Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
A dam arrived at the stately Victorian by 11:30 to make sure he got there ahead of Tracy. He had a couple of suggestions for the crew and his fixation on Trace could make him forget to say anything.
“Hey, boss!” Angie walked out on the porch as he swung down from his truck. “Figured that was your F-350 I heard pulling in.”
“Good ears. How was the drive over this morning?” When he’d first met Angie in Wagon Train she’d shown up in a Stetson, yoked shirt, blinged-out jeans and fancy boots. On the job she wore her brown hair in a ponytail pulled through a ball cap, a flannel shirt, old jeans and work boots.
“It’s still a long-ass drive, but since you’re paying for our gas. I just relax and enjoy the scenery.”
“Glad to hear it. I came by last night and the two rooms downstairs are looking great.”
“Thanks. We’re concentrating on the upstairs this trip.”
“I can tell.” The buzz of a saw and the rhythmic smack of a nail gun told him Kendall and Kieran were busy on the second floor. “Did Kendall bring Jodi?” That little cutie-pie had just turned two and he adored her.
“Not this time. Her father’s off this weekend so he wanted some daddy-daughter time.”
“I’ll bet.” He climbed the steps. “She’s a hoot. Give her a hammer, nails and some wood and she’s set.”
Angie nodded. “Another year and she’ll be on the payroll. I’m counting on her to show my little one the ropes.”
“Was that a hint?”
Her grin took up her whole face. “Just found out yesterday. Dallas is over the moon. Me, too, actually.”
“Congratulations! Your mom must be excited.”
“Delirious. And since she revealed her identity last year and her readers know M.R. Morrison is a woman, she can brag about being a granny of nine, soon to be ten.”
“That’s awesome. Don’t tell anybody, but I think my mom’s jealous.”
“No babies yet?”
“Nope. No weddings, either. With eight of us, she probably expected at least one or two would be married and having kids by now.”
“The McLintocks were the same until my big brother Sky started us off. Then it was like dominos.”
“Huh. Is he the oldest?”
“Yep. I think he’s older than you. He just turned thirty-five.”
“I’m thirty.”
“You’ve got time. He was thirty-two when he married Penny. I’m sure we weren’t consciously waiting for him to lead the way, but—” She peered at him. “Here’s a nosy question. You got anybody special waiting in the wings?”
“Me?” Heat crept up from his collar. “Not really.”
“I see. You do but you’re not at liberty to say. I recognize the signs. I’ve been in a similar position myself.”
“It’s complicated.”
“It always is, my friend. C’mon, let’s go check on Kendall and Kieran, make sure they’re not playing poker and drinking beer up there.”
He laughed, both in relief that she’d dropped the subject and the ridiculous idea that Kendall and Kieran would goof off. He’d never met a more dedicated crew.
As she started up the gracefully curved staircase, she tapped on the banister. “I can’t remember if we talked about it, but I’d like to refinish the railing, give it a protective finish.”
“Sounds good.” He unzipped his jacket but left it on. The crew preferred it chilly while they worked. “Hey, I wanted to ask if you thought we could build a tunnel upstairs.”
“A tunnel! That sounds like fun. For the kids, I assume?”
“Yes, but we’d better make it big enough for adults or you know what will happen.”
She chuckled. “I do. Stucksville. Where would it go?”
“Since we’re using adjoining bedrooms, the tunnel could be a passage between them.”
“Wouldn’t be very long.”
“It would if you put the entrance and exit near the middle of each room, maybe disguise it to look like part of a bookshelf.”
“Now I’m getting the idea. Someday you need to come see the revolving bookshelf in my house, which is patterned after the one in Mom’s house.”
“I’d like that.” He followed her into the front room to the left of the landing, the one with the bay window that rose to become a turret. Tracy’s favorite spot.
Kendall and Kieran were building bookshelves on either side of the window. Kieran turned off the table saw he’d set up in the middle of the room and pushed his goggles to the top of his head. “Mornin’, Adam! Good to see ya, boyo!” Pulling off his glove, he stuck out his hand.
He gripped it, Kieran’s lilting Irish brogue making him smile. “Good to see you, too. Hey, Kendall.”
“Greetings, Adam.” Kendall took off her noise cancelling headset and hung it around her neck.
He pointed to the bookshelves. “Those are perfect, like they should have been there all along.”
“I totally agree.” Laying down her nail gun she took off her gloves before walking over. “And I have an idea.”
“Shoot.”
Scrubbing her fingers through her short hair, she turned toward the bay window. “Two things. How about extending the window seat so it’s flush with the bookshelves and then adding a step so the little ones can climb up.”
“You read my mind. The small panes and metal frame guarantees they can’t fall out. When I was a toddler, I used to drag a stool over to?—”
“Hey up there!” Tracy’s voice rose from the first floor. “Do I need a hard hat or can I just come up?”
“Just come up!” Adam hollered back. The sound of her voice jacked up his pulse. “It’s Tracy.” He glanced at the three people in the room. “An old friend. Her folks bought the property next to Laughing Creek Ranch when we were in grade school.”
“She’s come back for a visit?” Angie was eyeing him with interest.
“No, she still lives here, but she’s moved into town. She’s a lawyer.” Damn, he shouldn’t have said anything about his mom longing for grandkids, which had led to Angie’s question. She’d just picked up on his change of mood.
“You’re working on the children’s section!” Tracy entered the room and he was in damage control. Angie would be watching.
He tried his best not to act like a besotted fool. But God, she was beautiful, her cheeks glowing from the cold, the climb to the second floor, and maybe even because she was as affected by him as he was by her.
