Brikelle’s palms were clammy, but she held herself straight and kept a smile plastered on her face. Her internship through Utah State University had earned her a job with a fabulous interior design company based out of nearby Ogden. Brikelle had moved to the resort-like Ogden Valley, and found a basement apart to rent in Eden. Originally, her boss had her redesign the interiors of a few rental cabins and condos. Through those jobs she’d met Joshua Hull, the owner of Timberline Construction. Now he was giving her the unreal opportunity of connecting with Mrs. Emmaline Jensen, one of the wealthiest women in America. She was having her fifth—or was it sixth?—vacation home built next to Pineview Reservoir in Eden. Brikelle loved Eden. If she could ever afford a vacation home, she’d build it here.

As she walked up to the sprawling house, Brikelle noticed the gorgeous rustic flair with huge timbers supporting the porch and decorating the exterior. The stucco and rock mansion had to be over twenty thousand square feet. Even though the house was still getting the finishing touches of cabinets, plumbing, and lighting fixtures, there were already crews working on the grounds and all the concrete was poured.

She saw a new-looking four-door white truck with the logo of Jepson Cabinetry on the side parked next to the seven-car garage and a Land Rover with Timberline Construction screened on the back window. She decided to approach the front entrance rather than walk around to the garage, but as she reached the door, she didn’t know whether to knock or walk right in. When she nudged the door, it popped open and she stepped through, admiring the two-story foyer with windows and skylights bringing in plenty of natural light. The chandelier was classy, yet still had a trendy feel with rectangle panels and an oil-rubbed bronze finish.

The original interior designer had done a fabulous job. Brikelle hoped she could keep the ball rolling the way Mrs. Jensen wanted it. The general contractor, Joshua, had explained that his designer had been put on bed rest with an extremely difficult pregnancy and the doctors didn’t want her working at all, handing Brikelle the opportunity of a lifetime.

“There she is,” Joshua called out from the edge of the entry, next to wide staircases that went to the basement and the upstairs. The wrought iron railings decorating the staircases were perfect—funky yet still classy. “Come in, come in.”

She walked across the slate floor past arched doorways. From the plans she’d studied, the one on the right was going to be Mrs. Jensen’s office and the one on the left a formal living room. They both had great lighting with huge windows and she loved the beveled cherry floors.

“Great to see you.” She reached Joshua’s side and he gave her a quick handshake. Brikelle smiled at him, but her eyes were drawn to the massive great room with its two-story windows and all the woodwork. The style now was “anything goes,” which she heartily approved of—wood in every variety was integrated into this great room, and it was gorgeous.

At the end closest to the entrance where she stood, there was a formal dining area through an archway, the windows overlooking the patio and the lake beyond. She remembered the master suite was at the end of the short hallway to her right. The other end was the kitchen. Several more living areas could be seen through other porticos. This place was unreal and she got to decorate it. Yes!

The cabinet guys were busy in the kitchen, hanging doors. Knotty alder. It was one of her favorite woods for a kitchen with its knots and swirls giving such a distinctive cabin-type flair.

Her eyes swept over the men briefly. The one with his back to her had an extremely nice build, wide shoulders with the muscles stretching his T-shirt in just the right way. And his Levi’s fit—well, she shouldn’t dwell on it, but they definitely fit. She caught a glimpse of his profile and firm jawline with dark stubble that just screamed tough guy/handsome hottie. Why did he seem familiar?

Forcing herself to look back at Joshua, she smiled. “This is spectacular.”

“I thought you’d love it. Let me give you a tour, and then Emma should be here any minute to tell you some of her preferences. She’s honestly pretty easy to please.”

“Sounds great.” Her hands had started sweating again, and now her body was trembling slightly, but it was a good kind of nerves. This was so big! Her boss at Maison Design, Angela, would be thrilled that she landed this job. How incredibly lucky she’d been to meet Joshua. “Thank you for this opportunity.”

“You’re going to do great, and if Emma likes you, there will be lots of other projects.”

Brikelle could only grin at him. A month out of college and she was handed an in that every designer would be thrilled with.

Joshua turned and walked toward the kitchen. It was massive with an island bar that could probably seat twenty. The wood in the island was walnut, which was a great contrast to the light reddish-brown alder used in the rest of the kitchen. She glimpsed a sparkling white preparation kitchen off of the main kitchen, and beyond that the mudroom and laundry room.

“I want you to meet the cabinet and wood-working guru, Colt Jepson,” Joshua said.

The nicely built guy turned around with a grin on his face. “Nice to …” His voice trailed off and his eyes widened. She gasped as she recognized him. “The dog-hater,” he whispered, as if in shock to come face to face with her again.

