A Texan Returns

Toni smiled at their enthusiasm and motioned for her professional crew to come in and begin the real work. Outside, a thirty-cubic-yard roll-off container waited for all the material that couldn’t be reused or recycled. Her crew would sort wood, metal and drywall later, after the amateurs got tired of demo. Toni predicted it wouldn’t take long.

Sure enough, ten minutes later Christie called it quits. A few minutes after she left, Leo said he really needed to get to the hardware store. He was perspiring and breathing hard. Toni wasn’t sure what type of damage he’d done in the kitchen, but hopefully nothing too costly. She’d heard a lot of swings of his hammer, a little bit of swearing and repeated crashes.

As Leo removed his safety goggles and used a towel to clean off the dust, a person Toni had never expected here walked through the door. She moved behind the scaffolding her crew had just assembled and watched Wyatt look around, then step carefully through the dusty debris. He looked too good in his faded jeans, work boots, waffle-knit Henley and blue, plaid flannel shirt. No one would guess he was a billionaire high-tech entrepreneur. Correction—a retired billionaire. As if one could retire from being too rich.

“Hey, Leo,” Wyatt said as he folded his sunglasses and placed them in the placket of his partially unbuttoned Henley. Toni had always found those shirts sexy, especially on a man with a nice chest and flat abs. Unfortunately, that included Wyatt, now more than ever since he’d grown up. “What’s up?”

“First day of demo. Toni let us—Christie and me, that is—start the tear-out.”

“Free labor, hmm?”

Toni felt a rush of heat. So now he was calling her cheap? “Expensive labor, if they mess up,” she said, stepping out from behind the scaffolding.

“Oh, look who’s here,” Wyatt said with a devious smile.

Toni glared at him. He’d known she was there all the time. He’d made that comment to bait her. And, yes, she’d taken the hook like a hungry trout. She wanted to kick herself, but she’d rather kick her former boyfriend for showing up on her job site and aggravating her on what was otherwise a very happy day.

She’d looked forward to getting the old eyesore of a hotel renovated for years, and now she was the person making the changes. She’d pulled together the team and shown Christie the possibilities that could happen with a little money and a lot of work. Leo had leaped at the opportunity to get into the renovation side of the business.

And then Wild Wyatt McCall had to show up.

“So, you’re remodeling the old hotel. That’s good.”

“I’m glad you approve. Now, we should get back to work.”

“Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m just curious about what you’re doing.”

“We’re doing our job, which is more than I can say for you at the moment.” Toni stalked closer to where Wyatt stood by Leo and glared at her former boyfriend. “Why aren’t you at the community center?”

“Well,” he said, leaning his butt against the heavy old check-in desk that Toni was salvaging, “I was on my way over there, but it was kind of cold so I went to the café instead. While I was having my coffee and a cinnamon roll, I saw James Brody. He told me about the big news. A lot of people are looking forward to the old hotel getting remodeled.”

“Most people don’t like to see empty buildings around town, and especially something with this much potential,” Leo said. “I’m glad we could buy it and make something useful.”

“I was going to ask about that,” Wyatt said. He turned to Toni. “What are you doing with the old place?”

“Condos, retail and restaurant space,” Leo answered.

Toni glared at her little brother for answering for her. “And we really need to get to work,” she said. Again, in case Leo or her crew had forgotten why they were here.

“Don’t mind me. I’d just like to look around. I’ve never seen the inside of the old hotel. The passenger railroad stopped running before I can remember.”

“You’re not looking around without proper safety equipment. If you want a tour, we have to fit you with a safety helmet and goggles. I might even make you wear a mask. Who knows what you’ll find in the dust and debris? There might even be the hantavirus from years of mice infestation.”

Wyatt shuddered. “That’s just cruel.”

Toni smiled, which she suspected looked a bit evil at this point. Wyatt hated mice. He’d play with snakes and let tarantulas crawl up his arm, but show him a little mouse and he’d freak like a baby.

“Okay, I can take a hint. I’ll leave. I don’t want to keep you from your work.”

“I’m glad you stopped by,” Leo said with his friendly grin.

“I’m sure your sister is glad I’m leaving,” Wyatt said.

“Hello? I’m right here.”

“So you are. And I’m outta here.” Wyatt saluted them with his thermal coffee cup and turned on his heel.

“Come back when my sister isn’t here and I’ll give you a tour,” Leo offered.

Wyatt paused at the tall double doors. “Now, that wouldn’t be as much fun, would it?” he asked with a smile.

Toni punched her brother in the arm as soon as Wyatt sauntered away.

“Ouch!”

“Stop being nice to him. He needs to stay focused on his task, get finished and get out of town.”

“Why? He’s got a right to visit Brody’s Crossing.”

“He can visit his parents. He doesn’t need to visit our job site.” As a matter of fact, he didn’t need to show up anywhere that Toni might be, as far as she was concerned. He could simply have his assistant or his PR person contact the mayor’s office when the community center was finished.

The sooner, the better. The Christmas parade was this Saturday, followed by the chili dinner, and then the events started happening really fast. The holiday would be over before they knew it. Toni didn’t want the whole season ruined by Wyatt’s jabs and innuendos.

“I’m getting the crew in here to finish the demo. The faster we get this started, the faster we’ll be finished and on our way to a nice profit.”

“I’m all for that,” Leo said. “I’ll get out of your way.”

Toni hoped that everyone would stay out of her way. Especially annoying eligible bachelors who thought they were just too funny.

“Just a few more days,” she told herself as Leo left for the hardware store and the crew got started undoing years of bad decorating and poor maintenance.

And then she remembered that she had to attend the McCalls’ dinner party tomorrow night. And see Wild Wyatt again. And if she knew his mother, who was a stickler for boy-girl-boy-girl protocol, she’d probably have to sit next to Wyatt at their dining table.

She wasn’t ready for social engagements with him. There was no telling what he would do or say, and heaven help her, she seemed to have little restraint when it came to her responses.

But, she had one and a half days to get herself ready. Mentally and physically. She’d need every minute.

WYATT LOOKED AT HIS PITIFUL display of lighted figures in disgust. He’d driven by last night, after dinner at his parents’ house, to see the reindeer, Christmas trees and gifts at night. They looked terrible. He hadn’t arranged them well, and they looked lost in the big yard surrounding the community center. There were lots of trees on the property, and they distorted rather than enhanced the scene of reindeer in the forest.

Not that lighted white reindeer in any way looked natural. Not to mention the spiral lighted artificial Christmas trees. Especially not now, in the light of day, in the clarity of the afternoon.

Darn it, Myra Hammer was right.

Wyatt sighed. He’d hoped his sentence would produce something worthwhile for the citizens of Brody’s Crossing, but they couldn’t possibly like this mess. He wasn’t artistic. His creativity came out in user-based communications, with a strong emphasis on the “wow” factor. He could visualize new applications for existing technology, but bobbing reindeer had him totally baffled.

“I need help. I need a professional,” he said to Cassie.

“What do you mean? They’re all lighted.”