“Then there’s these three.”
Ethan handed over a second picture. This one showed three kids—two girls and a boy. The girls were redheads, the older, maybe fourteen or fifteen, was probably already causing havoc at high school. The younger was an adorable carrottop with freckles. The boy, about the same age as the younger girl, was all Ethan.
“You’ve been busy,” Tucker said, passing back the picture. “Did I know you’ve been married that long?”
“Liz and I got married last summer. Tyler’s mine. Long story. The girls are her nieces. Their mom is dead and their dad’s in jail, so we have them now.” He put the pictures back into his wallet. “If you’d told me about taking in two kids a year ago, I would have said if they’re not yours you can’t love them as much, right?”
Ethan shook his head. “I couldn’t have been more wrong. Those girls keep me up nights just as much as Tyler does. Melissa wants to start dating. I want to lock her in her room until she’s forty.” He grinned. “We’re working on a compromise.”
“You sound like you’re happy.”
“I am.” Ethan picked up his beer. “It doesn’t get better than this.” He stared at Tucker. “You ever going to settle down?”
“I’m not the type. I move around too much.”
“When you take over the company, you’ll travel less.”
“Maybe. I’m not sure I want to change. I like living all over the world, seeing new things.”
“Don’t you get lonely?”
Tucker leaned back in his chair. “There are beautiful women everywhere, or are you so married you’ve forgotten.”
“Just not interested. Why go looking when you have the best of everything waiting at home?”
The fervor of the freshly converted, Tucker thought. He’d seen it before. Guys who were newly in love wanted everyone else to have what they did. The problem was they didn’t see that love would turn them all into fools until it was too late. Cat had done it to him, and his dad’s women did it to him on a regular basis. Tucker had learned his lesson.
Except now, talking to Ethan, he felt a hint of something that might be envy. Roots could be good. A place to call home. Someone waiting.
No way, he reminded himself. He’d tried that once. Cat had nearly destroyed him. Not by anything she’d done, but his reaction to her. He’d allowed her to become everything. He’d been little more than her love slave. By the time he’d managed to escape, he barely recognized himself. No. Love was for idiots who didn’t know better.
“You’re going to be around here for, what? A year?” Ethan asked.
“About that. I won’t stay through completion, but I’ll want to make sure the major elements are in place.”
“Ever spent any quality time in a small town before?”
“No.”
Ethan laughed. “Brace yourself. It’s not what you think. Within a month, everyone will know who you are, what you do with your day and who with. You won’t be able to make a move without running into someone you know. Stay clear of the local women. They’ll eat you alive—and not in a good way.”
“Sounds worse than construction in a rain forest. Why do you stay?”
“Because there’s nowhere else I want to be. I grew up here. I belong. I want to know my neighbors, have them watching out for the kids and letting me know when a friend is in trouble. They have my back and I have theirs.”
“I can’t relate,” Tucker admitted.
“You’ll get a taste of it. Be sure to head into town every weekend. Fool’s Gold is known for its many festivals. They happen regularly. The food is always good. Come winter, we can head up the mountain and go skiing.”
“I’d like that. I haven’t skied in a couple of years.”
“Good. If you think you can handle it, we’ll have you over to dinner. Or is that too domestic?”
“I can survive a few hours.”
Ethan grinned. “We could even invite a couple of the local single ladies. Let them fight over you.”
“You said to steer clear of them.”
“Maybe you want the challenge. As long as it’s not my sister.”
Tucker thought about Nevada. “Hands off. You have my word.”
“I’d better.”
Tucker took a swallow of his beer. Thirty minutes ago, he would have considered Nevada a hell of a temptation. Now, not so much. While he still found her intriguing, he’d already crossed the line once. He wasn’t a jerk. He knew when to back off, and with her, that was now.
NEVADA WAS SO EXCITED that despite not having slept, she needed no coffee to be completely wired for her first day of work. She arrived on the job site nearly an hour before she was expected and hung out in the main trailer, opening and closing the empty drawers in her new desk and going over the schedule for the week.
The first order of business was to get equipment in place and start clearing. A part of that would include blasting a section of the east hillside. She flipped through the pile of paperwork required by the city, county and state. She saw that the Fool’s Gold Fire Department had to be notified of the blasting and have a representative on-site. At least that was something she could help with. She knew all the firefighters.
Once the land was cleared, the plumbing would be next. Water in, sewer out. Due to some seriously impressive long-term planning on the part of the city nearly fifty years ago, the resort would be able to tap into the city sewer and water system. That would be a huge savings in money and effort for Janack Construction. The downside was a lot more permits, but they were worth it.
She’d just started reading the environmental impact study when she heard footsteps on the trailer steps. Will Falk walked inside.
“Someone’s here bright and early,” he said before taking a long drink from the coffee carryout cup he held.
“It’s my first day. I couldn’t help it.”
“Enthusiasm is good. It makes me feel old, but it’s still good.” He held open the door. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to the guys you’ll be working with.”
She rose and grabbed her hard hat, then followed him outside.
While she’d been acquainting herself with the project, about a dozen guys had arrived for work. Pickups lined the small cleared area by the trailer.
The men stood together, dressed in jeans, work boots and T-shirts. It was still summer in Fool’s Gold and, even out here, the temperatures would climb to the low eighties.
As she and Will approached, the men grew silent, watching her. She kept her head up and her shoulders back. Project confidence, she told herself. No one had to know about the butterflies kickboxing in her stomach.
