Desperate Intentions

Chapter Two

Nervous energy filled Eliza as she set the table for the evening meal with an extra plate. Would he show up for dinner? On the off chance he would she’d changed into a nicer pair of black skinny jeans and a lavender blouse that she knew complemented her gray eyes. She’d also let her hair down and it now fell around her shoulders in soft waves.

She was a fool to be going to so much trouble, she’d thought as she’d applied a little more mascara and then a dash of pink lip gloss.

It wasn’t like she was looking for romance. When Blake had left her she’d pretty much put that part of herself away forever. Besides, she was hardly an attractive package for any man to take on, considering the fact that she had two young children and one of them was blind.

Tonight wasn’t about romance. It was about learning a little bit about the man who was her neighbor. She didn’t know about him, but she intended to be in this house for a very long time. Building good neighbor relationships couldn’t be a bad thing.

“Mom, come and look what Sammy found,” Katie called from the living room.

Eliza pulled garlic bread out of the oven and then went to check on the children. “What did you find, Sammy?” she asked.

He ran his fingers along the white wainscoting and a panel popped open, revealing a space big enough for the two of them to stand in. “It’s a secret hiding spot,” he said.

“Would you look at that,” Eliza said in amazement, although this wasn’t the first surprise the house had given up. Two weeks after moving in, Sammy had found a hidden stairway that went from Katie’s room down to the kitchen pantry.

“That is a great hiding place,” she said. She stepped inside to make sure there was nothing dangerous in the space. “It could be your very own secret hideaway. But right now I want you two to wash your hands and faces for dinner. It’s possible we might have a visitor.”

“A visitor?” Katie’s face lit up. “Who is it? Ms. Lucy?”

“Not Ms. Lucy. Our neighbor might come to eat with us. Now go get cleaned up. Dinner is going to be on the table in about three minutes.” As the two headed for the bathroom, Eliza returned to the kitchen.

The clock on the oven read seven minutes until five. It was very possible he wouldn’t show up at all and that was okay with her. The whole thing had been rather strange to begin with.

The food was on the table and the children had just been seated when the doorbell rang. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” she said, and tried to ignore the bolt of anticipation that leaped into the pit of her stomach.

He stood on the front porch with his sexy smile and the sun gleaming on his slightly shaggy dark hair. His jeans hugged his slender hips and emphasized his broad chest beneath a light blue cotton shirt. “I hope I’m not too late. I got held up at work.” He thrust a bottle of red wine toward her.

“Actually, you’re just in time,” she replied, and took the wine from him. “You didn’t have to do that,” she added as she gestured him inside. She led him into the kitchen. “Sammy and Katie, this is our neighbor, Mr. Anderson.”

“I know you. You buried treasure in your backyard in the middle of the night last night,” Katie said with a wide smile. “I love treasure.”

He rocked back on his heels and Eliza could swear his handsome face paled. Then he laughed. “Oh, honey, that was no treasure. Unfortunately I found a dead cat in my yard and I had to bury it.”

“And what were you doing up in the middle of the night, young lady?” Eliza asked her daughter.

“I woked up and went into Sammy’s room ’cause I thought he might have a nightmare,” Katie said. She batted long dark lashes. “You know I don’t want Sammy to ever get scared.”

Eliza turned to her guest. “Please, have a seat, Troy.” She gestured to the chair at the head of the table.

They began to fill their plates. “Why did the cat die?” Katie asked once everyone had been served.

“I don’t know,” Troy replied.

“Chicken at six, bread at three and salad at nine,” Eliza murmured softly to Sammy.

Troy looked at Sammy and then gazed at Eliza. She knew at that moment he’d realized Sammy was blind. He cleared his throat and then cast her a smile that warmed her from head to toe.

“My daddy died,” Katie said. “So my daddy and that cat are both in heaven together.”

“Did your dad like cats?” Troy asked.

Katie looked at Eliza. “Did he, Mom?”

“I’m sure he did,” Eliza replied. She never wanted her children to know how much she’d come to hate their father during the time before he’d walked out on them. He had died less than a year later in a motorcycle accident in Florida.

“So, tell me about your landscaping business,” she said to Troy in an effort to engage him and change the subject.

“It started with just me, a truck and a lawn mower,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed yard work, and I now have ten trucks and a crew of men and women who work for me.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“I’ve been lucky in scoring a lot of big commercial jobs. By the way, this chicken is delicious.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

“Mom is a great cook,” Sammy said.

“And she’s pretty. Don’t you think she’s very pretty, Mr. Anderson?” Katie asked with a winsome smile.

“Katie,” Eliza said with a blush creeping warmth into her cheeks.

Troy laughed. “Yes, Katie, your mother is very pretty.”

The rest of the meal passed with the children chattering about their schools and their favorite playtime activities. Eliza was acutely aware of Troy’s presence, far too aware since he was just a neighbor who had joined them for a meal.

