by Sara Orwig
She walked him to the door where he turned. This time she avoided offering her hand. Even so, as she stood looking up at him, dark eyes searched hers for a few seconds as they stood in silence. “This should be good for both of us,” he said in a husky voice that heated her.
“I hope so,” she said faintly.
He opened the door and stepped out before turning again.
“I’ll text the flight arrangements and have a limo take you to the plane. The chauffeur will pick you up wherever you want.”
“Thank you. That’s a huge convenience. Until then, thank you for the donation, and the job and for having so much faith in me.”
“I’ve seen the results of your work,” he answered. He turned to leave and paused at her assistant’s scarred desk, which had one leg missing and was propped up with bricks. He told Nan that he was glad to have met her, and then, smiling at Sierra and her assistant, he left.
When he had disappeared from sight, she turned to her assistant. “I’m going to take some time off. He’s hired me to do a decorating job at his ranch.”
“Mercy! I’d take that job, too. That’s the most handsome man to ever walk through this office. Don’t tell Bert I said that.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Sierra said with a smile, thinking about her assistant director, Bert Hollingsworth, who was six years older than she was, with sandy hair he never could get totally under control and gray eyes that held a perpetual worried look. She had been friends with him since the moment they were introduced. Unlike her response to Blake Callahan, Bert had never once evoked any physical reaction in her.
Reassuring herself once again that she would see little of Blake once she was on the job, she tried to shove him out of mind.
“Will you please call Bert and then both of you come to my office? We have some things to discuss.”
Giving her a quizzical look, Nan nodded and picked up a phone, repeating Sierra’s instructions to Bert.
Sierra left her door open as she hurried to her desk and sat, taking the checks in hand to stare at them again in amazement. All that money—her head spun at the thought. She had promised her grandfather she would continue his hard work and help people when they needed help.
She had been raised to believe in the good in people, and every week she had proof of that goodness from one person or another. Blake Callahan couldn’t understand why she’d left interior design, but her career in nonprofit work was about what really counted in life. She had great faith in the ability of the human spirit to overcome adversity.
Shortly, Nan and Bert entered her office, Bert with his usual smile. “How’d the meeting go?”
“That’s the reason I wanted to talk to you. He’s hired me to do the interior design for a wing he’s built onto his ranch house. I’ll have to take a leave of absence.”
“I thought you gave up that career,” Bert said, frowning slightly.
“I thought so, too, but he gave me two payments—one for my work, and one as a donation to this agency. Here are the identical checks—each one for half a million.” She passed the checks to Bert, who shared them with Nan. Bert stared open-mouthed while Nan read the amounts again. Nan’s eyes were wide as she looked at Sierra.
“All that money to our agency,” she whispered.
“Saints above.” Bert shook his head, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “I knew the man was wealthy, but this—I never dreamed we’d get this kind of donation.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t faint,” Nan said. “You don’t even have to share that with your old design firm.”
“No, but I’ll share my personal check with Brigmore Charities. I’m also going to share with Dad and his church. Just think what good we can do with all this money.”
“I may faint,” Bert said. “No wonder you took the job. How could he want you that badly?”
“He thought I did a good job on his hotel. I turned him down at first, but I don’t think the man is accustomed to hearing no. And there’s more. If I do a good job, he will make an annual contribution of this amount to Brigmore Charities for the next three years.”
Bert shook his head as if in denial.
“Is he single?” Nan asked.
Sierra bit back a smile. “Very. When I worked for him before, I heard gossip that he doesn’t have serious relationships.”
“I think you ought to use a little of that money for a background check on him. He wants you too badly,” Bert said.
Sierra smiled and shook her head. “I don’t think a background check is necessary. Look him up on the internet and look up his business. He can afford this check without thinking about it. His father is a billionaire, and Blake Callahan is wealthy on his own. There are a lot of women in his life. He has no need of me, except as a decorator.”
“Want me to come with you?” Bert asked, a frown creasing his brow. Sierra held back another smile.
“Thanks, Bert. I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“If for any reason it becomes necessary, you call me and I’ll be right there.”
“I will,” she said, appreciating his offer, though it seemed ridiculous. “I won’t be alone. I’m hiring two people to help me. He’ll pay their salaries, and they’ll live on the ranch with me part of the time.”
“That’s good,” Bert said.
“If you need a secretary, don’t forget me,” Nan said, smiling.
For the next half hour they talked about depositing the check and presenting the donation to the Brigmore Charities’ board of directors.
Finally, Nan rose to go back to her desk. Bert came to his feet, he closed the door and returned.
“I want to talk to you.”
She sat behind her desk and waited.
“I don’t think you should take the job or accept the check.”
“You have got to be kidding,” she said, staring intently at him. “Why on earth not?”
“He’s up to something. That’s too much money.”
She held back a laugh. “I’ll repeat—Blake Callahan will never miss this money.”
“Why didn’t he go to the New York agency he hired when you first worked for him?”
“He should have, but he said I did the best job he’d ever seen. He’s accustomed to getting what he wants. He’s flying me there in his private jet. Stop worrying, and start thinking about the best use for this money.”
Bert shook his head and stood. “All right, but at the first sign of trouble, promise you’ll call me. Let me know where this ranch is.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, smiling at him, knowing Bert had perpetual worries even when everything was rosy.
