He frowned. “Harvey Brewerston, but he had a heart attack and died a while back. The kid who took over for him changed the business name to something green sounding, and I doubt he has the experience to take on a job like this. Let me ask around and see who my friends are using these days.” He kicked at the hard dirt beneath his boot. “We’ll need to pour cement to start. I have a couple of old barns on the northern side I’ve been meaning to bring down. I can reclaim the wood from those for you. I assume you’ll want barn boards on the walls. What kind of floor are you thinking?”

“Either limestone or a different wood,” she mused. “Maybe use the wood for the floor, structure, and beams and something lighter for the walls to brighten the place.” She could feel herself building something that would last. With her job, she was always arriving places after somebody had been killed. While seeking justice for the harmed was her passion, so far she hadn’t built much that would last should she disappear. Well, except for the nonprofit she’d started, which might last beyond her life.

“Sure. Hopefully this means you’ll stick around.” He slung a heavy arm over her shoulders and tugged her close in a half hug. “I heard there was a murder out by Witch Creek. You on that?”

“Yes.” She slid an arm around his thick waist. Blake was the closest thing she’d ever had to a father, and she would like to spend more time with him and her aunt Betty. “With my job, I’m never certain where I’ll be working, but I agree that this is a good investment regardless.” The wind scattered ice against the door, whistling sharply through the trees. “I don’t suppose we can start right now?”

“Let’s get an architect first.” He drew her through the doorway and out into the blistering cold. “For now, let’s go see what your aunt Betty has on for Friday night supper. I think she was planning on cooking her cheesy chicken casserole. We can call your mom and pick her up on the way. I’ll shoot Carl a text, but he’s probably lost his phone again.”

She staggered as the wind assaulted her. “I’ll follow you to Mom’s and pick her up.” She had the oddest urge to invite Huck to dinner, but that would seem more like a date and not like a friend situation. Probably. She wasn’t certain.

If she did stick around, as Uncle Blake put it, did she want to just be friends with Huck?

* * *