“And Asher? He treatin’ ya okay?”
I gave her a polite smile and nodded.
“I think he misses you but he’s been alright too.”
I sipped my tea and waited. She obviously had a reason for her visit and the topic of conversation, so I figured I’d let her get to it in her own time.
“Asher takes some getting used to honey, but he’ll warm up to you. He don’t much trust city girls.”
“Because of his ex-wife?”
Her silvery eyes shone with surprise.
“Told about her, did he?” I nodded. “Yeah well she didn’t last long, but Lord the woman could complain. About everything. So he’s wary and a woman like you would just press all his buttons.”
I sat up now, feeling well and truly offended.
“I haven’t asked Mr. Hawthorne for a thing, certainly not his attentions or affections.”
Dolly smiled. “I never thought you did honey. But you’re a gorgeous girl and you have a body that makes a man think about sinnin’.”
I laughed because I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or if she was calling me a slut.
“Well none of that is going on here. At all.”
Ever. I liked Asher as much as you could like someone so gruff and I was extremely attracted to him. But he was my boss and I had no plans to act on it. “Our relationship is strictly professional.”
“For now. Neither of you are blind, and if I’m not mistaken you can both help each other heal.”
I stood to refresh the tea.
“I think you’re mistaken Dolly. We can’t help each other with anything other than the duties I was hired to perform.”
Silver brows rose and a smile split her face. “If you say so.”
I did. “How is your sister doing?”
“She’s fine. Her busted leg is healing nicely. She’s at physical therapy now, thank the lord because she is worse than a man, always complaining about her pain and lack of movement. Shouldn’t have been dancing on the bar over at Earle’s, I told her.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me. “That’s how she broke her leg?”
Dolly’s smile widened. “If you can believe it. Broke it in three places and at her age, that’s a long recovery time.” Her expression changed to one I couldn’t identify and she gave me an assessing look. “A lot can happen in that time.”
“You’re a matchmaker,” I accused which caused her to giggle. It was a soothing sound; one I hadn’t realized I’d been missing until I heard it again. The ranch was a fine place to work but spending most of the day alone meant there wasn’t a lot of laughter.
“Guilty as charged.”
“Guilty of what,” Asher asked as he stepped inside the kitchen.
“That’s girl talk and take off those filthy boots!” She smiled when he obeyed. “Now come here,” she held out her arms and Asher walked into her embrace, picking her up and pecking her cheek.
“How are you Dolly?”
“Can’t complain. Dot is worse than you lot combined,” she shook her head with an affectionate smile. “I need to go pick her up so I’ll see you two around. Walk me out Asher.”
He did and then they were both gone, leaving me to wonder what in the world had just happened. Dolly fancied herself a matchmaker and the delusional woman had me in mind for Asher.
What a joke!
By the time Asher returned I had the table set and piled with food for lunch. They would all be in soon and I planned to spend that time out in the garden. Being around Asher was hard since my silly heart and wanton body couldn’t stop thinking about him all shirtless and sexy. Hot. He woke my body up in a way I hadn’t thought possible and that scared the hell out of me. I couldn’t be with a man like Asher, he would leave me wanting things I had no business wanting from a man like him.
And I’d be left alone and heartbroken. Again.
“Dolly didn’t give you a hard time, did she?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. She’s great.”
The sandwiches were all set, so I laid out mustard, pickles and mayo along with coleslaw and potato salad.
“Have a good lunch,” I told Asher and turned to exit the kitchen.
“Clara wait.” I turned to look into confused blue eyes. “You’re not eating with us?”
“Nah. Figured I’d get some gardening in while the sun is still high in the sky.”
He nodded but I could tell he wasn’t done yet. Several times those lush pink lips parted and then closed again before he spoke.
“Would you like to have dinner with me this Friday? We could go to San Antonio.” Asher looked nervous about my answer, like maybe it mattered to him.
I did the only thing I could do. I flashed a bright smile and told him, “I’d love to have dinner with you Asher.”
And by the time I sank my hands back into the garden dirt, I knew it was true.
Asher
She was a vision in blue-green. I stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting nervously for Clara to appear for our date, and damn she nearly short circuited my brain she looked so beautiful. The top fit her curves deliciously, hugging her big breasts and giving me just enough cleavage to make me realize that maybe this date wasn’t a good idea. The skirt flared around her knees, leaving the rest bared to my intense gaze.
“You look…incredible,” I told her, my words breathless and gravelly.
Her face lit up, drawing attention to lips the color of cherries and smooth porcelain skin that glowed.
“Thank you. You clean up mighty well too, I have to say.” Her gaze took me in with heated, female appreciation and my body started to respond.
“Thanks.” I cleared my throat and settled my hand low on her waist as I guided her out to my car. “I figured we could take her out for a spin tonight,” I smiled at the way Clara’s face lit up when she caught sight of the sleek midnight blue sports car.
“Who would have ever guessed you owned a beauty like this?” She laughed and tossed a sexy look over her shoulder.
I frowned. “I can’t own a sexy car?” I wasn’t sure if I should be offended but with that smile she wore, I was a willing captive.
