“Really? Are you sure it’s okay? Do you have to check with someone else?”
He’d almost forgotten that she didn’t know who he was. “It’s my house we’re building. Jamie is in charge of the construction, but he won’t mind another pair of hands helping.” Ryan hoped he didn’t. Jamie had high standards. If Sophie wasn’t a good painter, it could be the shortest job of her career. “How about you work with us for two days? If Jamie’s happy with what you’re doing, you can stay for longer. It’s probably only a couple of weeks’ work, but at least it’s something.”
“You won’t regret it, I promise,” Sophie said in a rush. “I’ll be on time and I’ll work hard.”
“I guess we’ve got a deal, then. How soon can you get here?”
“I’m staying in town. If you give me directions, I’ll leave in the next half hour.”
By the time Ryan had told her how to get to his property, she was more excited than he was. In an hour and a half, Sophie would arrive in her little blue car, ready to show him what she could do. He ended the call and put his phone in his pocket.
“Are you ready to start work?” Jamie said as he walked past.
“I need to ask you something.”
Jamie turned around. “You can’t change the color of the walls in the spare bedroom. Danny ordered the paint yesterday.”
“It’s not the paint that I need to talk about. I just offered someone a job.”
“Where?”
“Here. Helping us. She needs a job and we need someone to help us paint the interior walls. If we don’t finish the walls in time, the flooring guys will start on another job.”
“Did you consider discussing this with me before you offered her a job?”
“She’s desperate. It’s only for a few days. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll tell her we don’t have any more work for her.”
Jamie raised his eyebrows. “I’d like to see that happen. Does this mystery woman have a name?”
“Sophie.”
“And what does Sophie look like?”
Ryan frowned. “That’s got nothing to do with it.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. What can she do?”
“I’m not sure. She’s renovated an apartment.”
Jamie’s eyes narrowed. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Not today. She’ll be here in an hour and a half.”
Jamie shook his head. “You’d better live up to your side of the bargain. If she doesn’t work out, you’re the one who needs to tell her.”
“She won’t let us down,” Ryan said with a certainty he didn’t feel. He had no idea what Sophie could and couldn’t do, but he was about to find out.
CHAPTER TWO
Sophie finally arrived at Ryan’s home. After bumping her way along his dirt driveway, she’d found the half-finished house about sixty feet from the edge of a beautiful lake. It was every bit as spectacular as she’d imagined.
Sunlight bounced off the blue-green water of Emerald Lake, sending a rainbow of color sparkling across the landscape. A ring of stones surrounded the large expanse of water, then disappeared under a blanket of grass and wildflowers.
No one was in the front yard when she arrived. Ryan’s brown truck was parked beside an old shipping container. She parked her car beside the container and looked inside. Extra timber, power tools, and plasterboard were stacked on wooden shelving. It was a mini workshop and storage facility for the construction crew.
The entrance to Ryan’s home was every bit as unexpected as the shape of his house. Most of the homes she’d seen in Bozeman were designed to reflect the traditional values of Montana. Made out of brick or wooden siding, they were strong, practical structures that were built to last.
Ryan’s home was a sprawling mass of wood and glass set into the landscape. Although it was two stories high, you had to look hard to see where one level finished and the other began. Thin, vertical strips of cedar ran along the building either side of the front doors. A wide panel of glass acted as a buffer between the cedar walls and the metal roof. Anyone seeing the house for the first time could easily believe the roof was floating above the wall.
It was an architect’s dream, the kind of home that most people saw only in magazines. Ryan either had an amazing job or an amazing mortgage.
She got out of her car and walked across to the double-height front doors. They were open, giving her a glimpse of what was inside.
“Hello? Is anyone home?” She waited under a canopy of cedar, not wanting to step inside without being invited in.
A brown-haired man, not much older than she was, stuck his head around the edge of the doorframe. “You must be Sophie?”
“That’s me.” She smiled. “Is Ryan here?”
“He’s in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Turn left when you reach the top of the landing. I’m Danny. If you need any advice come and see me.”
“Thanks, Danny.” She looked down at the floor. Drop cloths had been spread everywhere. “Do you want me to take my shoes off?”
“You’re safer with them on. We clean the floors each day, but it would be easy to miss something. Jamie wouldn’t be happy if you got a nail in your foot.”
“Jamie?”
“My brother-in-law. He owns McDaniel’s Construction. We’re building Ryan’s home.”
“It looks amazing.”
“If you’re impressed now, wait until it’s finished.”
Sophie looked at the stairs. Someone wearing a pair of faded blue jeans appeared at the top of the landing.
“Is that you, Sophie?” Ryan came down the stairs carrying a hammer. “Did you find the house without getting lost?”
Sophie tried hard not to stare at him. He’d been wearing his cowboy hat yesterday. Without it, she hardly recognized him. With his dark hair curling around his collar and a smile that could melt the heart of any woman, he was someone she needed to be careful around.
“I drove past the driveway then realized I’d made a mistake. Your directions were good considering we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“That’s one of the reasons I bought this property. Did Danny introduce himself?”
