“Well, I could do that if...if that’s what you want?”

Noticing a hint of sadness in Samson’s face, Joanna said, “What would you do?”

“Miss?”

“If it was up to you, and money was no object,” Joanna said. Noticing Samson’s eyes instantly double in size, Joanna chuckled. “I’m fairly sure you’re familiar with my last name, so hiding the fact money isn’t a problem seems a little ridiculous. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, miss,” Samson said, thankful that his skin tone hid the heat now burning his cheeks.

“Then tell me, what would you do?”

Samson paused and leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at Joanna. “Mrs. Kane, my family has been doing this sort of thing for generations. When it comes to old homes and architecture, I guess you’d have to call me a bit of a bore. That patio out there could be fabulous, and the tunnel...my God, it’s wonderful! If this place were mine, I’d make that veranda a showplace instead of an eyesore. Um...no offense.”

“None taken,” Joanna said, thoroughly enjoying the man’s honesty. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense any longer. Tell me what you’d do if it were up to you.”

In an instant, Samson snatched up his aluminum clipboard and opened the storage compartment. Pulling out a tablet of graph paper, he handed it to Joanna. “I’m not an artist, but if it were up to me, this is what I’d do.”

Joanna took the papers, and within seconds, her mouth fell open. Quickly turning page after page, the smile on her face grew until it reached her ears. “These are amazing,” she said, looking up. “You...you could really do this?”

Samson’s pearly whites appeared again. “Yes, I could.”

Joanna scanned the sketches again. “How soon could you give me an estimate?”

“I...I could get something to you by early next week. I need to take some more measurements and then contact suppliers for pricing. Would that be okay?”

“Yes,” Joanna said, handing him back the drawings. “Yes, that would be fine.”

“Oh, there’s one more thing,” Samson said, putting the papers away. “To do some of the work, we’ll need to remove a bit of the ivy. It’s encroaching in some areas we’ll need to get to.”

“If it were up to me, you’d be taking it all down.”

“It’s not up to you?” Samson said, eyeing Joanna.

“No, what I meant to say was I don’t have—” Joanna clamped her lips together, refusing to allow the word permission to escape. Taking a moment to find the words, Joanna painted on a false grin. “I’m just not sure my wife would approve.”

***

“So...did you have any luck?”

Joanna slowly raised her eyes. “Not since marrying you.”