She nodded. She hadn’t thought of any of that, and now it seemed so very trivial to think about it now.
“He almost died. He could’ve.”
Kas nodded. “I know. But he didn’t. I saw your face when you came home from the hospital after seeing him last night. You’ve known Caleb practically your whole life and so have I.”
“It would’ve been horrible,” she said softly, looking down at her hands holding the mug and wishing she could hold Caleb’s hand or touch his cheek and feel that warmth again.
“Why do I get the feeling it would’ve been a whole lot worse for you than it would’ve been for me?” Kas asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Caleb and I have been friends since first grade. We’ve fallen out touch, but that doesn’t make him any less a friend. But you…”
“What are you saying? It would have been awful if Caleb had…”
She shook her head and drummed her fingers on the kitchen table. Somehow she’d expected Kas to be angry with her. She didn’t expect this.
“It happened. I never should’ve started this project not knowing what I’m doing. And if I spend the rest of my life working day and night I will pay you back for every cent of the money you loaned me.”
“Katie, I’m not talking about money. I get it. It was a lot of money. But I didn’t know what I was doing in the beginning either. You’ll learn. And you’ll ask me questions. And hopefully I’ll think of things to tell you before accidents like this happen again.”
She rubbed her face as if washing away the shame.
“Hey, I didn’t think you were ready for something like this. But you’re smart and you learn fast. And it’s a good project. Honestly, I couldn’t believe the price you proposed to Callahan and I was even more surprised when he agreed to it. You’ll probably double your investment right now without doing another thing. But this isn’t about money. I saw the way you looked when you walked through that door last night. I saw the anguish on your face. When did you fall in love with Caleb Samuel?”
* * *
Her brother was nuts. City living had made him weird and soft and romantic. Or maybe Tabby had done this to him. He was not acting like the brother she’d known her whole life. And Katie was not in love with Caleb Samuel. How could Kas even think such a stupid thing like that?
She’d known Caleb Samuel practically her whole life. He was…Caleb. And he was her friend. And she’d worried about him all week while he was in the hospital. But he was coming home in a few days and he could finish healing. And life could get back to normal again.
In the meantime, she had work to do. She’d called her insurance company and made sure she had insurance on the property from this day forward.
The last couple of days had been warm and the snow had started to melt. As she pulled into the small chapel parking lot she saw how tire tracks marred the soft ground and in the grass next to the chapel. Some of these marks were made by the police cars and the ambulance that had come to help Caleb when the beam had collapsed on top of him.
She stared at the ground. Some were different. She wasn’t sure how she knew. She got out of the car and studying the footprints leading to the side door. It was odd. They weren’t boots of any kind that she recognized. In one spot, it was as if the person walking had slid and maybe even fallen.
Her heart sunk. All she needed was someone else to have an accident on her property. She’d be bankrupt for sure.
She’d spent two days getting quotes from contractors in the area, not that she knew for sure she could afford them. But she wasn’t about to let this project sit and not be worked on. Especially the roof. That needed to be fixed right away. She wasn’t sure how she’d feel coming back here after seeing Caleb collapsed on the floor. But she’d started this project, and Kasper had given his blessing to finish it, no matter what it took.
As she walked to the side door she marveled at what a difference a few days made. The weather just a few days ago was cold and snowy. Today the temperature was creeping into the fifties. Spring was on its way. It was Montana, so they would most likely see snow in some form or another until May, especially in the higher elevations. A lot of what had fallen and created such problem was already gone.
She looked at the pasture, still covered with snow, and the mountains in the distance. She loved this place. Always had. She didn’t know what was going to happen beyond finishing the chapel and seeing it beautiful again. But it would be finished, and it would be beautiful. Someone would live here, look out at that mountain range every morning when the sun came up, and know they were home. Someone would raise a family here and maybe live their life to a ripe old age.
Chuckling, she shook her head and then looked at the path in front of her. She stopped short when she saw the yellow notice on the side door. And her stomach dropped.
Bright yellow couldn’t be good. She hadn’t applied for her building permit yet. She couldn’t do that until she got the plans approved from the building inspector. Perhaps he’d come out here earlier to see her and put a note on the door.
But as she got closer to the door, Katie saw in large bold letters Cease and Desist Order. The envelope tucked behind the yellow notice made her stomach churn. She grabbed the envelope and thought about stuffing it in
