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you.” He managed a weary smile, then shoved back his chair and stood. “This is between you two ladies. I’m fine with it.”
    Millie looked up at him. “Time to be off again, is it?”
    “Yes. The carpenter’s coming to discuss a few problems he sees in the bell tower plans.”
    “Will you be home for supper?”
    “I hope so.” Noah turned to Beth. “I enjoyed our meal together. Whether you decide to live with us or not, don’t be a stranger.”
    She smiled. “I won’t. You can be assured of that.”
    After Noah departed, Millie rose and lifted a dozing Emily from her chair. “Let me put her down for her nap. We need to talk. I’m so excited that you’ll be boarding here. You’re a blessing sent from the Lord, not only for me but for us all!”
    Beth made a move to protest she hadn’t decided anything yet, then gave the attempt up as a lost cause. When Millie Starr got an idea into her head, woe to anyone who stepped in her way. And besides, the consideration of staying here was growing more and more appealing.
    Living in close proximity with Noah would soon ease the unfamiliarity between them. In no time they’d be back to the easy camaraderie they had once shared. And most important of all, she could begin to be the helpmate he seemed to need. Beth refused to stand helplessly by and see his grief destroy him. Though her own heart was shattered beyond repair and even the idea of getting emotionally involved with another man repulsed her, she’d not desert Noah if he needed her.
    No, she’d not desert him, any more than she’d turn from her own kin in their time of need.

    For the rest of the day, Noah could barely keep his mind on his work. The notes he had made earlier that morning for Sunday’s sermon looked like gibberish. Nicholas Blacklock, the town carpenter, had seemed to be in an argumentative mood, and by the time he was done marking up the bell tower plans, Noah had totally lost track of the man’s point. Then Leona Gates, who worked at the mercantile, called to question Noah’s order for paint to match the bell tower and annex to the rest of the church.
    Repeatedly distracted by memories of his encounter with Beth MacKay, Noah was finally forced to ask Nicholas to return tomorrow and temporarily cancel the paint order. The sermon would have to wait for another day as well. The resulting solitude, however, did little to assuage the rush of thoughts and emotions churning chaotically in his head.
    Beth . . .
    Her image filled his mind. Rich, raven-black hair piled luxuriously atop her head. Luminous, soulful brown eyes the color of molasses. Smooth skin, washed with the hue of light honey and kissed with the tenderest of blushes.
    His mouth quirked. Molasses . . . honey. One would think he saw her as some delectable morsel to devour. And she, his good friend Conor MacKay’s daughter. And he, a widower old enough to be her father! Well, almost old enough any–way, with a span of thirteen years separating them.
    With a frustrated sigh, Noah leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He was acting like some love-struck lad, but he had just never seen Beth like he had seen her today. She’d been a gangly ten-year-old when he had first come to Grand View and had matured eventually into a pretty girl before leaving for medical school. But the change in those years away had been amazing. Now she was a slim, elegant, exquisitely formed woman.
    Noah didn’t think he had ever seen a more beautiful woman.
    Yet more than just her outward beauty attracted him. Her sincere interest in Emily touched his heart, as did her kind41 ness and consideration for Millie. And there was still something more—a certain air of mystery about her, a fleeting glimpse of a deeply hidden pain, and frequent, sharp flashes of keen intelligence and insight.
    Even in the short time he had spent with her today, Noah sensed that Beth MacKay was a deeply troubled soul, yet a soul equally brimming with talent and a