Heart Strings

CHAPTER 1

It was early evening and a light breeze was adding a mild chill to the air. The sun had played hide and seek behind the clouds all day, after a pesky cold front had moved in the night before, but that hadn't stopped a good majority of the townsfolk from forgoing jackets and long sleeves for the comfort of t-shirts and ball caps. Holly had worked the early shift and raced home to straighten up the garage apartment and air it out a bit before showing it to a prospective renter. She knew the place was on the smaller side, but it was cozy and clean and she didn't think she was asking an inordinate amount of rent like some others around town tended to do. She didn't really like the idea of having a stranger living under what was 'technically' her roof, but she needed the money and the rooms were going to waste, so it had only made sense to place the ad in the paper.

Standing at the kitchen window, she saw the motorcycle pull into the end of her driveway and watched the driver swing his long leg over the bike and remove his helmet as he gazed toward the detached garage and up the flight of stairs that led to the apartment. He didn't look anything like she had pictured the man behind the voice on her phone earlier that day. Smoothing her hair back, she stepped to the screen door and pushed it open, walking out to greet him.

"Hello, you must be David," she offered him her hand as she reached the driveway. Smiling, he took it, shaking his head... 

"Hi... I, uh, no, I'm not David."

She gave him a crooked smile, "You didn't call about taking a look at the apartment?"

"No ma'am... I was a few blocks over having a cup of coffee when I saw the ad in the paper and drove straight over. Should I have called first?"

Blushing for no logical reason that she could think of, she took a step back and explained. "Oh, I see. uh, a gentleman named "David" called earlier today and asked to see the apartment at 5:00. But, since it is nearly 6:00 and he hasn't shown up, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't take a look... hold on a sec while I grab my phone."

As she walked up the stairs to the house, Bucky watched with great interest as her hips swayed in a delightful way and her short skirt gave him an enticing view of her shapely legs. After just a few seconds, she came back out and joined him in the driveway.

"As you can see, it's your typical garage apartment set-up; those stairs are the only direct access to it and in case you were wondering, the garage itself is used more or less for storage... I don'tpark in it so there won't be any fumes or anything to bother you. But if you wanted to park your bike in there, I think there is plenty of room for it."

As they reached the top of the stairs, Holly could feel his eyes on her. She opened to door and they stepped inside. Bucky looked around and nodded as he touched the round table just off the kitchen. As he expected, it was small, with the kitchen, dining, and living areas all combined in the front, a good sized bathroom and fairly large bedroom at the back. He went to every window and peeked out, smiling as he took in how clean it all was. The counter tops were granite, and the cabinets were real wood painted white. There was a gently used sofa bed, a recliner chair, a 36 inch flat screen t.v. and a bookshelf filled with a variety of reading material. In the bedroom he found a queen size bed, a tall chest of drawers and a decent sized closet. The bathroom was recently updated and there was a linen closet with plenty of room for towels and sheets.

"Wow... this... this is really so much nicer than I imagined it would be," he gave her wide grin; "I'll take it if you'll have me!"

Holly had been watching him closely as he had inspected every corner and couldn't stop the flutter in her chest as he smiled several times at what he was seeing. What she saw was a singularly beautiful man, with his thick brown hair hanging well below his collar, scruffy bearded face, sparkling blue eyes, brilliant smile, long legs and large frame belying the soft voice and the care that he took as he had made his way around the apartment. He was a miss-matched hodge-podge of characteristics that she found intriguing as well as quite charming. She could tell that he liked the place but was still a little surprised by his pronouncement that he was ready to move in.