CHAPTER 3

	Sandy awoke with a persistent throbbing in her ankle and a ringing in her ears. 
She lifted her arm up to shield her eyes from the morning sun that was filtering through
her window, and groaned.  Slowly she slid her ankle along the mattress and the
tenderness made her wince,  just as the ringing in her ears began again. She groaned
again and tossed her head on the pillow slightly, then suddenly her eyes shot wide open. 
The ringing wasn’t in her head at all.  It was her doorbell!
	By the time she managed to get herself out of bed, struggle into some clothes,
and limp down the hall to the top of the stairs, Ty had just set his foot on the bottom
step.	
	“How’s that ankle?” He asked, looking up at her.
	“Slow going,” she said, a fact that was accentuated by her expression as she put
her weight on the offending leg.  He was up the stairs and at her side to help her, before
she took her next step, despite her assurance that although it hurt she could walk on it
by herself. 
	“I feel a little guilty,” he said, his brow furrowed, once they reached  the bottom of
the stairs.  He lifted his hand and flicked the light switch beside him, and the light above
them glowed brightly as they both stood there and looked up at it.  “You have a breaker
switch that isn’t right beside the fuse box.  I didn’t notice it last night. Once I tripped it,
everything was fine, although I’d suggest getting an electrician in to see why it went in
the first place.”
	Sandy looked dismayed, probably at the mention of the electrician, he thought. 
Then she sighed, and nodded wordlessly. Instead of commenting on the power
situation, she turned a curious glance towards him.
	“Did I hear a doorbell?” she asked. 
	Ty beamed at her with an almost childish grin. “Sure did!  I fixed it, good as
new!”	
	She raised her eyebrows and looked at her watch. It was barely nine o’clock, but
his blankets and pillow were folded and stacked neatly on the end of her couch, her
electricity was back on, and her doorbell was as good as new.
	“How did you manage that?”
	“It was nothing really.  Just a short in the wiring,” he said, shrugging as if he
hadn’t done anything special, but she simply looked up at him as if she was certain he’d
performed a miracle. 
	“Oh,”  she said simply, and looked towards the door, a little bewildered.  “Alright
then. I guess that’s one thing off the list.  Help me over to the couch, I need to get off this
leg, and then we can discuss the -- umm -- terms of your employment.”
	Once seated on the couch, her leg propped up on what must have been his
duffel bag, she sat with her hands folded on her lap and looked at him.  His black jeans
had been traded for faded blue ones, and the black T-shirt for a white one, over which
he wore a plaid cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled way up.  He looked much less the
biker today, and much more the handyman, and Sandy sighed.
	“Were you serious last night when you said you’d work for room and board?” Her
expression was both hopeful and doubtful, but when he nodded and spoke a single,
definitive Yup, she straightened her shoulders. “There’s a lot to do,” she said, and he
nodded again.
	“A lot to do,” he agreed.
	She grumbled under her breath, rolled her eyes  and glared at him.  He’d been in
the house barely twelve hours, much of which he had spent in the dark, and much of
that where he must have been sleeping,  and already he knew the extent of her home’s 
disrepair, she thought. “You have any experience?”
	“I have,” he said, and when she raised her brow and waited for clarification, he
smiled. “I’ve done my share of construction work.”
	Her eyes unconsciously dropped to his upper arms and lingered there, before
she turned away with a slight blush. “I see,” she said.  “Would you mind having a look
around the place then,  and making me a list of things that need to be done so we can
decide what the priorities are.”
	She lifted her eyes this time in a purposeful stare, obviously trying to maintain an
air of control.  He straightened and nodded.  “I take it that means I’m hired then?” he
said with a slight grin.
	She scowled at him for forcing her to actually say it. “Yes, you’re hired, McKinley.
Now get to work.”

	Ty spent the rest of the morning going over Sandy’s house with a fine toothed
comb.  With the age of the house taken into consideration, it was in remarkably good
shape, structurally.  The foundation was sound, and although she probably needed her
weeping tiles done to fix the leaking basement, he figured she could get away with
sealing the cement walls for the time being.  The walls were sturdy, as were most of the
floors.  The front porch needed major work on both the floor boards and the railings, and
the screen door was missing all together, although he had discovered it stashed away in
a shed behind the house.  Although the basement stairs would be safer if they were
replaced, they weren’t about to break underfoot just yet, but the roof -- well, the roof was
a different story.  It was in great need of work.  Some of the plumbing also needed
attention, and the electrical, for the most part, was out of his league. 
