Handsome Rancher (Handsome Devils Book 1) Page 15

  “You know, we don’t have to do what she says,” Emma pointed out. “I mean, you don’t have to give me a job...if you really don’t want to.”

  Nathan knew that. Just because Leigh might have concocted some sort of scheme didn’t mean he was going to fall for it. Oh sure, he’d let Emma work at Barrett Software. He’d even let her live in the apartment once they got it straightened up. But that was all. He wasn’t going to fall for Emma Montgomery, no matter how hard his sister tried.

  “It’s no problem, Emma,” he assured her. “We’ll work something out.”

  Feeling more in control of the situation, he headed toward the car to help. “Hey, Leigh, hold up. The garage apartment is full of junk. Emma will have to stay in the house for a couple of nights.”

  Emma had been walking along next to him, but now she stopped.

  “I’m turning into a real inconvenience,” she said. “I feel terrible about this.”

  They were close enough for Leigh to hear them, and his sister answered before he had the chance.

  “Emma, stop being so polite to Nathan. It will make him think even higher of himself than he does already, and none of us wants that. The whole town adores him. Everyone goes gaga over him, so don’t puff up his ego anymore or he’s apt to float away.”

  Nathan nudged his sister. “Hey, remember kiddo, I’m helping you out. Don’t bite the hand that’s saving your tush.”

  She rolled her eyes at him, looking more like a six-year-old than a young woman about to graduate from college.

  “You know I love you,” she said. ‘‘But you also have more than your fair share of self-confidence. You don’t need Emma telling you how great you are.” She fluttered her eyelashes. ‘‘You’ve got the ladies of Honey to do that”

  Emma gave him an inquisitive look. “You do?”

  Before Nathan could make even a token effort to rescue his reputation, Leigh jumped back in.

  “All the ladies in town are besotted with my brother. They chase him relentlessly.”

  “No, they don’t. Not exactly.” He ruffled his sister’s hair and grabbed a couple of suitcases out of the car.

  Leigh turned to Emma. “Trust me. That’s exactly what they do. They. Chase. Him.”

  Nathan shook his head and headed toward the kitchen. There was no sense wasting his breath fighting with Leigh. When she got going, there was nothing to do but hang on for the ride. He could hear the women talking as they followed behind him. His sister discussing him was never a good thing, so he decided to change the subject.

  “Emma, you sure you don’t want to take the summer off?” Nathan asked. “You could laze around on a beach somewhere.”

  “I really do need a job this summer. If you don’t think—”

  “Nathan, you’re upsetting Emma,” Leigh said. “Stop being rude and assure her that you have a job.”

  “I already told her I’d work something out.” He set down the suitcases and stared at his sister. “In case you’ve forgotten, up until ten minutes ago, I didn’t know you intended on bringing someone home with you. All you told me on the phone last night was that you’d caught a ride with a friend.”

  If he’d expected Leigh to look contrite, he would have been disappointed. She glared at him.

  “Get over that, Nathan. Jeez. It’s like ancient history. So I surprised you. Big woo. Now accept that Emma is here and give her a job.”

  “Leigh, do you always push your brother around like this?” Emma asked.

  Nathan pinned Leigh with a direct look. “Yes. She does.”

  “Oh, you poor baby. I’m so mean to you.” Leigh leaned over and gave him another kiss on the cheek. “You adore me, and you know it. If it weren’t for me livening up your life, you’d fall into a big pile of computer code and never come out. Admit it— you’ve been bored while I’ve been at college, haven’t you?”

  He pretended to consider her question. “Bored? Have I been bored? My life has been restful while you’ve been gone.”

  “Your life will be restful when you’re dead, too, but that doesn’t make it a good thing.”

  Nathan laughed. Truthfully, he was glad Leigh was home. Sure, she was a pain at times, but she also was a lot of fun.

  “One of these days, I’m going to move and not give you the forwarding address,” he teased as he picked up the suitcases and headed inside the house.

  “Won’t happen. Now figure out what you’re going to do to help Emma.”

