Hunt drove home and changed into work clothes. He still had several hours of daylight and a lot of work to get done. Yesterday, he’d finished caulking. The roofer was delayed in coming out, and Hunt wanted to look at it on his own, but was minus a ladder. So he reverted to his teenage years and went up into the attic that had once been his room and climbed out onto the roof through the dormer window.

He’d been up there a good ten minutes when he saw Ava coming up the street. When she pulled into the drive and got out, his heart skipped. The sun shining on her dark hair made it look like silk, and her ready smile when she saw him was the best thing that had happened to him all day.

“The front door is unlocked. Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be right down,” he called out.

“Be careful,” she said.

He headed back to the window, crawled inside, and began dusting himself off as he hurried down the stairs.

Ava was standing in the hallway, and when she saw him, she walked straight into his arms and gave him a hug.

The urge to kiss her senseless was so strong within Hunt that he was struggling to focus when she saved him and turned him loose.

“That’s the best greeting I’ve had all day, but what was it for?” he asked.

“I couldn’t be at the service today. It’s a hug for my regret. I worried for you. Were people nice, or did they grill you mercilessly?”

“They were nice, and Birdie decided to attach herself to me to make sure I wasn’t grilled. It was actually pretty sweet of her.”

Ava sighed. “Thank God. Curiosity can often take a hateful turn. I know how nosy and sarcastic some people can be. So how’s the roof?”

He was watching the way her mouth shaped words, wondering how they would feel against his lips, when it dawned on him that she’d just asked a question.

“I’m sorry… What did you say?”

“I asked, how’s the roof? Are you going to have to replace it?”

“It looks okay, but it’s old. I think to get top dollar on the house, it needs a new roof. That kitchen floor is probably going to be the biggest repair. I think I’ll replace the cookstove in the kitchen and put in a new sink and countertops after we paint.”

Ava nodded. “I love the location of this house. I was always jealous of the fact that your backyard was basically the whole park.”

Hunt thought of his run the other night and realized what he’d taken for granted.