Marrying the Lone Star Maverick

by Sara Orwig

  “You trust him to do well,” she said, thinking about the premier line of boots and saddles they would start marketing. “Three generations of Brands have fought for that line. Now that you’ve got it, you’re turning it over to your inexperienced brother,” she said, thinking Noah might be losing his touch.

  “Stop looking at me as if I’ve sprouted two heads,” Noah said with amusement and she once again was reminded of his keen perception.

  “Very well,” she replied, feeling her face flush. “What time does your brother arrive?”

  “Soon, I imagine. The front desk will just send him up. Holly, thanks for taking this offer. If you’ll give Jeff half a chance, I don’t think you’ll be sorry.”

  “I’ll try,” she said stiffly, knowing she was going to have to remind herself daily of the financial reward. “I brought things to go over with you, but we’ll do it later. My mind is spinning. My whole life changed!”

  “Later works for me,” he said easily. Scooping up her papers, she fled his office for the safety of her desk. She clung to the prospect of the money and advance in her career for taking this job.

  She just hoped she wouldn’t have cause to quit. She’d definitely have to return the first half of the payment. She thought of the picture of Noah with his brother—a cocky grin on his twin’s face and a big Western hat tilted back on his head. In boots, he was taller than Noah in the picture and he’d worn hip-hugging jeans. She shivered and hoped she could last.

  When Jeff passed through the front doors of the Brand Enterprises headquarters, revulsion rippled in him. Memories of working here in his twenties and how trapped he’d felt returned. His dad had been a continual overbearing presence, trying to micromanage the least decision.

  Jeff’s boot heels clicked on the polished marble floor of the entrance. He stopped at Security to tell the guard his name. He was given a badge to wear and ushered past the small office. He thought about the payment that would go into the bank today and his spirits lifted a fraction. One year and then he could do as he pleased again. He thought about the line of cutting horses he would like to raise. Surely, for one year, he could assume the uneasy weight of his father’s legacy again.

  The lobby was elegant and expensive—glass, marble, leather and greenery. An atrium flooded the center of the lobby with light. He was certain every item had been selected to impress all who entered—employees, competitors and customers. Noah could have decorated the lobby, but Jeff knew it had been the decorators his grandfather and his dad had hired, not his brother. Before their grandfather, Brand Enterprises headquarters had been without fancy trappings. He took the elevator to the top floor to see his brother.

  As he walked down a hall and rounded a corner, a woman rushing in the opposite direction ran into him, spilling the papers she carried. Jeff reached out to steady her. “Sorry,” he apologized.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I was lost in thought. I should have—” Huge green eyes riveted him and he drew a deep breath. Her perfume was as enticing as everything else about her. Her auburn hair was caught up in a clip behind her head. A few wayward tendrils escaped, the silky strands relieving the aloof perfection of her navy suit and silk blouse.

  Consumed in the depths of her wide eyes, Jeff realized he was staring. He wondered how long she would gaze intently at him. As if she realized what she was doing, she blinked and wriggled away. Flawless skin, a straight nose and full red lips made him think of long, slow kisses. Her face was beautiful. She blinked as if coming out of a daze and glanced up at his hat. He could see the disapproval in her expression. Tight-lipped, she looked down. Toes of his alligator hand-tooled boots stuck out beneath the pant legs of his charcoal business suit. He detected her distaste and wondered who she was.

  She knelt to gather her spilled papers and he leaned over to scoop them up. “I’ll get them,” he said, picking up papers quickly to hand them to her. His hand brushed her warm fingers.

  “You’re Jeff Brand, aren’t you?” she said as if discovering a pit viper at her feet.

  “Yes, I am,” he replied, intrigued at her reaction. “You know me, but I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure—I wouldn’t forget you,” he said, offering his hand.

  She shook her papers as if to indicate she couldn’t shake hands for the papers she held, which was not true. “I’m Holly Lombard,” she said with reluctance and then he guessed the cause of her frosty manner must be her new assignment with him.

