Page 75 of Flippin' Cowboy
“And that’s the problem, right there!” Nick yelled, whirling to face her again. “Stop trying to make that dickweed happy!” He jabbed his finger at the front of her overalls. “The only fucking person you need to make happy isyou. Everyone else is just gonna take and take and take until there’s nothing left!”
“Likeyou, Nick?” Winnie shot back. She raised her chin and glared at him. “I mean, I just savedReviving Snowberry Springsand your job, but that’s not enough? What else did you expect me todo?”Her voice rose. “Throw away all the work we’ve done here? Sacrifice the jobs of Karla and everyone else on the RSS crew?” Now it was her turn to poke his chest. “Tell me whatyouwould’ve done, Mr. Know-It-All!”
The house had gone quiet while they argued.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw that the flooring guys had stopped laying the boards they’d salvaged from the Beckman ranch. They were standing there, watching him and Winnie argue.
Being treated like a sideshow just made Nick angrier.
“I wouldn’t have given in to fucking blackmail!” he retorted. “What the hell were you thinking, Winnie? Now that those guys found your weak spot, they’re just gonna take and take and take. We’re never gonna get rid of them!”
Rage clouded his vision. He heard his breath rasping in his throat and grabbed desperately at his slipping self-control.
Winnie was staring at him open-mouthed, like he’d just betrayed her somehow. Her cheeks and throat flushed deep red under her heavy makeup, and her capable, long-fingered hands were clenched at her sides.
If I don’t walk away now, he realized dimly.I’m going to say or do something I regret. Something truly unforgivable.
So, Nick did the only thing he could. He spun on his booted heel and headed blindly for his Jeep.
He needed to get the fuck out of Dodge and calm down.
Chapter 24: Tipping Point
Snowberry Springs Ranch
January 8
When her alarm went off before dawn, Winnie seriously contemplated just staying in bed for the day.
It was gray and snowing outside. Her head ached with fatigue after a mostly sleepless night. And she had zero energy to deal with subs, trades, supply chain issues… or an extremely ticked-off historical preservationist.
Maybe I should call in sick and hang out in my cottage for the next week or so.The thought tempted her.
Up until now, she’d considered her wedding day her worst day ever. But yesterday’s events came in a close second, even without five hundred guests and a hideous wedding dress to contend with.
Instead, she’d been forced to make nice with Geoff, and in doing so, she’d hurt Nick’s feelings. Or his pride. Or something.
In any case, she’d royally pissed him off.
Renewed anger sparked through her. She’d worked hard to craft a decent compromise in the face of Geoff and Mike’s blackmailattempt yesterday, and instead of being grateful for saving his job, Nick had absolutelyshreddedher for it. It wasn’t fair!
Sure, she and Karla should probably have looped him in before cutting that deal with Donna Morris. Even so, she was positive Nick couldn’t have come up with better options.
In fact, given his temper and arrogance, he might’ve alienated Donna and spurred her into cancelingReviving Snowberry Springs.
I made the right deal, Winnie told herself.The only deal that Geoff and Karla would both accept. And now Nick’s being a class-A jerk about it because he didn’t get to call the shots.
She sighed and threw back the covers.Time to pull on my big-girl panties and go to work.
No matter how shredded her heart and ragged her emotions, she wasn’t going to hide here under her blankets. She had a job to do.
And that job was finishing work on The Soiled Dove Inn before their June 1 deadline. Grandma Abigail was counting on her and the construction crew to have the inn ready for guests before the First Annual Vintage Railroad Days festival.
When she arrived at the job site, Nick surprised her by actually showing up for makeup call. She’d half-expected him to protest yesterday’s events by staying away from the job site today.
“Good morning, Winnie,” he said as he sat down next to her in the makeup trailer. His tone was cool and his expression closed.
“Morning, Nick,” she responded, with equal coolness. Because it sure as hell wasn’t agoodmorning, not for her.
