“I was pretty bad, wasn’t I?”
The woman looked embarrassed. “No, well, not ugly or anything, just…well, okay, not a very fashionable dresser and, um…. Not bad, though.”
“It’s okay. I know.”
Bernadine inched closer. “Did you get collagen injections in your upper lip?”
“I’ll never tell.” She didn’t have to reveal all her secrets. The professional she’d visited had assured her the enhancement was completely safe.
“When did you do all this?”
“Yesterday. All day. It was exhausting. But worth it. I’ve been enjoying people’s reactions this morning.”
“Who has seen you? Have the reporters seen you?”
“Yes, but I think they thought someone else spent the night with me, because they’re still back at my place waiting for me to come out.”
“Oh, that’s funny.”
“Not really. What if they think I spent the night with another woman?” She wiggled her shapely new eyebrows. “You know.”
Bernadine laughed. “That’s really funny.”
Lisa sat on one of the comfortable upholstered chairs.
“They’ll figure it out soon.” The lawyer gathered a few papers that were stacked on the edge of her desk. “These need signatures.”
Lisa picked up a pen. “I hired him.”
“Douglas?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good. We can get the contracts under way for his salary and percentages. I took the liberty of mocking up a couple of standard ones for you to look over.”
“Okay. Can I take them to show him? I’m having dinner with him tomorrow night.”
“Dinner? Remember what I told you.”
“Trust me, I know. He’s in this for the money.”
“Hon, when we talked about this before you said you hadn’t gotten any better looking. Obviously you were good-looking all along, you just weren’t letting anyone know. Now… Well, be careful. He’s going to be on you like fuzz on a peach.”
“I’m a big girl.”
“I hope so.”
The reporters were smarter than Lisa had given them credit for. They’d figured it out. They followed her home with cameras rolling. This time she turned and waved, did a little runway turn for them and took a bow.
The local evening news showed her in her casual suit and sexy shoes. Even Lisa couldn’t believe this Lisa on film was the same person they’d been following. She looked so good. So definitely not a wallflower. Once home she changed, fed the dogs and took them for a run. As daylight waned, she stared into the refrigerator and settled for a bowl of cereal.
She appeared new and different. But she was still the same boring person she’d been all along. She looked a hundred percent better, but she hadn’t changed. Change on the outside was good, but a metamorphosis had to come from within to be a true difference.
Maybe she was fine just the way she was. She’d been happy with her life before, even with its simplicity. Dogs weren’t complicated, and she didn’t have to impress anyone. There was no one to impress, she thought glumly.
Lisa selected a video, started it and settled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. Piper and Joey snuggled up on either side and ate an occasional stray kernel. She could change. She could be really exciting if she put her mind to it. And at long last she did have someone to impress.
Somewhere around eleven she fell asleep, and Piper ate the rest of the popcorn.
The following evening Riley pulled into the long, narrow drive with a hedge alongside and got out of his red Jaguar. It wasn’t dark yet, so the cameras had a good view of him approaching the porch and walking up to Lisa’s door. He knocked, and dogs barked immediately.
He could see the massive form of a canine through the lace curtain on the full-length leaded-glass door.
“Get back,” Lisa said from inside.
Had she been talking to him? He took a hesitant step back.
The lock turned and she opened the door.
An enormous golden retriever growled menacingly while another barked.
“Joey. Piper. Hush.” He thought the woman who spoke to the disturbed animals was Lisa, but he was torn between gaping at her and keeping both eyes on the dogs.
Couldn’t do it.
She was wearing a red dress that had a slit clear up one thigh and exposed both her shoulders. The garment fit her sexy, slender body as if it had been made for her, and the shock of knowing she had a sexy, slender body hit him full force.
“I’ll need to touch you,” she said.
He stared at her and fought the physical reaction her words nearly launched. Dark hair with golden highlights framed her face—and what a face it was. Sable arched brows, full shiny lips, eyes as blue and deep as a summer sky. “Lisa?”
“They need to see you’re not an intruder.” She took his hand and pulled him inside. Standing close beside him, she said, “Put your arm around me.”
Riley did as told, draping an arm around her shoulder, his fingers grazing her bare upper arm. She smelled so good, he closed his eyes and experienced the feminine scent.
“See, he’s a friend,” she said. “Let them smell you.”
Riley opened his eyes and took his hand away from Lisa to extend it hesitantly toward the dogs. “You’re sure?”
She nodded.
The darker-colored of the two padded right up and sniffed the proffered hand, gave it a lick, then sat and panted. The blond retriever kept his distance and growled.
Lisa looked up at Riley and shrugged. “I’ve never known him to do that. That’s Piper. This one’s Joey. You boys be good.”
She turned the lock and pulled the door shut behind her. Riley watched every stimulating movement.
“You changed your hair.” And your body and face and everything else. “And that dress—wow.”
“Thanks.”
