Housekeepers Say I Do!: Maid for the Millionaire / Maid for the Single Dad / Maid in Montana

“By giving her a whole new bedroom?”

“Having a bedroom that’s a comfortable retreat is a simple pleasure.” Shaking a second pillow into a pillowcase, she smiled. “Women like simple pleasures. Bubble baths. A fresh cup of coffee. A good book.”

“And a pretty bedroom.”

She nodded. “And before you ask, Amanda’s favorite color is red. I’m not going overboard.”

“I’m glad because another person might consider this whole system a bit bright.”

“This from a man with a black satin bedspread.”

He laughed. “Point taken.”

“How’s the roof going?”

“It’ll be done tomorrow night. That’s the good thing about these houses. Small, uncomplicated roofs.”

“Good.”

With the pillows now on the bed and the fitted sheet in place, Liz grabbed the flat sheet, unfurling it over the bed.

Cain strode over and caught the side opposite her. “Here. Let me help.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He paused then added, “You know I’m really proud of you, right?”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“I think I do. Wednesday night, we sort of skipped from your childhood to my brother’s death and never got back to it.”

“There’s no need.”

“I think there is.” He hesitated. In for a penny, in for a pound. “I’d like to know more.” He shook his head. “No. That’s not right. You said it’s not something you want to talk about.” In three years of living together, he’d bet she’d shown him signs of her troubles, but he’d never seen. He regretted now that he’d never seen her pain. Deeply. Wholeheartedly. If he’d noticed, he could have asked her about it at any time in their marriage. Now he knew she wanted it to be put behind her. If he really wanted a clean slate, he had to accept what she wanted, too.

“What I’m trying to say is that I want you to know that I get it. I understand. And maybe I’m sorry.”

He still wasn’t sure what he intended to do. If he should trust that funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him he should pursue this. Mostly because she was so different now that he had to treat her differently. She had goals and dreams. The first time they’d met he’d pulled her away from everything she had and everything she wanted. He wouldn’t do that to her this time.

And maybe that was the real test of whether or not they belonged together. If he could coexist without taking over, and if she could keep her independence without letting him overpower her, then maybe they did belong together.

He nearly snorted with derision. That was a tall order for a man accustomed to being the boss and a woman so obviously eager to please.

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

“Well, I am. I’m sorry I didn’t put two and two together. I’m sorry I made things worse.”

They didn’t speak while finishing the bed. Liz couldn’t have spoken if she’d tried. There was a lump in her throat so thick she couldn’t have gotten words past it.

When the bed was all set up, he said, “I better get back to the roof.”

Liz nodded, smiling as much as she could, and he left the room. She watched him go then forced her attention on the bed she’d just made. She’d missed another really good opportunity to tell him. But his apology about her situation with her dad had left her reeling. She hadn’t wanted to be overly emotional when she told him about their lost child. She wanted to be strong. So he could be sad. She wanted to keep the focus of the discussion on the loss being a loss…not someone’s fault.

Still, she’d better pick a time…and soon. With two honest discussions under their belts, he’d wonder why she’d kept her most important secret to herself when she’d had opportunities to tell him.

The following weekend and the weekend after, Liz found herself working primarily with Amanda. With the roof done, Amanda and Billy didn’t need to be off premises, and both were eager to get back on the job. Cain and Billy did the “man’s work” as Billy called it, and Amanda and Liz painted and then made lunches. There was never a time when she and Cain were alone.

Their final Sunday of work, with the roof replaced, the rooms painted, the plumbing working at peak efficiency, and shiny new baseboard and crown molding accenting each room, Amanda had wanted to make a big celebration dinner, but Cain had a conference call and Liz had begged off in favor of a cold shower. She kissed Amanda, Joy and Billy’s cheeks as Cain shook hands and gave hugs, then both headed for their vehicles.

“That was amazing,” Cain said when they were far enough from Amanda’s house that she couldn’t hear.

Liz blew out a breath of relief. “Dear God, yes. Finishing is amazing!”