	“Did you have anyone look at this place before you bought it?” he asked her
when at last he returned to the living room with a scratch pad in his hand and a pen
tucked behind his ear.
	“No,” she said. “I just went through it with the real estate agent. I figured it
needed decorating, and I knew the porch was bad, but I didn’t think it would be too much
more than that.”
	He frowned at her. “When you’re buying an old place like this it’s always best to
have a professional look it over and give you a clear idea of what kind of money you’re
going to have to put into it before you even consider making an offer on it.  Sometimes, if
you get an estimate of repair costs from a contractor, that price can be worked into the
mortgage, giving you the money you need to pay for all the necessary work. ”
	“Now you tell me,” she grumbled. She had been so excited when she had
purchased the house, her first place of her own, and at a price she could afford.  A
symbol of her new life with the past firmly put behind her.  The fact that the place needed
a bit of work hadn’t scared her away, but rather drew her to it. It would keep her busy,
after all.  She hadn’t been in the house more than a week, however, when she had
begun to wonder if she had made the wisest move of her life.  She had already replaced
several broken panes of glass throughout the building, and after the first windy night
listening to the screen door banging eerily in the wind, she had removed it.  She’d
replaced a few light fixtures as well, and been quite proud of herself for accomplishing
the task.  It was when plumbing started going bad that she had first had second
thoughts. First the kitchen faucet, then the toilet, and she’d also noticed some of the
pipes dripping in the basement and a tell-tale dampness in the cupboard below the
kitchen sink. Replacing mechanical fixtures she could handle, but running lengths of
brand new piping was beyond her.  Still, the task hadn’t seemed quite so unattainable. 
Last night with the roof leaking all over the place, however,  had been a big eye-opener. 
She had seen the damp spots on the ceilings, which had prompted her to select as her
bedroom one of the two rooms that did not have any markings, but she had silently
hoped that they were old, from some previous and already fixed leak,  and only in need
cosmetic repairs.  Now she knew better.
	She lifted her eyes to his and frowned. “How bad is it?”
	“Well —” he looked at her with a long and thoughtful gaze, then flipped through
the pages of his notepad one more time.  “It’s not going to fall down any time soon or
anything like that.”
	“Thank goodness for that!” she exclaimed.
	“There are several things that need to be done that aren’t, in themselves, big
jobs, but-- well --the roof is a major concern.”
	She nodded and sighed. “I figured that. It must be pretty bad for it to have been
leaking right through the ceilings, I suppose?”
	He wrinkled up his nose.  “Pretty bad.  Just shingles won’t do it, although it will
need to be completely re-shingled. I went up in the attic. There are several places
where the roofing boards are rotting and will need to be replaced.  I don’t think you will
need a completely new roof, though.  The worst of it all seems to be on the one side of
the house, the other side looks pretty good.”
	Sandy felt suddenly sick to her stomach, and rested her head back against the
back of the couch with a groan. “Oh God! I can’t afford a complete new roof!”
	Ty cleared his throat. “Umm-- yeah.  That brings me to the next question.” He
eyed her closely as he spoke.  “Just how much can you afford, Sandy?”
	She sighed. “I still have some savings set aside, but I wasn’t counting on having
to put out any major expenses beyond the initial purchase. I was hoping to do a
succession of little repairs spread out over time, not a major rebuilding.”
	As Ty stood there looking at her it infuriated him that he was completely
powerless to help her.  Sure, he could do the repairs, but without supplies he could do
nothing.  His own resources had dwindled dangerously low to the point where he had
been forced to give up the motel room he had rented when he had first rolled into
Silverside and lay his future in the hands of a woman he didn’t even know.  In fact, he’d
saved himself just enough money to get back home if he needed to, but if he did that, it
would mean admitting defeat. 
	“Let me take some measurements and do some calculations and see what I
come up with.  You could always work on the smaller jobs first and just hope it doesn’t
rain again for a while,”  he said,  trying to make light of the situation to make her feel
better
	She groaned and lifted her head just in time to see the sparkle in his eyes.
“Right,” she said flatly. “Cross all our fingers -- and our toes too for good measure.”
Unable to stand sitting still any longer, Sandy struggled to her feet and was just about to
put her weight on her sore leg when Ty was at her side to steady her. 
