Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
“So, what does it look like?” Leo murmured, his thoughts on the conversation he’d had with Kat in the cabin. Her agreement with her father.
Kat lifted her eyes from the clipboard in her arms. They were doing their first official walk through after the exterior had been framed.
There were nails, screws, and all sorts of tools scattered around the building.
Kat looked less out of place these days, opting to forego her usual slacks and heels for jeans and boots.
She frowned at him, the crease between her brows far more adorable than it should have been. “You’re going to have to expound on that. What does what look like?”
Leo cleared his throat. “What does success look like—to your father.”
Still, she seemed confused. Of course she was. While their conversation might not have meant anything to her, it had stuck with him, causing more than one restless night. “The agreement you made with your father. You get the promotion if this project is a success, right?”
Understanding flooded her features. “Ah. Yes. This project needs to be a success—”
“And what does that look like exactly?”
Kat gave him a funny look as she continued her sweep of the building. Leo on the other hand hadn’t really been paying much attention to the progress. Bo had probably picked the wrong guy to do this job, but for the first time, Leo wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
She placed her clipboard beneath one arm and put a hand on her hip. “That’s a bit of a loaded question, don’t you think?”
“That’s why I’m asking. What makes it successful verses not so much?” Leo had been wondering this exact thing for more time than was healthy. “No roadblocks? Or coming in under budget? Maintaining good relationships with contractors? What?”
“All of that and more.”
He frowned. “So, you’re supposed to make sure the job is done to perfection. And if something goes wrong… you’re just… what? Not going to get the promotion?”
Her laughter echoed through the cavern of the empty building. “Careful, Leo. You’re letting your humanity show.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She took a few steps toward him, her movements slow and bordering on sultry as she came to a stop mere inches from his face. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume that you are worried I’m not going to get the promotion.”
“Well, it wouldn’t exactly be fair if you didn’t. There are a lot of moving parts to getting this place built and the business going. You have to count on third parties. It’s not all in your control.”
“You’re right,” she nodded. “It is a lot of work, which is why my father wanted someone here in person. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been Chaz.”
Anger immediately vibrated through Leo’s frame.
Just the thought of that guy coming to this place and bossing people around had Leo’s hackles rising.
That guy wasn’t fit for the job that Kat was working toward.
The fact that he’d been given the opportunity to marry into the position alone was laughable.
A real man should want to prove his own worth first.
Kat laughed again, patting his chest with her hand as she made to step around him. Without thinking it through, Leo’s hand shot up and wrapped around her wrist, keeping her locked in place. Her fingers splayed against his chest and her eyes lifted to meet his.
For a moment, it was like they were back in those woods. Just the two of them. The spark of power threaded between them, demanding attention. The second she’d touched him, he’d wanted more.
But more of what?
His eyes dipped to her mouth then lifted to her eyes. A kiss would be out of the question. He shouldn’t even be toying with the idea of anything starting between them. She’d be leaving in a few months and he’d be staying here.
“Leo,” she whispered. Was she inching closer? Did she want him to steal this kiss?
Low, male laughter bounced off the beams and steel bars that had been put into place for the building and Leo immediately released Kat’s hand. He could objectively say he respected this woman.
Kat Jerris was nothing like the city girl he’d been expecting. Had she been ill prepared when it came to her wardrobe?
Absolutely.
But, she’d also come with a wild spirit that refused to be broken. She was like the horses that used to run free before man arrived and deemed it necessary to domesticate them.
Kat would not be domesticated.
And that thought alone was enough to have Leo entertaining all sorts of unprofessional behavior.
He cleared his throat and looked away as a couple of the men with hardhats entered the space where they stood. “I hope you get it.” He said, without looking back at her, he turned on his heel and headed for the door. She didn’t call back to him. If she had, he didn’t know what he would have done.
She had a lot on her plate right now and even if they were both open to something not quite professional, Kat couldn’t afford to get distracted. If she didn’t meet her father’s expectations, then there was still a chance she’d have to fall back on plan B.
And marry Chaz.
“The walk-through went well. I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made thus far. I’ve spoken to Tom about the delayed delivery of materials and it should be arriving by Saturday.”
Leo’s eyes locked on Kat. The way she commanded a room had to be one of the best experiences he’d had.
Sure, in New York, she’d done the same. But that was with stiff people in suits—people like her father, Noah, and Chaz. His lip curled with disgust whenever that man’s name filled his mind.
Here, Kat had everyone’s attention. These were burly men who had more callouses on their fingers than Leo had hairs on his head. They were gruff and intimidating on a good day. And when things weren’t going their way? Leo wasn’t too proud to admit they could be downright terrifying.
“We have a schedule we need to keep, Ms. Jerris. Saturday isn’t going to be soon enough. We might have to put this project on hold while we set to work on other commitments.” Josh was one of the foremen on the project and an all-around ill-tempered guy.
Kat didn’t bat an eye. “In the agreement your company signed, you allowed for delays given they didn’t exceed a certain amount of time.
We gave our permission for you to work on side projects when there was down time here, and as such you’re welcome to turn your attention to those projects, but I’ll be expecting you out here to work bright and early Saturday when the truck arrives. ”
Josh’s face turned red. He wasn’t the head of the construction company that Kat had hired, but he had enough power in his position to make unfavorable decisions. Leo’s focus darted from him to Kat and back. Neither one of them looked ready to bow down and it only made Kat that much more attractive.
