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“Thank you.” She smiled sweetly. “Not that I’m paying for the plants out of my pocket, but I know the charity’s parameters are quite strict.”
“I chose low-maintenance items since I know how busy you are with work and David, and you’ve mentioned a time or two that you have a brown thumb.”
“You were listening?” She tipped her head to level her gaze with his.
“Always.” He was more than listening, he’d taken in every word and catalogued them in the back of his mind. “Unless you have a particular love of gardening, then I could put more items that need attention. Just remember, if there’s something special you’d like me to add, I can find a way to make it work.”
She put a hand on his arm. “Paxton, I’m sure it’s all perfect. If I develop an unexpected interest in gardening, I can always plant other things once the house is mine.”
He looked down at her delicate fingers resting on his arm and swallowed, hard. “Okay.” He flipped the page and pointed to the back corner of the property. “We’ll start in back. Right here we’ll plant both Golden Rod and Milkweed. This will attract a good number of butterflies. I thought David would enjoy that. Often I use Prickly Pears to attract butterflies, especially if the homeowner is a cook and interested in making Prickly Pear jam, but I didn’t think it was a good idea with an energetic little boy running around.”
“Oh, I like that. Butterflies are so pretty.”
That had been what he wanted to hear, that he’d guessed correctly. “Most of these shrubs along the back are drought tolerant. There were lots of prettier options, but I figured that you’d prefer low maintenance.”
“You figured right.” She smiled, returning her attention to the papers in front of them. “What else?”
He explained about the six-foot wood fence, a staple in Texas home ownership, and a few other things before circling back to the empty spaces in the backyard. “There’s room for anything that interests a young boy and his friends; a swing set or a trampoline—”
“Or fort,” she interrupted.
“Yes.” What he really wished is that the backyard had better trees to build a low tree house that would ease her concern and still make David happy. A good live oak would do the trick, but in this part of the country, large trees just weren’t that common. “There’s lots of space in the middle of the backyard for playing. Maybe I can talk David into a nice big fort? Especially now that he’s in school and will be making friends.”
“Friends.” Lips pressed tightly, she nodded. “We didn’t have many friends in Chicago.”
He’d noticed that even after starting school, David hadn’t seemed to make a lot of friends yet. Of course, even though Tuckers Bluff was a small town that was growing, lots of kids lived far out on ranches.
Looking up, Sandra’s gaze darted from the drawing to each direction he pointed to in the front yard as he explained about the Nandinas with their pretty red foliage and the combinations of perennials, grass and stone.
When he finished, he rolled the papers up again and slid them back into the tube. “So, what do you think about all this?”
Sandra looked around at the yard and what Paxton had envisioned. There was only one thing missing. She looked up at him. “Do you think there’s room for a peach tree?”
“If you want a peach tree, we’ll fit in a peach tree.” Paxton looked at the house then back to her. “Where would you want it?”
Instead of asking to see the plans again, she wandered around the corner to the backyard. Stopping nearly dead center of the yard, she spun around, her arms out, thinking about all the delicious fruit they’d have in a few years. “Right here, Paxton.”
“Right there sounds good.”
She stepped several feet to her left and spun again. “Am I pushing my luck if we plant two?”
That had him chuckling softly. “I don’t think two peach trees will break the bank.”
Lunging forward, she almost hugged him, but instead stopped mid stride. The job site was no place for public displays of affection, even if it was nothing more than friendly gratitude. She couldn’t believe how everything was coming together. She’d always wanted a house, fruit trees, a big yard, and who knows, maybe one day a dog. Little boys should have dogs. No matter how you sliced it, all of her dreams of home ownership were coming true.
“Would you like more?”
This time she couldn’t resist. The man was just so dang amazing, squealing with joy, she practically jumped up and down before throwing her arms around his middle in a squishing bear hug. He was solid and warm and she had to fight not to melt into his shoulder.
In the awkward way men did when they didn’t know what else to do, his hands patted her back. Stiffly at first, and then, when she didn’t move, his arms settled around her. “Should I offer to plant four trees?”
Realizing how awkward it was to be hugging him in the middle of the yard, she reluctantly let go, and taking a step back, looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I guess I got a little carried away.”
Like a laser, his gaze seemed to bore right through her. What she didn’t have a clue about, was what he was thinking.
“No, worries.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ve just never had anyone be this happy over a tree.”
She laughed. “I guess it’s silly, but you listened to me and actually planted a fruit tree.” Maybe something so small shouldn’t make her so happy, but it did. After all, she’d been through in the last few years, she would take her joy where she could find it. And in Paxton’s arms seemed to be a very pleasant place to start.
