Nothing was better than when everything in life fell into place. Jonathan leaned against the railing of the bridge that spanned the long-rusted and out of use railroad tracks that split north and south Haskell, smiling at the excited crowd that had gathered. Howie stood farther up the bridge, whispering to Quintus about the final details of the mixer competition they were about to announce. Kathy and Cameron McVee stood nearby. Kathy was beaming and nodding at everything Howie said. Three other people—Vanessa from the HR department of Paradise Space Flight and a guy and a woman from town, Frank Murphy and Kelly Greene, who Jonathan had only just been introduced to—lingered on the bridge as well. The four of them would be the team leaders for Howie’s competition construction crews.

The folks gathering to join in the competition, or just to see what wacky scheme Howie had come up with, clumped into groups, chattering in the October sun. Some wore light jackets and others had settled for flannel shirts. At least half of them had grabbed coffee and a donut or bagel from the caterers set up near the old stationhouse. Jonathan laughed to himself at the long tables laden with breakfast treats. Howie’s events were never without food. It was like the man felt responsible for feeding and sheltering everyone within a twenty-mile radius.

Which probably explained why Jonathan liked the man so much, madcap ideas and all. He liked a man who took it on himself to bring joy to the world. At heart, Jonathan wanted to be just like Howie. After everything he’d seen and done overseas, Howie’s approach to life and people was the perfect way to restore the balance, even out the odds, fight the evil in the world with good. Because some days, it felt like the evil was winning.

Jonathan pushed away from the railing and ran his hand through his hair to chase the negative thoughts away. He should really move around and interact with people. He spent way too much time in his own head. But there were times when his head was the only place he felt comfortable.

A flash of strawberry blonde at the edge of the gathering crowd caught his attention, banishing the weight of his maelstrom of thoughts. Calliope. She walked toward the old station platform half a step behind Melody and Will. The long, blue-green coat she wore gave him the impression that she was some kind of exotic gypsy princess. The image sent his blood pumping and his imagination popping. Of course, ever since their date on Monday, his imagination had been working overtime where Calliope was concerned. He’d enjoyed some particularly long, enjoyable showers in the last week.

Calliope spotted him watching her, broke into a smile, and rocketed Jonathan’s imagination to a whole new level of excitement. She picked up her steps, heading for him, and he stepped down from the bridge to meet her at the edge of the platform. All he could think was that he was an idiot to end their date with a quick walk home and a peck on the cheek instead of inviting her back to his place.

“Hi,” she said, bright as a daisy, slipping comfortably into a hug.

“You look great,” he said, letting their hug go on longer than it should have with half of Haskell all around them. He liked the feel of her in his arms. And if he didn’t back away soon, everyone in town would see just how much he liked it with one look below his belt.

“You look pretty good yourself.” Calliope grinned, her eyes quickly roving him from head to toe. “It’s a shame I haven’t seen more of you this week.”

For half a second, Jonathan had the impression that she was scolding him. He dismissed the idea out of hand. It’d only been five days. Five work days. And they’d had a long phone chat on Thursday that had gone down some pretty steamy roads. Things were fine.

“So you’re really on board with this?” he asked, noticing that she wore jeans and boots under her coat instead of her usual slinky dresses and heels.

“You talked me into it.” She shoulder-bumped him, and Jonathan wanted to sweep her into his arms again and kiss her senseless.

“Good to know that I can talk you into things,” he said, lowering his voice and adding an eyebrow wiggle that he hoped was sexy and not dopey.

Her cheeks pinked and her green eyes flashed. “You’ll have to give it a try so we can see.”

If only there had been time.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Howie announced from the apex of the bridge, his voice as booming as ever. “Welcome to the fall mixer competition.”

The expectant crowd applauded. Jonathan clapped along with them, giving Calliope one last smile before focusing on Howie. He loved how everyone in Haskell humored the heck out of their town father. Like he really was everyone’s dad, occasional embarrassments and all.

