Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

The next morning, Sloan still felt a deep ache in her chest at pushing Rhett away. It was as if she’d found a long-lost friend who filled that ache and then she’d shoved that friend away and hurt herself and him.

Talking to Kathy had helped immensely, and a lot of time on her knees had been invaluable, but she felt guilty for the way she’d treated him. He’d done nothing but help her, rescuing her like a hero from the mud, her cousins, and her own mess.

Kathy told her if she didn’t give Rhett Coleville a chance, she would fly up from Arizona and claim that ‘stud’ for herself. Sloan had only laughed at her friend, though inside she’d agreed that he was a stud and felt the sting of jealousy thinking of her vivacious blonde friend ‘claiming’ Rhett.

Why couldn’t Sloan give him a chance? Why did she have to be so closed off and independent? It was the only way she knew to get through life surrounded by strong, determined men every day. Keep them further than arm’s length.

She had chocolate covered peanuts for breakfast, brushed her teeth, and set off wearing a button-down shirt, slacks, and heels to deal with some county people who had mostly ignored her repeated email requests and phone calls.

She had a chilly and drizzly walk the two blocks to the county offices. Did the rain ever stop? She might need to buy another coat if hers didn’t get clean. Her fingers and face stung from the early morning chill and drops of freezing rain. It would get warmer as the day wore on. She hoped.

Sloan pushed through the double doors just as the office opened at eight.

The gray-haired receptionist set her steaming coffee cup down and smiled pleasantly at her. “Well now, aren’t you a beauty. Not from around here?”

Sloan shook her head. Was it obvious to everyone?

“Where is your coat and umbrella, little girl?” The woman tsked.

Sloan flared inside. She wasn’t around older ladies often, but apparently it wasn’t just men trying to tell her what to do that bugged her. She took a deep breath and smiled. “I took a dump in the mud with it yesterday. Praying my coat gets clean.”

“Ah, beautiful girl. I’ll pray for that too. In the meantime, why don’t you take my sweater? I just love your deep voice, by the way.” She held up a knitted bright red sweater from the back of her chair.

“I couldn’t possibly take your sweater.” She was stunned and had no clue how to react to such a generous offer.

“Well, why ever not?”

Sloan said the first thing she thought of. “You’d be cold.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m not going anywhere but this chair for a while, and I’ve got a heap more padding than you do.” She laughed, standing to hand over the sweater. “Go on now.”

Sloan had no idea how to refuse. She took the proffered cardigan sweater and stared at the motherly woman.

“Well, put it on.”

Sloan wanted to. She slid into the cozy warm sleeves, wrapping it around herself like a hug from a mother she didn’t remember much about. She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth and the kindness. “Thank you,” she whispered, opening her eyes to focus on this charitable lady. “I’ll bring it back when my coat gets clean.”

“It’s a gift, dear. I have plenty. I make them at night while my sweetheart watches all those ball games. Did you know there’s a ball game on every single moment?”

“I didn’t.” Sloan couldn’t even wrap her mind around this lady’s reality. She sat in this office all day and then knitted sweaters while her husband watched sports at night. More baffling, she was happy.

“Well, I’m here to tell you we never run out of ball games.” She grinned. “The sweater’s too big on you, but it’ll keep you warm.”

Sloan imagined it looked ridiculous on her. She’d never worn anything so cozy and perfect. “Thank you again.”

“Of course, dear. Now what I can do to help you this beautiful morning?”

“Oh. Yes.” She’d almost forgotten her purpose in the wake of this lady’s benevolence. “I need to meet with …” She rattled off several names.

“And what’s your name, dear? I’m Annabeth, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Annabeth. I’m Sloan Jensen. The developer of White Pine Properties.”

“Truly?” Annabeth put her hand to her heart. “Are you playing a prank on me?”

“No.” Sloan’s insides twisted. She’d talked to the people in this office many times over the past twenty months, never making much progress with her phone calls. She’d probably even spoken to Annabeth without knowing it.

