“This is just the last in a long line of grievances and you know it.”
“I got a family to feed,” the portly man whined as he gained his feet and tried to look contrite.
“Not anymore. Your wife just left you I heard,” Mac stated.
Jeb glared at his former boss. “I ain’t done here. Not by a long shot!” He thundered as he grabbed his lunchbox and headed for the exit.
Mac turned to Dixie. “Don’t feel too sorry for him. You know firsthand what a jerk he is. His wife is you only reason I ever hired him in the first place.”
“Oh?” Dixie raised an eyebrow.
“She was a friend.” Mac looked around at the sizable crowd that gathered to witness the earlier scene.
“I see,” Dixie murmured. “One of your old girlfriends?”
“Actually, she was the first girl I ever kissed. I was twelve,” Mac clarified gruffly as he kicked his boot, the dust sending a fine cloud to drift over his feet.
“I understand,” Dixie smiled softly. God, he was so perfect! “Perhaps she could take her husband’s old job?”
Mac laughed. “No way in hell. “
Timber! The perfect man just crashed to the ground, hard. “Why not? Don’t you think a woman can work as hard as a man?”
Mac chuckled. “It has nothing to do with whether she can do the job or not. It has to do with the nature of man. No woman is going to be working with my men, side-by-side, on a daily basis. No work would get done. The men would be staring if she bent over to pick something up; flirtations, seductions, you name it. I run a business, not a bordello.”
“A bordello is a business, so there,” Dixie retorted. She was ready to hop on her soapbox and give Mac a lesson in feminism.
Jamie came around the corner with Chance and another man. She waved at him. “If that’s the problem, hire all women; we know how to get the job done.” No way could he be this much of a chauvinist. He must be teasing me.
Mac barked with laughter. “Are you deliberately trying to drive me to the nut house? There would be so much noise from their cackling, I couldn’t keep a thought in my head.” He smiled with satisfaction.
“I could say something about that, but I’m a lady.”
“Are you two butting heads again?” Jamie asked as he swept his bangs away from his eyes. “Dixie, stop arguing with my boss and meet Brandon, Mac’s younger brother.”
Dixie acknowledged the introduction with a tight smile. Brandon was a slighter, shorter version of Mac with light blue eyes and blonde hair. It seemed every time she met a member of Mac’s family, it was in an embarrassing situation. She glanced at Chance standing a few feet away. He winked at her. Dammit, he was probably thinking the same thing.
Mac interrupted her thoughts. “Listen up, Jamie. I’m going to be picking you up in the mornings and dropping you off in the evenings.”
“You don’t have to, Mac. This incident was a silly mistake. Next time I’ll stay in the car, I promise.” Dixie sighed.
“Why? What happened?” Jamie asked with a frown.
Dixie filled him in on the earlier scene. In typical male fashion, he sided with Mac. “I think Mac’s right, Dixie. You don’t need to be here. “
“Great. You’ve only been here one day and already you picked up on his chauvinistic attitudes-no offense.” She glanced at Mac.
“None taken, I’m sure,” he chuckled, “but I insist on bringing him in.”
“That’s silly.”
“Nonetheless, I will be there tomorrow morning.”
“It’s out of your way. You’re being ridiculous.”
“I’m being the boss,” he returned with a frown.
Dixie bit her lip in vexation. One minute she thought him God’s gift to womankind and the next she wanted to dump a pile of horse manure on his head. With ill grace, she gave in. After all, he was the boss. “Oh, all right.” She stomped her foot.
“All right.”
“Okay.” She glared back at him.
“Okay,” he returned it with the glare of his own.
“ Fine!” she yelled as she hopped into the car.
“Fine!” Mac barked as he stomped off for the office.
With a hand over his heart, Chance laughed. “Oh ain’t love grand.”
Brandon snorted.
“You guys are sick,” Jamie grumbled as he flung himself into the Jeep barely in time to close the door before Dixie squealed out of the parking lot.
