Charlene Sands - Redeeming The Ceo Cowboy

Darn. She had to open the door. He knew she was home. She kept her curtains open to let in early morning sunshine and anyone who was looking could see her bustling about the kitchen.

Sliding her palms down her apron and straightening her ponytail, she made her way to the entrance. “I’ll answer the door, sweetie,” she said to Ally, who was busy licking chocolate marshmallow frosting off her fingers. “Not too much now. Just one bite of the cupcake.” Her mothering skills needed polishing, but at least Ally finished all of her oatmeal this morning before she got her treat.

Susanna took a deep breath, and then gave the door a gentle yank. She came face-to-face with Casey.

“Mornin’,” he said, his gaze instantly darting to the lettering on her apron. Sweet Susie’s...Tasty Pastries and More.

“Hello.” Clean-shaven this morning, his hair combed back, his eyes the deepest azure blue she’d ever seen, he wore a seriously gorgeous beige Armani suit. Wow. He hardly looked like the rough and tumble rodeo rider she’d grown up with. He gestured with his index finger. “What’s the more?”

“The more? Oh, on the apron? I do cakes and all kinds of desserts, really.”

“Keeping your options open?”

“Yes, I suppose...it makes good business sense.”

“But your specialty is muffins and cupcakes?”

“That’s right.”

“I can smell your baking from my house.” He lifted his nose and took a whiff. “Smells amazing, Susanna.”

“Thank you. I...uh, would you like a muffin or two?” If only her mother hadn’t drilled good manners into her. Last night, she’d felt like a heel seeing him come home with a bag of take-out from Burgers-N-Stuff. They weren’t the best burgers in town. Because he was Audrey’s brother, and for no other reason, she should have offered to bring him supper on his first night back in town. She glanced at her watch. She was fine on time. “I have to load up soon to make my deliveries but you’re welcome to come in for a few minutes.”

Say no. Say you have urgent business and you have to be on your way.

“Love to.”

Bummer.

He reached for the screen door and Susanna turned around and began walking. “The kitchen’s a big mess right now. I clean up after I make deliveries.”

As they entered the kitchen, Ally saw Casey and she came forward, peering curiously at him.

“Hi, Ally,” he said, bending to her level and softening his voice. “Hey, I like your shirt. Do you help Aunt Susie with baking?”

She nodded. “I frosteded two cupcakes.”

“That’s real nice.” Casey pointed to the tip of her freckled nose. “Did you frost your nose, too?”

She giggled. “No.”

“Not on purpose,” Susie said.

Ally wiped her nose and removed the frosting. Her mouth turned down. “Where’s Charger?”

“Oh, Charger’s at my house right now. He’s doing just fine, taking a nap.”

“Well deserved,” Susanna said. “You ran him for all he was worth.”

“Yeah, about that.” Casey rose to face her. “It’s part of the reason I came by.”

Her eyes shifted away from his direct look and she turned to the cabinet to grab a plate. Keep busy, Susie, and keep pretending nothing happened between the two of you. “It is?”

“I go jogging just about every morning. It didn’t occur to me that Charger would make such a darn racket in the neighborhood. He didn’t wake Ally up, did he?”

“No, I don’t think so. She slept well past the time I...looked out my window and saw you.”

He sighed with relief. “Okay, that’s good to hear.”

She placed one of each kind of muffin she’d baked this morning on a plate and gestured toward the table. “Would you like to have a quick cup of coffee with a muffin?”

“No thanks,” he said, sliding into a chair that faced her messy sink and the chipped tiles on the counter. This kitchen, as well as the rest of the house, was a far cry from the luxury Casey was accustomed to now. Audrey had told her he’d invested in a construction company years ago and after the owner retired, Casey became the new CEO. “I don’t want to hold you up. I’ll just have one of these.” He grabbed for the cranberry cheese muffin, took a big bite and chewed thoughtfully. “This is really good.”

“Thanks.” She picked up a raspberry-filled lemon cupcake and set it in a cake box. She was about to say he’d just ruined the calorie burn from his jog, but guys didn’t worry about things like that—not the way women did—and she didn’t want to sound snarky.

She closed the box and sealed it with Scotch Tape.

Casey grabbed another muffin and starting chewing again. “Mmm. What’s this one called?”

“That’s my Sweet and Sassy Caramel-Apple muffin.” When she’d tested out the muffin, she’d refined it to make the apple a little tart. Sweet and Sassy had become a best seller. Her small business needed to provide something a little different in order to survive. Competition was fierce and Susie was learning the ropes one secret ingredient at a time.

“It’s delicious.”

“Thank you.” Was there anything more awkward than having Casey sitting in her kitchen taste-testing her pastries? It was a good thing she had to leave soon and their time together would be cut short.

“So you make deliveries every day?”

“Yes, except on Sunday. I cater to the local coffeehouses and some offices. I do...just about anything that comes up. Parties, birthdays, reunions, anything I can.”

“Must be hard getting it all done.”

A chuckle blurted from her lips. “You just have to look around this place to see how well I’m doing.”

Casey blinked and his expression softened. He didn’t bother to glance around her messy kitchen counters.

Oh, boy, she hadn’t meant to say that. No one knew how she plotted out every second of every day and still didn’t have enough time to do it all. She wasn’t one to complain. She certainly didn’t want his sympathy. He just made her so darned nervous. Without giving him the chance to offer an obligatory polite answer, she asked, “Did you have something else you wanted? When you came over, I got the impression you—”

“What time does Ally go to sleep?”

Where did that question come from? Was he worried about Charger’s barking again? It couldn’t be anything else, could it? Blood pounded through her veins and she took a beat to answer. “Eight-ish...why?”

“I’d like to talk to you tonight, after Ally goes to bed.”

No. No. No. She put her head down, staring at a drop of creamy batter on the floor. “I usually call Mom after Ally goes to bed.”

“It’s important,” he added.

She didn’t want to be alone with him ever again, especially not at night, without Ally as her shield. She had to be up early. She had a headache. She had a friend coming over. Half a dozen other pitiful phony excuses entered her mind.

Finally, she lifted her lids and met his gaze. His blue eyes bored into her in a breathtaking way and all of his charming sincerity hit home. Oh, man. She couldn’t wiggle out of this without looking like a liar. Except for calling her mom to check in and say hello, she had no plans tonight. It was the same old, same old. She sighed. “Okay.”

On a solid nod, he rose from his seat and pointed to the boxes. “Where do these go?”

“In my minivan.”

“I’ll help load them.”

“No, it’s not necessary.... Don’t you have to be somewhere?” she asked. He was dressed to kill. He must have a zillion more important things to do than load up her cupcakes and muffins.

He shrugged and carefully lifted a box in his arms. “Let me worry about that. Is your van in the garage?”

“Yes, uh, thanks.”