	“Are you sure you should be getting up?”
	“I can’t sit around all day, McKinley.  I actually have a job that I will have to be at
in the morning, and I’ll have to be able to get around for that.  I’m not making any
progress sitting here.   Now, if you will just help me into the kitchen, I’m going to get
something ready to eat.”  It was obvious to him that she wasn’t about to let him hold her
back, so rather than try, he took her by the arm and steadied her as she limped her way
into the kitchen, where she dismissed him with a wave as she set about digging through
the fridge.   
	
	Ty swore to himself as he scribbled a succession of numbers across his
notepad.  Damn it anyway!  If it wasn’t for Cole, he would have had plenty of money to
help Sandy fix her roof plus restore the rest of the house too.   He shone his flashlight
towards the underside of the roof in the dark attic, and counted water stained boards for
a third time, still grumbling under his breath. He’d come here looking for work, for nothing
more than his own personal gain.  In a span of less than twenty-four hours, he was trying
to figure out how to fix a house for a woman he hardly knew, through whatever
self-sacrifices he might have to make, simply because she needed his help. It didn’t
make any sense to him at all, but with another pen scratch across the numbers on his
pad he knew it was exactly what he was going to do.  
	The sound of Sandy’s car pulling into the driveway outside brought him back to
reality, and he stuck his pen back behind his ear, closed his pad, and retreated down the
ladder out of the attic.  Apparently she usually walked to work when the weather was
good, but since her ankle was still a little tender, she had taken her car. He had spent
the entire day alone with the house, and had had a lot of time to think after she had left
in the morning for her newly acquired job as librarian at the Silverside Library.  He had
no idea what kind of salary a librarian had to live on, but he had a hunch that this house
would milk her pretty dry if she let it.  Still, there were repairs that needed to be done,
without question, even if he wasn’t going to be able to tackle a full restoration for her. 
	“Ty!” her voice met him as he rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, and he
made it down the stairs to the front door in record time.  She was still standing outside on
the porch  with a look of awe on her face.  “Oh Ty, this is beautiful!”
	He grinned at her as he opened the door and stepped outside to stand beside
her. “You like it?”
	She turned wide eyes toward him. “Like it? I love it!” She reached out to run her
fingers along the beautifully stained wood of the screen door that was now refastened
where it belonged.  The colonial style of the wooden door had always impressed her, but
it had been in bad repair and loose on its hinges before she had removed it. It now hung
on sturdy old fashioned spring hinges, and as she found out when she tested it, was
held tightly closed by a new latch so that it wouldn’t bang in the night ever again.  The
screening had also been replaced brand new, along with a few pieces of the wood
frame. 
	“Is this really my old door?” she asked, and when he nodded and assured her
that it was, she ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. “I can’t believe it.
You’re absolutely amazing, McKinley!”  
	As if embarrassed by her praise, he coughed, and turned her attention away
from the door. “There were a couple of weak boards on the floor here too that I replaced. 
The rest of the porch will take a little more time, but it will be worth it.”
	She sighed, and looked around her. “You don’t waste any time, do you?” she
pointed put, and he grinned.
	“Just trying to earn my pay,” he joked.
	“Oh yeah, about your pay.” They had stepped inside, and Sandy turned to face
him as he latched the door.
	“You’re not firing me, are you?” he said with a worried look on his face, and she
chuckled slightly.
	“No!” she assured him. “It’s just that -- well -- you can’t very well sleep on the
couch forever, can you?”
	He raised a brow. “Well, it’s quite a comfortable couch, but now that you mention
it, I suppose not.  Are you proposing I move into the bed with you  upstairs?” he asked
with a wink.
	“Absolutely not!” she exclaimed, blushing profusely, and he couldn’t help but
prolong her embarrassment. 
	“Well, after all, it is the only bed in the house, so where else am I to suppose you
meant for me to sleep?” He let his eyes run the full length of her, from her blonde hair
that was tied back in a pony-tail; down her slender neck and shapely body, clad in a slim
fitting flowered dress; and  over her long legs to where his hands had rested on her
ankle just two days before.  “And I must say, I certainly wouldn’t be inclined to refuse the
invitation.”
	“Ty McKinley,  if you keep that up you will find yourself sleeping on the street!”
she warned him, and he grinned at her and raised his hands in a defensive motion.
	“OK, I’ll be good. So, seriously,  what were you thinking about?”
