Challenge Accepted - A Contemporary Romance (12 page)

"Come in, come in," Henry commanded, gesturing her farther into the room.

"I hope this was a good time for me to stop by," Hayley said.

"It's a great time," her father assured her. Thomas left the office, closing the door be
hind him carefully.

"Well?" Henry prompted, a sudden frown in his eyes.

Hayley drew in a deep breath as she stood in front of his desk. "Daddy, I love you."

Her father eased back in his chair, comfort
able once again. "Princess, I know you do. You've just been confused this last year or so."

The condescending note in his voice sent a trickle of annoyance down her spine, but she didn't feel the least bit defensive. "Yes," she acknowledged, "I have been confused."

Henry beamed at her as if she'd given him gold. "Well, well. You're here now and that's what's important." He rose from his desk chair and came around to escort her to the plump white sofa. Hayley sat down.

"I have to talk to you." She settled her hands in her lap and plunged in. "I haven't wanted to. I've fought it."

Her father broke in with a satisfied laugh.

"That's your old man in you. Hate to give in and admit when you're wrong."

She looked up at him in surprise.
Was she anything like her father?
Hayley put the thought away and refocused. "I did come to admit something. I have to say that your heart attack scared me. I want things clear between us."

Henry reached over and patted her clenched hands. "Your old man's not going to die anytime soon, princess."

"Good." She looked him fully in the face.

"Because while I did come here today to ad
mit something, it doesn't have anything to do with my business. Doing restoration work is important to me and it always will be."

He sat back, the frown she'd always hated glimmering in his eyes again.

Hayley struggled on. "I came today to admit that I've never been honest with you-"

"What?" H
is scowl deepened into pointed displeasure.

She smoothed her jeans with a damp hand.

"I've always taken the easy way out with you, never disagreeing, never telling you my true opinions. I've always dressed the way you wanted-"

"And you looked more attractive than you do in that get-up," her father put in contemp
tuously.

"-
-I chose the college major that you picked out for me-"

"You liked history," he insisted, interrupt
ing again. "You always got straight A's in that subject."

"I always got straight As in every subject," Hayley re
sponded wearily. "That was something else I did because you wanted it. I was too afraid to do anything else."

"But why?" Henry's voice rose. "What rea
son did you ever have to be afraid of me?"

"For a long time, I told myself that you made me do these things, that your anger was so terrible, I couldn't bear it when you yelled." Hayley paused, perilously close to an admission that would forever change the way she saw herself.

"I never yell!" he yelled.

The irony of his response wasn't lost on her.

She shook her head sadly. "I shouldn't have cared so much. Daddy, all these years I've acted as if losing your approval was the worst thing in the world and I almost ended up losing you completely."

Her father's mouth opened and then snapped shut abruptly.

"I walked out," she said softly, "walked out of your life and shut you out of mine rather than stand up to you."

Her words seemed to hover in the air be
tween them as Henry stared at her, his frustration evident in his face.

"I don't understand a damn thing you're saying," he swore violently. "You're not seeing some damned therapist, are you? Is some idiot taking your money to convince you that you had an
abusive
childhood?" Her father vaulted off the couch to pace energetically in front of her. "By damn, I'll sue the pinhead!"

A giggle rose in Hayley's chest, startling her.

Her father's agitation should have sent her flying for cover, figuratively if not literally. But instead, all she felt was compassion. He really didn't understand, and Henry Haslett wasn't used to not getting it.

"No, Daddy," she offered in a comforting tone. ''I'm not in therapy. If I'd been smart enough to do that, I'd probably have come to this realization a lot quicker."

"What realization?" he nearly shouted.

"Sir, sir?" Thomas tapped nervously at the door. "Is everything all right?"

"Of course," Henry bellowed. "Get lost!"

He turned back to his daughter, moderating his tone
when he repeated, "What realization?"

Hayley struggled to find the words to help him understand. "That even though you blus
ter and manipulate and try to run my life," she paused, "I don't have to hate you."