He hurried to open the car door. A smooth length of thigh was exposed when she sat. She adjusted her dress, and he closed the car door and cautioned himself.
It was probably bad manners to ask what she’d done to achieve this incredible new look, but he couldn’t get past the fact that she looked nothing like the woman his father had taken to calling “frumpy” and “bohemian.” Riley got behind the wheel and concentrated on starting the car and backing up when what he wanted to do was turn and soak her in.
The fact that that body had been underneath those awful skirts and jackets all along loosened a screw in his steely confidence. He wasn’t used to being so unprepared.
And he’d definitely been unprepared to see her looking like this. Even less prepared to have a very noncerebral reaction.
“Sorry about the rude welcome.”
His brain switched tracks and he was glad for the distraction. He couldn’t afford to lose his edge. “That’s all right.”
“The boys are usually very friendly.”
“I’m sure they are.”
“They’re protective of me.”
“Sure.” He pulled out onto the highway and headed toward Billings. “Lisa, you look incredible.”
“Thanks.”
“No, I mean, you look incredible. What… I mean, what…?”
“Don’t say it. I was ready for a change and I did it, that’s all.”
“You’re…beautiful.”
She was too quiet and he knew he’d said the wrong thing at the wrong time, no matter how true it was. He glanced over to see her looking out the passenger window. She raised her chin a little, turned to face him and smiled hesitantly.
A beautiful smile, too. Familiar and yet so different. “Want some music?”
She glanced the dashboard. “Sure.”
He flipped open the console between them. “Pick something.”
A silver bracelet dangled on her wrist as she reached to look through the CDs. She flipped through The Flaming Lips, B.B. King and The Doobie Brothers to hand him one by Norah Jones. He gave her a sideways glance but placed the disc in the
tray and pushed Play. Was there any meaning behind her selection?
The strains of a sultry song filled the interior of the car. Surely she didn’t intend to seduce him. Or to be seductive. Riley tried to think of something to say to her that wasn’t about how good she looked. Not much else entered his mind at the moment. “So, you like dogs?”
“Yes,” she replied easily. “They’re not as judgmental or as critical as people.”
“Can’t take one to a movie.”
“My dogs watch movies with me all the time.”
“Can’t teach one to play chess.”
“I don’t play chess either, so that’s never been a compatibility issue.”
“So, in your opinion a dog is as good a companion as a person?”
“More so.” She glanced at him and her forehead furrowed. “You don’t like dogs?”
“I like dogs. At least, the respectable ones.”
“Respectable?”
“Some breeds you just can’t respect.”
“What are you talking about?”
“My mother has the most foolish-looking poodle. It’s four feet tall and its fur is cut into ridiculous pom-poms.”
“Derek,” she said.
“Oh, you know Derek. Then you can see how I just can’t respect that dog.”
“He’s friendly and very smart. Well behaved, too. I’ve taken care of him a few times.”
Riley shook his head in distaste.
“There, you see? You’re judging him by his looks.”
“Well…yeah.”
“He can’t help how he looks. It’s his breed. And the way your mother has him cut.”
He wasn’t earning any points with this conversation. She was starting to take his comments personally. “Sorry. You’re probably right.”
She glanced at him. “What about horses?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do they have to be perfect in order for you to respect them?”
“Horses demand respect.”
“How so? Their size? Because they’re not as intelligent as dogs.”
Riley held up a hand in frustration. “I’m sorry I brought up Derek, okay? I’ll try to adjust my attitude.”
“Just because I said something?”
“Yes.”
She smoothed her skirt over her knees. “I won’t even ask about your attitude toward women.”
“Thank you.”
She laughed softly, and he understood she was having fun at his expense. He wasn’t used to his comments and opinions being taken lightly or challenged. This evening wasn’t going in the direction he’d planned. Well, maybe the direction was okay, but the person in the metaphorical driver’s seat was in question. He needed to keep things where he wanted them.
“My mother’s planning a reception to celebrate the ground-breaking for the resort,” he told her.
“I guess the ski resort is a pretty big deal, huh?”
“It is. It will bring tourists to Thunder Canyon for more than the summer months. Right now we rely heavily on Heritage Days and the cabins and trail rides, but all that’s seasonal. This will bring in more revenue.”
“I have a few pet owners in the new homes out north. New Town is expanding.”
She hadn’t even picked up on his lead. “The reason I brought it up was to ask you to attend the reception.”
Lisa glanced over at him in surprise. “I really don’t think I’d fit in.”
“Your status is changing. You own property, significant property. And very soon, once that mine is producing, you’ll be investing. As your manager, I’m going to suggest strongly that you invest a percent locally. Public relations is an important part of business.”
“So you think I should attend the reception for PR purposes?”
“Partially.”
She didn’t ask what the other part was. Was he pushing her a little too firmly?
“All right,” she said, surprising him. “When is it?”
He told her the time and date and they made arrangements.
A few minutes later they reached Billings and he drove to the restaurant where he’d made reservations.
