DEACON PULLED UP to Loretta’s house in his work truck and unloaded his gear.

Otis was the first to greet him, bounding toward him until Deacon gave him a stern look and a firm sit command.

Otis sat immediately. Deacon smiled. Hazel had obviously been working with him over the past couple of days, because without constant reinforcement, those commands would be lost in a young dog.

Hazel came running around from the side of the house and grinned when she saw him. “Oh, hi, Deacon. Did he sit for you?”

“He did. You’ve been practicing with him.”

“I have.”

“I haven’t seen you at the bookstore the past couple of days.”

“I was at my Grandma and Grandpa Simmons’s house. They like to see me.”

His lips curved. “I’ll bet they do. Did you bring Otis with you?”

She nodded. “I showed them how Otis can do sit and stay. They said he’s really smart.”

“He is. Let me tell your mom that I’m here. I’m gonna do some work around your house first, then I’ll work on Otis’s training with you some more.”

She slid her small hand in his and led him toward the house. “Let’s go.”

He hadn’t been around many kids in his life, but he had to admit there was something about Hazel that captured him. Maybe it was her outgoing nature, her natural exuberance, or the way she laughed. Or maybe it was because there was so much of Loretta in her. But the kid just got to him.

She pushed the front door open. “Mama, Deacon’s here.”

Loretta was nowhere to be found. “Maybe I should wait outside.”

“Nah. I’ll go get her.” Hazel disappeared, leaving him standing in the foyer with Otis, who licked his hand.

Deacon ran his hand over the dog’s head and rubbed his ears. Otis sat—on his right foot. Deacon looked down at him.

“Off.”

No reaction, so Deacon nudged his foot and Otis moved.

“Good boy.” He petted him again.

“Sorry,” Loretta said as she came down the hall. “I was folding laundry.”

“No need to be sorry about that. If it’s not too inconvenient I can go ahead and get started on the plumbing.”

“Since I’m the one who’s inconveniencing you, you can work on whatever you’d like. Hazel and I will stay out of your way.”

Hazel looked over at Loretta. “But I wanna help him, Mama.”

“No, you’d just be in his way.”

“Actually,” Deacon said, “I could use your help, Hazel.”

Her eyes brightened. “Really?”

“Yeah. Come on over.”

He laid out his tools and let Hazel help him unload the items from under the kitchen sink. Loretta brought over some boxes, and she loaded things in there.

After he turned on the water, Deacon took out his flashlight and crawled under the sink to look things over.

Hazel crawled in there with him.

“Whatcha lookin’ for?”

“Rust.” He pointed to a dark orange spot. “See this spot here?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s rust.”

Hazel wrinkled her nose. “And that’s bad, right?”

“Yes, that’s bad. And there’s a lot of it.”

“So what happens when there’s rust?”

“It can corrode—or eat—through the pipes, and cause water leaks.”

“Oh. That can be really bad.”

“You got it.”

“So whatcha gonna do about it, Deacon?”

“We’re going to replace all these old pipes with newer, stronger ones. Ones that won’t leak.”

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

Hazel was a surprisingly adept pupil. She learned to identify wrenches and PVC pipe, and she was good at handing him tools. She didn’t get bored easily, or get offended when he needed her to move out of his way, either. All in all, a perfect assistant.

While they worked, they also drilled Otis on his sit and stay commands. And when they took a break, Deacon taught Otis the down command, which he took to right away. Good thing the dog liked treats. So Otis lay on the kitchen floor while Deacon and Hazel worked. It took a couple of hours to replace the kitchen pipes, and he had brought a new faucet, so he installed that, too.

“This is amazing,” Loretta said, smiling as Deacon wiped his hands after he’d washed them.

“I helped, Mama.”

“You did?” Loretta looked at Hazel, then at Deacon, who nodded.

“She’s a good apprentice. I might hire her.”

Loretta laughed. “Well, she’s a little young to work in construction, but I’m not at all surprised. She loves doing anything dirty or greasy.”

“It was very greasy,” Hazel said with a wide grin.

Loretta leaned down to rub a spot of grease on Hazel’s cheek. “You need a shower before dinner.”

“Okay.”

Hazel disappeared down the hall. Otis stayed in the kitchen where he’d been told to until Deacon took mercy on him and called the dog outside with him while he packed up his truck.

Loretta followed him. “Thank you again for doing this.”

“Not a problem. This weekend I can start working on the barn.”

“And you’ll send me an invoice, right?”

He closed the truck door and turned to face her. “Yeah.”

“I’m making grilled chicken and salad for dinner. Would you like to stay?”

“Loretta, you don’t have to feed me every time I come over.”

“But you’re here during dinner. How could I not invite you? You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“No. But that doesn’t mean—”

“Good. Then you’ll stay for dinner, right?”

