Expecting the Rancher's Child (Callahan's Clan) (4 page)

“I can relax while I work. If you care to, you can show me around tonight. I don’t mind at all.”

“Come on and we’ll look,” he said and they headed for the stairs. “Tomorrow I’ll give you blueprints and pictures, so you’ll know what I want. The workmen aren’t completely finished with construction, but they’re far enough along that they’ll finish this week. By the time you’re ready for the actual work, they’ll be gone.

“I told you about the additions earlier. Also, I had an elevator put in because my grandmother visits, and she is getting less enthusiastic about stairs. Mom has her own one-story house on the property, but she rarely spends time there. She’s in Patagonia, sightseeing with friends now, or I would have had her join us for dinner. Here we are—we’ll walk through, and then if you have questions, fire away.”

As they strolled down a wide hall, she was more aware of the tall man beside her than of her surroundings. Their footsteps in the empty, unfinished wing created a hollow sound. When they entered the first suite, she saw that the rooms would be light because of the abundant windows.

She could smell sawdust and new lumber. She was equally aware of the faint scent of Blake’s aftershave, the scrape of his boot heels on the new hardwood floors, of his nearness when he opened doors for her and stepped back to hold them.

Thankful she wouldn’t be working with him on a daily basis, she couldn’t shake the acute awareness of him. As they stood in the large living area of the suite, he turned to her. “Downstairs in the older part of the house I showed you some of the rooms. They all have formal French-style furniture, European antiques, plus one suite holds two-hundred-year-old furniture I bought at an estate sale in New Orleans.”

“The rosewood furniture that’s ornate and elegant. It’s beautiful, Blake,” she said.

“Thanks. I think so. I did that mostly for my mom because she loves that kind of furniture, and she was influential in the selection of the earlier furnishings. Up here, I’d like a change in decor. I’d like these suites to be contemporary with sleek lines, open spaces. That’s more my style.”

“That’s popular now, and there are some beautiful furniture designs available,” she said, walking through the empty rooms while he followed. “You’ll have plenty to choose from.”

“Whoa,” he said. “Sierra, I’m turning this project over to you. I want you to make the decisions about the decor—that’s your field, and I trust you totally. From here on, you take charge. Do your stuff, get it lined up and then show me. I do not want to be too involved.”

“Suppose you don’t like it?” she asked. “People usually want to see some of the early planning. You had people who checked on what I was doing at your hotel.”

“That’s because you’d never worked for us before. Now the early stages will be your deal. I’ve told you contemporary, and we’ll set an upper limit for the cost. I don’t want to be consulted until you’ve made some selections and have sketches showing how it’ll look.”

“That’s flattering, and you’re the boss,” she said. “At least you know what you want.”

“Damn straight,” he said quietly, his voice acquiring that husky note that indicated furniture was no longer on his mind. “I know exactly what I want,” he said.

“All right, Blake. I’ll see if I can please you,” she flung back at him. Her pulse raced as she turned to walk away. When she did, her back tingled, and she felt his gaze on her. Telling herself that it was probably her imagination, she had no intention of turning to see if he was studying her.

The suites in the new wing were roomy, each unique, one with arched, wide windows giving a panoramic view of his lighted pool.

As she turned, she once again caught Blake gazing at her with a lustful look. She met his gaze and the moment intensified, her surroundings disappearing, leaving only the tall, handsome man facing her.

Her heart pounded as she left the room. “I’ll move on,” she said over her shoulder without glancing back.

They had only started looking and had the rest of the wing to finish. She drew a deep breath, determined to keep her mind on business. Not so easy when she was beside him or when she caught him looking at her with unmistakable desire.

Again, she was grateful that he didn’t live on the ranch full-time.

They looked at suites with large rooms, lots of glass and open spaces, big walk-in closets and bathrooms large enough to hold several pieces of furniture besides the usual bathroom equipment. She could envision some beautiful suites.

“You’ll have a hotel when you finish,” she said, amused. “This would even be big for my family.”

He smiled. “I like plenty of room. I do have company, and I have family now, thanks to Cade and my other half brothers. When they come to visit they need their own space. I told you before, Nate is married. He’s two years younger than Cade. He has a beautiful wife and a beautiful little baby daughter who is about two months old. They are back east right now, visiting her parents.”

“Is Cade the one close to your age?”

“Yes. Cade is the Callahan I know best. He’s the oldest of the three. Gabe is the youngest.”

