her and…
Cade . Her eyes flew open. She sat up so quickly she got dizzy. She’d fallen asleep in the middle of—where was he? She glanced at the watch on her wrist and stifled a shriek of horror. Three hours had passed.
Three . In that amount of time, she could have… Oh, no! The paint store was closed now, and she needed more stain for the side table she was refinishing.
She peered out the bedroom window and spotted him almost immediately. He and the foreman of her crew were earnestly discussing something, and Cade was clearly listening then nodding as a decision was made.
After costing her both time and progress she could not afford, he presumed to make the decisions.
On her grounds.
With her crew.
Undermining her authority and telling the crew God knew what.
Sophie charged down the stairs and outside. At her approach, both men looked up, the foreman seeming far too cheerful while Cade appeared to be without remorse. He said something in Spanish that made the other man laugh.
Sophie hit the red zone. He’d had no right to let her sleep, much less take over her job.
Her job. Not his.
“We’re making great progress,” Cade said as she approached. “Armando and his guys are good. You’re lucky to have them.”
Armando’s grin was huge.
She tried to get herself under control. Y ou know better than this . Focus on the crew, the foreman . You can have it out with Cade later .
She was too smart to be wading in and throwing her weight around, even if she wanted to strangle Cade. As if, she thought wryly, she was strong enough to make the faintest impression on someone that muscular. Instead she glanced around then fastened her gaze squarely on Armando’s. “ Gracias . It looks wonderful.” And it did. She had no idea how she’d slept through the hammering necessary to erect the pergola.
It would be churlish to withhold her gratitude not only from the crew but from the man who’d obviously listened carefully to her plans. Except, of course, to the part about her not having time to take a nap.
A three-freaking-hour nap.
“Muy bonita.” She let her gaze take in the entire crew. “Muchas gracias.” All of which was about the extent of her Spanish. Good thing Armando’s English was enough for them to get most things squared away.
“We have an idea. I think you’ll like it. This way.” Cade gestured toward the tool shed. Armando accompanied them. “You didn’t mention any plans for this structure.”
“Storage building, I guess.” She shrugged. “We’ll have to have a great deal of that.”
“You will, but there’s room to add on to the garage if you need more storage.” He paused. “Can I make a suggestion?”
“Why not? Since you’ve apparently decided to take over while you let me sleep.”
“Chill, Queenie.” Impatience crowded his gaze. “I’m not trying to stage a coup, and you needed the rest.”
“You had no right.”
“You really want to have this discussion now?” His eyes cut to Armando before returning to her, and in it temper simmered.
The old Cade was back, the cranky, high-handed one. Good. The kinder one she’d gotten glimpses of was too much temptation. She pressed her lips together to stifle the upbraiding she wanted to give and merely shook her head.
He jammed his hands on his hips in irritation, but he hauled in a deep breath and went on. “I stayed in this place in Sumatra where they had a… I don’t really know what to call it in English, but it was sort of like a cabana, except made from an old building, as small as this. One side was left mostly open but was screened from view, and inside was a really great chair for lounging. It was a fantastic place to be by yourself. They even had a masseuse available who’d set up a table there if you wanted. You heard the birds and smelled the flowers… It was peaceful. The style’s not practical for all weather, but winter doesn’t last that long here, and with some wiring for a ceiling fan
Cade . Her eyes flew open. She sat up so quickly she got dizzy. She’d fallen asleep in the middle of—where was he? She glanced at the watch on her wrist and stifled a shriek of horror. Three hours had passed.
Three . In that amount of time, she could have… Oh, no! The paint store was closed now, and she needed more stain for the side table she was refinishing.
She peered out the bedroom window and spotted him almost immediately. He and the foreman of her crew were earnestly discussing something, and Cade was clearly listening then nodding as a decision was made.
After costing her both time and progress she could not afford, he presumed to make the decisions.
On her grounds.
With her crew.
Undermining her authority and telling the crew God knew what.
Sophie charged down the stairs and outside. At her approach, both men looked up, the foreman seeming far too cheerful while Cade appeared to be without remorse. He said something in Spanish that made the other man laugh.
Sophie hit the red zone. He’d had no right to let her sleep, much less take over her job.
Her job. Not his.
“We’re making great progress,” Cade said as she approached. “Armando and his guys are good. You’re lucky to have them.”
Armando’s grin was huge.
She tried to get herself under control. Y ou know better than this . Focus on the crew, the foreman . You can have it out with Cade later .
She was too smart to be wading in and throwing her weight around, even if she wanted to strangle Cade. As if, she thought wryly, she was strong enough to make the faintest impression on someone that muscular. Instead she glanced around then fastened her gaze squarely on Armando’s. “ Gracias . It looks wonderful.” And it did. She had no idea how she’d slept through the hammering necessary to erect the pergola.
It would be churlish to withhold her gratitude not only from the crew but from the man who’d obviously listened carefully to her plans. Except, of course, to the part about her not having time to take a nap.
A three-freaking-hour nap.
“Muy bonita.” She let her gaze take in the entire crew. “Muchas gracias.” All of which was about the extent of her Spanish. Good thing Armando’s English was enough for them to get most things squared away.
“We have an idea. I think you’ll like it. This way.” Cade gestured toward the tool shed. Armando accompanied them. “You didn’t mention any plans for this structure.”
“Storage building, I guess.” She shrugged. “We’ll have to have a great deal of that.”
“You will, but there’s room to add on to the garage if you need more storage.” He paused. “Can I make a suggestion?”
“Why not? Since you’ve apparently decided to take over while you let me sleep.”
“Chill, Queenie.” Impatience crowded his gaze. “I’m not trying to stage a coup, and you needed the rest.”
“You had no right.”
“You really want to have this discussion now?” His eyes cut to Armando before returning to her, and in it temper simmered.
The old Cade was back, the cranky, high-handed one. Good. The kinder one she’d gotten glimpses of was too much temptation. She pressed her lips together to stifle the upbraiding she wanted to give and merely shook her head.
He jammed his hands on his hips in irritation, but he hauled in a deep breath and went on. “I stayed in this place in Sumatra where they had a… I don’t really know what to call it in English, but it was sort of like a cabana, except made from an old building, as small as this. One side was left mostly open but was screened from view, and inside was a really great chair for lounging. It was a fantastic place to be by yourself. They even had a masseuse available who’d set up a table there if you wanted. You heard the birds and smelled the flowers… It was peaceful. The style’s not practical for all weather, but winter doesn’t last that long here, and with some wiring for a ceiling fan
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