He shook his head. “No. I’m talking about actually doing something for someone.” He sighed, stopping at the door to his truck. “You know that I give hundreds of thousands of dollars away a year, so you know I’m not a slouch. But giving is one thing. Working to help make a real person’s life better is entirely different.”

“No kidding!”

“I don’t think you’re hearing what I’m telling you. I feel terrific.”

She laughed. “You’ve got charity worker’s high.”

He shook his head again. “No. It’s more than that. I feel like I’ve found my new calling.”

Shielding her eyes from the sun, she peeked up at him, finally getting what he was telling her. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“You know A Friend Indeed has other houses.”

“Yes.”

“You can call Ayleen and I’m sure she’ll let you fix any one of them you want.”

He caught her gaze. “Will you help?”

Her heart stopped. Spend another several weeks with him? “I don’t know.” She pulled in a breath. When he looked at her with those serious eyes of his, she couldn’t think of saying no. Especially since he’d been so happy lately. And especially since she still had something to tell him and needed to be around him.

But she didn’t really want to connect their lives, and working together on another project more or less made them a team.

“Okay, while you think about that, answer this. I’m considering hiring Billy to be my assistant on these jobs. I know I’ll have to clear it with Ayleen, but before I talk to her I’d like a little background. Just enough that I don’t push any wrong buttons.”

“As long as you don’t hit his mother, I think you’ll be fine.”

“That bad, huh?”

Liz sighed. “I think the real problem might be getting him to accept a job.”

“Really? Why?”

“He might think it’s charity.”

“I never thought of that.”

“He’s got a lot of pride.”

Cain snorted a laugh. “No kidding. But we made headway working together.” He grinned at her. “I think he likes me.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “He admires you.”

“So I’ll use that. I’ll tell him he’s getting a chance to work with the big dog. Learn the secrets of my success.”

She laughed and an odd warmth enveloped her. Talking with him now was like talking with Ellie. Casual. Easy. Maybe they really had become friends?

“Hey, you never know. It might work.”

She grimaced. “I’m sure it will work.” She finished the walk to her car. She didn’t mind being friends with him, but she also didn’t want to risk the feeling going any further.

As she opened the door, Cain called after her, “So, are you going to help me?”

That was the rub. If she agreed to work with him, they really would become friends. And she’d probably have plenty of time not only to tell him her secret, but also to help him adjust to it. On the flip side, if things didn’t go well, she’d have plenty of time to see him angry, to watch him mourn, if he didn’t handle the news well.

“I’m going to think about it.”

Liz slid into her car and drove away. Cain opened his truck door. He’d expected her to be happier that he wanted to work on more houses. But he supposed in a way he understood why she wasn’t. The very reason he wanted her to work with him—to be together, to spend time together so they could get to know each other and see if they shouldn’t start over again—might be the reason she didn’t want to work with him. Their marriage had been an abysmal failure. She didn’t want to be reminded and she didn’t want to go back.

If he was considering “fixing” their marriage, he’d be as negative as she was. But he didn’t want to fix their marriage. He wanted them to start over again.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely sure how.

Tuesday, Cain spoke with Ayleen and got approval to hire Billy. Actually, he got gushing glowing praise on the job he had done and his generosity in taking Billy under his wing. Then he got the address of the next house he was to repair and the suggestion that he might want to start that Saturday.

So he drove to Amanda’s and offered Billy a job, which Billy happily accepted, especially after Cain mentioned his salary.

High on the success of the first part of his plan, Cain called Liz the minute he returned to his house.

She answered on the first ring. “Happy Maids.”

“You really should have a personal cell phone.”

“Can’t afford it. What do you want, Cain?”

“Is that any way to talk to the man who’s offering you a ride to our job site on Saturday? I’m already stopping for Billy—one more will fit into the truck.”

“You got Billy to take a job?”

“I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

“That’s great! Amanda will be so thrilled.”

“I’m glad to be able to do it.” He paused. “So what do you say? Want a ride?”

“I haven’t even agreed to work with you yet.”

He could have threatened her with calling Ayleen and forced her hand. He could have said, “Please,” and maybe melted her the way she could melt him. Instead he said nothing, letting the decision be her own, following his own directive that this relationship would be totally different. Fresh. New.

