I did not volunteer. Will kidnapped me. Yep, on Saturday morning he snatched me from the stables, drove me into town, and played on my soft heart to convince me I should work with Dream Builders, a group that repairs houses for people who cannot afford to do it themselves. Another of his attempts to keep me busy so I wouldn’t have time to think about my mother. Sully wasn’t on the crew. He wasn’t the volunteer kind.

And this particular house they were working on today needed a new roof, painting, and numerous other repairs. I gave Will a hard time about it, but didn’t really mind. Because it turned out pretty good, at least for me, though Will was less than happy about the fact that Rick was one of the volunteers.

Yes, Rick, the guy who has called me a couple of times. The college guy. The  hottie. And he likes me. At least he acts like he does. Anyway, Will handed me a paint brush and he climbed up on the roof and we went to work.

Big problem. Rick was on the roof, too. I had kind of mentioned to Will and Sully that Rick had asked me out, which wasn’t exactly true. We’d talked on the phone, but that was as far as it had gone. I got a crick in my neck trying to hear what they were saying to each other.

And then I met the cutest little redhead you ever saw. Her name is Mimi, and she lives in the house we’re repairing. I handed her a paintbrush, and we painted not only the house, but ourselves as well. And Will’s plan worked. I did not think of my mother one time, the whole morning.

We took a break at lunchtime. And things got a little testy between Will and Rick. More about that later.