Annabeth looked a little chagrined. “Well, you have been quite the conversation piece up here.”

Even the generous Annabeth was bad-mouthing her. The sweater suddenly grew too warm.

“You’ll have to forgive us, dear. You see …” Annabeth twisted her hands together. “We were under the impression you were a man.”

“Oh.” Her name or her deep voice? “Rhett thought the same thing.”

“Rhett Coleville?” Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “You’ve had the privilege of meeting that hunk a bunk of burning manliness?”

Sloan laughed out loud. “Did you really just …” She shook her head, not certain what to say to that.

Annabeth grinned and winked. “Don’t rat me out now, but when that man looks at me with his blue, blue eyes, from under that cowboy hat, and I catch a glimpse of all those lovely muscles of his …” She fanned her face. “I find myself wishing I was twenty-five again and unattached.”

Sloan was twenty-five and unattached, and she knew exactly what Annabeth was talking about with those blue eyes, the entire cowboy look, and the muscles. “What would your husband say to that?” she tried to tease her new friend.

“Ah, he’d laugh and laugh. My Jed is the happiest guy around.” She winked. “’Course he is; look at who he got blessed to marry.” She gestured to herself and laughed even harder. “All right, dear, you just sit on down and I’ll see who can meet with you first. They’re all busy, busy all the time, but I’ll make ‘em fit you in. When they find out you’re not a man… Whew. I think it was that deep voice of yours, maybe the name. We don’t get any women developers, you know? Anyway, Rhett Coleville might have some competition when my guys meet you.”

“Rhett and I are not … I hardly know him …” Sloan didn’t even know how to finish, and she did not want any county worker trying to hit on her. She wanted to work with them like a professional.

“Come now, dear. You’re trying to tell me you don’t quake in those high heels when you look at all those muscles, that handsome face, and those blue, blue eyes?” Annabeth arched an eyebrow. “When he smiles … whew!”

“I’ll just sit right here,” Sloan said. No way was she admitting the way Rhett made her feel. New, unfamiliar feelings. Exciting, but almost as scary as facing her dad or cousins again.

“Uh-huh. Gone over our Rhett.” Annabeth laughed to herself. “Get yourself comfortable. Coffee and water in the break room if you need.”

“Thank you.” Sloan sat, her cheeks burning. Annabeth had seen straight through her denial of being ‘gone over Rhett’.

She waited and waited. When Annabeth wasn’t on the phone or clacking on the keyboard, she chatted with Sloan about her grandbabies, her garden, her husband, and her favorite sports teams.

It was noon before Sloan got in to meet with one of the four men she’d emailed or spoken to on the phone. It stung to know they’d all thought she was a man because of her name, her deeper voice, and her profession not being a feminine one.

The first man was forty-something, friendly enough, patient, but so laid-back she knew they weren’t going anywhere fast.

Hours passed of waiting with Annabeth, and a few more meetings that promised nothing but a list of excuses why they couldn’t help her faster. Two of the four county workers were single men, and she could feel their interest in her oozing over the conference table. Subtle flirtations seemed to be a higher priority than electricity lines getting dug and strung to her development. The weather and the spring conditions were the excuses she heard over and over again.

It was after two and she was in a conference meeting with all four of the men who should be able to help her. She’d cut through all their excuses and was done wasting time. Her new sweater was draped over the back of the chair as she’d finally warmed up. Finally, she stood and planted her hands on the table.

“Look. I know I’m not from around here, and I’m sorry about the spring rains, but I’ve got contractors who need power and you are the only ones who can help me get it to them. I don’t need to tell you that these contractors are local and hard-working and have brought in revenue for the county. If we can get my project going smoothly, you will have even more revenue. I know you all want those impact fees for schools, roads, and important projects. Not to mention property tax increases with multi-million dollar homes down the road.”

They all exchanged loaded glances.

Sloan was in her element. This was familiar. Here, she could make a difference. “What can we do to make this happen?”

A couple hours later, she felt confident knowing she was at the top of the list for digging and dragging power lines from the closest utility spot to her property. The two county workers who were young men and too friendly with her had stayed in the conference room after the meeting.