*****
Chance followed Mac back into his office. “What in the world is wrong with you? You just fired an employee for no reason. The Union’s gonna have a field day.”
“He accosted her. I saw him,” Mac snarled.
Mac had been checking out the yard from his office window when a glimpse of blonde hair had materialized to the left of his vision. Dixie was getting out of her car. She came into full view as she moved forward to lean against the grill. Mac had stood transfixed at the sight of her.
She’d let her hair down from the tight little bun she’d won this morning. The wind was blowing little wisps across her cheek. She had brushed a finger to dislodge the wayward locks and Mac stifled a groan. She didn’t even realize what a seductive pose she made. He noted she wasn’t wearing her coat as the wind whipped up again. Her blouse and tight skirt molded her figure. She leaned back against the Jeep front, stretching, completely oblivious to him. Mac had uttered a curse and turned away before he completely lost what little self control he had.
As Mac had turned away from the window, he had seen one of the crew approaching her. He recognized Jeb Hawkins. Jeb said something to Dixie and she had shaken her head. Jeb made a grab for her hand. Mac had seen red.
“According to at least ten eyewitnesses, all he did was grab her hand and if that’s illegal, then 90% of the boys over twelve are guilty. Now tell me what this is really all about,” Chance inquired.
“Nothing. I’m fine,” Mac growled as he threw papers into his briefcase. It seemed that the very walls were crowding on him. Damn, he didn’t need this now. He needed to be concentrating on rebuilding the town and luring new businesses along the riverfront.
“Sure and I’m celibate,” Chance returned sarcastically.
Mac slumped down in the chair near his desk. “Look, the girl and her brother are new in town. I’m just being nice, warning off the lechers. She’s a good kid and she doesn’t need that kind of trouble.”
“Seems to me she can take care of herself. And since when do you care if some lecherous old man tries a line on a pretty girl? I’d be tempted to try one on her myself if you hadn’t staked first claim.”
Chance’s reference to the lecherous old man made Mac wince. It was too close to the truth for his peace of mind. “She’s too young for you.” Mac scowled and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Hell, she’s too young for me.”
After Jamie’s revelation, he’d spent the day feeling like an old man panting after a young girl. Well, at least he had found out before he made a complete fool of himself.
“Is that your problem? Geez, I thought it was something important. If she’s an adult and you’re an adult, what difference does a few years make?”
“Try fourteen years. She’s only twenty-one. I got that straight from her brother.”
“But I thought she was a teacher here in town? That doesn’t add up.”
“Her grandfather taught her and Jamie at home. She graduated at sixteen, went to college and received her degree by the time she was twenty. That’s why she’s working as a kindergarten teacher here in town.”
“I still don’t see the problem. She’s smart, funny, downright beautiful, and with the way you two were going at it here in the office, I’d say she’s more than attracted to you. Why are you stalling?”
“She’s young and she’s been sheltered. I’m probably her first taste of passion; it’s just a phase. I’m sure once she gets more experience, she’ll see it was just chemistry.” But as he envisioned someone else touchi
ng her, kissing those sweet pink lips, feeling her tremble with desire, Mac frowned and turned toward the window.
“If she lacks experience, I’m sure you could teach her a few things.”
Mac turned around in an instant and scowled at his brother. “She’s not that kind and you know it. She’s the marrying kind. Even you can see that. I’m not going there right now, so let’s just drop the subject and go get a beer.”
*****
That evening as she prepared dinner, Dixie tried to turn her thoughts away from Mac by asking Jamie about his day, but that proved to be the wrong tactic. All he could talk about was Mac. “It was great,” he enthused. “I met Mac’s brothers. There are six of them, all younger than Mac.”
“Brandon’s number four and in charge of most of the architectural operations. He took me on a tour of the place. They really know what they are doing. It’s a shame someone’s trying to sabotage their hard work.” Jamie had the grace to blush, no doubt remembering that was how he had met the Coalson brothers in the first place. “We talked about what’s been going on with the houses. I’m almost finished with one cleanup job. Mac says if I prove to be a hard worker, I can continue working with them this summer before college.”
