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But that plan came crashing down the second a pretty young woman arrived. She had her makeup and hair done up like she was planning on attending a gala. Her clothing didn’t match that look, however.
She wore tattered jeans with large holes throughout. Her shirt was too short, showing off her midriff and to make matters worse, it was definitely too tight.
Ella watched with curiosity when the woman climbed out of her car and just stood there. Her hand shaded her eyes as she looked from cowboy to cowboy. She couldn’t be here for Lucas.
Pleasedon’t be here for Lucas.
Her gaze landed on who she was looking for and she smiled broadly as she marched across the site. And just as Ella had predicted, the woman came to a stop in front of Lucas as he climbed off the ladder.
Geez. Why did he always go for the women who dressed like that? Did he not see she was overcompensating for something? She probably didn’t have any self-worth. The woman laughed, twirled her finger in her hair, then reached out and touched Lucas playfully on the shoulder. He smiled and talked with her, though Ella couldn’t understand what they were saying.
That green jealousy within her reared its ugly head and Ella stomped into the barn. She was logical. She knew that women like that weren’t the reason she had such a bad experience withdating. It was guys like Lucas who couldn’t see past what was only skin deep.
And now everything was that much more terrible because Ella had to be honest with herself. Would she be feeling this way if she wasn’t secretly crushing on Lucas? All it took was a few lingering glances and some kind words for her to allow herself to get ensnared by him.
The problem wasn’t Lucas or that woman. It was Ella. She could only blame herself for the way she was feeling right now.
11
Lucas
Lucas watched Ella disappear into the barn. She was upset. His focus shifted to where she’d been standing only a moment ago. There were two cowboys working within a few feet of where she’d been.
He’d personally vetted everyone who was working on this project. He couldn’t imagine either of them saying something that she might find offensive. But he could be wrong.
Lucas turned to Trixie, who was still rambling about the date they’d gone on two weeks ago.
“Anyway, I was thinking that since we had such a good time…”
He reached out and grasped her by her upper arms. “Hey, I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work. There’s a lot that needs to be done before the weekend. Can I call you later?”
Trixie clamped her mouth shut and blinked. “Oh. Um, sure.”
“Thanks.” He squeezed her arms gently, then spun quickly and headed into the barn. The scaffolding had been set up to build the loft area, but they hadn’t started on it yet. There were blueprints scattered on several tables. Spotlights lit most of them since the windows still needed replacing and were covered in a thick film of dirt. They’d managed to get the door open far enough to bring most of the equipment inside, but that was it.
And right in the center of it, Ella was leaning over one of the documents. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, but there were several tendrils that had come loose, and they fell around her face. The beam of light gave her an ethereal glow, and for a moment, he lost his train of thought.
Why had he come into the barn? Behind him, outside, some laughter filtered into the barn. Oh yeah, he’d come in here to make sure she was okay.
Lucas moved forward, and she glanced up when he got closer. Her brief glance in his direction didn’t give him any indication of how she was feeling, and he didn’t want to just come in here and demand to know what was going on. It was possible he’d imagined everything.
It wasn’t until she looked over to him once more and released an irritated sigh that he knew she wasn’t happy.
“Did you need something?”
“Is everything okay?”
She clenched her jaw tightly. “Everything is fine in here. Is everything okay out there?”
“Sure,” he murmured, “why wouldn’t it be?”
Ella sighed again. Maybe he should just leave while he was ahead. He’d learned quickly that Ella’s mood could change on a dime. Maybe this was one of those times. But then she straightened, leaning one hip against the table. “I do have something I wanted to mention.”
He waited expectantly.
“This is a worksite. Your girlfriends shouldn’t just be showing up. It’s a liability.”
Lucas straightened. Was that what this was about? He thumbed over his shoulder. “Trixie? She’s not my girlfriend. We went on one date. I don’t even know why she came today.”
