him last night that had caused him to brave rejection by inviting his visitor home with him? And why had she said yes?
By the time he was out of the shower, he’d firmly resolved to get some of his questions answered. But first, maybe he ought to shave. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. He could pass as Blackbeard the pirate at the moment. Not exactly what he’d had in mind for a dress code—even for his new vacation-style way of life.
Shaving took longer than usual. Damn, he wondered how long it had been since he’d bothered?
He also noticed his stomach growl a couple of times. He hadn’t been hungry in a long time. Maybe it had something to do with that horrible herbal drink.
He returned to the bedroom and slipped into a pair of briefs and a faded pair of jeans. He grabbed a pullover shirt out of the drawer, one of the last clean ones, and reminded himself to wash some clothes today.
When he opened the bedroom door he smelled the scent of bacon and coffee. A heavenly combination if he’d ever smelled one. He followed his nose into the kitchen area and discovered the small table there had been set for two.
“My, don’t you look nice,” the woman said when he walked through the door.
Dan rubbed his chin self-consciously. “Thanks,” he muttered. He looked at the table. “Uh, this is really nice of you, but you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“It’s no trouble.” She poured a glass of orange juice and handed it to him. “How do you like your coffee?”
“Mmm, black.” Dan couldn’t figure this out. He could swear he didn’t know this woman and yet she was acting as though they’d lived together for years.
He sat down and she placed a steaming plate of food in front of him. His stomach did a little flip and he closed his eyes. “I’m not sure—” he began, but she cut him off.
“Eat. It’s the best thing for what ails you. You’ll be amazed how much better you’ll feel once you get something solid inside you.”
He rubbed his forehead, where little sledgehammers still tapped rhythmically. He wasn’t up to the argument. He picked up the coffee as soon as she set it down and sipped.
Ah, that definitely helped.
When the woman sat across from him he forced himself to meet her eyes. He got caught up in their size and shape and color. Large and black and slightly tilted, which gave her a very exotic look. He gave his head a quick shake. What difference did it make what her eyes looked like?
“I’m a little hazy about last night,” he finally muttered.
She gave him a brilliant smile. “Oh, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for, Dan. You were wonderful! I’ll never forget it.”
He leaned back in his chair and looked at her with irritation. “Wonderful, huh?”
She nodded with enthusiasm and began to eat.
“Exactly what did I do that was so wonderful?”
That seemed to give her pause. She finished chewing, took a dainty sip of juice—which triggered another memory—of her sipping from a wineglass—before looking at him with eyes that sparkled in the morning light. “Well,” she said slowly, “I don’t know how I could single out one particular thing.” She gave a little wave of her hand.
“Try,” he replied, deciding to nibble on a little of the toast and bacon. He took a bite and was relieved to find it not only tasted good, but also had a very good chance of staying down. He was encouraged.
“Well, you just—sort of—swept me off my feet. I couldn’t resist you. I—” She paused and watched him munch on a piece of toast. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“Not a word,” he assured her, taking a bite of egg with bacon.
“Oh.”
“So what is this all about? Who are you and why are you here?”
She studied him for a long moment, then sighed. “You really don’t remember, do you?”
He finished off the egg and another piece of toast before he said, “I remember enough to know that I was neither irresistible nor able to sweep you off your feet. I was doing well to navigate with my own two feet.”
She laughed.
It caught him off guard. She had a delightful, husky chuckle that felt like little fingers running up and down his spine. He straightened and reached for another piece of toast.
She jumped up and returned with the coffeepot, refilling both their cups.
When she sat down again she leaned her chin on her hands and asked, “Do you remember Buddy Doyle?”
He stared at her, for the first time wondering if she was a mental case. If so, he would have to handle her very carefully.
“Buddy Doyle?” he repeated.
“Uh-huh.”
“The only Buddy Doyle I know was a guy I knew back in high school. He was one of the best—and the biggest—defensive linemen on our football team for three years running.”
She smiled, as though delighted with him. “That’s Buddy. I’m his kid sister, Shannon.”
“Buddy Doyle is your brother.”
“Yes.”
“And what does Buddy Doyle have to do with your being here with me?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“I see.” He wished to hell he did. This was becoming more bizarre with every moment.
“I was behind you a few years in school,” she prompted.
“You’re from Wimberley?”
“That’s where I attended school. We had a ranch south of there.”
Dan’s ranch was north of Wimberley. He didn’t remember Shannon at all. He would definitely have remembered her if they’d gone to school together. She was not the type of woman a man could easily forget.
“So what are you doing here?”
“Well, I’ve recently moved back to Texas, and I was looking for a job. I answered an ad in the Austin paper and discovered that you were the owner of the company, but that you were away on vacation. I thought that since I hadn’t had a vacation in a few years, myself, I would come down to the island for a few days. You can imagine my surprise when I saw you at that bar last night. It was like fate had thrown us together.”
He carefully placed his utensils on his now empty plate and folded his arms. “Let me get this straight. You’re here to interview for a job?”
Her infectious laugh cascaded in musical peals around him. “Oh, no. I’m going to enjoy the island for a while. I’ll wait until you get back to Austin to set up an interview.”
“I
