Chapter Two
“Great.” The red arrow on the dashboard temperature gauge of Nicole’s truck slowly inched higher and higher until old Betsy—named after her great-aunt, a feisty woman who lived on her own terms right up till the day she went to bed and slept her way to heaven at ninety two—was dangerously close to boiling over territory.
Surrounded by miles of dry and flat Texas dirt, under the hot Western sun, her truck had to pick now to compete with the Texas furnace better known as August. The last thing she needed was for her truck to give up the ghost. Blasting the heat in an effort to keep Betsy from steaming to a stop, she lowered all the windows and wished she could strip down to her skivvies.
According to her GPS she was about twenty minutes outside of Tuckers Bluff.
If she didn’t stop and get whatever was broken fixed, she’d never make it all the way to Sadieville.
By the time she spotted the single road ahead lined with small town shops on either side, the place was a sight for sore eyes.
There had to be a gas station. Every town had at least that.
Then she could pop the hood and with the grace of God, it would be an easier fix.
She didn’t want to think what she’d do if she needed a new radiator.
Easing down the road, she spotted an old sign that had seen better days announcing Ned’s Garage and she rolled onto the driveway in front of the single bay business, turned the engine off, and for just a second, leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and thanked heaven she hadn’t melted into the seat.
Not how she’d planned her first day as the finish carpenter for the Farraday construction company to go. The last thing she wanted was to let her brother down by showing up late with a lame excuse reminiscent of the dog eating her homework.
She climbed out, carefully popped the hood to avoid getting burned, and stared at the engine like it might confess what it had done wrong if she glared long enough.
“Overheating?” a voice came from behind her.
Nicole turned to see a wiry man who looked to be older than the Model T wiping his hands on a rag.
“Just enough to feel like I’ve been riding into Satan’s gates for the last half hour.”
He chuckled. “I’m Ned. Since I can’t do anything about the West Texas heat, let’s take a look and see what I can do about your truck.”
Though she had no idea why, she trusted Ned without an inch of the skepticism that came with every mechanic she’d ever had to deal with back home in Oklahoma. “Thanks.”
He took one look under the hood, did a quick glance, didn’t touch anything, bobbed his head, and shoved the rag into his back pocket. “Hose needs to be replaced.”
She wondered for a moment if he could diagnose everything that easily. Though it made sense, since he looked like he’d been fixing cars since the day they stopped using horses and buggies. “Oh, good. That’s much better—and faster—than needing a new radiator.”
The old guy chuckled softly. “Will be once I get the part from Butler Springs.”
Though she hoped that was the name of the supply house around the corner, somehow, she doubted it. “Will that take long?”
The old guy gave the engine one more look before stepping back. “I’ll call Harry at the parts depot. If he’s got it, I can run over and pick it up this afternoon.”
“Oh good.” Despite the miserable heat, she found her smile. “That’ll be great. I’m supposed to meet Morgan Farraday in Sadieville before end of day.”
Ned lifted his gaze to the sky then ran long scraggly fingers behind his neck. “Well, Miss, that may be a problem. You see, Butler Springs is over an hour and a half away.”
An hour and a half away, in each direction, plus repair time definitely constituted a problem.
Before she could respond, the bell over the garage door clanged and another man stepped out carrying a small box under one arm.
Broad-shouldered, with muscles that stretched every inch of his well worn t-shirt, bright blue eyes, and a lazy smile to match, she almost swallowed her tongue at the sight of him.
Mr. Tall, Tan, and Handsome silently glanced from her to the open hood to Ned and back.
“Almost forgot you were still here.” Ned turned to the man. “This little lady is heading out to Sadieville. You heading that way?”
He bobbed his head and shifted to meet her gaze. “I’d be happy to give you a lift.”
“I, uh…” A million thoughts were racing through her mind, starting with getting to Sadieville was only half the battle. How was she supposed to get back for her truck? “When did you say the hose would be fixed?” she asked the old man.
“There’s no way I can get the replacement hose here and installed before morning.”
It took every ounce of restraint not to groan at the news.
