Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
“ A regular Rosie the Riveter,” Shiloh said with a satisfied grin. She clapped her hands together, coughing at the dust that burst into the air. “A very dirty, Rosie the Riveter,” she corrected, wiping at her still tingling nose.
Grabbing her bucket, she walked outside to fill it at the hose bib. The house water still wasn’t on, but Shiloh was working on getting the city up to speed. Somehow, the irrigation had been much more accommodating, and she at least had that to work with.
Sweat formed on the back of her neck as she stood next to the house, waiting for the bucket to fill, and Shiloh wiped her forehead on her sleeve.
She’d been spending every spare moment at the house, trying to keep the financial aspect in order, but also to keep herself busy. Much as she hated to admit it, Granger’s second rejection hurt more than the first.
Not that Shiloh expected every man to fall at her feet, but his reaction to her was simply uncalled for. He didn’t have to be interested, but he should have at least been polite.
“Never thought I’d see the day…”
Shiloh froze. She knew that voice. Too well…and she had no desire to see or speak to the person it was connected to.
“Ah, come on, Shiloh…playing hard to get?”
When a hand landed on her shoulder, she spun around, slapping it away. “What in the world are you doing?” she shouted at Arthur.
He backed up, smirking, with his hands in the air. “I thought you were going deaf or something.” His hands came down and landed casually in the pockets of his slacks. “Maybe you need someone to help test your ears. Want me to try whispering in them?”
Shiloh cocked her hip and folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t repeat myself very often, but I guess with guys as dense as you, I have to make an exception.” She leaned forward, glaring. “What are you doing?”
His smirk grew wider. “I sent you an email yesterday. You haven’t answered.” He leaned in as well, and Shiloh hated that she automatically moved away from him.
Giving a guy like Arthur Stevens an inch meant he’d take a mile. She’d experienced it before. She absolutely couldn’t afford to lose ground with her rival and general jerk-faced stalker.
Shiloh gave him a look that would have driven most men back into their vehicles and down the street. Arthur’s smile widened as if her disdain was a personal challenge. “I don’t answer personal emails. You should know that by now. If you have business with me, that’s fine. Come-ons aren’t welcome.”
“Shiloh, Shiloh, Shiloh.” He shook his head and tsked his tongue. “You know…if we combined our talents and our businesses, we could take over the whole region.”
“Go jump in a lake.” She turned back to her bucket, which was now overflowing. Shoot. Turning off the squeaky faucet, Shiloh lifted the bucket, huffing when it was almost too heavy to carry.
“Looks like you need a man to handle that.” Arthur stepped forward.
“Which means you’re out of the question,” Shiloh shot back. Using both hands, she awkwardly made her way through the overgrown flower bed and to the bottom of the porch steps, Arthur on her heels.
“Don’t be like that,” he wheedled.
Dropping the bucket at the bottom of the stairs, Shiloh spun to face her enemy, trying to pretend it was because she wanted to talk, not because the bucket handle was cutting off the circulation in her fingers. “Seriously, Arthur. Why are you here? If you just want to chat, then I’m not interested. If you have business, send me an email.” She turned again, but when she felt him lean in, she spun, now a little afraid to put her back to him.
Arthur was always a little aggressive in his flirting, but today he was taking it a step further and Shiloh didn’t like it one bit. What was it going to take to get this guy to leave her alone? How many insults could one egomaniac handle before he finally realized they weren’t compatible?
“Back off,” she growled.
Arthur straightened the tiniest bit, giving Shiloh maybe two inches of space. “You don’t answer my calls or my emails,” he said breezily. “I figure if a man wants to get things done, he better do it himself.” He winked. “So here I am.”
Shiloh had no words. But she had fists. Arthur would look amazing with a broken nose. But would she look good in an orange jail suit?
Probably not.
“Please. Leave.”
Arthur tilted his head to the side and gave a short huff. “I like it when a woman plays hard to get, Shiloh, but this is getting ridiculous.”
“I’m not playing hard to get,” she nearly shouted. “I’m not interested. Go away.”
“You haven’t even given me a chance,” he argued, his tone much less whiny than before. His clenched jaw told Shiloh the realtor was finally getting angry.
“I don’t have to give you a chance,” Shiloh responded. “You’re welcome to make decisions for you, and I have the right to make decisions for me. I’m not interested in going out with you or working with you or anything else. There’s nothing in this world that states that I have to put myself in an uncomfortable or unwanted situation just to appease your ego.”
