nodded. “I left it out on the desk.”
He stood up, motioning for the door. “Let’s get it and go into the other room where the sofa is. I need to shift positions, and you can use a break, too.”
Cooper’s face showed surprise when he saw the neat piles of paper on the table she’d cleaned off. “Wow, you’ve made a big dent.”
“It looks like about three month’s worth. I think I’ve figured out your last assistant’s filing system. I’m going to organize the bills and then go through your check register and mark the ones that have been paid and put the check number, date, and amount on them before filing them. That will leave only current invoices.”
Cooper settled himself on one end of the sofa in what had been the master bedroom. There wasn’t a chair, so he gestured for her to take the opposite side. “By the way, you’re right about it being three months. Bev, my office manager, lost her husband a few years ago. They had one child, a daughter, who lives in Portland. Bev and her husband lived in Blackhawk as long as I can remember and all their friends are here, so after he died, she made the decision to stay here rather than move closer to her daughter. Three months ago things changed. Her daughter is pregnant with their third child and having a difficult time of it. With two preschool grandchildren, Bev felt she needed to go down and help. We both thought it would be a temporary thing, but a few days ago she called and said she’s planning on moving down there.”
He waved his hand around. “I didn’t want to hire someone if she would be coming back, but now…well, with the business as crazy as it is, I know I need someone.” He grinned over at her. His voice held a hint of humor and something else, like hope. “So, want the job?”
Galynn tensed and reflectively looked toward the door. Fear mingled with regret. If only. It was a rhetorical question, or at least she treated it that way by not answering. Instead, she picked up her cup and headed for the door.
With a sigh, Cooper followed her. “You know, with you being here, the day has been the direct opposite from yesterday. We’ve gotten more accomplished together than I have alone in the past week. Now if only I could find that bill from Fisher Lumber, I’d be a happy man.”
“I think I have most if not all their invoices sorted out. Which month do you need?”
“Uh, maybe I should look at all of them. I can’t find a record of paying for that last shipment they delivered.”
They finished the day around six o’clock. As they stepped out the door, Cooper took her arm. It had snowed most of the day, and over a foot of new snow covered the ground. When they reached the truck, Cooper helped her around to the passenger side. When she saw he intended to take the truck, she stopped. “Do you always drive the short way down to the house? I’d think it would be easier to walk.”
“Yes, uh no. I mean, I usually do walk unless I have things in the truck like groceries, but it may be a little hard going for you.”
“Well, we don’t have anything tonight. Everything we bought I’m wearing.” She paused, and again their gazes locked. Her voice lowered when she continued. “I’d rather walk down with you.”
The intensity of their attraction eased, and her voice held laughter as she added, “I know you’re just afraid all the fresh air will give me a huge appetite.”
“You’re on, lady. And if it gives you that kind of appetite, I may walk you up and down this hill ten times a day.”
Laughing, they set out through the trees. The driveway looked like a picture postcard. The road dipped, and when it crested, the lake came into view, completing the picture. Galynn sucked in her breath and stopped. All around, the trees were dressed in white. No track marred the road before them. It felt like they’d been transported to a pure, innocent place. A voice, even a whisper, would have felt like sacrilege. Cooper stood
Jasmine Haynes, Jennifer Skully