Paul groaned.
“It was an accident. Gram and I were up late, and I couldn’t find the bag with my shoes, and—”
“I sort of cut her off turning onto Mill Road,” Heath interrupted with a sheepish look that would have convinced the most jaded Hollywood director to hire him on the spot. “The damage isn’t bad, and I’ll have it fixed in a couple days, tops. For free, since it was my fault.”
Even though he’d told her the same thing earlier, Tess still couldn’t believe he was so blithely taking responsibility for their run-in. She was trying to figure out why when a soft voice asked, “Are you all right?”
Tess glanced over and saw Paul’s wife, Chelsea, silhouetted in the hallway that separated the front end of the mill house from the saws on the production floor. Wearing a burgundy dress with a high-waisted tie, she slowly waddled over to join them.
Not wanting to worry her very pregnant boss, Tess forced a smile and stepped forward for a reassuring hug. “Just embarrassed to be late for my first day of work. How are you?”
“Fine. I wanted to be up front when you got here, but the baby’s been pounding on some uncomfortable places this morning.”
Tess caught Paul’s concerned scowl and studied his wife more closely. While she was clearly trying to hide it, she appeared to be far past exhausted. Beyond that, the way she was standing betrayed the fact that she was actually in pain.
“Chelsea,” Paul began in a gentle voice, “I think you should sit down.”
“I’ve been sitting down,” she snapped in frustration. “I took a walk, I lay down on that old settee in the store room. Nothing I do makes any difference, so I’m going to stand.”
Obviously accustomed to a hormonal mood swing or two, he didn’t respond but met her stormy look head-on. She glared at him for a moment before relenting with a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry, everyone. I’m just having a bad morning.”
“It’s not the first one,” Paul pointed out. “I’m glad we’re seeing the doctor today.”
“Our appointment’s at one,” she said to Tess. “I hate to leave you alone so soon, but you can call me if you have any questions.”
“Not a problem at all,” Tess assured her warmly. Looking around, she noted the feminine touches in the waiting area, from the gingham cushions to the curtains waving in the breeze. Admiring the framed photos of the mill from its Civil War beginnings to the present day, she turned to Chelsea. “Everything looks great. You’ve done an amazing job in here.”
“You should check out the saws,” Heath piped up enthusiastically. “It’s awesome to see them when they’re all running.”
While she appreciated his enthusiasm, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his boyish reaction than simple nostalgia. In deference to her sanity, she didn’t normally dwell on her less than stellar past. But Heath’s fondness for his made her wish she held that kind of affection for the life she’d been living.
Pushing her brooding aside, she shifted her focus to Paul. “At the wedding, Chelsea told me your dad converted the equipment to run on electricity years ago. What made you decide to go back to water power?”
“Waterwheels are cool,” the two guys said in unison, making her and Chelsea laugh.
“Well, I can’t argue with that,” Tess allowed. “Do you have time to show me now?”
He grinned proudly. “I’m between runs, so come on in.”
Giving in to her fatigue, Chelsea waved them along. “Daisy and I will be in the office when you’re done.”
“Your kitty assistant,” Tess recalled. “How is she?”
“More trouble than ever, and since she’s deaf she can’t hear me scolding her. I keep telling myself it’s good practice for when I’m chasing after a toddler who won’t listen.”
As she headed into her office, Tess saw her take a pair of sound-canceling headphones from a hook near the Dutch door. Probably a good idea for herself, too, along with finding a good place to buy more casual clothes and some sensible shoes. This was a far more rustic work environment than she was accustomed to, and she was ridiculously overdressed.
Paul handed her and Heath some shop headphones before donning his own. Then he did a quick visual check of the waterwheel through an opening in the floor and gave them a thumbs-up. With some effort, he pulled a wooden handle that looked to be original to the building and stepped back to join them.
Once everything got up to speed, the entire structure shook as the leather belts whipped around and through the mechanism that ran the huge saws. Used for ripping timber into usable planks, it was hard to believe so much raw power came from damming up one small stream that bubbled so pleasantly through the woods.
When Paul shut everything down, he was all but humming with excitement for what he’d accomplished. “So?”
“It’s amazing. I can’t imagine they make most of the parts anymore. Where did you find replacements?”
“Some are still around in one form or another,” he explained. “When I could, I modified them to work. When I couldn’t, I made ’em myself.”
That kind of technical expertise was way beyond her realm of understanding, and she was impressed by his resourcefulness. Not to mention his dogged determination. Resting a hand on his arm, she smiled up at him. “Granddad must’ve been thrilled when you got this all put back together again.”
A bit of the sorrow she felt moved through his eyes, telling her just how much Will Barrett’s grandson still missed him. “I’m glad he got to see it.”
“So am I.”
* * *
Heath held the front door open for Tess, admiring her ability to walk in those silly shoes.
“Chelsea, you just put your feet up and relax while I’m gone,” Tess ordered as she moved toward the exit. “Make a list of what needs to be done, and you can walk me through it before you and Paul go to the doctor.”
“That sounds wonderful, but there’s no need to rush back here. Things are pretty quiet right now.”
Her claim didn’t match up with the job list he’d seen posted in the carpentry area, and Heath gave her a long look. Which she artfully ignored. Once Tess had sidled past him and onto the front porch out of earshot, he leaned his arms on top of the half door and winked at Chelsea. “I know what you’re up to, Mrs. Barrett, and you can forget about it.”
She blinked at him with all the innocence of a springtime fawn. “What?”
“No need to rush back here.” He imitated her musical drawl in a passable falsetto, then switched back to his own voice. “Ya gotta be more subtle if you’re planning to take up matchmaking.”
“Was it that obvious?” she asked with a laugh. “I thought I was being pretty smooth.”
He knew she meant well, so he eased back with a smile. “People get married, start having babies, they get all gooey about stuff like that. I get it, but I don’t want you getting any ideas about pairing me up with Tess. I’m not looking for anything serious right now, and she made it clear she’s not interested in anything but helping you out while you’re on maternity leave.”
Brutally clear, he added silently. He didn’t know why her icy warning still stung, but only a complete moron would ignore it.
“She’s only been in town a couple of days,” Chelsea reminded him. “When she gets more comfortable here, her feelings might change.”
“Not hardly,” he said evenly. “Besides, she’s not staying that long, so there’s no point in trying to make something out of nothing.”
“But you would