Truth and Humility (3 page)

But imagine her surprise when she was granted the job
without
an interview.  Apparently getting a job was easier than she’d imagined, but
this
particular job was a dream-come-true rolled into one small classified ad.  The pay was unbelievable, it came with full benefits including dental insurance, rooms were available for a reasonable rent, and two meals a day were provided on workdays.

Room and board?  Who the hell did that?

It just didn’t get any better, and the lure of such promise was too tempting to turn her back on.  If she didn’t at least try, she’d have to live with the doubt.  And Danny Bennett was no coward.  She’d managed to get away with a lot in her lifetime.  Like taking one year of on-line engineering courses without her father knowing.

A shudder ran through her when the thought of their last argument rose to the surface.

Danielle Bennett, what the hell has gotten into you?  Your brothers are perfectly happy working for our family.  How
dare
you apply for college without consulting with me first?

I did consult with you, Dad.  You said I was too busy to go to college, but you just won’t accept the fact I’m tired of tearing things down!  I want to
build.
  I want to
create.

We all want things we can’t have, young lady.  But you, just like everyone else, have responsibilities
here
.

Columbia accepted me.  I’ve been granted scholarships.  I’m going.

Her father’s look of rage had scared the pants off of her.

Then you’ll be doing it without my help.

That was one week ago.  Derek had begged her to stay, but her pride wouldn’t allow it.  She’d always looked up to her older brother, was closer to him than anyone else.  Hell, she was mentored by him.  But she was an adult, twenty-one years old and fully capable of living on her own, making a living outside the family business.  She just needed to build a little capital first.  She’d already blown her entire savings on the first – and now second – year of on-line courses.  The scholarships weren’t enough to cover a quarter of her tuition.  Columbia may have to wait a year, but she would be ahead of the game come first semester.

“You gonna stand out here all morning or are you gonna state your business?”

Her small frame jumped a foot at the unexpected command coming from beside her.  As soon as her heart caught up, her lungs began to function again and she nodded at the middle-aged man addressing her with curious fascination.  He looked friendly enough, a rascally gleam to the hazel eyes, thick grey eyebrows, full mustache that hid most of his mouth but curled up slightly past the sides and, she figured, a whole world of experience behind that weathered skin.

“Oh, hi,” she stammered then straightened her spine a notch.  “I’m Danny Connor.  Reporting for my first day of work, sir.”  She extended her hand, but the man ignored it, instead looked her up and down real slowly.  She forced herself not to swallow.

Tom was having a moment.  Normally a polite fellow, he stood there dumbfounded before summoning his manners.  A woman.  Dan Connor was a goddamned woman, which suddenly explained the deceptive application.  It all made sense now.

But, how would Boss take the news that he hadn’t hired a Bennett after all?  His shoulders moved in a silent laugh and he clasped her hand in his own.  “Tom Shue, head foreman.”

Danny, expecting that kind of reaction, was ready for it.  The corners of her soft mouth drew up and she shook her head at the ground.  “I can handle anything you throw at me, Mr. Shue.  You won’t bethau won disappointed.  In fact I’ve put in three years as job foreman myself.”

“S’what you said.”  Tom sized her up.  This girl seemed solid enough for her small size and something about her demeanor and unwavering eye contact told him she wasn’t just telling the truth, but humble enough about it.  Couldn’t be more than 5’ 2”, feminine curves beneath denim clothing that fit well, faded work boots that were just as abused as his, pretty face devoid of make-up, soft brown tendrils curling from beneath a worn ball cap that advertised a popular tool manufacturer.  The way she stood with her legs apart, hand in one pocket, and loaded duffle bag flung over one shoulder, he got the feeling she was used to dealing with men.  “We don’t offer separate facilities for women.  The men here won’t tolerate special treatment and you’ll be expected to take on your fair share.”

“That’s what I expect, too, sir.”

She had a nice voice.  Tom couldn’t imagine her intimidating many men on a job site if she were in charge, but there was also an unspoken vibe that she’d challenge anyone who doubted her abilities.  An undersized girl with something to prove could spice things up a bit, light a fire under the crew…as long as she could handle it.

“Fair enough.  Follow me.”

There was swagger in that gravelly command, as if the old man expected her to fail.  Danny pushed air through her lips, adjusted her ball cap and gave the pillared house one last tentative look as she took her first steps into Cahill territory.

Orientation proved rather painless.  Now Danny was faced with meeting her new coworkers for the first time.  She was confident in her abilities to win them over eventually, but she was no fool.  They wouldn’t make it easy for her.

Tom led her to the commons room that doubled as a good-sized cafeteria.  The grounds were so big, she was certain she’d walked a mile already.  The main house was hidden well enough from view from the work site by a wall of manicured shrubbery and tall skinny evergreens.  The Cahills, she knew, had office buildings downtown and other off-site facilities, but this one was the oldest.  This is where it all started.  Her grandfather Bennett used to run this place well over a century ago and she drank in every feature like a history junky.

As far as she knew, the last Bennett to step foot in these walls never made it out.  But that was over fifty years ago and the feud had become almost dormant… until Derek and Austin Cahill fueled it to life again, that is.