One of them, Malik, had a cousin who had recently started a material supply company, hoping to capitalize on all the new construction throughout the Kalispell area. Sloan was able to do a video chat with the young man and had a commitment that, rain or shine, he’d start hauling in loads of gravel and road base next week.

She thanked her new friends profusely. Malik asked if she was free for dinner, and she was tempted. Not that she was interested, but he’d been kind, was nice-looking, and she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts of Rhett Coleville. Annabeth hadn’t helped her resolve not to want to see him again.

Thanking Malik, she said maybe another night; she needed to do some shopping and find a condo or room to rent. She said her goodbyes to the men, got a warm hug and a ‘don’t be a stranger’ from Annabeth, and walked back to the hotel in a light rain, wrapped in her warm red sweater.

Her spirits were up. Progress—and not because of anyone but herself.

She could do this, and she could do it on her own.

When she saw her car in the parking lot of the hotel, she stopped in her tracks. It was clean. Had Rhett done that, or was that part of the service when they towed a car around here? She was grateful for his help. Maybe it was because she felt good about her day, but she didn’t prickle at the fact that he’d helped her.

She loaded up in her car and went shopping at Bass Pro Shops. It was a large, nice store, with all kinds of stuffed animals and mounted heads everywhere. What was with this town and displaying dead animals? Stomach grumbling as she’d only had chocolate covered peanuts to eat, she hurried to buy some surprisingly cute work boots, a couple pairs of jeans, T-shirts, a baseball hat to shield her from the rain, and a flannel jacket.

Returning to the hotel, she was searching for restaurants when she saw Blue Samurai Sushi Bar literally around the corner from the hotel. Was that a coincidence or from heaven above? Thanks to Annabeth, Rhett had been close to her thoughts all day. She’d half expected someone at the county to tell her he’d called and pulled some strings to ‘help’ her. It was what her father would have done.

She hadn’t heard that. Rhett hadn’t overstepped her line, and she appreciated that. He’d had her car towed to her and someone had thoughtfully cleaned it, but he’d told her he would get her car to her.

Could Rhett Coleville be a protective, burly man who would rescue her from the mud and her cousins without trying to take over her life?

Sloan took her purchases to her room and changed out of her skirt and button-down shirt into a new T-shirt, jeans, and the work boots. They felt nice and warm. She put her sweater back on. It was too big, but she wanted the warmth of Annabeth’s welcome.

After dinner, she’d search for long-term rentals. She’d had high hopes of staying in Grandpa’s cabin, but her cousins had tainted it and she had forgotten how remote and rustic it was. It would be fun to stay there on a getaway with someone like Rhett, but not by herself.

Ugh. She wouldn’t be staying anywhere with Rhett and needed to stop thinking about him.

Sloan walked to the sushi bar. She’d eat her first meal of the day and then she could find a place to stay. If she could get road base down and electrical to the sites, maybe the contractors wouldn’t be so frustrated with her, the work could progress, and she could sell more lots. She’d check her listings tonight too, maybe refresh some details, and she could make the descriptions even more alluring now that she’d been here. The sky was weepy around the clock and the ground a mud pit, but the lush, green mountainous beauty was out of this world.

A smiling middle-aged Asian lady seated her, setting down a menu, a paper list of sushi rolls, a pencil, chopsticks, a napkin, and a small bowl for soy sauce. She ordered water and the lady brought it promptly. It was quiet on a Wednesday night, and she was grateful to see no deer heads with glassy eyes and tongues out staring at her from the walls.

Perusing the menu, Sloan started marking rolls on the list. She was starving and shouldn’t over-order as she often did with sushi. Last night’s dinner was almost two hundred dollars, and the hotel had been four hundred for the two nights. The clothes and boots had been two hundred and fifty. She needed to slow down her spending, but she was feeling optimistic after her day with the county and finding a road base company who was eager to help.