“The guy who doesn’t control his dog,” she flung back, for lack of a better slam.

Joshua’s eyes darted back and forth between them, and the other cabinet guys paused in their work. Sparks crackled in the air, but not in a good way. Colt’s blue eyes reflected confusion and hurt. “You want me to lock up my innocent dog because you hate animals? He didn’t even do anything to you.”

“Nothing would make me happier than knowing that huge beast isn’t going to chase me, or any other innocent runner or biker, up the canyon.” Brikelle took a step closer to him. That this Colt guy was so laid-back about his dog having chased and tormented her made her furious. He had no clue that it wasn’t hatred, it was sheer terror, but she refused to act intimidated around him. She knew his type—good-looking, tough construction guy who drove his big truck with his big dog hanging off of the tailgate. He imagined every woman would cower to his demands. She was going to show him she wasn’t some sissy he could push around. He reminded her of Bradley Cooper, one of the stars of the A-Team remake, with that handsome face, blue eyes, perfect amount of facial hair, and perpetual smirk, like he was patiently enduring her crazy diatribe. She’d wipe that smirk right off.

He sort of shook his head, making her advance even more. She wanted to poke him or something and stop him from looking at her like she was the irrational one.

“Ike is too gentle and old to hurt anybody,” he explained as if she was a small child. “My nieces and nephews chase him around and take turns riding on him.”

She was close enough she could finally poke, but she took it to the next level and smacked him on the chest. “What? Who in their right mind would let a little child be around a violent creature like that?”

Colt wrapped his hands around her arms and pulled her right up against his chest. It didn’t hurt, but it definitely wasn’t some romantic move. He was probably as ticked as she was, but instead of yelling like she was doing, he lowered his voice and said very slowly and softly, “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Please stop calling my innocent dog derogatory names and act like a professional.” His eyes flitted to Joshua for emphasis.

Joshua. She couldn’t jeopardize this job. She froze and whirled away from Colt, but his arms were still clasped around her. They were in a completely awkward embrace as they both realized that his crew and Joshua were not the only ones watching.

Mrs. Emmaline Jensen was at the edge of the great room, Joshua right next to her, and they were both studying the two of them. Joshua’s face was filled with concern, but Mrs. Jensen’s blue eyes lit up. She was a teeny thing with the most gorgeous white hair and a smile and eyes that age hadn’t dimmed. She was dressed in a classy navy-blue business suit, and the only jewelry she wore was a glittering diamond on her left hand. Brikelle remembered hearing her husband had passed away only a few months ago.

“Oh, this is delightful.” Emma clapped her hands together and beamed at the two of them, looking to Joshua. “Why didn’t you tell me my new designer and our favorite cabinet maker are a couple?”

Colt’s arms finally fell away from Brikelle, but she was too shocked to take a step away like she should’ve done.

“Oh, yeah, I did forget,” Joshua managed, giving a nervous chuckle and recovering much quicker than either of them.

“Oh, I love happy couples. Now I must demand that both of you come stay with me next weekend for the celebration of my new house.” She gestured around. “It’s going to be a great party and if everything turns out the way I hope, I’m sure you’ll meet a lot of people who would want to hire both of you. Plus, I’d really love to chat about the condos I’m building near Snow Basin.”

Brikelle’s head was spinning and she had no clue how to respond. This woman assumed they were a couple and had just invited them to a huge party here next weekend? The work opportunities she’d casually flung around with the invite told Brikelle that she and the obnoxious cabinet shop owner would be very wise to not mess this up, but she didn’t want to lie and say she was part of a couple, especially a couple that included the man next to her.

“Um, wow.” Colt found his voice before she did. “I’m honored, Mrs. Jensen.”

“Call me, Emma.” She waved a hand. “I assume you’re married. Won’t this be fun, Brikelle? You can decorate the room you and your handsome husband will stay in next weekend.”

Brikelle was sure she was going to have heart failure. Married? Oh, no stinking way. She opened her mouth to clear things up, but Joshua beat her to it.

“What a great opportunity this will be for you.” He eyed her sternly. “Tell your husband you’ll see him later, and let’s take a tour and share your ideas with Emma.”

Brikelle swallowed and pivoted to face Colt. Her heart was thundering in her ears, and she had no clue how she’d just become involved in this confusing mess. The other cabinet workers had quietly returned to their work.

Colt studied her with his too-blue eyes. “See you later, sweetheart.” He stumbled over the word, and if Emma wasn’t watching she would’ve stomped on his foot or something.