“Morning,” Will said. “I’d like you to meet our new construction manager, Nevada Hendrix. She’s local, so if you’re having any trouble in town, she’s the one you go to. If you’re making trouble in town, she’ll be the one kicking your butts.” He glanced at her. “You good with that?”
“I can kick butt,” she said firmly.
The guys ranged in age from early twenties to late forties. The veterans were the ones she had to win over first, she thought. They would be less concerned about her being a woman and more interested in her skill set. The younger guys would have more ego on the line.
Will made introductions. She shook hands with everyone and did her best to remember names. It would take a little longer to get to know personalities, but she had time.
The surveying team would arrive within the hour. Will suggested which guys would help with that. She agreed and put the others to work clearing. For a second, she stared enviously at the big equipment, but knew there would be plenty of time to have her way with the tracked excavator.
The morning flew by. Nevada surfaced long enough to head to the portable outhouses, only to find one had been draped in pink ribbon. She checked inside to make sure it was free of rodents and creepy-crawlies, then used it. After washing her hands at the portable sink, she went back into the office, made a sign that said Girls Only, taped it to the outhouse door, then went out to join the surveying team.
Will came by around noon to tell them to break for lunch. Nevada had planned to join the guys, but Will pulled her aside before she could settle in.
“Doing okay?” he asked, as they walked back to the trailer.
“Sure.”
“Like what you’ve done with the place.” He motioned to the porta potty as he spoke.
“Thanks. I like the pink.”
He chuckled. They went into the trailer and got out their lunches from the small refrigerator. Will sat on the edge of his desk.
“What do you know about Jo Trellis?” he asked, as he removed a sandwich from a bag.
Nevada stared at him. “You get right to the point. I take it you’re interested?”
“Could be.”
Nevada thought about the question. Jo had arrived in Fool’s Gold several years ago and bought the bar. She was friendly, a regular participant in girls’ night out, always there when someone had a crisis. But in all the time Nevada had known her, she’d never seen Jo on a date or heard her talk about a guy.
“Jo’s my friend,” she began.
“I’m not interested in getting laid and moving on,” Will told her. “I’m too old for that. I’d like to get to know her. She’s resisting the process.”
Nevada smiled. “I’m not surprised. Jo keeps to herself. She’s a friend, but even I don’t know anything about her past. She never talks about it.”
“Any men?”
“No. There have been offers, but she always refuses.”
“Know why?”
Nevada shook her head. “There are dozens of theories. Everything from Jo being a Mafia princess on the run from her father to her escaping an abusive husband. I doubt either is true.”
Mayor Marsha probably knew all about Jo’s past, as the good mayor seemed to know everything about everyone. Nevada had never been able to figure out how she got her information. But even if the mayor did know the truth, Nevada knew she wouldn’t share it with Will.
“I don’t have any dating advice when it comes to Jo,” she admitted. “I guess you’re on your own. I will warn you not to hurt her. She’s one of us and we protect our own.” Will was a good guy and she liked him, but family came first.
He nodded slowly. “I’m glad she has friends looking out for her.”
“One of the advantages of a small town. Are you finding it enjoyable here, or are the walls closing in?”
“I like it. I heard there’s going to be a festival soon. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Don’t worry. If you miss this one, there will be another one in the next couple of weeks. We’re known for our festivals.”
She heard someone on the steps, then the trailer door opened. She expected one of the guys to walk in, but instead Tucker stepped through the doorway.
Will glanced at his watch. “Nearly noon. Going for a personal best?”
“I was filing paperwork at city hall. Fool’s Gold hasn’t embraced the digital age.” He looked at Nevada. “Sorry. I meant to be here on your first morning. Did Will get you settled?”
“Yes. I’m doing fine. Don’t worry about it.”
She managed to speak the words and act normal, but her gaze settled on the faint shadow of a bruise on his jaw.
News of Ethan hitting Tucker had spread quickly. Outside of her immediate family, no one knew the reason, which left people speculating.
Will excused himself to talk to the surveyor. For a second, Nevada thought about escaping with him, but knew she had to talk to Tucker eventually.
“I’m sorry about what happened with my brother,” she said as soon as the door closed behind Will.
Tucker rubbed his jaw. “He’s good. Nailed me one.”
She did her best to remind herself that there was no reason to get embarrassed. Her brother had been looking out for her and there was nothing bad in that. It was just the idea of them fighting in public that made her squirm. And everyone knowing why.
“He shouldn’t have hit you.”
“If the situation had been reversed, I would have done the same.”
She rolled her eyes. “Because you couldn’t simply have a conversation? I’m not sorry he defended me, but there were a lot better ways to do it.”
“I don’t agree with that, but okay.” He crossed to the small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. “Ethan did say something interesting,” he told her, before pausing to drink.
Panic exploded, making her chest tighten. She waited, hoping it wasn’t anything hideous. Like, “Nevada never got over you,” or, “It’s kind of funny how she was so in love with you and you only had eyes for Cat.” Not that Ethan would know any of that, but still.
Tucker lowered the bottle and looked at her. “He said it was your first time.”
Involuntary reactions were a bitch, she thought grimly as she felt color flare on her cheeks. She ignored the sensation, grabbed her sandwich and held it up like a pitiful protective shield.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she hedged. “I had a boyfriend in high school.”
Tucker studied her for a second, relief battling with concern. “You sure?”
“It’s something I would remember.” She took a bite of her sandwich and forced herself to chew. After she swallowed, she managed a faint laugh. “Don’t sweat it. You were not my first time.”