“Of course,” Danny said with a smile. “I told Sophie to come and see me if she needs help. I’d better finish plastering the bedroom I’m working on. If Jamie sees me, he’ll ban me from the kitchen for the rest of the day. I’ll see you later, Sophie.”
Sophie didn’t know why the kitchen was so important to Danny, but she wasn’t going to get in his way. She had a job to do and she was determined to do it well.
“You wore the right clothes,” Ryan said. His gaze slipped over her body, leaving pinpricks of awareness along her skin.
Sophie looked down at her blue T-shirt and jeans. When she’d packed her suitcases in Chicago, she hadn’t expected to be working on a construction site. After she’d spoken to Ryan, she’d chosen the oldest pair of jeans she’d brought with her, hoping they didn’t get ruined. “I wasn’t sure what you’d want me to do.”
Ryan nodded. “I’d better introduce you to Jamie. He’s in charge of the building site. We all take orders from him.”
Sophie followed Ryan. They walked along a hallway that was almost as wide as a room. “This is a big area.”
Ryan looked at the plastered walls. “The architect designed this space as a gallery. Eventually, I’ll hang my paintings along here.” He walked through a set of enormous wooden doors and into another room.
Sophie stopped and stared at the most incredible view she’d ever seen. A wall of glass overlooked the lake she’d seen when she arrived. Mountains rose in the distance, surrounding the property in a cocoon of nature. She didn’t know what Ryan did to be able to afford such an incredible home, but it was definitely something that paid well.
“Sophie, I’d like you to meet Jamie. Jamie’s on site each day. He’s responsible for all of the construction.”
Sophie smiled at the tall man walking toward her. “Hi, Jamie. Thank you for giving me the oppor
tunity to work with you.”
His unsmiling face relaxed into an almost friendly gaze. “It’s nice to meet you. Ryan tells me you’ve done some interior painting. Have you ever used an electric spray gun?”
Sophie shook her head. “The only painting I’ve done has been with a brush, but I’m happy to learn.”
“That’s good to know, but we’ll start you on something else.” Jamie looked across at Ryan. “Take Sophie into the room you’ve finished undercoating. She can put the plastic sheeting over the windows and doors before we start spray painting. I’ll be in here if you need me.”
He looked at Sophie. “If you need to use the bathroom, use the one that’s attached to the second bedroom. Ryan will show you where everything is. If you use any tools, put them back after you’ve finished with them. Trash goes in the bins and isn’t left lying around. Come and see me when you’ve finished and I’ll give you something else to do.”
He started to leave the room, then stopped. “It’s good to have you working with us.”
Sophie didn’t know whether to be grateful for the job she’d been offered, or worried about what would happen next. She couldn’t blame Jamie for being less than enthusiastic about her being here. But she was determined to show him that she could make a difference.
“Come with me,” Ryan said as he walked toward the far end of the room. “This area is going to be an open-plan kitchen and dining room. Jamie is lining the walls so we can paint everything at the same time. The flooring contractors are arriving soon to sand and varnish the wooden floors. After that, the kitchen joinery will be installed and the plumbing finished. We’re on a tight time-frame so another pair of hands is appreciated.”
“I don’t think Jamie is impressed that I’m here.”
“Don’t worry about Jamie. He expects perfection. As long as you get close to that, he’ll be happy.”
Sophie put a hand on Ryan’s arm. “I’m not perfect,” she whispered. “What if I do something wrong and it can’t be fixed?”
“We’ll start off small and work up to the big stuff. Jamie doesn’t expect you to know everything.” He went into a room off the kitchen and picked up some plastic sheets. “You take these ones and I’ll take the others. I’ll show you how to hang them.”
Sophie took the plastic sheets and followed Ryan up the stairs. There wouldn’t be many genetic microbiologists who worked as a laborer in their spare time.
Except this wasn’t her spare time. It was the only life she had for the next few months.
***
Sophie ran a critical eye over the last bedroom she’d been working in. The plastic sheeting was firmly attached to the architraves around the windows and doors. There was no way the spray paint would hit anything it wasn’t supposed to.
“Good job.” Ryan walked across to one of the windows and ran his hand along the edge of the tape. “Danny’s heading downstairs for a break. How about we follow him? You can put more plastic sheets in the rooms downstairs after we’ve had a drink.”
“Okay,” Sophie said. She felt a strange sense of pride at the work she’d finished. It wasn’t rocket science, but it had made Ryan’s life easier by doing a good job. “What color are you painting the walls and ceiling?”
“Arctic White ceilings and Ocean Breeze walls. I’ll show you the paint samples when we get downstairs.”
Danny met them on the landing. “How’s the rookie going?” he asked with a grin.
“Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a walk-in closet are all ready for painting,” Sophie said with pride. “They’ve just been given the seal of approval by Ryan.”
“You’ll be earning a gold star by the end of the day,” Danny said. “Where did Ryan find you?”
“On the side of a road,” Ryan said dryly.
Sophie felt a blush hit her face. “My car ran out of gas. Ryan stopped to help me.”
Danny didn’t seem to think that meeting someone on the side of the road was unusual. “We get a lot of tourists stopping on the side of the road at this time of the year. Most of them are taking photographs. Not many of them run out of gas. “Where do you live when you’re not visiting Bozeman?”
