by Ali Parker
“Your father?” I asked, suddenly realizing that I didn’t really know what was going on here. Did she mean her father-in-law, or was it her father? But why wouldn’t she have just said that?
“Yes, he’s allowing me to do this project, but he made my brother come along to keep me on track with the budget and all,” she said. “I should be insulted, I suppose, but that’s kind of how we do things in our family. We work together.”
“Your brother. Oh, I see,” I said, feeling relieved. I looked at Connor, who arched his brow at me. I cleared my throat. “Well alright, we can definitely do some refreshing of your home. As I said, I looked at the photos you provided and already have some ideas going.”
“That is great because we absolutely don’t know what we’re doing at all. I do know that I want to do a new coat of paint in the living room area and the kitchen. New curtains in both rooms, and new modern appliances in the kitchen because most of them have pretty much had it. And another thing I should mention is that Father wants to keep all the heirlooms, and antiques. So we will have to work around that. But we do need a new couch, seating area, and coffee table. Maybe some storage as well, but I still want to keep the country style, but with a modern touch,” Abigail said. I wrote down all that she was saying.
“I hear you loud and clear. It sounds like you are a woman that knows what you want and I like that,” I said. I felt a heavy weight lift from me now that I knew she was his sister, not his wife. So, it wasn’t bad that he still had that damn smile on his face as he looked at me. He wasn’t saying much, though.
“Thank you. I’ve been looking at magazines and brought some photos I tore out if you would like to see them,” she said.
“Sure, that would be very helpful. Thank you for doing your homework,” I said, “as that will save time and help me narrow down what you like.”
She picked up her purse and began to rummage through it, pulling out sheets torn from magazines. I looked over at Connor, who was just looking at me. I was shocked that he had walked into my office of all places, but I wasn’t going to talk about what happened at the dance hall, not while I was in a business meeting.
Connor suddenly spoke up. “So, you will have to come out to the house, won’t you? To get a look at the real thing before we actually start buying things, to take measurements and such.” I looked at him, feeling startled. Of course he was right, I would need to do all those things, but the way he said it made me feel like he was trying to lure me to his home after getting me drunk or something. He still was a scoundrel.
“Yes, I will need to do that, it is all part of the process of my work,” I said, putting emphasis on the word work. I didn’t want him getting the wrong idea and thinking I was going to his house to see him.
“Great, I look forward to it,” he said. For some reason I felt like my clothes had been removed and I was sitting there naked as he looked at me. He had that kind of effect on me and it was making me feel very nervous, and warm. Like the heater had been turned up too high.
“Here they are, I have a few pieces that I like in each one, not that I think we can get those exact pieces, of course, but something like it. And a few colors that I like, too,” Abigail said, showing me the magazine photos.
“These are all great. Thank you for circling the pieces. I can get a proposal ready and a budget, but your brother is right I will need to see the house in person and get some measurements before we can finalize it all. Abigail, I would love for you to show me around and point out what you want replaced. That way I can get the proposal in order. Where is this house, exactly?”
“It’s just thirty miles south of here in Safety. Do you know where that is?” she asked.
“Sure, she does,” Connor said. I looked at him with a nervous smile, not sure how to respond to that.
“Great, so the house is at Dawson Ranch, that’s our ranch, and our family home. I’ll write down the address for you. Do you think you could come out tomorrow? I want to get started as soon as possible,” Abigail said.
“Yes, I actually could come out tomorrow,” I said.
“Good,” Connor said. Again, it made me feel very strange that he was so interested in me coming to his home. In that moment, I thought about the arrogant kiss he had stolen from me.
Trying to put him out of my mind, I spent the next thirty minutes talking with Abigail about the pieces she had picked out and the style she was going for. As we talked, Connor was quiet, but I could feel his eyes on me the whole time, which left me feeling exposed. Finally, I had everything I needed to get started on the project before heading to their home the next day.
“I think you’re going to love the ranch, Lydia. I can’t wait for you to come out tomorrow to figure out the details and help me with this thing. Lord knows that living with my brothers, I don’t get any help with things like this,” she said, as they both stood up. She put her hand out to shake mine, which I did.
“I’m sure I’ll love it, Abigail. Thank you for having me and I look forward to working with you.”
Then, Connor put his hand out. With no way to avoid it, I put my hand in his. I could feel the familiar calluses I’d felt that day at the dance hall. Calluses that had let me know he was a real cowboy. He squeezed my hand in a familiar way and his eyes were locked on mine.
“I’ll let you know what time I can come out tomorrow, after I look at my schedule. I can send you an email, Abigail, if that’s all right,” I said, pulling both my hand and my gaze away.
“Yes, I look forward to it,” Abigail said, and turned to head toward the door. With her back turned, Connor looked at me. He shook his head from side to side as his sister walked out the door to the waiting room.
“Lydia Myers, now I know your name, and I’ll see you out at the ranch tomorrow,” he said, putting his hand on the brim of his hat and pulling it down just a bit. Then he turned and walked out to the waiting room. I followed them, as I did with all my clients.
