style="font-size:15px;"> “Don’t go there, Seth,” Cole warned, an edge to his voice that had Seth setting his coffee down and frowning at him in disappointment. He pushed away from the counter and stood staring at Cole. The tension between them was born of love and concern. Still, Cole hadn’t come home for more lectures on the life he’d chosen.
He turned and headed to the bathroom. Truth was, he didn’t really have a clue why he’d come home. Sure Wyatt had forced him in a way Seth would never know about…but even with that, Cole hadn’t had to come. So why had he?
Okay, just calm down! “What do you mean you’re going on an extended hunt in Alaska?”
Susan was behind the counter at Sam’s diner talking on the diner phone. The cell reception in Mule Hollow was extremely scarce so she often had to use client landlines to keep in touch with Betty, her part-time receptionist, back at the office. Today she’d expected to meet her contractor out at the new property so they could go over plans before he started working. He hadn’t shown. After waiting an hour she’d driven into town to use Sam’s phone.
Betty had given her the distressing news that her contractor had quit. Quit! He couldn’t quit. She’d immediately dialed him up.
“Just what I said,” the louse drawled. “I’m goin’ to Alaska.”
Susan turned her back to the diner, lowering her voice so as not to shout to the small crowd in the diner. She didn’t want everyone to know she had trouble. “You said I was next in line,” she said, using great restraint. Her daddy always told her to keep a lid on her temper, that a ranting woman didn’t get any respect from a man, but…she was so mad she could spit nails! “We had a deal.”
“Look, lady, I got a better deal. An offer I couldn’t refuse, so to speak. I’m outta here on the fishing trip of a lifetime.”
An offer he couldn’t refuse. Where did he get such an offer? “So, let me get this straight. Your word means nothing.”
His next words were not nice. And being told in no uncertain terms that she was “up a creek without a paddle” did not help her mood.
If the guy quit for a better job she might not be so furious. But, no, the man was going fishing. Fishing!
Fighting down the urge to kick something, Susan carefully hung the wall phone in its cradle. It took all she had not to slam it down.
Now what?
She bit her lip and stared hard at the phone. What was she going to do? The interior of her new office space needed walls torn out and new ones built. Counters and shelves, not to mention the electric wiring and plumbing required updates, too. And it all had to be done by the end of the month. She could hear her dad’s calm voice reminding her to keep her cool, buckle down, and get the job done. “Getting the job done was what mattered,” he’d say, in that Texas twang that still made her smile to think of it. Still made her miss him like crazy. Still made her want to please him. And she would. She’d had setbacks before and his words always drove her to get it done.
Right now she had to get her appointments finished for the day and get home. If she was lucky tonight, she’d get a full night’s sleep and be ready to tackle finding a new contractor tomorrow. She was still working on fumes from exhaustion. If tonight went without an emergency call she’d get the much-needed sleep and wipe out the fog of exhaustion clouding her head. But lately it seemed like emergency calls were non-stop.
“Here’s your burger, Doc,” Sam said, coming out of the back with a paper bag in his hand. His sharp old eyes seemed to look through her. “Every thang okay? You look kinda pink.”
“Everything’s fine, Sam—” She bit her lip. “Actually that’s not true. You wouldn’t happen to know a good contractor, would you?”
Sam was a tiny man in his mid- to late-sixties with the boundless energy of a man much younger. He was a hard worker like her dad had been and she respected him greatly. He also knew everyone within a hundred-mile radius of town.
He scrubbed his chin. “Contractors. “You got trouble?”
“Looks that way. I need to get moved in before my contract deadline gets here in three weeks. But,” she practically growled the word, “my guy just hung me out to dry. He said he got offered a fishing trip. A fishing trip. And is going fishing in Alaska.”
Sam grimaced, his weathered face wrinkling. “Tank Clawson always was one ta put play b’fore work. It’s a wonder the man kin afford ta finance all his vacations.”
Susan knew what it was. Supply and demand paid well. The man did good work when he did it and people were willing to pay him top dollar. She’d hired him because he’d said he could fit her in between two big jobs that were scheduled. “I didn’t get the impression that he was paying for this trip.”
Sam tugged on his ear. “That’s purdy odd.”
“Yes, sir, it is. Thanks for the lunch, Sam. What would I do without you?”
His brows dipped. “You’d dry up and wither away. You need ta slow down, sit in one of them thar booths and eat that burger on the sit-down rather than on the blamed run. If you did that, one of them cowboys might sit down with you and who knows where that would lead.”
She glanced toward the tables and the three different tables full of cowboys. She was going to do that soon as she got settled. “No time today. I’ve wasted more time than I had to give. I still have a load of cattle to see at Clint’s place and that’s going to take all afternoon.” She grabbed the bag and waggled it at him. “Thanks again.”
He scowled. “It ain’t no wonder Cole Turner had to rescue ya out of that ditch. It’s a wonder you didn’t fall asleep sooner and get yorself killed.”
“Sam, I’m trying to slow down. If I can get a contractor out there working, the sooner I’ll get to sleep more.”
“I’m on it.”
“Thanks. I’m sure if there is a contractor out there to be found, you’ll find him—or you’ll help me find someone who knows one.”
“Yup. I might jest have a good ’un in mind already.”
“Really?” Susan’s hopes shot up. “Who?”
“Can’t say just yet. You comin’ to the barbecue tomorrow night at Clint and Lacy’s ranch, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Susan said, wondering who he had in mind. “Are you?”
“Yup. Got my relief cook lined up fer this place. Me and Adela will see you thar.” He nodded. “Probably gonna be an interesting night since Cole will be thar, too.”
Just what she’d been afraid of—the man was going to start turning up all over the place. There would be nowhere to hide until he got bored and left. “He won’t be around long from what I’ve heard about him,” she said, and then wished she’d just taken her burger and hit the road as planned.
“Maybe.” Sam slapped his ever-present dish towel over his shoulder with a grin. “And maybe not.”
Chapter Five
Cole’s
