touching the floor tiles to see if they were dry, Jen walked to the phone and hit the 1 button.
“What is it, Ms. Dunning?”
Jen didn’t miss the exasperated note in Marshall’s voice. Keeping her own voice carefree and chipper, she said, “Dinner is ready whenever you are.” She paused, then deliberately added, “sir.”
“Thank you. But don’t call me that.”
His tone had lightened a bit. Jen smirked. “You’re welcome.”
“I’ll be there in a little while.”
“Take your time, it will keep. I’m going up to my place now.”
“What about you?”
She couldn’t quite read his meaning. Was he worried she wanted to dine with him? Or did he want her to? “I’ve eaten, thank you. What time would you like breakfast?”
“Is six-thirty okay with you?”
Good grief, was he actually asking her instead of telling her? “Yes,” she briskly answered, “six-thirty will be fine.” She waited a heartbeat before saying, “Good night, sir.”
Without giving him a chance to respond, Jen hit the off button, leaving the room with a jaunty step.
Two
Jen sat in a comfortable chair, sipping hot coffee while gazing around the living room in her new quarters. Though not very large, the room was cozy and would be even better with a bit of decorating.
She’d get at the cleaning tomorrow. Since she had the next three days off, she could take her time, she thought. But as she tried to make a mental list of everything she wanted to do, her mind kept drifting … to her new employer.
What was his deal, anyway? She mused, hearing an echo of his hard voice, seeing again the sharpness of his steel-gray eyes.
Tough man, Marshall Grainger. Though she had never seen him in person before, Jen had seen him in the paper and had heard about him. And there was plenty to hear—good and bad, but never indifferent.
He had married young, and divorced soon after—a sticky affair from what Jen had heard. She gathered that the young woman, a genuine beauty, had expected Marsh to introduce her into the highest social circles in Texas. But apparently Mr. Marshall Grainger wasn’t into the social scene, and never had been. So, goodbye wife—and goodbye to a large slice from his money pie.
But, rumor had it, his mother had done the same deal to his father, and Marsh was one bitter man. He disdained women, while not above using them for his own convenience.
Luckily for her she was only here to work. She had no interest in Marsh Grainger, and she intended to keep it that way. So what if he was as handsome as the day was long? Jen had never had a problem keeping her cool around good-looking men—she wasn’t about to start now.
She rose from the comfy chair and walked to the kitchen to rinse her cup. It was time to put clean sheets on the bed, have a shower and hit the sack. Breakfast for my steely-eyed boss at six-thirty, she reminded herself.
Jen had a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast and fresh coffee ready when Marsh strode into the kitchen at precisely six-thirty the next morning. Unlike most CEOs going to work, he was dressed in faded jeans, a chambray shirt and well-worn running shoes.
He looked terrific.
“Good morning,” she greeted him cheerily, dishing up the meal onto two plates.
“Urmph,” he responded as he seated himself at the solid-oak table.
Jen stifled a smile and placed his breakfast in front of him, then put her plate on a tray and started to head upstairs.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his forkful of eggs in midair between his plate and his mouth.
Gritting her teeth at his imperious tone, while reminding herself that this grouchy man was her employer, Jen managed to dredge up a pleasant reply. “I’m going upstairs.”
He motioned at the chair opposite. “Have a seat. There are a few things I want to go over with you.”
Offloading her food from the tray to the table, Jen sat and patiently watched him enjoying her culinary efforts.
“Eat,” he said, snapping off a bite of crisp bacon with his strong white teeth. “We can talk over coffee.”
They ate the meal in dead silence. Jen was tempted to speak, but she squashed the urge, determined to make him start the conversation.
As soon as he sat back and laid his napkin beside his plate, Jen was on her feet, clearing. Deliberately making him wait, she stashed the dishes in the dishwasher before pouring the coffee and then sitting down again. Wrapping her hands around the mug, she looked directly into his eyes, and was startled to find herself fascinated by the odd silvery color. She again felt that funny tingling sensation inside, deep inside, and again she didn’t like it. The feeling was too … too out of her control. She quickly looked away.
“I’ll be leaving later this morning,” he said. “I have a few business appointments. You’ll have the place to yourself for the entire weekend as I won’t be back until Monday.”
A strange relief washed through her at the thought that she wouldn’t have to see Marsh for a few days. It was mixed with a sense of disappointment that she chose to ignore. “Great,” she said. “It’ll give me plenty of time to get settled in.”
“You have no reason to be concerned about being alone here. I have—”
Jen frowned, interrupting. “Actually, I like being alone.”
Marsh leveled a cool look at her; apparently he didn’t appreciate being interrupted. “Any woman should be afraid of being alone on a property this size,” he growled. “I’m a wealthy man. That, plus the size of the place, makes it a target. In addition to a man who takes care of the horses, I have security all over the grounds.”
“I didn’t notice any security when I drove up,” she said, taking a sip of the coffee.
He gave her a wry look. “That’s the idea—you’re not supposed to notice them. But trust me, they were there, and I was notified of your arrival.”
“You have horses?” she asked, ignoring his tone.
“Yes, I have horses.”
When he didn’t add anything further, she asked, “What about the office work?”
“That can wait until Monday. I brought everything up to date before you arrived.” He lifted a hand to a breast pocket and withdrew a white bank envelope and a small black leather case. “That should be enough cash to purchase whatever you need,” he said. “The case is an alarm. If you hear or see anything that doesn’t seem right to you, press the button. There will be security here in minutes. It will also open the garage. I’m going to pull the truck out so you can park your car.”
Sighing, she reluctantly took
