Here, Kat had everyone’s attention. These were burly men who had more callouses on their fingers than Leo had hairs on his head. They were gruff and intimidating on a good day. And when things weren’t going their way? Leo wasn’t too proud to admit they could be downright terrifying.
“We have a schedule we need to keep, Ms. Jerris. Saturday isn’t going to be soon enough. We might have to put this project on hold while we set to work on other commitments.” Josh was one of the foremen on the project and an all-around ill-tempered guy.
Kat didn’t bat an eye. “In the agreement your company signed, you allowed for delays given they didn’t exceed a certain amount of time. We gave our permission for you to work on side projects when there was down time here, and as such you’re welcome to turn your attention to those projects, but I’ll be expecting you out here to work bright and early Saturday when the truck arrives.”
Josh’s face turned red. He wasn’t the head of the construction company that Kat had hired, but he had enough power in his position to make unfavorable decisions. Leo’s focus darted fromhim to Kat and back. Neither one of them looked ready to bow down and it only made Kat that much more attractive.
When one of Josh’s crew clapped a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, Leo exhaled. He hadn’t realized that the tension in these meetings could get so high. He’d gone head-to-head with the woman and he knew darn well she could hold her own, but this? With one snap of his fingers, Josh could break someone’s neck. He might not be a criminal, but he could probably play one on television.
Leo wished Mr. Jerris could see his daughter in action. She hadn’t backed down one bit when she’d come toe to toe with Josh. If nothing else, that should have earned her the job.
But something told Leo that commanding a meeting like this one wasn’t the only expectation her father had for her.
Someone nudged him in his side and Leo shot a disgruntled look at the culprit. His cousin had been hanging around a lot more often lately. He didn’t have a reason to be at these meetings, but that didn’t stop Tripp from tagging along. It was clear he had developed a crush on Kat and that didn’t sit well with Leo either.
Tripp jerked a chin in Kat’s direction. “Nothing sexier than a woman who can make a whole room of ruffians bow at her feet, am I right?”
“Shut up.”
Tripp chuckled. “So you’ve noticed too, huh? Who am I kidding? Everyone’s noticed the way you look at her.”
This time the warning look Leo gave his cousin was filled with venom. “I mean it, Tripp. Step off it.”
His cousin chuckled and turned his attention back to the woman of the hour. After a few minutes, he murmured, “You hear about Michelle? She’s finally getting married. Found some guy from Billings.”
Leo grunted. He’d heard there was a wedding happening. It was supposedly some big event. The sisters up at Twisted River were hosting the event and whenever they did, it was a big deal. Leo didn’t know Michelle personally, but he wasn’t surprised that Tripp did. He knew all of the eligible women in town. He’d probably dated all of them, too.
“Everyone’s invited. And I mean, everyone.” Tripp tossed Leo a glance out of the corner of his eye. “I’m thinking of asking Kat if she’d like to be my date.”
Leo’s hands fisted at his sides. He’d told Tripp to steer clear of Kat the moment she’d arrived, and he’d meant it—not because Leo wanted a chance with her, but because she didn’t need that sort of attention.
But now?
Things had changed in that cabin. They’d found a sort of solidarity with one another. And there was definitely attraction. At night when he went to bed, he could still smell her, still feel her warm form against his own when they’d fallen asleep. He’d had more than one dream of returning to that cabin with her just to tempt fate and get caught in the rain again.
He barely registered Tripp’s chuckle as the meeting came to a close. It wasn’t until his vision cleared that he realized his cousin was striding in the direction where Kat had been hosting the meeting.
Leo lurched forward, darting through the crowd of men. Over his dead body would he allow Tripp to take this from him. His cousin got stuck behind two men who were bickering about a power tool that had gone missing which gave Leo the chance to cross the last few feet between him and the woman who was quickly becoming like a drug to him.
“Kat,” he heaved, “I wanted to ask you something.”
Her eyes cut to his as she gathered the documents on the table that had been set up in the large space. They’d held their meeting in the building they were working on, since it was large enough to house all the contractors and vendors they’d be working with to get the project completed. “What do you need, Leo?” she murmured, distraction written all over her face. “Is there something I missed?’
“What? No.” he assured her.
Tripp sidled up beside Kat and grinned at her. She offered him a small smile just as he draped an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, Kat. That was an excellent meeting.”
Her smile seemed forced. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on Leo’s part. Leo gritted his teeth, his eyes darting between Kat and Tripp before he finally let go of all his reservations. “There’s a wedding happening on Friday. Go with me.”
Kat’s attention slid from Tripp to Leo. A myriad of emotions seemed to spark behind her eyes—eyes that she was intent on keeping guarded from him. “A wedding? I don’t know…”
Tripp chuckled. “It’s a small town, sweetheart. Everyone goes to these things—for the most part. This one is no different.Honestly, if Leo hadn’t asked you, I would have offered to take you myself.”
Still her attention darted between the two men. “But I’m not a local.”
“You are for the next five months,” Leo pointed out, shooting daggers with his eyes toward his cousin. Tripp’s arm was still draped around Kat and the fact they were so close was tearing into Leo’s self-control.
“I suppose you’re right,” Kat smiled softly. “Sure. I’d love to go.” She extricated herself from Tripp’s arm, gathered the rest of her paperwork to hold it to her chest, then gave Leo a pointed look. “As friends.”
