Page 14 of Just One Chance

He raised a brow. "You interrupted my day, so the least you can do is come to my shop so I can get some work done."

I shook my head. "I'm not going to sit in your shop while you work all day. I'm here to do a job."

He rolled his eyes. "I have to meet a client to give him the table he ordered. Then I'll give you the tour you want."

My shoulders lowered. "Oh. Okay."

He placed an arm on my shoulder and gently turned me so that we could continue walking toward the doors. "Are you always this difficult?"

"You didn't think so last night," I shot back.

He raised a brow. "Interesting that you'd bring that up in public."

I huffed out a breath, not sure how to respond to that. "I'm not difficult."

He chuckled. "Sure, you're not."

"I'm not." I wasn't sure why I was acting like a petulant teenager, but he brought it out in me. At least when he wasn't naked.

Outside, the wind whipped across my cheeks. I thought it would be nice to be in a cold climate, but now I wasn't so sure. I was a Florida girl, used to the humidity and sand.

When we reached a truck with lettering on the side that read Hart Inn, he stopped. "Obviously last night was a mistake. I didn't know who you were, and if I had, I never would have gone into your room."

Something about him calling what we'd done together a mistake didn't sit right with me. "You didn't think it was a mistake this morning when you wrote that note."

He sighed and looked away. "Things change. Now we have to work together, and we can't be falling into bed again.”

"I agree." Why was I so annoyed about his proposal? This is what I wanted.

"I'm glad we can agree on something." He opened the door, and I got in.

He closed the door behind me and walked around the hood. When he got into the cab, he seemed to take up all the breathing space. His scent, wood shavings and a faint smell of beer, permeated the small space. "I'm sure you want to do this job and get back to wherever you came from."

"I'm from Miami."

He snorted. "Of course you are."

I shifted so I could see him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You couldn't be more different. Miami is a city with parties and a bustling nightlife. Colorado is all about nature: the mountains, the streams, and snow."

"Have you been to Miami before?" I asked, curious about him.

"Once. When I was young and stupid."

I turned fully to face him. "You liked it, didn't you?"

"When I was young and stupid. My brain wasn't even fully developed."

"Huh." I wasn't sure why I found that so amusing.

One hand was resting on the steering wheel and the other on the consul between us. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He was effortlessly sexy without even trying. Did he know that a mountain man was every girl's dream? Or maybe it was just mine. "You went to Miami, and you liked it. You're just giving me a hard time because you want to dictate what happens at the inn."

He shook his head. "My furniture will look great at the inn."

"If that's the case, why did your parents hire a consultant?"