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“Nails, wood and paint are a given. We’re going to need bolts and post bases, too.”
He was staring at her, not quite knowing if she was speaking to him or if she was talking to herself.
“Are you writing this down?”
He jumped, causing her to let out an exaggerated groan. “Look, I’m not going to hold it against you if you decide to walk away. I can tell this isn’t something you were planning on doing for the next several months. So if it’s too much, I’m giving you an out. Right here, right now. Walk away. No one would blame you.”
At that point, clarity hit Lucas over the head like he’d been knocked around by a two-by-four. “That’s a lie and you know it.”
“I’m sorry, what?” There was that edge to her voice again. “I’m literally telling you that you don’t have to work on this project, and you’re calling me a liar?” She let out a dark laugh. “Boy, I knew you were going to be hard, but I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
His brows lifted.
She flicked her fingers at him, then returned to walking the perimeter of the building. “Just go do what you do best. I’m sure there’s some pretty, young thing at the local country club that’s just dying for you to give her your attention.”
Lucas chased after her, catching up in only a few long strides. “What is your problem?”
She didn’t respond, so he reached out and grasped her hand to stop her. Ella spun around, yanking her hand from his. “Don’t touch me.”
His head reared back. Throughout all the years he’d been dating, no one had ever reacted to his touch like that. Something shifted behind her eyes. Her cheeks flushed and she looked away. When she returned her gaze to his, it had hardened. She lowered her voice. “Like I said, I don’t have time to babysit you. If you can’t do what I’ve asked you to, then you should leave.”
4
Ella
Ella hated how much she hoped Lucas wouldn’t take her up on her request. Deep down, she knew she didn’tlikehim. She definitely didn’t have a crush on him by any means, but there was something that seemed to pull her toward him.
Wait, she knew what it was. He needed to learn it wasn’t okay to treat girls the way he did. It wasn’t just the pretty girls that were no better than pieces of meat. It was the way all the guys in her school treated the girls who struggled with their weight. There were endless ways those boys had learned how to knock the girls down a few pegs, and she despised them all.
Yes, Lucas had a few things to learn, and she was more than happy to dish it out.
She watched him, waiting for him to inevitably leave. That was what guys like Lucas did. They wanted it easy. Well, she wasn’t going to let that happen.
It felt like an eternity before Lucas reacted. He held out the clipboard but didn’t say a word. With a short nod, he spun around and headed for the door. When he disappeared, she hurried after him, not to stop him but to make sure he left the premises. Lucas continued walking to the only other vehicle on the property. It was an older Chevy, but it was well taken care of by the looks of it. There was no extended cab, which allowed for a slightly longer bed.
Lucas climbed behind the wheel and shut the door. From this distance, she could no longer see his eyes. Those dark blue eyes were the one thing every girl swooned over when she was younger. It wasn’t a surprise that Lucas could get any girl he wanted, nor was it any surprise that every single one of them had to be two to three sizes smaller than she was.
He’d run with a crowd of the shallowest boys she’d ever seen. So why was she so disappointed that he’d turned out to be exactly who she remembered him to be? Why had she even allowed herself to hope that he’d changed? It had been a small, glimmering hope, but still it had been present.
Good riddance.
She didn’t need him.
Cowboys around here were a dime a dozen, and she was certain that she could get a replacement without too much trouble. All she had to do was call her father and ask him to assign someone else.
In fact, she was going to do that right now.
Ella retreated into the barn. She dropped both clipboards onto the floor and pulled out her phone. If her father had managed to convince Lucas to do the job, then he could find another guy, no problem.
Her father picked up her call on the third ring, but by the way he sounded, he was distracted. “I’m sorry, sweetie. What did you need?”
“I haven’t even asked you yet.”
“No, I need the paperwork on the new traffic pattern near the country club. I don’t want the report from when we tallied up the accidents last year.”
“Dad?”
“What did you say you needed?”