“No but you’re so serious, I didn’t think you’d spring for something as…impractical as this. It’s gorgeous though!”
My gaze was riveted on the swell of flesh rising and falling with her sweet husky laughter. I shook it off and closed the passenger door, walking around the back of the car to get my own damn hormones under control. It wouldn’t do any good to act like a horny teenager around Clara tonight. She was a nice girl, a good girl. One who probably wouldn’t even consider sex on the first date.
“She is impractical, but she’s my girl,” I told her and patted the dash while she laughed.
“I see there’s a little bit of a rebel in there after all.”
“Just a man who loves cars.” It was the simple truth. The one thing I didn’t let go of when I left the rat race for Rogue was my love of fast, fine automobiles.
“And the onion just keeps getting peeled back.” Clara shot a glance at me as we merged onto the highway, our speed on a steady uptick. “Where are we going?”
My lips curved at her question. “Someplace nice.”
She laughed. “No kiddin’. You don’t strike me much as the dive bar or greasy spoon kind of guy.”
I laughed because she was right. Even as a broke college kid I was always more of a wine bar and upscale restaurant type.
“Sugar there’s only one kind of bar in Rogue and it’s a dive.”
“That’s convenience though, not choice. What was your favorite restaurant before you came to Texas?” Her smile said she already knew what my answer would be.
Not to be outdone I schooled my features and thought for a moment before answering. As a chef she would probably know.
“Le Bernardin.”
She nodded thoughtfully, a small smile pulling on her lush lips.
“Well you certainly go big, don�
�t ya? That’s a great place actually and I would literally kill to work there.”
I nodded. There was a time in my life where I’d thought the same thing, that working at a specific company was the end all and be all of my world. And it had been, until it became a matter of life and death.
“Chef Ripert’s loss is my gain.” I meant it too. Of all her charms, her ability to put together a meal was certainly at the top of my list.
“You’re sweet to say that but even now I doubt my skill is at that level.” She shrugged, dipping her head down to peer up at the restaurant as we turned into the parking lot. “Wow, this place is huge.”
I can admit to a certain amount of disappointment when she hopped from the car without my help, but she looped her arm around mine and let her hand rest on my bicep. Sweet, sweet heaven.
“I took Jesse here for his birthday a couple years back and I loved it. The food is fantastic. Best surf and turf I’ve had in a while.”
“I can’t imagine Jesse in a place like this,” she whispered to me when we stepped inside.
“He groused the whole time, but he cleaned his plate and ordered dessert.” Keeping constant contact between us, I pulled her along to the hostess stand. “Hawthorne for two.”
The hostess gave me a long, slow perusal that I felt like a caress. She was good looking but the mercenary glint in her eyes was a killer; I pulled Clara closer. Her gaze wasn’t as kind to Clara and I bent forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, which was a bad idea. Horrible. Her hair smelled like green apples and her skin smelled like cherries.
“Damn you smell good.”
She chuckled and gave my bicep a squeeze. “The better to lure you into my web Mr. Hawthorne.”
Damn why did hearing her address me so professionally in that raspy voice get me all hot and bothered? Normally I hated that she used formality to keep a distance between us, but tonight everything was different. After getting her seated I leaned back in my chair, arms spread wide and told her, “Do your worst.”
She flashed that dimpled smile and I was in trouble.
***
“You want to know why I left New York,” she said to me without preamble as soon as the too friendly waitress left with our orders.
I nodded and took a swig of ice cold beer, happy she’d ordered a draft instead of wine.
“Atlanta too if you’re offering.”
Clara nodded, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth and slowly caressing the handle of the beer mug. She was nervous.
“The first answer is easy. I left New York because I wasn’t good enough to make it there. I interviewed and cooked for nearly every person of influence and not one of them called me back. I had just enough money to get back to Atlanta and get a job slinging hash at a greasy spoon.”
The way her shoulders fell in defeat got to me. Someone as lively and vibrant as Clara should have her dreams come true.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you hoped Clara, but you are good enough.”
She shook her head, auburn hair falling in sexy waves around her shoulders.
“I’m not, and that’s okay, I think. I’m a good chef not a great one. Heck am I even a chef at all anymore?” Cheek resting in her hand, she blew out a breath and flashed an embarrassed smile. “Sorry. Anyway, so I went to Atlanta found a job quick, and then found a better one at a pretty good restaurant. The boss’s son asked me out, so I said sure. Turns out he was just trying to set me up, the douchebag framed me for theft. The only reason I wasn’t arrested was because I was able to prove that I wasn’t even at work that day. He wasn’t even smart enough to check the timesheets.”
My brows furrowed, hating every minute of hearing how tough the world had been to her.
“So, what happened?”
She huffed out a bitter laugh. “Somehow the owner blamed me for his son’s embezzling and I was swiftly fired. Two days later I saw your ad and here I am. Now it’s your turn to talk while I devour this beer,” she laughed, face wiped clean of the deeper emotion that had been there just moments ago.