Her father stared at her, his expression min
gling frustration with an arrested look of concern.

"All I need to do is live my life. And love you in my own way," she continued ruefully.

He looked at her suspiciously.

"There is one more thing," she said, her voice hardenin
g. "I don't ever want you to interfere in my life or my business again. If I ever find out that you're trying to buy off someone who works with me, I'll never speak to you again."

Hayley stared into her father's eyes, unflinching. She didn't have to resist and rebel anymore, but there were some boundaries that couldn't be crossed. Her father had to know that.

Her father's frown took on a worried look.

"Does this mean you're no longer working with Colt Granger?"

She smoothed a pleasant smile on her face, a barrier to the feelings that weltered in her at the sound of his name. "I've decided to remain a free agent. I don't need a partner."

"Honey," her father said uneasily. "Don't let this little cont
ract offer I made come between you and the man you love. Colt Granger's honest and straightforward. He'll take care of you the way I would."

Hayley nodded wearily.
"Don't you think I know that?"

CHAPTER TEN

"Hayley?" Irritation loaded Colt's voice. "You aren't going to give us a chance, are you?"

Hayley squinted at the parlor wallpaper sam
ple, the tiny flowers dancing in a vertical chorus line.

"Dammit, will you answer me?" He stood behind her in the open archway between the parlor and the entry hall.

She didn't turn around, her hurt finding refuge in fury. "Yes, I'll answer," she replied, icily. "No. I'm not going to give you another chance to put a knife in my back."

Colt's growl of frustration was audible and deeply satisfying, even though she told herself she shouldn't care what he felt.

"Fine," he said shortly. "I'll be upstairs helping Myron, if you should change your mind and decide to discuss this rationally."

"Don't hold your breath." Her voice was coolly dismissive as sh
e held the wallpaper sample up to the light. There was no sound of movement behind her and she still felt his presence like the stroke of warm air across her skin.

He sighed, a soft, dejected sound, and she heard his steps receding as he climbed the stairs.

Hayley tried not to remember the glimpse she'd caught of Colt's face before she'd turned around. He might look as if he'd spent a troubled three nights worrying about how he'd irrevocably damaged their relationship, but there was still nothing to talk about.

She had to fight the weakness of loving him, even if everything in her cried out to do otherwise. She wanted him back in her arms and back in her life.

Craziness,
she thought.
How could you love a man who turned his back on you for money?

Yes, Granger Construction was in financial trouble, but
her own business had been struggling since she'd started it. Colt at least had a strong record with his creditors. He could have weathered the difficulties and she'd have helped him-until he decided to take the easy route and betray her love.

Forcing her attention back to the wallpaper, Hayley determinedly ignored the sounds from upstairs.

Hayley scrubbed at the tiled floor, attacking the years of neglect. The only sound in the tiny upstairs bathroom was the swish of her brush. Except for the area of tile she now cleaned, every surface in the bathroom sparkled.

She'd been hiding out all afternoon. After finishing her work downstairs, her first im
pulse had been to flee, far and long.

But she hadn't. She
still planned on winning the Victorian Oaks contract, so she'd compromised, hiding away in the house's farthest reaches, not even venturing out for lunch. Her thoughts were too jumbled, too confused and ambivalent. She couldn't face Colt until she felt more composed.

Had she ever trusted him?
Hayley bent over the tile, scrubbing viciously at a dark stain. Trust had to be earned, didn't it? Only an idiot just went around trusting every man she met. Being the daughter of a rich man had taught her that.

Betrayal was betrayal. There were a few facts that couldn't be denied.
But he didn't sign the contract,
a voice whispered in her head.
He would have,
Hayley argued back.

She sat back on her haunches, staring up at the small stained-glass window that cast jewel-toned light into the room. Her mind felt tired from doubting herself. Colt had been right about one thing. Loving him left her feeling weak and defeated.

Footsteps sounded in the next room, a solid, familiar tread. Hayley sprang to her feet, still clutching the scrub brush in her hand.