While they talked, she gazed into his dark brown eyes. She was aware of how close he stood, and she considered initiating conversations only when standing across the room from him. This intense reaction was unique, disturbing and something she couldn’t understand. She turned to walk away, reminding herself to keep a professional distance between them.

“That’s it,” he said finally when they finished. “It’s early. Let’s go downstairs and talk for a while. You’ll live and work in my house temporarily, so we might as well get to know each other.”

She knew now was the moment to politely decline, but looking into his midnight eyes, she couldn’t. “For a while,” she said, unable to resist accepting his invitation. What was it about him that held so much forbidden appeal?

As they walked downstairs, he asked, “Want anything to eat or drink? We have desserts, more ice cream and an after-dinner liqueur. What would you like?”

“Just a glass of ice water, please,” she said.

They went to the sitting room at the back of the house, and he stepped behind the bar to get ice water for her and a beer for himself.

As she sat in a straight wingback chair, he sank down on a large brown leather chair facing her, sipped his beer and set it on a table. “Do you plan to stay with the nonprofit, or will you go back to decorating someday?”

“I plan to stay where I am. A project I have dreamed about is finding foster parents for homeless kids—now with the funds you provided, maybe we’ll be able to start that program. You would have room to take one,” she teased.

He gave her a startled look and then smiled, the corner of his mouth lifting a fraction. “That’s commendable, but a little kid right now wouldn’t fit in with my lifestyle.”

“Nonsense. You can hire nannies, maids and tutors, whomever you need.”

“I think you’re yanking my chain. If I take in a child, it won’t be to turn them over to staff to raise.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said, not telling him he surprised her. He didn’t look the type to be interested in child care. “My brother and sister-in-law have a two-year-old foster child right now. They’ve already started adoption proceedings, and the agency is helping them. She’s a precious baby.”

His black eyelashes were thick, slightly curly and added to his handsome looks. Was it going to be difficult to work for him? Even if he weren’t her boss, his cynicism didn’t fit her worldview. Perhaps his dad’s rejection had brought about Blake’s sour opinion of people. She couldn’t expect any of her arguments to change his mind. Because of that, she didn’t want to get involved with him, no matter how intense his physical appeal.

“Is this your brother’s first child?”

For an instant she stared at him blankly, and then remembered their conversation. “No, she isn’t. They have three other girls and a boy.”

“That’s overwhelming.”

“Not really. They wanted a family, and they have one they shower with love, but they feel they have room for another baby.” She paused. “You said you’re not planning on marriage anytime soon…”

“Not even remotely. I’m wound up in my career, and I’m not a family man at this point in my life.” He paused as if lost in thought while he shook his head. “Right now I don’t want a serious relationship. If I ever get romantically involved, I’ll have to give it a lot of thought and time before I make even a small commitment. You don’t sound as if you’re into serious relationships, either.”

“That’s right. I suppose for the same reasons as you. I’m immersed in my job and want to build our agency. Since I’m single, I can devote a lot of time and energy to getting things going. Also, with the money from you, we can get our programs on more secure footing and increase our outreach. You should try my profession sometime,” she said, half in jest.

He was too cynical about people to get involved in the details of helping others, but maybe she could make him see the good she was doing, the good his money would be doing. “You’ve already helped, but you could help more, maybe even on a small scale. You could easily start a program on your ranch for homeless kids, and you wouldn’t have to involve yourself any more than you’d like to get involved.”

He gave her another crooked smile. “Don’t try to talk me into saving the world. That isn’t my thing. I give in plenty of ways.”

“How much do you give of yourself, Blake? Try just once, and maybe you’ll see why I feel the way I do. Maybe you’d see the goodness in people.”

“Money will be a bigger help than my presence.”

“Blake, I’ve never known anyone so cynical.”

“Call it cynical. I call it realistic.”

Her gaze lowered to his mouth. What would it be like to kiss him? When she glanced up, his brown eyes were intent on her, as if he could guess her thoughts. She felt her cheeks grow warm. As she turned away, she heard a clock chime. “My word, it’s one in the morning,” she said, picking up her empty glass. “I need to say good-night.”

Standing, he grinned. “You don’t have to be anywhere at any specific time. You’re in charge of the schedule. As for me, I’ll be up and out of here before dawn, and then I’ll come back to answer any questions you have about getting started.”

