Single Dad's Holiday Wedding

The next morning, Jace took his daughter to school then drove to the site. He needed to do everything he could to save this project. That meant convince Lori Hutchinson to stay. And that was what he planned to do.

He unlocked the chain-link fence that surrounded the deserted construction site. After opening the gate, he climbed back into his truck, pulled inside and parked in front of the two-story structure. The outside was nearly completed, except for some facade work.

Yet, inside was a different story. The loft apartments upstairs were still only framed in and the same with the retail stores/office spaces on the bottom floor. He got out as the cool wind caused him to shove his cowboy hat down on his head. Checking the sky overhead, he could feel the moisture in the air. They were predicting rain for later today. How soon before it turned to snow? He’d seen it snow in October, in Colorado.

He heard a car and looked toward the dirt road to see Lori pull in next to his truck and get out. Though tall and slender, she still didn’t reach his chin. He glanced down at her booted feet, then did a slow gaze over those long legs encased in a pair of worn jeans. Even in the cold air, his body took notice.

Calm down, boy. She was off-limits.

His gaze shot to her face. “Good morning. Welcome to Mountain Heritage.”

“Morning,” Lori returned as she burrowed deeper in her coat. “I hope this tour is going to be on the inside,” she said. “It’s really cold.”

He nodded. “Come on.”

He led her along the makeshift path through the maze of building materials to the entry. He’d been surprised when he’d gotten the call last night from her, saying she wanted to see Mountain Heritage.

“As you can see, the outside is nearly completed, just a little work left on the trim.” He unlocked the door, and let her inside.

“We’re ready to blow in insulation and hang Sheetrock. The electricians have completed the rough wiring.” He glanced at her, but couldn’t read anything from her expression. “This is going to be a green building, totally energy efficient, from the solar panels on the roof, to the tankless water heaters. Best of all, the outside of the structure blends in with the surrounding buildings. But this complex will offer so much more.”

He pushed open the double doors and allowed her to go in first. He followed as she walked into the main lobby. This was where it all looked so different. The open concept was what he loved the most about the business complex. He’d done most of the design himself and was proud of how well it was turning out.

The framework of a winding staircase to the second-story balcony still needed the wooden banister. He motioned for her to follow him across the subfloor to the back hall, finding the elevators. He explained about the hardwood floors and the large stone fireplace.

“It’s so large.”

“We need the space to entice our clients. These back elevators lead to the ten loft apartments upstairs. Both Lyle and I figured they’d rent pretty well to the winter skiers. Of course our ideal renter would be long-term. We were hoping to make it a great place to live, shop and dine all without leaving the premises.

“We have a tentative agreement to lease office spaces for a ski rental company from Justin Hilliard. He’s planning on doing a line of custom skis and snowboards.”

“How soon were you supposed to have this all completed?”

Was she going to stay? “We’d been on schedule for the end of November.” Now he was hoping he still had a full crew. Some of the subcontractors he’d been working with had come up from Durango.

Lori felt ignorant. She’d never been to a construction site. Doubts filled her again as she wondered for the hundredth time if she’d be any good taking over for Lyle. So many people were depending on her. “How are you at teaching, Jace?”

He looked confused, then said, “I guess that depends on the student and how willing they are to learn.”

“She’s very serious.” She released a sigh. “It looks like we’re going to be partners.”

Damn. Jace had a woman for his partner, a woman who didn’t know squat about construction. And he was even taking her to lunch. He’d do whatever it took to provide for his daughter.

He escorted Lori into a booth at the local coffee shop, the Silver Spoon. He hadn’t expected her to accept his lunch invitation, but they’d spent the past two hours at the site, going over everything that would need to happen in the next seven weeks to meet completion. She took notes, a lot of notes.

He’d made a call to his project manager, Toby Edwards, and had asked him to get together a crew. Within an hour, his foreman had called back to tell him they got most of the people on board to start first thing in the morning.

So it seemed natural that he would take her to lunch to celebrate. He glanced across the table. She still looked a little shell-shocked from all the information she’d consumed this morning, but she hadn’t complained once.

“This place is nice, homey,” she said. “Reminds me of the café I worked in during college.”

Okay, that surprised him. “It’s your typical family-run restaurant that serves good home cooking, a hearty breakfast in the morning and steak for supper. Outside of a steak house, there isn’t any fine dining in Destiny, and Durango is forty-eight miles away. We’re hoping a restaurant will be added to our complex. Not only more revenue for us, but more choice when you want to go out.”

He smiled and Lori felt a sudden rush go through her. No. No. No. She didn’t want to think about Jace Yeager being a man. Well, he was a man, just not the man she needed to be interested in. He was far too handsome, too distracting, and they would be working together. Correction, he was doing the work, she would be watching … and learning.

“I hear from your daughter that you’ve been remodeling your house.”

“Restoration,” he corrected. “And yes, it’s a lot of work, but I enjoy it. So many people just want to tear out and put in new. There is so much you can save. I’m refinishing the hardwood floors, and stripping the crown moldings and the built-in cabinet in the dining room. What I’ve replaced is an outdated furnace and water heater.”

She smiled. “And the roof?”

He raised an eyebrow.

She went on to say, “Cassie told me that you had to put out pans when it rained.”

She caught a hint of his smile, making him even more handsome. “Yeah, we had a few adventurous nights. We stayed dry, though.”

She couldn’t help but be curious about him, but no more personal questions. Focus on his profession. “I bet my father’s house could use some updating, too.”

“I wouldn’t know. Yesterday was the first time I’d been there. I conducted all my business with Lyle in his office at the bank.”

She didn’t get the chance to comment as the middle-aged waitress came to the table carrying two mugs and a coffeepot. With their nods, she filled the cups.

“Hi, Jace. How’s that little one of yours?”

“She keeps me on my toes.” He smiled. “Helen, this is Lorelei Hutchinson. Lori, this is Helen Turner. She and her husband, Alan, are the owners of the Silver Spoon.”

The woman smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Hutchinson. I’m sorry about your father.”

“Thank you. And please, call me Lori.”

“Will you be staying in town long?” the woman asked.

Lori glanced at Jace. “It looks that way.”

She couldn’t tell if Helen was happy about that or not. They placed their order and the woman walked away.

“I guess she hasn’t decided if she’s happy about me staying.”