Colt appeared in the doorway, his dark hair ruffled and his face somber. He looked tired and more than a little grim. "I've just spoken to Mrs. Latham."

Hayley's already strained nerves tightened with the mention of the Preservation Society president's name. Hayley held the scrub brush in both hands, her fingers clutching the sodden wood handle. Colt wouldn't try to sabotage her with Mrs. Latham, would he?

He looked at her, his mouth a tense line. "I withdrew my bid for the Victorian Oaks contract. I'm asking that she just pay Granger Construction for our work on this house. With us out of the picture, you've got it in the bag."

Hayley stared at him in stunned disbelief. Colt held up a hand. "Don't misunderstand.

My decision to do this isn't an apology or an admission of guilt. I don't have anything to apologize to you about. I didn't accept your father's buy-in offer. I never even gave it seri
ous thought."

There was a thundering in Hayley's ears, a sense of the world tilting under her. He hadn't accepted the offer, even now when she'd made it plain that there was no hope of picking up where they left on?

"I'll admit that I was tempted." The words came out clipped as if he were revealing an inner struggle that he didn't want to share. "But I never once seriously considered accepting the offer. Not when I knew what it would mean to us."

She stood motionless on the wet tiled floor, the stained glass window spilling multicolored light into the tiny room. Could she have been wrong about him?

"Try to understand, Hayley. I've always taken care of my employees, my mother . . . you." Colt paused, his face revealing the strain he felt. "And since I got myself into this financial crisis, everything my father and I worked for is at risk."

Hayley did understand, looking at it from his perspective. The turmoil had been visible in his eyes for days. She'd sensed the worry in him, the heavy weight of his responsibilities.

But could she believe that he hadn't really considered giving her up in a trade-off?

"I struggled with your father's offer," he ad
mitted, "knowing that I
couldn't
sign it because I love you."

A cascade of emotion rippled through her.

Sensations jumbled with images. Colt clutching her to his chest after he'd plucked her off the roof edge. His telling her,
No one can take your authority away from you.
The strength of his passion. Of his love.

He loved her. It was amazing the power those words had. Until this moment, she hadn't realized how much she'd longed to hear them.

Colt's gaze searched her face. "I don't know if you'll ever love me." His voice was low.

Yes,
her mind shrieked. But she was silent, looking at him with dazed eyes.

He went on, "I don't think you've ever trusted me. I think a relationship with me scares you. Just the thought of giving up your independence, of letting yourself be vulner
able to a man, scares you."

"I did trust you-at first," she protested, fighting an overwhelming urge to throw her
self into his arms. His words seemed to surround her heart. He had given up the Victorian Oaks contract, and never taken her father's money.

Still, something held her back. It would be all or nothing with Colt. No going back, no second thoughts ... only all-consuming pas
sion. She could see the fire in his eyes.

"You know,
I think the whole thing about me betraying you for your father's money is an excuse," he said softly. "From day one, you've been afraid of losing yourself, becoming weak like you've always felt with your father. And that's crazy. Love doesn't make you weak. It makes you strong."

"Maybe we have different ways of loving," she objected, her voice feeling rusty in her throat.

An appreciative smile slid across his face.

"We're different in just about every way pos
sible, sweetheart. But that doesn't change the nature of love."

Her fingers played with the bristles of the scrub brush. There had always been a shapeless fear deep within her, a constant companion that didn't bear examination. But Colt's words seemed to draw at it, pulling that fear into the daylight. Hayley felt herself fighting against the sensation, so accustomed to her fear that she wasn't sure what she'd be without it.

"So this is it, honey. The big showdown. I didn't give up the Victorian Oaks contract because I'm a nice guy. I did it because it's the only way I know of to demonstrate the power you have over me."

Hayley felt her eyes widen. Her power over him? The thought seemed ludicrous.

"The project is yours," he said, almost casually. "Run the show any way you want. And if you happen to need a subcontractor you can
trust,
give me a call."

