“That night I got a glimpse of a woman who was so determined to succeed at her job she’d venture way out of her comfort zone to snag her client. At a time when I questioned my ability to get through my own problems, you were the role model I didn’t expect.”
Her? Role model? It wasn’t so long ago she’d compared herself to the Hollywood glamour girls she thought he spent his time with and saw herself come up short. That made her remember something. “What happens when your throat recovers?”
“I plan to go back to my concerts and recordings. You can come with me if you want. As your job permits. I’ll try to make my road trips shorter. But my heart’s in Iowa. Wherever I go, I’ll always come back here. To you.”
Had she heard him correctly? Ned Collier, aka Jake Bonneville, the megastar, would be willing to trade Hollywood for a Harriman? Before she could clarify, his lips sought hers with a new urgency. His tongue began the now-familiar foreplay.
She remembered the night at her father’s when she’d told him she was up to tango-ing with him. They may not be on a dance floor at the moment, but the mating of their tongues assured her the dare had taken. He loved her! Despite her sexual naïveté and their continual run-ins.
When they came up for air, he said, “By the time my house is ready, I hope we’ll know each other well enough to take the next step. If I have my way, you’ll consider co-ownership, as my wife. It only took three tries, but this time I know I’ve got it right.”
Epilogue
Thanks to the infusion of Woodley money into the project, they were back at work on Sullivan’s Creek in a few days. Ned kept his promise and stayed away, although at night, Shae saw him more than ever.
A few weeks later, and she was at work on the revised work schedule at her office in town when Pete Martin stuck his head in her door. “Got a minute?”
“Sure. Come in.” She gestured toward one of the two guest chairs. “What’s up?”
The large man ambled over to the chair and, once seated, ran his hands down his jeans, as if to brush off stray debris. “Came in to pick up supplies for the mobile office. Thought I’d stop by and thank you again for naming me Dave’s replacement when you appointed him project manager. Never would’ve thought you could look past some of the things I said to you when you first took over.”
“At the time, I probably wouldn’t have imagined you in your new position either. But I’m glad we got past those days. You’re more than a good worker, Pete. You’re a good leader.”
“Thanks. You’re not your dad, but you’ve done a pretty good job as his stand-in.” He gazed down at his hands, then up again to add, “I would’ve said that even without the promotion.”
She couldn’t help smile. Quite a turn of events.
“You chose a great project manager in Dave Hale. He knows the business and this project better than anyone, even you.” He rose and held out his hand. She grasped it and shook enthusiastically.
Too bad her dad hadn’t been here to hear Pete’s words, although that was no longer as important. Her dad already acknowledged his satisfaction with her work.
Ironically, shortly after Pete left, her dad appeared at the door. “Brought you a visitor.”
He stepped back and Janice Collier entered the room. “Hi, Shae. Hope we’re not disturbing you. Your dad and I stopped by to tell you we’re off on a day trip.” She glanced over her shoulder at Tim Harriman.
Shae and Ned told their parents about their relationship the day after they’d reconciled. Janice had not seemed particularly surprised or disappointed to hear the news. She was fast convincing Shae’s dad to get past Ned’s blunders, especially since Shae had. “You aren’t concerned about my personal involvement with the client?” she’d asked her dad.
“I’d say the time to ask that question has long passed. Water under the bridge now. Besides, Ned’s no longer project manager, and that pal of his, Woodley, will be the one hanging around the site.”
She’d hugged her dad profusely, which embarrassed them both, although neither moved away from the other all that fast. “I’d never do anything to embarrass you.”
“Well, damn! Then you’re not having enough fun.”
Fun. Imagine. That word emerged from her dad. On the other hand, fun seemed to be on his mind a lot these days. She turned to him now, an eyebrow raised. “Day trip?”
Her dad fidgeted in his seat, adjusted his casual slacks. No jeans or work pants? Or even the sweats he’d worn at Blackhawk Hills? “Ever since I deigned to help her out with her still life class, Janice has gotten the notion I should be exposed to other kinds of art. Today, she wants me to experience an art fair in Iowa City.” Though his tone was typically churlish, it also carried a note of excitement.
Janice appeared to have taken seriously her task to interest Tim Harriman in something else other than sitting around during his rehabilitation and complaining. Though from the way the two exchanged private looks, Shae wondered if art had anything to do with the time they spent together.
Her dad surveyed his former office. “Place looks pretty much the same.”
“I haven’t done anything to it, other than clear all the clutter off the desk. Our organizational methods differ somewhat.” She chuckled.
“Is this the first time you’ve been back here, Tim?” Janice asked.
He nodded. “I was more or less prisoner in that rehab joint. I promised Shae and my doc I’d be a good boy in order to go home. It’s only been since”—he had the grace to look away from Janice briefly—“uh, you know, that I’ve been out at all.”
