Free Handful of Heaven by Jillian Hart Page A

knifing pain. It made a fresh wave of agony explode in the small of his back. Great. What a treat to be forty-two.
    Then, suddenly, through the veil of snow, came two golden beams of light. At first he thought it was Blake’s Jeep roaring up the snow-laden driveway, but then he noticed it wasn’t a black vehicle, but a dark-green new model. It wasn’t Phil; he drove a van, and Cal had that undependable sports car—
    The light blinded him for a split second and then the SUV turned the last curve and slid to a graceful stop in the driveway. The porch lights shone on the window so he couldn’t see whom was behind the wheel until the vehicle’s door swung open, turning on the dome light.
    And he saw Paige McKaslin emerging into the storm, dressed in a dark-green parka and brown hat, mittens and scarf. It was all he noticed because humiliation was starting to drag him down.
    What on earth is she doing here? He lowered the shovel with great effort. Even moving his arms made his back spasm even more. Wind battered him. Falling snow pummeled him. But neither was as hard to endure as the woman’s agile progress along the freshly shoveled pathway.
    “Evan! I hope you don’t mind I dropped by. I tried calling. I looked your number up before I left the diner, but there was no answer.”
    Be strong. Stoic. Cool. Although how he was going to do that and act as if he wasn’t in agony remained a mystery. “I’ve been out shoveling the walk. About this time, I miss the boys. They were handy for chores like this.”
    “And I bet it was much easier on your back when they did the shoveling.”
    “Now, why would you say that? There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m a man in the prime of my life. A little shoveling is nothing to me.”
    “Is that right? Then why do you look as if you’re frozen in one position?”
    “I’m a little cold, is all.”
    “And the grimace on your face is from seeing me?”
    “Uh, not so much. I think my back went out. I have a bad disk.”
    “I thought I recognized that particular look of torture. Can you move?” Paige shifted the heavy sack she carried to her other arm and tracked up the icy concrete walkway. “Do you need help?”
    “My pride has taken a serious blow today, but I think I’ll live.”
    Paige tried not to be affected by the sight of him. With all his wide capable strength, he didn’t appear decrepit. He somehow seemed even more masculine and powerful as he lowered the shovel to the ground and leaned on it like a cane. “What brings you by?”
    “I owe you an apology.” She lifted the sack, concentrating on it because she didn’t want to look at him in case dislike for her showed on his face. “You surprised me so much, Evan, I just didn’t realize what I was saying. I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t worry about it.” He looked like a pillar of steel. Strong. Unyielding. Unfeeling.
    She’d never felt so awkward in her life. Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe he’d hardly cared that she’d said no. So how foolish was it that she was standing here, fixing something that wasn’t broken and now making everything worse?
    She’d never been in this situation before. Her teenage years had not been average. She’d never dated; she had the responsibilities of her younger brother and sisters. She had grownup problems and no time to date. It wasn’t until Jimmy had started working at the diner that she’d had her first real taste of romance. Felt the first flutter of joy at seeing that special man’s face, hearing his voice, spending time just talking and getting to know him. Experienced the first wishes for sweet kisses and holding hands and hopes for a happy marriage.
    Look how that turned out. She’d been so wrong then. She was probably just as wrong now. “At least let me leave this with you.”
    “That looks like a meal from the diner.”
    “It’s more than that. It’s not only a peace offering, but also a chicken dinner of appreciation. You keep insisting on paying for your