Читать книгу Familiar Adversaries - Patricia Thayer - Страница 8

“I need the lumber delivery by noon, Mr. Harris,” Mariah said into the phone at her desk. Her first morning, and already she’d had to deal with half a dozen problems and it wasn’t even nine o’clock.

“No can do, lady,” the local supplier said. “My driver won’t be able to get the load there until three.”

Mariah took a silent breath, not wanting to let him know her frustration. “That means my men will be standing around. It will put us behind schedule.”

“That happens in this business. Just sit tight, Jess will be there as soon as possible.”

“I don’t have time to sit anywhere, nor does my crew. You give me no alternative, Mr. Grant, but to discontinue our business arrangement.”

She heard his soft curse. “You can’t do that. We have a contract.”

“Which you broke when you didn’t deliver on time,” she informed him. “In fact, the lumber in question was due two days ago.” Why hadn’t Shane dealt with this problem before now? “That leaves me no choice but to give our business to another company.”

“I want to talk with Shane.”

Mariah was used to distributors who wanted to deal with a man. “Sorry, he’s busy with the crew. Mr. Grant, if we’re going to continue our association, you’ll be dealing with me, Mariah Easton. I’m the project manager.”

The man murmured another curse.

“And you’ve got until twelve noon today to make the delivery.”

“How am I supposed to do that when I don’t have a driver?”

“Strap the lumber to your back, just get it here.” She slammed down the receiver. What was wrong with her? She never behaved like this. Of course, she’d never had to work with an ex-boyfriend, either. She drew a long breath and closed her eyes. When she finally opened them she saw Shane standing by the door.

“Just what the hell is going on?” he demanded.

He looked like a soft-drink-ad model in his faded jeans and crepe sole boots. The little residue of perspiration on his dark T-shirt that covered his muscular chest only added to his sex appeal.

“I asked what’s going on,” he repeated.

Great, things were getting worse. “Maybe I should be asking you that.” She held out the supply order from the local lumberyard. “This delivery is two days late.”

“So I’ll call Jerry. He’s been having some trouble finding a driver.” He went to the phone.

“Mr. Grant and I talked already. I informed him that if the delivery isn’t made by noon, then he’s broken the contract with the project and will be replaced.”

Shane gripped the order form in his hand. So Mariah had jumped into her new job with both feet. She’d started yesterday by having a cleaning crew go over the trailer. Then a desk and file cabinet had been brought in at quitting time. All he’d asked was that nothing in his area be touched, then he’d left and headed to the local bar with some of the guys.

At five-thirty this morning he’d walked into the trailer to the smell of coffee…and Mariah. Dressed in creased khaki pants and a wine-colored blouse, even her work boots didn’t take away from her femininity. Her long auburn hair was pulled back from her heart-shaped face and braided, making her green eyes look large and alluring. That was when he’d decided it would be best to get out of the there. So he went to work with the crew.

Now he was trying to hold it together. “Jerry gave us the best price for this project. He’s also the only local supplier. I know it sets us back…a little, but I can find other work for the crew.”

“It’s not good business.”

She wasn’t giving an inch on this. “This isn’t Phoenix, Mariah. Haven is a small town. This project is supposed to bring jobs and revenue to the area. That won’t be true if we take our business to Tucson.”

“We won’t make any money if this project comes to a standstill. I can’t back down on this, Shane.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

He met her stubborn look, but soon realized he couldn’t intimidate her at all.

“Like I said, Jerry’s got until noon,” she answered.

Shane moved in closer. He was really ticked off. How dare she come in here and start rearranging things before even asking about the situation? She had certainly changed from the timid girl he’d known in high school. The girl who wouldn’t speak or even smile at him for months. Finally he had gotten her to talk to him. He could still recall their first kiss. Her shy response…

“You need to bend a little, Ms. Easton.”

“You need to remember this is business, Mr. Hunter, not a popularity contest.”

She was driving him crazy. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to shake her, or kiss her. He sucked in a breath. Man, he was in trouble. “I’ve got to go. If you need me, call my cell.” He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Two hours later Mariah still couldn’t concentrate on work. Shane’s words kept playing in her mind. She’d never admit it, but he might have been right. Maybe she should have worked things out with Jerry Grant. What Shane didn’t understand was that being a woman, she couldn’t be soft. Not in this business, and not if she wanted to run this project successfully. If she didn’t have the respect and cooperation of their suppliers, she’d never earn respect from the crew.

