Her Texan to Tame

He returned to reading the papers she had handed him, swiftly glancing over her transcript and looking more intently at her, trying to hide his surprise.

“You have almost a straight-A average and a degree in accounting. Accounting and cooking?”

“My dad steered all of his kids toward accounting. He said we could use it in whatever we do. I don’t know about that, but it was not difficult for me.”

“I’m impressed,” he said. “Have you cooked for anyone before? I see here you’ve had some courses in cooking and you attended a prestigious culinary school in Paris.”

“Yes. I love to cook and I guess that helps. You let me cook something for you and you’ll hire me,” she said, smiling at him. “What’s your favorite dish?”

He was tempted to say “blue-eyed blondes,” but he knew better.

“My favorite dessert is blackberry cobbler. My favorite dinner is roast beef and mashed potatoes covered with brown gravy—pretty simple stuff. No fancy French dishes.”

“Ah, you’re easy,” she said, smiling slightly.

He had to clamp his mouth closed to keep from answering with the first thing that came to mind. His inner self was now jumping up and down, screaming to send her on her way. “I usually hire only couples,” he said. At last he had turned a corner and was heading toward turning her down.

“You won’t need two cooks,” she said sweetly.

“Usually the wife is the cook and the man has another area where he prefers to work—chauffeur, gardener, handyman. Once I had a husband who was cook and his wife cleaned. It might be a little awkward having a young single female for my cook. Sometimes the two of us are the only ones in the house. I have a large staff who all live on the ranch. Also, the cowboys who work for me, but they’re all off doing their own thing a lot of the time.”

“No problem. You came with all kinds of recommendations and references and an absolute declaration that you would be totally professional.”

He wanted to lean closer, speak softly and tell her he’d been questioning his professionalism since he laid eyes on her. And then he wanted to ask her out tonight. Instead, he stared at her résumé as if he were thinking deeply about it. “You’re staying in Dallas?”

“I did last night. If you aren’t interested in hiring me, I’m packed now and I’ll just keep driving west. I’ll find work somewhere, I’m sure.”

“You should go to one of the modeling agencies. You’d have far better pay and a more interesting job.”

She smiled as if he had made an impossible suggestion. “Thank you. I prefer to stick to cooking. It’s something that I love.”

She leaned forward slightly. “If you’re concerned because I’m single, I can reassure you that it will make no difference. The way I feel right now, I have no desire to get into any kind of relationship again.” She paused to look down at her hands in her lap and he waited because it seemed an emotional moment for her.

“I can understand that now,” he said. “But you’re young, healthy. Six months from now, you may feel differently about going out. I have a bunch of single guys working for me. They’re going to start asking you out.”

“They’ll soon see that I’m not interested and then they’ll lose interest.” She held up her hand. “Besides, I’m wearing a wedding ring.”

“You’re divorced. That word will get around. They’re good guys.”

She smiled, looking in control again. “Are you encouraging me to go out with some of the cowboys who work here?”

“Not at all,” he said, glad she was composed again and her sparkle had returned.

“It’s a needless worry about my dating. I just plain cannot yet. It’s like this. You want a cook. I will be quiet and stay out of the way, and you’ll like my cooking. If you don’t, then that’s that, but,” she paused, giving him a wide-eyed look that held him immobile, “I’ve never had anyone dislike my cooking. I really love to cook,” she said in a breathless tone of voice that made him think of hot kisses and soft curves and forget all about food.

“If you’ll give me a chance, you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” she continued. “That’s really all I want, a chance,” she said, looking at him with even wider blue eyes, leaning a bit closer, close enough he could catch the scent of her perfume again. Close enough that the blue silk blouse with its low V-neckline revealed the beginning of luscious curves. Close enough that her rosebud mouth tempted him. He couldn’t get his breath and he wanted to lean toward her, put his hand at the back of her head and place his mouth on hers.

Realizing how he was staring and where his thoughts were going, he straightened up.