“I bet you’re all dying to know what I’ve got planned for you this time around,” Howie went on. “I know the rumors about community service and building projects have been running rampant.”

“They aren’t rumors,” someone shouted from the crowd. “You told us yourself we were going to be doing renovations.”

“Yeah, I’ve got old Bessie right here,” a local rancher added, holding what looked like an antique hammer in the air.

The crowd laughed. Calliope edged closer to Jonathan, and if he wasn’t mistaken, was on the verge of grasping his hand. Jonathan couldn’t remember when he’d been happier.

“I know, I know.” Howie laughed along with the crowd. “We all know I’m terrible at keeping a secret.”

Everyone agreed with him. Even Jonathan found himself saying, “Yeah, you sure are,” along with everyone else.

“I finally figured out a way to make this interesting,” Howie continued. “Well, Jonathan was the one who hit the nail on the head, so to speak.”

The crowd was split between laughing, groaning over the pun, and making comments toward Jonathan. Jonathan gave a modest wave, smiling at Calliope. She returned the smile with…with a hint of disappointment, actually. That dented his joy. Was something wrong?

“Now, what we’ll be doing,” Howie went on, not giving Jonathan time to discover what was making Calliope less than thrilled, “is working in teams to renovate four living spaces in Haskell. The old Meyer house, the apartment in back of the Silver Dollar Saloon, one of the houses in The Village, and Randy Gable’s barn. That last one will be more of a conversion than a renovation, but I think it’s still fair game.”

The crowd hummed and murmured in excitement. Jonathan checked on Calliope. “You okay?” he whispered.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“We won’t be renovating these buildings just for the heck of it,” Howie continued. “Because you know how much I love a competition—” The crowd laughed and called in agreement. “—each of these spaces will be renovated with a purpose. And that purpose is right here.”

Howie gestured for Kathy and Cameron to step forward. Kathy all but bounced to the front of the bridge in her pink jacket. She waved to everyone, then took Cameron’s hand, beaming at him. Calliope let out a sharp breath by Jonathan’s side. Suddenly, the pieces fit into place. That old rivalry she’d told him about. It must be irritating to drag all that up again.

He inched close enough to rest his hand on the small of Calliope’s back in a show of comfort. That seemed to do the trick. Calliope’s shoulders relaxed, and she leaned closer to him. Problem identified, problem solved.

“Our own Kathy Standish, now Kathy McVee, has recently married and moved back into town with her charming husband Cameron,” Howie said.

Cameron raised a hand to the crowd. “Hey.”

“They’re looking for a place to live, folks, and we’re going to help them out,” Howie continued.

“Oh, I can’t wait! This is so exciting. You’re going to love what Howie has in store. I know I love it. It’s so much fun!” Kathy burst.

Jonathan chuckled.

“Ugh, don’t encourage her,” Calliope said.

“Why not?” Jonathan shrugged.

Calliope didn’t have a chance to answer before Howie went on with, “Each space will be renovated by one of our teams—which we’ll choose in a second. At the end of a six-week work period, Kathy and Cameron here will choose which space they want to move into. The winning design and construction team will be given their own, private party…” He paused, letting the anticipation build. “…at the O’Donnell ski resort in the Laramie mountains this winter. Sly O’Donnell owes me a favor,” he added in an undertone.

The crowd erupted into cheers. “Wow,” Jonathan said. He hadn’t known about the prize part of the competition. “That sounds amazing.”

“It does,” Calliope agreed, mischief in her eyes.

Jonathan didn’t ski, and he didn’t know if Calliope did either, but he had a feeling they were both picturing all the other things they could do together in a ski lodge in the dead of winter.

“So, without further ado….” Howie clapped his hands, then rubbed them together. “Let me introduce our four team captains—two from town and two from Paradise Space Flight—who will each be picking the teams and serving as foremen—and forewomen—for the competition.”

“That’s me,” Jonathan whispered. He gave Calliope’s hand a squeeze, then headed back to the bridge to be introduced.

