Chapter 1
1
SIERRA
T he banging was starting early. Too early.
I blinked in the dark guest room and noted there was no light streaming through the windows yet. Was it the freaking middle of the night?
Lifting my arm, I glanced at the time on my fitness band. It was only 6:22 in the morning. What the hell?
I sat up in bed and frowned. It was technically my first day on the job, although I’d moved into the employee suite two days ago.
This was Monday morning, though, which meant it was the first official day of work. The first day I’d be keeping an eye on the construction crews that were putting up drywall for the new retreat center in Rosewood Ridge, Tennessee.
I threw back the sheets and tossed my legs to the side, shoving my feet into the flip-flops I wore as house shoes. I slept in shorts and a T-shirt, which made me presentable enough, but I did stop to struggle my way into the bra I’d taken off before bed last night.
Once the bra and T-shirt were back in place, I ran a hand through my hair, rubbed my eyes, then opened the guest room door and walked out into the gigantic lobby.
Holy crap on a stick. I was not expecting this.
A man stood near the front door, his back to me. He wore a T-shirt that did nothing to hide the bulging muscles in his arms, shoulders, and that area of the back that had a name I couldn’t recall.
My gaze trailed downward to the slightly baggy jeans he wore. I could still make out his firm ass as it rounded out the pockets.
Please have an ugly face. Please have an ugly face.
“Excuse me!” I yelled as another round of bangs rang through the air.
They sounded almost like gunshots. It was a good thing I hadn’t pieced that together when they jerked me out of a deep sleep.
Of course, he didn’t hear me. He just kept at it.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
I narrowed my eyes. It was obviously some sort of electric tool, but it still took power to operate, as evidenced by the way he stood with legs slightly spread. Well, that and the flex of his arm muscles as he held it in place.
The noise stopped. Finally, sweet silence. I took a deep breath and tried again.
“Excuse me!”
The words came out a few decibels higher than necessary. I was still operating at the volume I’d used when I was shouting over the banging sounds.
He spun to face me, a bright red tool in his right hand. He had it aimed like he was going to start shooting its contents at me. I held up my hands in surrender.
“Don’t shoot,” I said.
He looked confused as his eyes narrowed. So much for hoping he had an ugly face. The guy could model for an ad featuring hot construction guys.
“I’m sorry.” He looked down, seeming to suddenly realize why my hands were in the surrender position. “Old habit.” He lowered the tool to his side. “I didn’t know anybody else was here. Mrs. Gray didn’t mention it when we spoke on the phone. I’m Travis.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. That was when I remembered I was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. These shorts were perfect for sleeping on a blistering June night, but they were not meant for meeting a guy with a chiseled jaw and eyes that seemed to pierce straight through my body to my soul.
“I’m Sierra,” I said, not bothering to step closer for a handshake. The last thing I wanted him to do was see my makeup-less face up close and personal. “Mrs. Gray hired me. I’m the first employee of the Rosewood Ridge Retreat Center.”
“So, you’re sleeping in there?”
He nodded toward the open doorway behind me. I looked back over my shoulder. The lights were still off and nothing personal was visible from his vantage point.
I turned back and nodded. “For now. Once construction is finished, I’ll move into a rental. Maybe a nearby cabin if I can find a roommate.”
Why was I blabbering? He didn’t care about all that. He probably didn’t even want to be talking to me right now. He had work to do.
“Do you always start this early?” I asked.
He tilted his head and stared at me. I felt like I was under a microscope. Could he make out all my flaws from that distance? I sure as hell hoped not.
It helped that the only light right now was the lamp on a table in the corner. The lighting wasn’t scheduled to be put in until after the walls were finished.
“You’re stuck with just me this week,” he said. “My team is on another project.”
“So, it’s just you?” I asked.
His eyebrows lifted. “Are you disappointed?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s just…” Ugh. I was determined to stick my foot in my mouth. “I need some coffee.”
“I’ll take one too.” He turned back around, returning the noisy tool to its original position. “Black is fine.”
I stared at him for a long moment, but he’d already resumed work. Bang, bang, bang . I could argue that I wasn’t here to fetch his coffee like some old-school secretary, but that would mean yelling over the noise again, and that seemed like a lot of trouble. More trouble than just fetching the damn coffee in the first place.
I shuffled back to the guest room to grab a cardigan. If I was going to continue to interact with this man, I needed more coverage.