“Great. College is expensive, especially if you plan to go away,” Dixie said softly as she dished up their supper. The thought of her brother leaving made her a bit teary-eyed, but she knew when the time came, she would let him go just as Grandpa Harris had let her go. But no doubt about it, she was going to be lonely.
“Ugh, what is that stuff?” Jamie grimaced as she laid a plate of steaming vegetable goo on the table.
“It’s Polish sausage garbanzo bean casserole. It was on Pinterest. It has plenty of carbohydrates and it’s supposed to be good for you.”
“No one in their right mind would eat this stuff,” Jamie retorted as he spit into a napkin.
Dixie had to agree that this wasn’t the best tasting casserole she’d ever made. “It’s probably an acquired taste.”
“So is monkey brains, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to eat it.” Jamie took a big swallow of iced tea.
“Well we shouldn’t waste food,” Dixie murmured although the casserole seemed to be multiplying in her mouth.
“If it’s this or nothing, I think I’ll starve,” Jamie declared as he pushed his plate to the middle of the table.
Dixie gave in. It was really awful. “There’s a frozen pizza in the freezer.”
Jamie pushed back his chair and grabbed both plates. “Great! You get it out and I’ll feed the rest of this to the dog.”
“Jamie, we don’t have a dog.” Dixie laughed at him
“It’s just as well. He probably wouldn’t need this stuff either.”
As they finished their pizza, Jamie waxed on about the Coalson brothers and Dixie realized how much he missed having a male role model. She learned as much about Mac in the things Jamie didn’t say as in the parts he did. She knew he had a deep pride in this community. Jamie told her about Mac’s plans to rebuild the marina area and bring back the businesses. She knew instinctively that he wanted to rebuild the hopes and dreams of his community as well. It was a Herculean task, but Mac could do it.
She knew just from gossip alone that he was a very busy man, but he had taken the time to help Jamie get acquainted with the others he would be working with. He helped to calm the awkwardness that stemmed from the unusual circumstances of Jamie’s first day. But most importantly, he had given her brother a job based only on her word.
Her initial impression of his character hadn’t been wrong. Dixie knew it in her heart. He was a good man, even if he was a bit of a chauvinist. She was beginning to think that that was just a front to get her riled up. She hadn’t missed the twinkle in his eye. He valued the same things as Grandpa Harris had; family, friends and hard work. And pride in his community.
Dixie definitely wanted to get to know Mac better. And not just because he had a kiss that could curl her hair, although that was a good enough reason in itself. She hoped she would get the chance to see where a relationship with Mac could lead. But was it really smart to get involved with her brother’s boss? Just because he kissed her, didn’t mean he wasn’t just testing the waters. She breathed a heavy sigh. She’d just have to wait and see.
“Even if he has a temper to rival mine,” she grumbled to herself.
CHAPTER FIVE
Down the road, Chance and Mac decided to grab some sandwiches with the beers while they talked business, so they walked down the hill to Montana Mac’s saloon, a local bar that served dinner. They found an empty table by the bar and placed their order. Mac looked around the old place as they waited to eat.
The decor of the place left a lot to be desired, consisting mostly of mismatched chairs and scarred tables. The dark paneling that covered the walls was decorated with old beer signs and various pictures of local sports teams that the owner had sponsored over the years. A dilapidated jukebox leaned in a corner, broken over ten years ago and never fixed. But the crotchety old man who owned the place made a truly fabulous cheeseburger and the beers were only a buck.
Their food arrived and they began to discuss the various problems they had run into at the company today as they consumed the burgers and homemade onion rings. Chance took a sip of beer and asked what everyone wanted to know. “Care to tell me how the kid that allegedly broke into our houses is now working for us?”
“He didn’t do it. He said some guy approached him. His sister confirmed the story, so I gave them a break.” Mac reached for the ketchup sitting in the middle of the table.
“Was that what she was doing wrapped around you the other day… confirming his story?” Chance chuckled.