She was also particularly proud of her children, who displayed good manners throughout the meal.

“Is your house as crazy as this one?” Sammy asked.

“What do you mean by crazy?” Troy asked.

“I found a secret hidey-hole in the living room and a secret stairway in Katie’s bedroom that comes down into the kitchen pantry,” he replied.

Troy looked at Eliza. “It’s true,” she said. “The house does appear to have a lot of secrets.”

“I wanna find some buried treasure,” Katie piped up. “I love treasure, ’specially if it sparkles.”

Eliza and Troy laughed. “Is that why you bought the house? To look for buried treasure?”

She laughed again. “Not hardly, and we didn’t buy the house, we inherited it. It was left to us by my late husband’s grandfather when he passed away a couple of months ago. I have to admit it was quite a surprise.”

“I wondered why a for-sale sign didn’t go up when Frank passed away,” Troy replied.

By that time everyone had finished eating and the children asked to be excused to go watch television. “I insist on helping with the cleanup,” Troy said.

“And I insist you don’t,” she replied. “Why don’t I make you a cup of coffee and you can sit and talk to me while I handle the cleanup?”

“Okay, if you insist,” he replied easily.

Minutes later with a cup of coffee before him, Troy told her a little bit more about his business. His father had bought him his first lawn mower when he was ten years old and had encouraged him to become a little entrepreneur.

“I never thought about doing anything else,” he said. “I love working outside and helping people transform their landscaping from something ugly into something beautiful.”

“It’s always nice to love what you do,” she replied.

“I take it you love what you do.” He eyed her over the rim of the coffee cup.

“Most of the time, unless I get a crazy client. I’ve got a man now who is sending me dozens of nasty texts and emails a day over a project.”

His eyes widened. “Why?”

She put the leftover chicken in the refrigerator and then turned to face him. “I agreed to build a web page for him and then realized halfway into it that it was going to be a pornographic site, and so I backed out of the deal. I refunded the initial money he gave to me and thought that would be the end of it, but he’s been harassing me for weeks now.”

“Have you called the police to report him?” Troy asked.

“Oh no, it hasn’t risen to that kind of a level. It’s just a nuisance.”

“I know it’s just you and the kids here. If anything does ever get out of hand with him just remember I’m right next door.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that. You don’t happen to know a good exterminator, do you? I think we might have a mouse problem. The kids and I are hearing some rustling behind the walls at night.”

“Actually, I do. Mike the Mighty Mouseman.”

She grinned. “Is that for real?”

He laughed and shook his head. “It’s for real. He’s a friend of mine. We went to school together and have remained good friends. Do you want me to give you his number?”

“Please.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and punched in the number he rattled off.

“Let me give you my number, too,” he said. He pulled out his cell phone. “And I’d like yours, if that’s okay. It’s always good to have a neighbor’s phone number.”

They exchanged phone numbers and he returned to drinking his coffee. “You should like the neighborhood. It’s a quiet one.”

“After living in a noisy apartment complex, quiet is good,” she replied.

“Most of the people are older and have lived here for years. I haven’t met many, but the ones I have met have been very nice.”

“That’s good to know,” she replied. “I guess the house on the other side of me is empty. I noticed a moving van there last week and then a for-sale sign in front of it the other day.”

He nodded. “The Fosters. They were an older couple. They decided the house was too big for the two of them.”

“They are big houses,” she replied. “I don’t know what to do with half the space I have here.”

“I’m using a couple of rooms upstairs strictly for storage.” He finished the last of his coffee and then rose from the table. “I guess I’d better get out of your hair. This has been very pleasant. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Thank you for coming,” she replied. “It’s always nice to know your neighbors.” Together they walked to the front door. It had been pleasant. It had been a long time since she’d had an evening of adult conversation, and it hadn’t hurt that he was so darned easy to look at.

Two hours later she sat on the edge of Katie’s bed to tuck her in for the night. “No sneaking into your brother’s room in the middle of the night,” she said, and swiped a strand of long dark hair away from Katie’s face.

“But what if I wake up in the middle of the night and I think maybe he’s having a nightmare?” Katie’s gray eyes darkened. “I don’t ever want Sammy to be scared.”

“And I appreciate you looking after Sammy so well. But your brother will call to me if he has a nightmare and gets scared,” Eliza said, “and all princesses need to stay in bed and get their rest through the night.”

“And I am a princess,” Katie replied firmly.

“Absolutely, you’re my little special princess.” Eliza leaned over and kissed her daughter on the cheek. “Good night, sweetheart.”

“Night, Mommy.”

Eliza rose from the bed and turned out the overhead light, then walked across the hall into Sammy’s bedroom. His twin bed was pushed against one wall and his dresser was against another. There was nothing on the floor to impede him in his world of darkness.