  “I suppose Noah has told you about me. I’m glad to meet you, Holly,” Jeff said, dropping his hand and studying her, wondering if she had refused to work with him.

  Judging from the cold reception, it seemed something more disastrous had happened. But he felt, with his entire being, that he was the cause of her icy animosity.

  “We’ll see each other later,” she said and rushed past him.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, turning to watch her attractive figure disappear in a warren of cubicles. What a waste. She was stunning, but he was chilled from the encounter. How did Noah work with someone like Holly Lombard? He knew the answer as swiftly as the question had risen. Noah would be delighted with someone who was all business.

  Shaking his head, Jeff proceeded on his way.

  He was shown into his brother’s office on the top floor. In amusement he glanced around at the handcrafted fruitwood desk, the dark wood paneling, the elegant oils on the walls. “I think you’ve topped Dad in the lavish office competition. This ought to intimidate the opposition. If they ever get in this rarefied atmosphere.”

  Noah laughed. “It’s comfortable. You can have one here just like it if you want. I was afraid you might get cold feet and not show.”

  “You know me well. I kept thinking about the money going into my account today.”

  “I’ve already sent it to your bank and talked to your banker about it. It’s done.”

  “Thanks. I just ran into Holly Lombard. If looks could kill, I’d be back there on the floor.”

  “Holly?” Noah sounded surprised momentarily until a sheepish grin spread on his face. “She’s a little leery of working with you. You’ll inspire her confidence quickly I’m sure. She worries you might be a bit inexperienced.”

  “She may be smarter than you. I am definitely rusty.”

  “Not really,” Noah said dryly as he picked up folders and crossed the room to hand them to Jeff. “I want you to see these—the latest about the company. I know you already get them in the mail, but I also would guess that you don’t read them.”

  “I read a few,” Jeff said.

  “Back to Holly. You might as well know—she’s sour on men because her fiancé kicked her out and broke the engagement. She lives for her job and she’s not enthused about working at your place. So your legendary charm’s not going to work on her.”

  “I didn’t used to question your business judgment, but she may not be the person for this job. Is she going to be uncooperative?”

  “Holly? She’s way too professional. If she has a job, she’ll give it her best. You’ll see. I just wanted to clarify why she may seem prickly.” Noah spoke on his intercom and in minutes there was a light knock at the door.

  “Come in. Holly, I think you’ve already met my brother, Jeff Brand. Jeff, this is your new assistant.”

  Jeff’s pulse sped up as he watched the auburn-haired beauty he had collided with earlier. He walked toward her and offered his hand again, certain she would feel compelled to shake hands in Noah’s presence.

  She extended her hand, a gesture nullified by her glacial look. Yet the moment there was physical contact, he felt a tingle. As he gazed into her green eyes, he saw a glimmer of shock and realized she had felt sparks, too. She inhaled and then yanked her hand away, but the chemistry was there—she had been as aware of it as he was.

  In that moment, the prospect of his new job made a subtle shift from dull to dangerous. He didn’t want to experience any kind of fiery attraction to someone from the city who didn’t like
country living.

  “I hope we can work together,” he said and sincerely meant it. She wasn’t quite the snow queen he’d first imagined.

  She gave him a frosty smile. “I’ve heard great things about you,” she said.

  “I’ll see if I can live up to them,” he said, wondering what Noah had done to get her agree to work for him, because he suspected it was a dilly.

  “This morning I’ll take Jeff to Human Resources to get his paperwork. This afternoon I’ve cleared my calendar at three. Can you do the same, Holly?”

  “Of course,” she answered smoothly.

  “If you’ll meet with us, I’ll go over what I want Jeff to handle and we can get started. I’ve asked him to work in the office this week to get reacquainted with people, departments and sections. You’ll start at his ranch next Tuesday.”

  Jeff noticed the color in her cheeks—she must view this whole endeavor as a fate worse than death. He wondered again if she would even cooperate with him. He guessed she would or Noah wouldn’t have placed her in this position. Jeff sighed. Waste of a beautiful woman.