“Thanks for your confidence in me. You’re leaving lights on,” she said as he walked beside her.

“I can turn them all off from my room when I turn on the alarms.”

As they climbed the stairs, they talked about the new wing. He stopped with her in front of her door and turned to face her. He stood close, once again holding her full attention. She forgot the hour, the place, everything around her. She forgot the incredible differences between them. All she was aware of was the handsome man facing her with an expression that made her heart race.

He reached behind her head, moving languidly, his fingers working at the silk scarf knotted behind her neck. Each faint brush of his warm hand against her nape stirred tingles. He tugged lightly, and her hair fell free with long strands tumbling slightly below her shoulders.

Sinking in brown eyes, she couldn’t get her breath and her heart drummed.
Step away…step away…
repeated steadily in her thoughts, a silent warning that she couldn’t possibly heed. His mesmerizing eyes sent another message. He intended to kiss her.

Never before had she crossed that invisible line between business and pleasure, but she couldn’t back away now or even dredge up a protest.

“I don’t know why we have this volatile chemistry between us,” he said in a husky voice, “but we do. It’s impossible to ignore. Sooner or later, I’m going to kiss you. I figure it might as well be sooner and get this attraction settled,” he said as he slipped an arm around her waist.

Why couldn’t she walk away right now—set the right precedent? Common sense whispered that now was the time. This was what she had intended to avoid, yet she couldn’t pull away.

Her heart clamored for his kiss. Curiosity made it inevitable. With the hot attraction between them, what would it be like to kiss him?

She couldn’t answer her own question. She had to take the risk to find out.

THREE

I
mmobilized by his declaration, Sierra felt her heart thud. She placed one hand lightly against his forearm, feeling the hard muscles that indicated physical labor. He definitely did not spend most of his time in his Dallas office.

He stepped closer, and then leaned down as she finally managed to whisper, “We shouldn’t—”

He brushed her lips with his, a faint, feathery touch that stirred a longing for more. Her insides heated while her heart pounded faster.

“We shouldn’t,” he whispered, “but we’re going to.” He kissed her before she could say anything else.

For a second she stiffened, and then she slipped her arm around his shoulders and placed her hand at the back of his neck while she kissed him in return. With his tongue stroking hers, he drew her tightly against him. He was solid, flat planes of rock-hard muscle against her softness.

She tumbled into heart-thudding passion. For a moment all caution vanished, replaced by yearning for more of him. She wanted to touch and kiss him, to forget all her warnings to herself. She longed to let go and make love. What chemistry did they have that set this sizzling desire burning between them?

His kiss stopped logic and caution, and made Blake the most desirable man she had ever met. It created a bond between them that she couldn’t easily—if ever—forget.

How long did they kiss? She didn’t know, but finally common sense resurfaced.

Gasping for breath, she stepped back. He was also breathing heavily, gazing at her as if he had never seen her before. A sinking feeling enveloped her. She had opened the proverbial Pandora’s box.

“We have to forget that happened,” she whispered.

“There’s no way in hell I can forget that kiss,” he replied.

“You’ll have to. We’re working together. The dinner was wonderful. Good night, Blake,” she said, then stepped into her suite and closed the door.

Her heart pounded. How was she going to work with him? How could she keep from falling in love with him? She had left her last job not only to pursue her dreams but also to get away from a sexual situation with her employer. Now she had taken a job where she had a far bigger problem with her employer—she wanted him.

The fleeting thought of quitting was gone as fast as it had come. His donation was too big, the possibilities too great to turn him down.

She would just use caution and stay away from him. He was a busy man with many interests and friends, including women who should be far more appealing to him than Sierra was.

Taking a deep breath, she walked through her suite to get her cotton pajamas and get ready for bed. She couldn’t imagine sleeping. Every inch of her body tingled. An intense longing to be in his arms was paramount and hopeless to try to shove out of her thoughts. Her lips still tasted of him, and it was as impossible to forget his kiss as it was to ignore the electrifying attraction between them.

Could he sleep? Or was he tied in knots with desire too?

She couldn’t think about what Blake felt—that would only make the situation worse. She hoped he realized they both needed to back away. Blake was a charmer, but his deepest feelings and views on life were the opposite of hers. He was hard, cynical and didn’t believe in the goodness of others. During dinner he had talked about his feelings on commitment and the career she’d left behind. He didn’t understand her views at all.

For her own good, she had to stop this before it went any further.

