“I want both of you involved. This is Beth’s idea, and it goes at the top of the list.”
Beth.
Kane’s wife.
The magic word.
A warm smile crossed Neil’s face, so apparently he was fond of his new sister-in-law. “Beth does love old places. We’ll make it our first priority.”
“Good. The two of you can go over the proposal this afternoon. You’ll have until after Christmas to get things moving on it before we start the formal reorganization.”
Libby’s fingers tightened on the file. She’d worked on putting the proposal together and had hoped to be assigned to the project, but this wasn’t what she’d had in mind.
“Today?” Neil asked. He cast her a sideways glance that made her squirm.
What was it about him that made her so…aware?
“Today,” Kane said firmly.
Libby edged toward the door. “In that case, I’ve got a lot to do in the meantime. Thanks again, Kane.”
“No thanks are necessary. Your contract will be ready in a few days, along with a generous salary boost. You’ll always have a place with us, Libby.” From years of working with Kane, Libby knew he was reassuring her that no matter how things turned out with Neil, her place with the company was guaranteed.
“That’s nice to hear.” She forced herself to leave at a dignified pace, only to have Neil follow her.
“It isn’t afternoon yet,” she snapped. As a rule she tried to be calmly courteous with him, but Kane’s announcement had scrambled her brains worse than an eggbeater.
“Now is as good a time as any. Kane likes the teamwork approach, remember?”
Libby practically snorted. Neil O’Rourke wasn’t a team player. He enjoyed being in charge too much for that. Thankfully, except for his brief time as acting CEO, she’d hardly seen him over the years. He’d traveled all over the world for the company, earning a reputation as a tough and able negotiator.
Too bad he wasn’t better with people. She wasn’t the only employee who avoided him; his cool direct gaze could cut right through a person.
“A leopard can’t change his spots,” she muttered, not that he’d understand. Neil honestly didn’t seem to know he had the corporate persona of a runaway locomotive, mashing everyone in his path. Kane was indulging in wishful thinking if he thought his brother would listen to anyone on how to run the new division, much less to her.
Maybe Neil was different with his family.
Maybe.
She was acquainted with two of his sisters, Shannon and Kathleen, and thought his mother was a lovely woman, but Neil was a puzzle beyond words.
A small frown creased his forehead. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, come on. Teamwork? You?”
The note of amused disbelief in Libby’s voice irritated Neil. He knew it was his fault they didn’t get along—he’d acted like an oversexed jock on the one date they’d had years ago. A naive preacher’s daughter and a former college football star weren’t a good mix. People who thought that all preacher’s daughters were wild as sin didn’t know anything. Jeez, she was practically a nun.
Yet he didn’t dislike Libby, he just didn’t think she was vice president material. She was too softhearted, an innocent with the cutthroat business sense of a newborn kitten.
“You can’t know how I feel about teamwork,” he said slowly.
“I have a pretty good idea.”
His eyebrows shot upward. “I don’t think a single date gives you that much insight to my character. Especially since we’ve hardly said ‘boo’ to each other ever since.”
It was the first time since that disastrous night the subject had been directly raised, and relief crept through him. They should have cleared the air a long time ago instead of just going their own way and avoiding contact.
Hell, he probably wouldn’t have thought about it again if she hadn’t been so damned desirable…and so very prudish with her sexy little body. If he’d learned nothing else, it was that dating co-workers was a lousy idea.
“Maybe, but it was instructive,” she snapped. Her green eyes were stormy and Neil restrained a grin. This was an interesting side to Libby; he wanted to see more. It was like watching the kitten discover she had claws.
“That was a date, this is business,” he said.
“I’ve heard about the way you work. And I saw it for myself when you were in the CEO’s office. You obviously have to be in control, no matter what.”
“Isn’t that what we all want?” he asked.
She made a disgusted gesture. “Not all of us have a fetish about it. You must be ready to chew nails over Kane making me a vice president.”
Neil wasn’t thrilled, but he’d never admit it to Libby. And since he planned to make the New Developments division the most successful in the company, he would have to deal with her one way or another. Besides, it could be a lot of fun teasing that pink color into her cheeks.
“Especially with me being a woman,” Libby added.
“What?” He scowled, no longer amused. “I don’t have a problem with qualified women in business, so don’t put words into my mouth.”
“Ah, but you don’t think I’m qualified.”
“That remains to be seen. Your qualifications, that is,” Neil said, giving her a measuring glance. Libby certainly looked the part of a career woman…now. But the day they met she’d been wearing an unstructured sweater and skirt.
That damned bulky sweater should have been his first clue, he thought irritably. It had practically screamed small-town innocent, but even the most sophisticated women had been wearing the down-home earthy look back then. If he’d known she was a naive virgin he would have stayed a thousand miles away.
“I’m sure you’ll do a fine job,” he said, distracted by the memory. Or was it the memory of sweet curves that fitted perfectly against him?
Damn. Where had that come from? Libby had a fine body—not that she did anything to advertise it—but he’d been with his share of gorgeous women. Willing women who didn’t have marriage and a baby carriage on the mind.
“Marriage and a baby carriage? What do you mean by that?” Libby demanded.
Neil winced, realizing he’d muttered the last part aloud. “Er…I was thinking about Kane,” he said. “He’s turned into a huge advocate of marriage and children ever since he met Beth.”
“Is that so terrible?”
“Depends on how you see it. I think it must be hard to keep your focus while at the same time dealing with a
