Unhurt Read Free Page A

stunning. Old. Antique, really. So me. Wrap-around porches, shutters on the windows and high peaks in the roof. It had a total dollhouse goes to the farm vibe about it.
    Meanwhile, Derek was leading the way up to the front door, smirking. “Not the kind of place you were expecting?” Then he pointed at the trailer parked in the driveway alongside the house. “There’s all your tubs by the way. I can haul them over to your place sometime this weekend if you really want them.”
    “I do.” I was nodding. Not because of the tubs, although Derek probably interpreted it that way, but because I was so in awe of everything. The whole exterior of the house had been completely redone and restored. Every little detail was flawlessly finished while still maintaining its unique character and aged grace.
    Once inside, things only got better. I mean, it was clearly a work in progress, but damn, Derek did nice work. I was about to try and get a better look when a huge German Shepard came bounding toward us, tail wagging with excitement.
    “Hey, Hattie.” She reared up on her hind legs, reaching her front paws toward his neck as though she was giving him a hug. It was the sweetest freaking thing. “Alright. Down, girl. There you go. That’s a good girl.”
    I was still standing there like an idiot just staring at the two, when Hattie had her fill of Derek and came to check me out. Suddenly she was slightly less adorable and quite a lot intimidating as she sniffed me pretty seriously.
    “Um, am I going to pass the inspection here, you think?”
    Derek laughed. “Time will tell.”
    Not exactly the reassuring answer I was looking for. I was about to ask if he had any cheese or meat lying around that I could present as a peace offering when I felt something wet in the palm of my hand. Hattie’s tongue.
    “I think you’re good.” Derek smiled. “Hattie, let’s give her some room to breathe, huh?”
    As if she had understood him word for word, the dog glanced up at me briefly, gave me one last lick and then moseyed back over to Derek.
    “You could have done that sooner, right?” I tipped my head to the side suspiciously.
    “Maybe.” It was pretty clear that he was enjoying my near panic attack upon meeting his dog. “So, you want to come and see the furniture?”
    “That is what I came here for.”
    He nodded and led the way, Hattie practically glued to his side.
    “Is this your home or your project?” I teased as we passed the kitchen. There were no appliances, and much like my brother’s bar, no flooring.
    “A little of both for now.” Derek grinned sheepishly. “I like to keep busy.”
    “Obviously.” Not that I couldn’t relate. My place looked a lot like this. Only unlike the structure, all of my reconstructing was taking place on what filled the house. “How long have you lived here?”
    He continued through the house and up the stairs. “About six months. Just kind of working my way through the place one room at a time, starting up here.” He opened the door to the master bedroom, gesturing for me to enter.
    “Wow. This stuff is gorgeous.” It was all solid wood, Victorian. The pieces had definitely seen a shade, or a hundred, of paint in their time, and it would require some hardcore sanding just to get back to a raw surface I could actually work with, but it would be so worth it.
    He went to stand beside the dresser. The way he let his finger glide affectionately across the top, I could tell he truly appreciated the treasure he had found. It was weird though because I’d never seen anyone else be quite as fond of old crap as I was.
    Derek tilted his head toward the king-sized bed. “Think you can salvage this stuff? The headboard’s got some water damage toward the bottom. Wherever they were storing it must have gotten wet. I was going to see about replacing the back legs myself, but I’d rather an expert take on the job, you know?”
    “You’ve come to the right place, my friend. I would love