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She watched him go, the corner of her mouth hitched up in a smile that really wanted to turn into a laugh, but for his sake, she suppressed it.

He was kind of a mess. An unbelievably helpful one, but a mess all the same.

He was a bit grumpy and hadn’t much of a clue about appearances, but she cut him some slack in that department.

She was so used to men who spent more time and money on their hair and skin that Adam and his complete lack of caring was frankly kind of refreshing.

He was an actual man. A big, grumpy, helpful man.

Except for the helpful part, he was not her type at all, but what a lovely neighbor to have.

The town already felt so safe, but with him living next door, she’d never worry about anything.

So long as she stayed on his good side, she imagined.

But he was already giving her a hand. He had to like her a little.

Part of her couldn’t help but wonder what he’d look like with a decent haircut, a good shave, and a clean set of clothes that actually fit what she assumed was a pretty incredible body. He certainly had arms like tree trunks. She could only imagine what the rest of him looked like.

Not that she was imagining that. At all.

Adam might be built like an Adonis, but he was not the sort of man she was looking for. She needed someone a little more in touch with their feminine side. Not quite the appearance-obsessed men she’d left back in the city but something a little closer to that.

Anyway, he probably had a girlfriend. Or a wife. Good men, the kind, caring ones, they didn’t stay single long.

Adam came through the door, hugging the wardrobe box but still able to see over it.

She stopped daydreaming and went into the bedroom. “Right this way.”

He brought the box through and set it down by the wall. “There are four more of these.”

She nodded. “I have a lot of clothes.”

He just grunted and went back out.

No doubt she was not his type either, which was fine. They could be friends. Nothing wrong with that. Might be nice to have a guy friend who was less concerned about material things and more interested in … she wasn’t sure what a guy like Adam would be interested in, honestly.

Working out? He’d mentioned that. Probably sports. Cars. Action movies. She knew she was stereotyping, but her experience with guys like him was pretty limited.

She shook her head. She had so much work to do, and she was standing here, woolgathering. She found the box cutter she’d been using in the kitchen and opened the wardrobe box.

The beauty of packing her clothes this way meant they were all still on hangers. All she had to do was lift them out and put them in the closet.

She’d only halfway emptied the box when Adam returned with another.

“Found your mattress, bed frame, and headboard,” he said.

“Fantastic! That’ll be a lot better than sleeping on the couch.”

He nodded. “I’ll bring them in after the other wardrobe boxes.”

“Great.”

He left, and she got back to work, cutting open the next box so she could get right to it when the first was emptied.

She took another armful of clothes into the closet. She’d have to organize it later, but all that mattered now was emptying those boxes. Maybe she could get Adam to help her with the bed frame and headboard. Or was that too much to ask?

She wished he’d been all right with her paying him, but she understood about that not being neighborly.

She heard barking and looked out the bedroom window, but she couldn’t see Mackie anywhere in the yard.

Adam was bringing another box in. “That your dog?”

“I think so, but I can’t see him. I’d better go check.” She went out to the back deck. Mackie was by the fence, staring up at a squirrel that was chattering at him. “Mackie, hush that racket this instant.”

Soft laughter turned her head. Adam was right behind her, smiling at Mackie. “Good luck with that.”

“You think it’s funny now, but I’d like to remind you that you live next to that noisemaker.”

“True,” Adam said, but he was still smiling. “What kind of dog is that?”

“The one who needed me the most.”

His brow furrowed. “What’s that mean?”

“When I went to the shelter to adopt, he was the one who’d been there the longest. Almost five months. I have no idea why. He’s only two years old and as cute as can be. He just needed a good grooming.” Much like someone else , she thought. “But I guess a lot of people wanted puppies.”

Adam’s expression turned thoughtful. “That was good of you to take him. You’re right, a lot of people probably wanted puppies.” He stared out at the little dog. “I bet he knows exactly what you did for him. Dog like that will be loyal for life.”

“Mackie’s a good boy.” She leaned on the railing and sighed. “Who really needs to leave the squirrels alone.”

“Mackie?”

She smiled. “After one of my favorite designers.”

“As in Bob?”

Her mouth came open. “You know who Bob Mackie is?”

“Only because of a … woman I used to know.” He shook his head, frowning. “I better get the rest of those boxes.”

He disappeared, leaving her alone on the porch. Mackie barked at the squirrel one more time, then, thankfully, the rodent took off, and Mackie went back to sniffing every green growing thing.

Sydney returned to the bedroom and the wardrobe boxes.

They fell into a rhythm, and by the time she finished hanging the last of her clothing, Adam was bringing in the headboard and bed frame.

He leaned the headboard against the wall. “I figure we should get this set up first, then when I bring the mattress and boxspring in, they can go right on there. Be easier. Unless you don’t want to do this now.”

“No, that would be great. Thank you.”

He nodded. “You have a screwdriver?”

She glanced toward the kitchen. “I think I know where it is. Give me a second.” She could have sworn she’d seen her trusty, blue multitip screwdriver. She dug into the box where it had been, then realized she’d put it in a drawer. But which one?

Three drawers later, she found it and brought it back.

Adam had the pieces of the frame laid out and two of them already attached to the headboard. “How did you do that?”

“With my fingers. The screws I put in need to be tightened, though, and the rest of the screws added.” He reached for the screwdriver.

She exhaled as she gave it to him. “You are so handy. Your wife must love having you around.”

“No wife.” He pointed to the piece of frame he was working on. “Hold this steady.”

No wife. That was interesting. She did as he asked, sitting on the floor and taking a grip of the metal bar to hold it in place. “Girlfriend, then.”

“Don’t have one of those either.”

She almost smiled. Even more interesting. He was a little too grumpy for her tastes, but it was good to get to know her neighbor. And maybe he’d get less grumpy over time.

He finished tightening the first screw, then picked up another one. “I’m finally single for the first time in years and happy to stay that way for a long time to come.”

Sydney’s smile disappeared. So much for that.