“That would be me,” he said with a grimace as he rubbed his shoulder.
“Shit. Did I hurt you?”
“I’m recovering from a shoulder injury.”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Do you need an ice pack? A doctor?” Just the first impression I was trying to make, injuring my contractor before he’d even toured the grounds.
Hunter’s brows rose at my outburst. “I’m fine.” He rolled his shoulder as if testing it. Only a small wince crossed his features. “No harm done.” He glanced at the speaker. “Other than to my ears.”
I hurried to shut off the music as Cyndi Lauper sang Time After Time. “Not a fan of the eighties?”
“Got nothing against the decade. The music leaves something to be desired.”
My lips twitched. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I met Hunter’s gaze and swallowed. “I really am sorry about all that.”
“Me, too. For scaring you. But you can’t be doing stuff like that, especially if you’re alone. And you need a sturdier ladder.”
I looked at my pathetic cleaning setup. If Nathan had seen me, he would’ve read me the riot act, too. “I know, but the one in the storage shed looks about ready to give out, and I didn’t want to go back into town, just for a stupid ladder.”
Hunter scrubbed a hand over the thick stubble on his jaw. “I’ve got one in my truck you can use for now. And I can pick one up at the hardware store next time I stop by.”
“You don’t have to—”
He cut me off with a look, and I had the burning desire to stick out my tongue at him. Instead, I simply said, “Thank you.”
A low growl sounded as Bruno appeared at my side.
“What in the ever-loving hell is that thing?”
I gave my dog a scratch between the ears. “This is Bruno. Bruno, friend.” I touched Hunter’s arm. “Friend.” Bruno relaxed and sat at my side.
“Is he part bear? Lion?”
I rubbed Bruno’s head, and he head-butted my hand. “He’s a Tibetan Mastiff.”
Hunter’s gaze ran up and down my furry friend. “He looks like he weighs more than I do.”
“Only one-fifty.”
“Only,” Hunter scoffed. He took a couple of cautious steps towards me, and held out a hand for Bruno to sniff, and then scratched his head. “He’s going to terrify guests.”
“He is not. Bruno loves people.”
“Yeah, that growl really convinced me. Maybe you can build him a crate.”
Bruno ducked out of Hunter’s reach as if he understood every word that had come out of the man’s mouth.
“Don’t say the C-R-A-T-E word. He’ll think I’m about to take him to the V-E-T,” I whispered.
Hunter’s mouth quirked. “Are you seriously spelling so your dog won’t understand you?”
“He’s very smart.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled. “How about we focus on the resort?”
Hunter moved in closer. “Might help me take you seriously if you lost…this—” He slid my goggles to the top of my head. “—and this.” He tugged down my mask.
My face flamed. I’d gotten so used to wearing the damned things that I’d forgotten I had them on. “I’m not doing well with all the dust.”
“Always good to play it safe,” Hunter said with a smirk.
I had the sudden urge to chuck my goggles at his too-good-looking face. “I don’t really care what you think about my getup.”
“Fair enough. How about we walk the grounds and figure out a plan of attack?”
I pulled off my goggles and mask and set them on the table next to my speaker. “Let’s go.” The sooner we walked the property, the sooner I could get back to work and erase this entire encounter from my memory. But, somehow, I wasn’t sure that Hunter would be so easily forgotten.
4
Hunter
She was beautiful in a way that stole my breath and froze my brain. Especially when she seemed flustered or riled. And that only made me want to push her buttons.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. I didn’t have many rules for my life, but I did have one hard-and-fast one: No mixing business with pleasure. I cared too much about the company I’d built to screw it up by sleeping with a client. It didn’t matter how gorgeous they were.
I held open the door for Piper and watched as she walked through in her cutoff denim shorts and sneakers splattered with various shades of paint. The multiple colors had me curious. I hadn’t seen any signs of new paint around the resort, which meant she’d worked on some sort of fixer-upper project before. Or maybe she was an artist.
I knew nothing about the woman I would be working for, other than the fact that she’d decided to drop a chunk of change on a falling-down resort, and she’d come from Seattle. I’d been expecting city. Someone who turned up their nose at hard work and bugs. But if the layer of dust that clung to Piper was any indication, she had no issues rolling up her sleeves and diving in.
Although, at only a couple of inches over five feet, tackling anything on this property would take her twice as long. I grinned as she adjusted the mass of chestnut hair tied into some sort of bun on the top of her head. This project would be interesting, to say the least.
I fell into step beside Piper. “Where are we starting?”
In a mere handful of seconds, the scattered and flustered woman I’d met a few minutes ago was gone. In her place was someone focused and determined. “Let me walk you through my plan, and then you can tell me where you think it makes the most sense to begin.”
“Sounds good to me.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and opened my notes app.
Piper pointed towards the north side of the property. “The ten cabins over there are in decent shape. I’ll be spending the next week cleaning them from top to bottom so I can open them for use. I’ve got three summer-long renters who will be filling some of them. I’m hoping my realtor might find me a few more. That gives me at least a bit of income coming in.”
She turned to the south. “Those ten over there are in worse shape. Some of them look like a tornado went through. They need a complete overhaul. I’m thinking you and your team can get those cabins in shape, and then when they’re done, move on to the ones on the north side.”
I nodded. Her plan was more than sound. “What about the lodge?”
“It’s in pretty good condition. I think most of the work there is cosmetic. I can handle that. And some heavier stuff if I need to. I might be able to help your crew if time allows, and you’re open to it.”
I arched a brow in question. Piper shrugged. “My uncles have a home-restoration business in Seattle. I basically grew up on construction sites.”
Each little piece she divulged pulled at me a little more. “If you can prove you know what you’re doing, I’m always happy to have an extra set of hands.”
Her eyes narrowed in my direction. “I’ve laid tile, hung my share of drywall, refinished floors, and painted so many walls I’ve lost count. I can have my uncle send you photos if you need the proof.”