“Okay. But I’ll meet you there.” Her answer was cool, businesslike, but he didn’t care. They’d had a crappy marriage. He’d hurt her. But more than that, he’d pulled her away from her dreams. He had to accept that she’d be wary of him. Then he had to prove to her she had no reason to be. They were starting over.

Peggy Morris had chosen not to be home when Cain and company did the work on her house. Liz had said she would get the keys and be there when Cain and Billy arrived. As Cain opened the back door into the kitchen, she turned from the sink. When she saw the picnic basket Billy carried, she grinned.

“Your mom’s a saint.”

Billy frowned. “Why?”

“For making lunch.”

“I made that,” Cain said. “Well, actually, I had Ava call a deli and place an order. I’ve got sandwiches, soda, bottled water, dessert…The cheesecake you like.”

She groaned. “Oh, Cain! I can’t have cheesecake! I’ll be big as a house.”

He laughed. She might have groaned about the cheesecake, but she accepted that he’d brought lunch. It was a good start. “You’ve lost weight since we were married.”

Billy glanced from Cain to Liz. “You two were married?”

Cain said, “Yes.”

Liz said, “A long time ago.”

Billy shook his head. “You don’t look like married people to me.”

Liz walked over and put her hand on Billy’s forearm. “Your parents’ situation wasn’t normal, Billy.”

“Yeah, but even my friends’ parents argue all the time. You two get along.” He looked from Cain to Liz again. “So why’d you get divorced?”

“Long story,” Liz said.

“I was too busy,” Cain countered.

Before Billy could say anything more about them, Liz turned him in the direction of the door again. “You don’t need to know about this. It’s ancient history, and we do need to get started on what we came here to do.” She pointed at the door. “I’m guessing Cain’s got about ten cans of paint in his truck. Let’s go get them.”

The three of them made a good team. Liz jumped into the truck bed and handed paint gallons, brushes, trays and other equipment to Cain and Billy who carted everything into the garage.

When the supplies were on the garage floor, Cain took charge again. “We’re starting at this house because essentially everything is in good repair. When Ayleen brought me over this week to check things out, I noticed a few of the walls and ceilings need to be mended and there’s also some work in the bathroom.” He pointed at a new shower head and some unidentifiable plumbing equipment in another package. “I’ll do all that. You guys can paint. I thought we’d start upstairs and work our way downstairs.”

Liz said, “Okay.”

Billy said, “I already know how to paint. I want to help with the repair work.”

“The thing about construction is that you have to do whatever needs to be done. You don’t get to pick your job.” He handed Billy two gallons of beige paint. “Eventually you’ll demonstrate that you have a strength or two like electrical or plumbing, and you’ll be considered the expert and get to do those jobs whenever they come up. But if there’s no electrical or plumbing, you’ll paint.”

Billy grumbled, but Cain pretended not to notice. Hiding a smile, Liz picked up some paint trays, brushes and rollers and followed Billy to the door into the kitchen.

He waited until Billy was through the door before he called her back. “Liz?”

She turned, her eyes wide and round, as if afraid of what he might say.

He wanted to tell her thanks. He wanted to say she looked pretty that morning. Because she appeared to be afraid of him and his motives, he handed the blue tape to her. “You’re not a good enough painter to forget the blue tape.”

She didn’t have a free hand, so he tossed it onto a paint tray, then turned and picked up the bag of plaster.

Liz spent an enjoyable morning painting with Billy. A few times Cain came into the room and either pulled Billy to show him something about the repair work he was doing on the ceiling or in the bathroom, or to praise them for the good job they were doing. Billy blossomed under Cain’s attention. He even chattered to Liz about the toilet tank “guts” exchange that Cain had explained to him.

“Because it’s normal for commodes to need these kinds of repairs,” Billy repeated Cain’s comments verbatim. “My mom might need me to do that one day.”

Though Liz was tempted to laugh, she held it back. “That’s right. If you learn enough with Cain, you’ll be able to fix things as they break at home.”

“I know,” Billy said seriously, sounding proud and responsible.

