No Boundaries

The previous night's snow storm had blown in and passed on through in only a few hours, but it left serious trouble behind. The roads were horrible, and the minute they were plowed they were covered again. The wind had picked up and the snow was drifting all over the place. For some reason, February was the worst month of the year for snow.

Currently, Victoria Kennedy was coaxing her sports car through the drifts, over the ice, and trying to keep it on the road. Not an easy task. She was on her way home from work, and once there, she was off for two weeks. Victoria had some vacation time and she was overdue for one.

Valentine's day was the following week, and she had recently broken up with her boyfriend, though he hadn't been around for long. He wasn't really even her type. But she was just tired of being lonely. Well, it was back to alone because she had gotten rid of him.

"Valentine's is another word for 'sucker'." She spoke aloud.

In real time, she was only about four minutes away from home, but in bad road time, it was more like ten. The end was near though; she was in the home stretch. Victoria had recently bought an old house, and it needed some serious work. Her goal in life was to get a lot of house things accomplished while she was off. That would make her feel better.

Maybe she could get her cranky neighbor to lighten up some also. The man that lived next door was pretty gruff. He wasn't much older than Victoria's twenty-nine years, but he seemed older because of the cranky factor. His name was Andrew Hathaway, and he was pretty attractive...and she bet he would be even more so if he would turn that frown upside down.

The rest of the drive passed in a blur, and the next thing Victoria knew, she was turning into her driveway. She parked in the circle by the porch and shut off her car. A flash of something dark moving along her house caused her to freeze. What had that been? A dog? Some other animal? No, it was too big...

Victoria squinted, staring into the inky blackness that was pointedly darker than the blinding white snow. She wasn't seeing anything else. Cautiously, she opened her car door and stepped into the snow. It muffled her footsteps as she approached the porch, leaving her car door hanging open.

A figure stepped around the side of the house and she screamed. She heard something hit the wood slats that sounded like ice pellets, and she turned and ran to her door, frantically fighting with the lock.

"Would you calm down, dammit!"

Strong hands grasped her arms and she screamed again.

"For God's sake woman, stop that racket!"

Something in the voice gave her pause. Victoria whirled around and stared, wide-eyed, at her Mr. Cranky Pants Andrew.

"You couldn't have identified yourself?" Now she was mad...but mostly because she'd pretty much made an ass of herself.

"I didn't figure you'd think I was a serial killer. I'm sorry." Andrew turned and stooped down to pick something up. It was a little plastic bucket.

"What are you doing with that?" Now Victoria sounded like the cranky party.

"I shoveled your porch, and just went to get some salt. It should help tomorrow. I was getting ready to do your sidewalk."

"Oh, thank you, Andrew. I appreciate that, but you don't have to.."

"It's no problem. Just don't scream next time, all right?" He was back to gruff.

"You took me off guard, that's all. I didn't expect...no one has ever..."

He shifted uncomfortably. "No big deal."

The pause was awkward, and finally Victoria turned and unlocked her front door. Andrew spun at the same time and took the porch steps two at a time, heading to her car. He slammed the door shut, then retrieved his shovel. Back to work he went.

"Wow." Victoria spoke to herself once the door was closed. "What's with that guy?"

She made her way through the house, leaving a trail of lights on as she headed for the bedroom. First order of business was to get these damn clothes off, and into something comfortable. Black yoga pants and a gray tank top were whisked from the drawer, and she pulled an old button down sweater off the hook on the back of the door. Comfort level- now at one hundred percent.

Victoria left several lights on, but went back downstairs. She wanted some coffee, even though it was six o'clock in the evening. She had a lot of work to accomplish, and planned to get started tonight. She glanced out the window, and Andrew was still out there, painstakingly shoveling the walk and a path to her car. She decided to offer him some coffee.

She set the pot to brew, which only took a few minutes. She turned on the electric heater that lived in the drafty old kitchen, and shivered. Her first order of business should be insulating this place. The windows practically whistled. One step at a time, she told herself. Victoria made her way to the front of the house, sliding her feet into her slippers that she kept by the door.

