Chapter Fourteen #2
George let out a short, dry snort and shook his head. He looked at the gate, then back to her with a slow, condescending tilt of his head. “I’ve been framing since you were in grade school, honey. A dozen screws driven at an angle will hold more weight than a horse can throw at it.”
“Not these screws.” Nicole pointed to the box of discarded fasteners on his workbench. “You might as well have used sheetrock screws for all the good those will do you.”
“Why don’t you just mind your own business? You go play with your pretty little toys.”
Toys. Play. If this were a cartoon, steam would be coming from her ears.
“Stick to the pretty carvings and finish work and leave the heavy lifting to the men who know how to build a wall that stays up.”
Silently fuming, Nicole stilled her hands to keep them from curling into fists. She wasn’t a whiner, and she certainly didn’t need to yell to prove her competence, but the casual disregard for the safety of the animals and anyone else who might have reason to be here made her blood boil.
“Don’t you have some place better to be?” Echoing the same words the Farraday brothers had used to put him in his place, Jet repeated the phrase to George.
His gaze passing from Jet to Nicole, a sleazy grin crept across George’s lips. Clearly the man had jumped to the wrong conclusion with the same skill he’d used to build the shaky gate. Not bothering to respond; he simply turned on his heel and sauntered toward the side door.
When the door slammed shut behind George, she turned to Jet. “I can take care of myself.” She probably should have said thank you, but the way she’d noticed Jet leering at her whenever they worked within shouting distance, she didn’t feel so inclined.
He inched closer, his gaze shifting from puffery to predatory. “Any time.”
Without thinking, she took a step in retreat. “Don’t you have someplace else to be?” That line had worked before, why not now?
He crept forward again. “Don’t you think it’s time we get better acquainted?”
Just what she needed. Another macho idiot wanting to play footsies with the pretty little construction worker. “Not really. Now if you don’t mind,” she turned away, “I have more work to do.”
He grabbed her arm, intending to pull her into him. Before he could say another word, she’d stomped on his instep and twisted, elbowing him in the face.
Taking a step back, she had to work really hard not to grin like a loon at his hands on his face, hopping on one foot. “Like I said. Don’t you have someplace else to be?”
Straightening to his full height, his hands cupped his bleeding nose, his mouth opened, then slammed shut as he turned and stormed out of the place.
“Idiots. All of them.” She watched him go, the heavy silence of the livery settling back around her, then she looked back at the gate again.
One more example of shoddy work that left little doubt in her mind that George had most likely rushed through who knew what else in order to meet Valerie’s filming deadline.
She’d talk with Ryan, or Morgan. Tomorrow the brothers could do a full inspection of everything George had been left to work on.
Wrapping up her own tools for the day, she debated whether or not to call Ryan now or wait till she saw him.
She could tell him everything during the ride to the ranch.
Unless, of course, the brothers were going to stay in town to be with their parents.
It hadn’t occurred to her to ask earlier in the day if she was going to need to get her own transportation home.
Then again, if that were the case, surely Ryan would have said something.
Her tools all packed and her mind still rattling ideas back and forth, Nicole’s phone buzzed.
A text from Ryan. Join us all for dinner?
The problems of the day slipped away and a smile tugged at her lips.
All set to reply of course, she looked down at her sawdust covered work clothes.
Not exactly the stuff good first impressions were made of.
Then again, Ryan and his brothers would be in their work clothes as well.
Not to mention did she really want to intrude on the family’s first night together in who knew how long?
Again, her lips curled up in a smile as she considered what it might mean that she was being included along with the other wives and fiancée.
Making up her mind, she hit send on her text to Ryan, then turned for the ladies room.
She could at least wash her hands and face and brush her hair.
After dinner she’d tell the brothers about her concerns.
Cleaned up as much as possible, on her way to retrieve her bag, she spotted a bright red grease pencil sitting on the edge of her workbench.
Picking it up, an idea rattled around in her head.
A few more minutes wouldn’t be a problem.
Returning to the shoddy gates, she walked to the first stall, leaned in and drew a thick, red circle around each of the inadequate screws.
She moved to the second stall and did the same, the red wax leaving a vivid, undeniable mark against the pale pine.
Standing in the doorway her gaze darted up the street to the former brothel. Tonight they would have a nice dinner. Tomorrow the Farraday brothers could do what they do best and all would be well with the world. She just hoped that included his parents.