Timber Creek (Sierra Falls 2)

Stepping back, she made a little “Oh” sound. Her eyes were wide and lips parted, making her look as heated as he felt.

“Is there something the matter?” He stepped closer, touching a finger to her chin. “Because, sweet thing, you’re looking flushed. ”

“Just fix it and be done, Jessup. ” She shifted her chin, evading his touch, but she didn’t move outright, which he took as an excellent sign.

He inched even closer to her. “You want me to fix it?”

She took another step backward, looking a little unsteady. “Please. ”

“Well, then. All you had to do was say please. ”

Bear reappeared with a tiny, clear plastic bag. “Got ’em. ”

“Maybe if you’d installed it right the first time,” Laura said flatly.

He smirked to himself, wondering if she was this saucy in all areas of her life. “I did install it right the first time. ” He emptied the parts into his palm, looking for the right little black peg. “Maybe if the manager of this place hadn’t been so stingy…”

“I am not stingy,” Laura said.

“Whatever you say. ” It took Eddie just a second to click the part into place.

Bear hooted a laugh as he headed to the bar, mumbling, “I need coffee for this. ” The man walked slowly since a stroke had left him with a bum leg, but damned if he hadn’t been moving around better ever since Sorrow’d had her emergency down at the old mine.

Bear gave the coffee a sniff, and, despite his grimace, he poured himself a mug. “Well, kids, if that’s it on this whole ranch nonsense—”

“Actually,” Eddie interrupted, “there’s one other thing. ” It was now or never. He settled on a stool, bracing himself for the fight he knew was coming.

Laura froze. “I knew it. ” She looked at her father. “Here it comes. The part about how he’s going to destroy Sierra Falls and all the rest of us with it. ”

“Let’s hear the man out,” Bear said. He turned to Eddie, adding, “Ignore her. I told my girl it’s just a little rancher. ”

“Sure,” Laura muttered. “Ignore the girl. ”

Her dad pretended not to hear as he stirred a couple of spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee. “No old, beat-up one-story hotel is gonna put the Big Bear Lodge out of business. Ain’t that right, Jessup?”

Eddie didn’t smile along, though. The churn in his gut made such a thing impossible. “Well, funny thing that. It turns out Fairview wants more than just a one-story rancher. ”

Laura’s expression shattered—it was what he had been dreading most. “What did you say?” she asked, her voice gone hushed.

His attention was only on her as he said, “I’m sorry, Laura. I tried. They want to build up, not just out. We’ve got to take the place up a floor. But,” he quickly added, “what I said still stands. They’re building a spa in there, too, and once they add things like treatment rooms, there won’t be all that much space left for guest rooms. I honestly can’t see how it’ll put you guys under. ”

“Build up?” she exclaimed, clearly not agreeing with his assessment. “How can they do that?” The hollow look in her eyes gutted him. But then her pain sharpened to fury. “How can you do that?”

Everything about her—her tone, her words, and the accusation in those eyes—put him on the defensive. “Because I need to put food on the table, Laura. Forget me, how about Jack? He’s got Craig and Tina to think about. If it hadn’t been us hired to do the job, it would’ve been some other outfit. Think about it. ”

“No, you think about it. Your swanky new hotel isn’t just going to put the Bailey family out of business—it’ll change everything about Sierra Falls. Corporations who don’t give a damn about the town or the people who live here, they’ll come in and build their big chain stores and chain hotels and chain restaurants, and it’ll put the rest of us—the residents, the heart and soul of this town—out of business. ”

He scrubbed a hand through his hair. Did she think these things hadn’t occurred to him? All he could do was try to remain optimistic. “I can’t stop it,” he said tiredly.

He checked his watch. His other commitment was calling him. Construction wasn’t the only thing in his life—not by a long shot—and it was a long drive to Reno.

“Are we keeping you?” she asked in a voice like acid.

He slid from his stool in answer.

She glared. “Where do you have to go?”

“Reno. ” Like she cared.