Hell, was there ever a woman as resilient as this one? She didn’t let much get her down, and when it did, she didn’t stay down for long.
“Not much to tell. You already know I used to be an investment banker, I was a partner at Fenwicke & Basham. It was a good living but I worked hundred hour weeks until I one day I had a heart attack.”
“But you’re okay now? You’re so young, and I mean you’re out there doing physical labor all day…,” her words trailed off and green eyes looked at me with worry.
I couldn’t help smiling at her sympathy.
“I’m fine now. It was all stress related, since I’ve been here I never felt better.”
Her shoulders relaxed with relief. “Oh thank god! Was it scary?”
“It was quick, actually. Only in hindsight do you realize how bad it could have been, you know?” She nodded.
“Well I’m glad you’re alright. Maybe I’ll sprinkle in more heart healthy foods just to be safe,” she joked just as the waitress reappeared with food.
***
Dinner had gone well. Better than well in my opinion. Clara was funny and smart, she had opinions and she didn’t mind sharing them without being obnoxious about it. I was already intensely attracted to her, but now I just wanted her. Badly.
“Dessert?”
She shook her head.
“To go? We could eat it on the porch under the stars.”
I smiled, hoping like hell that she couldn’t hear my heart pounding like crazy.
“That sounds like the perfect end to a perfect night.”
Her smile was radiant and if I wasn’t mistaken there was desire burning in those emerald eyes of hers.
“In that case, I’ll have the hot fudge cake.”
***
Her moans of appreciation echoed on the night air, making it very hard for a warm-blooded male to focus on his own dessert. It was so sensual and sinful, dammit. How was I supposed to resist the urge to lick the chocolate from her lips? To suck her tongue until every trace of fudge was gone?
“Good,” I rasped out, shifting uncomfortably beside her on the glider.
“Amazing. Have some,” she said, turning and shoving her spoon into my mouth before I could protest.
“Delicious, right? High quality cocoa and just the right amount of sugar.” She made that noise again, like a growl from the depths of her soul.
I hid my own groan behind the cake, savoring the bittersweet of the chocolate and letting it dissolve on my tongue.
“Very good.”
“Want some more,” she smiled my way, spoon topped with chocolate and eyebrows wiggling.
I laughed. “Nah, I’m good.” Her tongue sneaked out and slicked against her lips.
“I tend to get a little excited about good food.”
I knew what she meant.
“I do eat your cooking three times a day Clara, I know a little something about eating good food.”
And the way she shook and shimmied while she cooked only made it all the more enticing.
“Not quite the same, but I’ll take the compliment.”
We were both quiet for a long time after that, but it was comfortable. Companionable, even. Staring at the starry night while the sounds of nature swirled around us, I felt something in the air shift. It became charged, even in its silence. I liked it, since so much of my life after the divorce was silent. Not a good, comfortable silence like the one I shared with Clara, but the strained tense silence, or just flat out lonely silence.
“This is nice,” she exhaled, laying her head on my shoulder. Tensing for a moment, she must have decided to go with it because the pressure increased and her body sank into my side.
“Tell me about the ranch.”
I stiffened, suddenly suspicious that all the peace and happiness had been an act.
“What would you like to know?” I chose to let her hang herself if she wanted to because I’d made the d
ecision long ago not to let Elena color my view of all women.
She shrugged, well as she could with her head resting on my shoulder.
“I don’t know. What are the names of the cattle? Where is your favorite spot on the property? Are there any pets other than the barn cats?”
I laughed. Of course she didn’t want to know the important things, like how many heads of cattle I have or how much my spread is worth.
“First rule of ranching, don’t name the animals you don’t plan on keeping. We have barn cats, but lost our two dogs last winter.”
“And?”
I chuckled, barely resisting the urge for another whiff of green apples and cherries.
“And I’ll show you the spot one day soon.”
“I’m gonna,” she paused as a yawn overcame her. A look of surprised crossed her face and a nervous laugh escaped. “Head in I suppose. Don’t take this as a reflection of you, well not you as a date anyway, if this even was a date, but rather you as my employer. Not that you’re a slave driver but, oh hell. I’m gonna shut up now.” She snapped her lips shut, face burning pink even under the moonlight.
“I don’t know, it’s kind of adorable when you babble.”
Clara looked up at me with sparkling eyes, now dark green with desire.
“You do?”
It was the disbelief that got to me. How could this sweet, funny gorgeous creature not know how fantastic she was?
“I do. In fact, I think you are much more than adorable.”
She shook her head and I speared my hands through her thick red hair to stop her rejection of the truth. Tilting her head back so it was at the perfect angle, I drank from her sweet mouth. It was hot and chocolatey and something that was uniquely Clara, and I couldn’t seem to get enough. One hand slid down low on her waist, pulling her in closer until I was consumed by nothing but Clara. Her scent, the sound of her breathless whispers and pants of pleasure, the feel of her breasts against my chest. God everything about her was turning me on and I knew if I didn’t pull back, I wouldn’t be able to.
Wrangling the Cowboy: An Older Man & A Virgin Romance Page 3
