The way she blinked, then stared for a moment before smiling like she wasn’t sure whether to argue or accept the compliment, he was pretty sure she had no idea how much her brother respected her work. “I couldn’t get Mike to tell me anything more than I’d like it here. What’s it like working for the Farradays?”
How to answer that since technically; he worked with his brothers, not for them.
“I mean, Morgan seems to be the big boss. Is he nice or a hard ass?”
And again the difficult questions. Morgan could be a bit of both depending on what’s on the line.
“I don’t know if I like how long you had to think about that.” She leaned back in her seat.
“Sorry. It’s just that Morgan has a lot of responsibility. He can be a marshmallow about some things and a real pain about others. Over all, I’d say he’s fair. If you do your work as expected, you won’t have any issues with him…or the others.”
“I just hope they’re not another bunch of Hollywood egos. I hate it when nice people get a little success and become so big headed you wonder why they don’t just fall over from the weight of it all.”
A visual of Morgan and his other brothers wearing a twenty gallon hat with heads the size of Big Tex at the state fair, wobbling about until they face planted, made him chuckle softly.
“Oh, don’t tell me I hit the mark. Are they really that bad? I can do it, but dealing with men who think they’re superior always makes my job harder.”
“I wouldn’t worry.” And on that, the small town came into sight ahead. “You’ll find out for yourself in a few.”
Her eyes opened wide and a smile that teetered on both excitement and apprehension played with her lips. That smile widening and her eyes turning to sheer excitement as the oldbuildings could be made out more clearly. A throwback to another era. “Wow.”
“Yeah.” He smiled. For all its aggravations, he did love seeing this old town come back to life in a respectful, yet modern way.
Ryan slowed, pulling into a space in front of the trailer that doubled for the main office. He’d barely opened the door when one of the crew hollered over to him. “Hey, Ryan. Your brother is looking for you. Wants to know where the hell that part is.”
To his side, Nicole softly muttered, “Brother?”
“Which one?” he called over the open door.
Now her gaze narrowed and her brows buckled. “There’s more than one?”
“Quinn,” the guy shouted. “Though Morgan seems to be on a tear about something too. You’d better hurry.”
“Morgan?” Her eyes widened. “Quinn?” Her mouth fell slightly open and slowly her finger rose to cover that open mouth. “Oh, my lord. You’re a Farraday.”
Tipping his hat at her, he bit back a smile. “Guilty as charged.”
Chapter Three
Was there a crack in the earth she could just fall into? Nicole closed her eyes and quickly ran the conversation through her head. Other than calling the brothers stupid and egocentric, she hadn’t really said anythingthatawful. Shaking her head, she was back to needing a rock to hide under. No man wants to be called both stupid and full of himself.
“Follow me.” Ryan waved her forward. No smile. No reassurance. Just grabbed the box from the truck bed and trotted over to the stairs of the trailer, taking them two at a time before stopping to hold the door for her. Still the gentleman. Perhaps in spite of what she’d said.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a Farraday?”
Something told him if he told her now that he’d been worried he’d embarrass her, that might make things worse. Instead, he hefted a single shoulder in a casual shrug. “Didn’t think it mattered.”
Didn’t think it mattered?Men.She fought to stifle a groan. Serves her right for choosing to work in a man’s world.
In the makeshift office, a man sat behind a desk calmly yet sternly talking with someone over the latest blueprints. To his side another man leaned one hip on the desk, nodding at every word the seated guy said. Trying to take it all in without looking conspicuous, from the similarities in their features, she had toguess these were three of the brothers. Definitely all chiseled from the same stone.
“You must be Nicole.” A narrow door from the back opened and a rather striking woman with sharp blue eyes of average height dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and wearing cowboy boots that were clearly not for show, stretched her hand out. “Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Running through everything her brother had ever told her, she tried desperately to place who this woman might be. “Yes, ma’am.”
“No ma’am around here. Call me Aunt Eileen. Everyone does.”
Of course. “Pleased to meet you.”
