Only His (Fool's Gold #6)(54)

Will laughed and straightened, slamming his boots against the floor of the trailer. “Talk nice to me and they’re pretty decent.”

Tucker went over the timetable for the week. Work-wise, they were right on schedule. With a project this big, there were bound to be delays. They were built into the project costs and projections. His goal was to make sure he didn’t need to use them.

From outside he heard a couple of guys arguing. Before he’d even made it to the door, the sound of a female voice cut through. By the time he got outside, both men were shuffling their feet, looking sheepish.

“I thought so,” Nevada told them. “This isn’t going to happen again, is it?”

The men shook their heads and walked away.

“Want to tell me what happened?” he asked.

Nevada glanced at him. “Nope. All taken care of. That’s why you pay me the big bucks.”

He hadn’t seen her in a few days. Not since Cat had arrived. Or more importantly, not since their wild and satisfying encounter in the trailer.

That she hadn’t wanted to talk about, he realized. Isn’t that what women did? Talk about it after the fact? Endlessly?

“Everything else okay?” he asked, aware there were several guys within earshot.

“Of course.”

“I was gone this weekend. With Josh. We went on a hundred-mile bike ride.” His legs were still protesting the unusual activity. “I probably should have said something.” He cleared his throat. “In case you needed to talk to me about work.”

“Thanks for the news flash.” She seemed amused by his statement. “I stayed in town. With Cat.”

“On purpose?”

“It was fine. She’s different.”

“I’ll say.”

He wanted to tell her that he was over Cat. That she didn’t matter to him, but he still hadn’t been alone with her and couldn’t be completely sure. Even if he was sure, he couldn’t figure out how to get that across in such a public setting. Asking Nevada into the trailer wouldn’t help because Will was in there.

“I’m going back to work now,” she told him.

He nodded and returned to the trailer.

“What was that about?” Will asked.

“Some trouble with a couple of the guys. Nevada handled it.”

“She’s good with the men. They respect her.”

“That’s why I hired her.”

Will snorted.

Tucker narrowed his gaze. “Are you saying there’s another reason?”

“Sure, but because I’m in such a good mood we’ll pretend there isn’t.”

DENISE KNEW she was going to throw up. Her stomach whirled and spun and flipped as if it were possessed by some gastrointestinal alien. Her palms were damp, her skin clammy. Under any other circumstance, she would have told herself she had the flu and raced home. However, she’d already been hiding for too long and the symptoms had nothing to do with being sick and everything to do with a man.

That explained why she was standing in front of Max’s house. She’d left him two messages, which he hadn’t returned. Her reaction to his proposal made her ashamed of herself. She felt guilty and small. It was not a happy combination. So it was time for her to do something about it.

Drawing in a breath, she rang the doorbell. It would serve her right if Max refused to speak to her, but she was hoping he had more character than she did.

It turned out she was right. He opened the door a couple of seconds later, then smiled at her.

“Thanks for coming by,” he said, holding open the door.

“Aren’t you going to yell at me for my immature reaction?” she asked, walking past him and moving into a bright living room.

There were several sofas, nice wood tables and pretty artwork. If she had to guess, she would say he’d used a decorator. That instantly made her wonder if the decorator had been a woman and if they’d slept together.

“You’ve been doing that for me,” he said.

“What?”

“Yelling at yourself.”

“I have been. I’m sorry. I should have come to see you sooner.”

“Why? You weren’t ready.”

Kind words that made her want to scream. “Don’t be nice. I don’t deserve it.” She held up her hand. “Please. Let me say what I have to say.”

“All right. Do you want to sit down?”

“No. This is a standing-up kind of speech.”

He nodded. “Go ahead.”

Her mind went blank. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Nothing. Then the words came in a tumble.

“I’m glad you’re back. I never thought I’d see you again, and here you are. It’s been wonderful, rediscovering what we had. Only it’s different now. Better, I think. I’m older, but you seem to be okay with that.”

“Should I wait until you’re done or comment as you go?”

“Wait until I’m done.” She stared into his blue eyes and knew she had to tell him the truth.

“I loved Ralph so much more than I ever thought I could. He was a good man, a wonderful husband and father. I know people say that all the time, but it’s really true. He loved his kids and he loved me. Sometimes he would ask me if I was sure. If I had regrets. I hated that. Hated knowing he had questions. Because he was the one. I told him I didn’t have regrets, and I hope he believed me.”