  As he led the way inside the house, he debated which of the two open jobs to offer Emma. One was in personnel, and Emma struck him as the type who would be good with people. The other job was as his assistant His current assistant was on maternity leave, and he was desperate.

  “My assistant just had a baby, and I need someone to fill in for a few weeks. Barrett Software is working on an easily customized accounting package for small businesses that we’re going to demo in Dallas in six weeks at BizExpo, one of the biggest tech shows in the country. The time frame is kind of tight and the program still has some problems, but if we make it, we’ll get a lot of publicity. I really need help keeping everything moving. Sound like something you could do?”

  “Of course, Emma can do it,” Leigh said with a huff. “She’s amazing. Unbelievable. Incredible.”

  Emma sighed. “Leigh, so help me, if you say I can leap tall buildings in a single bound, I’m heading back to Austin.”

  “Har-de-har-har,” Leigh said. “You two are just a couple of comedians. Here I’ve gone to all this trouble to help both of you, and you don’t even seem to appreciate what I’ve done.”

  Nathan winked at Emma. “Do you believe this? She’s playing the martyr.”

  “Doing it well, too,” Emma said.

  Nathan smiled at her, liking the auburn-haired beauty more and more. He was still looking at Emma when Leigh snorted.

  “Fine. Laugh all you want. But there’s going to come a day when both of you will thank me for this. Trust me.” With that, Leigh flounced up the stairs, carrying one of Emma’s suitcases with her.

  Emma had come to stand next to him. She smelled like flowers—rich, luxurious flowers, probably due to her shampoo rather than any perfume. The scent was too unintentional to be perfume.

  But something about that scent tantalized him more than any expensive perfume ever could.

  “Was that a promise or a threat?” Emma asked.

  “Sometimes with Leigh, it’s hard to tell the difference,” he admitted.

  Order your copy of Handsome Boss now!

  Excerpt: Texas Rascals: Rex

  Mrs. Rex Michael Barrington III.

  Idly, Sophia Shepherd doodled across the yellow legal notepad and gave a heartfelt sigh. Four months into her new job as assistant to the executive vice president of Barrington Oil and Gas at the TransPecos branch in Rascal, Texas, and she had yet to even meet her boss, but boy, did she have a crush on him.

  Yes, she knew it wasn’t a good idea to fall for your boss, but it was hard to argue with your heart. Although, in reality, she knew little about the man beyond his sexy telephone voice, professional attitude and sharp business acumen.

  Mrs. Sophia Barrington.

  Call her old-fashioned, but she loved the idea of taking her husband’s name. And her best friend, Amber, had just married her boss. Amber and Heath were so much in love.

  Was it too much to hope that some of that magical stardust might one day settle upon her, bringing her the same profound happiness as her friend?

  Of course, her friend had a distinct advantage over her. She’d actually known her bosses while Sophia had a wild passion for a man she’d never even seen in person.

  Although his picture was prominent on the company’s website, in his personal life, he didn’t have a social media present. And that meant no photos of him in more relaxed settings. According to the internet, he was all business, but she liked his work ethic.

  Yet, she knew he had a lighter side. He had a great sense of humor and often
texted her funny—but completely appropriate—gifs. They talked on the phone daily, about business, of course. But at least once a week, Mr. Barrington—although Sophia liked to think of him as Rex, even if she didn’t dare call him that—praised her efficiency and told her she was the best assistant he’d ever had.

  And just last week when he’d told her that when he returned home to Texas, after being in Brazil for the past year, he’d fly her to the main branch in Houston to attend his father’s retirement party, and afterward, he would take her out to dinner at a five star restaurant to show his appreciation.

  Dinner with the younger Rex Michael Barrington? Sophia’s toes curled at the prospect. She couldn’t have been more excited if a movie star had asked her out.

  Dreamily Sophia closed her eyes and allowed her fantasies full rein. They’d dine at White Swan in downtown Houston where the executives from Barrington Oil and Gas took their wealthiest clients. They’d drink Dom Perignon, nibble on tenderloin medallions cooked in mushroom wine sauce and have cherries jubilee for dessert.

