For some reason, Brett was pleased with the annoyed gleam in her eyes. “In that case, you should come to the kitchen with me. Mrs. Bennett’s making pizza.”
Hannah slipped the camera into its case. “I just need to add some measurements to my spreadsheet.”
“You’re not climbing the ladder again are you?”
She waved a piece of paper under his nose. “Don’t worry. The most damage I can do is break a nail on my keyboard.”
Brett sighed. “After lunch, I’ll walk around the house with you. If any paintings are hanging in awkward places, you can leave them until you’ve finished taking the other photos. We’ll do those together.”
“I’m perfectly capable of—”
“It wasn’t a suggestion, Hannah.”
“You’re telling me what to do?”
He crossed his arms, hoping she got the message that he meant business. “On the ranch, everyone’s safety is my responsibility. If you don’t agree, I’ll take all the paintings off the walls and you can work from one room.”
“But that would take too much time.”
“It’s better than having a broken neck. What’s it going to be?”
She frowned something fierce before nodding. “Okay. We’ll look at each painting, but it needs to be quick. It’s taking longer than I thought to catalog everything.”
“That’s because you’re climbing up and down the ladder.”
“Precisely.” Hannah’s eyes widened. “You’ve given me a good idea.” She took her cell phone out of her back pocket and walked across to her laptop. “I’ll copy the spreadsheet onto my cell phone. That way, I can add each painting’s measurements onto the chart while I’m on the ladder. It should save me lots of time.”
Brett didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. “Just remember that you’re not standing on the ground. Staying on the ladder is more important than making notes on your spreadsheet.”
Hannah frowned. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re bossy?”
“Only the people who don’t follow my orders.”
“I guess I’d better listen to you, then.”
He didn’t hold out much hope of that happening.
Hannah pulled out a chair and sat in front of her laptop. “Go and have pizza. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.” When he didn’t move, she sighed. “I promise not to climb the ladder while you’re gone.”
“I’m not sure I trust you.”
Her big blue eyes stared up at him. “I guess we’re both stepping out of our comfort zones.”
He held her gaze until a soft blush warmed her cheeks. A yearning that he’d never felt before hit his chest and left him breathless.
It was time for pizza.