She sure hoped whatever housing the family had arranged, she wouldn’t need a vehicle to get there.
Right about now, the handsome cowboy was her only option.
“If I can put a few things in your vehicle, I’d be very grateful for a lift. That is, if it’s not a problem.”
A smile as wide as the Rio Grande stretched across his face making those blue eyes sparkle even brighter. “Not a problem at all. I’m Ryan, and I’m parked right over there.”
“Nicole. And thank you.”
“I’ll put these supplies away and come back to help.”
“No need.” She hurried around to the bed of her truck. Grabbed her overnight bag and her general tool bag that held her favorite hammer, along with a few other basic tools, leaving the rest locked in the bed’s tool chest. For a split second she wondered how safe was Ned’s?
“The rest of your stuff will be fine here with Ned.” Ryan appeared behind her, apparently reading her mind, and grabbed a bag for her.
“Thanks. Right about now I’m more worried about getting to my appointment on time than anything else.”
“Appointment?”
“With Morgan Farraday. I’m filling in for my brother, Mike.
” Something seemed to flash behind those smiling eyes before he gave a brief nod, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
It would be a darn shame if this guy turned out to be one of those macho construction guys who thought girls belonged at the beauty salon or shopping mall.
After Ned’s reassurance that he’d let her know as soon as the truck was up and running again, she followed Ryan to his vehicle.
To her surprise, he held the passenger door open for her, then circled around to the driver’s side.
She’d been one of the guys for so long; she’d forgotten what it was like to be treated like a lady. She had to admit, it was kind of nice.
Settled in the truck, her safety belt in place, she took a few calming breaths. “I love my brother to death, but the man isn’t much of a talker. I’ve only caught one episode of the show, but I learned more about the town from it than from Mike.”
Ryan chuckled softly. “That sounds like Mike.”
“Is it as bad as my brother says?”
Those pretty blue eyes dimmed as dark brows dipped into a sharp V. “Bad?”
“The filming,” she clarified. “I’ve been warned that can slow things down.”
The sparkle in those blue eyes was back as he huffed a quiet laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”
“My brother likes working for the Farradays. I can tell because he never complains about anything. Except for some guy named Jet. He doesn’t seem to care for him much. He seems to think I’m a little girl who can’t recognize a snake a mile away.”
Ryan bit back a laugh. “I think that’s standard big brother territory.”
“Hm. I just hope Mr. Morgan Farraday doesn’t fire me before I start for being late.
” Right now she wasn’t sure what had her more on edge, the new job stepping into her brother’s shoes, the handsome cowboy only a foot away from her, or being late to meet the big bad boss. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
At least now Ryan understood why Mike was so worried about his kid sister.
Even dressed in work clothes designed for men, there was no hiding this carpenter was all woman.
From the top of her chestnut ponytail to eyes the color of warm honey and skin that could give fine porcelain a run for its money, there was no mistaking that Mike’s sister was a natural beauty.
Maybe keeping Jet away wasn’t going to be as easy as he and his brothers had thought.
Nicole shifted in her seat beside him, tucking one booted foot under the other like she’d done it a thousand times, completely unaware she’d just rearranged his priorities for the day.
“So,” she glanced out the open window, “does everyone commute from Tuckers Bluff to Sadieville or do they stay in the new ghost town?”
“A lot of the crew stay in the bunk houses at the ranch.”
“The Farraday ranch?”
He nodded.
“Is that where Mike stayed?”
Again, he nodded. “A few folks have taken a liking to this part of the country and have been settling down in the new construction. The ghost town is just the hub of the wheel. The locals are working really hard to create a reason to bring more families and more tourists out this way.”
“A ghost town sounds like the perfect answer. Who doesn’t want to see a haunted saloon?” A wry smile teased at her lips. He couldn’t tell if she was amused by the possibilities or the absurdity of it.
Heaven knows when his brother first told him the plan he thought Morgan had lost his mind. “Or brothel.”
That earned him a soft laugh. Not the polite kind. The real one. The kind that slipped out before she could stop it. “Don’t tell me the town really has a brothel?”