Arthur’s neck began to turn red, and he lunged forward, clasping her upper arms in a fierce grip and yanking her forward until they were nose to nose.
“You’re hurting me,” Shiloh cried, struggling against his hold. It was completely unfair that a man fifteen years her senior and who looked softer than a marshmallow, could be so much stronger than her. There were definitely going to be bruises on her arms later.
“I don’t beg, Shiloh,” Arthur snapped, giving her a little shake. “After all I’ve done to help you with your little career, I deserve something.”
“You haven’t done anything to help me with my career,” Shiloh shot right back. She held in a whimper when he squeezed tighter. “Get out of here, or I’ll call the police.”
“Or I will.”
Both their heads whipped to the side, and Shiloh nearly cried in relief. For the second time in a week, Granger almost made her cry, but this time, Shiloh didn’t care one bit.
“Who are you?” Arthur sneered. He looked Granger up and down but didn’t let go of Shiloh. “Just another dumb construction worker, I’ll bet.” Arthur snorted and turned back to Shiloh. “You enjoy keeping these guys?—”
Arthur’s words cut off when Granger grabbed the agent’s shirt and twisted it at the neck, pulling him away from Shiloh.
His hold on her arms loosened, but only after jerking her off balance, bringing Shiloh onto her hands and knees on the sidewalk. She felt the skin on her palms give, but tried to ignore the sting.
Throwing out the trash was more important right now.
Climbing to her feet, Shiloh shoved her hair out of her face just in time to see Granger throw Arthur toward his car, then pull out his phone.
“Last chance to leave,” Granger snarled. His hands were shaking, and a fire he’d never experienced before was burning in his chest.
He might not be interested in having Shiloh for himself, but seeing this other guy jerking her around and hurting her had sent Granger over the edge.
No woman deserved to be treated that way, but deep down, Granger knew his extreme reaction was because of the specific beautiful woman behind him. Hopefully, he could keep that tidbit to himself, however.
“Are you two dating?” the guy shouted to Shiloh, waving his arm between Shiloh and Granger. “Stupid brutes are more your type, huh?”
It took a great deal of restraint to dial emergency services rather than punch the guys lights out, but Granger forced himself to do it.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“I’d like to report a trespasser,” Granger said into the phone.
The guy straightened, and his eyes narrowed.
“Has anyone been hurt?”
“Yes,” Granger continued. “When I arrived, he was physically abusing a woman.”
“Is she safe now? Where is the trespasser?”
With a bellow of frustration, the man straightened his severely wrinkled collar and pulled open his car door, jumping inside and skidding his way into the street.
Granger sent a quick prayer heavenward that no one had been coming down the road. “The woman is safe, and the man just left,” Granger responded to the questions.
“Do you still want me to dispatch emergency services?” the man on the line asked. “Do you wish to make a report to the police?”
Granger turned, watching as Shiloh shakily lowered herself onto the first step of the porch. “I think the danger is gone, thank you. So, I don’t think there’s any need to send anyone.”
“I understand,” the man said. “But I recommend you go to the station and make a report.”
“I’ll make sure to consider it, thank you.” Granger hung up the phone, glanced to make sure Zane was still safe and well in the truck, then walked over and squatted down in front of a still trembling Shiloh. “Are you alright?” he asked.
Shiloh’s look said it all, but Granger waited her out. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thank you for your help.” She tucked some hair behind her ear, then grimaced when it fell again. Jerking out the ponytail holder, she redid the bun, settling it at the nape of her neck instead of up high like it had been before.
Granger watched her in silence, waiting until she was finished before speaking. “Would you like to go do a police report? I can vouch for you. Maybe get a restraining order?”
Shiloh shook her head. “No one’s gonna give me a restraining order. He didn’t do anything illegal.”
“Do you or do you not own this property?” Granger pressed.
Shiloh sighed. “I suppose I do. Getting him on trespassing isn’t going to do much damage, and he’s well liked enough in the community that I don’t see anyone doing anything more than a slap on the wrist.”
Granger grumbled and stood up, stretching his back. “Are you saying he’s done this before? And who is he by the way?”
Shiloh peered up at him, the color in her face starting to come back. “Arthur Stevens. He owns one of the other real estate offices in town.”
Granger’s eyebrows shot up. “So he’s your rival?”
