Chapter 1

Seven o’clock in the morning was entirely too early to see a man’s naked chest.

I hadn’t even had my first cup of coffee. The coffee maker was on, and it would be ready soon. I looked out the window at the three men in my driveway. They were here to repair the cracks and repave it.

The man who had taken off his shirt had dirty blonde hair, and his back was tanned. When he turned to face the other men, I got a full view of his chest and stomach.

“Damn!”

His chest was firm and muscular, and his sculpted abdomen tapered into faded jeans. I’d rarely seen a chest like that on a man. I imagined the men in my workout club looked like that under their shirts. My ex-husband was fit, but he never looked like that.

The coffee was ready, and I poured a cup. No cream or sugar for me, I liked my coffee black. I blew on the coffee and looked out the window again.

A second worker tugged off his shirt and tossed it into the open window of the truck. This guy had styled brown hair that was longer on top and shaved on the sides. He also had an appealing amount of brown facial scruff.

“Oh, yes,” I said, grinning.

I could watch this all day. I took a sip of my coffee. Upstairs, the shower turned on. It was summer, and school was out. David had a summer job in the office where his dad worked. His younger brother Mark had a job painting houses and had already left half an hour ago.

Today was a work-from-home day, something I rarely did since I needed access to my stacks of paper and file folders. But workers were painting inside our building, a law office built in the early 1900s. They were also installing new carpeting in the halls and some of the offices.

David was walking around upstairs, thumping his closet door and his drawers. He made a lot of noise, just like his father, but my David was a good kid. He was kind and empathetic and would do anything for family and friends.

So unlike his father.

The summer day was already humid, and later the temperature was predicted to reach eighty-five. I looked down at my silky, knee-length robe that covered my short cotton nightgown. Putting my coffee cup down, I adjusted my robe, covering my chest more and tightening the belt.

I should have showered by now, but I liked the idea of having a lazy, quiet morning once my boys left for work. I hoped the men didn’t need to talk to me. I’d made arrangements with them over the phone. They came over a few days ago to look at the size and pitch of the driveway and left an estimate in my mailbox since I was at work.

David came thumping down the stairs in his dress shoes, pants, and white shirt.

“You look nice, honey,” I said.

He opened the fridge and grunted. “We’re outta milk.”

“We have eggs, bacon, and orange juice. You should eat something.”

“I’ll just grab something in the cafeteria.”

He closed the fridge and crossed the kitchen. God, he even moved like his father. He had Michael’s same lopsided grin and mannerisms. He took out a travel mug and stopped in front of the kitchen window.

“Mom, why the hell are there three guys in our driveway with no shirts on?”

I choked a little on my coffee and took a small sidestep to look out the window. The third man had taken his shirt off. He had dark hair that looked almost black, and his hard body and bulging muscles rivaled the other men.

“Well, it’s hot out today,” I said, heat rising in my cheeks.

“Yeah, but it’s only seven a.m.”

“I’m aware of that. I need to shower and get started with work.”

David filled his travel mug with coffee and pressed on the lid.

“Don’t get distracted by the studs in the driveway, mom.” He rolled his eyes and picked up his keys.

“Oh, please,” I said. “Have a good day!”

“Bye!”

When he walked out to the driveway, David said hello to the men and talked to them for a minute. Then David waved and walked out to the street to where his car was parked. I finished my coffee and headed upstairs to shower.

After my shower, I wrapped a towel around me and opened a drawer. I was so used to dressing up for work, it seemed strange to pick out a simple pair of shorts and a tank top. While I got dressed, the heavy, oily smell of hot asphalt reached me.

“Yuck.”

Downstairs, the smell was worse. After closing the windows, I turned on the air conditioning to cool off the house and help with the smell.

Sitting down at the dining room table, I opened my laptop and started reading emails. I made a few phone calls, and when I looked up, it was nearly ten. Pushing my chair back, I got up and went to the windows to see what the guys were doing.

They were standing under the shade of a tree in the front yard. One of them wiped off his forehead with a bandana, and another drank out of an insulated water bottle.

Taking out a large pitcher, I stirred up some lemonade, then grabbed disposable cups and walked to the door. I paused, feeling self-conscious, but I wanted to say hello—and get an up-close look at all the hard, male flesh on display.

As soon as I opened the door, the oppressive heat blasted my face. Walking over to them, they turned to face me.

“Hey. You must be Mrs. Westbrook,” the guy with the dirty blonde hair said.

“Please, call me Courtney. I made lemonade.”

“Thanks!”

I handed him the pitcher and the cups, and he and poured the lemonade.

“I’m Justin,” he said. “This is Sam.”

Sam, his brown hair damp with sweat, looked at me briefly and nodded.

“And I’m Victor,” the man with the dark hair said. “Pleased to meet you.”

He shifted his drink to his left hand and offered his right hand. I took his hand and shook it. My hand looked so small in his. Victor was big, taller than Justin and Sam. He also had a trace of an accent.

The three of them drank their lemonade, and their eyes drifted over my body. Awareness made my skin tingle. I took pride in my appearance, and I liked it when men noticed me.

“Looks great so far,” I said, looking at the driveway.

