Pamela Britton - Winning The Rancher's Heart

“I don’t expect you to iron. And if something needs to be dry-cleaned, I’ll take care of that myself.” He picked up the list again. “Let me know if you think anything needs to be professionally cleaned. Carpets. Drapery. And keep your eye on fixtures and whatnot. This is a new home, but things can still break.”

“Got it.”

He set the list down again. “Did my sister tell you what I do for a living?”

She sat up straighter. “Yes.”

“Good. You should know I have accounts all over the world, which means I travel a lot.”

“She mentioned that, too.”

“Although I’ve slowed down lately. I’ve made a commitment to my sister and nephew. I try to spend as much time as I can with them, although sometimes it’s just not possible—my work takes me away from home. That’s where you come in. I’ll need you to keep an eye on the place. I’ve hired someone to manage the ranch and all its livestock affairs, but he’s coming all the way from Texas and he won’t be here for a couple of weeks. Until then, the Reynoldses are a big help.”

“That’s who we should call about Tramp. Claire Reynolds has her dog rescue.” She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of that before. “She’ll know what to do.”

He nodded. “Good idea. You can add that to your to-do list.”

The phone on his desk rang again. She expected him to pick it up. Maybe start speaking in Russian or something. Nothing would surprise her with this man. Instead he ignored the call.

“Back to the security of the ranch.” He leaned toward her. “No houseguests.”

She lifted her brows. “None?”

“Not unless they’re authorized by me.”

“Not even the tooth fairy?” She couldn’t resist. He just seemed so stern.

He’d gone back to staring at her again. “Tooth fairies are the exception.”

“What about Santa?”

“Approved.”

“And the Easter Bunny?”

“Roger that.”

“My kids will be relieved.”

Lord love a duck, was there an actual living, breathing smile on his face? She’d made him smile. She had no idea why that filled her with such a sense of accomplishment, but it did.

But then the smile faded. He stared at her. She stared back, and she realized she liked him. She had no idea why. He hadn’t exactly been all warm and fuzzy. She’d spent most of their time together arguing with him and he didn’t seem to mind. Actually, he seemed to enjoy their tooth fairy conversation.

“Anyone else?” he asked, lifting a brow.

“I’ll let you know.”

“Good.” He glanced at his open laptop again. “Once you receive your laptop you’ll receive a pass code for my wireless network. Under no circumstances is it to be shared.”

“Not even with my kids?”

“They can have it, too. Just not anyone outside the ranch.”

“Got it.”

“You should also be aware that there are security cameras. They’re discreet, but they cover a wide variety of angles, so be mindful.”

“Good to know in case one of my kids gets lost.”

“Also, from time to time I’ll have guests. When that happens I’ll expect you to remain out of sight.”

Guests, hmm? Of the female variety, she supposed. That, too, made her blush because she couldn’t imagine what she’d do if she stumbled upon a naked guest.

“And I don’t think I need to remind you to keep...” He looked up at her. “What are their names?”

“Samantha and T.J. We call her Sam for short.”

“Please keep Sam and T.J. out of my house. Unless there’s an emergency.”

“They were already told, but I’ll remind them.”

“And I should probably meet them. Bring them by tomorrow.”

Without thinking, she saluted. His brows lifted. She smiled. He stared at her again, a long, drawn-out stare that made her uncomfortable.

“So that’s it for yesterday’s list. Do what you can with today’s to-do list. It should be self-explanatory. You can add calling Claire and asking her if she’ll help you with that dog.” He stood. “Let me know what she says.”

“What about cooking for you?” She tried not to fidget as she stood in front of him. “I have to confess, I’m dying to use that oven.”

He appeared to consider her words. “You won’t have to cook for me much. I like to graze more than eat big meals.”

“Not ever?” She couldn’t contain her disappointment.

“And when I do cook, I actually enjoy cooking myself.”

Once again, her mouth went slack. “Really?”

And there it was again: the soft chuff. Definitely laughter.

“Yes, really.”

“So I guess it’s back to my hidey-hole then.”

“Let me know how it goes.”

She nodded, resisted the urge to smile one last time, then turned and walked away, but as she traveled across the cavernous width of his office, her tennis shoes making nary a sound on the hardwood floors, she had the strangest sensation. He watched her. She was so sure of it that she paused at the doorway, glanced back.

Their gazes connected.

She froze. She wasn’t sure why. It was the look on his face. It wasn’t one that made her think he was attracted to her in any way shape or form. To be honest, she’d been on the receiving end of those looks more than once since Trev had died. No, it was more like she was a weed he’d spotted in the fancy hedges outside.

Her lips lifted in an automatic smile. He didn’t smile back. She turned her smile up to its full wattage. Still no response. Good heavens. The man had the personality of a wooden stick.

“See you later.”

And then he did something she didn’t expect. He saluted to her. It made her laugh. She didn’t know why, but it did, and she didn’t mind letting him hear it as she walked toward the stairs.

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