“I suppose you could call him that.” Shiloh pushed against the step, attempting to stand, but quickly sank back down. “I think I’ll wait out my knees for a moment longer.”
Granger watched her put her face in her hands, and his heart skipped a beat. The anger from earlier was creeping back in and he wanted to run grab that Stevens guy and throttle him. “I’m sorry.” The words slipped out before Granger really thought them through, but after a moment, he realized he wanted to say it for multiple reasons.
Shiloh dropped her hands and squinted through the sunshine. “What?”
“I’m sorry.”
She made a face, leaning back. “You didn’t do anything.”
Granger shifted his jaw for a moment, struggling to meet her eyes, before forcing himself to man up. “I might not have been the one hurting you a moment ago, but…I’m sorry you were treated that way…and I’m sorry…about how rude I was last week.”
There. He’d said it. It didn’t mean he was committing to anything between them, but maybe it would at least give him a chance at regaining the job, which he was desperately going to need in just a few weeks.
It would be tough to reign in his attraction if he were working closely with Shiloh but, if he were lucky, Granger would work outside while Shiloh worked in the house, and he’d barely have to see her.
“Why are you here?”
Granger winced. He hadn’t expected that, but he should have. Shiloh didn’t exactly seem like the type of woman to back down from confrontation. He’d just had proof a few moments ago.
Granger rubbed the back of his suddenly hot neck. “I, uh, was hoping the job offer was still on the table.”
Shiloh stared.
And stared.
And stared some more, before finally shaking her head and standing up. “Unbelievable. I don’t know when it happened, but somehow I’ve definitely got a sign on my back saying that I’m a weak, stupid, gullible female.”
Without answering Granger, she grabbed a bucket full of water which was definitely too heavy for her and began to carefully climb the steps.
“Let me help you?—”
“Don’t touch me,” Shiloh snapped.
Granger immediately backed off.
Several long moments later after she’d reached the top of the stairs, she set the bucket down carefully and turned to face him. “Despite what you witnessed with Arthur, I’m not a helpless female,” she ground out.
“I never thought you were.”
“I don’t need your help on the house or on the yard.”
Granger bit his tongue. She probably didn’t need his help, which was as wonderful as it was disappointing. Shiloh was the type to figure out a solution, and no amount of groveling was going to change that.
He’d just have to figure out another way to drum up some business.
“I’m sorry to have bothered you,” Granger began.
“It’s Zane, isn’t it?”
Granger’s retreat stopped, but he didn’t turn around.
“I’m not helpless, but I’m also not stupid,” Shiloh said, her voice still sharp but less so than before.
Slowly, Granger turned to look at her. “What does that have to do with my son?”
Shiloh stared him down with those mesmerizing eyes for several long breaths before answering. “I figure you’re only here for one of two reasons. Either Zane, who likes me despite your attitude, convinced you to come help, or…”
“Or?” Granger pressed.
“Or…you need the job because of Zane’s accident.” Shiloh’s shoulders dropped a little more. “I know what it’s like to have unexpected medical bills attack my savings, so I’m guessing that’s where the motivation lies.”
Granger clenched his jaw. He wasn’t going to let his pride have a voice here, or it would all be over.
“Now that I’ve completely ticked off your manly pride,” Shiloh said with a sarcastic grin, “I have one more thing to say.”
Granger just raised an eyebrow.
“I’m going out on a limb here and gonna say that you’re probably just as resourceful as I am. You’re a single father, raising a wonderful son, and I doubt you need me anymore than I need you.”
That manly pride was only slightly soothed.
“But there’s a little boy peeking anxiously out the truck window, and I’m guessing he’s got his heart set on his daddy not only working with his dance partner, but spending the next several weeks not acting like a stressed out parent.”
Granger folded his arms over his chest. She was saving him from groveling, but a lot of what she was saying was hitting a little too close to home.
“We don’t have to like each other,” Shiloh said in a softer tone. “But I do like your son, and for his sake and both our sanities, I will rehire you for this job.” She held up a finger. “Provided you don’t poison him against me.”
Granger scowled. “Why would I do that?”
Shiloh huffed. “You could say my view on confident businessmen isn’t exactly high right now.”
He had to give her that one. She’d been treated badly by two businessmen in less than a week, though in totally different circumstances. Her caveat was completely understandable.
Locking his attraction and hormones away in a thick, triple locked box, Granger walked forward and held out his hand. “You have a deal.”