Bonnie Winn - Falling for Her Boss

Cindy had told her that Poppy’s mother died when she was only a few days old. Fate could be cruel. Here she sat, next to a child who would never know her mother, while Tessa herself would never have a daughter.

Damaged. The word was like a curse, blanketing her in desperate pain. Had Lucy Harper been similarly cursed? Because, for the life of her, Tessa couldn’t understand why their places hadn’t been exchanged. All of her own dreams had been filled with a husband and family. And for a few fleeting days, Lucy Harper had had that. Now, Tessa was sitting next to the beautiful child and silent wishes stirred the air, pierced her heart.

Just then Poppy touched her hand. Baby soft and sweet. And Tessa made herself smile, wondering if her smile would ever inwardly blossom again.

Chapter Two

Early Monday morning, Morgan studied the lengthy contract. His attorney would examine the legal wording, but Morgan had to be certain the terms profited Harper Petroleum. Big oil was still big business in Texas. And along with oil came petroleum transportation companies that were huge in comparison to his own operation. Harper was one of the few independents left not swallowed up by the deep pockets of corporate greed. And even though his company’s size made it challenging for him to stay competitive, he was determined to remain independent.

Morgan knew the names of all his drivers, gaugers, mechanics, hub and office staff. He’d never viewed them as a lump of people. Each was an individual. Nearly all had families depending on them. And all depended on Harper Petroleum for their jobs. While his company wasn’t a nonprofit, it had never undercut salaries to ratchet up the profit margin. He knew that wasn’t the case with a lot of his competitors.

With the exception of Poppy, the past four years had been a nightmare. Every day, it was a struggle to keep his head above water in the cutthroat business, while balancing home and work. He never wanted to shortchange his daughter, which was why he spent so many days working from home. There had always been a fully equipped office at the house, dating back to when his grandfather had been at the helm. But it had been used only when necessary, not as a routine practice. The offices in town, needed to impress clients, were still kept up. Entering them, no one would detect that he wasn’t often in residence.

The aching in his head increased. Try to forget, to let go. Advice that he neither asked for nor wanted was offered on a continual basis. Lifelong friends thought he should compartmentalize his feelings, allowing his love for Poppy to flow while at the same time shutting off his continuing love and grief for his late wife. His daughter was a miniature replica of her mother. Lucy would have adored her beautiful, winsome child. He could imagine the twin sets of matching eyes that twinkled, mouths that would burst with laughter.

But there had been no laughter within him since she died. Well...with the exception of when he was with Poppy. She could coax a smile from him when he was certain his heart had turned to stone. And, along with the love, he had developed a protective streak that was near manic.

He hadn’t told Tessa, but he’d run a full background check on her prior to the interview. Initially, everyone who worked at the house full-time and part-time had been with the Harper family for years and could be trusted. Since Poppy’s birth, every new hire, regardless of position, went through the same background check.

Miss Ellis had told him he was overreacting, but that was what he’d been told when he had seen the first signs in Lucy’s eyes that something was wrong. Of course she was tired, the doctor had assured him. Brand-new mothers were exhausted. But Lucy wasn’t simply tired. The aneurism that had blasted through her brain was sudden and final.

He hadn’t believed it at first. God wouldn’t be that cruel. Give with one hand and grab with the other fist. Lucy had been one of the kindest people in the world. Her death just didn’t make sense in any possible way. There was no lesson to learn, no grievance that had been satisfied. No, his beautiful wife had been snatched away just when her dearest dream, a baby, had come into her life.

A light knock on the study door startled him. He whirled around, eyebrows drawn downward, his mouth forming a ferocious frown. “What?”

“Excuse me, Mr. Harper,” Tessa began tentatively. “You didn’t say what time you wanted to begin today. I can come back if you’re busy.”

“No!” Realizing he had barked at her, Morgan made himself breathe, push the past away for the moment. “I have a contract for you to study. And it’s Morgan.”

“Fine.” She hesitated. “Can I bring you some coffee? Since it’s early?”

“Early?” Belatedly he realized she didn’t know he hadn’t slept, that he’d worked deep into the night, then progressed into the world of memories. He glanced out the windows at the weak fingers of first morning light. “You don’t have to begin this early.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she confessed. “I ran out of coffee in the cottage and thought I’d see if I could borrow a cup. I didn’t think to ask where the grocery store in town is.”

“Dorothy’s up before the sun,” Morgan replied. “And she’ll have coffee brewing.”

“She does.” Tessa held up her steaming mug.

“Of course, you saw her when you came in.” He smoothed the deepening ridge in his forehead.

“I’ve seen her up early every morning since I’ve been here.”

“Which means you’ve been up early, as well.”

His comment made her look uncomfortable. “Just restless in a new place.”

“Everything okay?”

She stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“The cottage. Is it all right?”

Again she was discomfited. “Yes—fine, I mean.”

“Don’t let me keep you,” he said as he turned toward his computer screen.

“Keep?”

“Your coffee,” he reminded her.

“I don’t know what you take in yours,” she queried.

“A touch of sugar. But you don’t have to bring me coffee. I hired you for your brains, not to be my personal assistant.”

“I’m going to get more coffee anyway,” she replied, “and I never mind bringing back an extra. It’s not as though I’m stepping and fetching.”

After she left, Morgan ran one hand over his disheveled hair. He could imagine what she’d thought of his rumpled appearance. She, on the other hand, looked perfectly polished, dressed in a deceptively simple dress that he was certain cost more than most administrative employees could afford. Perhaps she had done well in her divorce settlement.

Then again, she had been making good money at Traxton. Rather extraordinary that she would leave them after ten years just to get away from her ex.

Houston, a sprawling giant, could almost guarantee there would be no chance meetings. Unless her ex-husband had also worked at Traxton. Even so, she could have found work in Houston’s Energy Corridor or downtown. Something more had sent her scuttling all the way to Rosewood.

Must have been some divorce. Even though she hadn’t divulged the details, it had clearly been a bad experience. A flash of familiar pain traced through his gut. He couldn’t understand how anyone could throw away a marriage. What he would give to have his late wife back...

Tessa’s footsteps were light on the pine floor, then virtually noiseless on the thick woven silk rug that padded the room. The decor hadn’t changed much since his father’s day, even his grandfather’s day. A massive mahogany desk dominated the space. And his leather chair was worn in just the way Morgan liked it.

A wall of built-in bookcases held everything from a dictionary to volumes of law regarding royalty rights for the oil. Most people didn’t know it was the transportation company that calculated and paid landowners their portion of the oil revenue. Harper had an entire department devoted to that duty.