Liz ruffled his hair. “Get your paintbrush. We’ve got hours of this ahead of us.”

Lunch was fun and relaxing. Billy had a million questions for Cain and he happily answered them. Having completed the repair work to the walls and ceilings, Cain joined the painting in the afternoon.

At five, Liz suggested they begin cleaning up.

“I could go for another hour or two, how about you, Billy?”

“I’m cool.”

Liz shook her head. “The family has to come home sometime. Because Peggy is new and doesn’t know any of us, Ayleen doesn’t want her to find us here when she returns.”

“Oops.” Cain laughed. “Forgot.”

Leaving the paint and supplies in the garage, Cain and Billy piled into his truck again. Liz walked to her car.

“See you tomorrow?”

She faced the truck. “Yeah.”

Cain grinned at her. “Okay.”

She climbed into her car with the same strange feeling she’d had at Amanda’s about Cain being normal. Wondering if he was working to make her a friend or trying to ease her back into a relationship. But this time it was slightly different. Dealing with him today had been like dealing with a new friend. A new friend. Which was odd.

She knew their discussion about his brother had released him from the burden of guilt that had held him back emotionally. He was happy now. Easygoing. Which was probably why he seemed like a new person to her. She was also grateful that she had helped him. But something new was entering their equation. A question. A problem.

What if she told him about their baby and it threw him into a tailspin again?

She turned and watched his truck as it roared down the road. Billy sat in the passenger’s side, his elbow out the open window. Cain sat in the driver’s side, his elbow out the open window. They could be friends. Older and younger brother.

The truck turned right and disappeared down the street. Liz watched after it. He couldn’t fake what he felt for Billy. The boy was just a tad too inquisitive for an impatient man like Cain to fake patience. He was the happiest she’d ever seen him. And her secret could ruin that.

The next morning Cain arrived at the house with Billy in tow and another picnic basket stuffed with food. Eager for lunch, Billy went straight to work. He’d become so good at painting and had such a steady hand that Cain suggested he paint the line bordering the ceiling and around the windows and trim.

Proud of himself, Billy continued to blossom under the praise.

But Liz found herself watching Cain, watching his patience with Billy, watching his commitment to doing a good job for A Friend Indeed, watching the way he treated her. Not as an ex-wife, not as a woman he was pursuing, but as a coworker.

In a lot of ways that was weird.

“Get the lead out, Harper. If you keep repainting the same wall, we’ll be here again next weekend.”

“Got it. Sorry.”

“If you’re tired, take a break.”

She faced him. “A break? What’s a break? Billy, do you know what a break is?”

“Not hardly.”

She laughed and went back to painting, but Cain sighed. “All right. We’ll all take ten minutes then we have to get back to it.”

Liz didn’t need to be told twice. After using the bathroom, she jogged down the stairs and into the garage, where Cain had stored a cooler with bottled water and soft drinks. She took a can of diet cola, snapped open the lid and drank.

“Sorry about that.”

Lowering the can from her mouth, she turned and saw Cain walking into the garage. “You don’t have to go overboard with being nice.”

“I’m not.”

“Sure you are. I’ll bet you wouldn’t apologize to your workers if you got so wrapped up in a job you forgot to give them a break.”

“Probably not.”

“So why treat me and Billy any differently?”

“Maybe because I’m having trouble finding a happy medium.”

“Billy’s a good kid who needs to be in the real world. And that might include a boss who forgets to give him a break.”

“I’m not having trouble figuring out how to deal with Billy.”

Right. She got it. She was the problem. Their feelings around each other had gone up and down, back and forth and sideways. Plus they had a past. Even as objective as she tried to be, sometimes that past snuck up on her.

“Maybe that’s because we shouldn’t be working together.”

Just when she thought he’d admit he’d made a mistake in asking for her help, he surprised her. “We both like Billy. We both recognize that if somebody doesn’t grab hold of him right now God only knows what he’ll get into.” He caught her gaze. “We can do this, Liz. We can help him. Save him. Don’t you even want to try?”