“Work hard, honey.” She almost choked on the term too.

Colt bent down close and she was struck by a clean, manly scent with just a hint of wood shavings. He brushed his lips across her cheek, and Brikelle jumped. This was too much.

“Oh, come now,” Emma said from behind them when Brikelle pulled away. “We’re not in that big of a hurry. Give her a real kiss.”

Brikelle’s eyes widened and her body started trembling again. She’d traded her nerves over working for Emmaline Jensen for nerves about being forced to kiss a good-looking man who she didn’t like, not at all.

Colt studied her and his mouth quirked in a sarcastic smile. “Always time for a real kiss.”

He wrapped his hands around her hips and pulled her tight against him, taking his time as he leaned closer. His eyes were full of challenge: she could back away if she wanted, but he wasn’t going to. Brikelle jutted her chin out and rose onto tiptoes. Colt cocked an eyebrow and grinned before claiming her lips with his own like they were married and did this move multiple times a day.

It took Brikelle’s body less than a second to respond. Her eyes fluttered closed, her hands found their way around his broad back, and before she could stop herself she was returning kiss for kiss. It was almost another battle between them, but the sparks now were sizzling and delicious. Brikelle finally conceded defeat, mentally bowing to him as the kissing champion, and broke away from his grasp. They were both breathing heavy. He squeezed her waist, then dropped his hands.

“See you soon,” he murmured, his eyes searching hers. Now his blue gaze was soft and beseeching. She couldn’t win against that battle either, and instead swung her gaze back to Joshua and Emma, both watching with their mouths slightly open.

“Well, then. That was definitely a real kiss.” Emma smiled sweetly. “Let’s start in the entry, shall we?”

Brikelle hurried away from Colt’s side, feeling his eyes on her until she escaped the great room. What in the world had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Colt worked steadily, but his mind was a mess. Married? To the dog-hater? What was her name? It was driving him crazy that he couldn’t remember. Joshua had said it, but he’d been so distracted by his gorgeous new wife he hadn’t locked the name in. Bri-something, Brianne, Brilynn, no. What was it? And why in the world had he kissed her like that? He’d initiated the lip-lock to prove that he wouldn’t back down to a demanding woman, but it had turned into something amazing quick. His mind whirled from wanting to try that kiss again, to wondering how he’d gotten into this mess, to trying to focus on work and failing. Yes, the woman looked even better in that pencil skirt and heels than she had in running gear, but that didn’t mean he needed to act like some caveman and grab her and kiss her, or lie to Emma about the two of them being married.

He knew what the promise of work from Emma meant. After this huge job, he didn’t have any new builds lined out until next month, only a few re-facing jobs that would barely keep him and one or two of his guys busy. He’d just hired his foreman, Tyler’s, little brother, Mike. The kid had a six-month-old baby and had been out of work for over a year. He was doing a good job and picking up the work quick. Colt hated the thought of letting him go when they finished Emma’s house, but unless some solid jobs dropped into his lap in the next week or two, he’d have to let Mike and maybe one or two others on his crew go unless he scrambled to win some bids quick or dipped into his work slush funds.

Emma was also great in that she trusted her workers and she didn’t waste time with competitive bids. He always gave customers a fair price, but it was common to spend hours bidding out a job and then get nickeled and dimed until he wasn’t sure he wanted the work anymore. To not have to waste all that time and energy and just be able to design jobs and build them would be a dream. He’d be very grateful to simply do the work for a fair price. He loved working like that.

He heard footsteps and then the trio entered the kitchen. He flashed them a smile, wishing he had a name to pin on the beautiful face of the interior designer. He returned his focus to hanging doors while they talked over design schemes. At least the kitchen was massive enough to keep him busy for a long while. He liked the sound of his fake wife’s voice when she wasn’t screeching at him; she had a low, melodic tone.

“Well, I’m off,” Emma said from behind him. “Need to be in Park City tonight for a party at Luke Freestone’s.”

Colt pivoted and lifted a hand, forcing his eyes not to stray to the dog-hater. How pathetic was he that he couldn’t remember his wife’s name? “Great to see you, Emma.”

“You as well. Thank you for the beautiful work. I’ll see both of you next weekend.” She winked, and Colt saw an amused glint in her eyes that concerned him. Did she know they were lying? Had she tricked them into this? He couldn’t resist glancing at the interior designer. How ironic this woman had the same career as Cally.

She was gnawing at her lip nervously, reminding him of that kiss. He wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead.

Emma turned. Colt’s new wife and Joshua walked with her to the front door. They were back within a few minutes and Colt whipped around to face Joshua, realizing that this disaster wasn’t the dog-hater’s fault.

