The Construction of Cheer - Liz Isaacson Page 0,36

going. “I’m frustrated, because I usually know if a woman likes me, and with her, I don’t know.”

“Who is it?” Ranger asked. “You’ve been working a lot. Perhaps the timing just isn’t right to get off the ranch and go to dinner with her.” He raised his eyebrows as if asking if that could be the issue.

Bishop drew his shoulders back, ready to spill the secret. “It’s Montana.”

“Montana?” Bear asked, leaning forward now. “The woman you hired at three times our daily rate to work construction with you?”

“Yes.” Bishop dropped his chin toward his chest.

“The woman he hired,” Bear said. “The woman he hired who made it impossible for him to hire anyone else.”

“I have plenty of people to hire,” Bishop said, the fire inside him licking its way up his throat. He raised his head and glared at Bear. “If you’d just release more of the budget.”

“We gave you an appropriate budget.”

“The Ranch House is infested with two colonies of two different types of termites,” Bishop shot back. “You did not give me an adequate budget for construction personnel for that.” He’d had to reschedule everything from the painters to the furniture delivery. That had taken days to accomplish, and Bear just assumed Bishop snapped his fingers and magic happened.

“He needs more budget,” Ranger said, causing Bishop to whip his attention to his soft-spoken yet fierce cousin.

“I agree,” Ward said.

“Thank you,” Bishop said. “Despite my…rash hiring of Montana—which I’m not wrong about, by the way. She’s amazing with a hammer and a power drill.” In fact, he had to stop speaking so how amazing he thought she was while working with power tools wouldn’t show in his voice.

“I’ll bet you think so,” Bear said, smiling.

Bishop wished he had his bagel back so he could throw it at his smug brother. It had taken him months to ask Sammy to dinner, and their first date had been so horrid, neither of them had called for another.

He would never actually rub that in Bear’s face, because Bishop knew what it was like to want to call a woman and feel like he couldn’t. He also knew what it felt like to wish a woman would call him, and she didn’t.

Bear started to chuckle, and Bishop wasn’t sure what the joke was. Probably him. He’d felt like a loser for a solid week, after attending Career Day at Lincoln’s school and learning what amazing lives and jobs all the other moms and dads had.

He’d been late getting back to the ranch, and that had prompted him to stay silent about the dinner he’d asked Montana to have with him that night. She never had confirmed, and he’d simply let it slide into the past.

Before he knew it, everyone at the table was laughing except for him, and Bishop looked around at all of them.

Benny jumped up and put his paws on the table, and Bear growled at him and pushed him down. “No,” he said, and the puppy came to Bishop’s side. He curled onto his feet while the laughter subsided, and Bishop looked around at his brothers and cousins.

“So how do I do it?” he asked. “Text her? Call her? Maybe then there wouldn’t be any distractions. Maybe we’d have time for the part where she says yes or no.”

“And what if she says no?” Ranger asked. “You’re going to keep working with her?”

“And paying her triple the rate,” Bear added.

“Yes,” Bishop said. “I can be a professional.” He nodded at Ranger, then turned his attention to Bear. “If the salary bothers you so much, I’ll pay her from my personal account. She’s worth it, Bear. She apprenticed with the best woodworker in the state. She does beautiful work, and it’s not even hard for her.” He leveled his gaze at his oldest brother. “If I’d have quoted her fifty bucks a day, she’d have laughed and walked right out the door.”

“I have an idea,” Cactus said, and everyone turned their attention to him. He didn’t speak up as much as others, especially in meetings like this one. When he did, everyone listened, especially Bishop.

He trusted Cactus with his whole might, mind, and strength, and he’d seriously consider his idea.

“He asks her out again.” He glanced at Bishop. “Just call her, Bish. Call her as soon as we’re done here and don’t get off the phone until you guys have something set or she definitively says no. It’s obviously eating at you, and you’ll feel like a new man if you