Page 30 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

Even so, in one of his tailored gray suits with a white button-down underneath and that short dark hair neatly combed away from his face, the guy looked good. Too freaking good to be my boss, but never mind that. We’re not going there.

“Get your stuff,” he said as he strode past my office, not even fully stopping at my door as he issued the instruction. “We’re going to Heritage House this afternoon. Construction has started and I need to go check in.”

A moment later, his office door shut behind him, but excitement swept through me and I quickly packed up, practically bouncing to his truck beside him when he finally reappeared. I took two steps for each one of his long strides, but I grinned, glancing up at his strong profile as I hurried to keep up.

“Have you had any feedback from the contractors? How are they doing?”

“That’s what we’re going there to find out.” He swept a hand along the side of his neck and groaned. “Do you think we can do this with minimal conversation?”

“Probably not, but I suppose we can try.” I chuckled and mimed zipping my lips, surprised when he came around to open my door for me again. Somewhere inside him, there definitely is a gentleman. He just doesn’t seem to allow him out very often.

“Thanks.” I flashed him a smile, but as I looked at him, I realized he seemed a little paler than usual and his eyes were a little duller. “Hey, are you okay?”

He seemed taken aback by the question, waiting for me to climb in before he looked me right in the eyes. “I’m fine.”

He shut the door and came to climb in behind the steering wheel, turning over the engine and backing out of his parking spot, but he was definitely out of sorts. Once we were on our way, I tried to put on some music to fill the silence, but he turned it down. He also shrugged off most of my questions and he kept a white-knuckled grip on the wheel all the way out of town.

I hadn’t known him for very long and he generally wasn’t the most talkative person, but there was something different about him today. Something a little unsettling. Something so intense that I could feel it radiating from him.

“What is your problem?” I asked when he shut off the radio completely once I tried reaching for it again.

He shrugged a shoulder, not even glancing at me as he kept staring at the road ahead like it’d wronged him somehow. “Nothing. This is just who I am.”

“You can’t possibly be this miserable all the time,” I said. “You were smiling in the editorial I read about you in Architecture Monthly and I’ve seen you look almost human at times, so don’t lie to me. This isn’t who you are.”

He finally cracked the smallest smile I’d ever seen. “Almost human, huh?”

“I call it like I see it.” I hid my smile by turning toward the window and drinking in the woods beyond the road. It really is beautiful out here.

“What do you need from me when we get there?” I asked now that he was finally talking to me again. “Is there anything specific?”

“All I need is for you to learn.” That was it, his only apparent motivation for bring me along—for me to learn instead of going to help him with something.

While I contemplated this knowledge, Ford kept staring at the road like he was lost in his own thoughts, and for once, I decided not to interrupt them. I didn’t know what was going on with him today, but he seemed sad.

Until we got to the house. A wave of contractors were doing all sorts of work, the previously quiet, empty parking area now a hive of activity.

As soon as Ford’s boots hit the ground, that profound sense of sadness morphed into single-minded authoritative focus, everything but the job seemingly forgotten as he snapped at me over his shoulder. “Lila, you’re with me. Don’t wander off today. It could be dangerous.”

I double-timed it to catch up, but inside, I was marveling at the work going on around me. Although Ford didn’t know it, I’d never been to a worksite like this before and it was exhilarating, a busy mess with everyone yelling at each other over the whirring, buzzing noise of power tools.

Ford took command, all tough and stern in a way that made my heart quake. It was seriously hot. I was also hot—temperature wise—and also for other reasons. Reasons like watching the muscles in his arms and jaw flex as he checked some of the work the main contractor was doing.

“Didn’t you get the latest structural drawings, Jason?” he growled at the contractor. “If you didn’t understand them, you should’ve called instead of whatever the fuck it is you’re doing here.”

Ford strode over to a large, wooden work table set up on one side of the parking area and unrolled a giant sheet of paper. The structural drawings, I assumed.

He stabbed his middle and index finger down on one side of the drawing. “This is where the foundation in sagging. Can you see your mistake yet?”

Jason, a burly redhead with work boots on his feet and a deep scowl etched onto his features, rolled his eyes at Ford. “With all due respect, Mr. Callahan, it’s not a mistake. The boys are still preparing the area.”

“Yes, I can see that,” he hissed. “The wrong area. They need to be ten feet that way.”

He shoved a hand out to his left and marched on, away from the work table, leaving a very confused looking Jason in his wake. I saw the man grinding his teeth as Ford stalked away, but then he peered over the plans and suddenly paled.

As the day wore on, Ford checked on every single person at least once. He was walking around with a tablet in his hands, overseeing every little thing with zero patience or tolerance for anything that was not precisely within his plans.

Clouds had been rolling in for only about twenty minutes when thunder suddenly boomed overhead. All around me, people immediately started getting ready to leave. Workers were packing up, the foreman of each team barking orders for equipment to be either stowed away or covered.