She had already put her belongings in a small private room and parked her red Jeep in the employee parking lot beside it.  It was cozy, she thought, like staying in an old motel with about twenty rooms.  Located behind the work site, the strip of rooms was old, but the white paint was fresh and well maintained.  The paneled walls on the inside were sturdy, the small plain bathroom was cno lean, plain double bed adequate enough, and it came with a kitchenette.  According to Tom it was the last available room.  She felt lucky to have it.  Everyone was responsible for cleaning their own space.  If it wasn’t kept up, they lost it.  Danny wasn’t worried.  She was pretty good at maintaining her environment.

The offices, commons room, locker room, community showers and restrooms were in a separate building that was attached to the main house by an enclosed breezeway.  The white exterior matched the house and other buildings but it didn’t appear dirty despite it’s adjacent location to the work site.  Though she hadn’t yet gotten a good look at the work site, she was certain it was as well maintained as everything else.

“Breakfast and lunch are provided if you want it, but you’re responsible for any other meals.  Breakfast is open at six thirty a.m. and lunch is at noon.  If you’re late for meals, you miss out, and if you’re late for work you hit the road.  Morning toolbox meetings are held at eight a.m. sharp to cover job assignments and safety plans.  Yes, they are mandatory.”

“Got it,” Danny replied obediently as she removed her cap and shook her silky hair until it cascaded in layered waves to her shoulder blades.  Before Tom could close his mouth, she had it bundled in a rubber band at her nape and donned the dark green hard hat she was given.  Next, she opened her duffel bag and removed her tool belt, strapped it around a narrow waist.  She had foregone the use of the Cahill community tools in favor of her own.  She was used to them, trusted them and would never part with them, but expected a lot of flack because of their color.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Tom said behind her with an incredulous laugh.

Danny twisted around, met his gaze but never paused as she continued to gear up for work.  “Is there something wrong with my tools, Mr. Shue?” she asked with feigned innocence as she wiggled her fingers into dark brown suede work gloves.

Again Tom was taken aback, though he knew he shouldn’t be.  Up until this point, he expected Danny Connor to attempt to blend as much as possible.  But not only were the tools around her waist a gaudy bright pink, her work gloves had cutesie little pink embroidered flowers on them.  Maybe she wasn’t so smart after all.  There were more appropriate venues to express one’s femininity.

“Better call me Tom,” he responded with a shake of his head.  “You’re gonna need as many folks on your side as you can get, little lady.”

The sparkle in her velvet brown eyes told him she knew what she was up against.  It was suddenly apparent to him, she would have a hard enough time keeping the men’s hands off her if she kept looking through those thick sooty lashes the way she was now.  Her lips were soft, not overly full, but tantalizing when stretched into a naturally crooked grin.

Was she even aware that the contrast of her femininity to the tough worker facade was extremely appealing?  Had she even looked at the racy calendars gracing the walls of men’s garages around the country?  Aaaahh, Tom thought.  Probably not.  And that would be her biggest challenge in this place, with this crew.  Something told him she hadn’tintshe had met up with that particular challenge in the past.

For the love of God, had he hired a child?  Austin paused, the hand-drill went slack in his grip as he caught site of the new member of his crew following Tom onto the yard.  If not a child, then Dan Connor-a.k.a.-Bennett, was the smallest man he’d ever laid eyes on.  According to his memory, Derek’s brother would be twenty-one.  Certainly not a child.

Eyes narrowed, he scrutinized the scene before him.  Austin dropped the drill and hopped down from the trailer that was loaded with electrical cabinets from an old sausage plant.  The cabinets could wait.  His curiosity could not.

The closer he got to Dan Connor, Austin was able to make the connection.  Dammit all to hell, it was worse than he thought.  Was this woman even a Bennett after all?  Derek never mentioned a sister, but they didn’t discuss their families after a pact had been made not to.

Her big brown eyes finally connected with his as he approached, and instantly became wary.

Oh yeah,
he thought to himself with a wave of satisfaction. 
She’s a Bennett, all right.
  The resemblance to Derek was evident and he was positive she would easily fall into the trap he’d laid out for her.  The Bennetts were an arrogant clan when it came to their superior capabilities in the demolition field.  The fact he hadn’t known there was a daughter wasn’t hard to figure.  The only time he’d laid eyes on Danny was when she was a child as she ran full speed away from him.  She’d had short hair and was roaming the outdoors bare-chested, leading him to
assume
she was a boy.  His gaze lowered to the pair of petite breasts now protruding from beneath the denim work shirt.

Danny’s mouth downright watered when she saw the handsome shirtless bag of muscles approach her...until she realized he was openly scrutinizing her boobs as if he were sizing up a new addition to his harem. 
Great,
she thought with disappointment,
One of those.

It wasn’t that she didn’t expect to be ogled, but this man projected a look of death one minute, and amused arrogance the next.  She immediately deduced that, whoever he was, he would be one of her biggest challenges.

His thorough gaze rested on her tool belt.  “Do I even need to ask, Tom?” the man said, his voice breaking the silence in deep, throaty tones.

Tom looked worriedly between his boss and the new hire.  He hoped Austin would reconsider his plan to humiliate Danny Connor since she obviously wasn’t who they thought she was.  “Miss Connor understands the climate here,” he said, careful not to call Austin by name until he’d had a chance to talk privately with him.  “She’s willing to consider hermanconside first day a trial run, make sure she can handle herself well enough.”

Austin instantly hardened as he crossed his arms.  “None of these men asked to work in a co-ed environment, Miss Connor.  It’s on you to deal with whatever attitude is thrown your way, but don’t expect us to show much respect until you earn it.”