“Don’t forget about asbestos, Dad. With the safety issues, I should probably get someone out here immediately after beginning the demolition.”
Absentmindedly, her father nodded. “I think we should keep that distinctive knotty pine in the family room as well. I like your idea of a wall of sliding doors opening up to the lake. There’re several energy-efficient options available now, too. That’ll bring in a lot more light and enhance the beauty of the paneling rather than making it appear as dark and dingy as it does right now.” After signing off on her clipboard, he handed it back over to Kate.
Kate’s voice was unsteady. “Thanks, Dad. I promise I’ll do a good job.
Easing an arm over her shoulders, he squeezed her gently. “Of that, I have no doubt.”
“Now, what else did you need to talk to me about?”
Her father hesitated. “Have you got any more of that coffee left?”
She smiled. “Sure. The air in here is a little musty – even with the windows open. Let’s go back outside.”
After settling back on the patio with his coffee, her father cleared his throat and began, “Dan and I took stock of the warehouse, Kate. And it appears you two were right – the inventory doesn’t match up with the numbers.” Home from college for the summer, Kate’s older brother, Dan, worked in the warehouse, distributing previously inventoried building materials.
Kate raised a brow. “And?”
“For the last three weeks, we’ve been tracking materials after they’ve left the warehouse. The numbers seem to match up with our jobs here in town. So we’ve been able to eliminate approximately two-thirds of our employees from suspicion.”
“I’d like to see that list of names.”
He nodded. “We haven’t been able to get a count on our materials going out of town, though. We’ve just been too busy. I’ve reassigned all the remaining employees who haven’t been crossed off the list. Over the summer, they’ll be split between our two largest jobs here in town. Hopefully, no one’s become suspicious. I’ll tag along and work with the crew at the new golf course.”
Kate nodded. “And the other?”
“Luke Arnett’s crew? I’ve assigned Luke to the campgrounds because the plans for each cabin are straightforward and easy to follow. And I’ve – conveniently – ordered the majority of his required building materials already. So it should be easier to track the materials – if they begin to disappear. I’d rather not have to look over Luke’s shoulder.”
“You’re suspicious of Luke Arnett? I can’t see him stealing from you, Dad – he’s been with you for over fifteen years! But that’s why you made it so easy for me to move into the cabin for the summer, isn’t it?” Her eyes met his. “Since the campground’s right next door?”
Her father snorted. “Easy? With your mother?”
Kate laughed. “I can only imagine. She’s been so overprotective. Thanks, Dad – I really appreciate it. It’s not that I mind living at home – our house is large enough. But I’ve really needed some breathing space.”
Her father sighed. “In some ways, Kate, out of all my kids, you’re the most like me. I know that you’ve needed a place to work where you can have some space and privacy. The twins are almost old enough, now, to take care of themselves when your mom’s at work. And since Dan’s at home for the summer...”
“I know. Even though it’s almost been four years, now, since Lucy was assaulted – mom’s just never been the same. I’m really glad that Lucy met Gabe. She’s seems to be so happy, now.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better son-in-law. And I instantly gained an incredibly sweet granddaughter to boot,” he added, huskily.
“Well, anyway, getting back to Luke Arnett.” Kate sighed resignedly. “You probably need me to keep track of the inventory at the campgrounds?” Despite the fact that Luke obviously resented Kate’s recent promotion, probably because of her age, she really liked Luke Arnett. He was dedicated to Callahan Construction, and she just couldn’t see him stealing from the company.
“Exactly. And since our cabin is located on the edge of campgrounds, you’ll have a plausible excuse to check up on him – although it might be better if you waited until after hours or on the weekends. Are you sure you can handle Arnett?”
Kate snorted. “God’s gift to women? Of course.”
He laughed. “Him, too, huh? I hadn’t realized. Have there been any of my unattached men, who haven’t made a pass at you?”
“It’s the attached ones I get upset with,” she muttered.
