizing both of them.
“Hey, guys. Look who I found coming out of the Cut n’ Curl as I was leaving the cafe. Remember Sandra Lynn?” Grace waved one of the bags she carried in Sandra’s direction.
Owen nodded. “Sandra, nice to see you.”
“Isn’t it great to have her back?” Grace looked happier than a kid at Christmas.
“You back for good?” Quinn asked with a smile and Paxton had to fight an absurd urge to tell his brother to back off.
Sandra smiled at everyone. “I am back for good. We moved in with my mother. For now.”
A sweet smile made it to her eyes, and Paxton couldn’t stop staring. First woman in ages to capture his attention for no good reason and she had to be married.
Grace hooked an arm around Sandra’s. “It’s been too long. It’ll be wonderful having my old friend back again. We have so much to catch up on.”
Neil turned to his brothers. “You have any questions?”
All the brothers shook their heads. After all, they knew how to read blueprints and there was nothing outstanding about any of the things on the drawings.
“Then I’m off.” Neil turned on his heel, and glanced at Sandra. “Welcome back.”
Owen spun about. “Let me catch a ride with you back to my truck. I’ve got some supplies I need to pick up.”
Grace glanced at her watch, her eyes widening. “Crud. I didn’t realize the time. I wish I could stick around, but I have a client appointment in ten minutes. I’m sorry I won’t be able to drop you back at your mom’s.”
“No problem, I can walk from here.”
Grace hurried away but turned at the last minute. “Hey, I have a great idea. Why don’t you come out to the ranch for dinner? We can really catch up. Aunt Eileen is dying to see you too.”
“I’d love to, but maybe another time. My car is still at the shop and Mom insists she doesn’t need a car living here in town.”
“No problem.” Grace looked to Paxton and Quinn standing side by side. “One of you guys can bring her out. Right?”
“Sure,” Paxton agreed a little too quickly, once again silently reminding himself that Sandra was a married woman.
“Bring David,” Grace added as she slid into the car. “There will be plenty of kids to play with. You can come any time.”
Sandra waved at Grace and then looked up at Paxton. “What time do you want me to come back to ride to the ranch?”
He shrugged. “We’re about to get started on some of the framing. But with only half a day, it won’t be a long day.”
Her gaze darted to the pages on the wooden table and then up at the open space.
“Would you like to see what we’re going to do?”
She nodded. “Yes, that would be lovely.”
The first thought to pop into his head was that nothing could be as lovely as she was. His second thought was, back off Paxton. Too bad he liked his first thought better.
When she’d gone into the Cut n’ Curl for her morning shift today, the last thing Sandra had expected was for fate to have left her alone with Paxton. She couldn’t resist smiling. As much as she wanted no part of a new relationship, at least there was no harm in admiring the scenery. Paxton was tall and broad and as attractive as Texan boys can be.
Glancing around, she wondered what this project was all about. “I thought Mom said y’all were renovating Sadieville.”
“This is for a charity. Not part of our TV show.” He almost put his hand on her lower back to move her along, and instead settled for waving an arm towards the still standing walls.
“Do you often build houses for charity?”
“This is our first project with this charity. Sometimes back home, we did things to help out seniors or troubled families, but nothing to this scale.”
“This is a great location. Not far from Main Street, but setback enough up the street to have a neighborhood feel. I love the tree-lined street. Not an easy find in West Texas.”
Quinn began working on the framing as they moved across the empty space.
“Y’all are going to do this just the three of you?”
“All of us will be on it, and for a build of this size, and the speed, we’ll bring in some of our crew, but the way this charity works is that the future homeowner has to put in sweat equity by helping around the build.”
“Skin in the game,” she said.
“Exactly.” He waved his arm. “Now we’re standing in the future kitchen. There will be patio doors leading to the backyard. Over here,” he took a step around, “is the breakfast area.”