In a perfect world, Calliope would have kissed the living daylights out of Jonathan the second she met him at the platform. He had that look in his eyes. The chemistry was all there. And so was the rest of Haskell.

“You all know Kelly Greene, owner of Haskell’s new coffee bar, The Bucking Bean.” Howie began introducing the team leaders.

Jonathan glanced over his shoulder, sending a smile Calliope’s way, before taking his place beside Kelly. Calliope hadn’t met Kelly yet, but she instantly disliked the pretty, buxom blonde.

No, that wasn’t fair. Kelly Greene might be the nicest woman on the face of the earth. She didn’t even bat an eyelash at Jonathan. What had Calliope itchier than a nudist rolling in poison ivy was the fact that it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and she didn’t wasn’t spread out on a picnic blanket somewhere remote and crowd-less with Jonathan.

“And anyone who has participated in our other mixer competitions should be familiar with Jonathan Cross.” Howie continued the introductions. Calliope’s heart did a little flip in her chest as Jonathan smiled and waved to everyone watching. “If I were to give out an award for participation at PSF, it’d go to Jonathan.”

“Thanks, Howie.” Jonathan nodded, as modest as he was gorgeous.

That’s what Calliope liked about him. Jonathan had “Nice Guy” written all over him. He was exactly what she’d been looking for her whole life. Which, oddly enough, made her twenty kinds of impatient. Couldn’t they skip straight to the point where they were lying in bed together on a Sunday morning, picking out frosting for their wedding cake?

She barely listened as Howie introduced the HR woman from PSF and Frank Meyers, older brother of the same Greg Meyers that Kathy had poached all those years ago, and went on to describe how the team leaders had been given lists of everyone who had signed up to participate, had deliberated, and were ready to choose teams. She wanted to fast-forward to the part of the day where they left everyone else behind and got to know each other better. The thing was, she didn’t really like feeling rushed and jumpy. It totally messed with the just-starting-a-relationship vibe that she’d been hoping to enjoy for a while.

“I pick Rita Templesmith.”

Calliope snapped herself out of her thoughts as Kelly made the first pick. She hadn’t realized Rita was back from her interview trip. A good friend would have noticed.

“Jonathan?” Howie asked, moving the process along.

Calliope forgot her moment of guilt as Jonathan turned and looked right at her. “I choose Calliope Clutterbuck, of course.”

He’d told her he was going to pick her first during their phone conversation the other night. He’d said he wanted her opinion on the Haskellians who were participating so that they could assemble the best team. But that didn’t stop her heart from jumping for joy or her insides from bouncing around as she moved to stand beside him.

As soon as she was at his side and Howie had moved on to the PSF HR woman’s pick, Jonathan leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Okay, so who did you say we wanted to pick next?”

She inched closer to him, using the excuse of secrecy to put her hand on his back and stand close enough to feel the heat of his body. Which he didn’t seem to mind one bit. Maybe things were heading exactly where they needed to after all.

“We want Linus Pettigrew,” she told him. “He’s organized, smart, and has a good eye for design.”

Jonathan arched a brow at her. “I don’t have competition, do I?”

The teasing twinkle in his eyes was enough to leave her feeling particularly gooey in her center. “No one could compete with you, babe.”

He grinned, giving her that look like he wanted to block out the world and kiss her. And yet, there they were, the center of attention in Haskell’s big event of the season.

The team selection continued. Jonathan managed to add Linus to their team on the next round and a couple of PSF employees that Calliope didn’t really know after that. Unlike middle school playground games, there wasn’t a sense that the people who were picked last weren’t as worthy as the ones who were picked first. As the teams took shape, Calliope noticed that a lot of the people on each team already knew each other or were already friends. She wondered if Jonathan and the others had sorted things out before they showed up that day.