Her father’s head jerked up from studying the clipboard. “Be sure to come to me with any real problems, Kate – especially since we have a lot more women working for us now.” Staring at Kate, he cleared his throat. “Did I hear it right? You broke up with Brian Lancaster?”
She nodded.
He sighed. “It’s hard to believe you’re only nineteen-years old. It seems to me you’ve broken an awful lot of hearts, Kate.”
Uncomfortably, Kate shrugged. “He was just getting too serious, too soon, Dad. I’m not really ready for that kind of a relationship, yet.”
“I understand. If you were, you’d know. I knew right away with your mom,” he added gruffly. “But, seriously, Kate – just be careful around Arnett. Whether or not he’s stealing those materials, I’m coming to dislike his attitude more and more. We’ve had several complaints about the quality of his work, too. I’m not against firing him – even if he has nothing to do with our missing materials. But I’m hesitant since he’s supporting an ex-wife and daughter.”
“He does seem rather off lately. But I think he’s been distracted, Dad. It might just be because of his divorce.”
“Well. No matter what he thinks, there’s just no way I would’ve assigned this job to Arnett. You’ve had an interest in this place since you were a kid. And this job needed some imagination. I’m one-hundred percent certain you’re ready for the responsibility. I was a good friend of Jeff’s growing up, Kate. We lost touch after his daughter was killed at Dragonfly Pointe.” Distractedly, her father stared out to the lake. “Even after almost Twenty-five years, he’s still grieving. So let’s just say that I trust you with this job – more than I would anyone else.”
Thoughtfully, Kate nodded, as she sipped on her coffee. With the water calm and clear under the bright blue sky, a couple of fishermen had anchored their boat nearby, and Kate watched as they worked their lines.
For a few minutes more, Kate and her father remained quiet observing the beauty of their surroundings. She had to admit that the lakefront property was in a prime location. The overgrown brush needed to be cleared, though, to open up the view.
When her father finally spoke, Kate realized that, as usual, his thoughts had been echoing hers. “Jeff wants me to recommend a landscaper too. I told him we should wait until after we make the structural changes.”
“Yeah. You never know what kind of problems we might dig up. Not to mention the mess we’ll make while we’re doing it. I forgot to ask. Who’s coming to visit?”
“Michael Murphy.”
Momentarily, she was puzzled. “Your district attorney friend from Chicago?”
“No. You’re close, though. That’s Sean Murphy. Mike’s his oldest son. Your mom and I are actually his godparents.”
“Really?” Turning to her father, she lifted a brow. “Have I ever met him?”
He considered her question. “I don’t think so. Maybe back when you two were kids? You haven’t tagged along with us on any our family outings to Chicago for a while, have you?”
“The Murphys haven’t visited Crystal Rock?”
He hesitated. “Sean Murphy’s first wife was my cousin, Kate – so that’s how we got to be friends. He’s avoided bringing his family here because he spent a lot of time here with Anne.”
Although Kate sensed there was more to the story, it was clear that her father didn’t want to get into it. “So – tell me more about Michael Murphy.”
“He’
s been a pretty good friend of Dan’s for the past five years. Even though Murphy plays football, he’s also studying engineering at Northwestern. He’s planning on going for his master’s in architecture at U of I in Chicago, so he needs to do an internship.”
“Architecture? That’s a first for us, too, isn’t it? Most of our interns come from Northwest Community College. Although, I guess we’ve had a few from Wisconsin.”
Her father nodded. “He’ll learn more about building materials by working with us. Murphy claims the actual quality positions available for interns in Chicago are limited. Supposedly, most of the companies still accepting interns are using them for their most labor intensive work - like hauling materials and shoveling concrete.” He hesitated before continuing, “But there’s a small problem.”
Kate was instantly leery.
“He has absolutely no construction experience.”
She snorted. “Uh, oh.”
“Exactly,” her father responded, wryly. “I thought I’d start him off at the campgrounds doing drywall and flooring, and then move him over to your crew when you begin installing doors and windows, along with completing your interior finish work. I’d like for you and Dan to keep an eye on him, though. After all – he’s almost a member of the family.”
