He wanted to say he would be there to protect her, but didn’t. Not only would she have to figure it out herself, protection implied a level of caring inappropriate for a work relationship. They were colleagues, nothing more. The fact that he could breathe in her soft, sweet scent was immaterial. As was the way the sun turned her short hair into a hundred different colors of blond.
It was being around her again after all this time, he told himself. He’d worked with lots of women over the years and had never noticed one of them as anything more than a coworker. In a few days, Nevada would just be one of the guys.
“We start the surveying on Monday,” he said. “Want to be here for that?”
“Are you offering me the job?”
“I already did. You turned me down. Are you going to make me beg?”
“I probably should.”
“I’m not very good at it.”
She gave him a slow smile. “Then you need to practice more.”
“Is that what this is? A coaching opportunity?”
“I like to help where I can.”
He pushed off the truck and moved in front of her. “Nevada, I would like to have you here as one of my construction managers. Yes or no?”
“That’s not exactly begging.”
“Maybe not, but it’s sincere.”
“We’re both going to pretend the past never happened,” she said, rather than asking a question. “We’ll start over.”
“Agreed.”
“Then I very much want the job.”
Pleased, he held out his hand. “Good. Let’s head into town and talk about the details.”
She placed her hand in his. He was unprepared for the brush of her skin, the feel of her fingers, the jolt of awareness that sizzled its way to his groin.
After squeezing once, he released her and did his best to act casual as he stepped back. Well, dammit all to hell, he thought grimly. He could have gone a lifetime without feeling that.
Nevada appeared unfazed by the contact, which made him doubly stupid.
“Are you going to be staying in a hotel while you’re here?” she was asking. “If you want a house to rent, I could ask around.”
“I prefer a hotel. It’s easier.”
“Because someone else does the cooking and cleaning?”
“Of course.”
“Typical guy.”
“Most days.” He walked her to her truck. “Meet me in the lobby of Ronan’s Lodge in twenty minutes. I’ll bring the employment agreement.”
She nodded and climbed into the cab, but didn’t close the door. “Do you ever talk to her? Cat?”
The question surprised him. “No. Not in years. Not since we broke up. You?”
Nevada shook her head. “Cat wasn’t my friend.”
“She liked you. As much as she could like anyone.”
“There’s a statement.”
“You know what she was like.”
Nevada looked at him then. He saw something flash through her eyes. Unable to read the emotion, he could only wonder. Hurt? Anger? No way he could guess. Feelings were a complication lost on most mortal men.
A truck drove up the road and parked next to them.
“That’s Will,” Tucker said. “You need to meet him. He’s my right-hand guy, although he’ll tell you he’s in charge.”
“I am in charge,” Will said, walking toward them. “Ask him how many times I’ve saved his ass.”
“Can anyone count that high?” Nevada asked, climbing out of her truck and grinning.
Will winked at her, then turned to Tucker. “I knew I’d like her. Tell me she said yes.”
“She did.”
“Welcome to the team,” Will said, shaking hands with her. “Will Falk.”
“Nevada Hendrix.”
“Tucker was going to give me the employment contract to look over,” Nevada said. “Want to come watch me sign?”
“There’s nothing I’d like better,” Will said. “Meet you in town.”
Probably for the best, Tucker told himself as they got into separate vehicles and headed back into Fool’s Gold. Until he figured out why touching Nevada had impacted him, the last thing he needed was to spend time alone with her in a hotel. Now that they were working together, anything personal was off-limits. Of that he was sure.
“WHAT?” ETHAN ASKED. “There’s something wrong.”
Denise Hendrix looked at her oldest son. She still remembered the day she’d brought him home from the hospital. She’d been married all of a year, had barely turned twenty and didn’t have a clue what she was doing. Her mother-in-law had still been alive. Although the two women had never been close, Eleanor had shown up within fifteen minutes of Denise and Ralph bringing their baby home.
“I’m here if you need me,” the somewhat stern, large-boned woman had announced. “I know what you’re going through, but I don’t want to interfere.”
Denise had assured her mother-in-law that she would be fine. That level of bravado lasted until the next morning, when Ralph went off to work and Ethan started to cry. He wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t eat, and although he didn’t have a fever, Denise had panicked. She’d called Eleanor and begged her to come over.
It had taken Ethan’s grandmother all of two minutes to quiet the baby. She’d stood by while Denise had struggled to get her newborn to nurse, had offered sensible advice and never said a word to Ralph about her daily visits.
“I miss your grandmother,” Denise said.