He knew how many steps to the bathroom and how many to the top of the stairs. She had wanted to put his bedroom downstairs, but he’d insisted he wanted to be up here where his sister’s room was. He was such an amazing little guy, and she was blessed to be his mother.

Sammy never complained about any nightmares. Eliza had a feeling Katie sometimes had bad dreams and went into her brother’s bedroom for comfort.

She sat on the edge of his bed and he smiled. “Are you ready for sweet dreams?” she asked.

“As long as the mice stay quiet.”

“We’re going to take care of those noisy, pesky mice very soon,” she replied. “In the meantime I want you to have sweet dreams and I’ll see you in the morning. It’s Saturday so you can sleep in if you want.”

“I think I might want to,” he replied.

She kissed him and then with final good-nights said, she left his room and headed for her own.

This big old house still didn’t feel like home to her, but it would just take more time. At least Sammy had adapted easily, and initially that had been her biggest concern. As she changed into her nightgown, her thoughts filled with Troy Anderson.

Lordy, but the man was hot and he’d seemed to be genuinely nice. He’d been especially good with Sammy, not talking to him like he was stupid or raising his voice like Sammy was deaf as well as blind.

She got into bed and shut off her light. It had been nice to have a man to share a meal and pleasant conversation. Still, it didn’t matter whether he had given her dancing butterflies or not. She’d felt those same kind of dancing butterflies when she’d first met Blake and that had certainly ended badly.

She released a deep sigh and hoped the mice would stay silent tonight.

* * *

TROY PARKED HIS work truck in the driveway and released a weary sigh. Even though it was just a little after three, it had been a long day.

Two of his men hadn’t shown up for work that morning. Thankfully the jobs had been residential mows and trimming, so Troy had taken care of them himself. But this was the third time the two had missed an early Saturday morning job and now he needed to decide if they needed to be let go.

Troy always hated firing anyone, but he did expect his employees to be dependable. Thankfully the men were young and unmarried, so at least Troy didn’t have to worry about them having families they were supporting.

He got out of his truck and glanced next door. Instantly a bit of adrenaline filled him as he thought of Eliza. There was no question he found her intensely physically attractive. He’d also found her charming and nice, but he hadn’t missed a few times when her beautiful gray eyes darkened with emotions that had intrigued him. He was also impressed by her strength. It must be tough to be a single mother of two young kids, especially with one of them being blind.

He’d said he’d plant the peony bush, and he was vaguely surprised to realize the idea of seeing Eliza again today swept a pleasant warmth through him. He should plant it right now before he took a shower and cleaned up. But first what he wanted to do before anything else was go inside and get a tall glass of something cold to drink.

He walked into his hallway of gleaming wood floors. He’d bought the big three-story house a year and a half ago. It had needed a ton of work, but he’d been looking for a new start and the remodeling had been a project he’d desperately needed to take his mind away from the torment of his past.

He’d stripped floors and painted walls. He’d updated the bathrooms and had all the windows replaced. He’d considered every dollar he spent and all his sweat and hard work a good investment. And the work had definitely kept him from losing his mind.

The kitchen had been updated with all the bells and whistles. As he headed toward the refrigerator he glanced out the back window...and froze.

The two kids, Katie and Sammy, were in his yard and standing over the place where he’d buried the gun. What the hell? What were they doing in his yard, in that place? Thirst forgotten, he ran toward the back door.

He unlocked it and flung it open, and at the same time Eliza appeared, running toward her children. “Katie! Sammy! What on earth are you doing over here?” She flashed him an apologetic glance and then glared at her children once again. “You both know the rules. You are never, ever to leave the house without telling me. And you especially should not be over here in Mr. Anderson’s yard. What were the two of you thinking?”

“We just wanted to have a funeral for the dead cat,” Katie said, her lower lip trembling ominously as she looked first at her mother and then at Troy.

“We’re sorry, Mommy,” Sammy said. “We thought it would be good to have a cat funeral.”

For the first time Troy realized Katie was wearing what appeared to be a black dress that belonged to her mother and Sammy wore some kind of a black curtain draped over his shoulders. Katie held a small bouquet of plastic flowers and Sammy held a cardboard sign that read RIP Cat.

Jeez, the kids wanted to have a funeral for the cat that didn’t exist. What damned can of worms had he opened with his lie about the cat? He frowned thoughtfully. Maybe by allowing them to do this, they’d forget they saw him bury anything out here.

“It’s all right,” Troy said to Eliza. “Every dead cat should have a funeral.”

Eliza looked charmingly flustered. Her cheeks were flushed as she blew a strand of hair off her face. The grateful look she gave him warmed him.

“Okay, you can have a funeral, but when we get home there are going to be consequences for you breaking the rules,” she said to her children. “And you can thank Mr. Anderson for not chasing you out of his yard with a broom.”

