Those pretty blue eyes dimmed as dark brows dipped into a sharp V. “Bad?”
“The filming,” she clarified. “I’ve been warned that can slow things down.”
The sparkle in those blue eyes was back as he huffed a quiet laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”
“My brother likes working for the Farradays. I can tell because he never complains about anything. Except for some guy named Jet. He doesn’t seem to care for him much. He seems to think I’m a little girl who can’t recognize a snake a mile away.”
Ryan bit back a laugh. “I think that’s standard big brother territory.”
“Hm. I just hope Mr. Morgan Farraday doesn’t fire me before I start for being late.” Right now she wasn’t sure what had her more on edge, the new job stepping into her brother’s shoes, the handsome cowboy only a foot away from her, or being late to meet the big bad boss. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
At least now Ryan understood why Mike was so worried about his kid sister. Even dressed in work clothes designed for men, there was no hiding this carpenter was all woman. From the top of her chestnut ponytail to eyes the color of warm honey and skin that could give fine porcelain a run for its money, there was no mistaking that Mike’s sister was a natural beauty.Maybe keeping Jet away wasn’t going to be as easy as he and his brothers had thought.
Nicole shifted in her seat beside him, tucking one booted foot under the other like she’d done it a thousand times, completely unaware she’d just rearranged his priorities for the day. “So,” she glanced out the open window, “does everyone commute from Tuckers Bluff to Sadieville or do they stay in the new ghost town?”
“A lot of the crew stay in the bunk houses at the ranch.”
“The Farraday ranch?”
He nodded.
“Is that where Mike stayed?”
Again, he nodded. “A few folks have taken a liking to this part of the country and have been settling down in the new construction. The ghost town is just the hub of the wheel. The locals are working really hard to create a reason to bring more families and more tourists out this way.”
“A ghost town sounds like the perfect answer. Who doesn’t want to see a haunted saloon?” A wry smile teased at her lips. He couldn’t tell if she was amused by the possibilities or the absurdity of it.
Heaven knows when his brother first told him the plan he thought Morgan had lost his mind. “Or brothel.”
That earned him a soft laugh. Not the polite kind. The real one. The kind that slipped out before she could stop it. “Don’t tell me the town really has a brothel?”
“Used to. Now it’s a bed and breakfast run by our town’s favorite sisters. Sister and Sissy.”
“Is that their names?” Her brows shot up surprisingly high on her forehead.
“As far as I know. I’m not sure anyone has a clue what their full Christian names are.”
“Interesting.” Her head bobbed and she stared out into the flat lands of West Texas. “I don’t know. This whole thing seems so weird.”
“How is that?”
“Well, haunted brothels, reviving a ghost town, film crews scattered about like swarms of insects, and six brothers in charge of it. Construction Cousins. I mean really,” she turned to glance at him, “who came up with that name?”
“Don’t like it?”
She shrugged. “Don’t hate it, I just hope the brothers aren’t as stupid as the show’s name.”
What was he supposed to say to that? After all, he and his brothers had thought the name was pretty stupid at first too, but apparently, his now sister-in-law Valerie had known what she was talking about when she talked Morgan into this whole crazy idea. The show was a huge hit. Now might be a good time to mention his last name—then again, after the last comment, it was probably best to keep quiet. Maybe when she did learn his name later, she won’t remember she’d just called them stupid.
The truck hummed along the two lane road that connected Tuckers Bluff to Sadieville. Ryan was keenly aware of her nonetheless—in the same way you noticed a song you liked had come on the radio.
“I have to admit,” she turned to him, “this isn’t how I pictured meeting the famous Farradays.”
“I don’t know about famous.” Though he supposed they were becoming more of a household name thanks to the Construction Cousins show than they could ever have expected.
“I wanted to make a good impression. Look like I know what I’m doing.”
“You know what you’re doing. According to Mike, he’s worried about job security after you.”