“Adam and I talked about it when he first came up with the bookstore idea.”
“Then you were in on the original planning phase?” Kendall looked curious, too.
“Yes, but I… work’s been crazy.” She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Tracy. Are you Angie?”
“Kendall.” She shook Tracy’s hand. “That’s Angie and this obviously is Kieran.”
“I’m so glad to meet all of you.” Tracy shook hands with the other two. “Adam’s raved about your work and last night I finally got over to see some of it, mostly the fiction room. The arched shelving is gorgeous.”
“Thanks.” Angie’s glance kept switching from Tracy to him, clearly finding clues galore. “It’s good to meet you, too. Adam says you’re old friends.”
“Yeah, met in third grade.” She gave him a sunny smile. “This house was a favorite destination when I was a kid. I tagged along on trips into town to see his great-grandma Lucy. I loved this room. Loved her, too. She kept her old clothes from the twenties in that closet.” She pointed to the far side of the room. “Mila, Claudette and I were allowed to play dress-up with them.”
“Cool.” Kendall nudged him. “How about you, Adam? Did you play dress-up?”
“No, ma’am, I did not.”
“We tried to make him put on his great-grandpa’s stuff, but he and Luis were either sliding down the banister, playing King of the Mountain on the stairs, or having shoot-outs in the hallway.”
Kieran grinned. “Sliding down that banister sounds grand to me, mate. I would’ve done the same. I’d try the banister now except I might break it, me, or both.”
“Some of us gave it a try ten years ago when we were helping move great-grandma Lucy to the ranch,” Tracy said. “Greta sailed down like a pro, but she was only twelve. Rio wasn’t bad, either. But the rest of us wiped out.”
“Speak for yourself. I landed on my feet.” He’d raced over to catch her before her butt hit the floor. Hadn’t thought of it in years, but he could still feel the sensation of tucking her warm body close to his.
“Okay, you landed on your feet but then you staggered and almost fell. In other words, you didn’t stick the landing.”
“It’s green with envy, I am,” Kieran said. “Never got inside one of the old Victorians back home. I’m in heaven workin’ on this one.”
“Well, you’re all doing a spectacular job.” Tracy gestured toward the bookshelves. “I love the idea of one on either side of the turret bay window. Are you going to enlarge the window seat?”
“We were just talking about it,” Kendall said. “Adam and I had that same idea, and then we’ll put in a step so the smaller kids can climb up.”
“Brilliant.” Tracy gazed at the antique window. “I always thought it would be great if the window seat had curtains in front of it so you could hide in there.”
Angie turned to study the opening. “Now that we have the bookcases on either side, we could put up a cornice between them and hang lightweight curtains the kids could open and close.”
“I would have loved something like that when I was a kid,” Kendall said. “They could even put on little plays.”
“Then let’s do it.” Adam glanced at Angie. “That shouldn’t be expensive but the tunnel will be. Just let me know how much you need to adjust your estimate.”
Kendall lit up. “Tunnel? We’re gonna make a tunnel?”
“Adam has a plan.” Angie smiled at him. “And I have a sneaky suspicion more are on the way.”
“Bring ’em on, Adam.” Kendall gave him two thumbs up. “I see Dallas and me taking family trips over here. The next generation of McLintocks will be wild about this bookshop.”
“I believe you. I’m counting on plenty of folks being wild about it. No promises, but from what the state rep said at the council meeting last night, there’s a slight chance the shortcut road will be done sometime this summer.”
“I hope it is for your sake,” Kendall said, “but now that I’m used to going up and around Missoula, I don’t mind it. If I can bring Jodi over to a bookshop with a tunnel and a stage, I’ll make the drive.”
“It’ll be grand for the wee ones,” Kieran said. “And for the mums and dads, too. My granny says she’ll come even if riding in the truck makes her throw up.”
“Will it?” He’d been looking forward to meeting Kieran’s granny after hearing all the stories about her.
“She gets carsick somethin’ terrible.”
“Could she take Dramamine?”
“Doesn’t work, but she’s that determined that she’s willin’ ta sit in the back seat with a bucket.”
“Okay then. Good luck with that.” He looked over at Tracy. “Ready for lunch?”
When they all cracked up, it took him a minute. “Oh. Sorry, bad timing.”
“Perfect timing, mate.” Kieran patted him on the shoulder. “Ya remind me of m’self, always stickin’ my foot in it, I am.”
“To answer your question.” Tracy’s blue eyes twinkled. “I’m ready for lunch.”
“Then let’s go before I make an even bigger idiot of myself. See you three out at the ranch tonight. Mom’s looking forward to having you.”
“It’s a treat for us, too,” Angie said. “This may turn out to be my all-time favorite gig. The project’s exciting and we get first-class room and board when we stay over. See you tonight.”
“It was great meeting you all,” Tracy said. “I’ll get Adam to describe the tunnel over lunch. That’s news to me and I’m intrigued.”
“You’re welcome to come check out the progress anytime,” Angie said. “The more people who come see what we’re doing, the more buzz for the grand opening.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She made eye contact with Adam. “Lead the way, Mayor Bridger.”
The teasing way she’d said it fit perfectly with the story that they were old friends. She’d done a great job telegraphing that they were just chums. Him, not so much. Angie probably had his number but Tracy had given nothing away. Maybe she’d successfully put a lid on her craving for him.
But he wasn’t into guessing games. He’d flat-out ask her during lunch. With so many people around, he’d have no trouble keeping his pesky libido in check.