check on her. Maybe she wasn’t so invisible after all.
Maggie reined in her imagination before visions of flower arrangements and bridesmaid dresses crowded out rational thought. “Yeah,” she said, focusing on his question. “My car won’t start. I’ve called for a tow.”
Thorne nodded. “I’d offer to take a look at it for you, but I don’t really know much about fixing cars.” He sounded a little apologetic, as if his lack of mechanical acumen was a personal failing.
“Don’t worry about it,” Maggie said. “My mechanic told me a few months ago I should start looking for a new car. I guess I can’t put it off any longer.”
“Guess not,” he replied. He was quiet a moment, his expression thoughtful. “Would you like to wait inside?”
She considered the offer. It would be nice to have a little more room for her laptop, and the air inside the car was getting a little stale. But she didn’t know how Mac would feel about her hanging out in his office after hours. He had no problem with her working there while he attended to other matters on the ranch, but he might not appreciate her taking up space when she wasn’t balancing his books.
“Do you think Mac will mind if I use his office?”
Confusion flitted across Thorne’s face, then realization dawned. “Probably not,” he said. “But what I meant was, would you like to wait with me? I live in the apartment above the supply building attached to the stables, and I was just about to head upstairs and start dinner. I’ve got enough to share, and I bet you’re getting hungry.”
She was, but Maggie doubted she’d be able to eat in Thorne’s presence. The idea of sharing a meal with him in his apartment both thrilled and terrified her. What if she said or did something embarrassing? She’d never be able to live it down.
Thorne mistook her silence for reluctance. “Come on,” he coaxed. “I don’t bite.” The corner of his mouth turned up in a grin, and Maggie’s heart thudded hard in her chest. Did the man have any idea what he was doing to her?
Probably not, she thought with a mental sigh. He wasn’t the kind of man to deliberately taunt a woman, and given his down-to-earth attitude and old-fashioned manners, he likely didn’t even realize how attractive he was. His apparent ignorance of the effect he had on the opposite sex was just another one of his appealing qualities, and Maggie felt her worries recede as her desire to spend time with him grew.
“Are you sure you don’t mind the company?” She didn’t want to intrude on his personal time, even though her sense of curiosity demanded to learn more about Thorne and his life. What did his apartment look like? Was he a good cook, or would he order pizza? Most important, did he have a girlfriend?
“On the contrary, it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to while I eat. I usually only have the TV for company.”
That answered her question about the girlfriend, and Maggie couldn’t help but smile. “I know what you mean,” she said.
He turned his head and frowned out the window. “I don’t think it’s going to let up anytime soon. Want me to go grab an umbrella so you don’t get too wet?”
It was a sweet offer, but Maggie shook her head. “Thanks, but I won’t melt. Besides, that’s not really fair for you to make two trips in the rain just to spare me a few drops.”
Thorne lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. “I don’t mind.” He glanced over, eyeing her up and down appraisingly. Even though there was nothing suggestive about his gaze, Maggie still felt a chill as goose bumps popped out on her arms. “I don’t think you could get any wetter, though,” he said, a smile tugging at that delectable mouth of his.
She glanced down at her still-damp shirt and pushed a scraggy tendril of hair out of her face. “I think you’re right about that.” She shook her head, trying to see the humor in the situation. Of all the times for Thorne to notice her, and invite her in for a meal, no less! Why couldn’t this have happened when she looked more like a woman and less like a drowned cat? Doesn’t matter, she told herself sternly. There’s no help for it now.
“Ready to head inside then?” His voice was warm and inviting and Maggie nodded, happy to have an excuse to leave the claustrophobic confines of the car. It would be so much nicer to wait for the tow truck inside. But now that she was looking forward to dinner with Thorne, a not-so-small part of her hoped the tow truck driver would take his time in driving out to the ranch. After all, it wasn’t every day she got to share a meal with the object of her affections.
The man in question put his hat back on and turned to face her. “Race you to the door?” Even in the dim light, Maggie could see the flash of mischief in his brown eyes. She felt an answering tug low in her belly and nodded, already groping for the door handle.
“You’re on.”
* * *
Thorne slid to a halt a few steps behind Maggie, grateful her back was to him so she didn’t see him slip on the smooth floor of the supply building. He righted himself just as she turned around to give him a triumphant grin, and his heart thudded hard in a rhythm that had nothing to do with his near wipeout and everything to do with the woman standing in front of him.
She is so beautiful.
It wasn’t the first time he’d had the thought, and he knew from experience it wouldn’t be the last. But Maggie looked especially lovely tonight, despite her rumpled clothes and dripping hair. Any other woman would have looked soggy and bedraggled, but Maggie looked even more appealing. His eyes traced a tendril of blond hair that clung to the curve of her neck, and he wished he could follow the path with his fingertip.
Or his tongue.
Shaking himself free of the thought, he focused on her face and her big blue eyes, which sparkled with amusement. “I figured you’d be faster, seeing as how you chase down cows for a living.” She tilted her head to the side with a teasing smile.
Thorne removed his hat and brushed the raindrops away with the side of his hand. “In my defense,” he grumbled, “I’m usually on a horse.” And he usually wasn’t distracted by the sight of her curvy backside in front of him, her clothes clinging to her frame like a second skin...
This was a bad idea. But as soon as he had the thought he dismissed it. He couldn’t very well let Maggie sit alone in her stalled car while a storm raged—his father had raised him better than to ignore a woman in need. And while he might like to get to know Maggie on a more personal level, he had to keep things platonic. She was his father’s bookkeeper, and Mac wouldn’t appreciate him hitting on someone who worked at the ranch, even though she wasn’t really an employee. His father would still view it as mixing business with pleasure, and given Thorne’s parentage, it made sense the man had strong feelings on the subject.
It was no secret his mother, Livia Colton, had seduced Mac and then broken his heart. Thorne didn’t know all the details, but his mother was a devious woman who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted. Mac had been a handsome man—he still was—and Thorne figured he’d caught Livia’s eye. Livia wasn’t one for delayed gratification, nor was she willing to let a little thing like her marriage vows stop her from having fun. He didn’t know what spell she'd cast to get Mac to do what she wanted, but he was the product of that encounter.
In his more cynical moments, Thorne wondered why Livia had continued the pregnancy. He’d never bothered to ask, but he figured
