“What are you doing?” he asked, tapping his hat against his thigh as he studied Molly’s guilty expression when she whirled from the pictures.
“Just looking around. This room needs a thorough cleaning,” she answered hurriedly. She didn’t want him to know she’d been paying so much attention to a family that meant nothing to her. They'd looked so happy. Had she been that happy as a child? It was hard to think back when recent events still claimed her thoughts.
She was an only child of a difficult man. Her mother had left when she was a toddler, and her father had never spent time on picnics or playing with her in the snow. Josh had been lucky in his childhood and for a moment envy rose.
“The whole place needs a thorough cleaning,” he said, glancing around the room.
Molly nodded and stepped forward. He was tall. If she used him as the hero in her book, she should probably know exactly how tall he stood. Stepping closer, she noticed her head just reached his chin. His shoulders seemed even broader when she came close like this. Her hands itched to measure the width, to feel the hardness of his muscles, to sculpt their strength.
Tilting her head slightly, she wondered how hot his skin would feel. Would it be sleek and taut over his muscles? Or was his skin covered in hair? Golden hair covered his forearms, shining against the tan of his skin. Was he covered all over, or was his chest smooth and bare?
Swallowing hard, Molly tried to move her gaze away from the man. While her perusal was for research, she found herself warming at the thoughts running through her mind.
Slowly she drew in a shaky breath and tried to remember what she was supposed to be doing.
“Are you all right?” Josh’s sharp voice penetrated the haze and she swung around to face him.
“Of course.”
“You look as if you’ve gone into a trance.”
“I was thinking of something for my story.”
He leaned forward a little until he was close enough that his breath brushed against her cheek when he exhaled. Entranced, Molly longed to reach up and touch his cheek, to trace the indentation beside his mouth, rub her fingertip across his lips and see if they were soft and warm, or hard and cool.
“I want a full day’s work for a full day’s pay,” he said.
She blinked. “Why ever would you think you wouldn’t get it? I’m a hard worker.”
“You’ve been here twenty-four hours and so far you have practically starved us and done nothing else,” he replied.
She grew indignant. “I cleaned your kitchen and went shopping for food, don’t forget. Both were, I might add, a monumental task.”
“Right, and by the amount of food you bought, you’ll be heading out again tomorrow.”
“Wait a minute. I wasn’t aware of how much you would all eat. If you will recall, Mr. Hart, I offered to show you the list when I was leaving. If you had even glanced at it, you might have seen I was a little light on some of the supplies and let me know. So if I do have to go back tomorrow, I count you as much to blame as me.”
Josh stared at her in disbelief. “You’re blaming me for your own ineptitude?”
She tilted her chin, planted her fists on her hips and nodded. “Not that I consider myself inept, just a bit inexperienced. Which you should have known.”
“My dear Miss Forrester, I expect the agency to send me someone competent and capable, not someone who has to be led around like a two-year-old.”
Glaring at him, she wanted to retaliate in words that would set him back on his heels. But nothing came to mind.
“I'm hardly a two-year-old. As soon as I get my computer hooked up, I’ll make a master list and be sure to buy more than enough of everything I need the next time I go shopping.”
A thought struck her. “But how I’ll fit it all in my car, I’m not sure...”
She trailed off. Her car had been packed with groceries yesterday. If she bought even more, she’d need to make two trips.
“Take one of the ranch trucks. You can fill the pickup bed with the groceries. That’s what the other housekeepers did.”
She frowned. “I don’t know if I can drive a truck.”
“I’ll get one of the men to show you how if you don’t think you can manage.”
“I’m sure I can manage.” Her tone was haughty, her eyes still flashed anger.
“I’m sure you can.”
His gentle tone grated. Dropping her gaze, she watched his lips move as he talked, and again wondered how they would feel against her own.
She had been kissed by different men and boys numerous times since high school. All the romance books she read made kisses sound like a most wonderful experience. She'd enjoyed kissing, but hadn't thought it was the most wonderful thing. Would Josh’s kisses rock her world?
He'd shaved that morning and his cheeks looked smooth and warm. If he kissed her, would she feel more of his face against her own than just his lips? Would his arms encircle her to pull—
“Molly!”
She jumped. “What?”
He put a gentle fist beneath her jaw and raised her face until she met his gaze. His eyes narrowed as he stared down at her in displeasure, his expression serious.
“Do you need to go back to bed?”
To bed? With Josh?
She blinked again and tried to dispel the image his words evoked.
“Why would I need to go to bed?” Was he propositioning her? She had to refuse. Didn’t she?
He groaned softly and his fist opened. His hand cupped her chin and the pad of his thumb traced the soft skin covering her jaw.
Molly shivered. She liked his touch. Her skin transmitted the sensuous sensations throughout her entire body and shimmering tingles of awareness rushed through. She had never felt like this before. Could she capture this feeling in her book, too?
“Molly, you look at me like I’m a long-awaited Christmas present. If you’re making a play for me, forget it. I’m not interested. If this is research for your damn book, find someone else to practice on.”
She jerked her head away and stepped back, embarrassment flooding her. “You told me to leave your employees alone.”
“More importantly, leave me alone.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she protested, knowing her imagination had been in full force but he couldn’t know that.
“I guess not.”
He straightened, slapped his hat against his thigh again and looked around the room, as if surprised to find himself there. “I came in to do paperwork. You need to tell me how much the pizzas cost. I’ll reimburse you.”
“No need. It is the least I can do after making such a mess of things yesterday.”
“You don’t need to buy us food.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Molly, I pay for the food on the Rafter C.”