  Afterward, Michael would invite her for a late-night stroll along the lake where the restaurant was located. Demurely she would agree. They’d step outside into the warm night air. He’d take her hand. His grip would be strong and comforting.

  They would walk for several minutes, his sexy voice rolling over her like heated body oil.

  The moon would be bright and full, bathing them in an ethereal glow. Michael would tell her how much he admired her and how much he trusted her with his life. Sophia would respond in kind, telling him he was the most industrious, responsible, empowering boss she’d ever worked for.

  Rex would stop and gently draw her into the curve of his arm. His heavenly smell, an expensive men’s cologne, would intoxicate her senses. She’d catch her breath and look up into those dark eyes, as deep brown as a Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss.

  “Sophia.” Rex would whisper her name in that throaty baritone of his and she would tumble helplessly under his spell. “I can’t tell you how much you’ve come to mean to me over the past few months.”

  “But, Rex,” she would protest, but ever so slightly, “we’ve only just now met face-to-face.”

  “That’s not important,” he would say. “And although you are a beautiful woman, your looks are the least of it. I’ve come to know the real you over the phone and through your witty texts. I trust you, Sophia Shepherd. Truly, deeply, as I’ve never trusted another.”

  “Oh, Rex.” She would sigh and he’d sweep her against his chest. His lips would come down on hers in a haunting, soul-searching kiss. A tender kiss that would make her feel comfortable, safe and secure. A kiss that held promises of happily-ever-after.

  “Good morning, Sophia.”

  Ripped from her delicious daydream, Sophia jerked her attention to the doorway.

  Mike Barr, a new hire, who worked in building maintenance, lounged seductively against the door jamb, his hips cocked forward in a nonchalant slouch, a come-hither grin curling the corners of his lips and a daring twinkle sparking in his green eyes. His longish dark brown hair was sexily mussed as if he just whisked off his Stetson before coming into the room. He wore faded Wrangler’s and a plaid western shirt that could not camouflage his muscular biceps.

  He possessed a voice almost as deep as her boss’s, but where Rex spoke in a commanding rush, Mike, the office handyman, let his words drip off his tongue like heated molasses, and he dished up compliments as readily as he changed the light bulbs.

  Despite her best intentions to the contrary, Sophia experienced a hot rush of desire instantly replace the lingering sweetness of her fantasy about her boss. Darn it! What was it about this particular man that so stirred her blood when she did not want him to?

  “Good morning, Mike,” Sophia replied evenly, refusing to give him a clue to the hot desire running through her whenever she was around him. The man need never know that although her heart belonged to Rex Michael Barrington, her fickle body seemed to prefer the cowboy handyman’s outdoorsy good looks.

  Sure, Mike was the sexiest thing on two legs. Nobody could deny that. But when a girl looked at him, what she saw was what she got. A handsome guy with no ambitions to climb higher. A guy who might be great for a few weeks of carefree adventure but one who would certainly falter when it came to long-term security.

  A footloose guy who was here one minute and gone the next with nary a serious thought for what the future might hold.

  No, Sophia could not afford to let Mike know that she found him attractive. Because that’s all it was, she assured herself. Physical attraction. Erotic longings founded on lust and nothing more.

  What she felt for Mike was the exact opposite of her feelings for Rex. Now there was a guy you could count on. Harvard educated, hardworking, energetic, take-charge, absolutely nothing like the lackadaisical, play-today-don’t-worry-about-tomorrow Mike.

  He reminded her of the old fable of the ant and the grasshopper. Rex was the ant, Mike the grasshopper. With the grasshopper you might have a heady summer filled with fun but come winter you’d starve to death, and Sophia had experienced more than enough lean winters in her life, thank you very much.

  “Morning, Miss Sophia,” Mike drawled lazily, his steady gaze flicking over her as hot and dry as the bright TransPecos sunshine swelling through the plantation shutters and flooding the carpet with dappled lighting.