“What was that?” Colt pinned the man with a stare that would’ve kept his rowdy brothers in line.

Joshua raised his hands, palms up. “You do understand what she just insinuated workwise for the both of you?”

“And she wouldn’t want us working for her if we weren’t married?” Dog-Hater spoke up.

“Good point.” He nodded his approval of the question. “What is your name?”

“Brikelle.”

“You kissed a woman without even knowing her name,” Tyler quipped. The guys on his crew were going to have fun with that one.

Colt ignored him. “Thank you,” he said to Brikelle. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful lady. Too bad she was also a dog-hater. “You think she won’t give us the work if we aren’t married?” he asked Joshua.

“Who knows?” Joshua shook his head. “She’s great to work with, but she’s an eccentric old lady, and it’s only gotten worse since Scott died this winter. Maybe she’d give you her work, maybe not. She definitely wouldn’t invite you to the party.”

“Why not?” Brikelle asked, her smooth brow furrowing.

“Because she didn’t invite me and she told me it was because I was single. If I come up with a date I can come for the day, but we can’t stay the night. She’s very moral, and like I said, eccentric.” Joshua didn’t seem put off or surprised that as the general contractor he was only invited to a portion of the party.

Stay the night? Colt’s stomach plummeted. Brikelle glanced up at him. Her eyes filled with concern and … was he imagining a touch of interest there? His mind replayed that kiss for the twentieth time and heat crept into his neck. He could not stay the night with her.

“This is a mess.” Colt looked away from the brunette and rubbed at his beard.

Joshua splayed his hands again. “I don’t make her rules. I told you she’s quirky and she’s definitely lonely, but imagine all the real estate projects she has planned. Plus, connections with the likes of Luke Freestone.” He whistled. “She told me that working and expanding the empire she and Scott began forty-five years ago are the only ways she beats the loneliness.”

Colt felt bad for the lady, but still, pretending to be married to Dog-Hater … er, Brikelle, might be too high of a price to pay.

“That’s so sad.” Brikelle shook her head. “I can’t lie to her.”

“Look at it this way,” Joshua said. “You’re helping an old woman find enjoyment. She was so thrilled about you two being married. She’s a romantic. Loved her husband completely. Do you want to break an old lady’s heart?”

“What’s in this for you?” Colt liked Joshua—he was no-nonsense, effective, and easy to work with—but this entire situation felt off.

“I like to handpick my team, and I really want to keep working with both of you. You’re both easy to work with, and you do quality work.”

Colt was surprised. So Brikelle only gave him grief? He knew Joshua wouldn’t put up with the drama she’d shown Colt so far. Maybe Joshua had missed their conversation and her insults from earlier.

“You have no idea how many people are beating down Emma’s door for her business,” Joshua said. “They’d sell their own mother to have an exclusive with her, like you two have just been offered. All you have to do is pretend you’re married for a few weeks. Then, once we’re in with Emma, we can sort it all out.”

Colt met Brikelle’s gaze. Her deep brown eyes were uncertain, and honestly quite appealing. “I’m sorry this is such a mess,” he found himself saying.

“You should be,” she shot back at him. “If you hadn’t grabbed me, she never would’ve thought we were a couple.”

Wow. Feisty. Maybe he wasn’t sorry. “You were the one trying to intimidate me and get in my space.”

“Only because I knew if I didn’t stand up for myself, you’d walk all over me like the barbarian you are.”

Colt ran his fingers through his short hair. “Never been married before, and now I get a wife who doesn’t like me or my dog.” Why did those facts sting so much? “Thanks, Joshua.”

Joshua backed away a few steps. “You two figure this out. Emma probably thought you were married because you have sparks leaping between you.” He smirked. “I’d suggest you get your work done and think about what play you want to make. Yes, it’s misleading, but it would make an old woman happy and assure both of your careers. You’ll hardly see her the next week and a half; then it’s just that one party next weekend. Think about it.” With that, he marched to the front door and they both winced as it slammed behind him.

Colt looked at Brikelle, who was shifting from foot to foot, her arms clenched tightly across her abdomen. “Can we talk somewhere, alone?” she asked quietly.

Colt startled. His crew were almost always with him, so he didn’t think much about having conversations they listened to, but this was a sensitive subject. “Um, sure. You guys good?”

“We got this, boss.” Tyler winked at him. “You go take care of your pretty wife.”

Brikelle’s back went ramrod straight, but she didn’t say anything as Colt put his hand on her lower back and escorted her out the rear patio door off the informal dining area.

