Her Handyman Hero by Lorraine Beatty

Author:Lorraine Beatty
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-10-17T19:16:40+00:00

Chapter Eight

Reid spotted Tori up in the tower as he turned into the driveway. In the short time he’d been working for her, he’d learned it was her go-to place when she needed to sort out things. He could only imagine the amount of stress on her slender shoulders as she worked to get this business running. But today there was something odd about her presence in the tower. It looked like she had her forehead against the glass, as if she were defeated. Not good. He’d made it his goal to make sure nothing got her down.

He saw the stack of mail on the settee as he walked past. One envelope had been opened, and the letter lay unfolded beside it. From the return address, he knew it must be the inspection report. He was tempted to read it but decided not to. She would tell him if she wanted to, though the fact that she had taken to the tower didn’t bode well.

He made his way as quietly as possible to the attic and the tower. Her shoulders were shaking and he could hear muffled sobs. “Tori.”

She stiffened and wiped her face, keeping her back to him. Trying to hide her emotions, it seemed.

“I saw the envelope from the commission.”

“Did you read the letter?”

“No.”

“I failed.” She wiped her eyes before facing him. “He said I didn’t have a handicap ramp, but I’m not required to. If you only have five guest rooms then you don’t need one. This is a historic home, one of only six Steamboat Gothics in the country. Putting a ramp on this house would destroy the historic integrity. That’s not me saying that, it’s the National Register, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the local preservation society. It was all settled when I bought the house. But now this local guy is insisting I have one put in before he’ll agree to release my funds. I can’t afford to do that, and it’ll take too much time.”

She ran her a palm over her cheek as fresh tears rolled down, and it was all he could do to keep from pulling her into his arms.

“And now the neighbors are in an uproar about my opening a bed-and-breakfast in the neighborhood. But that was settled, too. I’m not breaking any zoning laws.”

Her blue eyes were sad and pleading as she looked at him. “What am I going to do?”

Her vulnerability was too much to handle. He’d never been good at dealing with emotions, but seeing Tori like this compelled him to reach out and pull her into his embrace. She didn’t resist. He held her, marveling at how right she felt in his arms, cradled against his heart.

“We’ll work it out. Have you called your attorney?”

She shook her head, releasing a waft of strawberry scent from her hair. “But I intend to. I’m going to call everyone in the entire state if I have to.”

He smiled and held her a bit closer. “That’s my girl.” Tori wouldn’t simply accept this setback.

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