  Unnerved, she placed her tablet computer over the damning legal pad in front of her. She was nervous that Mike might spy her doodles and find out about her secret crash on her boss. She could not risk an office gossip. “What can I do for you?”

  His grin widened and instantly Sophia realized her poor choice of words.

  “The question is, what can I do for you?” He moved across the room, lethal as a leopard, his smooth movements so mesmerizing, she barely noticed the brown paper package cradled loosely in the crook of his arm.

  “Excuse me?” Gulping, she stared, transfixed on his broad chest. Whenever he loped into the room it was as if her brain flew straight out the window.

  “I brought something for you.” Mike extended the package toward Sophia. “Since I was coming up here to change the tone cartridge in your printer, the mail runner asked me to bring this up.”

  “Oh?” She accepted the package.

  With her utility scissors snipped away the string. The package had her name on it but there was no return address. Odd. It had been mailed in Rascal and postmarked the previous day.

  Mike stayed, boldly watching her.

  “Is there something else?” Sophia looked up.

  His gaze crashed into hers. The man was brash and sexy and dangerous. If she weren’t careful, her heart could end up as so much carnage on the emotional highway of runaway lust. But she refused to be swayed by the romantic notion of the bad boy cured by a good woman’s love.

  A perilous myth indeed.

  Mike’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “While I’m here, is there anything else that needs my intention before I head out on lunch break?”

  Sophia recognized a stalling technique when she saw one. Mike was snooping, waiting to see what was in the package. “I’m good.”

  “You sure?”

  “Uh-huh.” A bit of perspiration beaded on her upper lip. She rolled her chair away from him and the wheels squeaked.

  “I could grease that for you.” He lowered his eyelids…and his voice.

  She didn’t know if he meant that in a seductive way or not, but it sure sounded like it. “Er…”

  He took a small can of WD40 from the tool belt at his waist. “Hop up.”

  Cripes! Why did her body break out in tingly patches whenever she was around him?

  “Speaking of lunch,” he said.

  “No one was speaking of lunch.”

  “I was.”

  “Oh.”

  “Wondering if...”

  Please, don’t let him ask me out, she prayed, terrified she couldn’t say no.

  “
You’d like to grab a bite to eat with me.”

  “I don’t think so.” Sophia shook her head and gave him a slight smile. Nothing encouraging. Pure politeness. “But thank you for asking.”

  Purposefully she returned her attention to the computer screen. Conversation over, dude.

  Mike did not take the hint. He cocked his Stetson back on his head and drawled, “May I ask you a personal question?”

  She gave a soft sigh. “If I’m not obligated to answer it.”

  His grin widened. “Fair enough.”

  “What is it?”

  “Are you seeing anyone? I’ve asked around the office and no one seems to know. You’re quite secretive about your private life, Sophia Shepherd.”

  That’s because she didn’t have a private life!

  “No mystery.” She smiled gently, not wanting to hurt his feelings with a blunt rejection. He was a nice enough guy, even if he wasn’t her type. “I don’t date people I work with. Avoids complications.”

  She swung her arm around to take another crack at unwrapping the package and to keep her eyes off Mike. Her finger caught the edge of the tablet that was hiding her doodles and she accidentally knocked it across the desk. The tablet skittered and landed on the floor.

  “I’ll get that for you,” Mike said.

  “No, don’t bother.”

  Quickly, she hurried around the desk, anxious to keep him from seeing the embarrassing doodles, but Sophia was too slow.

  Mike scooped the tablet from the floor and returned it to her desk. One eyebrow arched and he cocked his head and eyes fixed on what she’d scrawled on the notepad.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and stared pointedly at her screen saver—a picture of an inquisitive Siamese kitten in a basket of red yarn—and struggled to stay the heated flush burning across her cheeks.

  Without saying a word, Mike changed her toner cartridge and strolled toward the door. But he hesitated at the threshold and cast a backward glance over his shoulder at her.

  “Be careful what you wish for, Miss Sophia,” he cautioned. “Because you just might get it.”