The door opened, and she glanced up. Her mouth went dry and her pulse sped up. The tall, well-built, dark-haired contractor filled up the doorway. He took off his cowboy hat and his blue, blue eyes scanned the restaurant, settled on her, and stuck.

“Sloan.”

Rhett strode across the space. She had turned him away last night, but that didn’t seem to be between them at the moment. She stood to greet him. He stopped in front of her with his blue eyes all lit up. She could hear Annabeth calling him ‘that hunk a bunk of burning manliness’ and she blushed.

“Hi, Rhett.” Her voice was deeper than usual.

“I like the sweater,” he said, his lips curving up.

“My friend Annabeth made it.”

“County offices?”

She nodded.

He brushed at his hair. “Annabeth loves to tease me.”

“Oh, I bet she does. She calls you ‘a hunk a bunk of burning manliness’.”

His tanned skin darkened. “She doesn’t.”

Sloan laughed and nodded. It was nice to see him be the one embarrassed for a change.

He slid out of his flannel jacket, and she thought of Annabeth talking about his muscles.

She held up a booted foot. “How about these beauties?”

“Very nice. They look fabulous on you.”

“I know.” She grinned and read his T-shirt. “ I didn’t know I’d be a burly contractor, but here I am killin’ it .” She laughed. “Where do you get these?”

“It’s a joke with my brothers. They buy me funny T-shirts for every birthday.”

“I like that.” She really liked the way the T-shirt pulled taut across his broad shoulders, faintly outlining the chest muscles she’d been able to touch yesterday. She couldn’t help but glance at the arm muscles that had lifted her up and protected her. Had one of her cousins given him the bruise on his bicep? She hoped he hadn’t been hurt for her sake.

“How’d you know I’d be here?” she asked.

“I gambled.” He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling at her. “I think I won.”

There was a question in his eyes. If she wanted him here, it would be a win. She did want him here. Was it smart? She didn’t know, but she could hear Kathy’s voice in her head screaming at her to go for it.

“How will you know if you’ve won?” She was playing right into his hands. That wasn’t like her at all. Could coming to this beautiful and remote mountain location be the breath of fresh air she needed? Could she learn to trust a man and trust that he had no desire to control her but to get to know her, care about her, be her equal?

“If you ask me to join you.” Rhett’s voice was deep and the question in his blue eyes was meaningful. They’d been on a roller coaster yesterday, from the way they met to the times she’d pushed him away, from how he’d rescued her to the fact that he and the other generals were upset with her. But she wanted to be near him, and it was just sushi. Right?

“Would you please join me for dinner?” she asked.

“I would love to, on one condition.”

“Oh? Now there are conditions?” She hoped he was teasing, but his eyes had gone a deeper blue. Conditions. She was tired of conditions. There were always conditions with construction, and her dad’s love and support was conditional on her obeying his every command.

“You snaked the bill last night. I get to pay tonight.” His eyes held a challenge and a plea. He didn’t want to control her, but he wanted to work together, find a compromise.

She thought about it. Could she let down her guard that much? She should probably insist they go Dutch, but working with Rhett sounded like blessed relief. She could be strong on her own, but leaning on him was a reprieve she’d never had.

“I suppose you do owe me,” she said.

His smile came out then. “At least a few dinners. Steak isn’t cheap.”

“Don’t push it, Mr. Manly Man.” She’d said that tease last night when she was upset. Tonight, it was just a tease. “You hunk a bunk of burning manliness.”

“Okay. I think we’re done with that description.”

Sloan laughed. Why did teasing and flirting come so naturally with him? She should dissect it, but for tonight she wanted to relax and enjoy the unique mix of comfort and excitement he brought. “Dinner tonight, Mr. Coleville, and I might even let you take me for ice cream after. I’ve got some great news to celebrate.”

“I can’t wait to hear this.” He pulled out her chair, and she sank into it.

They’d reached a compromise. They could have dinner, ice cream, and she could tell him her good news. They could banter and smile and laugh.

She’d proceed with caution, but maybe this new chapter in her life would be more exciting than she’d planned on.