“I don’t agree with that, but okay.” He crossed to the small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. “Ethan did say something interesting,” he told her, before pausing to drink.
Panic exploded, making her chest tighten. She waited, hoping it wasn’t anything hideous. Like, “Nevada never got over you,” or, “It’s kind of funny how she was so in love with you and you only had eyes for Cat.” Not that Ethan would know any of that, but still.
Tucker lowered the bottle and looked at her. “He said it was your first time.”
Involuntary reactions were a bitch, she thought grimly as she felt color flare on her cheeks. She ignored the sensation, grabbed her sandwich and held it up like a pitiful protective shield.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she hedged. “I had a boyfriend in high school.”
Tucker studied her for a second, relief battling with concern. “You sure?”
“It’s something I would remember.” She took a bite of her sandwich and forced herself to chew. After she swallowed, she managed a faint laugh. “Don’t sweat it. You were not my first time.”
“Good. Because that would have made a difference.”
“You were pretty drunk. I don’t think that kind of information would have helped.”
“Probably not.” He shook his head. “So we’re done talking about this?”
“You’re the one who brought it up. But, yes, we can be done.”
“Friends?”
“Of course. Always.”
She’d never thought of herself as Tucker’s friend. She was the girl he hadn’t noticed, despite her love for him. He was the one who got away. But a friend? Maybe it was something to try. After all, they were going to be working together and she wasn’t stupid enough to fall for him a second time.
AFTER LUNCH NEVADA went outside and checked on the surveying team. A hundred acres was a lot to deal with, so they worked on a grid. Her attention kept drifting to where the guys were using the real equipment to clear.
A timber company had already been through to take out the biggest trees. The heaviest growth was being left intact. The walking path would weave through it.
One of the guys — she thought his name was Brad — walked up to her, holding one hand in the other.
“Cut myself,” he said. “Do you have any bandages in your truck?”
“Sure, but there’s a first-aid kit in the office.”
He shook his head. “Using that means filling out paperwork.”
She hesitated. The last thing anyone wanted was more paperwork, so if the cut was small, she would go along with his request. Later, she would talk to Will and find out if she’d made the right call, or if the guys were trying to get her in trouble. After all, she was new to the team, not to mention female.
She hurried to her truck and pulled open the passenger door. As she reached for the glove box, she saw something move on the bench seat.
A snake was coiled up on the driver’s seat.
Nevada managed to keep from jumping, more out of self-protection than bravery. She studied the dark brown color, the light stripes along the side and knew it was a garter snake. Harmless, and not too old, judging by the length.
Several facts clicked into place. The test wasn’t about breaking the rules, it was about cojones. She would bet money Brad hadn’t been cut at all. The guys had simply wanted to get her to open her truck door and see the snake.
The creatures weren’t her favorite, but she’d grown up with three brothers and, to borrow from the Texans, this wasn’t her first rodeo.
Drawing in a deep breath, she reached across the seat and grabbed the snake. From what she remembered, it would bite. It wasn’t considered poisonous to humans, but she grabbed it by the back of the neck to avoid getting punctured.
The poor thing practically whimpered as it recoiled and tried to squirm away. Its body wrapped around her arm, then let go as quickly. She straightened and stepped away from her truck. When she turned, she saw her whole team standing behind her.
“One of you missing your girlfriend?” she asked.
The guys exchanged glances, then started to laugh.
She walked to the edge of the thicker growth and let the snake go.
“How long did it take you to catch it?” she asked.
“Nearly all morning,” Brad told her. “We thought you’d scream.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
One of the older guys grinned. “We’re not disappointed at all.”
“Glad to hear it. Now, let’s get to work.”
FRIDAY AFTERNOON Nevada found herself walking through Fool’s Gold with Tucker. She’d gone with him to file more paperwork and now they were heading back to his truck to return to the job site.
“So when’s the next festival?” he asked. “I keep hearing about them.”
“Next weekend, although there’s plenty going on tomorrow. The Fool’s Gold cheerleaders are back from camp and will be showing off everything they’ve learned. That’s always fun.”
“The town has cheerleaders?”
“They’re from the high school. We do like to celebrate here, so any excuse will do.”
“I’ve heard that.”
They turned a corner and walked toward the parking lot.
“You enjoying yourself at work?”
She nodded, aware of him walking close to her. The days were still warm, so she was in a T-shirt. Every now and then her bare arm brushed against his. She told herself not to notice, that the whispers of heat had nothing to do with the man and everything to do with…
She sighed. She would have to come up with some handy excuses to trot out when she needed them.
Working with Tucker was both easier and harder than she’d thought it would be. He was a fair boss, who trusted his team to get the work done. That was the good part. He was also a hunky guy with whom she shared relatively close office space. In the trailer, as here on the narrow sidewalks, it was difficult not to be aware of him.
“I thought the guys might put a bigger snake in my truck, but I guess I passed the test.” She glanced at him. “Unless you told them to back off.”
“Nope. You want the job, you have to be able to handle yourself with the guys. I figured you’d hit me harder than Ethan if you found out I was going behind your back.”
“Good. Because that’s true.”
He grinned. “You’d have to catch me first.”
A group of teenage girls walked toward them. Both she and Tucker moved to the right, stepping into the doorway of a clothing boutique to let the girls pass. The space was small and she found herself crowded up against him, her butt pressing against his hip.
She told herself to ignore the heat and the way her hand bumped his.
“Hey, Nevada.”
It took her a second to realize one of the girls was Melissa. “Ah, hi. What’s going on?”
“We’re getting ice cream.” Melissa looked past her to Tucker and raised her eyebrows.
“This is my new boss. Tucker Janack, Melissa Sutton. She’s my niece.”
Melissa grinned. “Sort of. I guess explaining our relationship would be too complicated.” Melissa waved and hurried after her friends. “Nice to meet you.”
“That’s one of Ethan’s girls, right?” Tucker said as they started walking again.
“Yes.”
“I saw her picture when Ethan and I had lunch.”
They’d reached the truck. He held open the passenger door for her.
“Explain that to me,” she said, not yet climbing in. “How can he punch you and then the two of you have lunch?”
“We’d worked through everything. Why not have lunch and catch up?”
“Men are very strange.”