He didn’t know what to say to that, and he wasn’t sure whether she was inviting him because she wanted him here or because she felt some sense of obligation. Still, he was hungry.

“Sure.”

“Great.”

They stood and stared at each other, and it was almost like Loretta wanted to say something to him, so he waited.

“Uh, I cleaned out the chicken coop.”

“Did you?” He didn’t think the chicken coop was what had been on her mind.

“Yes. Would you like to see it?”

“Sure.”

He followed her down the gravel path toward the back of the house, where the coop was located.

She’d done a good job. All the weeds and old hay had been removed. She’d thoroughly washed out the house where the hens would be located, and it looked brand-new. He walked inside and looked around, checking the wires and fence to make sure there were no holes. It was solid.

“Ready for some chickens now,” he said as he closed the gate.

She smiled. “Yes, it is, as Hazel has mentioned no less than fifteen times today alone.”

“I’m sure she’s anxious.”

“I actually am, too. I’m looking forward to fresh eggs, so we’ll probably pick up some chickens in a couple of weeks.”

“Why not right away?”

“Hazel’s going to see her father. I’ll wait until she comes back. She’ll want to be here to help me pick them up.”

“Oh. Yeah, she would. Well, let me know when you get them. I’ll come over for breakfast.”

She looked surprised, then smiled. “Really?”

For a fraction of a second, he enjoyed seeing that look of utter joy on her face. “I was kidding, Loretta.”

“Oh. Sure. Of course you were.” She headed back to the house. He followed, and he could have sworn he saw disappointment on her face.

Man, he didn’t know how to act around her. It was like they were two strangers, which was odd as hell, because he’d known Loretta better than he’d ever known anyone. They’d told each other everything, had trusted each other with all their dreams and all their disappointments.

At least that’s what he’d thought until that day . . .

“Hey, where did you two go?” Hazel asked, brushing her damp hair away from her face.

“I showed Deacon the chicken coop.”

“Ohhh, that’s right. Did you know we’re gonna get some chickens, Deacon?”

“I heard all about that. Are you excited about a rooster waking you up at dawn every morning?”

Hazel nodded. “The more animals you get, the more chores you gotta do.”

Nothing fazed this kid. He admired her more every time he saw her.

“Hazel, come wash the lettuce,” Loretta said.

“Okay, Mama.”

“Anything I can do?” Deacon asked.

“You know how to slice some fat chicken breasts for grilling?”

“I’m pretty sure I can handle it.” He washed his hands, then followed Loretta’s instructions. If there was one thing he’d learned from his mom, it was that when you were in someone else’s kitchen, you did it their way.

“Where’s the grill?” he asked.

“Out back.”

He grilled the chicken while Loretta and Hazel fixed the salad. He had to admit grilled chicken was one of his favorite meals, so he had no complaints about staying, other than feeling a little odd that she’d asked him to—again. He wished he could get over this uncertain feeling where Loretta was concerned, but that’s where they were. He could have left things alone, but he was the one who’d offered to train the dog and work on her place, so he’d have to get used to being around her.

When the chicken was done he brought it inside.

“I’m so hungry,” Hazel said.

“Me, too.”

“Good thing I bought plenty of chicken, then,” Loretta said. “And Hazel and I made a monstrous salad. Mainly because she’s finally old enough to chop things, so she likes using the knife.”

“And I’m good at it, plus I’m very careful because Mama said if I’m not I can’t use it anymore. I sliced the tomatoes and the cucumbers.”

Deacon peered into the salad bowl. “They look magnificent.”

Hazel beamed a smile. “Thanks.”

“Let’s eat,” Loretta said. “Otis, out.”

Deacon was impressed that Otis listened to Loretta’s command. The dog made his way into the living room, circled a few times, then lay down.

Deacon looked over at Loretta. “Been practicing that one?”

“Repeatedly.”

“Seems to be working.”

“Only sometimes. I think he only did it tonight because he wanted to impress you.”

Deacon laughed. “I don’t think he’s trying to impress me. I think he’s trying to impress you.”

“Uh-huh. We’ll see. He could stop eating my shoes. That would impress me.”

Hazel filled her plate with salad, then looked over at Deacon. “He chewed the heel off of one of Mama’s bestest fancy shoes. The Loo-boo-tuns.”

Deacon had no idea what those were, but from the grimace on Loretta’s face, he wasn’t about to ask. Instead, he concentrated on the food in front of him, which looked fantastic. In addition to the chicken and the salad, they also had green beans and a fruit salad. All together it looked like a feast.

“Sorry I didn’t make any potatoes,” Loretta said.

“I actually prefer more fruits and vegetables with my protein.”