"But how can you manage without this proj
ect?" she blurted out. "You won't be able to stay afloat."

A smile glimmered on his face as he shrugged. "Either I do or I don't. I'm not ask
ing you to worry about me. You have the power now, the control. Your independence. Enjoy."

Without another word, he turned and left. Hayley stood in the tiny bathroom, stunned. She wante
d to hit him. Wanted to scream at him not to leave her hanging like this. How could she not worry about him? She loved him.

Without her father's buy-in
offer, the Victorian Oaks contract was Granger Construction's only hope of survival.

He'd offered to be her subcontractor!
In
that position, he'd report to her just like Skip and the others. Hayley shook her head, unable even to picture it.

She swallowed, setting the scrub brush on the sink. What on earth was she going to do?

She couldn't understand Colt. For a man who'd always been in control, he seemed amazingly comfortable putting himself and his business in her hands.

*

Hayley screeched the Volvo to a halt in the middle of the street, peering through the dark at the house numbers. She'd never been to Colt's place before and it almost seemed as if he didn't want to be found. What kind of idiot didn't have his house number visible?

The redwood house with green trim hov
ered at the edge of the desert, the last house on the block. This had to be it.

She revved up the Volvo and it lurched into his driveway. It had only taken her three hours to work herself into a rage. There was no way she was going to let him get away with this.

He couldn't just throw everything at her feet and expect her to make all the decisions. She wanted independence, not a dictatorship.

Hayley slammed the car door and marched up the walk, noting with grim satisfaction the faint light winking behind the shades.

She leaned on the doorbell button, her heart picking up a racy rhythm. She clutched at her anger, as if it would bring courage. It was several long minutes before she heard him approach. The door swung open, spilling light over her.

He wore nothing but a pair of cutoffs, his damp hair and the glitter of water droplets on his skin indicating he'd just stepped out of the shower.

Hayley stared at him, mute for a moment as she wrestled with a sudden rush of longing and desire.

Colt's brows lifted questioningly. "Care to come in?"

She stepped forward into his house, struggling to quell the trembling in her body brought on by his nearness. Turning to face him, she blurted out, "What in the heck do you mean by dumping this whole thing on me?"

He shrugged as he moved toward her. "You didn't leave me much choice." The room seemed to shrink as he drew nearer, his beau
tiful body naked except for the ragged cutoffs that molded to his muscular thighs. Hayley tried hard not to think of what else his cutoffs were molding.

"It would serve you right if I hired you as a subcontractor. I'd make you repo
rt to me personally every day."

A heated light kindled in his eyes. "Sounds good to me."

"You've always been your own boss. You'd hate it!" she declared, taking a step backwards.

"Nope, not with you." His voice stroked her as he drew closer. "You love me.
If I
have a problem, all I have to do is speak up. You'll be reasonable."

Hayley felt her anger dissolving. "How do you know I'd be reasonable?" she said, trying to keep her righteous fury going. Then he ran his fingers down her bare arm.

"I know you," Colt said softly. "I've seen you work with your crew." He smiled. "You're an incredibly good boss. I didn't take that big a risk. So, are you going to hire me?" His gaze insinuated all manner of possible positions he could fill.

The stroke of his fingers against her skin seemed hypnotic. Hayley felt herself drowning in his eyes, her breath quickening as the scent of his soap and the freshness of his nearly na
ked body surrounded her.

"I should hire you," she muttered resent
fully, "and make your life hell in the bargain."

Colt's laugh was soft as he drew her into his arms. "You already do, sweetheart. Heaven and hell all rolled together. And I can't seem to get enough."

Without conscious choice, Hayley's chin tilted as he bent to her, his lips brushing hers softly and warmly. She sighed, leaning limply against his chest as she lifted her mouth for his kiss.

When he lifted his head, minutes later, she clung to him. "Why doesn't this scare you?" Hayley whispered, clutching at the width of his bare shoulders, her fingers stroking his flesh.