in, his dark brow arching even further.
“Alyssa McCall. That’s her name,” Nathan stated matter-of-factly. “As I was saying, she has expertise in interior design and Rusty jumped at the opportunity to have her handle that part of the project.”
His brother stroked his whisker-stubbled chin in thought, then let his hand fall away with a casual shrug. “I suppose it’s all for the same cause and she does have a degree...”
“We don’t need her help,” Nathan muttered in irritation. Making decisions on the final touches for a lot of their jobs had once been Isabel’s responsibility. She hadn’t needed some fancy degree to make everything come together. She was a natural. Now he and Carter, along with whoever was contracting their construction services, made those decisions.
“Look at it this way,” his brother said, understanding in his eyes. “It’ll free up a little more time for you to spend with Katie instead of spending it all here.”
Nathan scoffed. “You’re beginning to sound like Mildred.”
“She must be rubbing off on me,” his brother said with a grin. “So, is she pretty?”
“Mildred?”
Carter rolled his eyes. “I already know what a pretty gal Millie is. I was referring to Miss McCall. More important, is she single?”
Nathan groaned. “I’ve just figured out where Katie gets her nosy nature from.”
“I wasn’t asking for you. I was asking for Logan.”
“Our brother happens to be a confirmed bachelor,” he replied with a frown.
His brother eyed him curiously.
“What?” Nathan demanded.
“The little lady caught your eye,” Carter accused, his grin widening. “That’s why you’re so bristly about her being here. She must be a pretty one.”
Nathan’s patience with the conversation ended. “I don’t care how pretty she is. The only woman I ever loved is gone. I’m not looking to replace her. So stop—” his words were cut off by the ringing of his cell phone.
Pulling it from his jeans pocket, he glanced down at the caller ID and then back at his brother. “It’s Millie,” he said.
His brother nodded, stepping away while he took the call.
“Hello?”
“Nathan,” Mildred said, her voice quivering. “I’m sorry to bother you at work.”
The tremor in her voice had his heart dropping like a lead weight. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid there’s been an emergency,” she told him.
Despite their strength, his muscular legs threatened to give way beneath him. He struggled to take a breath. Please, God, not again.
Carter was beside him in an instant. “What is it, Nathan?”
He waved his brother off and forced the dreaded question from his suddenly bone-dry mouth. “Is it Katie?”
“Oh, goodness, no. She’s right as rain,” Millie assured him. “It’s my sister.”
Relief swept through him with gale force. “Your sister,” he repeated as he dragged a hand back through his hair. Then his thoughts shifted to concern for Millie, who had been through enough after losing her husband. “Is she all right?”
“From what I understand, Eleanor lost her balance coming down the stairs this evening and broke her ankle. It’s bad enough to require immediate surgery, which they’ve scheduled for tomorrow.”
“Ah, Millie,” he said, shaking his head, “I hate to hear that. Is there anything I can do?”
“That’s why I’m calling. Eleanor’s all by herself. I really need to be there with her.”
“Of course, you do,” he said without even a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll come get Katie.”
“No need to pick her up right now,” Millie assured him. “She can sleep here tonight like we planned and you can pick her up in the morning. I’m not about to drive up to Laredo tonight. Not with the weather being what it is.”
“I can drive you there,” he offered. How could he not? Millie had done so much for him the past two years.
“I appreciate the offer,” she said, “but Eleanor really needs to get some rest before her surgery tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. You just keep on working to get that rec center done in time for the party. I’ll make a few calls and see if I can round up someone to watch Katie until I get back. I’m not sure how long I’ll be needed in Laredo.”
“Don’t trouble yourself any,” he told her. “I’ll just bring Katie into work with me tomorrow. There’s no school. Some sort of teacher in-service day, which will be followed right after by Christmas break. I’m sure Audra would be willing to help out if I need her while you’re away.”
“Of course,” she said. “Thank you for being so understanding about my leaving.”
“Eleanor’s your sister,” he told her. “You need to be there for her. Now you be sure to get some rest yourself. I’ll be by first thing tomorrow morning to pick Katie up.”
“I’ll have her ready.”
“And, Millie...”
“Yes?”
“Give Katie a kiss good-night for me.”
“I’ll do that.”
He turned the phone off and found Carter standing there staring at him.
“What happened?” his brother asked, his brows furrowed in concern.
“Millie’s sister in Laredo busted her ankle pretty bad. She’s having surgery tomorrow and Millie’s gonna head on up there to be with her. Sounds like she’ll be staying with her sister for a while afterward to help out.”
“I have to admit, when you first answered her call and I saw the color drain from your face, I thought something had happened to Katie.”
“You and me both,” Nathan admitted. His baby girl was his world. If anything ever happened to her...
He forced the thought from his mind and pulled the hammer from its loop on his tool belt. “What are we standing around for? We’ve got us a rec center to finish.”
The morning sun shone brightly through the multipaned windows of the dining room as Alyssa hurried downstairs, eager to start her day’s work at the rec center.
“Good morning, dear,” Doris greeted from the dining room, giving Alyssa a start.
“You’re up early,” she said. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Not at all. I rise with the sun.”
Just then, Myrna entered through a door on the far side of the room, a warm smile moving across her face. “Perfect timing,” she said as she moved toward the antique pedestal table in the center of the room. In one hand, she held a bowl filled with what Alyssa guessed to be scrambled eggs. In the other, a plate of crispy bacon, which had Alyssa’s mouth watering. “Come on in and have a seat, dear. We’ll see to it you’re fed before you start your busy workday.”
Alyssa stepped into the room and settled into one of the balloon-backed Victorian chairs. “You didn’t have to make me breakfast. I could have grabbed something on my way through town.”
“Honey,