The Christmas Stranger Read online

  Give him time.

  After putting the cookie jar away, she headed back upstairs, following the low drone of male voices. She found the men in the study, where Jon was readying the floor sander.

  Matt was moving furniture to the hall, out of their way, and gave Holly only a quick glance when she entered the room. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll leave the wallpaper stripping for another day. Jon could use my help sanding and staining this floor.”

  Holly shrugged. “Sure. Whatever. It all has to be done sometime.”

  She left the men to work, but disappointment pricked her as she returned to the master bathroom. She’d enjoyed the camaraderie she’d had this morning as she’d worked with Matt. His company had made stripping wallpaper a less tedious task.

  By late afternoon, Holly had given up on scraping her bathroom walls, and Jon and Matt had finished sanding the study floor. Holly propped her shoulder on the door frame, watching the men clean up their supplies.

  “Well, Holly, I’m calling it a day. Kim and I made plans for tonight, and I better get home and get cleaned up.” Jon wiped his hands on an old rag, then tossed it aside. “Matt, I appreciate the help. I guess I’ll see you next weekend, and we’ll tackle the first coat of stain.”

  Matt unplugged the sander and began coiling the electric cord. “Actually, I can handle the staining this week. I’ll apply a coat Monday night when I come over and add the second coat a couple days later once the first one’s dried.”

  Holly didn’t miss the irritation that flickered across Jon’s face. She’d always assumed her renovations were more of an inconvenience, a family obligation to Jon. But his reaction to Matt’s help made her think he was a bit more territorial about the project.

  Matt shucked off his work gloves. “Holly’s got a piece of stained glass she wants mounted over her front door. That’s gonna be a two-person job. Maybe we can do that next weekend?”

  Jon’s jaw tightened, and he arched an eyebrow before shooting Holly a curious look. “What stained glass? You never mentioned stained glass to me before.”

  “It’s a window I salvaged from an old church in town.”

  Jon’s expression grew suspicious. “A church? You don’t mean the church, where…”

  He left his sentence hanging, but Holly knew where his thoughts had gone. “Yes.”

  Jon stared at her, saying nothing, clearly battling his emotions, shock, disapproval and revived grief straining his composure. She knew he still felt the loss of his brother deeply, even if he tried not to show the extent of his grief.

  When Jon picked up his toolbox and brushed past her, she caught his arm, stopping him. “You know, I really appreciate all you’re doing for me.”

  He shrugged and kept walking. Holly followed him to his truck, undaunted by his sullenness. “I didn’t hire Matt because I doubted you. He needed a job, and I was eager to be through with this mess. It was a win-win situation. If his presence bothers you—”

  “Holly, it’s your house, your decision who works on it.” Jon stowed his tools and slammed the storage box on the back of his truck closed. “My only concern is for your safety. I don’t like the idea of you being alone out here with him. How well did you check this guy out before you hired him?”

  “I had Robert run a background check on him. He has no record, and he’s been nothing but a gentleman with me. I trust him.”

  Jon furrowed his brow and glanced back at the house. “I just can’t shake the feeling that I know him. And not necessarily in a good way. I’ve got a bad feeling about him, Holly. It’s nothing I can put my finger on, but my gut is telling me that he’s trouble.”

  Chapter 5

  Holly lifted her chin. “My gut disagrees. I like Matt. I trust him.”

  Jon frowned his disapproval but gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before yanking open the door of his truck. “I hope you’re right. Be careful, Holly. Call if you need anything.”

  She stepped back as he cranked his engine and drove off. Waving away the plume of exhaust and dust kicked up by his tires, she headed back up the steps to her front porch, then noticed the stray mother cat dart into the barn. The cat had settled into her new home in the barn quickly and was filling out thanks to her new diet of Cat Chow. She was still leery of her hostess, but Holly was making progress earning the cat’s trust.

  Holly crept quietly into the cool, dim barn and found the mother cat feeding her kittens. “Hey, pretty girl, how are those babies doing?”

  The cat gave her a wary look, then returned her attention to her kittens.

  “There you are,” Matt said, joining her in the barn a few moments later. “So how are our furry friends doing?”

  “See for yourself.” Holly waved a hand toward the nest of kittens. “Their eyes are fully open now, and they’re getting mobile.” She glanced over her shoulder to Matt and smiled. “I think I’m going to name the mother Magic. She’s so sneaky and quick. She can be here one second, and she’s gone the next.”

  “Magic, huh? I like that.” He hitched his head toward the truck parked out front. “Speaking of going, I’m ready to leave whenever you are.”

  Holly pulled her keys from her pocket and dangled them on the tip of her finger. “Ready.”

  Matt settled his hand at the base of her back as they headed out to the truck, and his proprietary gesture sent a fuzzy warmth up her spine. He opened the driver-side door for her and gave her hand up as she climbed inside.

  I’ve got a bad feeling about him.

  Holly shivered, then dismissed Jon’s concerns as overprotectiveness. Matt’s old-fashioned chivalry, a welcome and increasingly rare trait in the men she knew, only bolstered her confidence that she had nothing to fear from Matt.