Andrew was sprinkling salt, and once finished, he glanced up at the house and saw her peeking. Victoria felt herself flush, getting caught looking at him. She had a good reason though, right? And surely if he was kind enough to shovel for her, meant that he must be a nice guy, right? Without giving herself time to think about what she was starting, Victoria threw open the door.

Andrew's eyes widened in surprise. He was on his way to tell her he was finished and leaving. But she opened the door with such invitation in her eyes...he mentally shook himself. Just because she was cute didn't mean she thought he was. And he wasn't interested anyway. So. There.

"Just wanted to tell you I was done."

"Please, come in for some coffee. I feel bad you've been out there freezing." And I think you're cute in a mean way and I want to get to know you. That part she didn't add aloud.

"That's not necessary. I was just helping out."

"Please?" Victoria didn't know what made her say that, when she had entire sentences planned for when he declined.

"All right." He gave a brief nod of his head.

Victory for Victoria! She smiled and turned, leading him to the kitchen.

"Cream, sugar, artificial sweetener?"

"Black."

"Easy man."

"In some cases."

Hmm. Victoria didn't get much of a chance to think about that answer.

"So what in God's name prompted you to buy this place? It's falling down around you."

That was friendly... Victoria rolled her eyes at the kitchen cupboard.

"This house used to be in my family. It was sold when my great-great aunt passed away. I always loved it; in fact, we used to spend summers here when I was very young. I wanted it. I bought it, even if it is a beast. The previous owners didn't keep up on much."

"They were old and unable. I wondered what made them keep it as long as they did."

Victoria handed him his cup, then took her own and sat at the table, gesturing for him to do the same.

"What prompted you to come over and shovel?"

Andrew grimaced. "I used to do it for them. Force of habit I guess. Plus I knew you were alone, so I didn't figure you'd think it was priority."

"It wouldn't have been. Thank you."

He grunted, and Victoria chose to hear 'you're welcome' in that guttural sound.

"I'm off for the next two weeks, so I plan to get quite a bit accomplished. I'm mostly unpacked, other than some storage stuff that needs to go to the attic, but I hate those stairs."

"I helped the old owners quite a bit, with remodeling stuff. They wouldn't fix a leaky spot in the roof, but damn if that old lady didn't want a spa for a bathroom."

"You did the bathroom?" Victoria's brows lifted in surprise.

"Yeah." Andrew swigged his coffee.

"It's gorgeous. I think its my favorite room in the house." Victoria could swear he blushed a little.

"Well, if you need any help, let me know."

"Would you mind coming over and making a list of things that need attention? I can see obvious stuff, but there might be something wrong with the foundation or something stupid that I'm not going to see. That way I can figure out what I can do, or what I need to hire out."

"I'm a contractor. I could do all the work for you."

"You'll have to give me a bid of course. Then we'll see." Victoria's tone was light...she thought she might be flirting.

Andrew's eyes narrowed slightly, trying to judge if she was serious or not.

"Believe me lady, you want what I can offer."

Victoria blushed, getting beat at her own game. "Then I guess I'll count you in."

A frisson of tension wound its way through the room, crackling between them. He was better looking up close than he had been from a distance, and then in the dark. His hair was a medium brown, in need of a cut. His eyes were also brown, but they were shades darker than his hair. Angular bone structure made him look like a warrior. His jaw was strong, and his chin was just daring her to defy him- or kiss him, she wasn't sure which. He was of medium build, but at least a head taller than her, and from what she could make out, he was well muscled, but not that fake kind that came from a gym. The real man kind that said he worked for a living.

Andrew took the time to examine her also, seeing what he could of her body through her clothes. Curves. A dangerous road full of them. She was a little on the heavy side, but damn if she didn't dip and swell in all the right places. Freckles dusted her face, which was at odds with her almost black hair. It curled and tumbled in a thick mane that reached her bra strap. Her eyes were a peculiar shade of brown- almost coppery. All in all, Andrew figured he'd enjoy his time spent with his new neighbor. Probably enjoy it a little too much, and not get enough work done for staring at her.

"Thanks, Miss..."

"Oh, please. Call me Victoria. May I call you Andrew?"

"'Course. Well, thank you for the coffee. I'll come over in the morning and we'll get started."

Victoria's eyes almost glazed over...she'd rather get started tonight and finish in the morning, but that was neither here nor there.

