Free Snowbound with the Boss by Maureen Child Page A

hidden beneath the ratty carpet. “Looks good,” she mused, more to herself than to him. “I was hoping for this. Hardwood, even battered and scarred like this, can be sanded and brought back to life a lot cheaper than buying new floors throughout.”
    Nodding, he watched her stroke her fingertips over the wide planks with the same gentleness she’d used to caress his chest. His body stirred, and he gritted his teeth, ignoring the flash of heat.
    She whipped her ponytail back out of her way and glanced at him. “If all the floors look this good, we’ll be saving you a lot of money.”
    â€œAlways a good thing,” he agreed.
    She stood. “I’ve got the rugs in two other rooms rolled up and their floors are nearly perfect, so I’m hopeful. What I’d like to do now is check out the basement, see what we’ve got down there.”
    â€œDidn’t you already do that when you made your first inspection for your bid on the job?”
    â€œSure.” She shrugged and rested one hand on the hammer hanging from her belt. “But it was a quick look, mainly checking for foundation issues. Now that we’ve got some time...”
    He laughed shortly. “Plenty of that.”
    â€œExactly. We can look at it and see what improvements can be made.”
    One eyebrow winged up. “We’re done pulling up carpet?”
    â€œI just wanted to get an idea of the shape of the floors. The rest my crew can do when the storm’s over.”
    One glance at the window told Sean the snow was still swirling like a thick white veil. “If it’s ever over.”
    â€œIt will be. I’ve been through these storms all my life.”
    â€œNot me,” he said with a sigh born of missing the ocean, the sand, the sea breeze. “I’m a surf-and-sand kind of guy.”
    â€œYou’ll be back to it soon,” she told him, and their gazes locked for one tension-filled moment. “For now, though...the basement?”
    â€œWhy not?” He shrugged, following her as she headed downstairs, and his gaze dropped unerringly to the curve of her behind. Whatever else the woman was, she had a great butt and the ability to work him into an inferno without even trying. He had to admire that even while it made him a little crazy.
    â€œThe banisters will have to be tightened,” she said over her shoulder. “The base is loose and you don’t want it wobbly.”
    â€œAbsolutely not.” He gave said banister a shake and felt it wiggle under his hand. Right again, he thought, then told himself this was why he’d hired her in the first place. Kate Wells had a reputation for being a perfectionist when it came to her work, and that was something he understood and approved of.
    She hit the bottom of the stairs and headed across the great room, where the fire still burned against the constant chill in the room. Through the kitchen and into the butler’s pantry, she opened the door to the basement and started down the stairs.
    The light spilled from two overhead lamps, illuminating a wide room that was empty but for a line of dated washing machines and dryers. There was a workbench along one wall and a pegboard above it, just waiting for someone to fill it with tools. The floor was cement, the windows were narrow and high, blocked now with piles of snow. The walls were cement blocks, which only seemed to magnify the cold outside the building.
    â€œI always thought basements were a little creepy,” Sean said to himself.
    â€œAgreed,” Kate said, throwing him a quick look as she pulled out a measuring tape and laid it down on the floor as she walked off the space. “But they don’t have to be. Still, having the laundry down here doesn’t seem real handy for the housekeeping staff.” She paused to make note of numbers on a small memo pad she dug out of her tool belt. “Especially since they have to come and go through