“San Francisco.”
Danny pumped his fist in the air. “Go the 49ers.” He headed toward their makeshift kitchen and turned on the coffeepot. “Did you see any games at Levi’s Stadium?”
Sophie shook her head. She didn’t know the names of any stadiums in San Francisco. Thankfully, Ryan had disappeared into another room at the bottom of the stairs. If she couldn’t stretch the truth about a city that she didn’t know, she was in serious trouble. He’d soon see through her lies faster than the rabbits hopping across the pasture below.
She watched Danny fill the cups with hot, black coffee. “I’ll get the milk out of the fridge.”
He pointed to a makeshift counter opposite the coffeepot. “It’s under the counter. If you want sugar, there’s some in the pantry.
Danny passed her one of the mugs. She added milk and took a sip. “Where did Ryan go?”
“He’s probably in his office sorting through the bills on his desk.”
“Do you think he’d appreciate me taking his coffee into him?”
“Can’t hurt. He likes his coffee black with no sugar. You might want to think about taking him a couple of cookies, too.”
Sophie took the cookie jar from Danny and chose two for Ryan.
“Good luck navigating through his office. It’s a mess.”
She smiled to herself as she walked out of the kitchen. The rest of the house was so tidy that Danny must be exaggerating. She poked her head around the office door and frowned at the mess in the room. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Ryan looked up from behind his desk. “Thanks. I’m looking for the paint samples.”
Sophie tried not to stare too hard at his office. Pieces of paper were everywhere. She was sure there must have been some method to his madness, but it was difficult to see it. She moved some papers off the corner of his desk and left his coffee mug in their place.
“It looks as though you need someone to sort out your paperwork,” Sophie said gently. “I’m good at organizing things.”
“Is there anything you’re not good at?” Ryan asked with a smile.
Sophie knew there were plenty of things she wasn’t good at. Like keeping her mom and sister safe. She’d made some big mistakes over the past eleven months. Mistakes that could cost her the life she’d enjoyed.
Ryan pulled the paint samples out of a folder. “Here’s what Ocean Breeze looks like. It’s a light blue color. It will look good in the living room with the lake and mountains as a backdrop. And in the gallery, it won’t compete with the colors in my paintings.”
“You’re an artist?”
“I wish. My paintings have all been done by other people.”
Sophie looked at the chart. “It’s a soothing color. You could add orange, red, or blue accent colors, and it would look great.”
“That’s what my interior designer said.”
“Can I ask you something?” Sophie handed him the paint samples and watched him put it on top of another pile of paper. “You’ve never told me what you do. I know you’re helping to build your house, but nothing else.”
Ryan caught a sheet of paper as it fell off his desk. “I write music and make records.”
Sophie looked closely at him. “What kind of music?”
“Country.”
“You must be good at it?”
“I guess it depends on whether you like country music or not.”
Sophie waited for him to say something else, but he was busy eating a cookie. “You don’t like talking about yourself, do you?”
Ryan picked up his mug. “I could say the same thing about you.”
She looked away from him and stared at the piles of paper on his desk. “Have you always been this untidy?”
“I’m a work in progress. Jamie can never find anything, so he doesn’t come
in here anymore. The bills mostly get paid on time and we’re on budget, so I can’t be too bad. Are you going to tell me you’re super-organized?”
Sophie was one of the most organized people she knew. “I inherited my tidy genes from my mom.” She straightened a stack of folders before they fell to the ground. “I’ve got a proposition for you.”
An amused gleam filled Ryan’s eyes. “You might want to rephrase that statement.”
“Jamie didn’t seem too impressed that I didn’t know how to use a spray gun. What if I helped put the rest of the plastic sheeting over the windows and doors and then tidied your office? I could sort all of your bills in order of payment date, organize all of the letters and emails that you need to respond to, and answer any phone calls that come through. Once I’ve finished, I could go back to helping you in the house.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
Sophie pointed to the jumble of papers in Ryan’s office. “I probably feel the same way about what’s in your office as you do about your art gallery. I like everything to be tidy. If I tried to use the spray gun, I’d probably end up being fired by the end of the day. But this way, I can make a difference to your office and hopefully to your project. Jamie will be happy, you’ll be happy, and I’ll still have a job.”
“And what would a super-efficient secretary cost me?”
Sophie crossed her fingers, hoping Ryan was serious. “Thirteen dollars an hour and the use of your Internet connection out of work hours.” Sophie didn’t want to make a fortune. All she needed was enough to pay her campground fee, have a hot shower each morning, and wash her laundry each week. She’d worked out the cheapest way of buying food and didn’t need much of anything else.
Ryan’s Internet connection would give her access to the files and addresses she needed. And, if she was careful, another way to contact her sister.
“Are you sure that’s enough? Jamie keeps telling me that nothing short of a bulldozer will fix the mess in this room.”
“Thirteen dollars an hour is more than enough. I won’t start in the office until all of the rooms are ready for painting.” She hesitated before adding her final condition. “I need to be paid in cash. Have we got a deal?”
Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) Page 3