  In minutes she was gone and he gave his brother a lopsided grin. “I can shake off the icicles now. You’re sure she’ll work with me at home?”

  Noah smiled. “Holly’s smart and I’m paying her plenty to do this. This is going to be great, Jeff. Thanks.”

  “Keep that thought in mind the first time we disagree.”

  Noah laughed. “I know we’ll disagree, but we’ll work it out.”

  Two

  T uesday morning, the day of the dreaded move, Holly left her house in the dark. After driving from her North Dallas home and through Fort Worth, by fifteen minutes beyond Fort Worth, she realized she had glanced at the clock easily fifteen times. “I already hate this drive. Noah Brand, I’m beginning to dislike even you,” she said in the quiet car.

  It was a long, dull, uneventful drive away from city lights and civilization.

  Last week Jeff Brand hadn’t inspired any great trust. He’d listened and cooperated, offering little, his long legs stretched out and a lazy half-lidded look on his face as if he were daydreaming while she or Noah talked. Clearly, the easygoing cowboy had no ambition or he would have stayed with the company in the first place. She couldn’t imagine being a cowboy as the epitome of success by anyone’s measure. She gritted her teeth and envisioned a log house with chickens running in the yard and a wire fence surrounding the place to keep out cows. In spite of the warmth of her car she shivered.

  “Noah, I hate you for this,” she repeated, wondering how many more times she would say it in the coming year. Or if she’d quit.

  She thought about the promotion and money and clamped her mouth closed. She would see this year through, no matter how remote this ranch was. She could do this. Where the light spilled onto the shoulders of the highway, she looked at miles of mesquite and cactus and barbed-wire fences. How could anyone choose to live out here in preference to a city? She had been born in a city and grown up in one. She knew nothing about country life.

  Four hours each day, Tuesday through Friday, she would drive back and forth between here and Dallas. Her once good opinion of Noah Brand lowered another notch.

  When she drove over a cattle guard and between two tall stone posts, daylight showed on the flat eastern horizon. Large iron gates opened when she pressed the electronic control Jeff had given her. A brown roadrunner dashed across the path of her car and she glared at the big bird. Ridiculous bird in an end-of-the-world place.

  It was a surprisingly long drive before a privacy fence and more iron gates. To her amazement, her surroundings were transformed. Sprinklers turned on lush lawns and ponds held silvery fountains while live oaks were abundant. Still-dewy grass and leaves reflected the sunlight back at her. In a short time the ranch compound appeared and she realized she had underestimated Jeff Brand. She gazed at enough structures for a small town. The ranch house was a sprawling two-story mansion that easily matched Noah Brand’s palatial mansion. By any standards the ranch compound was impressive. She was taken aback, looking at the landscaped gardens surrounding the buildings. His easy manner had lulled her into envisioning him living in something barely inhabitable.

  Sunlight splashed over roofs and gave a rosy glow to a myriad of colorful flowers. She fished out a piece of paper with directions, which she followed, stopping in front of what looked like a long, wood-and-stone ranch house. Gathering her purse, briefcase and laptop, she climbed out of the car.

  Her reassessment continued as she crossed a wide wrap-around, air-conditioned porch enclosed in glass. The front door opened before she could ring the bell and her pulse jumped when she looked up into lively gray eyes and a smile that made her knees week. A shiver ran up her spine and in that instant, just as with their previous encounter, she forgot her animosity. Annoyance was consumed in a hot attraction that she felt to her toes.

  “Morning,” Jeff Brand said with a smile. His cotton Western shirt, jeans and boots were just another reminder of all the things wrong with this new assignment she’d been given. “Well, well, don’t you look as pretty as a sunny morning.” Jeff’s warm voice didn’t hold a degree of a brisk business attitude. “My day just brightened. You are going to make this job palatable.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, gazing up at him and unable to break the spell that held her immobile.

  Something flickered in his gaze and his smile widened a fraction. “How was your drive?” he asked, but she felt as if something else was happening between them and the conversation was incidental.

