The living room was dim now, only a single lamp left on in the corner. Their footsteps echoed on the hardwood as they crossed to the stairs. Ryan gestured for her to go first, and she climbed, hyperaware of him behind her.
He led her to a door halfway down the hallway and pushed it open. “This is your home for the next few weeks. Grace’s room.”
Nicole stepped inside. The room was beautiful, far more than a guest room had any right to be. A large window was set into the far wall, framed by heavy drapes that had been pulled back to reveal the moonlight-soaked ranch. Walking over, her hand resting on the thick fabric. From here, she could see the entire spread—the silver glint of the pond, the dark lines of the fences, and the vast, unobstructed sky that seemed to go on forever. It was a world away from living in the city. “Mike said the ranch was big. He didn’t say it was this… peaceful.”
“It has its moments.” Leaning against the doorframe, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’d better hit the sack myself. I’m just next door. If you need anything, tap on the wall.”
She doubted she would need anything. The towels were neatly folded at the foot of the bed as Aunt Eileen had said. A quilt was draped over a comfy chair in the opposite corner of the room. Ryan’s aunt had even set a pitcher of water and a glass by her bedside. “Better than a five star hotel,” she muttered softly.
“Oh.” Ryan pushed away from the door frame. “The linen closet is the second door on the left toward the end of the hall. In case you need more pillows or blankets.”
“I’m sure I have everything. Thank you.”
He seemed to hesitate a moment before finally nodding his head and taking a step back into the hall. “Sleep well. Breakfast is insanely early, but Aunt Eileen keeps it warm for those of us who don’t have to deal with cattle before dawn. We leave for the construction site between seven and seven thirty.”
“Got it. I’ll be ready.”
With another nod, he turned on his heel and disappeared from view. She stood still listening until she heard his door latch shut. Right next door. Something told her this was going to be a long night. Changing into her pajamas, she stopped to get a closer look at the quilt. As she’d suspected, hand made. Tiny precise stitches probably made with loving care. Like everything else in this house.
Climbing into bed, she pulled the blanket up to her chin. In the distance she could hear the faint sounds of the ranch at night—cattle lowing, something rustling in the grass, the distant creak of the barn. Tomorrow would be an early morning—very early. Six-thirty. Carpooling with Ryan. She groaned softly and rolled over, punching the pillow into a better shape. Never mind a long night—this was going to be a very long month.
Chapter Six
Ryan wedged another temporary support beam under the sagging roofline, testing its stability with his weight. The old carriage house groaned in response—a century of settling and neglect didn’t fix itself overnight. “That should hold till we can sister the main beam.” He stepped back, surveying the forest of supports they’d installed since dawn.
Morgan appeared at his shoulder, blueprint in hand. “Once we get this structure stabilized we can split the crews. Half will work on updating this original structure and the other half can start construction on the rear addition for the modern accommodations for the horses and carriages for the tourist rides.”
“Found another weak joist up here,” Quinn called down from the loft. “Gonna need replacing.”
“Add it to the list.” Morgan marked something on his notes, then turned toward where Nicole stood examining the back wall and gestured to Ryan. “Show Nicole the corbels and cornices we salvaged.”
Dusting off his hands, Ryan strode across to where Nicole stood waiting for her first assignment. During the drive to work this morning she’d remained pretty quiet, occasionally sipping coffee from her travel mug and giving him little more than a nod, or a single word response to any conversation he tried for. Herecognized those first day on the job nerves. It seemed like ages ago since he worked for other people and had to prove himself, but he still remembered the feeling.
From the open front doorway, Valerie appeared, her blonde hair tucked under a hard hat that looked suspiciously clean. Behind her, a cameraman adjusted a lens, while a sound tech hovered with a boom mic.
“Almost,” Valerie called back. “I need Quinn to walk in and discover the ‘structural crisis’ one more time. The lighting yesterday was too flat on the first take.”
Quinn let out a theatrical groan. “I’ve discovered that crisis four times already, Val. My acting range is starting to peak.”
“Just one more,” Valerie said with a grin. “And Nicole, stay clear of the shot for a second. We want to establish the brothers working before we introduce the ‘new blood’ to the viewers.”
Nicole stepped back, inching closer to Ryan. “I gather this is what Mike tried to warn me about?”
“Welcome to the magic of television.” Ryan tracked Quinn as he stepped outside to prepare for his ‘re-entry.’ Watching his brother was probably safer than watching Nicole. Somehow the woman made simply standing in one spot wearing painter’s pants and a crew neck t-shirt look…well, good.
Waiting for the action to begin, he glanced around the site. Jet was across the room, untangling a coil of heavy-duty rope. The man hadn’t said a word yet, but he was definitely watching Nicole out of the corner of his eye. Ryan shifted his position, effectively putting his broad shoulders between Jet’s line of sight and Nicole. He told himself he was watching her because Mike had asked him to, but the way the morning sun filtered through the gaps in the siding and caught the chestnut highlights in her ponytail made that excuse feel a little thin.
“Action!” Valerie called.
Marching into the shop, Quinn stopped, looked at the sagging beam, and let out a huff of faux-surprise. “Morgan, we’ve got a problem. This corner’s settled more than we originally expected.”
With a practiced ease that suggested he’d done this a few dozen times, Morgan played along. They went through the dialogue, discussed the stabilization plan. Out of material, Valerie called, “Cut! That’s a wrap on the discovery. Let’s get some b-roll of the crew actually working.”
“Finally.” Ryan turned to Nicole and gestured to a doorway at the back of the original livery. “Follow me and I’ll show you what we’ve got in mind.”
Nicole nodded and fell into step beside him, coming to a halt at the back wall of what had once been some kind of storage room.
“These are the corbels and cornices we have salvaged from some of the buildings. We want to use these for what will be the tourist area of the livery. Where they wait for their carriage rides.”
