Page 10 of The Contractor & the Entrepreneur

Her eyes flickered with a panic that made him grit his teeth. Did she have something against hotels? “I’d planned on staying at Grandpa’s cabin. Less money,” she admitted, then added quickly, “And the memories, of course.”

Rhett didn’t know how to respond. He’d rather pay for her to stay at a hotel than worry about her up here all alone. His compassion for her kept tripling, but she had an independence and grit about her that made him instinctively know she wouldn’t take the handout.

Sloan laid her hand on his arm, and his pulse sped up from the simple touch. “Would you please drive me to the cabin?”

“If it’s not in … good condition. Will you please stay at a hotel?”

Even if it was in good condition, could he leave her up here away from civilization? He was banking on it being a mess. Ifit wasn’t, he’d have to harness the smooth-talking skills learned from his brother Easton. Sadly, he wasn’t very accomplished at charming women.

“Okay.” She removed her hand and sat back.

He nodded, put it into gear, and drove carefully through the sludge. Consistent speed was the key, and the fact that his tires were Open Range All-Terrain and his Ram truck the best out there for snow or mudding didn’t hurt. He didn’t take his hat off because they weren’t going very far.

They pulled alongside her car, and she reached for the door handle.

“Let me, please. What do you need?”

She paused, considering him. She was independent, that was for sure.

Finally, she nodded. “The suitcases and my purse. Oh, and my treat bag.” She gave him a reluctant smile. “Thank you.”

“Sure thing.”

She bent down to her coat and pulled keys out of a coat pocket. She pushed the buttons to unlock the doors and open the trunk.

He hopped out and made his way around to her vehicle. Hefting her two very large suitcases out of the trunk, he carried them to his back seat. They had to weigh at least fifty pounds each. He was no stranger to lifting heavy weights. He used his home gym most mornings at five a.m. and worked hard from dawn till dusk helping with whatever tasks his crews or subs needed, but it was awkward to brace one of the heavy suitcases against the truck to reach for the rear door handle.

It pushed open just as he reached it.

“Sorry,” Sloan said, leaning over the passenger seat and holding the door open for him. “I didn’t realize you’d go all brawny man on me and carry both those heavy beasts at once. Wow.” She blinked prettily at him, her long dark hair trailingdown over her arm, and her neck and collarbones were revealed as she leaned forward. He had to look away again.

Hefting each of the suitcases up into the backseat, he teasingly flexed. “Brawny man that I am.”

She laughed but then said in her husky voice, “I’ve never been so impressed.”

There was something in her deep-brown eyes that said she wasn’t referring to his ‘brawn’. He liked impressing her and he could hardly believe he was bantering with Sloan Jensen, former elusive developer. Easton would be proud of him, but with Sloan the flirting came naturally. With other women, he either had no desire to banter or was awkward at it.

Returning to her car, he shut the trunk and then looked inside the vehicle. The purse and treat bag were on the front seat. He opened the passenger door and grabbed them both, smiling at a bag full of chocolate—double-dipped peanuts, sea-salt caramels, chocolate covered cinnamon bears. He also grabbed her metal water bottle out of the holder.

Striding back to the truck, he set the purse, reusable grocery bag, and water bottle on the back seat, shut the door, and walked around to the driver’s side. He loaded up and took off his hat, ruffling his hair and setting his hat on the console.

“Your hair is … wow,” she said in her throaty voice that made his pulse race.

He turned to look at her. His hair was dark and had a slight wave to it that his brothers didn’t have. “Thanks. Grew it myself.”

And just when he thought he was doing okay with the banter.

He scrambled for something else to say as he dropped the truck into gear. “Battling a little chocolate addiction, are we?”

She grinned and winked at him. “You try driving fifteen hours, six of that through Nevada and southern and central Utah, without a load of chocolate.”

He chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it. Not a big fan of long road trips.”

“Me neither.” She angled toward him in the truck and that dang skirt slid up past her knees.

Rhett blew out a breath, clenched the steering wheel hard, and focused on the road. Thankfully it was only a couple miles north to her grandfather’s house. Rhett’s build was the first south lot—probably why she started with him.

“Are you from Kalispell, Mr. Coleville?”

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