“That’s what Mama says, too,” Hazel said. “Though I do like French fries. And tater tots.”

“Well, who doesn’t? But they’re better for you in small doses.”

“Now you sound just like Mama. Anyways, I like broccoli. And salad. And I really like fruit.”

“Me, too.” Deacon spooned some fruit salad into his bowl. “What’s your favorite fruit?”

“Watermelon. What’s yours?”

“Blueberries. So don’t eat them all.”

Hazel giggled.

Deacon looked over at Loretta, who was smiling at him. His stomach tightened, and he focused instead on his food.

“This is really good, Loretta.”

“Thank you. The chicken is great. Thanks for grilling it.”

“You’re welcome.”

After dinner, he helped her clean up, then hung out with Hazel and Otis until Hazel yawned and stretched out on the sofa. He watched TV with her for a few seconds, then stood.

“I need to go. I’ll see you soon, Hazel.”

She yawned again. “Okay. See ya, Deacon.”

Deacon went into the kitchen. Loretta was at the table working on some papers.

“I’m heading out.”

She stood. “Okay. I’ll walk you out.”

As they made their way outside, Deacon noticed that Hazel was already asleep on the sofa and Otis was lying on the floor at her feet.

“That was fast,” he said. “I just said good night to her.”

Loretta nodded. “She plays hard all day, and she crashes fast.”

He opened his truck door. “Thanks for dinner—again.”

“Thanks for fixing my kitchen plumbing. The new faucet is great. I really appreciate it.”

“Like I mentioned earlier, I’ll come out this weekend to fix Hazel’s window and work on the barn if that’s okay.”

“Hey, it’s not my timetable, it’s yours, so whatever works for you.”

“Okay, I’ll text you and we’ll work something out.”

“Sounds good.”

He lingered, though he didn’t know why.

“Deacon?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think at some point we should talk?”

He frowned. “About?”

“You know . . . the past. What happened between us.”

And things between them had been going so well. “I don’t think dredging that up is a good idea, Loretta.”

He had his truck door between them. She stepped around it so she was standing right in front of him. “I disagree. You’re working next door to me, and now you’re fixing things around here and helping Hazel with her dog. It might be time for us to have a talk about what happened. What I did and why I did it.”

He really did not want to talk about this. “I know why you did it. Because you fell in love with someone else.”

She looked down at the ground, then raised her gaze to his. “That’s not exactly what happened.”

He frowned. “What exactly did happen, then?”

She looked toward the open front door. “How about we talk about it this weekend when you’re here? I don’t want to get into it with Hazel just inside.”

Oh, great. Now she’d opened up the past and then shut it down just as fast. “Sure. Whatever you want.”

She laid her hand on his arm. “I don’t want to hurt you by dredging it up. I just think it would be good for both of us to clear the air.”

“You mean good for you. You feel the need to get some guilt off your chest by explaining things that can’t be explained.”

He saw the hurt in her eyes, and he wasn’t going to take responsibility for that, because he hadn’t put it there.

“I deserved that. Maybe that’s why we need to talk it out. Because I know I hurt you. And maybe I can’t explain it in a way that you’ll find forgivable. But I’d like to try.”

Well, shit. “Okay. We’ll talk.”

Her hand still lingered on his forearm. She gave it a squeeze. “Thank you. So I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Sure. See you, Loretta.”

He climbed into his truck and wished like hell she’d go into the house. Instead, she stood outside, the wind blowing strands of her hair across her face. He wanted to sit there and stare at her, because she was still so goddamn beautiful she made him forget to breathe.

Instead, he backed his truck down the driveway and got the hell out of there. He needed to get home, grab a beer, and find some goddamn sanity.

At home he went straight for the fridge, grabbed a beer, and set it down on the coffee table in front of the TV. He pulled off his work boots and popped open the can, taking several long swallows.

He grabbed the remote and found a baseball game, trying to let the sound drown out his thoughts.

He made it a half inning before Loretta invaded his head.

He’d been doing just fine since she got back in town. He’d been cool and calm and had kept her at an emotional distance. Sure, her kid was cute. He could get emotionally attached to Hazel and her dog, because Hazel wasn’t part of his past.

Hazel had never hurt him. And the dog was pretty damn adorable. He could compartmentalize Hazel and the dog as if they weren’t related to Loretta. Detaching himself emotionally from Loretta had been fairly easy.

Until tonight. Until she’d brought up wanting to talk about the past. He knew damn well if they actually started talking to each other—really talking to each other—he’d have to emotionally engage with her.

He wasn’t sure he could do that.

Because there was a part of him that was still in love with Loretta, and always had been. And he was afraid if she started talking to him, he might listen. And if he listened, he might just find a way to forgive her.

And that would be really damn dangerous to his heart.