  The peak autumn colors had passed by late October, but she savored the last glimpses of red and gold in the leaves as she pointed her truck toward town. All too soon, the foliage would be gone, and the mountainous landscape would be blanketed in ice and snow.

  Fatigue settled deep in Holly’s bones after a long day of battling stuck-on wallpaper, and with a tired sigh, she leaned her head back against the seat.

  Matt cast a side glance at her. “I could find another way to get back to town in the future. You shouldn’t be stuck with driving me after a long day of work.”

  She shrugged and flashed him a grin. “I don’t mind. It’s worth it to me to get the remodeling work done.”

  The narrow, winding road that crossed the ridge of mountains between her farmhouse and town was as scenic as it was treacherous. What passed for a shoulder was nothing more than a small strip of gravel before the mountain dropped off steeply on one side of the road and rose in a sheer rock cliff on the other side. Tight blind curves meant she couldn’t see oncoming traffic until the last second. But the Smoky Mountains held a magical beauty every season that she loved. The steep forested hills, clear mountain streams and vivid foliage were such a dramatic contrast to the flat bayou country around her Louisiana hometown.

  When Holly pulled in at the low-rent complex where Matt was living, she studied the dilapidated building and the weeds sprouting from cracks in the parking lot. He’d confessed earlier in the week that the “apartment” he rented here didn’t have a private bathroom, and the community bath had no hot water and a broken shower fixture. She’d been appalled at what his landlord got away with and had given him blanket permission to use the guest bathroom shower whenever he wanted.

  He’d accepted gratefully, but she’d seen the chink it had put in his pride to have to ask. Matt deserved better, and her heart ached, wishing she could do more.

  Matt rubbed the back of his neck and twisted his lips in a frown. “I know it’s not much, but the rent is low, and I have a roof over my head when the temperature drops at night.”

  She angled toward him on the seat, embarrassed that something on her face may have given him the impression she was passing judgment. “You don’t have to defend anything to me.”

  He shrug
ged. “Maybe I’m still defending it to myself. This place is a far cry from the house I had in Charlotte.”

  “Maybe dissatisfaction with your living conditions is the motivation you need to keep you on track to changing your life.”

  He tugged a lopsided grin. “I had that motivation long before I moved in this dump. Seeing Palmer and Miles again, having the means to win back custody of my family is all the motivation I need. I just let a bad case of guilt and self-pity mire me for the past couple years.”

  “Are you at least able to talk to your kids, to call them?”

  “I call whenever I get access to a long-distance connection, but my in-laws intercept my calls.”

  Holly frowned. “Can they do that? Don’t you have rights as their father?”

  Black shadows filled Matt’s face. “Jill’s parents gained sole custody. I’m at their mercy.”

  She gaped at him. “How could the court allow that? And what grandparents could be cruel enough to deny their grandchildren access to their only living parent?”

  He slanted her a rueful smile. “I appreciate your indignation on my behalf. I haven’t had anyone in my corner regarding my kids in a long time.”

  Sitting straighter in the driver’s seat, Holly lifted her chin. “You can use my phone to call your kids any time you want.”

  Matt’s gaze softened. “Thank you, Holly.”

  She laid a hand on his arm and narrowed a determined gaze on him. “In fact, I think you should start now petitioning your in-laws for a chance to see your kids at Thanksgiving.”

  He scoffed. “Fat chance of that happening.”

  “You never know until you try.”

  He shifted a pained gaze to the crumbled parking lot. “I’ve been trying for almost a year to convince them to let me see my kids. The only contact they want from me is the monthly child support payments I send.”

  She tipped her head, startled. “Child support? How are you able to send child support?”

  He waved a hand toward the run-down apartments. “It’s been harder the past couple months since I lost the construction job. But I manage to scrape up a little cash each month, partly by living in this dump rather than anything nicer. I go without so that my kids don’t have to.”

  Aghast, Holly furrowed her brow. “While I admire your dedication to providing for your children, don’t you think you’re taking it to an extreme? Martyring yourself and virtually living on the street can’t be what your children would want for you. Have you ever thought that the money you’re sending your in-laws might be better spent rebuilding your life, providing yourself the means to reclaim the life you lost?”

  Matt’s jaw grew rigid and his eyes darkened. “My comfort means nothing compared to my kids’. I’d rather starve than think for a minute that my children didn’t have every advantage possible.”

  “Don’t your in-laws have the means to care for them?”

  “That’s not the point. How can I justify using money on myself that—”

  “—could help assuage some of your guilt over not being there for them?”

  He shot her a sharp glance, and her heart kicked. She’d crossed the line. What right did she have to question Matt’s choices?

  Her cheeks heated. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Matt dragged a hand over his face, frustration and regret lining the corners of his eyes and mouth. “But you’re right. Maybe if you’d been around to kick me in the pants a year ago, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time before getting my head on straight. But with everything that happened after Jill died, I—” He shook his head and sighed. “Well, there’s a lot of history between me and my in-laws. A lot of pain, a lot of misunderstanding.”

  “Are you saying they’re depriving you of your children out of spite?” Disbelief and outrage tightened her voice.

