Jingle Bell Blessings. Bonnie K. Winn

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      Chloe nodded, thinking of her mother, worrying about her.

      “My father passed away when I was in junior high school. My younger brother, Chip, is in the army—he and his family are stationed in Germany. And my mother lives in an extended care facility. She has COPD—it’s a chronic pulmonary condition. Because of it, she can’t live on her own. If she had a bad episode and no one was around, it could be…” she glanced down at Jimmy, then up to meet the understanding in Gordon’s eyes. “Since I work full-time, it’s safest where she is.”

      “Much extended family?”

      “They all live pretty far away in the rural part of the state. But Milwaukee still clings to its ethnic roots. We have areas that are primarily German, Romanian, Hungarian. Makes neighborhoods friendly.”

      “Sounds familiar.”

      “Rosewood has neighborhoods like that?”

      He smiled. “Pretty much the whole town. We’re a dying breed, but we don’t cotton to superstores, tourist traps. So far, we’ve been able to keep them out. The news always says mom-and-pop businesses can’t survive, but they do here.” Gordon chuckled. “Sounds like I’m about a century old with my reminiscing.”

      Chloe was liking him more and more. “I noticed the town was pretty when we were driving through.” She lowered her lashes, trying to hide some of her anxiety from Jimmy. “But I was too nervous…driving in an unfamiliar rental car to pay very much attention.”

      “Then we need to take care of that.” He turned to Jimmy, who was adding even more syrup to his plate. “What do you say? After breakfast, we check things out?”

      Jimmy appeared shy but pleased.

      While she was looking forward to their tour, Chloe didn’t know how it was going to help matters. The look in Evan’s eyes that morning had said it all. He wasn’t about to change his mind.

      Evan studied the latest financial report. Mitchell Stone was sinking as though pummeled by its own boulders.

      Perry Perkin, their chief financial officer, shoved both hands in his pockets. “Numbers won’t get any better by staring at them.”

      “Yeah.” But he had to turn around the profits. The employees depended on him, most were like family. “Construction business is picking up. Got two new orders this week.”

      “Small ones. Evan, you know they aren’t going to carry the payroll.”

      “Recession hit everyone, Perry. It’ll take time for bigger deals to roll in.” Mitchell Stone had operations all over the hill country and in other parts of the state. Even though most of Texas hadn’t been hit as hard by the recession as the rest of the country, new construction was still down. And many of their orders had been national as well as international, customers that still remained on shaky ground. “We’ll make the payroll.”

      “If you keep putting your personal money in the business, you’ll tank when it does.”

      “If, not when.” Evan plowed his fingers through his hair, then looked out the window at Main Street. “You know we’ve had our offices in this building more than a century. My great-grandfather didn’t want to confine himself to one quarry, so he insisted on having an office right in the middle of town. That’s why he kept looking for more sources, staking more claims all his life. Then my grandfather and my father. And there was a little thing called the Great Depression that happened along the way. But Mitchell Stone never closed its doors. I don’t intend to let it happen on my watch.”

      Perry was empathetic but realistic. “You know as well as I do, that the first decade of this millennium wasn’t hit by just a recession. It was a depression.”

      “Plattville is accepting bids next month on their new courthouse. If we can get a lock on who wins the job…” Speculating, Evan knew Mitchell Stone would be one of dozens interested in supplying the limestone.

      Perry sighed. “Look, I’ve got some savings. More than my shares in the company. I’ll cut my salary down to just enough to cover my health insurance.”

      “You can’t do that.”

      “I’m in charge of payroll. Be pretty hard to stop me. And, I can just about guarantee that everybody else would understand a cut in pay. In fact, they would support the idea, so we don’t have to close.”

      “No. Let’s take it slow. Holidays are just about here. I’m not taking Christmas dinner out of any mouths.”

      “You’re a good man, Evan.” Perry sighed. “I’m just not sure you know when to say no.”

      Chapter Three

      “No!” Evan looked exasperated as he spoke to his father.

      Gordon put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “If you don’t have time now to show Jimmy the quarry, we’ll do it another day.”

      Chloe held her breath, hoping the men wouldn’t argue.

      “Course I could do it myself…” Gordon continued. “Not sure I still have my keys to the outer gates, though.”

      Evan rolled his eyes heavenward. “I’ll fit it in this week or next. Don’t you have enough to keep busy today?”

      Gordon rubbed his chin in thought. “Well, I do have a doctor’s appointment….”

      Chloe choked back unexpected laughter, coughing to cover the sound. Gordon had told them he had a checkup scheduled with the foot doctor. He sure was milking the excuse for all it was worth. And clearly it was working.

      Concern filled Evan’s face. “You didn’t tell me.”

      Gordon shrugged, his face on the verge of woeful. “You’ve already got a lot on your mind.”

      Evan glanced at his father, then plunked a pile of papers down on his desk. “You want me to take you to the doctor?”

      Clearing his throat, Gordon shook his head. “Not necessary.”

      Reluctantly, Evan shifted his gaze to Chloe. “I’ll show them around the quarry. But I can’t spend all day.”

      Chloe knew his last words were directed at her. “I’ve never been to a quarry before.”

      “I’ve never met any women who wanted to before.”

      Tension bubbled through the air like hail stones.

      “So that’s settled.” Gordon turned to leave. “I’ll see you all back at the house.”

      “I told you I can’t…” Evan didn’t bother to complete the sentence since his father was walking away without listening.

      “Spend all day,” Chloe completed for him. “Jimmy and I understand, don’t we, big guy?”

      Jimmy, looking intimidated by Evan, nodded tentatively.

      For the briefest moment, Evan’s countenance turned utterly СКАЧАТЬ