Kate sighed, rolling her eyes. “Great.”
Her father smiled. “Somehow, I knew that you’d think so,” he admitted, dryly.
Chapter Two
Pulling his truck into the driveway of the Callahan residence, Michael Murphy glanced quickly at his watch and frowned. Because of heavy traffic due to delays from road construction, it’d taken over eight hours to reach Crystal Rock from Chicago.
Snatching up luggage and a clothing bag from the bed of his pickup, he dropped his bags to the ground after hauling everything up to the front door.
Before he could knock, the door was yanked open and Jenny Callahan came rushing through the doorway to greet him. “Murphy. It’s so good to see you again!” Pulling him into her arms, she gave him an exuberant hug.
Finally managing to ease away from her arms, Murphy studied the lovely woman standing before him. It was hard to believe that Jenny, who’d always appeared ageless, was actually the same age as his mother. “Jenny. How’ve you been? You’re looking great, as always.” Shoulder-length, strawberry-blonde hair was feathered back, flattering the delicate features of her lovely heart-shaped face. And, as usual, her bright blue eyes appeared to be twinkling.
“It’s been a couple of years, at least, since I’ve seen you, Murphy. You’ve grown as tall as your father! C’mon. Let’s get you settled.” Grabbing one of his bags and reaching for his hand, she impatiently waited for him to scoop up his remaining luggage. After dragging him into the house, she led him up a long flight of stairs beginning beyond the entryway.
Following her up the gleaming oak staircase, Murphy surreptitiously studied the rambling interior of the immaculate craftsman-style home. He was aware that the entire house had undergone fifteen years of renovations before it’d become the showplace it was now.
Reaching the landing at the top of the staircase, Jenny turned right into a spacious hallway and carried his bag into a room situated at the very end.
“This is actually my daughter Kate’s room. She’s been living in the family cabin over the summer. She wanted more independence – along with some peace and quiet – since she’s been working more closely with her father. We have a couple of guest rooms upstairs on the fourth floor, but they can get a little warm through July and August. This room’s larger and has a bathroom attached. You’ll have more privacy from the younger kids, too. Kelly and Jeff have a lot of friends coming and going during the summer, so it does get rather noisy around here.”
Murphy’s eyes wandered across the open, airy suite. He’d definitely be comfortable here. Two inviting chairs with ottomans, sat on a thick-piled area rug that lined up with the fireplace, covering lustrous wooden floors. Carved in oak, the antique furnishings were simple, yet elegant. Appearing only subtly feminine, the fluffy smoke-blue comforter and matching draperies were striped in cream and laced with buttery yellow.
Apparently noticing how Murphy’s eyes widened when he observed the enormous four-poster bed, Jenny laughed. “We’ve inherited all of these pieces from my great-grandmother. At one time, her home was a bed and breakfast. Before we sold off her property, we moved a lot of her furnishings here. Lucy, Dan, and Kate all got to pick out their own bedroom suites.” Approaching a highboy at the opposite end of the room, she motioned with her hand. “I’ve rearranged Kate’s clothing. You should have plenty of space in the closet as well as in her chest of drawers.”
Murphy laid his duffel bag on the bed. “Thanks for having me, Jen.”
“You’re welcome, Murphy. We’re so thrilled to have you here. We were surprised to hear you wanted to complete your internship so far away from home.”
“I’ve heard so much about Crystal Rock from Dad – and I’ve always wanted to visit. My advisor, along with my contact at Ryland’s, suggested I’d learn more about construction if I worked in a simpler setting. A lot of the larger companies in Chicago aren’t exactly hospitable when it comes to taking on inexperienced interns, anyway.”
“Then you’re exactly where you belong, Murphy. Cal and I were so impressed to hear you have a job awaiting you once you graduate.” Jenny’s eyes searched the room. “You should have everything you need. There’re plenty of towels in the bathroom. Just make yourself at home. We thought we’d take you out for dinner tonight at the Riverbend Lodge. Dress is casual. Say six-o-clock? Just come on downstairs to the kitchen when you’re ready.”
