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“Your son—Tom called you?”
Agatha crossed her arms. Even with all the chaos and building going on around her, she was able to take his full attention hostage with one look. She stared up at him with shrewd eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me we were starting today?”
“We?” he stammered. “There is no we in this. I don’t want you anywhere near this site while we’re working with heavy machinery.”
One single brow lifted before a smirk touched her lips. “Heavy machinery?”
“Yes,” he blustered, gesturing toward the equipment that allowed him to run the nail guns the men were using. Not only that, but they had saws and other tools she was bound to get hurt on. “If you get injured while you’re here, I’m going to be liable.”
Her hands moved to her hips. “How do you figure that?”
“Because…” He didn’t have an answer for that. This whole situation was being done charitably. The men understood that. He had the workers added to his business’s liability insurance, but that didn’t include Agatha. “Well, because I’m in charge.”
She took a step closer, not seeming to be aware that several of the men working—mostly the men who were involved with his daughters—had stopped their work to watch this conversation play out. She scooped up a hammer and twirled it around in her hand. “I wouldn’t consider this heavy machinery, would you?”
“No, but—”
“And as far as the saws and nail guns go… I’m not a child, Zeke. I can take care of myself. I’m not going to pick up and play with any of this stuff. I will, however, stay on-site while the work is taking place so I can make sure that nothing goes wrong.”
Zeke let out a bark of laughter. “I’m sorry, but do you have any experience with building?”
“Of course not.”
“Then how in heaven’s name do you suppose you’re going to ensure nothing goes wrong?” He’d got her there. The argument would be settled, and she’d be forced to go home with her tail between her legs.
“Because I have a knack for details. For instance, I believe most contractors maintain a much cleaner workspace. The new wood is lying around in heaps among the stuff that’s been damaged. Are you making sure your men keep it separate?”
“They’re doing just fine the way they are. We can tell what’s damaged and what isn’t.”
“Perhaps you can, but I don’t think some of these men can. Just a moment ago, I pointed out a piece that needed to be removed. There were some issues with it.”
Zeke’s head snapped up as if just by her notifying him of this problem, he’d be able to find the piece and the person responsible for making a liar out of him. Of course he couldn’t, so he brought his eyes back to Agatha. “I’ll have them clean up the area. Is that good enough? Then will you leave?”
She shook her head. He didn’t know why he’d counted on her listening. He’d nearly forgotten just how stubborn she could be. The way she stood in front of him like she was going up against a bear. He might as well have been one with the way he puffed out his chest and scowled at her.
“You need to leave, Ms. Birch.”
“I’ll do no such thing. This is my home, and I’m allowed to be here. I might not be able to help with the framing, but I’m sure I can be of use in some other way. There’s patching and caulking—even running to get materials for the men working.”
He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “There’s nothing I can do to convince you to leave, is there?”
“Something tells me you already know the answer to that question. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to continue checking everything out. Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of the way.” She moved away from him.
Zeke couldn’t keep his mouth shut as his eyes followed her. “Don’t get hurt.”
She stopped right where she was, then turned to face him. The expression on her face could only be described as that of a lioness in the wild. “I’m not some damsel in distress, Mr. Callahan. Stop treating me as such and we’ll get along just fine.”
Several chuckles rippled through the group of men working, but with one dark look from Zeke, it stopped. Great. Now he had to worry about this job getting done right and the safety of one very stubborn woman.
This could be the hardest few months of his life.
* * *
With the framing done, the next thing they worked on was the exterior siding and the interior sheetrocking. Zeke was still struggling to get enough sleep. Each and every day that Agatha turned up, his blood pressure rose. If she wasn’t wandering into an area where something might fall on her, she was picking up a sharp or dangerous tool. The side-eyed stares he’d gotten from everyone, including Shane, only added to his foul mood.
It didn’t matter if he brought Agatha on the ATV or not. She always managed to find her way to the house. While everyone else said how amazing and sweet she was, all he saw was her smug smile. She knew what she was doing, and it was infuriating.
He grabbed a large piece of siding and placed it against the house, holding it steady with his knee before he grabbed a nearby nail gun. At least right now, she was inside bothering the guys who were putting the insulation into the wall. Her laughter raked against his nerves in a way that both irritated him and made him want to hear more.