The door opened and her father walked in holding his cell phone to his ear. At fifty-five, Kurt Easton, the town councilman/businessman was an imposing figure dressed in his dark suit. He acknowledged her with a nod as he continued to talk. Mariah was used to this. Although he tried to be a caring father, he’d always been obsessed with his business ventures and trying to make a name for himself.

He’d come from poor beginnings and always blamed his poverty on the Hunters. Mariah and her younger brother, Rich, had been raised by a man who carried years of bitterness.

Her father closed his phone. “Where the hell is Hunter?”

“He said he was working with the crew.”

“I thought that’s why I brought you in. To keep an eye on him.”

She tried to brush aside the hurt. “I thought you brought me in because I’m good at my job.”

“You also need to watch Shane Hunter. He can’t be trusted. The site’s already been vandalized twice.”

She stood and stared into her father’s green eyes that were so like hers, hoping that was all she’d inherited from him. “And tell me why destroying his property would be the best thing for his company?”

Her father backed off with a shrug. “He’s a Hunter.”

“And I told you when I took this job that I wasn’t getting involved in this crazy feud. What went on years ago has nothing to do with Shane, his mother, his brother, Nate or sister, Emily.”

“How can you say that when you know Nathan Hunter cheated your grandfather James out of land, and stole the love of his life?”

Mariah had heard the story many times over the years. James Easton had been in love with Catherine Summers. Before he’d been shipped out to fight in World War II, he’d asked his friend, Nathan, to look out for Catherine. Instead, the two fell in love.

“If you continue badgering me, Dad,” Mariah continued. “I’ll have to resign.”

Her father stiffened, then his expression softened. “Okay, just make sure everything is on the up and up. I have too much invested in this project.”

“If there are any problems, I’ll let you and your partners know.”

Just then she heard a commotion outside. “Excuse me, Dad.”

She walked to the door, opened it and saw a large flatbed truck loaded down with lumber coming up the road. So her warning had been taken seriously. All her excitement disappeared when the vehicle stopped, the driver’s door swung open and Shane jumped down from the cab and marched toward her.

“You wanted the lumber delivered before noon.” He checked his watch. “I believe we have five minutes to spare.” He grinned at her as he handed her the supply order. “Now I’m going to lunch.”

Twenty minutes later Shane climbed the steps to his garage apartment behind his mother’s house. He didn’t have any appetite for lunch. That was good, since he didn’t have any food in the place. He hadn’t exactly had an opportunity to shop lately. Hell, with the hours he’d been putting in at the site, he hadn’t found much time to do anything.

Shane opened the door to the limited space he’d called home since his newly married brother, Nate, moved to the Hunter family ranch six months ago. Since all his funds were tied up in his business and this project, getting his own place would have to wait.

There was a living room and kitchen combination where a small rust-colored sofa and a large leather recliner faced the entertainment center that housed his one extravagance, a flat screen television and stereo. Two stools were arranged under the short counter that served as the dining area. A narrow hall led to a bath and his bedroom, where he knew his bed hadn’t been made in weeks.

His thoughts turned to Mariah. Not two full days on the job and already she was giving him problems. How was she supposed to help the project go smoothly if they couldn’t get along? Why hadn’t she come to him about the lumber delivery?

Well, he’d shown her, all right. He ignored the sour feeling in his stomach as he dropped his keys on the counter and opened the refrigerator. Inside was a six-pack of beer, a half gallon of milk with a week-old expiration date. He poured it out in the sink and placed the empty container in the trash.

“I guess I’ll have another food group.” He opened the bread drawer and smiled on finding his stash of Twinkies. He pulled out two and immediately ripped the cellophane off one and took a huge bite.

Just then there was a knock on the door and he finished off the other half of the cake as he went to greet his mother, who was holding a basket of clean laundry.

“Don’t tell me that’s your lunch.”

“Hello, Mom.” He took the basket from the slender woman. “And what’s wrong with what I’m eating?”

She flashed her piercing blue eyes at him. “Don’t get me started.” She sighed. “At least come down to the house and fix a sandwich. You work too hard to be skipping meals.”

“Mom, I appreciate your help with the laundry, but I can feed myself.”

“I didn’t do your laundry. I only took your clothes out of the dryer so I could use it.”

Betty Hunter tried to act tough, but she still worried about her three adult kids. Now that her oldest son, Nate, was happily married and living out at the ranch, and her daughter, Emily, had moved to L.A., she’d been concentrating all her attention on him.

“Sorry. It won’t happen again.” Shane took the basket and put it on the sofa.

“That’s what you said the last time.” She glanced around the apartment. “Now that you have a project manager, you should be able to have a personal life. By the way, how is Mariah?”