Murphy grinned. “Sounds good to me.”
With a smile, Jenny turned, pulling the door closed behind her as she left the room.
Snatching up his largest suitcase, Murphy propped it up on an ottoman and snapped it open. After sorting and unpacking his clothing into the empty drawers of the tall bureau, Murphy opened the door of the huge walk-in closet. The lightly scented fragrance of cedar and citrus swirled appealingly through his senses. Women’s clothing was hung neatly and precisely along one end of the closet, while sweaters and sweatshirts were folded and stacked on the shelves above. Unzipping his clothing bag, Murphy hung up some dress clothes he’d decided to bring along.
Moving on into the bathroom, he laid out his shaving kit, quickly taking the opportunity to shower and shave.
It was when he began to open the drawers of the vanity that, yanking too hard on one of the handles, he mistakenly came upon a few secreted items obviously belonging to Kate Callahan. The entire drawer had slipped out from the vanity, revealing a compartment attached to the end of the drawer.
His face turned ruddy immediately recognizing the contents of the compartment for what they were. Murphy grimaced. Rubbers...birth control pills? Wasn’t Kate Callahan only nineteen?
Come to think of it, Kate was the exact same age as his younger brother. And look at the number of Kyle’s conquests, he reminded himself.
Rolling his eyes, Murphy quickly shoved the items back into their compartment and slid the drawer onto its track. “Talk about having a double standard. I’ve never had a sister,” he muttered. “What the hell do I know? At least she obviously practices safe sex.”
Even his youngest brother Ethan, at sixteen, was definitely attracting a shit-load of women. And Murphy had to admit wryly, he’d been in the same position himself since junior high – he wasn’t exactly handsome. He was living proof that women were usually attracted to the guys who played sports.
Wearing faded jeans and a striped navy sport shirt, Murphy made his way downstairs fifteen minutes later. He followed the sound of laughter through an extended hallway. Completely modernized, the kitchen was bright and cheery with its high-quality appliances and gleaming mahogany cabinetry. A seamless addition to the original craftsman-style structure, the vaulted family room had been attached to the kitchen. Noticing the comfy furniture groupe
d around the towering stone fireplace, Murphy figured that the Callahan family spent most of their time together here.
Crossing through the kitchen into the family room, Murphy grinned. “Cal – Dan – it’s great to finally see you guys again.” With ash-brown hair and silvery-blue eyes, Mike and Dan Callahan could never be mistaken for anything other than father and son. Plus, they both stood over six-feet tall. After enthusiastically pumping Cal’s hand, Murphy yanked Dan into his arms, thumping him hard on his back.
Both Murphy and Dan were active in sports and about to enter their senior year in college. Since Michael Murphy’s jump to starting wide receiver at Northwestern, Dan and Mike Callahan frequently drove to Chicago to attend his football games with Murphy’s father, Sean. Alternately, Murphy and his buddies made regular road trips cross country, following Dan’s baseball team. Dan had been a starting shortstop for Wisconsin for the last couple years.
“Damn, Murph.” Dan chuckled, looking him over. “Lookin’ kinda beefy these days – aren’t cha?”
“Gee, thanks.” Murphy muttered, rolling his eyes. “Admit it, man – you’re just jealous. You’ve always been so frickin’ scrawny.”
Dan snorted.
Aware of two pairs of eyes peering up at him from the couch, Murphy grinned. “You guys must be the twins.
Their father began the introductions. “Kelly. Jeff. This is Mike Murphy.”
The youngest Callahans were almost identical, with beautiful big blue eyes and white-blonde hair. It was obvious that Kelly, already exceptionally lovely, was destined to stop hearts, while Jeff, with his angelic face, would more than likely break them.
Kelly smiled immediately, as she scrambled up from the couch. “Hi, Mike. Mom says if we don’t bug you too much, you might even take us out to the beach or a movie sometime.” Wearing a belted lavender skirt paired with a printed cropped top, although Murphy knew little about women’s fashion, she seemed to be dressed rather stylishly for a ten-year old.
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