Covered in Coal by Silla Webb Read Free Book Online Page A

Don’t disappoint me, don’t lie to me, don’t piss me off, and we’ll be peachy keen. Got it? Now let’s get started.”
    The Supervisors each give me the report for their mines. Two hours of productivity, safety, and breakdown reports, is more than any woman can handle. Damn, this shit is boring!
    As I sit and listen intently, I can feel his eyes piercing me throughout the meeting. I try to ignore his glare, but the tension between Colton and me is fierce. Finally, our eyes lock. Looking deep into his dark brown eyes, I can see the raw pain and desire. Quickly, I look away, trying to ignore his seductive eyes.
    As the meeting comes to a close, the men all file out of the room. Gathering all of my paperwork, I stuff it in my bag, and stand to leave. Colton steps in front of me, stopping me from my escape.
    “Carly Jo, I see you’ll be in town a little longer than expected, huh?” He teases.
    “Hey, Colton, busy day.” I say quickly, trying to step around him.
    “Listen, we have to work together, so we might as well get along. We have a lot to talk about. I don’t want us workin’ together with all of this shit flyin’ in the air. Let’s have dinner, tonight maybe? We can clear the air.”
    Rolling my eyes, I take a deep breath, and try to think of the nicest, most professional way to approach the one man I ever loved, without being too big of a bitch. Yeah, impossible. “Colton, listen, I don’t have a damn clue what it is that you think we need to discuss. I’m your boss, you’re my employee. We will carry on that same relationship until I fire your ass, or you fall off the face of the damn earth. Whichever one comes first, I’ll be grateful for. Until then, just do your friggin’ job and stay the hell out of my way.” Stepping around Colton, he chuckles. Son of bitch will think it’s real damn funny when his ass is standing in the unemployment line.
    I walk back to my office feeling so much better than when I first laid eyes on him earlier today. The rest of the day is all smooth sailing. I work diligently, catching up on all of the untouched paperwork. Around five-thirty, my eyes have blurred from looking at the computer for so long, so I call it a day.

Chapter 6
    It feels so good to finally be home. I’m used to working eight hour shifts at the hotel, so twelve hours at the mines has me totally busted. Climbing the stairs to my bedroom, I place my iPod on the dock, and press play. Trudging to the bathroom, I turn the shower to hot as hell and begin to undress.
    Pulling off the stiff suit I had been sporting all day, soot sprinkles the floor. Maybe a suit isn’t the best attire for the mines. I climb into the steaming hot shower, letting the hot water cascade over me. The water soothes my achy muscles, tired from sitting at a desk all day. At least working at the hotel I was constantly up on my feet doing something. I may just go stir crazy as CEO, trapped in that office.
    Stepping out of the shower, I dry off, toss my hair up on top of my head, and pull on some comfy UK sweats. I go downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat, but decide on take-out instead. After calling in an order to my favorite Mexican restaurant, I decide to go through some of Daddy’s old things for donation. I was glad to take over my old homestead, but having constant reminders of Daddy everywhere I turn in this house will break me down even deeper, if I don’t erase his presence now.
    Starting in his bedroom, I go through the drawers and closets, pulling aside all of his clothes and shoes. In the back of the closet, I find a large oak chest, bound by lock and key. It’s a gorgeous chest, full of mystery, as I had never seen it before, despite the countless times I had played hide-n-seek in this very closet. I look all over the bedroom for the key, but come up empty handed. So I turn my search to the home office. I search all of the desk drawers, behind picture frames, under knick knacks, and I still can’t