"All right, Andrew. I appreciate everything." She saw him to the door.

"Night." He strode purposefully off her porch, snatched his shovel, and made his way next door.

"Interesting." Victoria shoved off the doorframe and headed into her biggest project yet.

Victoria stayed up until two o'clock in the morning, straightening things up, organizing the furniture into what rooms she wanted it in. Once settled, she shoved everything to the middle of the rooms, and covered them with drop cloths. She had made a list of each room, and what color paint she wanted for the room, along with it's dimensions.

Up at six, she chugged coffee while she got ready. Peeking out the window at her neighbors house, there didn't seem to be a sign of life, so she headed off to the hardware store for her paint. It took longer than anticipated, and she was decidedly frazzled when she pulled into her drive and saw Andrew lounging on her porch swing.

"I'm so sorry! I was hoping to slip out and beat you back. But this kindly old fellow at the hardware store was more interested in conversation than paint, then he mixed the wrong stuff twice, and..."

"Calm down. It's not a big deal. And that kindly old fellow is Mr. Walker. He's worked there since he was sixteen." Andrew flashed a grin and Victoria felt it down to her knees.

Andrew came forward and helped her carry the paint. Not wanting him to think she was a monster, she felt compelled to add, "On a normal day, I would have thought he was precious. But I was in such a hurry...I'll have to take him out to lunch. Now I feel terrible."

Abrupt laughter startled Victoria so that she almost dropped her armload of paint.

"I doubt all that is necessary. Just listen when he talks. He's an interesting character."

The pair set down the gallons of paint and Andrew said, "I'm going to go ahead and get started. You just do what you need to do. I'll make an itemized list and then we'll go over it."

"That sounds like a plan. I'll try to stay out from under you. Your feet I mean." Victoria fled to the kitchen for more coffee, her face on fire.

Andrew chuckled as she sped away, then got down to business.

Some time later, Andrew found Victoria in the parlor spray waxing furniture. Everything was in the center of the room, and drop cloths waited to be draped over the treasures.

"Well, you've got quite a list. New windows, bathtub needs caulked, some walls need spackle..."

"Are you going to bore me with that whole list?"

Andrew looked up in surprise. "I thought you wanted to know what you could do yourself?"

"Tell me those things."

"Any of it."

They stared at each other for a moment, laughter quivering on their lips.

"Andrew, I trust you. I'd love for you to work on this house, if you'd like the job. Just tell me what to do to stay out of your hair."

"You can start spackling because I know you're anxious to paint. The bathroom that I've already redone would be a good place for you to start- if you plan on repainting. That room needs nothing."

"All right. I know how to do that. When do we start?"

"Today?"

"Sounds great. Want some coffee?"

"Yep, then I'll get started."

Soon the smell of coffee and the sounds of restoration were all that you could hear. Victoria wished she could open the windows and let the paint smell out, but there was nothing to be done about that. She set up a fan to circulate the air, and hoped they didn't die from the fumes.

The day flew in a flurry of activity. Around lunch time a truck pulled into her driveway, and Victoria went to the window to check it out. Windows. She jolted in surprise. Can you just call and get windows delivered the same day? With a glance at the clock, Victoria decided food was in order.

Andrew was greeting the man at the door, and paid her no mind as she walked through to make lunch. The men were chatting in a rather lively manner, and she realized they were talking about the Super Bowl. Holy cow. Man talk. Victoria stuck her tongue out at her refrigerator as she pulled out the lunch meat.

"Andrew, lunch." Victoria sat the plates on the table.

He rounded the corner, saw the sandwiches and the bag of chips and declared, "You don't have to feed me."

"No, I don't. But I'm being a good hostess."

"I'm not at a party. I'm working for you."

Victoria waved her sandwich in the air. "Stop splitting hairs and eat."

The week passed quickly, and before Victoria knew it, her house was coming together. Several rooms were finished, and the last few were almost there. Some things had to wait until summer, but they had made some serious progress. What was also surprising was that Andrew, mister cranky pants himself, was actually a really great guy. Beyond that gruff exterior lay a heart of gold. Victoria knew it in her bones. They'd had coffee together every morning, lunch every noon, and dinner every evening. They complimented each other well, and she wondered if he'd had the same thought. Andrew had warmed up to her, and he was smiling more than frowning, and he even laughed quite a bit. It was a wonderful sound...and he always seemed almost surprised by it.