When one of Josh’s crew clapped a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, Leo exhaled.
He hadn’t realized that the tension in these meetings could get so high.
He’d gone head-to-head with the woman and he knew darn well she could hold her own, but this?
With one snap of his fingers, Josh could break someone’s neck.
He might not be a criminal, but he could probably play one on television.
Leo wished Mr. Jerris could see his daughter in action. She hadn’t backed down one bit when she’d come toe to toe with Josh. If nothing else, that should have earned her the job.
But something told Leo that commanding a meeting like this one wasn’t the only expectation her father had for her.
Someone nudged him in his side and Leo shot a disgruntled look at the culprit.
His cousin had been hanging around a lot more often lately.
He didn’t have a reason to be at these meetings, but that didn’t stop Tripp from tagging along.
It was clear he had developed a crush on Kat and that didn’t sit well with Leo either.
Tripp jerked a chin in Kat’s direction. “Nothing sexier than a woman who can make a whole room of ruffians bow at her feet, am I right?”
“Shut up.”
Tripp chuckled. “So you’ve noticed too, huh? Who am I kidding? Everyone’s noticed the way you look at her.”
This time the warning look Leo gave his cousin was filled with venom. “I mean it, Tripp. Step off it.”
His cousin chuckled and turned his attention back to the woman of the hour. After a few minutes, he murmured, “You hear about Michelle? She’s finally getting married. Found some guy from Billings.”
Leo grunted. He’d heard there was a wedding happening.
It was supposedly some big event. The sisters up at Twisted River were hosting the event and whenever they did, it was a big deal.
Leo didn’t know Michelle personally, but he wasn’t surprised that Tripp did.
He knew all of the eligible women in town. He’d probably dated all of them, too.
“Everyone’s invited. And I mean, everyone.” Tripp tossed Leo a glance out of the corner of his eye. “I’m thinking of asking Kat if she’d like to be my date.”
Leo’s hands fisted at his sides. He’d told Tripp to steer clear of Kat the moment she’d arrived, and he’d meant it—not because Leo wanted a chance with her, but because she didn’t need that sort of attention.
But now?
Things had changed in that cabin. They’d found a sort of solidarity with one another.
And there was definitely attraction. At night when he went to bed, he could still smell her, still feel her warm form against his own when they’d fallen asleep.
He’d had more than one dream of returning to that cabin with her just to tempt fate and get caught in the rain again.
He barely registered Tripp’s chuckle as the meeting came to a close. It wasn’t until his vision cleared that he realized his cousin was striding in the direction where Kat had been hosting the meeting.
Leo lurched forward, darting through the crowd of men.
Over his dead body would he allow Tripp to take this from him.
His cousin got stuck behind two men who were bickering about a power tool that had gone missing which gave Leo the chance to cross the last few feet between him and the woman who was quickly becoming like a drug to him.
“Kat,” he heaved, “I wanted to ask you something.”
Her eyes cut to his as she gathered the documents on the table that had been set up in the large space.
They’d held their meeting in the building they were working on, since it was large enough to house all the contractors and vendors they’d be working with to get the project completed.
“What do you need, Leo?” she murmured, distraction written all over her face. “Is there something I missed?’
“What? No.” he assured her.
Tripp sidled up beside Kat and grinned at her. She offered him a small smile just as he draped an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, Kat. That was an excellent meeting.”
Her smile seemed forced. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on Leo’s part. Leo gritted his teeth, his eyes darting between Kat and Tripp before he finally let go of all his reservations. “There’s a wedding happening on Friday. Go with me.”
Kat’s attention slid from Tripp to Leo. A myriad of emotions seemed to spark behind her eyes—eyes that she was intent on keeping guarded from him. “A wedding? I don’t know…”
Tripp chuckled. “It’s a small town, sweetheart. Everyone goes to these things—for the most part. This one is no different. Honestly, if Leo hadn’t asked you, I would have offered to take you myself.”
Still her attention darted between the two men. “But I’m not a local.”
“You are for the next five months,” Leo pointed out, shooting daggers with his eyes toward his cousin. Tripp’s arm was still draped around Kat and the fact they were so close was tearing into Leo’s self-control.
“I suppose you’re right,” Kat smiled softly. “Sure. I’d love to go.” She extricated herself from Tripp’s arm, gathered the rest of her paperwork to hold it to her chest, then gave Leo a pointed look. “As friends.”
Leo didn’t miss the smug look his cousin gave him, nor the way he arched a brow. Leo knew all too well what Tripp was trying to say with that expression. Probably something along the lines of ‘be careful, she’s a commodity and you don’t want to risk losing her’.
Well, the joke was on him. Leo didn’t want to get attached to someone like Kat. She’d be gone soon anyway.
He just didn’t want anyone else to win her over either.
“Friends. Right,” Leo muttered.
“Great,” she said brightly. “Guess I’ll have to go dress shopping. I’ll see you boys later.”
The second she was out of earshot, Leo slugged his cousin in the arm.
“Ow!” Tripp muttered.
“Next time, do what I tell you, and stay away from her.” With that, Leo marched off and headed for the exit.