“All right! The receipt's in my purse, I’ll get it when I finish cleaning here.”
“Fine. I have some laundry that needs doing, too.”
“Of course, I’m here to serve,” she muttered, feeling out of sorts. She needed to be alone to bring her rioting imagination under control.
“Just so you remember.”
“What?”
“That you’re here to serve. Not to go off on some writing tangent any time you feel the urge.”
Writing wasn’t the urge she felt right now. Hitting him over the head with a vase came close.
She tossed her hair and moved past him. “I know what I’m here for, and don’t think I won’t do the best job you’ve ever seen.”
“You have a way to go to prove that to me,” he mumbled, slamming his hat on his head and striding across the hall to the office.
Molly acknowledged he had a point. So far her performance hadn't been very good. But she knew more now and wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.
She ran upstairs. While she cleaned the downstairs, she’d pop his things into the washer. Hesitating only a moment, she pushed open the door to his room. Glancing around curiously, Molly studied the masculine clutter. Clothes were piled haphazardly around. The bed, rumpled and unmade, drew her attention. For a moment, she imagined Josh stretched out on the dark sheets, a golden warrior resting before the next battle. Sunlight bright and bold bathed the room in clear light.
She moved to the piles of clothes and began to sort them for the wash. She could smell horses and dust and male sweat. Her heart kicked into high gear at Josh’s scent. Strong, masculine, enticing, it kept her attention focused on him even when he was absent.
Frowning, she picked up the pile of jeans and headed downstairs. The washer and dryer were off the kitchen. She’d start the load, and begin to clean the living room.
Just maybe this job wasn’t the perfect one to enable her to write, Molly admitted as she stood out of the way of the lunch stampede. She'd made thick roast beef sandwiches for the men, three large ones each. A huge fruit salad, which had taken every bit of fruit she’d bought just yesterday, and three bags of chips, graced the table, as well. She poured hot coffee as they began to eat.
Josh arrived a couple of minutes after the rest of them and flicked a glance to Molly as she scanned the table to make sure she’d prepared enough food this time.
“Coffee?” she asked as he sat at the head.
“Yes.”
Josh sipped the hot beverage and stared at her over the rim of the cup. Flushed from the heat in the kitchen, Molly met his gaze, her eyes locked with his and she smiled before turning away.
He watched her cross the room, his gaze drifting down to the tight jeans that hugged her hips. He set his cup down with a thunk and glanced around at the men eating. Lance met his eye, looked back at Molly. Josh frowned—he didn’t need any of the men getting distracted by Molly. He stared at Lance until the foreman met his gaze again and grinned.
Josh didn’t need the distraction himself. Molly was his housekeeper until the agency sent another. Why they’d sent her in the first place was beyond him. And he didn’t like it one bit. He wanted someone more suitable to ranch life.
When Molly sat down beside him and reached for a sandwich, he couldn’t help noticing how gracefully she moved, how her hair gleamed in the kitchen light with threads of gold mingled with the brown. How her gaze moved shyly around the rough cowboys, and how easily she replied to their remarks.
For a moment, the old anger surfaced. Jeannie had charmed everyone, flirted with everyone until he’d almost exploded. When he called her on it, she’d act all hurt and upset. It had all been a game to her. One with disastrous consequences.
He studied Molly, annoyed to find her attitude more friendly than flirtatious. Her wide-eyed curiosity about ranch life appealed to the men and they were knocking themselves out to explain everything to her.
Molly felt Josh’s eyes on her but ignored him. She gave every appearance of listening to what Pete told her about shoeing horses on the range. But her attention split, only one part really listened, the other tried to figure out her reaction to Josh Hart every time he came near her.
It was odd, but she felt somehow attuned to him. She knew when he watched her, could feel the attention like a touch. She wished she dare turn and meet his gaze, hold it until he looked away first.
An imp of mischief took hold. Maybe she’d have to prove to him that she wasn’t interested in him. Maybe playing up to one of the cowboys—
Lance caught her eye, his studying her. He flicked a quick glance to Josh, back to Molly, a slow grin starting. Molly flushed. Had he read her mind? When he winked at her, she looked away. Too bad she didn’t feel the same attraction to Lance. He was handsome, tough with the men, yet had a sensitivity about him that she found immensely appealing. However, no attraction simmered between them, not like she felt with—
“If you’d like, you can come with me this afternoon,” Lance said easily. “I can show you some more of the ranch.”
“She has work to do here,” Josh growled, frowning at his foreman. “I pay her for housework, not to keep you company while you work.”
Lance grinned and shrugged. “Sure thing, boss. I just thought Molly might like to see some of the ranch, that’s all. You know, have her get to know the place she now calls home.”
“She’s not going to be here long enough to call this home,” Josh said, glaring at Molly.
The men stopped eating and stared at Josh, then Molly. Slowly, one by one, they looked at each other. Conversation lagged for several minutes, before picking up again.
Molly glared at him. There was no need for him to announce to the entire table that she wasn’t wanted.
She started to say something, thought better of it and snapped her mouth closed. If the reports from the agency were to be believed, Josh was going to have a long wait to find a replacement.
And while she didn’t plan to stay forever, she wanted to leave on her terms, not his.
She smiled at Lance. “Thanks for the offer. Maybe on my day off.”
Throwing Josh a challenging look, she dared him to deny she would have some free time. No matter how hard a boss he proved, everyone got time off.
“I’ll take you around on your day off, if you want to see the rest of the ranch,” Josh said, reaching for the coffeepot and refilling his cup.