Page 10 of Texas Made
“Oh, you mean the noise?”
“Noise? I’d call it an ungodly racket.”
He laughed, then turned it into a cough when she glared at him. “Yeah, I guess we should have warned you. We broke ground on the new barn this morning. It’s going to be noisy for a while. And it will get noisier the longer it goes on.”
“Damaris said y’all were adding a new barn but she didn’t say when.”
“We didn’t know. It’s been a little up in the air since we had to wait on Harlan Sullivan to work it into his schedule.”
“Harlan Sullivan? You mean the guy who owns Phoenix construction?”
“Yes, why? Do you know him?”
“No, but I know his work. He’s a phenomenal builder. But I thought he only worked in Dallas and the surrounding areas.”
“He used to. He moved his construction company down here a few years ago. Married a local girl who’d been his high school sweetheart and started popping out babies along with construction projects.”
“Wow. You know he’s still hot stuff in Dallas. That’s cool that he’s building your barn. How long will it take to complete it?”
“I’m not sure. But they work fast and he doesn’t have problems getting good subcontractors, so I imagine it will be quicker than most.”
She frowned. Ugh. Construction. Maybe she should have stayed in Dallas.
“Will that be a problem for you?”
“No, I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”
“Still, you left your condo because of construction.”
True. She shrugged. “But this isn’t actually in my home. The only thing I’m worried about is if I have a Zoom meeting with clients and need some quiet.”
“You can use the library at the main house anytime you need it.”
“I hate to do that.”
“Why? Ella does most of her work in the barn’s office and we only use the library occasionally.”
“Well, if you’re sure no one minds.”
“I’m sure. They plan to pour the foundation next week. Then the actual construction will take another couple of months, if we’re lucky.”
“Are you adding on because Chase is now raising bucking horses?”
“That and we want to grow our paints. Which is why we have another stud now.”
“Why did you choose paints to raise?”
“Damaris and I have always liked them. Then I found Cappuchino and fell for him, so that was all she wrote.”
“You’re very successful, aren’t you?”
“We do all right. There’s always room for improvement, though.”
“I hear you,” she said, thinking of Divinity.
*
“What?” Marshall saidwhen he picked up his phone. Damaris again. She probably wanted to know what kind of dog food to buy. Why the hell couldn’t she remember what type of dog food they needed for one of the dogs who was on a special diet? Bad enough making sure Johnny Cash and only Johnny got that food—and that he didn’t get anything else—without Damaris bringing home the wrong food.