As soon as they were outside, she whirled on him. “You don’t have to keep touching me.”

Colt yanked his hands back. “Sheesh. I was just trying to be a gentleman.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t throw around words you don’t understand the meaning of.”

Colt bristled. That was pushing too far. He always treated women with respect. This prickly woman definitely wasn’t the type he wanted to date, let alone be married to. “Look, I don’t like you any more than you like me.”

Her eyes filled with uncertainty and her shoulders drooped a little bit. Grabbing on to the back of a patio chair with her delicate hands, she looked so cute and vulnerable that Colt forgot his train of thought for a few seconds. “Thanks,” she said, her voice frosty. “I feel all warm and fuzzy toward my counterfeit husband now.”

That shot him back to reality. “Honestly, I don’t care for this charade, but I love to work for Joshua and Emma and I need the work right now. I hired a new kid because this job was so huge, and might have to let him and another guy go after we finish up here.”

Her lower lip jutted out and distracted him again. They’d been soft and tasted like cinnamon and mint. Why did she have to have lips like that? “I do too,” she whispered.

“Excuse me?” He took a step closer to hear her better and was struck by the light scent emanating from her. It smelled intoxicating, like peaches and cream in the summertime.

“I need the work too. I graduated college in June. This would be a dream come true for me, and the company I work for.”

“What company is that?” He needed to distract himself from how good she smelled and the compassion he was feeling for her. She’d barely graduated college. She had to been almost seven years younger than him. He shouldn’t be so attracted to her.

“Maison Design out of Cache Valley.”

He nodded. “Good company.”

She smiled tremulously up at him. “Look at us. We’re having a semi-civil conversation.”

Colt smiled back at her. She was gorgeous, when she wasn’t snipping at him. “This would be a big in for you?”

“Huge.” She gnawed at that darn lower lip again. What was it with her and all the things she could do with those lips? Maybe if they faked the marriage, he’d get the chance to kiss her a few more times. Just to prove they were married. He’d actually liked her when they were kissing and she wasn’t talking. “But I don’t want to lie,” she admitted.

“Neither do I.” He paced the patio for a few seconds, mostly to give himself some distance from her. “You know, this is definitely justifying, but neither of us have lied. Emma assumed we were married, and Joshua was the one who confirmed it. Maybe we go to her party next weekend and then we somehow tell her that we aren’t married, but we’re a … couple.” She let out a little squeak, but he held up a hand, hurrying to finish. “But then within a few weeks we could let it slip that we broke up or something.”

“Then we have to actually act like a couple.” She jutted out her chin.

“Okay. If you stop hating on my best friend, we can be a couple.”

Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “If we’re going to be a couple, you need to keep that dog far, far away from me.”

“Guess you won’t see much of me, then. If I’m choosing between you and Ike, Ike wins every day.” Ike had pulled him through a few depressing years after he’d lost Cally. He would never desert his dog.

“That’s your choice.” She scrunched up her nose, turned on her heel, and stormed away. Dang, that pencil skirt did good things for her.

“Wait.” He leapt into action, rushed in front of her, and placed a hand on the door before she could go inside. “Are we doing this or not?”

She took a long breath and glanced up at him from beneath long, dark lashes. Were those things even real? “I really do need this in.”

He nodded and, before he could stop himself, ran his fingers through the long, dark hair that had spilled over her shoulder. Wow, her hair actually felt like silk. Instead of flinching away from him, she leaned a bit closer. He thought about how that hair would feel if it covered his cheek as she leaned over him, maybe while he was sitting on his couch or something, and then she bent down to kiss him. Stop with the kissing thoughts!

“The work with Emma would be a great thing for me too. I’d late to let any of my guys go,” he managed to say, pulling his hands away from her and hoping to keep them under control. “We’ve got some time to figure it out. Think about it, and I’m sure I’ll see you around the house.”

She tilted her chin up. “Or maybe running up the canyon if your dog chases me again.”

He laughed. “Smart dog. He knows a pretty lady to chase when he sees one.”

Her face lit up in a conflicted smile that made her look soft and approachable. That dang smile took her from beautiful to angelic. “Thanks,” she murmured, slipping into the house. He stood there, watching her go to the front entry. She turned once and that curtain of dark hair swung over her shoulders as she gave him one more uncertain smile. Colt realized he’d gone from ticked off to attracted in less than sixty seconds.

“Hey, boss,” Tyler shouted at him. “You ready to work yet, or you gonna stand there and drool all day?”

The front door closed and Colt forced himself to close his mouth. He wasn’t drooling, but who could blame him if he was?