She had hoped to avoid ever getting into a sticky situation with a boss again. Yet going against all logic and planning, she had kissed Blake—but she had no intention of letting that kiss escalate.

There had been attraction with her last boss, Alex Deagens, too, but it had been more about friendship. She’d liked Alex—until the night their relationship changed.

They had worked late at the office and were the only people there. Alex had kissed her. When he paused, holding her, he’d told her he would get her a fancier apartment and promote her to vice president if she slept with him.

Shocked and betrayed by his proposition, she’d refused and left in haste.

Feeling gullible and foolish, she’d spent a sleepless night. First thing at the office the next day, she turned in her resignation. Within the hour she was told by someone from Human Resources that her resignation had been accepted immediately and she did not have to stay the rest of the month as she had offered.

That experience with Alex shook her judgment about men, and afterward she had backed away from getting involved with anyone romantically. She didn’t accept dates.

Even so, she still believed anyone could change. Her new career allowed her to focus on the good in people, and occasionally provided the chance to offer life-changing acts of kindness. That absorbing work, plus moving back to Kansas City to be close to her family, kept Sierra too busy to miss not having a social life outside of her family. But now she was here with Blake. This was a man for her to avoid. Already she knew any emotional entanglement with him would only end painfully. By placing monetary success above helping the less fortunate, he missed out on the best parts of life.

She thought about his father abandoning him when Blake had been a baby—a hurt that had to have left permanent scars. No little child could understand a father who walked away. That had to have been devastating, and perhaps was the reason Blake seemed to be tough and hard. Again, she was thankful for her loving father, a man who had always been a part of his children’s lives.

She needed to get this job done and get home, away from Blake and the consuming attraction that resonated between them.

Business and pleasure didn’t mix well. He was her boss, albeit a temporary one, and she needed to remember that. She had to stay professional, get the work done and go home where she could forget him.

And forget their kiss. Hopefully Blake already had.

* * *

Blake left for his gym and indoor pool. He swam laps, hoping the activity, the cold water and the lateness of the hour would combine to drive Sierra out of his thoughts and cool his body.

The hot chemistry they’d felt since the first moment seemed guaranteed to fulfill its promise of passionate, raw sex—at least as far as their kiss was concerned. He still burned with longing to make love to her. Kissing her had not eased his desire for her at all. Instead it set him on fire with need for more. If she was responsive with a kiss, what would she be like in bed?

The thought tied him in knots and promised a night of little sleep.

Of all the women he had known, she was the most unlikely to generate lusty longings. She was the daughter of a minister, a lifelong do-gooder whose goals were foreign to him. How could she give up a brilliant, successful career for one with so little return? Her income would be only a fraction of what it could have been. Why would she want to live that way and make such unnecessary and thankless sacrifices? He knew too well the bad blood that could arise between people, the lasting hurt that could be caused. The only thing he trusted was his bank account—something that gave solid returns, including power and a fortress against hurt from trusting the wrong people.

He didn’t need or want a future with Sierra. All he wanted was to seduce her, to get her into his bed and make love for hours, to find out if that sizzling chemistry would take them all the way.

Thinking about her, about their kiss, aroused him. Never in his life had he experienced the same intensity of attraction, and it made no sense to him.

With a groan he swam faster, trying to get her out of his thoughts, to wear himself out and cool the hot longing that tormented him.

As much as he wanted to make love to Sierra, he knew the sensible thing would be to stay away from her. Let her do her job and go back to her charity work. That was the intelligent thing to do because she would want commitment. This was not the woman for him, not even for one wild night of making love. His body wasn’t listening to his brain, though. In spite of knowing what he should do, he still wanted seduction.

He continued swimming until he was exhausted. After he showered and dressed in the gym, he ran five miles on the treadmill. Hoping he had done enough so he would drop into bed and be asleep in two minutes, he returned to his suite.

He passed her door and remembered both kissing her and her response with vivid clarity. He had a sinking feeling sleep was a long way off.

* * *

Blake slept a couple of hours and woke long before sunrise. He dressed, grabbed a bite of breakfast and left the house as if chased by goblins. He needed hard, physical labor, or at least to be outdoors and moving around, to work with others who would take his mind off Sierra.

As he walked his land by the light of the moon, he wondered whether she had slept. Would she be able to concentrate on work? He had to laugh at himself. His kiss might not have unnerved and aroused her to the same extent as it had him. She might have slept peacefully and right now be working away without a thought about him.

