Her Texan to Tame

by Sara Orwig

  “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.”

  “Here’s the kitchen,” he said, leading her into a large room filled with what looked like the newest appliances. The kitchen was an instant draw as she looked at the practical arrangement, the excellent equipment and an adjoining comfortable living area. A tall woman with a thick brown braid turned from the sink and smiled at her. Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans with a yellow apron tied around her middle, she smiled. “Jessica, this is Gwen Grayson, who works for me. She’s in charge of cleaning. There are two more on my cleaning staff, but Gwen is here the most. Gwen, meet Jessica, who is applying for the cooking job.”

  Gwen’s eyes widened as she looked at Jessica. “Welcome to the ranch,” she said, staring.

  “Thank you,” Jessica replied. “I’m glad to meet you. This is a wonderful kitchen.”

  “Oh, yes,” Gwen said. “Everything you can possibly need.”

  “I’m showing Jessica around and then she’s volunteered to fix lunch and dinner, so you can go on with whatever else you want to do,” Ryan said to Gwen.

  “I’ll be happy to do lunch,” she said.

  “I appreciate that, but I want to do this,” Jessica said, smiling at Gwen, who smiled in return and shrugged.

  “Ask me if you want some help.”

  Jessica nodded. “Thank you. I will.”

  “I’ll show Jessica where she’ll stay and she’ll be back,” Ryan said, taking her arm lightly and turning her. His touch ignited a sizzle. He released her. As she turned with him, she glanced at the bar with high stools dividing it from a connected room that held a fireplace, a pool table, and a big-screen television.

  To one side of the kitchen a door stood open on a walk-in pantry that was neatly filled with supplies. At the end of the pantry was another freezer.

  “This kitchen is wonderful but big enough you could cook for a U.S. Army base,” she said.

  “You’ll only have to cook for me and any company I have. Also my house staff, which is Gwen, Paolina and Chiara, who clean, and Enrique and Dusty, who are maintenance. I doubt if you will see any of them except Gwen. Paolina and Chiara are off this month. Enrique and Dusty are maintenance for all the buildings. When they’re working here, they eat here. Gwen’s been filling in until I hire a cook, but she has a full-time job cleaning. I told you, I’m not here much of the time and when I am, I’m usually alone. Mainly, you’ll just cook for me.”

  The idea made Jessica’s insides flutter and she wondered how much just the two of them would be together.

  “If you need help finding things, let me know. Especially this first day,” he added.

  “I’ll find everything I need, I’m sure,” she said, glancing up to catch him studying her with a look that made her warm and tingly.

  “One more thing—my cook does the grocery shopping. I have an account and you just charge it to the account. It’s in Bywater, a nearby small town. Are you certain you would want to get out to do that task?”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s Bywater, Texas, and it’s a very small town. And no, it’s not by any water. I don’t know why they named it that.”

  “I don’t mind at all.”

  “That settles the grocery buying.” He glanced around. “I usually let my cook stay in one of the houses on the ranch, but since you’re single, I think you’ll have more peace and quiet staying here,” he said. “This way to your suite,” he said, going a short distance down the back hall to enter a suite. “Look around. See if this will do. You can stay here. You’ll be close to the kitchen, as well as downstairs by yourself.”

  She stood in the living area and could see the adjoining bedroom with French Provincial fruitwood furniture, polished hardwood floors, another large-screen television, a desk with a computer.

  “This is lovely. It’ll be fine,” she said, turning to look into dark brown eyes that captured and held her attention again, stealing away all thoughts or conversation. The moment stretched between them.

  He turned abruptly and the moment was gone, leaving her breathless and with a racing heart. Declining the job to go elsewhere was the sensible thing to do. But right now she was too busy trying to get her breath and regain her composure.

  “Give me the key to your car and I’ll bring in your things,” Ryan said in a deeper, huskier voice. Was he having a reaction as much as she was? Warning signals were flying like sparks from an exploding firecracker, yet she didn’t want to turn down the chance for the job.

  She motioned toward the door. “I’ll go, too. I can carry something.”

  “While you’re here, you can keep your car in the garage.”

  “Thank you.”

  When they reached her car, he removed two bags and shouldered a carry-on.

  Gathering her laptop, a shoulder bag and another small bag, she followed him back to the house, where he set things down in her new suite.

  “Have some more things in the trunk?”

  “No.”

  “You’re traveling light for someone moving away from home.”

  She shrugged. “Starting over. I don’t need a lot and my folks will take care of my things. I have a small condo I leased for a year. I’ve already paid the rent for the year.”

  One corner of his mouth lifted slightly, making slight creases bracket his mouth. Once again she thought he was an incredibly handsome man, which would not make this job easy.

  “Why are you smiling?”

  “I suspect what you paid for that year’s lease will be more than your salary here. You went to college. You have an accounting degree and you’re qualified for a job that would give you a career and a good salary. Are you sure this is the choice you want to make?”

  “At this time in my life, it is. My heart wouldn’t be in any accounting job. I’m changing and trying to decide what I want to do the rest of my life. I want to work at something I like to do. My marriage is definitely over. I made a mistake in judgment about my ex that has shaken me.”

  “Well, you’re following your heart, something not many of us get to do,” he said, sounding slightly wistful, and she recalled what he’d said about wanting to spend more time at the ranch. “Give me your key and I’ll put your car away for you,” he said, holding out his hand.

  She placed a key ring into his hand. “I’ll wait on the porch and see where you go.” As they walked through the house, she glanced at her surroundings. “Did you grow up on this ranch?”

  “No. I had this house built five years ago to suit myself. Now, there’s another Delaney ranch with a house that goes back generations. We lived there part of the time, but because of school and Dad’s business, we lived in Dallas most of the time.

  “There were quite a few of us. My brother Adam is deceased, but I have two others who
live around here. Will is the next oldest brother. He’s married and lives in Dallas. We have a half sister, Sophia, who is married and lives in Dallas and her husband is like another brother. Middle brother Zach has married, shocking the family because he was a world traveler. I’m the youngest. We’re all in Texas.”

  “I come from a big family, too, as I told you. I have an older sister and three older brothers—a banker, an accountant and an attorney, all professions my father approves.”

  “There must be something you want to do your dad doesn’t approve,” Ryan guessed.

  “I’d like to have my own restaurant. He would see that as a highly frivolous risk. Actually, my parents want me to be what I was—married to a highly successful man and not working outside the home, a socialite. I followed that life but spent a lot of my time volunteering, which I did enjoy.”

  “At least you helped others. That’s good,” he said, holding the door for her to step outside. She was conscious of passing close to him, constantly aware of his proximity.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, taking the porch steps two at a time.

  She watched his long strides as he headed toward her car. Her gaze ran across his broad shoulders down to his narrow hips and long legs while her insides tightened. What would it be like to kiss him? She tried to think of another subject and get her mind off Ryan. What was it that stirred such chemistry between them?

  She looked at her car and decided if this job didn’t work out, she would drive back to Dallas and sell the car, then head north. Maybe Montana or Wyoming would have another isolated ranch where a family could use a cook. Or a small-town restaurant off the main highways.

  Common sense still urged her to go now. There was a hot attraction between Ryan and her. The fact that he had remained professional, resisted flirting, until after the interview had not cooled the fires. She glanced at her surroundings again, the outbuildings, corral, stables, garage, wide-open spaces and, through a stand of mesquite trees, a bunkhouse. She could not imagine any of her family or her ex finding her here. So the place was perfect—except for one tall Texas rancher.