Outside the sky was clear and the sun shining. There were holiday decorations everywhere. She wanted to stop everyone she passed and tell them the good news. She owned her own home!

But rather than frighten her fellow citizens, she walked toward through town and up toward her new neighborhood. She wanted to see the house for just a few minutes before she went to pick up Chloe from school.

Five minutes later she stood on the sidewalk and told herself to keep breathing. That this was really happening.

She stared at the house she’d bought and felt a rush of gratitude. Moving to Fool’s Gold had changed everything, she thought happily. She had a great job, friends and a future. The mayor had given her the rest of the day off, along with Monday and Tuesday so she and Chloe could get moved and settled before the holidays. A few friends were coming by over the weekend to help her paint. Chloe’s bedroom furniture would be delivered on Monday. What more could she ask for?

Right then, a familiar dark SUV pulled into her driveway. Her already thundering heart kicked it up a couple of speeds as Kenny climbed out.

“Congratulations,” he said. “You did it.”

“How did you know I’d closed?”

“Your real estate agent called me. I asked her to.”

Bailey tried to summon some indignation, but just couldn’t. “So much for her working for me.”

He flashed her a grin. “She thought I was charming.”

“I’ll bet.”

He moved to the rear of his vehicle and popped the hatch. Inside were gallons of paint, tarps and brushes, along with bags filled with cleaning supplies, Spackle and sandpaper.

She sighed. “You picked up my hardware store order for me? Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Come on. You can help me carry it inside.”

She took a few shopping bags while he grabbed three paint cans in each hand. She followed him to the front door and tried not to let her gaze linger on his butt. Although she had to admit it was a pretty impressive butt. Kenny looked great in a suit, but in jeans and a leather jacket, the man was devastating.

He bumped his shoulder against the front door.

“Oh, let me unlock that,” Bailey told him.

“Not necessary.”

The door swung open. Before she could figure out how that was possible, she saw over a dozen women waiting in her new living room. Larissa and Isabel stood together, with Dellina right behind them. Noelle and Patience, Heidi, Annabelle and Charlie, the Hendrix triplets, Consuelo, and even Mayor Marsha was there. They were all dressed in jeans and sweatshirts.

“Surprise!” they yelled.

Bailey blinked. “I don’t understand.”

Isabel hugged her. “We’re here to help. We’re going to clean and sand and paint and put down shelf paper. By Sunday night, your house is going to be ready for you to move in.”

Larissa laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. We love you. We were planning on helping when Kenny talked to me about it. The two of us arranged everything.”

“I’m on lunch duty,” Noelle said, patting her stomach. “I can’t do paint, what with being pregnant. But I’m happy to run errands.”

Bailey looked at all her friends and felt their affection wash over her. Turning to Kenny was a different story. She was afraid of what he might see in her eyes if she looked at him just now.

“I don’t know how to thank all of you,” she said honestly.

“Child, we’re your family now,” Mayor Marsha told her. “All right, everyone, let’s get to work.”

By the time Bailey had collected Chloe from school, her house was controlled chaos. Charlie Stryker, a firefighter in town, had taken control of the work parties. The bathrooms and kitchens were being scrubbed from top to bottom. Kenny had been joined by Jack and Sam. They were hard at work, prepping the walls.

“I want to complain about the traditional division of labor,” Charlie said when Bailey walked in with her daughter, “but the guys are doing good work. So I won’t.”

Bailey listened to the happy conversations from every corner of the house and knew that she would treasure this memory always. As for the man who had made it happen...well, that was a problem for later.

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE DAY BEFORE the move, Bailey packed up her kitchen. At least the breakable items. Pots, pans and flatware she simply placed loose in boxes. She wasn’t going to move across the country—just a few blocks away.

The weekend had been a lot of work, but so much had been accomplished. The house was clean and painted. Chloe’s bedroom was a beautiful lavender color, with the doors, windows and trim all done in white. Bailey had picked a soft blue-gray for her bedroom, and a muted sage-green for the rest of the house.

She straightened, putting her hand at the small of her back. There were aches and pains from all she’d been doing, but it was worth it. Right after lunch she was meeting the delivery guys at the new house. They would deliver and put together Chloe’s bedroom furniture. Tomorrow was the move and then she and her daughter would be in their new home.

She pulled the step stool over to the cabinet above the refrigerator, then climbed up. There were only a few serving pieces up there—ones she used for special occasions, like Christmas dinner.

As she lowered the items to the counter, she smiled. There was a crystal bowl she used every year. It had be a wedding gift from her grandmother. The bowl had been in the family for nearly a hundred years. While she loved that bowl, for some reason, Will had loved it even more. Her smile faded as she remembered how hard last Christmas had been and how she hadn’t bothered to get down the fancy serving pieces. She just hadn’t been able to face them.