“Now that we have our teams, let’s pick which property each one will renovate.” Howie moved on once the participants had shuffled into four groups of about eight people, standing in clumps on the platform while everyone who had come only to watch the fun looked on. “Ladies first,” Howie said, old school and then some, walking a small velvet sack over to where the PSF HR woman stood.

She picked a slip of paper that had “The Meyer House” written on it. Kelly then picked Randy Gable’s barn. Frank ended up with the Village house.

“Which means our final team will be renovating the apartment at The Silver Dollar,” Howie said as he drew the final slip of paper from the sack and handed it to Jonathan.

“Perfect,” Calliope said. “I can see the saloon from our house. So maybe we could get together and work in the evenings on days when everyone else can’t get there.” Although she had other things besides knocking down walls and installing new floor in mind for those long, lonely nights.

“I live just on the other side of Main Street too,” Linus said. “I wouldn’t mind putting in a few extra hours.”

It took an effort of will for Calliope to remind herself that Linus didn’t know what was going on between her and Jonathan and was just trying to be nice.

Jonathan looked deeply amused by the whole thing. “Sure,” he said. “It would be great to have extra help.”

Calliope’s smile went tight. “Right. It sure would be.”

“I can come in the evenings too,” Beth, one of the PSF employees that Jonathan had picked added. “I’m free Wednesdays and Fridays.”

“And I can do extra work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” Bruce, another PSF employee jumped into the game.

“Great,” Jonathan said, then sent Calliope a sideways wink.

If he thought it was funny that the rest of the team was encroaching on their important, getting-to-know-you time, then she would have to sit him down and set him straight. Soon.

Then again, if she were being honest, Jonathan should probably sit her down and give her a lesson in generosity and working with a team.

But dammit, things were just beginning to heat up between them.

“We’ll let the teams spend the rest of the day today touring their properties and discussing initial strategy,” Howie said, wrapping things up. “The McVees will go from group to group today and tomorrow, putting in their two-cent’s worth about things they want to see in their prospective living space.” He clapped his hands together. “So that’s what you need to know. The final reveal and big announcement about which house the McVees have chosen will be held on December first in the town hall. And that’s that.”

The crowd began to disperse, and the groups wandered off in their own directions. The Meyer house was only two streets over from Main Street, but the groups who would be working at the Village and Gable’s ranch had to drive to their sites. Jonathan’s group had all of fifty yards to travel, and made their way up Main Street right away.

Calliope was hoping to get three seconds alone with Jonathan. They really needed to make plans for supper that night, or the next, or sometime soon. One phone conversation after a date that could have been awesome but had fallen flat definitely wasn’t enough.

But as she reached out to take Jonathan’s hand, opening her mouth open to ask how he felt about joining her family for supper—and having dessert in her bedroom—she was cut short by Kathy’s excited squeal.

“I’m so excited that you’re doing this!” Kathy swept up behind Calliope, hooking her arm in a way that dragged her apart from Jonathan. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

Calliope’s guard went up so fast and so hard it would have rung the bell on a test-of-strength game at the state fair. “Yeah, we sure are,” she said instead.

She glanced to Jonathan. He met her eyes with a grin. At least someone thought this was amusing. And really, how could she resist that smile? Even with Pinky McVee hugging her arm ’til her circulation cut off.

“I want a chandelier in the dining room,” Kathy rushed on, using her free hand to gesture wildly. “And hardwood floors. I bet the saloon’s apartment has the original floors. The family has always been careful to maintain the structural integrity of the historic building. But I’m so into new things right now. Like stainless steel appliances in the kitchen and track lighting in the living room. Oh, and I want an en suite bathroom in the master bedroom,” she zipped on without missing a beat. “And a mosaic backsplash behind the sink in the kitchen.”

Calliope rolled her eyes, glancing Jonathan’s way.

“Sure,” Jonathan said, laughter in his voice. “Whatever makes you happy.”

“Yeah,” Calliope agreed, working hard to keep a positive attitude. If Jonathan could do it, so could she. Especially if it made him happy.