“So many homes have opted for an island with stool seating and eliminated kitchen tables. We need it for homework and projects that don’t mess with mom cooking in the kitchen.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “That’s why Neil always finds a way to fit it in.”
As Paxton kept talking, Sandra took in what a perfect house this was going to be. Not too big, not too small, practical, well situated, and the coveted big backyard she’d dreamed of for David since the day he was born.
“Outside is my domain.” His words broke her thoughts.
“You take care of landscaping?”
“Yes, but I will help inside as needed. We all know how to do more than our primary jobs. Neil is the architect, but he wields a hammer and drill with the rest of us.”
“And this is for who?”
“All we’ve been told is a needy family. I know sometimes they’re veterans, sometimes it’s a single parent, but no matter who, it’s going to be worthy.”
Paxton led her to where Neil had said the garage would be.
“Oh, wow. An attached garage is not common around here.” She loved the idea. The more common breezeways in this part of the country weren’t bad, but an attached garage is just so much better when juggling groceries and babies. Not that she would be having any more babies, but still.
“How much do the families have to help?”
“We don’t expect them to be contractors.”
Sandra nodded. “What do you expect them to do?”
“Clean-up is more helpful than you think. Then just about anyone can use a hammer. But most people can be taught to handle small power tools.”
She looked up at him to see if he was joking. “Power tools?”
“Drills are easiest, if they’re comfortable, a circular saw to cut two-by-fours.” At that moment, the buzz of the saw sounded as Quinn measured and cut a few boards.
“I can’t imagine.” Give her nails to polish or someone’s hairy eyebrows to wax and she’s a pro. On a construction site, she would be useless.
“It’s not hard. Just takes practice.”
Done with the cutting, Quinn shifted to drilling in screws and Sandra shook her head. “I have my doubts.”
Paxton chuckled. “Wait here.”
Not sure what he had in mind, she walked a few steps back into the kitchen. Or what would be the kitchen? She could see it all so clearly. What a perfect home for someone.
“I promise this isn’t hard. Let me show you how to use a drill to put in a screw.” Paxton appeared with a piece of wood and a drill in hand.
Her heart fluttered. She had to stop herself from lifting her hand to her chest. Surely this had nothing to do with working beside Paxton and everything to do with power tools being seriously out of her comfort zone. It had been a long time since she’d noticed butterflies in her stomach. Butterflies that seemed to get more rambunctious every time Paxton looked at her. Had to be a coincidence. It had to be the power tools. She wasn’t ready for anything more than simple friendship. Besides, what were the odds of anyone as sweet as Paxton wanting a woman who came lock, stock, and barrel with plenty of baggage and someone else’s son?
“This is battery operated. We don’t use corded tools anymore because the cords wind up getting cut or causing a trip hazard.” He pushed the trigger. “This makes it go. This switch here changes the direction of the spin.”
“Change direction?”
“Yes, whether you’re screwing in or unscrewing it.”
She focused on the tool, surprised when Paxton chuckled.
“It’s not a snake. It won’t bite you.”
If this were her ex-husband, she would have expected the thing to do just that. Ed never knew what the heck he was talking about.
“The screw goes on the tip which is magnetic.” Paxton placed the screw on. “Let me do one and then I’ll hand it over to you.”
Watching the drill and board was easier on her nerves than watching the man.
“You don’t want to push too hard or you can strip the screw. Take it nice and easy.”
Nice and easy. Easier said than done.
“Your turn.”
The drill was heavier than she’d thought it would be. When his fingers slid away, she almost dropped it.
Still smiling as if she weren’t the biggest klutz on the planet, she inhaled as he wrapped his hands around hers. “Here, let me help.”
Willing her fingers not to shake, she put a screw on the tip of the drill and let the pressure from his fingers pull the trigger. The screw went straight in.
“See?” He smiled and pulled away.
Breathing more easily with him not standing so close, she also regretted his not standing so close. How crazy was that?