she stuttered, “excuse me.”
“Nothing to excuse. You’ve saved the day.” His low voice was as sexy as those muscles.
“Hardly.” She eased past him. She’d worked too hard to nab this job to let wayward attraction derail her.
In sync, they sank back onto the pool steps, side by side, his thigh against hers.
“Thanks for getting Nugget,” he said gruffly, taking the squirming dog from her with one hand. Not a puppy at all, but a full-grown small-breed dog. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said breathlessly, wondering why she didn’t move away. “How’s your cast?”
“Fine, no worries.” His injured arm rested on the edge of the pool, the soaked mutt tucked under his other arm. “I appreciate your assistance out there. Nugget slipped into the pool as we were coming in from a walk. He got disoriented and couldn’t find the steps.”
This scraggly little brown scrap was his? She would have expected this man to have some large breed, a hunting dog maybe.
What other surprises did this Alaskan oil baron heir have in store?
“Glad to have been of service,” she said.
“And you are?” He lifted an eyebrow, his gaze flickering ever so quickly over her wet shirt. Not lingering so long to be offensive, but just enough to relay interest.
And he didn’t know who she was.
Awkward.
She should have realized... “I’m your new housekeeper, Tallulah Benson. People call me Tally.”
His smile faded, and he stepped from the pool. When he stood, water dripped from his soaked jeans. Denim clung to one of the best butts she’d ever seen.
“Ah. Tallulah Benson. Right. You’re the person my doctor and stepmother conspired to hire.”
Conspired? His stepmother—Jeannie Steele—had implied she was merely helping him with the interview process. Tally rose, the enclosed area not as warm now that she was drenched. “I was under the impression your arm limits mobility for certain tasks.” She cast an exaggerated glance at the shimmering waters. “Such as swimming.”
“I would have managed,” he said on his way to a set of shelves with stacks of folded towels. “Worst-case scenario, the cast might have needed to be replaced.”
“No doubt you would have been just fine.” Provided he hadn’t slipped. “But you don’t have to manage. Are we going to stand here and catch pneumonia while we argue, or am I hired?”
“Hey, I’m sorry to be a bear.” He pulled a tight smile, flexing his hand at the end of his cast. “I know this isn’t your fault. You’re just doing your job.”
“So happy we’re finally on the same page about my working here.”
“For six weeks. But just so we’re clear, I’m not incapable of taking care of myself.” He opened a large cabinet and pulled a towel free, wrapping up the shivering pup.
“Understood. And I’m not a nurse. I’m here to clean and cook for you.” She grinned, crinkling her nose. “And save your puppy.”
The glimmer of humor in his dark eyes sparked a hunger deep in her belly. She’d been so busy working the past couple of years to make ends meet, there’d been virtually no time for dating, much less something more intimate. Not that it was a possibility with her boss, especially not this boss. She was holding on to secrets about her father’s role in his family’s tragedy.
“Please help yourself to the towels. I would get one for you, but I’m limited these days.”
She reached past him for the fluffy terry cloth, more to shield herself than to dry off. Her breasts were beading with awareness, much to her embarrassment. Hopefully he would chalk it up to the cold weather. She prided herself on her professionalism. She might not be from an oil-rich family like him, but she was proud of her work. Of the life she’d built all by herself.
Life hadn’t been as easy for her as it had been for Marshall Steele, born with money and good looks.
She hugged the plush towel.
An awkward silence fell between them, a truly inauspicious start to her first day on the job. This man—his well-being—was a part of her job description.
“Are you all right? Did you get your cast wet or slip before I arrived?” she asked. “We should get you checked out by the doctor.”
“You’re not my nurse, remember?” He tossed her words back at her. “And you don’t look anything like a Tallulah.”
He’d been expecting someone more...formal perhaps? There wasn’t much she could do about that right now. But she would earn his respect with her job performance. “Well, I guess that’s why people call me Tally.” She smiled. “The service said you’d asked for live-in help over the Christmas season while your arm heals.”
“Live-in?” He tossed aside the damp towel and wrapped a fresh one around the dog. “I was expecting day service.”
“It’s a long drive from town, especially if the weather’s bad, which is typical this time of year.” She struggled to keep the panic out of her voice, her teeth chattering. “I was told there would be room and board included.”
“My stepmother overreached. Just because she’s been married to my father for a few months doesn’t give her the right to schedule my life.”
A cold knot started in her stomach. Tally had heard rumors that things were strained blending families when the Steele patriarch had married the widowed matriarch of their business rivals, the Mikklesons. The news had been full of bumps in the road as the Steeles and Mikkelsons merged their companies into the Alaska Oil Barons.
Tally needed to make him understand her need to stay here. “I’ve already sublet my apartment to an older couple from Kansas who want an extended Alaskan Christmas.”
“Sounds like you’re in a pickle.”
His dismissive tone set her teeth on edge. This wasn’t a game to her. This position was crucial to her finally putting her past to rest. She needed to keep the job, and she didn’t have the disposable income to just find another place to live. Never again would she be flat broke and vulnerable.
“I signed a contract. It clearly states room and board are included.”
“I’ll reimburse you, and you can stay in a hotel.” And still he hadn’t opened the door into the house.
Someone as wealthy as Marshall Steele couldn’t possibly understand what it felt like to have no one to depend on, no options.
“Your stepmother will be upset.” She searched for the right tone to persuade him to go along with Jeannie Mikkelson Steele’s plan. “She seems like a very caring person with your best interest at heart.”
“And she’s your boss.”
“No.
