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broken pipe.” He pulled the door open, and the unmistakable whoosh of gushing water reached them.
    “ Uh-oh,” Harper echoed.
    “Stay up here. I’m going to go check it out.” He headed down the basement stairs, flicking on the light switch as he went. The dim overhead bulb didn’t illuminate much, but he could clearly see water on the basement floor. He cursed under his breath. Just what the place needed, water damage and a huge plumbing bill. The sound seemed to be coming from the far end of the basement, so he turned to head that way when he reached the bottom of the stairs. He’d taken three steps when a pop sounded over his head and ice cold water sprayed all over him.
     
    Harper gasped at Grant’s shocked yell from below. Now the sound of rushing water was even louder , and he was swearing up a storm. She raced down the stairs. “Are you okay? What happened?” Water from an overhead pipe hit her immediately, almost causing her to lose her balance on the stairs. She gasped at the cold and gripped the now-slippery banister to stop herself from careening into Grant who was making his way up. She almost landed in his arms.
    “Two broken pipes, it looks like. They must have cracked during the deep freeze , and now that they warmed up a little—poosh!”
    “You’re soaked.”
    “No kidding. So are you. Come on, let’s get upstairs. There’s a wrench in a tool box in the supply closet. I’m going to see if I can shut off the main valve. I can’t do it with my bare hands. Then I’ve got to call a plumber.”
    Harper turned on the wet step but lost her footing and slipped. Grant’s caught her ass in both hands to steady her. She raised a brow but said nothing.
    “Easy there. This old wood is slick.” He hoisted her back up, but his hand didn’t leave the small of her back. Together they climbed up the rest of the staircase.
    Back in the kitchen, she eyed him. His cotton button-down shirt was plastered to his body, showing off some well-defined pecs beneath the white T-shirt he wore underneath. His brown hair was dark and spiky, and water dripped off his long lashes. She must have been gaping at him because he looked confused.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    “I’m fine.” She shivered a little—not necessarily from the dousing of icy water, though. “You?”
    He swiped the back of his hand across his brow, revealing a smudge of red on his palm. “Yeah. Just wet and mad.”
    “No, you’re not okay. Look.” Harper grabbed his hand. The cut on his palm looked shallow, but it was still bleeding.
    “Damn, I must have done that trying to turn the shut-off valve. It’s rusted open.”
    “When was your last tetanus shot?” She grabbed a towel from the nearby stack and wrapped his hand.
    He resisted just a bit as she tugged him toward the nearest sink. “I thought your friend Audrey was the nurse.”
    “ Where do you think I learned first aid? We need to clean this.”
    “I need to call the plumber and get that valve shut before the whole basement floods.”
    “Here.” She handed him her cell phone. “Dial with your good hand. My uncle’s a plumber. I’ll give you the number while I wash your hand. You must have a first-aid kit around here somewhere.”
    “Supply closet, over there.”
    She turned on warm water and thrust his hand under the faucet, then headed for the narrow closet next to the cellar door. Fortunately the first-aid kit was right up front. She grabbed it and opened it up on the counter. “Seven one six five five five one three four oh. His name is Mel, mention my name.”
    “TF has a plumber,” he said, gingerly probing the cut. He’d set her phone down.
    “Well, obviously not a good one, right? Plus I can probably get you a discount, being as I sort of work for you.”
    “You’re amazing. You’re a magician with flowers, and you know first aid and a good plumber.”
    Harper brought antiseptic and a thick bandage over to the sink. She shut off the water and patted