Familiar Adversaries. Patricia Thayer

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">      “You need to remember this is business, Mr. Hunter, not a popularity contest.”

      She was driving him crazy. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to shake her, or kiss her. He sucked in a breath. Man, he was in trouble. “I’ve got to go. If you need me, call my cell.” He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

      Two hours later Mariah still couldn’t concentrate on work. Shane’s words kept playing in her mind. She’d never admit it, but he might have been right. Maybe she should have worked things out with Jerry Grant. What Shane didn’t understand was that being a woman, she couldn’t be soft. Not in this business, and not if she wanted to run this project successfully. If she didn’t have the respect and cooperation of their suppliers, she’d never earn respect from the crew.

      The door opened and her father walked in holding his cell phone to his ear. At fifty-five, Kurt Easton, the town councilman/businessman was an imposing figure dressed in his dark suit. He acknowledged her with a nod as he continued to talk. Mariah was used to this. Although he tried to be a caring father, he’d always been obsessed with his business ventures and trying to make a name for himself.

      He’d come from poor beginnings and always blamed his poverty on the Hunters. Mariah and her younger brother, Rich, had been raised by a man who carried years of bitterness.

      Her father closed his phone. “Where the hell is Hunter?”

      “He said he was working with the crew.”

      “I thought that’s why I brought you in. To keep an eye on him.”

      She tried to brush aside the hurt. “I thought you brought me in because I’m good at my job.”

      “You also need to watch Shane Hunter. He can’t be trusted. The site’s already been vandalized twice.”

      She stood and stared into her father’s green eyes that were so like hers, hoping that was all she’d inherited from him. “And tell me why destroying his property would be the best thing for his company?”

      Her father backed off with a shrug. “He’s a Hunter.”

      “And I told you when I took this job that I wasn’t getting involved in this crazy feud. What went on years ago has nothing to do with Shane, his mother, his brother, Nate or sister, Emily.”

      “How can you say that when you know Nathan Hunter cheated your grandfather James out of land, and stole the love of his life?”

      Mariah had heard the story many times over the years. James Easton had been in love with Catherine Summers. Before he’d been shipped out to fight in World War II, he’d asked his friend, Nathan, to look out for Catherine. Instead, the two fell in love.

      “If you continue badgering me, Dad,” Mariah continued. “I’ll have to resign.”

      Her father stiffened, then his expression softened. “Okay, just make sure everything is on the up and up. I have too much invested in this project.”

      “If there are any problems, I’ll let you and your partners know.”

      Just then she heard a commotion outside. “Excuse me, Dad.”

      She walked to the door, opened it and saw a large flatbed truck loaded down with lumber coming up the road. So her warning had been taken seriously. All her excitement disappeared when the vehicle stopped, the driver’s door swung open and Shane jumped down from the cab and marched toward her.

      “You wanted the lumber delivered before noon.” He checked his watch. “I believe we have five minutes to spare.” He grinned at her as he handed her the supply order. “Now I’m going to lunch.”

      Twenty minutes later Shane climbed the steps to his garage apartment behind his mother’s house. He didn’t have any appetite for lunch. That was good, since he didn’t have any food in the place. He hadn’t exactly had an opportunity to shop lately. Hell, with the hours he’d been putting in at the site, he hadn’t found much time to do anything.

      Shane opened the door to the limited space he’d called home since his newly married brother, Nate, moved to the Hunter family ranch six months ago. Since all his funds were tied up in his business and this project, getting his own place would have to wait.

      There was a living room and kitchen combination where a small rust-colored sofa and a large leather recliner faced the entertainment center that housed his one extravagance, a flat screen television and stereo. Two stools were arranged under the short counter that served as the dining area. A narrow hall led to a bath and his bedroom, where he knew his bed hadn’t been made in weeks.

      His thoughts turned to Mariah. Not two full days on the job and already she was giving him problems. How was she supposed to help the project go smoothly if they couldn’t get along? Why hadn’t she come to him about the lumber delivery?

      Well, he’d shown her, all right. He ignored the sour feeling in his stomach as he dropped his keys on the counter and opened the refrigerator. Inside was a six-pack of beer, a half gallon of milk with a week-old expiration date. He poured it out in the sink and placed the empty container in the trash.

      “I guess I’ll have another food group.” He opened the bread drawer and smiled on finding his stash of Twinkies. He pulled out two and immediately ripped the cellophane off one and took a huge bite.

      Just then there was a knock on the door and he finished off the other half of the cake as he went to greet his mother, who was holding a basket of clean laundry.

      “Don’t tell me that’s your lunch.”

      “Hello, Mom.” He took the basket from the slender woman. “And what’s wrong with what I’m eating?”

      She flashed her piercing blue eyes at him. “Don’t get me started.” She sighed. “At least come down to the house and fix a sandwich. You work too hard to be skipping meals.”

      “Mom, I appreciate your help with the laundry, but I can feed myself.”

      “I didn’t do your laundry. I only took your clothes out of the dryer so I could use it.”

      Betty Hunter tried to act tough, but she still worried about her three adult kids. Now that her oldest son, Nate, was happily married and living out at the ranch, and her daughter, Emily, had moved to L.A., she’d been concentrating all her attention on him.

      “Sorry. It won’t happen again.” Shane took the basket and put it on the sofa.

      “That’s what you said the last time.” She glanced around the apartment. “Now that you have a project manager, you should be able to have a personal life. By the way, how is Mariah?”

      “What did Nate do? Rush over to the house to tell you?”

      “Nate never said a word. You know news travels fast in a small town. Quit avoiding the question, how is Mariah? She was such a sweet girl.”

      “Mom, you’re talking about Kurt Easton’s daughter. He only brought her here to spy on me. He’ll do anything to get me off the Paradise project.”

      “If I remember correctly she used to be pretty smitten with you, and you were crazy about her, too.”

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