“Until tomorrow then, thank you,” Abigail said, and headed out the front door, her brother on her heels. I stood there in shock, still trying to grasp what was happening. I watched them both walk out the door, unaware that Whitney was calling my name until I felt her sharp elbow in my side.
“Ow. What was that for?” I said, grabbing my side.
“I had to elbow you because I was calling your name and you didn’t answer,” she said.
“You were? Sorry.”
“It’s the cowboy, isn’t it? I told you he was cute.”
“It‘s not just that, Whitney. You’re not going to believe this, but that is the cowboy that kissed me at the dance hall.”
“Wait. What? You’ve got to be kidding,” she shouted.
“I’m not. As you can see, I’m in shock. How the hell is this happening?”
“And that’s his wife? What a pig.”
“No, it’s his sister. That was a huge relief, and as far as I know he’s not married. I didn’t see a wedding ring on his finger at the dance hall or today. But that girl said they were brother and sister.”
“Well, that is a relief. Isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. I thought I was going to have to tell them to go somewhere else because I couldn’t work with a husband and wife team when the husband was constantly hitting on me. So it’s good that they are siblings,” I said.
“That’s not what I meant. I meant that it’s good that he’s not married—for you.”
“What? No. I wasn’t thinking that.”
“I was. Are you going to do the project?”
“Yeah, I don’t see why I shouldn’t. I’ll just have to put what happened at the dance hall behind us and not bring it up. And neither should you, by the way.”
“Fine. So, are they from Safety? If he was at the dance hall last weekend—”
“Yes, they are. That’s where the house is too, on their ranch.”
“What’s the last name?” she asked.
“Dawson.”
“You’re shittin�
�� me,” she said.
“No. Why do you say that?”
“Um, the Dawson name—everyone knows the Dawson’s. They are a powerful family. Dawson Ranch is important to the town and is a major agricultural provider. Aside from that, those brothers—”
“What? What about them?”
“They are rambunctious, and have quite the reputation.”
Suddenly, I remembered seeing the brawl in the parking lot of the dance hall as we were leaving. I had thought I’d seen Connor among the jumble of men, but I wasn’t sure. Now it made perfect sense. Two strikes. He was no gentleman, and that was not the kind of man to get involved with. I had learned my lesson about that before. So this would absolutely stay professional.
“A reputation for brawling?” I asked.
“Yep, always in trouble. Even I know that and I’ve been gone from Safety a long time now.”
“That’s good to know.”
“So, when do you see him again?” she said, teasing me.
“I have an appointment tomorrow at their home. I’m not seeing him,” I said, sternly.
“Well, all of those brothers are damn cute. Want me to come out there with you?”
“No. I think I can handle it, and I don’t really need you there flirting with the clients,” I said, walking back toward my office.
“Well, if you change your mind let me know. I’ll be there in a heartbeat,” she said as she winked.
9
Connor Dawson
I couldn’t believe it. What were the chances? Of all the interior design places in the city, I walk into hers. It was unbelievable and had left me feeling very excited.
Sitting across from her in her office was like foreplay for me. Abigail had no idea that I had an interest in this woman, and it was probably better that way. Abigail was very protective of her brothers and who they dated, and thought that every woman was out for the family money. She didn’t trust anyone. She had no idea that I had danced with this woman at the dance hall, or that I’d tried to steal a kiss. So, sitting across from her with this secret was exciting to me. It was new and I was craving something new after having already dated most of the girls in Safety.
This woman had caught my eye immediately at the dance hall, and the thought that I would never see her again had been bothering me. So much that I hadn’t slept much these last few nights. So, being able to see her and get her name was a blessing. But not only did I know who she was now, she was coming here to work with us on the project for a while. It was perfect.
There was a knock at the bathroom door. “What the hell is going on in there, Connor? You‘ve been in there for a good while now?” Dylan was shouting at me through the door.
“I’m taking a shower, dang it. Can’t I take a shower?”
“In the middle of the day? What‘s going on?” The door opened and he walked in. I rolled my eyes, since this was a common occurrence when you lived with this many brothers. We couldn’t always be waiting for each other to get out of the shower. He walked right in and began to piss in the toilet.
“You, taking a shower in the middle of the day? We’re barely sitting down for lunch. We still have a ton of chores to do after we eat, but you already know that. Why are you taking a shower in the middle of the day?”
“Can’t I just take a shower, dang it? It’s damn hot out there. I swear there is no privacy in this house whatsoever.”
“If you say so, but I’m not buying it.” Then he flushed the toilet, and the shower water instantly got hotter, a lot hotter.
“Shit. Dang it, Dylan!” I yelled.
“Ha! Serves you right for lying,” he said, finally leaving.
I was pissed, not just because of the hot water, but because I couldn’t get an ounce of privacy around this house. There was always someone being nosy about everyone else’s business.
Out of the shower, I quickly got dressed. I had to admit I was taking extra care of how I looked today. I went down just in time for lunch as everyone was piling food on their plates; hot sandwiches and potato chips. I grabbed a sandwich and sat down with a glass of iced tea.
