Snowfall Over Sagebrush (Paperback)

Chapter 1

“I’m telling you, Eve, this project is going to go off without a hitch. I’ve got it handled. You don’t have to worry your head about any of it.” Laura stood in front of the site where the quaint resort was currently being constructed. “Though why you and Gabriel decided to open up a resort in the panhandle of Texas when you could have picked the mountainside is beyond me.”
“If I recall”—Eve laughed through the phone—“it was my friend who convinced me that this particular location was worth every penny.”
“Oh yeah.” Laura snickered. “You have a pretty smart friend.”
“I think so.”
“All right, sweetie. I have to chat with the foreman. It’s nothing serious, but I need to make sure all of the i’s have been dotted and all the t’s have been crossed. I’ll check in with you later.”
“Thanks, Laura! Talk soon.”
Laura hung up the phone and turned to face the construction site. The sun beat down on her, making her wish she’d gone with something with short sleeves. Today was the first day she’d managed to get away from the office to check on how the project was progressing. Everything seemed to be in order except one small detail.
Apparently, the foreman wasn’t thrilled about a few things.
Laura strode forward, her stiletto heels sinking into the soft dirt, causing her to wobble. She nearly face-planted a few times but managed to get from her rental car to the building without twisting an ankle.
“I know it’s not how we do things, but I’m telling you, this city girl is calling all the shots, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
A gruff voice drifted toward her just as she got to the wide doorway that would lead guests to the entrance.
“What do you mean the city girl is calling all the shots? Don’t you have the owner’s number?”
A dark laugh sounded, then a voice with a slight drawl responded. “I wish. If they knew how she was running things, then—”
“Then what?” Laura stepped through the doorway to find two men standing in what would be the main lobby. Both froze where they were standing and shot surprised looks in her direction. Both wore cowboy hats, but the one wearing a black one quickly schooled his features. He had a deep tan and cobalt-blue eyes. His faded blue jeans hugged his form. She had to drag her gaze from him to the other man in order to get her thoughts straight. Placing her hand on her hip, she lifted her chin, praying she at least looked like the confident project manager she was. “What, pray tell, would you like me to send on to the owners of this establishment?”
The man in the darker hat stepped forward. “You must be Ms. Chambers.”
“And you must be the foreman who doesn’t like to return my emails.”
He tilted his head slightly, then without looking back at his companion, he muttered, “Go check that delivery we got today. I want to make sure they didn’t forget anything.”
She lifted a brow. “Is that something that occurs frequently? Forgetting something you ordered?”
“I didn’t forget it. You’re going through distribution channels that aren’t vetted by me. You’re going to get what you get, in that case.”
This man couldn’t be serious. Did he not realize just how easy it would be to hire someone to replace him? She had contacts everywhere. She didn’t need this one causing trouble. Laura crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. “With all due respect, I’m the one overseeing this project, and it’s my neck on the line if it doesn’t work out the way it’s supposed to. If you can’t handle the job—”
“Oh, I can handle the job.” His voice lowered to a near growl. “But it would turn out better if you gave me more freedom to do it.” As he spoke, he took several steps in her direction, slowly closing the distance between them.
She laughed, if only to ease the discomfort of his nearness and not be intimidated by the way he emulated a large predatory cat. “From what I remember, you’re a rancher nearby. This is my career. I chose this job from the time I got out of high school. You seem to be playing two roles at the moment, and I’d rather trust my own experience on this one.” Eve deserved to have the perfect resort. She and Gabriel needed a win after leaving Sweet Paradise Resort to chase their own dreams.
“I’m sorry,” the foreman muttered. “Do you live here? Do you know the kind of weather we have here? I don’t suppose you did any research on this project before you broke ground. There is a winter storm coming. It hits every year around Christmas, and when it does, everything shuts down.”
“Winter storm?” she scoffed. “This is Texas. It’s going to be just fine. Crews build bigger projects in the middle of real winter weather all over the country. I’m not scared of a little rain.”
The foreman lifted a brow, and for some reason, it unnerved her how he stared at her.
“I don’t know why you’re pulling back so hard. I told you when we hired you that this resort needed to be built and ready for the Christmas season. We paid extra because of the time constraint. Besides, by the time Christmas rolls around, the exterior should be done. It will mostly be indoor stuff we have to finish.”
“What don’t you understand about the whole state shutting down when we get that weather? If any deliveries are late or if your orders are wrong, there will be no fixing it. I want to be able to use my suppliers and distributors in order to guarantee—”
She waved a hand dismissively. “You assured me that this project would be completed on schedule, and you have a little less than four months to do so. We’re doing a grand opening event the week of Christmas. So far, everything seems to be on track, so like I said, I don’t see the problem.”
He sighed but didn’t argue with her. Good. He’d finally realized his place.
Laura glanced around the space, her eyes drifting to the roof that had been put on. The building was just in the bare-bones state, but it really was coming together. She nearly turned to her foreman to tell him as much but found his dark eyes drilling into her so deeply that she lost track of what she was going to say.
Dang it. Why couldn’t she remember his name? She must have read it a thousand times before this moment.
His gaze didn’t waver even as she stood there watching him.
“I’ll be in and out over the next four months. If you have any problems, please don’t hesitate to call.” She turned swiftly, but her heels went the other way. And that was the beginning of the end. She stumbled and lost her balance only to be caught by a pair of strong, rough hands.
Laura peered up into a pair of the brightest blue eyes she’d ever seen. It should have been illegal to have such striking features. She hadn’t realized just how brilliant they were beneath the shadow of his cowboy hat. She swallowed hard then scrambled out of his grasp. Her hands straightened her rumpled blouse, and she murmured, “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” he returned.
“I’ll check in soon.”
“Looking forward to it.” He’d probably meant it sarcastically, but she could have sworn she heard some warmth in his tone.
“Hey, Riley! You got the invoice?” The man she’d seen before materialized in what would be a hallway. “I’m sure we got everything, but I want to check one last thing.”
Riley.
He touched the brim of his hat and nodded toward her. “Ms. Chambers.”
“Please, call me Laura.”
Riley nodded curtly again then headed after the other cowboy.
Laura let out a long, slow breath.
They built the men out here quite a bit differently than back home in New York. Perhaps she would have to find more excuses to make it out to this particular project more often.

(Prequel) Snowfall at Sagebrush
1. Mistletoe Masquerade
2, Gingerbread Hearts
3. Beneath the Christmas Star
4. Tinsel Trail
5. Crossroads at Sagebrush