“Thank you, Mr. Anderson,” Katie said with a sweet smile that suddenly reminded him of Annie.

For a brief moment a deep, rich pain ripped through his very soul. Thankfully at that moment Katie instructed them all to close their eyes. He squeezed his eyelids closed and tried to will away the memories that attempted to assault him.

He’d spent the last three years of his life trying not to remember, because remembering had the power to cast him to his knees in the very depths of hell. He drew several long, deep breaths and managed to snap himself out of the past.

“We come together to say goodbye to Cat,” Katie began.

“We decided that Cat was a good name since we didn’t know his real name,” Sammy added. “Mr. Anderson, was Cat a boy or a girl?”

“A boy,” Troy replied.

“We all pray for boy Cat to go straight to heaven where the trees are made of catnip and cats are happy all the time,” Katie said. “We can open our eyes now.”

He opened to see Katie bending down and placing the little flower bouquet on the ground. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. I don’t know what that means but they always say it at funerals,” Katie said. She turned toward her brother and took the makeshift cardboard tombstone from him. “We don’t know why people write RIP on tombstones, but we’ve seen it in movies so we wrote RIP Cat.”

“It stands for rest in peace. You know, that sign is going to get all wet when it rains and it won’t take much time for the writing to fade. Why don’t I buy a nice birdbath to put here?” Troy said. “Cats like birds.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful,” Katie exclaimed, and jumped up and down with excitement.

“Troy, you don’t have to do that,” Eliza protested.

“It’s all right,” he assured her. “I’ve been wanting a birdbath out here anyway.” And he hoped that placing a birdbath there would halt any further interest in the “dead cat.”

“That’s the end of the funeral,” Sammy said.

“And the beginning of your consequences.” Eliza pointed toward her house. “I want you two to march yourselves right back home and go to your rooms. We’ll discuss your punishment when I get back inside.”

When the children were out of earshot she turned to look at Troy. “I’m so sorry. I promise you they have never done anything like this before.”

“It’s okay. Have they been to a lot of funerals?” he asked.

“Not a one, which makes me question what they’ve been watching on television when I’m not paying attention. Anyway, I apologize once again and I certainly don’t expect you to go out and buy a birdbath.”

“Actually, they just prodded me to do something I’d been thinking about doing for some time.” She looked so pretty with the sunshine playing in the dark strands of her hair and her eyes the gray of a dove’s wing. Did her eyes darken to a smoky gray when she was in the throes of passion?

The totally inappropriate thought shocked him and he mentally shook himself. “If it’s okay with you I thought I’d grab my shovel and plant that peony.” Maybe a little physical activity would stop any more lustful thoughts he entertained about his pretty neighbor.

“That would be wonderful. In the meantime I need to get back inside to hand out punishments,” she replied.

“Don’t be too hard on them.”

She flashed him a brilliant smile that warmed him more than the summer sun overhead. “I’m never too hard on them. I like to think I’m fair.”

“Fair is always good. I’ll be in your front yard in just a few minutes.”

He watched her as she walked back toward her house, unable to help but notice the slight sway of her shapely hips. Damn, but she was one fine-looking woman.

As she disappeared from view he frowned and headed back into his house. In the kitchen, he fixed himself a tall glass of lemonade and then after drinking it headed to the garage for a shovel.

His feelings toward Eliza disturbed him. Throughout nine years of marriage he’d never had lustful thoughts for any woman except his wife. Since Sherry had walked out on him almost three years before, he’d never had any inappropriate thoughts about another woman.

So why now? And why Eliza? He certainly wasn’t looking for any kind of a relationship, especially with a woman who had children. All he’d wanted to do was find out who, in her house, had seen him bury the gun. He had his answer and so that should be the end of things.

But there was a part of him that didn’t want it to be the end of things. He needed to ignore that part...as soon as he planted the bush. He needed to keep his distance from his lovely, single neighbor.

He grabbed his shovel and then headed across the yard to her front porch, where the plant remained where he had left it the day before.

There had been no rain for the past two weeks and the ground was hard as a rock. What he needed was a garden hose, not only to soften the dirt but also to water the bush once it had been placed in the ground.

Looking around, he spied a faucet to connect one, but none was in sight. He knocked lightly on the front door. “Do you have a water hose?” he asked when she answered.

She frowned, a delicate gesture that didn’t detract from her overall loveliness. “No, I don’t.”

“Not a problem, I’ll go grab one of mine. I just wanted to let you know I’m going to turn on the water out here.”

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything,” she replied.

A kiss would be nice, a little voice whispered in his head. Jeez, what in the hell was wrong with him? He didn’t want a kiss from Eliza. All he wanted from her was a good, friendly neighbor kind of relationship and for her kids to forget about the “dead cat” in his backyard.