“What did Nate do? Rush over to the house to tell you?”

“Nate never said a word. You know news travels fast in a small town. Quit avoiding the question, how is Mariah? She was such a sweet girl.”

“Mom, you’re talking about Kurt Easton’s daughter. He only brought her here to spy on me. He’ll do anything to get me off the Paradise project.”

“If I remember correctly she used to be pretty smitten with you, and you were crazy about her, too.”

“High school was a long time ago,” he said quickly. “And we never should have been together in the first place. We were young and foolish.”

“That was a rough time for all of us, especially for you and Emily,” his mother said. “You were both too young to lose your father.”

When Ed Hunter died suddenly, life had changed for the family. They’d lost everything, including the Double H Ranch. They had to move into town. His mother went back to teaching and Nate came back from Phoenix and took a job in the sheriff’s department to help support the nearly bankrupt family.

Shane could still remember the whispers among his so-called friends at school. He hadn’t wanted anyone’s pity, especially not his girlfriend’s.

His mother smiled. “We had some lean years, but we all pulled through.”

“I’d like to think so, but it’s hard when you have Kurt Easton around to tell you that you’re no good.”

“Most people don’t listen to him. Look at what you and Nate have accomplished—your brother bought the ranch back and is making quite a name for himself with his wood carvings. You’ve started a construction business and won the bid on a huge project.” She smiled. “If I haven’t told you lately, son, I’m so proud of you. You can’t allow one person’s opinion to wear you down.”

“Easton’s hard to ignore.”

“If you’re referring to Mariah, she was always such a pretty girl with those big green eyes.”

Shane shot her a warning glance. “Mother.”

“Okay, I’ll stop. But only if you stop worrying about Kurt Easton. His partners hired Hunter Construction because you are the best. It’s true he holds a grudge against all the Hunters, but that has nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing?” Shane raised an eyebrow. “The man threatens me every opportunity he gets. What exactly did Grandpa Nathan do to set him off?” Shane had heard so many variations of the story he never knew what to believe.

“It was a long time ago and all the parties involved are gone,” His mother said. “Unfortunately Kurt continues to keep the bitterness alive.”

“Just tell me Grandpa didn’t swindle the Easton’s out of land?”

“No! Nathan Hunter was a fair and honest man. His only sin was that he fell in love. James Easton and Nathan Hunter were as close as brothers for most of their lives. When James went to serve in World War II, he asked your grandfather to look out for his sweetheart, Catherine Summer.

“Over the next two years, they spent a lot of time together and… Well…one thing lead to another. When James returned, he got angry, and said that Catherine had agreed to marry him. She denied any such promise. Terrible words were exchanged and their friendship ended. James Easton carried his bitterness until his death. It all should have ended then, but Kurt has continued on with his father’s grudge.”

“And Easton won’t quit until he destroys me.”

“Then don’t let him,” his mother stressed. “I know over the years he’s given Nate some problems. But to most people in town the Hunter-Easton feud is old news.”

Betty sighed. “The one I feel sorry for is Mariah,” she said. “Kurt has put the poor girl in a difficult position.”

Shane thought back to this morning and her refusal to give an inch. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Mariah can handle things.”

Surprisingly, his mother smiled. “Good for her.” She walked to the door.

“Whoa, whose side are you on?”

“Yours. But when it comes to women you’ve had it far too easy. It’s about time there’s someone who will make you work for what you want.”

The next morning Mariah pressed her fingers against her temples, trying to relieve the headache she’d had since getting out of bed that morning. She shook out two pain pills from the bottle, tossed them in her mouth and swallowed some coffee, hoping the caffeine would make the medication work faster. She hoped Shane wouldn’t show up for at least another hour.

She walked back to her desk just as the door swung open and the man in question walked in. Dressed in his usual work clothes—navy T-shirt and jeans—he looked too good for that early in the morning.

“Morning,” he murmured as he strolled to his desk.

“Good morning,” she returned as she watched him go through the mail.

“Is this all there is?”

“Except for the invoices, I have those,” she said.

“Why? You didn’t think I wanted to see how much money is going out?”

She had to concede he was right. “In past jobs I’ve always handled paying the invoices.”

“Go ahead and pay them, but I still want to see them to make sure we’re not being overcharged.”

“That’s my job.”

He shot her a glare. “Everything on this project is my job,” he said. “That includes yours.”

“Are you saying that you don’t trust me?”

“Why should I? Your father didn’t want me on this project. He lost that battle, but the next thing I know you show up.”