“Ryan,” she said softly, in a coaxing tone. “You did say to call you Ryan, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did,” he replied, and his voice was gravelly.

“Just let me stay and cook for you today,” she urged in that breathless voice that made more sweat break out on his forehead. “I’ll leave shortly after dinner as soon as I’ve cleaned the kitchen. I’ll stay out of your sight ninety percent of the time. How’s that?”

He was being manipulated by a woman he had known only half an hour and who wanted a job working for him. He should end the interview, tell her goodbye and get his life back right now. Instead, he was dazzled more than ever.

“Also, I am quite well-fixed in my own right, so I’m not trying to figure a way to get your money. My father has an accounting firm, a construction company and a trucking company and owns a bank. He has three sons and two daughters, one of them being me. He is very generous with his children. Other than cooking, you’ll never know I’m around.”

“That, Jessica, is absolutely impossible,” Ryan said, unable to hold back the words.

She laughed softly. “I’d still like a chance to cook for you.”

“I already have interviews set up throughout the morning and two after lunch.” He couldn’t believe he was arguing with her.

“You can still do them. You might find someone you like better. Just, please,” she said, getting that sultry, breathless tone again, “give me a chance. What have you got to lose?” she added, touching his arm lightly with her fingertips. The contact was electric. His body tensed and heated. He wiped his damp forehead.

The interview had lost professionalism and he had lost his wits. By now she should be driving away out of his life forever. He could not recall a single time in his adult life where he had ignored judgment and common sense and let someone else take control.

It was time to be firm, positive and polite and send her on her way. He gazed into her wide blue eyes above a faint smile, enough of a smile to reveal the dimple.

Get rid of her, his inner voice commanded. He opened his mouth to tell her why he couldn’t hire her and surprised himself when he spoke.

“Jessica, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Two

“I really appreciate this chance you’re giving me.” Jessica smiled, even though she had mixed feelings. She had argued with her friend about applying for this job. She would have preferred working for a couple. An older couple or a couple with children. Not a good-looking single guy.

But when she had turned in to the ranch, it had looked like the perfect place, exactly the peaceful surroundings she wanted in order to recuperate.

Her divorce had been a bad one, emotional for both of them. Carlton had not wanted the divorce. He wanted her back—probably to soothe his wounded ego, because it certainly wasn’t out of love for her. Her parents wanted her to go back to him. As for her, she wanted to get away from all of them, somewhere quiet where they couldn’t bother her and she could recover and let her nerves settle.

She hadn’t told Ryan Delaney about losing her baby in her second month, but that miscarriage had added to her stress and heartbreak. First finding Carlton had cheated on her from the beginning of their marriage and then losing her baby. Yes, she thought, this isolated Texas ranch, where life was quiet and laid-back, seemed the ideal spot to recuperate.

Ryan Delaney was an appealing man—that alone shook her because no male had held even a tiny degree of appeal since she had moved out and filed for divorce. How had Ryan gotten through her numbness and hurt?

Ryan’s appeal was a minus in her opinion. But he was nice, so that balanced out. He had remained professional, although if she wasn’t mistaken, she felt a spark between them, which was another reason to seek a job elsewhere. On the other hand, she had a job and a place to stay in a part of the world where no one should be able to find her.

Besides, Ryan had said they would see little of each other, and she was counting on that. First she had to get the job with her one chance tonight.

She sighed with anticipation and relief that was short-lived. When following him out of the office and into the hall, she noticed his broad shoulders and thick black hair neatly cut above the collar of his blue denim shirt. He fell into step beside her, making her aware of his height and even more conscious she might regret this job. When close to him, this breathless, tingly feeling was not welcome. She needed an obscure, remote place to settle and heal, but this ranch might not be the place at all. Fear nagged that she was making a big mistake.

“You have a beautiful home.”

“Thanks. I love the ranch. This is my getaway. I can relax here. Have you ever been to Texas?”

“Not until now.”