Victoria still hadn't gotten any deep dark secrets out of him, but she was definitely interested. She hoped he would open up to her so he could get to know him better. She held out hope that he would sometime soon.

They decided that Saturday would be a day off. So Victoria slept in and her eyes didn't open until nine o'clock. She yawned and stretched, rolling onto her stomach, loathe to get up even then. Her entire body ached. She'd used muscles that week that she didn't even know she had. The thought made her smile, and she shut her eyes, drifting back off to sleep.

"Victoria..."

The voice was close, and she felt a hand on her arm. As she tried to drift up from the cloud of sleep, she wondered why she was dreaming about Andrew. That was definitely his voice. The hand she felt was stroking her arm lightly, and she waited for it to move someplace more interesting. Victoria wet her lips, wishing he'd kiss her. The voice came again.

"Victoria, honey, wake up."

It sounded closer. Good. Maybe he'd press his lips to hers, hold her body close to his...she could feel the warmth from him even in her dream. Her body yearned, straining towards him. The pit of her stomach grew warm, even as she felt awareness creep between her legs. She moaned quietly.

Victoria smelled coffee. How unusual. Do people smell things in their dreams? Suddenly the bank of dream-fog rolled away, and her eyes flew open. She gasped in dismay.

Andrew was perched on the edge of her bed, and two cups of coffee sat on her nightstand.

"Andrew." Her tone had almost an accusatory edge.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh. It's not that. It's- never mind. What on earth are you doing in my house, on my bed?" Victoria scooted herself up to rest against the headboard. She brushed her hair away from her face as she did so.

"I wanted to go ahead and finish up the wiring in the upstairs parlor. I didn't want you to wake up to random noises, so I thought I'd make my presence known, and bring ya coffee in the deal. You sure aren't very sweet in the morning, are you?"

Victoria narrowed her eyes, only halfway serious.

"Depends on your definition of sweet. Why are you so chipper this morning? And give me that coffee."

Andrew passed it over. "I'm just in a good mood, all right?"

She noticed Andrew averted his eyes...so she decided to taunt him a little. What could it hurt? With a wicked gleam in her eyes, she summoned a yawn and stretched. Clad only in an old faded tee-shirt, she knew the tops of her thighs peeked out from between her shirt and the blankets.

"You know what I think? I think you like me. I think that's why you're in a good mood." Victoria settled back against the headboard once more, sipping her coffee.

"Oh puh-lease." Andrew fairly rolled his eyes.

"Don't play coy with me. I know you. You like me."

"I've got work to do. Sorry I bothered you." Andrew stood and grabbed his coffee.

"Mmhmm."

"I can't hear you. I'm almost out of the room." He passed through the doorway.

"Next time, don't just sit there. Crawl in with me."

Victoria swore she heard the sound of someone choking on hot coffee.

An hour and a half later, Victoria tired of hearing all the banging around, and found herself actually missing the banter that she and Andrew shared. He hadn't come downstairs once since she made her coquettish comments, and she started to regret them- almost. At the least, it got his brain working. And if he was attracted to her, well, she would definitely be okay with pursuing some sort of relationship.

She had just gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Taking the last few steps to the window to see clearly, she saw someone go around the back of the house. She assumed it was a man- he was wearing a ragged old ball cap.

Not thinking twice, she ran out of her bedroom, hollering for Andrew. She took the stairs two at a time, and burst through the front door. She briefly registered that he was yelling for her to stop, but she trudged on through the snow.

"Stop, dammit, are you crazy?" Andrew caught her arm in a punishing grip.

"I saw someone!"

"Then you certainly don't go charging after them! What's wrong with you?" He shoved her behind him, and proceeded cautiously ahead.

Victoria realized she hadn't seen a car out front, or anything to suggest someone was there. However, footprints zigged and zagged all over this back part of the yard. But workers had been there, and she'd been outside... she wouldn't have thought anything about them had she not seen someone.

After a thorough search of the property, they didn't find anyone. Andrew stomped back towards the house, and Victoria followed meekly in his wake. Once inside, she tried to make peace.