“Used to. Now it’s a bed and breakfast run by our town’s favorite sisters. Sister and Sissy.”
“Is that their names?” Her brows shot up surprisingly high on her forehead.
“As far as I know. I’m not sure anyone has a clue what their full Christian names are.”
“Interesting.” Her head bobbed and she stared out into the flat lands of West Texas. “I don’t know. This whole thing seems so weird.”
“How is that?”
“Well, haunted brothels, reviving a ghost town, film crews scattered about like swarms of insects, and six brothers in charge of it. Construction Cousins. I mean really,” she turned to glance at him, “who came up with that name?”
“Don’t like it?”
She shrugged. “Don’t hate it, I just hope the brothers aren’t as stupid as the show’s name.”
What was he supposed to say to that? After all, he and his brothers had thought the name was pretty stupid at first too, but apparently, his now sister-in-law Valerie had known what she was talking about when she talked Morgan into this whole crazy idea.
The show was a huge hit. Now might be a good time to mention his last name—then again, after the last comment, it was probably best to keep quiet.
Maybe when she did learn his name later, she won’t remember she’d just called them stupid.
The truck hummed along the two lane road that connected Tuckers Bluff to Sadieville. Ryan was keenly aware of her nonetheless—in the same way you noticed a song you liked had come on the radio.
“I have to admit,” she turned to him, “this isn’t how I pictured meeting the famous Farradays.”
“I don’t know about famous.” Though he supposed they were becoming more of a household name thanks to the Construction Cousins show than they could ever have expected.
“I wanted to make a good impression. Look like I know what I’m doing.”
“You know what you’re doing. According to Mike, he’s worried about job security after you.”
The way she blinked, then stared for a moment before smiling like she wasn’t sure whether to argue or accept the compliment, he was pretty sure she had no idea how much her brother respected her work.
“I couldn’t get Mike to tell me anything more than I’d like it here.
What’s it like working for the Farradays? ”
How to answer that since technically; he worked with his brothers, not for them.
“I mean, Morgan seems to be the big boss. Is he nice or a hard ass?”
And again the difficult questions. Morgan could be a bit of both depending on what’s on the line.
“I don’t know if I like how long you had to think about that.” She leaned back in her seat.
“Sorry. It’s just that Morgan has a lot of responsibility. He can be a marshmallow about some things and a real pain about others. Over all, I’d say he’s fair. If you do your work as expected, you won’t have any issues with him…or the others.”
“I just hope they’re not another bunch of Hollywood egos. I hate it when nice people get a little success and become so big headed you wonder why they don’t just fall over from the weight of it all.”
A visual of Morgan and his other brothers wearing a twenty gallon hat with heads the size of Big Tex at the state fair, wobbling about until they face planted, made him chuckle softly.
“Oh, don’t tell me I hit the mark. Are they really that bad? I can do it, but dealing with men who think they’re superior always makes my job harder.”
“I wouldn’t worry.” And on that, the small town came into sight ahead. “You’ll find out for yourself in a few.”
Her eyes opened wide and a smile that teetered on both excitement and apprehension played with her lips. That smile widening and her eyes turning to sheer excitement as the old buildings could be made out more clearly. A throwback to another era. “Wow.”
“Yeah.” He smiled. For all its aggravations, he did love seeing this old town come back to life in a respectful, yet modern way.
Ryan slowed, pulling into a space in front of the trailer that doubled for the main office. He’d barely opened the door when one of the crew hollered over to him. “Hey, Ryan. Your brother is looking for you. Wants to know where the hell that part is.”
To his side, Nicole softly muttered, “Brother?”
“Which one?” he called over the open door.
Now her gaze narrowed and her brows buckled. “There’s more than one?”
“Quinn,” the guy shouted. “Though Morgan seems to be on a tear about something too. You’d better hurry.”
“Morgan?” Her eyes widened. “Quinn?” Her mouth fell slightly open and slowly her finger rose to cover that open mouth. “Oh, my lord. You’re a Farraday.”
Tipping his hat at her, he bit back a smile. “Guilty as charged.”