Big-city Bachelor

And she could readily imagine what was under Alex’s three-piece suit…

“What’s going to happen to the company name if I sell you my shares?” she asked quickly.

“The company name?”

“Whitmore and Hamill. I’m the last Hamill, so if I’m gone, would you change the name?”

He hesitated. “What would you like me to do?”

“I’d like the name to stay the way it is.”

“Well, it could prove confusing for our clients.”

“As a tribute to my uncle.”

“I see.”

“Uncle Roland never married and he didn’t have any children to remember him. Maybe he wanted me to make sure there would at least be the company name for him to leave behind for posterity.”

“All right. If that’s what you really want.”

No, what I really want is to see you naked and sweaty and flexing—

She bit her lip. She really had to stop dwelling on that fantasy. Or at least get herself a different one. “Why are you so anxious to buy me out, Alex?”

A flash of emotion briefly hardened the planes of his face. It was no more than a subtle tightening of his jaw, a twitch of his eyelids, and if she hadn’t been so conscious of his every nuance, she would have missed it. Yet it wasn’t the first time she’d seen a crack in the smooth image he projected. This had happened before, when he’d mentioned his divorce.

“Alex?”

He blinked, and the moment of emotion was gone. “I believe that the company would have a much more stable, secure future with one person controlling its direction.”

“Didn’t you get along with my uncle?”

“It’s no secret that we had our differences with respect to management decisions, but I’m thinking on more practical terms than that. During the past few years, the necessity of having to go through the motions of contacting Roland each time we needed to make a major decision caused delays and confusion. That will all be eliminated once you sell your shares to me.”

“If I agree.”

“Lizzie, you’d be so much more comfortable without the headache of this responsibility. You said you enjoy your work at the day care center, and you’re so close to your family. Think of all that you could do with the proceeds of the sale.”

“I have been thinking about it.”

“It’s really the best solution.”

She toyed with her wineglass, tipping it forward to roll the base in arcs along the tablecloth. Was it really the best solution?

Giving up her college scholarship in order to keep the farm running while her stepfather recovered from that tractor accident had been the best solution. So had opening up a day care center in the house on Myrtle Street when Bobby had destroyed her dreams. Twenty years from now, when the children she was caring for brought their own children to her, would she look back on this adventure and say, “If only?”

Frowning, she set her glass beside the puddle of wine and looked at Alex. “I admit I don’t know all that much about the advertising business, and I might not have a fancy degree in economics, but like most people from the country, I know about horse trading. Or to be more exact, cow trading.”

His eyebrows went up. Balling the napkin in his fist, he watched her in silence, his jaw tightening.

She hesitated. “What is it?”

“For a minute there you sounded just like your uncle.”

Whatever he meant by that, she took it as a compliment. Encouraged, she pushed her plate away and leaned her forearms on the edge of the table. “The way I see it, inheriting my uncle’s shares is like being given a cow that I’m not sure how to deal with.”

“I see. Please, go on.”

“Well, apart from the drastic and permanent option of fixing beef stew, there are always other choices when it comes to getting rid of livestock.”

“Such as?”

“Okay, first of all, it’s important to have a good idea of what the cow is actually worth so you can get a fair price. No offense, Alex, but I’m going to have my own lawyer look over the offer Jeremy drew up.”

“Naturally.”

“And there’s another point to consider,” she continued. “When a cow is healthy and producing milk, it might be better to keep it.”

He pushed his plate aside and leaned forward in a movement that mirrored her earlier one. “What exactly are you saying?”

What was she saying? She wasn’t too sure herself, but the more she thought about this, the better it seemed. “I could make quick money by selling the cow, but in the long run I might be better off keeping the cow and selling the milk.”

“So you’d expect me to…milk your cow for you?”

Long, strong fingers squeezing warm flesh…Lizzie moistened her lips. “Well, you said my uncle didn’t involve himself in the business for a few years. It might have been inconvenient for you at times, but you said you managed to stay profitable, so what difference would it make if I did the same thing? If I hung on to my half, I could be a silent partner.”

He looked at her mouth, his jaw tightening. After a breathless minute, he raised his gaze to hers.

Lizzie felt another one of those crazy tickles whisper through her stomach. There was yet another option here. She didn’t have to be merely a silent partner. What if they both…milked the cow? “Alex?”

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Yes, Lizzie?”

“What kind of qualifications did my uncle have?”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“To work in advertising. Did he go to the same college you did, or take a course or something?”

He remained silent for so long, she was about to repeat the question before he finally answered. “No.”

“Really?”

“Your uncle learned through experience. He relied on instinct and inspiration rather than formal education.”

The tickle turned into a tingle as the seed Jolene had planted began to take root. “Even though I enjoy my day care business, it can get along without me, so there’s nothing stopping me from staying in New York for a while.” She cleared her throat. “This is something you might not have thought of, Alex, but if I learn all I can about the company, I could help you out.”

“Help me out?”