Mac shot him a fulminating glance that he hoped told Chance he didn’t care for his joke. “Don’t be stupid. Think about it. Kids who vandalize usually do so randomly. Why just us? And why only the houses that are ready to go on the market? Something more is going on here.”
“Got any ideas? Somebody we outbid, maybe? With all the damage the flood did to this area, there’s enough work here for everyone for years.”
Mac nodded in agreement. “I don’t know what’s going on yet, but I’m going to find out.” Mac drained the last of his beer and motioned to the bartender to fix another round.
Chance looked at him, then shrugged and accepted the proffered beverage. “It’s not like you to drink more than one beer with supper, but the way things are going around here lately, I can certainly understand why you need to unwind a bit. Personally, I think you take too much on your shoulders. You’ve always possessed an ingrained sense of responsibility, usually above and beyond the call of duty.” Chance took a sip of beer. “But I’m thinking this sudden interest in alcoholic beverages has to do with a sexy blonde.”
Mac flipped him the bird. “We aren’t talking about this. It was a mistake. One I don’t plan on making again.”
“Well, that’s a real shame. Of course, she will need a shoulder to cry on, since she looked to be quite taken with you.” He looked to his left. “Well, lookee here. I seem to have an open shoulder right here.”
“Touch her and you’re a dead man,” Mac growled.
Chance laughed and slapped him on the back. “Oh my! Big brother’s got it bad!” Chance smiled, then sobered. “Good for you. You deserve some happiness-more than most.”
Mac grunted. He knew what Chance was saying. He loved Chance, too.
They finished their meal and Chance threw some money on the table as he got to his feet. “Sorry I can’t stay, but I’ve got a hot date.”
“Do you have any other kind?” Mac asked dryly, tipping back his beer bottle.
“Not if I can help it,” Chance grinned. “Speaking of a hot date, maybe you should check on the kid’s sister. She seemed pretty upset when she left. I know why you rile her up. She’s fuckin’ gorgeous when she’s mad. All the passion could be put to better use if you ask me. Maybe you should go over and apologize… or
something.” Chance wiggled his eyebrows and grinned.
Mac lifted his finger once again. Chance laughed and walked out the door.
Mac finished his beer and deliberated on the sensibility of yet another one. Perhaps he should just go home-to an empty house and a lonely bed. He could seek out any number of old girlfriends, but he didn’t want just any woman. He wanted one with bright blue eyes and golden hair. The woman with the face to rival an angel and a body to tempt the devil himself.
Hell.
Chance had said she’d been upset. Boy, was that an understatement. She’d been ready to blow. But he had been right. She had been fuckin’ gorgeous glaring at him with fire in her eyes and that magnificent chest heaving in indignation.
She just didn’t know her own appeal. It wasn’t her fault that Jeb Hawkins had tried his lines on her, but she needed to be more cautious. Perhaps Chance was right, Mac decided as he signaled for the bill. Perhaps he should go over and apologize… or something.
*****
Dixie was just getting out of the shower when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock with a frown. She wasn’t expecting company and it was after nine o’clock. As the doorbell continued to peal, she came to the conclusion that Jamie had forgotten his keys again when he’d gone night fishing. She made a mental note to hide one outside for future use.
“I’m coming,” Dixie shouted as she tighten the sash on her pale pink bathrobe and adjusted the towel on her head. She reached for the bolt and unlocked the door. “Did you forget your… Oh!” She stared dumbstruck as Mac filled the open doorway.
“Do you always answer the door half naked?” he growled.
Obviously, she had just gotten out of the shower. He could tell her blonde hair was wet hidden under a towel, and the bathrobe was haphazardly knotted at her waist. “Only on Mondays,” she snapped.
Dixie regained her senses after the shock of seeing him standing on her porch. She remembered she was mad at him for his earlier obnoxious attitude.
“Cute,” Mac said wryly as he stepped into the cottage, forcing Dixie to back up or be trampled.
Whistlin' Dixie (Tempered Steel Book 1) Page 5