“Attention please. I think everyone should know that Connor took a shower in the middle of the day. Now, why go take a shower when you still have a bunch of chores to do out on the ranch? It doesn’t make any sense,” Dylan said loudly to my brother Wyatt.
“Yeah, why take a shower in the middle of the day? We ain’t near done yet?” Wyatt said, giving me a confused look.
“Oh, come on y’all, leave him alone. We have an appointment today with the interior designer. She’s coming to take measurements right after we finish our lunch here, in about twenty minutes. I for one am glad he took a shower, I don’t need him smelling like goats and having my designer wanting to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible,” Abi said.
“Oh, that makes sense now. She must be cute then. Is that it? That’s why you got all dolled up. She’s hot, huh? In that case I should go get dressed as well,” Dylan said, teasing me.
“Don’t get me started,” I said, eating my food.
“Looky here, a car pulled up outside, and a pretty girl just got out,” Wyatt said, standing up and leaning out as though he was looking out of the windows. I quickly jumped up from my chair. She was early, and I didn’t want her to see me stuffing my face.
“Ha-ha, I’m just kidding. There’s no car there, but that goes to show that Dylan is right. It is a pretty girl that you are waiting for,” Wyatt said.
“Jerk,” I said, grabbing Wyatt’s shirt and pulling him toward me.
“That’s enough now. Stop giving your brother a hard time. It’s important that we present ourselves well when people come into our home,” Father said. I let go of Wyatt’s shirt as Father walked into the kitchen. “This is Abigail and Connor’s thing, so the rest of you get back to work after you’re done eating,” Father said. I was glad he was there to force these idiots to leave me alone, but they were right. They already knew what I was up to.
After we were done eating, I went to the mirror, to make sure there wasn’t spinach stuck in my teeth or something. Then I went into the living room to wait, and it was then that I realized that my father and Abi were outside. And Lydia was standing there on the porch with them. I took a deep breath and walked out.
“My daughter here has high praise for your work. She said she was impressed by your portfolio and thinks you can do a good job here,” my father said, shaking her hand.
“Thank you, sir. I am excited to get started and I won’t let you down.”
“And she told you about the family heirlooms and antiques,” my father asked.
“Yes, absolutely. It’s not a problem. We will work together to include them in the design. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find a perfect spot for such important pieces.”
“Good, then I’ll leave you with Abigail and Connor, they’re overseeing this project on behalf of the family.” Apparently satisfied, my father walked off the porch and headed toward the barn.
Lydia looked my way, so I nodded my head at her. “Good to see you again, ma’am.”
“It’s Lydia, you can call me Lydia, not ma’am. Please.”
“Alright, Lydia.”
“I’m really anxious to get started. Please come inside,” Abigail said. But before we could even open the door, Dylan and Wyatt were on the porch.
“Say, you look familiar. Weren’t you at the dance hall this past weekend?” Dylan said.
I felt my body grow heated with anger. This was not going to be good.
“Yes Dylan, I think you may be right. This is the woman that danced with Connor this past weekend at the dance hall,” Wyatt said.
“That’s right. She slapped him, as I recall,” Dylan said, as he started laughing. Lydia’s face was turning a bright pink. I needed to somehow stop my idiot brothers from embarrassing her further. Not to mention Abi, who must be mortified as well.
“You two leave Lydia alone, we have work to do. Go back to your wor
k,” I said, opening the door so she could walk in. She immediately stepped inside, but Dylan and Wyatt were not budging as they laughed to each other, mumbling.
“Can you believe this? This is the woman that Connor has to work with, and she already slapped him silly.”
I was incredibly annoyed. But at that moment I looked at Abigail to find her brows furrowed together in anger. She was really pissed off and stomped inside.
Walking over to Dylan and Wyatt, I punched them both in the arm, and whispered. “You idiots. Yes, it’s her, but Abi didn’t know. Plus, you just made Lydia very uncomfortable. Keep a lid on it, will you? We’ll talk about it later.”
Once inside, I found that Abi and Lydia were already taking measurements. I could see Abi giving me a look, and she was not happy. I tried my best to offer my assistance, but both women in the room were incredibly pissed off at me, though for different reasons. I didn’t blame them, they both had a right to be. I needed to fix this and make it right—somehow.
10
Lydia Myers
I had been incredibly nervous the entire drive from the city out to the small Texas town. Several times during the night and this morning I had started to think this was a very big mistake. I’d really thought about handing the project off to Whitney. But just when I would pick up the phone to call and tell her, I would change my mind. I knew that I really wanted to do the job because I hadn’t done a country home project like this before and I really wanted to. It would be a great addition to my portfolio, not to mention that the Dawson’s were apparently a prominent family, so doing their home could only be good for my career. Especially considering that in the future I wanted to open my own business. So I kept the project for myself.
Plus, I really did want to see the tall good-looking cowboy I now knew as Connor again. Yet, on the other hand, I didn’t. It was too nerve-wracking being around him. We already had history between us and it wasn’t exactly a good history. I had slapped him. That was not a good way to start a business relationship. But then again he wasn’t my client at the time, but still it was the elephant in the room. I didn’t know when it was going to be brought up, but knew that it would eventually.