Mariah refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her upset. “You knew there was going to be a project manager. And I’m more than qualified.”

Shane folded his arms across his chest. “Your being Kurt Easton’s daughter makes me wonder if you’re in cahoots with him to get rid of me?”

That did it. “How dare you accuse me of trying to jeopardize a project,” she said, fighting back. “I would never do that.”

“Not even for your father?”

She felt as if he’d struck her. She marched over to his side. He was tall and broad, but she didn’t let him intimidate her or stop her. She’d faced down a lot tougher men than him.

“Let’s get something straight, Shane Hunter. If you ever accuse me of mismanagement again, you better have solid proof, because nobody tarnishes my professional reputation.”

Seeing the hurt on Mariah’s face, Shane felt like a jerk. It brought back memories of another time he had hurt her. She hadn’t deserved it then and didn’t now. She hadn’t done anything but her job. He just wasn’t crazy about her being here.

“Okay. Okay. I may have stepped over the line. But believe me, your father has been riding my case since I was awarded this job. I suppose you can understand why I’m suspicious.”

“I guess I understand, but I don’t have to like it.” She jammed her hands on her hips. “And we still have to find a way to work together, because I don’t have the energy to come in here every morning and spar with you.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Sure gets the blood going, though, doesn’t it?”

She started to grin, and quickly masked it. “Yes, but we need trust and respect between us.”

Shane wasn’t sure he was there yet. Was it because they had a past together? Was it because she was Easton’s daughter? Or was it because he realized he was still attracted to her? Okay, maybe it was a little of all of the above. “I think that will take time.”

“Time is something we don’t have. We’re behind schedule by two weeks. And that doesn’t allow for rain delays and—”

Just then the foreman walked in. “What is it, Rod?” Shane asked.

“We got trouble. There was another break-in during the night.”

“The hell you say.” Shane grabbed a hard hat and followed Rod out of the trailer with Mariah close on his heels. They made their way to the chain-link-fenced area where wood and tools were held. Graffiti had been sprayed on the plywood sheets. Vile, disgusting words had been written on the four-by-eight sheets. Several boxes of nails had been dumped around the area.

“Is anything missing?” Shane asked.

“Not as far as I can see,” Rod said. “But we haven’t had a chance to take inventory.”

“I’ll do it,” Mariah said as she looked at Rod. “Why don’t you get the crews started so there are no more delays?”

The foreman nodded, then walked away.

Shane was surprised at Mariah’s suggestion. “I can’t leave you to clean up this mess.”

“Why? You think it’s beneath me? I’ve gotten my hands dirty before. I would appreciate it if you’d send Jason and Mike to help me out. Later, you and I need to talk about better security. The drive-by patrol doesn’t seem to be doing the trick.”

“I agree with you on that one,” Shane said.

Her green eyes rounded. “Well, that’s a start. We finally agree on something.”

Around midnight Shane yawned as he slowed his truck at the turnoff to the site. He couldn’t sleep, so he decided to do something useful. Until they got the new security in place, he was going to do some checking of his own. Anything was better than lying in bed unable to sleep. Nothing he’d done could turn off his thoughts about Mariah. She just kept popping into his head. Those big green eyes, her full mouth and all that wild hair had him wound tight. She’d been pretty in high school, but she was a knockout now.

And it would be suicide to start up something with her.

This was business and if he wanted Hunter Construction to fly, he had to pay Nate back the start-up money he’d loaned him over two years ago. That meant he had to keep focused on the project. Any thoughts of Mariah had to be about how hard she’d worked on the cleanup today; how she hadn’t complained; and how she’d made a detailed list of every item by quitting time.

They both decided whoever vandalized the site wasn’t a pro. More like teenagers or someone just wanting to make trouble for Shane. His first thought was that Easton might be behind the incidents, but he couldn’t see the town councilman taking a chance on dirtying his hands with such an amateurish stunt.

The truck’s bad suspension jarred Shane in his seat. One hundred yards before he reached the trailer, he turned off his lights and parked. If anyone was trespassing, he wanted to surprise them.

That was when he saw the faint light in the trailer. Someone was inside. He got out of his truck and ran across the field. Silently he inserted his key, quietly pushed open the door and saw the person’s shadow on the wall. He reached out, grabbed the intruder and pinned him against the wall.

It didn’t take Shane long to realize that he was pressed against a soft body, a soft body with breasts.

“Let go of me,” Mariah demanded as she wiggled against him.

Desire shot through him and he fought to control his response. “Then you better tell me what the hell you’re doing here in the middle of the night.”