“Hello,” he said. “You ready to get to work? I’ve got all our stuff laid out in the backyard. There’s plenty of room on my screened back porch to store the arch when we get it finished. Did you figure out what size you want it to be?” Dammit! That sounded like something he’d say to a guy, not to a gorgeous woman. He should have at least offered her a cold beer.

“Think we can get it done this evening?” she asked.

“I hope so.” He closed his eyes and kicked himself for being so damned awkward. “That came out all wrong. I didn’t mean that I don’t want to spend time with you. I’m not very good at this. Would you like a cold beer or something to drink before we get started?”

“I’d love one,” she said. “I didn’t know what to bring in the way of tools.”

“I’ve got everything we need.” He opened the door for her. “I’m rambling to cover up being so awkward around you. Leave it to me to mess up in the first two minutes.”

She laid a hand on his arm. “You didn’t mess up anything. I’m every bit as nervous as you are.”

Her touch stilled his nerves. “Thank you for that, Mitzi.”

He led her through the foyer and into the kitchen, where he took two beers from the refrigerator and handed one to her, then realized that he should have opened it for her. He could run a dealership, buy and sell cars, organize and take care of all the departments without blinking an eye, but every day he knew Mitzi, the more tongue-tied and awkward he became.

“Bring your beer and follow me.” He led her from the kitchen out onto the screened porch.

“My granny has a room like this, and I’ve always loved it.”

“It was part of the reason I wanted this house. My grandparents had one like this, too, and I used to enjoy spending time there with my grandpa while he told me stories about his younger days.” He opened the door out to the backyard, where he’d laid out the lumber, the four-by-eight sheet of lattice, and all of his tools.

“Looks to me like you’re pretty organized.” She pulled the tab from the top of her beer, took a long drink, and then set it down on the porch. “Let’s get busy. I think it should be at least six feet wide to accommodate our bride mannequin. If we get to go next year, we may get us a male mannequin and dress him up in a suit or tux.”