“No, ma’am, I’m sure it’s not. I’d hate to have to make that decision, but you could always build a new house on the same floor plan as this one since this is your childhood home,” he said. “I can check the other rooms if you want me to.”

“No need. What do I owe you for this?” she asked.

“Not a thing, but I will write up something for you to give to the insurance company,” Bobby said. “If and when you decide to tear it down, Tilman and I have the equipment to take care of that for you.”

“Thank you,” Stevie said with a heavy heart.

Both men left her standing in the middle of a spongy floor and went out to their truck. In a few minutes Bobby came back with a signed estimate form, and said, “I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I can’t imagine having to tear down my folks’ place, but if it looked like this, I wouldn’t hesitate to do just that.”

“I appreciate your honesty,” Stevie said.

“Can’t be anything but that. My mama would take a switch to me if I was dishonest, even if I am over forty.” Bobby smiled. “Just let me know if you need me to take it down.”

“I sure will.” Stevie waited until he was gone to let the tears flow down her cheeks. “Damn it!” She wiped at them and stomped her foot so hard that it went through the floor and set her firmly down on her butt. She jerked her leg back up through the hole and groaned when she realized that her jeans were not only wet but torn, and that they were a pair that Mia had loaned to her. The cold air hit her butt when she stood up. She had not only poked her leg through the floor, and most likely tore Mia’s jeans on a nail, but she had also sat down on the soaked carpet.

“Damn it!” she said again and then noticed that it wasn’t water running down her leg but blood from a gash, and Mia’s rubber boot was catching it. She went to the bathroom and wrapped one towel around the wound and took a second one with her out to her vehicle. When she got inside, she put the extra towel on the seat to sit on, got in, and called Cody before she even started the engine.

“Where are you and Addy?” she asked.

“At the ranch,” he said. “We finished earlier than we thought. Want me to come to the house? What did Bobby say?”