She swallowed. “Actually, I do.” And for the first time since she’d seen him standing in only a towel in his kitchen, she wanted to tell him she was proud of him. She wanted to say it so much that she suddenly understood what he’d been going through every time he’d seen one of the changes she’d made since their marriage.

The feeling was nearly overwhelming.

“You know I’ll help Billy. I’ll do everything I can.”

He smiled at her, a smile so warm and open, she could only stare at him. The spark was back in his dark brown eyes. His hair fell boyishly to his forehead. But that smile. Oh, that smile. She would have done anything to see that smile three years ago. It seemed to say that he was different. Happy. Easy to be around. If they didn’t have a past, if she didn’t have a secret, Cain would be the man she would actually consider giving her heart to.

But they did have a past. And she did have a secret.

She chugged her soda and headed into the house just as Billy came out.

“Hey! I didn’t even get a drink.”

“Go ahead and get one. I’m ready to get back to work, so I’m going in. You and Cain take all the time you need.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

CAIN JUMPED INTO HIS Porsche and punched the address on the invitation in his hand into his GPS unit. He’d been invited to a party being hosted by one of the women who’d been helped by A Friend Indeed. In a few minutes, he found himself driving down the street of the middle-class, blue-collar neighborhood.

He hadn’t wanted to attend this party. But it had been a real stretch for him to volunteer to help with the Friend Indeed houses and an even bigger stretch to have taken Billy under his wing and those things had worked out amazingly well. So attending an event for the families involved with the charity was simply another level of change for him. Especially since it would involve chitchat. No bankers or businessmen to schmooze. No business talk tonight. Somehow or other he’d have to be…well, normal.

But he’d decided to once again push beyond his own inadequacies to attend tonight because he couldn’t stop thinking about something Liz had told him. When he’d first arrived at Amanda’s, Liz had instructed him to accept anything any client offered because this might be the first time in a long time they’d had something to offer. He’d finally wrapped his head around just how demoralized and demeaned these women had been and then his thoughts had segued to the fact that Liz and her family had been abused.

Liz had been a child in a family just like this one. Alone. Scared. Usually hungry. He couldn’t bear the thought.

But that also meant he couldn’t refuse an invitation to anything connected to Liz. He didn’t want her to feel rejected by him, or that somehow she and her friends weren’t good enough. They were. He was the socially awkward one. So to protect her, here he was, driving in an unfamiliar section of the city, about to attend a gathering with people he didn’t know.

He parked on the street and headed up the sidewalk to Joni Custer’s house. As he climbed the stairs to the front door, he held back a wince of pain. He’d been so busy proving himself to Liz and enjoying doing the work he loved—the work that had nudged him in the direction of success and riches—that he’d forgotten he wasn’t eighteen anymore. Billy was probably stronger. And maybe he should be the one hefting boxes of hardwood, while Cain stuck to measuring and fitting.

He found the bell and within two seconds, the bright red front door opened. Liz stood on the other side. Dressed in shorts and a halter top, she looked amazing. Comfortable. Confident. Relaxed.

Their gazes caught and she smiled sheepishly. His heart did a cartwheel. She was smiling at him now, like a real person, not a person she was forced to socialize with, not a person she had to pretend to like. Her smile was genuine.

“Come on. Everybody’s outside on the patio.” She took a look at his attire and winced. “Somebody should have told you dress was informal.”

Cain immediately reached for his tie. Walking into the foyer, he yanked it off and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. “I can make do.” He removed his jacket and tossed it over a hook on a coat tree in the foyer. Following Liz to a sliding glass door at the back of the house, he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. “See, now I’m dressed appropriately.”

“Well, not exactly appropriately.” She turned and gave him another smile. “But better.”

“How about a little background before I go out there into a sea of people I don’t know.”

“Joni is one of the first women we helped. Every year she hosts a barbecue. Most of the people attending are also A Friend Indeed women, but some are parents and friends of the clients.” She hooked her arm in the crook of his elbow and headed for the door again. “I’ll introduce you around, but then you’re on your own.”

It felt so good to have her at his side that it disappointed him that she wouldn’t stay with him, but he understood. If they had just met, they’d still be in a friend stage, not behaving like a couple. He had to accept that.