  Matt’s only answer was a poignant half smile, before he popped open the passenger-side door and slid out of the truck. “Thanks for the ride. What time do you want to get started tomorrow?”

  Holly flopped back against the driver’s seat, her mind spinning and the injustice of Matt’s situation roiling inside her. She took a deep breath to clear her head. “I—I’m supposed to go to church and then lunch with Ryan’s sister and her husband. They live here in town, so…I should be able to pick you up by about two o’clock.”

  Matt jerked a nod. “Works for me.” He held her gaze for a long time, a myriad of emotions swirling in the depths of his dark eyes. “Holly, I—You don’t—” He exhaled harshly and shook his head. Finally he pressed his lips in a tight line and stepped back. “Be careful driving home.”

  Disappointment plucked at her that he hadn’t been able to tell her what so clearly weighed on his heart. She hoped that in the coming days he’d trust her more, open up to her about the events that had sent his life spiraling down the tragic path it had taken.

  Holly watched as Matt ambled across the parking lot. His loose-limbed stride and the confident set of his shoulders gave no indication of the deep pain he harbored. As she pulled back onto the road and headed home, she racked her brain for some further means to help him. The first step was to break through Matt’s defenses, to earn his trust.

  “Matt, I need your opinion.” Holly crossed the study floor and squatted beside him.

  “Okay.” He abandoned the strip of quarter round he’d been replacing and sat back on his heels. “I think college football should institute a play-off system.”

  Holly chuckled. “Well, I agree, but that doesn’t answer my question.” She held up three small samples of wallpaper. “Which one of these do you like best for the master bathroom?”

  Matt shoved to his feet and took the samples from her. “Do you want me to be honest?”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “It is the best policy.”

  Shifting his weight, he suppressed the niggling guilt that he hadn’t yet told her about his history with her husband and focused on the scraps of paper. “Then my answer is none of these. I think you should paint.” He handed the samples back to her.

  She scoffed. “Paint? Paint is boring.”

  “But it’s also easy. The truth is I’ve never hung wallpaper before, and it kind of intimidates me.”

  She flicked a hand, waving off his concern. “It’s really not as scary as it sounds. You’ll be fine.”

  He shrugged. “You’re the boss.”

  “And you haven’t answered my question.” She thrust the three samples toward him again. “Which one?” Before he could answer, Holly’s doorbell pealed. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”

  When Holly answered the door, Jana’s husband, Robert, waited on her front porch. She appraised his police uniform and flashed a teasing grin. “I didn’t do it, officer. I was framed.”

  He leveled his shoulders and gave her a mock scowl. “That’s not what the evidence says, ma’am.”

  Grinning, she stood back to let him in. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  His shrug fell short of casual. “Just checking in to see how you are, how the renovations are going.”

  Holly folded her arms over her chest and narrowed a dubious look on him. “Curious. You’ve never been interested in my renovations before.”

  “So maybe I was in the neighborhood.”

  “More likely, you talked to Jon, and you’re here to check out my handyman.”

  Robert feigned surprise. “You hired a handyman?”

  “Don’t pretend you didn’t know.” She angled her head and arched an eyebrow. “So what did Jon say?”

  “Only that he was concerned with the situation and wanted me to look into it.”

  Holly scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Does the term overprotective mean anything to you?”

  Robert hitched up his gun belt and gave her a smug grin. “Protect and serve, that’s my job.”

  The thud of a hammer reverberated from the second floor, and Robert cut his gaze to the stairs. “He’s here?”

  Holly sighed. �
�Yes, and I’ll introduce you if you promise not to act like you’re here to interrogate him. Be friendly and pretend that you’re interested in the renovations. I know that’s a stretch for you, but…”

  Before she could finish, Robert was halfway up the stairs. She followed and showed him to the study, where she made introductions.

  Matt eyed Robert’s uniform warily but offered a smile and his hand. The men shook hands, and Holly pointed out the wallpaper samples.

  “You’re just in time to help me pick out a pattern for the master bathroom.”

  Robert shook his head. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re not gonna suck me into this. If it were up to me, I’d have just slapped some paint on the walls months ago and been done with it.”

  Holly twisted her mouth in frustration. “You’re no help.”

  “I just call them as I see them.”

  When Robert locked a predatory look on Matt, Holly rallied. She wasn’t about to let Robert grill Matt like some common criminal. She took her brother-in-law by the arm and dragged him toward the door. “I’m sorry you can’t stay longer. Next time bring Jana, and we’ll have lunch, okay?”

  At the top of the stairs, Robert pulled his arm from her grip. “Subtle.”

  “You got what you came for. You met Matt,” she whispered.

  Robert glanced back toward the study before descending the stairs. “What do you know about this guy? Where did you find him?”

  “I know that he needed work and that he has construction experience. That’s all most people know when they hire a handyman. Am I right?”

  “Maybe so, but—” Robert’s gaze narrowed on the stained-glass window which had been propped against the wall in the foyer since they’d unloaded it three days earlier. “What’s this?”

  “Isn’t it pretty? I salvaged it from that old church they tore down in town.”

  Robert shot her a disgruntled frown. “That church was condemned for a reason, Holly. Going inside was dangerous and foolish.”