When they’d gone to the mine, Lisa had opened her own door before he could get around, but this time she waited. He walked beside her to the building and held the door.
A hostess showed them to their table and brought menus.
Lisa’s eyebrows rose as she studied the menu. She glanced hesitantly at their neighboring tables.
“Something wrong?” Riley asked.
“It’s so expensive,” she whispered.
“It’s okay,” he replied in the same hushed tone. “I’m good for it.”
When the waiter came, Lisa ordered a steak with a baked potato and Riley asked for the same. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been with a woman who’d ordered a regular meal and not a salad or seafood.
“Have you looked over the wine selection?” the waiter asked.
“Would you drink wine if I ordered it?” Riley asked her.
“Will you cut me off before my face goes numb?”
With a grin he picked up the list and held it so they could both read it. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Something about the way she studied the list, running her finger down the columns, struck him as familiar, but he couldn’t figure out why. They’d never done this before, never eaten out or read a wine list together. He shrugged off the feeling of déjà vu.
“Let’s get this out of the way,” she said and took several papers from her bag and unfolded them. “These are agreements my lawyer drew up for our working arrangement.”
He read them over quickly. “She faxed me copies so I could read them ahead of time. Got a pen?”
He signed them with a flourish, and Lisa tucked them back into her bag.
“Well, that’s official,” she said, not sure whether to be pleased or panicky. He was working for her. Maybe it would seem real once she’d seen some gold.
The deep red Merlot Riley had ordered arrived, and the waiter poured a dollop in a glass for him to taste. It was dry and rich, an excellent blend of flavors.
After it was poured, Lisa tasted hers.
“Impressed?” he asked.
“I’m impressed by anything without a screw-on cap. How do you know which wine to order?”
“I’ve toured several wineries and I belong to an international club. I subscribe to a couple of publications. You learn the same way you learn anything else.”
“Only if you can afford to try the really good stuff,” she added.
He nodded in concession to her point. He didn’t suppose dog walking afforded her the luxury to purchase vintage wines.
“I’m trying not to think inside the same parameters,” she told him. “Small, I mean. Cheap. But my bank account hasn’t actually caught up yet, so it’s not easy to break away from the habits.”
“I’ve given some thought to that problem.” He set his glass down. “You have to have money to make money—it’s that simple. There are expenses in getting the mining under way. People must be hired and fees paid and there are all number of things cropping up. In the old days, a miner got a grubstake.”
“Someone gave him money for his supplies with the understanding that it would be paid back once the strike came in,” she replied.
Riley nodded. “Yes. The Queen of Hearts is a sure thing. It’s not even a risk. You have gold sitting there waiting to be extracted. I’d like to grubstake the expenses for you. Give you a substantial amount to get you started and tide you over until the mining is well under way. It should be less than a month before that happens.”
“I can wait,” she said easily and watched as the waiter came by and filled their glasses.
“But you don’t have to wait,” Riley continued once the man had gone. “You could have money for the things you need now. I’ve seen that bucket of bolts you drive. You need a better car.”
She glanced aside, but he could tell she was t
hinking.
“All the meetings are taking you away from your regular job, so there’s a dent in that income, right?”
She sipped her wine and said lightly, “No, I’m juggling time for my pets.”
“You can think about it.”
“I don’t need to think about it. I already owe you for security and safety measures and who knows what all, I don’t want to owe you for personal items, as well.”
“It wouldn’t be that much, Lisa.”
“Not that much? A new car? Excuse me, a new car is much.”
“Comparatively speaking. It won’t be that much compared to how much you’ll be generating from the mine.”
“And I can wait. I don’t like the idea of being in debt.”
She hadn’t added the words to you, but they were there just the same. He raised a hand to say he was finished talking about the advance. He’d made the offer. If she was too stubborn to see the practicality of it, that was her problem.
He changed the subject to advice on how to deal with the people she’d be working with from now on. As the meal was delivered, he poured them both more wine. It was obvious she enjoyed it. Turning their attention to the food and the conversation, the tension between them eased.
“Body language is an important part of communication in business,” he told her. “And there are ways to gain an advantage.”
“Okay, what are they?”
“To dominate another, take control of their time. Make them wait for you.”
“Isn’t that rude?”
“No, it’s controlling an encounter.”
“What if the other person tries to make me wait?”
“Counter it. Make him wait for you. And always choose where and how you sit. Don’t take a low chair, and if there’s no choice, sit on the edge or stand.”
Lisa cut a bite of her steak and asked, “They taught you this stuff in business college?”
A flash went off before he could reply, and Riley glanced over his shoulder to see a man with a camera just inside the room.
Lisa set down her fork and dabbed her lips with her napkin. She waved pleasantly and raised her glass of wine toward the intruder. “Did you get the label on our wine bottle clearly?” she called. “Because it’s a very good vintage. I could turn it a little bit.”
Million-Dollar Makeover Page 7
