The Third Daughter's Wish. Kaitlyn Rice

a piece of gum and a roll of hard candy from his pumpkin, Luke placed them carefully on the table before shaking his head. “No. I wanna be a pleece-man, like Daddy.”

      “I understand,” Gabe said.

      And he did. Josie’s nephew hadn’t met his father until he was a year old, but since then both Ethan and Luke had been making up for lost time. “Oh, well,” Gabe said, shooting a teasing smirk toward Josie. “Maybe I can talk your aunt into being a contractor next year. She’d be less spooky in a tool belt than she is in a mustache, I think.” He winked at Luke, who giggled.

      Josie didn’t respond at all. She sat clutching her paper sack and eyeing that damn lollipop, appearing very much as if she hadn’t heard.

      She was sure acting strange.

      When Callie returned to the kitchen, Gabe and Josie said their goodbyes and returned to the car just as five gruesome-looking revelers passed the dark house.

      Gabe watched Josie set the paper sack on her lap again. He’d thought it was a gift for her sister or the kids, but she’d carried it inside and back out again.

      Josie didn’t talk in the car, which left Gabe to wonder what could be so wrong. Callie was Lilly’s mother, and she’d obviously decided to maintain as much normalcy as possible.

      Gabe wondered how long it would take Josie to unload this new burden, whatever it was. “Something happen at Callie’s that I missed?” he asked.

      “Not that I know of.”

      More silence.

      “Things okay at your work site this week?” he asked as they traveled through downtown Wichita. “Trouble with suppliers?”

      She shifted in her seat, and Gabe prayed she’d snap out of it now. “Peter’s pushing for me to finish the first model home by Thanksgiving,” she said. And stopped talking.

      Peter Kramer was a Wichita developer who had hired both of them for his current project. He was demanding, but fair. Gabe glanced across at Josie. “Gonna make it?”

      She stared straight ahead. “Sure. I’m ordering draperies this week, and I scheduled the furniture to be delivered a week early.”

      Josie’s tone was confident. She’d make a lot of money from this job, and she’d probably score a referral or two. Apparently, work wasn’t the problem.

      “Ethan and Callie have got a handle on this thing with Lilly,” he said. “They’ll work diligently to find answers. Lucky thing your sister does medical research for a living.”

      “Mm-hmm.”

      Okay. Josie didn’t sound overly upset about Lilly. Not right now. But she acted…bothered. By something.

      “And how’s Isabel? Still enjoying Colorado life?”

      “She loves it.”

      Gabe asked a few more questions about Josie’s sisters, but she simply answered and didn’t get enthused about her tales. And as soon as he stopped asking, she stopped talking. “What’s bugging you, then, kid?”

      “Nothing.”

      “You’re completely distracted.”

      “No, I’m not.”

      “You hardly paid attention to Luke.”

      “Yes, I did. He commented on all our costumes. He thought it was strange that I was dressed as a guy.”

      “Oh, yeah? What did he want that he didn’t have?”

      “A gun and holster. He’s asked for them every year since he was two. Callie always refuses.”

      “What did he say when I offered him a tool belt and hard hat?” Gabe asked.

      “You didn’t.”

      He caught her gaze, held it.

      Josie sniffed. “I guess I missed that. I was probably watching Lilly.”

      “Callie had taken her out of the room by then.”

      Josie scowled.

      “See? You’re acting funny.”

      “If I am, it’s none of your business.”

      He dropped the subject. In his family, everything was everyone’s business. But Josie had grown up with a mother who’d held a high regard for privacy. This wasn’t the first time Josie had told him to mind his own business. Perhaps she’d talk after they’d relaxed at the party for a while.

      Or maybe Gabe would stop worrying about it. He’d decided he ought to start dating again—it’d been almost nine months since he’d had that fling with Kendra.

      Gabe’s married sister, Nadine, had said she might bring a single teacher friend tonight. She thought the woman and Gabe might hit it off.

      Maybe Gabe would focus on his own good time. And Josie could talk when she was ready.