AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ella? You up? I saw the rental in the driveway.” The jangling sound of keys landed on a hard surface in the kitchen.
“In here, Dad,” she called back.
His heavy footsteps echoed through the house until they hit the carpeted hallway. There was a pause of silence. Then, one thunk of a shoe hitting the floor, followed by another. A few moments later, her father’s face materialized through the darkened hallway. He grinned at her, emerging fully with his arms outstretched.
Ella hurried forward and accepted his embrace.
He let out a contented sound. “There’s my girl. The one with the best hugs.”
She laughed, resting her cheek against his chest. “You’re just saying that because I’m the only one here. I bet if—”
Her father pulled back and beamed at her. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and chuckled. “You know I don’t compare the three of you. You’re definitely my favorite daughter.”
Ella rolled her eyes, though his silly compliment still made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “I’m youronlydaughter, dad.”
“Still my favorite.” He pulled back farther. “Let me get a good look at you. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you. How long has it been? Since Christmas—two Christmases ago.” He gave her a pointed look. His dark gray, bushy eyebrows furrowed as if that was all he had to do in order to remind her that she needed to step up her game.
He knew her too well.
“I know, I know. I’ll try to be better. But you know that door swings both ways, right? Just because I haven’t come to visit you doesn’t mean you can’t come visit me. My job keeps me pretty busy for most of the year—especially in Texas, where the weather is a little more temperate than here.”
Her father draped an arm around her shoulders and led her through the house toward the stairs that would lead to their bedrooms. “You make an excellent point. Perhaps you would consider moving back here. You know, there’s been a boom in people wanting to move to this area and we don’t have nearly the number of people in your profession to keep up with demand. There’s an incredibly long wait for anyone who wants to build a house.”
She rolled her eyes again. This was a conversation they’d had several times over recent years—since her mother had passed. Both of her brothers had married and moved away. Now it was just Steve Thompson living alone with no one to visit.
That’s where her guilt stemmed from. Out of their whole family, she was the likely candidate to take care of her father in the instance of him needing care. She’d do it, too. There was just one thing holding her back.
She had a strong dislike for several people in this town and it was still hard to swallow.
“You’d be happy to hear that I got that building project all assigned out. You said you wanted a few men to pitch in, right?”
“No, I said I needed at least one helper. It didn’t have to be a man. I’m sure I could go to the closest ranch and pluck a few guys for a few hours if need be.”
He grinned at her. “There’s my strong-willed Ella, reminding me that she can do anything she sets her mind to. Regardless, I found someone to help. I was planning on making a few calls tomorrow to get some additional hands for the heavier stuff, but the two of you might just be enough to make it work.”
“That’s great, Dad.”
They trudged up the steps to the second floor and stopped in front of his bedroom.
“So, who is it?”
“Who’s who?” he murmured, leaning into his room to flip on the light.
“The guy you’ve got to help me with this project of yours. Anyone I know?”
Steve’s brows furrowed once again. “You know, I’m not sure. I don’t believe you two ran in the same crowds.”
“I didn’t run in any crowds, Dad, remember? I didn’t really have many friends.” That was still a sore point from her past she hadn’t managed to overcome as of yet.
“Oh, well, it’s Mr. Keagan.”
Her heart stumbled and her gut tightened. There were ten Mr. Keagans, but she only interacted with about three of them on a regular basis in school. And out of those three, there was only one whom she didn’t care too fondly for. There was a ten percent chance that she’d have to spend some extra time with someone she’d rather avoid altogether.
One in ten.
She found herself holding her breath, waiting for her father to break the news to her.
One in ten. Those odds were decent.
