was arguing with her.
“You can still do them. You might find someone you like better. Just, please,” she said, getting that sultry, breathless tone again, “give me a chance. What have you got to lose?” she added, touching his arm lightly with her fingertips. The contact was electric. His body tensed and heated. He wiped his damp forehead.
The interview had lost professionalism and he had lost his wits. By now she should be driving away out of his life forever. He could not recall a single time in his adult life where he had ignored judgment and common sense and let someone else take control.
It was time to be firm, positive and polite and send her on her way. He gazed into her wide blue eyes above a faint smile, enough of a smile to reveal the dimple.
Get rid of her, his inner voice commanded. He opened his mouth to tell her why he couldn’t hire her and surprised himself when he spoke.
“Jessica, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
Two
“I really appreciate this chance you’re giving me.” Jessica smiled, even though she had mixed feelings. She had argued with her friend about applying for this job. She would have preferred working for a couple. An older couple or a couple with children. Not a good-looking single guy.
But when she had turned in to the ranch, it had looked like the perfect place, exactly the peaceful surroundings she wanted in order to recuperate.
Her divorce had been a bad one, emotional for both of them. Carlton had not wanted the divorce. He wanted her back—probably to soothe his wounded ego, because it certainly wasn’t out of love for her. Her parents wanted her to go back to him. As for her, she wanted to get away from all of them, somewhere quiet where they couldn’t bother her and she could recover and let her nerves settle.
She hadn’t told Ryan Delaney about losing her baby in her second month, but that miscarriage had added to her stress and heartbreak. First finding Carlton had cheated on her from the beginning of their marriage and then losing her baby. Yes, she thought, this isolated Texas ranch, where life was quiet and laid-back, seemed the ideal spot to recuperate.
Ryan Delaney was an appealing man—that alone shook her because no male had held even a tiny degree of appeal since she had moved out and filed for divorce. How had Ryan gotten through her numbness and hurt?
Ryan’s appeal was a minus in her opinion. But he was nice, so that balanced out. He had remained professional, although if she wasn’t mistaken, she felt a spark between them, which was another reason to seek a job elsewhere. On the other hand, she had a job and a place to stay in a part of the world where no one should be able to find her.
Besides, Ryan had said they would see little of each other, and she was counting on that. First she had to get the job with her one chance tonight.
She sighed with anticipation and relief that was short-lived. When following him out of the office and into the hall, she noticed his broad shoulders and thick black hair neatly cut above the collar of his blue denim shirt. He fell into step beside her, making her aware of his height and even more conscious she might regret this job. When close to him, this breathless, tingly feeling was not welcome. She needed an obscure, remote place to settle and heal, but this ranch might not be the place at all. Fear nagged that she was making a big mistake.
“You have a beautiful home.”
“Thanks. I love the ranch. This is my getaway. I can relax here. Have you ever been to Texas?”
“Not until now.”
“Here’s the kitchen,” he said, leading her into a large room filled with what looked like the newest appliances. The kitchen was an instant draw as she looked at the practical arrangement, the excellent equipment and an adjoining comfortable living area. A tall woman with a thick brown braid turned from the sink and smiled at her. Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans with a yellow apron tied around her middle, she smiled. “Jessica, this is Gwen Grayson, who works for me. She’s in charge of cleaning. There are two more on my cleaning staff, but Gwen is here the most. Gwen, meet Jessica, who is applying for the cooking job.”
Gwen’s eyes widened as she looked at Jessica. “Welcome to the ranch,” she said, staring.
“Thank you,” Jessica replied. “I’m glad to meet you. This is a wonderful kitchen.”
“Oh, yes,” Gwen said. “Everything you can possibly need.”
“I’m showing Jessica around and then she’s volunteered to fix lunch and dinner, so you can go on with whatever else you want to do,” Ryan said to Gwen.
“I’ll be happy to do lunch,” she said.
“I appreciate that, but I want to do this,” Jessica said, smiling at Gwen, who smiled in return and shrugged.
“Ask me if you want some help.”
Jessica nodded. “Thank you. I will.”
“I’ll show Jessica where she’ll stay and she’ll be back,” Ryan said, taking her arm lightly and turning her. His touch ignited a sizzle. He released her. As she turned with him, she glanced at the bar with high stools dividing it from a connected room that held a fireplace, a pool table, and a big-screen television.
To one side of the kitchen a door stood open on a walk-in pantry that was neatly filled with supplies. At the end of the pantry was another freezer.
“This kitchen is wonderful but big enough you could cook for a U.S. Army base,” she said.
“You’ll only have to cook for me and any company I have. Also my house staff, which is Gwen, Paolina and Chiara, who clean, and Enrique and Dusty, who are maintenance. I doubt if you will see any of them except Gwen. Paolina and Chiara are off this month. Enrique and Dusty are maintenance for all the buildings. When they’re working here, they eat here. Gwen’s been filling in until I hire a cook, but she has a full-time job cleaning. I told you, I’m not here much of the time and when I am, I’m usually alone. Mainly, you’ll just cook for me.”
The idea made Jessica’s insides flutter and she wondered how much just the two of them would be together.
“If you need help finding things, let me know. Especially this first day,” he added.
“I’ll find everything I need, I’m sure,” she said, glancing up to catch him studying her with a look that made her warm and tingly.
“One more thing—my cook does the grocery shopping. I have an account and you just charge it to the account. It’s in Bywater, a nearby small town. Are you certain you would want to get out to do that task?”
“Sure.”
“It’s Bywater, Texas, and it’s a very small town. And no, it’s not by any water. I don’t know why they named it that.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
“That settles the grocery buying.” He glanced around. “I usually let my cook stay in one of the houses on the ranch, but since you’re single, I think you’ll have more peace and quiet staying here,” he said. “This way to your suite,” he said, going a short distance down the back hall to enter a suite. “Look around.
