Maverick for Hire. Leanne Banks
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small?” she asked, shoving her hands in her pocket.
“Something like that,” he said. “But I don’t want to be far away from my son, so I came back.”
“Tough decision,” she said.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to think about that every minute,” he said. “At some point, you just have to live your life.”
“Very true,” she said as they got in line at the wing shack. She took a sidelong glance at Brent. “Just curious. What made you ask me out for wings?”
He met her gaze and shook his head. “It’ll sound crazy.”
“Crazy, how?”
He shrugged. “Your smile,” he said. “You smiled at all the kids. And your ponytail,” he said and lowered his voice. “And your red lipstick. What a combination.”
Cecelia couldn’t help thinking of Nick. Oh, heaven help her. He was right. Lipstick mattered.
“Hey, Nate,” Nick greeted Nate Crawford on Sunday afternoon as he entered the great room of the lodge Nate was remodeling into a high-level property. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” Nate said. “Better than good. I hope to have this place up and running sooner than expected. I don’t suppose you can spend more time doing your fancy woodwork.”
Nick grinned at the man who was going to change the future of Rust Creek Falls. Nate was creating a first-class lodge, the first of its kind in the town. Nate had won the lottery almost a year ago and was investing some of it back into the area. “Sure. If you want to give me double time.”
Nate scowled. “You’re too smart and talented for your own good.”
“You mean your good,” Nick said and headed toward the mantel he was transforming. Nick loved working on the project, because Nate wasn’t pinching pennies. Nick was free to create a work of art. He wouldn’t admit it to many, but Nick loved the art of carpentry. The trouble was most of the time carpentry was just an issue of getting the job done. Most people didn’t have the time or money for art.
“We could negotiate,” Nate began. “A few more hours a week would help.”
“I’m open,” Nick said, thinking about the savings account he was filling for the ranch he wanted. He hadn’t told many about his desire to have a place of his own, but the need to have a home and some land in his name had started to nag at him on a regular basis. Perhaps like that wife he was determined not to have.
Nate sighed. “You drive a hard bargain,” he said.
“And you don’t?” Nick asked.
Nate laughed and shook his head. “We’ll work this out.”
“Numbers,” Nick said. “Give me the right numbers and I’m your man.”
“Is that all you’re about?” Nate asked. “I hear you’re the ladies’ man.”
Nick shrugged. “I’m just trying to make a living and take care of myself. You can understand that.”
Nate nodded. “Makes sense. No woman driving you to do this?”
Nick shook his head. “Nope. In fact, I’m trying to find the right man for a friend of mine.”
Nate looked at him in confusion. “Huh?”
“I have a friend. She came from Thunder Canyon hoping to find the perfect man. No luck yet. I’m trying to help her.”
“Why aren’t you interested?” Nate asked.
Nick shook his head again. “No way. I’m committed to not being committed. I don’t want a woman telling me what to do 24/7.”
Nate chuckled. “They’re not all like that.”
Nick knew Nate was engaged to Callie Kennedy and the two were as close as a couple could be. Feeling a strange twinge of envy, he lifted his hand. “Maybe not for you, but all the women I’ve met want me for my handyman abilities. That’s why I put an ad in the newspaper for my services. Now I get paid.” He shrugged. “When I meet a woman who wants me for me, then maybe things will change. Until then...”
Nate stared at him thoughtfully. “What about the friend you’re trying to help? Would she want you for your handyman services?”
Nick frowned as he thought about Cecelia. “She’s like a little sister. She just needs a little help finding a guy. She’s cute, but no glamour queen. Ponytail, no makeup, that kind of girl. Nicest girl you could ever meet.”
“Hmm,” Nate said. “You know there’s not exactly a shortage of women in Rust Creek Falls right now.”
“I know all about the Rust Creek Falls Gal Rush. I’ve been a victim,” he said.
“Victim?” Nate echoed and chuckled. “That’s a new way of describing it.”
“I told you before most of these women want me for my handyman skills. The new ones in town want me because I’m wearing a Stetson,” he said. “But I’ll tell you that most of these new gals won’t last through our Montana winter. Plus we don’t have one of the most important things to keep a woman happy. Shopping. Some of these are city girls, and we’re not exactly Los Angeles or New York City.”
“The sheriff’s wife was a city girl. She’s doing just fine here.”
“She’s the exception to the rule. The point I’m making is that we need to keep the good women in town. The women who know our winters are long and hard and it can get boring. Cecelia is one of those women. She came up from Thunder Canyon and she’d like to find a nice guy. If you have any recommendations, let me know.”
“I’ll work on it. Maybe I can find her someone.”
“Let me know,” Nick said, but felt the strangest twinge in his gut. He must have eaten too much of Melba’s spicy sausage at breakfast.
He and Nate negotiated an expedited schedule for his work at the lodge and Nick headed out the door. With these new demands, Nick would be working nearly round-the-clock, but the good news was that it would fatten up his bank account. On the way back into town, he stopped at Will Duncan’s house. Will was a fifty-year-old veteran who had taken in his young grandchildren after his daughter had died and his son-in-law had been thrown into prison last year.
Nick admired the man for taking on those kids when Will’s health wasn’t the best. Will had lost a leg when he was in the service and had struggled with stairs ever since. Plus Will suffered from diabetes. Nick had helped remodel the man’s house to make his life less difficult. Still, chasing those kids couldn’t be easy, so Nick tried to check in on the family every now and then.
Nick knocked on the door and waited. A couple of moments passed and the door opened. Will stood there wearing a too-small frilly apron and a pink feather boa. His young granddaughter, wearing bright red lipstick and a tiara and a tutu, peeked from behind him.
Will ducked his head sheepishly. “Sara was feeling a little down and wanted a princess tea party. Her brother, Jacob, is visiting a friend.”
“You wanna play tea party?” Sara whispered.
Will looked at him in desperation. Nick didn’t have the heart to turn down either of them. “Sure,” he said. “But I can only stay a couple minutes.”
“Thanks,” Will murmured.
“Just don’t put those pink feathers anywhere near me,” Nick said, following Will and his granddaughter to the den. “How have you been doing?”
“Pretty good. My insulin’s under control at least for the moment. The kids are doing okay in school. Sara’s in kindergarten