  “Quiet, peaceful with no traffic,” she answered, astounded by the pleasant words coming out of her mouth.

  “Come in. Want some coffee before we begin?” Stepping back, he held the door, and when she looked away the spell was broken. Heat flooded her face as embarrassment poured over her. She had been as dazed as a young teen the first time a boy paid her any attention. Where was her brain? And telling Jeff the ride was peaceful—what was the matter with her? It had been a miserable drive—too long, too boring, too lonely. Wondering what kind of spell he wove, she entered the hallway.

  “I see you brought the office with you,” he said, glancing at her briefcase and laptop.

  “Just some things I thought we should go over.”

  “First, let’s go have a cup of coffee and we can talk about the day ahead. There’s breakfast if you’d like.”

  “Mr. Brand—”

  “It’s Jeff. No ‘Mr. Brand’ please. I feel as if my dad ought to step out from somewhere nearby.”

  She drew herself up, trying to establish rules from the beginning. “I think we should keep everything strictly business as if we were at headquarters. We’ll get more done that way,” she said, knowing she sounded like a harpy, but unable to stop herself.

  He smiled at her and his eyes twinkled as if he found every word she had said amusing, irritating her further. “Sure thing, Holly. Where did you ever get the name Holly? You don’t hear it that often.”

  “My birthday is in December and my mother was carried away with having a Christmas baby. I’ll need time this morning to move my things in,” she continued briskly, trying to get right back to business.

  “Don’t bother with any of that. I’ll get a couple of hands and we’ll move your belongings. Relocating you is easy.”

  “I suppose that’ll be the most efficient,” she said. “Where is my office?”

  “Right next to mine. You can decorate it to suit yourself. In the meantime, Noah sent some of your furniture from Dallas, so you have basics.”

  “I don’t need anything fancy. We won’t have clients coming to the office out here.”

  Grinning, he looked down at her. “You came into this kicking and screaming about as much as I did, didn’t you? My brother is an arm-twister deluxe, but then so’s our dad.”

  “I suspect I was kicking and screaming, as you put it, a lot more than you,” she remarked stiffly. How could he joke about it? She couldn�
��t find anything in the situation to be lighthearted about. Adding to her annoyance was the constant prickly awareness of Jeff Brand as a desirable man.

  “I see you’re ready for a day on the ranch,” she remarked. He took the box from her, his fingers brushing hers in a slight touch that made her warm from head to toe.

  “No need for formal dress out here. Matter of fact, you can come as casually as you please. It’ll be the two of us plus two secretaries who will arrive tomorrow. No need for formality.”

  “I feel far more professional when I dress for work,” she said with her frostiest tone. Really, how had they gotten on to the subject of clothing.

  “Don’t be too hard on the two secretaries we’ll have if they choose to relax a little.”

  “If they get their work done efficiently, I can cut them some slack.”

  “That’s good to hear. This is my office,” he said, waving his hand at an open door, and she glanced inside a light, airy room with sliding glass doors that opened onto a patio. The whole scene seemed to be right out of a decorator’s catalog with exotic blooming plants, greenery and brightly cushioned elegant furniture.

  “Not exactly roughing it out here on the ranch, are you?” she said, moving on to her office. This sunny room held a large desk from headquarters, her fruitwood file cabinets and a conference table. A bathroom adjoined her office.

  “I won’t lack for space,” she said. “I’ll get started.”

  “Go right ahead.”

  He was all the things she didn’t like rolled into one package. Her total opposite. She watched him walk out of the room, his boot heels scraping on the polished plank floor. How was she going to survive this year?

  All morning she worked as if demons were after her—trying to lose herself in business, getting moved in and organized, looking over ad campaigns and letters from clients, making calls. As she replaced the receiver from a call, she looked up to see Jeff lounging in the doorway, leaning against the jamb—a pose she had never seen his brother do in their whole time working together. Noah was dynamic, businesslike, professional, ambitious and smart—at least up until this last fiasco he had placed her in.