“Well, I’m glad what happened at my house site was good for something,” Janice said. “Although I guess I can’t refer to the house as mine much longer.”
“I heard Mike Woodley has offered to buy it,” Shae said.
“Before I’ve even taken occupancy,” Janice beamed. “Ned and I had a long talk after the incident. We both realized the house was his dream for me, not mine. Not that I wouldn’t want to live out there. I grew up on that farm, as you know. Pretty strange turn of events. Since my house seems to be the impetus for this entire project.” She gave Tim a quick, shy glance. “Maybe someday I’ll move there. But for now, I’m happy where I am with the life I’ve carved out for myself.”
“I was surprised Mike wanted to move out of that incredible mansion,” Shae replied. “Apparently his parents may come back to town and he wants to give them their space.” Translation provided by Ned: Mike wanted to get as far away from them as he could without totally leaving the area.
“Give them their space, my eye,” her father said. “You kids pussyfoot around language more than us old-timers. That young millionaire wants to sow his oats in his own pasture without his folks around. Mark my words, Janice’s place is going to turn into a rural bachelor pad.”
“Good thing my son seems to be past that phase,” Janice observed, her eyes twinkled.
Shae returned the exchange. “He certainly is, although that’s hasn’t prevented him from wanting to make his own new home the showplace of Sullivan’s Creek.”
“I, for one, couldn’t be happier that Janice has decided to stay in town. If I’m gonna chauffeur her to all these art things, I won’t have to drive out to the country to pick her up.”
So, their relationship was going to continue. Who would have thought? But what better companion for her dad than this lovely woman who’d befriended her? Only then did she notice Janice wore white crop pants and a navy and white striped knit top, all very form-fitting. Gone were the gaudy long skirt and the loose overblouse. “What happened to the faux hippie look?”
Janice spread her hands in front of her. “Your dad convinced me we’d both lived through the seventies during the seventies. My gallery’s reputation can succeed on its own without all the costumes.”
Wow. When had all this happened? Shae still stayed at her dad’s, although she planned to move to her own place once he came back to work in a few weeks. She would stay on as her dad’s assi
stant—partner, really—but there was no need to debate titles. Yet.
The couple rose, almost in unison, like each anticipated the other’s moves. “Better hit the road,” her dad said. Almost as an afterthought, he added, “By the way, I heard from our attorney before I left home. No citation from the State. In fact, there’s a letter of commendation on its way to you, Shae, and to Dave, to thank you for your safety consciousness and quick thinking.”
A wave of relief swept through her, caused her to fall back in her seat. Until she’d actually heard this decision, she hadn’t realized how much she’d dreaded a citation.
As her dad reached the door, he hung back to say, “I’m off to the art world. Figure more of these day trips are in my future. Especially since Two Rivers Construction is in very good hands. Bye, Sweetheart.”
Good thing he didn’t see the tears his remark had generated. Sweetheart? Thank you, Janice.
Time to get back to work. Her visitors had cut into her day.
Not to be. Her phone rang. “Hi, babe. Got a question for you. I’m about to meet with Lacey and Jack to go over the floor plans for our place.”
No. Not this again. He’d had those plans out every day since they’d decided to date. Every new idea, he asked her opinion. “Don’t want to leave you out of any of these decisions.”
A huge concession. She appreciated his consideration. Even though neither of them had yet to commit to anything permanent, that was pretty much a foregone conclusion. But she didn’t need to be consulted about the height of the dining room windows or dimensions of the master bath linen closet. Nonetheless, she played along. “What question?’
“I ran into this guy at my doctor’s office. He owns a small tile business in Ottumwa. We talked about our new place, and the upshot is, I can get quite a deal if we go through him rather than your regular subs.”
Shae rolled her eyes. Some things never changed.
A word about the author...
Barbara Barrett spent her professional career as a human resources analyst for Iowa state government, and that training has stayed with her in her writing of contemporary romance fiction. The occupations of her main characters sometimes serve as secondary characters. Now retired, Barbara spends her winters basking in the Florida sunshine and returns to her home state of Iowa in the summer to “stay cool.”
She has a B.A. degree in History from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in History from Drake University. Married to the man she met her senior year of college, they have two grown children and seven grandchildren.
When not writing, she spends her time traveling with her newly-retired husband, having lunch with friends, and playing Mah Jongg.
This is her fifth romance novel published by The Wild Rose Press and her second in the “Sullivan’s Creek Series.” Her previous works include And He Cooks Too, Driven to Matrimony, Saved by the Salsa, and The Sleepover Clause.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review with your bookseller or send her your comments at [email protected]. Read about her current and past projects on her website at http://barbarabarrettbooks.com. She is also available to speak to book clubs.
Thank you for purchasing
this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Tough Enough to Tango Page 28