“Thank you,” Victor said. “We’ll finish the walkway soon and get out of your hair. The smell will be intense the rest of the day.”

“Oh, I don’t mind. I’m working at home today, but I have the air conditioner on.”

“What do you do for work?” he asked.

“I’m an attorney.”

“Hmm. Smart and beautiful.” He raised his cup. “Very nice.”

Heat rushed through my body that had nothing to do with the humidity. Victor gave me a little wink, and I grinned.

“Well, I should go back to work.” I pushed my long hair back over my shoulders. “Nice to meet you.”

I turned and walked back to the house, feeling their gaze on my ass. All of them were much too young, but it was fun to flirt.

The cool air inside the house was a relief. Vermont was beautiful in the summer. We didn’t get many oppressively humid days like this, so I was thankful for the air conditioning.

I went back to work, stopping after a while to grab some fruit in the fridge. Outside, the men’s voices grew louder, and their deep, husky laughs made me smile.

A loud knock at the kitchen door made me jump. I put down my papers and got up. The guys were standing at the door wearing shirts. I tried to tamp down my disappointment that their chests were covered and opened the door.

“All done,” Victor said, handing me a bill. “Here you go.”

“Come in and cool off for a minute. I’ll write you a check.”

They filled my kitchen with rugged manliness. Grabbing my checkbook, I leaned over the counter to fill out a check. I got the sense they were checking me out, but I didn’t mind.

“Thanks again for the lemonade.” Justin placed my pitcher on the counter.

“You’re welcome.”

Sam smiled at me, then looked down at his boots.

Young guys like this would never go for a forty-something woman. But it was fun to get checked out by some good-looking men. I’d had a couple of disastrous dates lately, but I hadn’t been intimate with a man in seven months… or was it eight? Life was too busy with a full-time job and two teenage boys. I didn’t have time for self-centered and immature men. I had enough of that with Michael.

“You have a very nice house,” Victor said.

“Thank you,” I said, tearing off a check and handing it to him. “Thank you so much.”

“Here’s our card,” he said. “We appreciate recommendations.”

I reached for the card, and our fingers touched. I looked up at Victor’s eyes. They were dark brown, almost black in the sunlight streaming into my kitchen. It had been a long time since I saw a man looking at me like that—as if he wanted to devour me.

Heat bloomed in my chest, and I had to look away to escape his intense gaze. Victor shot Justin a look loaded with meaning, and Justin gave him a little nod.

“Have a nice day, Courtney,” Victor said.

Before I could say anything, they turned to leave. I followed them outside to get a better look at the driveway. The heat and humidity were unbearable.

“It looks great,” I said. “You did an excellent job.”

“Thank you, Courtney,” Victor said.

I liked the way Victor said my name—there was something about his deep voice and accent I liked. Sam gave me a little wave, then turned and headed to the street where their truck was parked with Victor following him.

“We’ll set up some stakes and a string across the end of the driveway, so no one drives in,” Justin said. “You’ll need to stay off it for a few days. There are instructions printed on the back of the bill about when you can use it again.”

I listened and nodded as he spoke, but I was distracted by his bright blue eyes, and the way those eyes were scanning my body—or was I imagining it?

“Yes, okay,” I said, flustered. Damn, I hardly ever got flustered by men, but these good-looking guys had me tongue-tied.

Justin stuck his thumb through his belt loop. “So, you have one boy. Any other kids? A husband?”

Hello.

“Two boys. One left earlier for his job, and an ex-husband who doesn’t live here anymore.”

He nodded, and his lips quirked a bit.

“Well, good to meet you, Courtney.”

“Nice to meet you, too.”

He stuck out his hand, so I put my hand in his. His big hand was warm and rough, and he gave me a little squeeze. Victor and Sam were already in the big paving truck and started the engine. Justin got into a white pickup truck with the company’s logo and pulled away after them.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and soon the boys were home. Mark went upstairs to shower. When David came home, his hair was askew, and his shirtsleeves were rolled up.

“Hi honey, what’s for dinner?” he asked, chuckling.

“Ugh, don’t say that! You sound just like—”

“Dad. I know.”

I walked over to him and reached up to pat his cheek. “You sound like him, and you look like him, but you’ll never be like him. Remember that.”

“Yeah, I know.” He gave me a half-smile, then moved away. “Gonna go change and call Melissa.”

David’s girlfriend Melissa was smart, driven, and fun to talk to. David’s dark eyes softened when he looked at her, and he held her hand and pulled out chairs for her. I was determined my boys would have good manners and treat women with respect.

I looked around for my paper planner to make notes for tomorrow, but I couldn’t find it. A few minutes later, I braved the heat again and went out to my car in the street. I unlocked the door and found my planner. As I locked the door, something on the windshield caught my eye.

A postcard advertising Justin’s paving company was tucked under one of my wiper blades. I reached for it. One side had the paving company’s phone number and address, along with a picture of the paving truck. I flipped it over and saw writing scribbled on the back.

Courtney, give me a call. – Justin

He had added his phone number. Grinning, I pictured his dirty blond hair and nice blue eyes. He looked so young, but he was interested in me. I let out a laugh, tucked the postcard into my planner, and went inside to fix dinner for my boys.