The Christmas Family. Linda Goodnight

create a bathroom here specifically for her. Put a walk-in shower there,” he said. “Big enough to accommodate her walker or a wheelchair. Add some bench seating, lower the sink and commode so she can access them herself.”

      The ideas made Abby’s heart soar and her eyes water. “That would be wonderful. I don’t know how to thank you.”

      “No thanks needed. Gotta make things right for the little princess.” He winked. “Dawg said so.”

      She smiled, grateful to him for making light of a humiliating situation. For her, anyway.

      They moved through the house and her brain spun as he discussed removing walls, widening halls and rearranging the interior of the house for more space and flow.

      Hope, that sneaky weed, sprouted up inside her chest. His ideas were wonderful, beautiful, a dream come true. He was amazing, kind and funny, and Abby found herself looking forward to the days and hours he’d spend in her house making it better.

      Though the decision had come slowly, like Cinderella preparing for the ball, she now wanted this makeover badly. For Lila’s sake. Brady really could give her child what she needed.

      When they entered her bedroom, Abby was thankful she’d made the bed and tidied up before his arrival. She lingered in the doorway, a little disconcerted to have him in her private space. But she’d have to get used to that, she supposed. He was a builder; he didn’t think anything about it.

      Brady pointed to the ceiling and exterior wall. “Some leakage in here.”

      “Only when it rains.” She tried to sound chipper, but Brady frowned and her stomach dipped. “Will that be a problem?”

      “Depends.” He walked across to the window and the wooden floor groaned. He paused, bounced a little and frowned again. “Where’s your crawl space? Lots of weak spots in the flooring. I’d better have a look at the joists before we get too far into this.”

      She didn’t know a joist from a joust, but she knew where the crawl space was, though she couldn’t imagine a man his size crawling under her house. “You’ll get dirty.”

      Humor brightened his face. “I’m in construction. We get a little dirty.”

      “Yes, but you’re the owner.”

      “A hands-on owner. Dad insisted we know the business from the ground up. Literally.” He rotated his wide shoulders and looked down at his large body. “Though nowadays I usually send someone smaller under the houses.”

      “I fixed a broken pipe last winter. I could go under there and tell you what I see.”

      “Don’t worry. I got it. Be right back.”

      “You’ll need a flashlight.”

      “In my truck.”

      He headed outside while she checked on Lila and Dawg, and then started on kitchen cleanup. She heard him clang on a pipe with something metal, so she knew he’d somehow squeezed into the small space.

      He was gone for quite a while and when he came inside, he didn’t look happy.

      Putting away the last dish, she dried her hands, worry niggling.

      “You have spiderwebs—”

      His chin dipped toward his shoulder. “Where?”

      “Your hair. Bend down.” Without thinking anything of it, she dusted the cobwebs from his russet hair and the back of his shirt. The action felt intimate somehow, and she finished quickly.

      “Sorry. I thought I knocked them off outside.”

      A little dust on the floor was the least of her concerns. “What’s the verdict?”

      “Not what I’d hoped. Or expected.”

      “What does that mean?”

      “Sit down. Let’s talk a minute.” He motioned to the table.

      They’d been talking for two hours, but she pulled out a chair and sat. He did the same. A knot formed in her belly. Something was wrong.

      “I have bad news, Abby.” Brady pinched the top of his lip, drew in a deep breath and blew it out in a hearty gust. “Your house is not salvageable. I can’t do the remodel.”

       Chapter Four

      Abby had known it was too good to be true. She shouldn’t be disappointed. But she was. Which was exactly what she got for getting her hopes up. She knew better.

      “Is it that bad?” Sure, the old house leaked and was draftier than a barn, but she and Lila lived in reasonable comfort. Except when it rained. Or the north wind blew.

      “Bad enough that it isn’t cost-effective to remodel.”

      “Okay.” She nodded once. She’d been let down before. At least she hadn’t started dreaming and planning too much. Maybe a little when he’d mentioned color charts and carpet samples.

      She put on her best fake smile and stood. “Thank you for trying. I appreciate the thought and your time, and I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding someone else for your Christmas makeover. It’s a wonderful thing you do.”

      Brady titled his head and lifted his index finger. “Whoa, wait a second. I didn’t say I was giving up. Buchanons never give up.”

      “But if you can’t repair the problems—”

      “There’s always a way.” He twitched a shoulder. “We can start fresh, build new.”

      “What?” She slithered back onto the chair, more than a little stunned. Was he serious? Build new?

      “Makeovers come in many forms. Remodel. Brand-new. In your situation, we’ll shoot for new. We can bulldoze this house and build exactly what you want in its place.”

      Abby refused to acknowledge the sudden, thrilling anticipation frolicking in her belly. What he asked was impossible. Completely impossible. Even though the property was hers to do with as she pleased, she had no place else to go. Bulldozing to build new was out of the question! “I don’t think so, Brady.”

      “Why not? I can build bigger, better and more efficient from the ground up, a house exactly the way you want it. With all the bells and whistles and lots of pretty things for Lila.”

      Oh, he was cruel, dangling that carrot in front of her. For a fleeting moment the image of a perfect little cottage with fresh paint and matching shutters surrounded by colorful flowers flashed through her mind. A dream home for her and Lila. A place that would assist Lila to develop her strengths rather than inhibit her.

      Then reality, that cruel beast, came roaring back. Some things just weren’t possible. “Thank you, but it won’t work.”

      “Sure it will,” he said with the confidence only a successful man with an easy upbringing would display. “Starting fresh is the perfect solution.”

      He clearly hadn’t been kicked in the teeth very many times, and he had no understanding of a person without alternatives, with no place to go, no one but herself to lean on. “This place may not look like much to you, Brady, but this is our home. There’s nothing perfect about tearing it down. We live here.”

      “You can live somewhere else temporarily. It won’t be long. My crews work fast.”

      She wanted to accept his offer so badly her throat ached from holding back a shout of Yes!

      “I can’t,” she said instead. “Please understand, as much as I appreciate the offer, I like my home the way it is.” And frogs had wings. “Lila and I are fine right here.”

      She wasn’t about to admit that she had nowhere else to go, no money for another monthly payment on a rental and no relatives