“Pompous jackass,” he called himself quietly. “Forget her.”

She was an employee, and he needed to keep a professional relationship with her. Actually, he needed to stay the hell away from her. He had already paid her a ridiculously exorbitant sum and committed himself to donating to her agency for the next three years—he should have left her office and pulled his wits together before he wrote those checks. He could imagine his accountant’s questions. The only honest reason Blake had paid such princely sums was because he wanted to see more of her. There wasn’t any other way to explain it. If he kept pursuing her, what other mistakes would he make?

Blake swore quietly. She had jumbled his thought processes—something he couldn’t recall happening with any other woman. He couldn’t understand himself and the reaction he had to Sierra. She was a gorgeous, appealing woman, but he was friends with more than a few who fit that description. And she was definitely not his type.

But if she was so much not his type, why couldn’t he shake her out of his thoughts?

* * *

Later that morning, Blake drank coffee and ate a muffin, leaving the house and intending to find some kind of ranch work that was so demanding, he wouldn’t think once about Sierra.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m., he returned, showered and went to find Sierra so they could go over the blueprints for his new wing.

When he knocked lightly at the open door of her suite, he saw her standing in the office. Smiling, she motioned him to enter.

“Come in.”

“Good morning,” he said.

With a lurch to his insides, his gaze swept over her, taking in her hair pinned high on her head. Her pale blue shirt and coordinating slacks heightened the blue of her eyes. He wanted to cross the room, wrap his arms around her and kiss her into a frenzy of desire.

Instead, he paused at the door of her office, glancing beyond her to see the monitors showing the floor plans of various rooms in his new wing.

“You’re already at work,” he said. “Did you have breakfast?”

“Oh, yes. Etta was in the kitchen and I had a delicious breakfast—eggs Benedict, melon and berries, and orange juice. I assume you were out working.”

“Yep, I was. How’s it coming here?” he asked.

“We’re just getting started. Let’s look at each suite and you tell me if there’s anything I need to know,” she said, walking to the computers and pulling a chair close so they could look at the same monitor.

He still intended to let her make the decisions, but he sat beside her because he wanted to be close to her, and this was the only way. He caught a faint whiff of her perfume, something light, barely discernible, yet enticing. Everything about her was enticing and he inhaled deeply, trying to focus on what she was saying to him. He looked at her long, slender neck, fighting the urge to run his fingers lightly over her skin and trail kisses under her ear.

With an effort he studied the computer screen and tried to squelch all lusty inclinations—a hopeless ambition when he sat only inches from her. The chemistry between them shook him.

With grim determination he stared at the monitor and tried to forget that she sat beside him. She seemed unaware of their attraction this morning, but he wondered what would happen if he brushed her hand with his or leaned closer when he asked her a question.

Unable to resist, he decided to find out. “Shift to the west bedroom,” he said.

When she paused to find the one he was talking about, he placed his hand over hers and moved the mouse. “There,” he said. He pointed to a balcony off one of the bedrooms. “This is on the west, and I’ve ordered an awning for it. Out here in summer that afternoon sun will be fierce.”

He was barely thinking about what he told her. He had heard her quick intake of breath and knew she was responding to the physical contact, just as he had.

The knowledge was electric. He wanted to forget business and kiss her again, but he could not and would not.

For the next hour he maintained a professional manner, keeping his distance. She managed to be just as cool and detached, and if he hadn’t heard her deep breath when his hand covered hers earlier, he would think that she barely noticed him as anything other than her client. They would not have a lot of time together before she would be working on her own and then going back to her Kansas City office. Once the job was over, he wouldn’t see her at all.

He turned to her. “While you’re here, you might as well see a little bit of Texas, some local life. Do you eat barbecue?”

Smiling, she nodded. “Yes, and I imagine Etta is as good at cooking barbecue as she is at cooking prime rib.”

“She is, but this time it won’t be Etta’s cooking. There’s a rustic barbecue restaurant in a small town near here. I want to take you. How about this Thursday night, since you said you’re leaving Friday?”

Something flickered in the depths of her eyes, and there was a few seconds’ hesitation that made him think she would refuse, but then she nodded. “Barbecue Thursday night sounds great,” she answered cautiously.

It had been a spur-of-the-moment invitation, but now his anticipation grew because she had to have debated with herself whether or not to turn him down—and she had said yes.