At His Service: Flirting with the Boss: Crazy about her Spanish Boss / Hired: The Boss's Bride / Blind Date with the Boss

“But you’d prefer not to talk about him.”

“Did I say that?” he challenged.

“You didn’t have to.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “What would you like to know?”

She hunched her feminine shoulders. “Only what you’re willing to tell me.”

His guest said and did everything right. “Let’s take a walk outside before the heat becomes too intense. I have something important to discuss with you. Do you need to go back to your room first?”

“No. I’m ready.”

A woman who didn’t fuss. She was a rarity in too many disturbing ways.

He opened the door for her, unable to avoid breathing her fragrance as she moved past him to step outside. His eyes took in the exciting mold of her body before he caught up to her.

“Where are we going?” she asked without looking at him.

“If you’re up for it, I’d like to go as far as the mill house I showed you yesterday.”

“I’d love it. I’m a tour guide who’s not used to such inactivity. It’ll feel good to stretch my legs.”

Remi immediately pushed the thought of her legs away.

They walked around the side of the main house. “His name is Javier.”

“Older or younger?” she asked without missing her stride.

“Younger by thirteen months.”

They kept on going. He paced his steps so she could keep up with him.

“I take it he’s not on the estate. Where does he live?”

“That’s a good question.”

She slowed down and turned toward him with a stunned expression. “You really don’t know?”

They’d reached the shade near the old olive press. He stared down at the woman looking so intently at him with her uncovered eye. He rubbed the back of his neck absently.

“Aside from two chance encounters, I haven’t seen him since the day my wife ran off with him two years ago.”

Jillian felt like someone had just run her through with a Toledo sword, the kind tourists paid a great deal of money to possess.

How did anyone recover from such a profound betrayal?

Much as she wanted to comfort him the way he’d comforted her over the last few days, she knew he would see it as a gesture of pity. Since she despised being the object of that horrid emotion, she kept her hands and arms to herself.

“You did ask,” sounded a voice, so dark and hollow, it could have come from an underground cavern.

“That’s me,” she muttered in self-deprecation. “Fearless.”

Without waiting for him she began walking again. He followed at a short distance until they reached the barn. She wished she were alone. Right now she was bleeding all over the place and there was nowhere to hide.

“I’ve had a year longer than you to deal with my emotions, Jillian.”

That was meant to reassure her? If she’d had a sister who decided to run off with Kyle …

She swung around to face him, trying to imagine his anguish. “The difference is, up to the minute I lost my husband we were very happy, and I still have my brother w-while your bro—”

Jillian couldn’t go on. She couldn’t comprehend the magnitude of his pain. How did anyone handle that kind of hurt? Without conscious thought she moved inside the spacious barn where she attempted to recover her composure. He was pacing.

“Were you married a long time?”

He stopped. “Ten months.”

Such a short time … What woman in her right mind would leave Remi? As far as Jillian was concerned, neither his brother or his wife were worthy to breathe the same air he did.

“Were you and Javier in business together?” she asked before she could stop herself.

“Si, Senora.”

In that case it wasn’t the drought problem alone. Remi had been forced to recoup his father’s losses without Javier’s help while at the same time dealing with the bitterness and heartache of losing the woman he’d married. She’d gone away with his own flesh and blood—It was too awful.

Jillian sucked in her breath, wishing she hadn’t asked him if he had brothers. The answer had torn her apart. To delve any deeper into his personal life could only bring him more grief. It was time to change the subject.

She hugged her arms to her waist. “Now that we’re out here, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

In the semidarkness she could feel his eyes scrutinizing her. “Much as I dislike the idea of doing anything other than what I know, I need to safeguard the future of the estate with another source of income.” After a pause, he said, “Needless to say it won’t be crops.” He was talking as if she weren’t there.

Jillian had already gathered that. She lifted her head and waited.

“It’s strange that on the same day my accountant again brought up the subject of my diversifying, you happened along with your request. I’ve been mulling it over in my mind ever since.” His hands slid to his back hip pockets. “Tell me something. How many people are on your tour buses at a time?”

“Twenty-eight including the driver and two tour guides.”

One dark brow quirked. “I thought they were double that size.”

“Most of them are, but our company believes a luxury tour must begin with less people to give them more one-on-one attention. A group of twenty-four, twenty-five tourists is much more manageable.”

He nodded, then looked around the interior. “This mill house, the barn and olive press house were built to last, but they’ve been standing vacant and unused for years. I’ve been thinking …”

So had she!

From the moment he’d given her the tour yesterday her mind had leaped with ideas that had prevented her from falling asleep.

“They would be perfect,” she whispered without realizing she’d spoken.