us.”
“Okay.”
He turned and walked back to his desk.
Alaina admired his broad shoulders in the brown T-shirt, his ass in the tight
jeans. Doing physical work for a living had given him an amazing body.
He’s off limits, Alaina. He’s made that
very clear.
Besides, she had her bed-and-breakfast to
occupy her life. She didn’t have time for a man, not even one as sexy as Rye.
She slipped back into her chair as Rye hung
up the receiver. “Dad will meet us there in twenty minutes. That gives us time
to stop at the donut shop for coffee and hot apple fritters.”
She smiled. “Perfect.”
* * * * *
Alaina had barely known Kenneth Coleman
when she was in school, but she did remember him as a kind man who served on
the volunteer fire department and the city council. She didn’t remember him as
being so handsome. Streaks of gray highlighted his dark brown hair. A neatly
trimmed Van Dyke reflected the same brown with gray streaks. He was trim and
fit, having a better body in his mid-fifties than a lot of men she knew in
their twenties or thirties. There was no doubt where his sons got their looks.
He greeted her with a warm smile after Rye
made the introductions. “It’s nice to meet you, Alaina.”
“You too, Mr. Coleman.”
“Kenneth, please. We’ll be working together
for a while, so there’s no reason to be formal.”
“Alaina has a lot of ideas of what she
wants to do, Dad. I told her I can do the work, but want to leave the designing
up to you.”
Kenneth lifted a leather portfolio holding
a white legal pad. “I’m ready. Let’s go through the house room by room, Alaina,
and you can tell me your ideas.”
It became obvious to Alaina within five
minutes that father and son had worked together many times as they bounced
ideas off each other. It was also obvious that they were very close. Jealousy
curled in her tummy. She’d never had a close relationship with her father.
Luckily her mother had always been there for her, even when she was hurting so
much from her husband’s infidelity. Alaina thanked God every day that her
mother had finally left her father and started a new life in a different city.
She adored her stepfather. He made her mom happy, and that made him very
special in Alaina’s eyes.
They spent over two hours going through
every room on the first two floors while Kenneth and Rye took notes and
measurements. There wasn’t anything Alaina suggested that the men said couldn’t
be done. They sometimes offered a different suggestion than her original idea,
which was always better than the way she’d imagined something.
Coleman Construction’s impeccable
reputation wasn’t an exaggeration.
“All that’s left is the attic and turret,”
Rye said to Alaina. “Do you want to look at it now?”
Alaina nodded. “I want to see it all.”
Rye led the way to a small door at the west
end of the second floor. It fell off the hinges when he pulled it open. He
leaned it against the wall. “I’m surprised more doors haven’t fallen off the
hinges when we’ve opened them.”
Alaina peeked through the opening to see a
set of narrow stairs. Only one person at a time would be able to climb them.
“I’ll let you go first and knock down the cobwebs.”
Rye’s mouth twisted to one side. “Gee
thanks.”
She followed Rye up the stairs, biting her
lip to keep from laughing when she heard Kenneth’s chuckle. Each step creaked
when Rye put his weight on it, but none broke. The temperature rose as they
climbed, until it was quite warm in the stairwell. She was no construction
expert, but knew it would be unbearably hot in the attic during the height of
summer.
Tiny dust particles danced in the sunlight
flowing through the east-facing turret. Alaina immediately fell in love with
the charming area. A dusty, faded cushion covered the window seat that circled
the three sides of the bay window. The tall glass looked as if it hadn’t been
washed in a century.
She turned and walked farther
“Okay.”
He turned and walked back to his desk.
Alaina admired his broad shoulders in the brown T-shirt, his ass in the tight
jeans. Doing physical work for a living had given him an amazing body.
He’s off limits, Alaina. He’s made that
very clear.
Besides, she had her bed-and-breakfast to
occupy her life. She didn’t have time for a man, not even one as sexy as Rye.
She slipped back into her chair as Rye hung
up the receiver. “Dad will meet us there in twenty minutes. That gives us time
to stop at the donut shop for coffee and hot apple fritters.”
She smiled. “Perfect.”
* * * * *
Alaina had barely known Kenneth Coleman
when she was in school, but she did remember him as a kind man who served on
the volunteer fire department and the city council. She didn’t remember him as
being so handsome. Streaks of gray highlighted his dark brown hair. A neatly
trimmed Van Dyke reflected the same brown with gray streaks. He was trim and
fit, having a better body in his mid-fifties than a lot of men she knew in
their twenties or thirties. There was no doubt where his sons got their looks.
He greeted her with a warm smile after Rye
made the introductions. “It’s nice to meet you, Alaina.”
“You too, Mr. Coleman.”
“Kenneth, please. We’ll be working together
for a while, so there’s no reason to be formal.”
“Alaina has a lot of ideas of what she
wants to do, Dad. I told her I can do the work, but want to leave the designing
up to you.”
Kenneth lifted a leather portfolio holding
a white legal pad. “I’m ready. Let’s go through the house room by room, Alaina,
and you can tell me your ideas.”
It became obvious to Alaina within five
minutes that father and son had worked together many times as they bounced
ideas off each other. It was also obvious that they were very close. Jealousy
curled in her tummy. She’d never had a close relationship with her father.
Luckily her mother had always been there for her, even when she was hurting so
much from her husband’s infidelity. Alaina thanked God every day that her
mother had finally left her father and started a new life in a different city.
She adored her stepfather. He made her mom happy, and that made him very
special in Alaina’s eyes.
They spent over two hours going through
every room on the first two floors while Kenneth and Rye took notes and
measurements. There wasn’t anything Alaina suggested that the men said couldn’t
be done. They sometimes offered a different suggestion than her original idea,
which was always better than the way she’d imagined something.
Coleman Construction’s impeccable
reputation wasn’t an exaggeration.
“All that’s left is the attic and turret,”
Rye said to Alaina. “Do you want to look at it now?”
Alaina nodded. “I want to see it all.”
Rye led the way to a small door at the west
end of the second floor. It fell off the hinges when he pulled it open. He
leaned it against the wall. “I’m surprised more doors haven’t fallen off the
hinges when we’ve opened them.”
Alaina peeked through the opening to see a
set of narrow stairs. Only one person at a time would be able to climb them.
“I’ll let you go first and knock down the cobwebs.”
Rye’s mouth twisted to one side. “Gee
thanks.”
She followed Rye up the stairs, biting her
lip to keep from laughing when she heard Kenneth’s chuckle. Each step creaked
when Rye put his weight on it, but none broke. The temperature rose as they
climbed, until it was quite warm in the stairwell. She was no construction
expert, but knew it would be unbearably hot in the attic during the height of
summer.
Tiny dust particles danced in the sunlight
flowing through the east-facing turret. Alaina immediately fell in love with
the charming area. A dusty, faded cushion covered the window seat that circled
the three sides of the bay window. The tall glass looked as if it hadn’t been
washed in a century.
She turned and walked farther
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