His Holiday Matchmaker. Kat Brookes

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СКАЧАТЬ being afraid of letting someone else into your heart.” Reaching out, he clasped a hand atop his brother’s shoulder. “I saw what losing Isabel did to you. I had no intention of ever putting myself in that position. But then the Lord brought Audra into my life and I couldn’t keep myself from loving her. Our daddy was right. We have to have faith. In ourselves. In our love. And, more importantly, in the Lord’s plan for us.”

      Their father had told them from his deathbed in the hospital, Have faith. There is always hope beyond the storm. Despite those weakly uttered last words, all three of Caldwell Cooper’s sons had decided that day that faith wasn’t enough. If it had been, their loved ones would still be there. They’d made a pact that none of them would ever take the risk of loving and losing again. Katie was the only exception to their rule. She was already a part of their lives and needed all the love they could give her. Then Carter had to go and let his heart get in the way of common sense. But Nathan understood. Audra was a woman worth loving and she had given her heart completely to his brother.

      “So tell me about this woman our little Katie interrogated,” his brother said, lifting an arm to wipe the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his flannel shirt.

      “She’s from San Antonio,” Nathan told him. “Apparently, she’s an interior designer. Her company offered to send her here pro bono to help with the finishing touches to the rec center.”

      His brother arched a questioning brow. “Rusty accepted that without consulting us?”

      He nodded.

      “I thought we were supposed to be handling the entire project,” Carter muttered, clearly ruffled by Rusty’s lack of communication with them on the matter.

      “So did I.”

      His brother shrugged. “Reckon we can use all the help we can get if we wanna get the rec center completely finished in time. I just wish Rusty had given us some notice.”

      “From what I understand, this was a last-minute offer.” His frown deepened. “Apparently Alyssa has a degree and several years experience, and the board jumped at the chance to have her join in on the project—”

      “Alyssa?” his brother cut in, his dark brow arching even further.

      “Alyssa McCall. That’s her name,” Nathan stated matter-of-factly. “As I was saying, she has expertise in interior design and Rusty jumped at the opportunity to have her handle that part of the project.”

      His brother stroked his whisker-stubbled chin in thought, then let his hand fall away with a casual shrug. “I suppose it’s all for the same cause and she does have a degree...”

      “We don’t need her help,” Nathan muttered in irritation. Making decisions on the final touches for a lot of their jobs had once been Isabel’s responsibility. She hadn’t needed some fancy degree to make everything come together. She was a natural. Now he and Carter, along with whoever was contracting their construction services, made those decisions.

      “Look at it this way,” his brother said, understanding in his eyes. “It’ll free up a little more time for you to spend with Katie instead of spending it all here.”

      Nathan scoffed. “You’re beginning to sound like Mildred.”

      “She must be rubbing off on me,” his brother said with a grin. “So, is she pretty?”

      “Mildred?”

      Carter rolled his eyes. “I already know what a pretty gal Millie is. I was referring to Miss McCall. More important, is she single?”

      Nathan groaned. “I’ve just figured out where Katie gets her nosy nature from.”

      “I wasn’t asking for you. I was asking for Logan.”

      “Our brother happens to be a confirmed bachelor,” he replied with a frown.

      His brother eyed him curiously.

      “What?” Nathan demanded.

      “The little lady caught your eye,” Carter accused, his grin widening. “That’s why you’re so bristly about her being here. She must be a pretty one.”

      Nathan’s patience with the conversation ended. “I don’t care how pretty she is. The only woman I ever loved is gone. I’m not looking to replace her. So stop—” his words were cut off by the ringing of his cell phone.

      Pulling it from his jeans pocket, he glanced down at the caller ID and then back at his brother. “It’s Millie,” he said.

      His brother nodded, stepping away while he took the call.

      “Hello?”

      “Nathan,” Mildred said, her voice quivering. “I’m sorry to bother you at work.”

      The tremor in her voice had his heart dropping like a lead weight. “What’s wrong?”

      “I’m afraid there’s been an emergency,” she told him.

      Despite their strength, his muscular legs threatened to give way beneath him. He struggled to take a breath. Please, God, not again.

      Carter was beside him in an instant. “What is it, Nathan?”

      He waved his brother off and forced the dreaded question from his suddenly bone-dry mouth. “Is it Katie?”

      “Oh, goodness, no. She’s right as rain,” Millie assured him. “It’s my sister.”

      Relief swept through him with gale force. “Your sister,” he repeated as he dragged a hand back through his hair. Then his thoughts shifted to concern for Millie, who had been through enough after losing her husband. “Is she all right?”

      “From what I understand, Eleanor lost her balance coming down the stairs this evening and broke her ankle. It’s bad enough to require immediate surgery, which they’ve scheduled for tomorrow.”

      “Ah, Millie,” he said, shaking his head, “I hate to hear that. Is there anything I can do?”

      “That’s why I’m calling. Eleanor’s all by herself. I really need to be there with her.”

      “Of course, you do,” he said without even a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll come get Katie.”

      “No need to pick her up right now,” Millie assured him. “She can sleep here tonight like we planned and you can pick her up in the morning. I’m not about to drive up to Laredo tonight. Not with the weather being what it is.”

      “I can drive you there,” he offered. How could he not? Millie had done so much for him the past two years.

      “I appreciate the offer,” she said, “but Eleanor really needs to get some rest before her surgery tomorrow.”

      “Are you sure?”

      “I’m sure. You just keep on working to get that rec center done in time for the party. I’ll make a few calls and see if I can round up someone to watch Katie until I get back. I’m not sure how long I’ll be needed in Laredo.”

      “Don’t СКАЧАТЬ