blind?” Sean laughed and dropped into the chair opposite his brother. “That was an almost-kiss moment.”
“Butt out, Sean.”
Ignoring his brother, Sean continued. “Things were tense as hell between you guys before you went to Laughlin. When you came back it was tenser.” He paused. “More tense? Whichever. You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do, and I wish to hell you’d get what I mean when I tell you to back off.”
“Oh, I get it,” Sean assured him. “I’m just not listening. So tell me. What’s with you and the oh-so-delicious Jenny Marshall?”
Mike’s gaze snapped to his brother’s. “Watch it.”
“Oooh,” Sean mused, grinning now. “Territorial. A good sign.”
Well, walked right into that, didn’t you? Mike’s brain whispered.
“Damn it, Sean, stop.” Mike tapped a few keys on his laptop, hoping to look too busy to sit and talk to his brother. “What did you come in here for in the first place?”
Still grinning, his brother eased off. “I wanted to tell you about the Wyoming property.”
Mike frowned. “A problem?”
“Not with the place itself,” Sean told him. “The sale went through, it’s all ours. My problem is with the contractor.”
“I’m having some issues there myself,” Mike said, thinking about all the problems involved in getting a hotel up and running.
“Yeah, but your contractor’s a guy. You can talk to a guy.”
“Who’s yours?”
“Supposedly the best one in the area. A woman. Kate Wells.” Sean shook his head, jumped from the chair and paced the short distance to the window. “It’s the middle of the damn winter and she wants to get started on the inside of the hotel. Says why waste time? Says she can’t have the crew out working in the snow, but her schedule’s clear now, so she wants to take her guys inside and start the renovation early.”
“That’s a problem?” Mike leaned back in his chair and tried to keep his mind on Sean’s issues. Not easy when Sean was right about the almost-kiss moment. Seconds ago, he’d been about to—what? Kiss Jenny? Grab her, hold her? Close the office door and lay her down across his desk?
Damn it. Now he was hard and hot and it was even more difficult to focus on Sean.
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Mike said. “I like that this Wells woman has a good work ethic. Eager to get started, get a jump on things. Hell, she could have half of it done by the time the snow melts.”
“Yeah?” Sean turned to look at him, exasperation clear on his face. “To get her started, I have to go the hell out there and work with her on the plans. Go through the hotel, see what’s what, just like you did in Laughlin.”
“Ah.” In spite of everything else that was crowding his mind, Mike had to smile. “That’s what this is about. You don’t want to go to Wyoming.”
“Of course I don’t,” Sean snapped. “There’s snow there. Lots of it. Have you looked outside here today?” He waved one hand at the window behind him. “Blue skies, puffy white clouds, sun . It’s almost eighty today. You know what it is in Wyoming? I do. I checked. It’s twenty-eight. That’s the high .”
Mike chuckled and at his brother’s glare, tried his best to muffle it and failed. “It’s not forever, Sean. You go out, do the work, come back. At the most, you’ll miss a few days of surfing. You’ll survive.”
“Thanks for the support,” his brother muttered. “I’d have to take one of the artists to look the place over for murals, too. Hey.” His face brightened. “Think Jenny’d be interested in a quick trip to snow country? Her sketches are great, she’d probably be a big help—”
“No.” Mike cut him off before he could get going. Damned if he was going to sit back and have Jenny fly off to Wyoming with Sean. They’d be alone on the plane, at the hotel... No.
“Well, that was decisive.”
“Just get one of the others to go with you.”
“Not going to be easy to coax someone off a
“Butt out, Sean.”
Ignoring his brother, Sean continued. “Things were tense as hell between you guys before you went to Laughlin. When you came back it was tenser.” He paused. “More tense? Whichever. You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do, and I wish to hell you’d get what I mean when I tell you to back off.”
“Oh, I get it,” Sean assured him. “I’m just not listening. So tell me. What’s with you and the oh-so-delicious Jenny Marshall?”
Mike’s gaze snapped to his brother’s. “Watch it.”
“Oooh,” Sean mused, grinning now. “Territorial. A good sign.”
Well, walked right into that, didn’t you? Mike’s brain whispered.
“Damn it, Sean, stop.” Mike tapped a few keys on his laptop, hoping to look too busy to sit and talk to his brother. “What did you come in here for in the first place?”
Still grinning, his brother eased off. “I wanted to tell you about the Wyoming property.”
Mike frowned. “A problem?”
“Not with the place itself,” Sean told him. “The sale went through, it’s all ours. My problem is with the contractor.”
“I’m having some issues there myself,” Mike said, thinking about all the problems involved in getting a hotel up and running.
“Yeah, but your contractor’s a guy. You can talk to a guy.”
“Who’s yours?”
“Supposedly the best one in the area. A woman. Kate Wells.” Sean shook his head, jumped from the chair and paced the short distance to the window. “It’s the middle of the damn winter and she wants to get started on the inside of the hotel. Says why waste time? Says she can’t have the crew out working in the snow, but her schedule’s clear now, so she wants to take her guys inside and start the renovation early.”
“That’s a problem?” Mike leaned back in his chair and tried to keep his mind on Sean’s issues. Not easy when Sean was right about the almost-kiss moment. Seconds ago, he’d been about to—what? Kiss Jenny? Grab her, hold her? Close the office door and lay her down across his desk?
Damn it. Now he was hard and hot and it was even more difficult to focus on Sean.
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Mike said. “I like that this Wells woman has a good work ethic. Eager to get started, get a jump on things. Hell, she could have half of it done by the time the snow melts.”
“Yeah?” Sean turned to look at him, exasperation clear on his face. “To get her started, I have to go the hell out there and work with her on the plans. Go through the hotel, see what’s what, just like you did in Laughlin.”
“Ah.” In spite of everything else that was crowding his mind, Mike had to smile. “That’s what this is about. You don’t want to go to Wyoming.”
“Of course I don’t,” Sean snapped. “There’s snow there. Lots of it. Have you looked outside here today?” He waved one hand at the window behind him. “Blue skies, puffy white clouds, sun . It’s almost eighty today. You know what it is in Wyoming? I do. I checked. It’s twenty-eight. That’s the high .”
Mike chuckled and at his brother’s glare, tried his best to muffle it and failed. “It’s not forever, Sean. You go out, do the work, come back. At the most, you’ll miss a few days of surfing. You’ll survive.”
“Thanks for the support,” his brother muttered. “I’d have to take one of the artists to look the place over for murals, too. Hey.” His face brightened. “Think Jenny’d be interested in a quick trip to snow country? Her sketches are great, she’d probably be a big help—”
“No.” Mike cut him off before he could get going. Damned if he was going to sit back and have Jenny fly off to Wyoming with Sean. They’d be alone on the plane, at the hotel... No.
“Well, that was decisive.”
“Just get one of the others to go with you.”
“Not going to be easy to coax someone off a
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