	She took a deep breath. “I was thinking about picking up a cot for you to sleep on
in one of the empty bedrooms upstairs,” she said pointedly, but as he nodded she
started to smile and continued.  “However, there is a community bulletin board at the
library, and there was a posting on it for a bedroom set for sale. “ She pulled a slip of
paper out of her purse and looked at it.  “Single bed with box spring and mattress, bed
side table, and dresser, reasonably priced.  I called. The lady has a truck, which of
course neither you nor I have, but she hasn’t got anyone to load it. Shall we go take a
look?”
	Ty stood there speechless for a moment, looking at her.  She was willing to put
out money she wouldn’t normally have had to spend, just to buy a bed for him to sleep
in?  He couldn’t help but wonder if he was really worth her trouble. A couple of days ago
he would have welcomed the chance to take whatever offer was made to him. After all. it
would just have been a means to an end. Instead, a tiny pang of guilt crept up through
his gut, and he took a deep breath to try to shake it off.
	“Well?” she said, a little impatient. “It’s not like it will go to waste or anything. I’d
eventually have to buy more furniture anyway, and after you’re gone, if I ever have
company then they will have a place to sleep.”
	“Right,” he said, smiling and nodding at her.  
	After you’re gone.  Why did those words ring with such a thud in his ears?  He
knew he wasn’t going to be around forever. The house would take some work, but after
that, he would have no further reason to stay. Besides, if he could just make this job last
long enough, he wouldn’t have to worry about where he was going to sleep any more. 
Still, the words knocked on the door of his consciousness over and over again. After
you’re gone.
	“So where is this place?” he asked, shaking himself out of his thoughts.
	“On the other side of town, down the road three blocks past the Sleepy Owl
Motel.”
	He nodded. “I know that place.  Shall we take the bike?”  He had spent his first
few nights in Silverside at the Sleepy Owl.  It was a small motel, old but clean, built as a
long row of rooms whose doors all opened to the parking lot.  He much preferred his
current accommodations, he thought. 
	She looked at him with wide eyes. “Oh!” she gasped, as she glanced out through
her new screen door at the shiny black motorcycle that had been parked in her driveway
the last two days. It had occurred to her fleetingly, as she had walked past it to her car
that morning, that Karen Smithers would be absolutely seething with envy if she had
seen that bike parked there.  She had taken a closer look at it, for she realized that it
was the same bike they has seen parked outside Witherspoon’s, but this time she had
looked at it with a different viewpoint. This time she had envisioned the man riding it as
she had absentmindedly brushed her fingertips along the glossy black of the bike for a
few seconds before blushing and  moving on. 
	“I -- well, I don’t know.  We can take my car.” 
	He grinned at her.  “Ever been on a motorcycle?”
	She shook her head, then thought perhaps she had moved too fast. “No, I never
have.”
	“Well, here’s your chance.  It’s a perfect day for it, not like the other night when I
arrived here.” He raised one side of his mouth in a smirk, and she chuckled nervously.
	“No, that wasn’t a very good day, was it?”
	“Well, I don’t know.  Some parts of it turned out pretty good.” He eyed her
thoughtfully, as she straightened her shoulders and did her best to ignore any hidden
implications to his statement. 
	“Perhaps so, “ she stated flatly, and walked toward the door.  “We’d better get
going.”
	“Sure you don’t want to take the bike? 
	She shook her head again, but with a more thoughtful expression this time.  “No,
not this time, Ty. Thanks, all the same.”  She gave him a sweet smile, and he couldn’t
bring himself to persist any further, so he simply followed her wordlessly out to her car.
But as she walked past the machine, her eyes were drawn to it.  Motorcycles had never
impressed her before, and she had never had the urge to ride on one in the past, why
then was she suddenly feeling a twinge of regret that she had refused the chance to ride 
this one?  The image of him dressed all in black, one with the bike, was vivid in her mind.
Close behind it, that of herself perched behind him, pressed up against his back, with
her arms wrapped around him to hold on.
	Sandy glanced his way quickly, as if needing to make certain her thoughts 
weren’t an open book, then straightened her shoulders and headed for her car.  Careful,
girl, she told herself. He’s just a wanderer riding through your life and just as soon he’ll
ride right out again. You lost your heart to Jonathan once, and vowed never to do it
again. Ty McKinley is hardly the type of man worth breaking that vow over. Soon, he’ll
be gone too, and then where will you be?