“If you’re okay…what a windfall for us. This is going to help a lot of people. Our buildings are old and need repair—the homeless shelter was the original charity and it needs a new roof, new plumbing—all sorts of things. We have a waiting list for the orphaned children and their building and grounds need work.”
“Plus the four-footed friends. Don’t forget our dog and cat shelter. This will buy a lot of chow, and we can run some great ads. Maybe we can get a bigger place because what we have is so tiny we can only take a few animals at a time.”
“True. I’ll get busy.”
“Good,” she said and watched him go, leaving her door open behind him.
She knew Bert’s worries were unnecessary, but there was only one threat from Blake Callahan.
That sizzling attraction that flared the first second they looked into each other’s eyes. Never again would she get involved with an employer—yet how well could she protect herself from Blake’s sexy appeal?
* * *
Late Friday afternoon Blake flew home to Dallas, where he had a small plane waiting to fly southwest to the tiny airstrip at Downly, Texas. At Downly he climbed into his waiting car and headed west to his ranch.
While he drove along a county road devoid of traffic, he thought about Sierra Benson. He hadn’t met her when she did the hotel job, so he had been startled w
hen the air sparked with a chemistry that he suspected she felt as much as he did.
Some of the most beautiful women he’d dated had never caused that kind of reaction in him. When he had taken Sierra’s hand, the impersonal contact had had the impact of a blow to his middle, a tug on his senses that made him want to get to know her. His reaction to her had blown his intentions to hire her all out of proportion.
He had wanted her to handle the decor of his new wing because she was the best at interior design and decoration he had ever met. Add the intense physical appeal to her business skills, and he wasn’t about to let her disappear out of his life. He had overreacted by offering so much money, but when had a woman ever set his pulse pounding by merely saying hello? Or shaking hands with him?
Her stay at his ranch should be interesting. He knew he had acted impulsively, and in what was an uncustomary manner for him, but he didn’t want her to say no and disappear out of his life before he got to know her. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her. The thought set his heart racing.
Maybe their attraction was something that happened at first meeting and wouldn’t happen again. With the smoldering chemistry between them, he couldn’t keep from dreaming of seduction.
Dream on, he thought. She was wrapped up in saving the world and would probably be earnest, wanting marriage if there was a relationship.
They were from two different worlds—her whole aim in life was helping others, a commendable ambition, but not practical. At some point reality would hit, and she would give it up. Right now, it seemed ridiculous for her to toss aside a career she had a tremendous talent for to do charity work. She could have had her own design firm! Instead, she looked at the world through rose-colored glasses and saw everyone as filled with a basic goodness—which was not practical.
This was a lesson he had learned early in life when his father abandoned him. There was nothing good about a man who would dump his wife and small child, cutting them permanently out of his life. He never gave time or attention, and they had been hurt repeatedly by his indifference. Eventually, Sierra would learn that not everyone could be saved.
He’d learned about the realities of human nature at an early age, watching his father be honored for his philanthropy only to turn around and lie to get what he wanted, cheat on his wife and abandon his children.
Sierra would soon be like the rest of the world—as out for herself as the next person, and all her sweet talk about saving souls would be a memory. That was human nature.
No, she was not his type in any way—except for that hot, intense, mutual attraction.
A scalding attraction he intended to pursue in spite of their differences, because it was obvious she felt it too. He intended to clear his calendar and spend some time at his ranch while she was there.
He had planned on being at the ranch this week, anyway, so it would work out well with her starting Monday.
Then he would find out if that mutual attraction was a first-meeting fluke—or something more.
* * *
Sunday afternoon Sierra watched from her window as the plane lifted from the tarmac and gained altitude, revealing Kansas City spread below. Her gaze traveled around the plush interior of the aircraft with its luxurious reclining leather seats, tables between them, a magazine cabinet, a television screen and a laptop. The plane circled the city and headed south.
As she flew, she checked again to see that she had the phone numbers for two people she had worked with who now had their own New York agency. They had accepted her offer to work on Blake’s ranch house, and they would start Monday.
Eli Thompkins was a quiet presence and excellent at interior design. She had admired his work before she graduated and gotten into the business, and she would be happy to work with him.
Lucinda Wells had started as an interior designer at the same time as Sierra. She was talented, specializing in contemporary design. Eli and Lucinda would look for art, paintings and sculptures, as well as furnishings. Sierra had already given them a few suggestions.
She’d taken care of the donation details with Bert before she left. She tried to focus on all the wonderful improvements and opportunities Blake’s money would provide, but nothing could distract her from the tingly anticipation of seeing him again. Would she have the same sizzling reaction to him?
She hoped not, because that would complicate her job. Blake was far too cynical; his dismissal of her current work was proof of that. It was as if he was unable to see the goodness in others. She couldn’t understand his outlook on life, and he didn’t seem to understand hers. She needed to keep him out of her thoughts.
What was even worse, she hadn’t slept well because of dreams that included Blake—dreams she definitely didn’t want.
Had he felt anything when they’d met? Or had she imagined his response?
She suspected that by tomorrow morning she would have her answers.
Right on schedule, they touched down at Love Field in Dallas. She thanked the pilot and departed, crossing to the waiting white limo for another luxurious ride.
When they finally turned onto the ranch road, they passed beneath a wrought-iron arch with the name BC Ranch.
As they approached Blake’s house, she saw barns, outbuildings and a sprawling two-story stone ranch house that had to have cost a fortune. Slate roofs glistened in the sunlight, and she could spot the new wing because of construction equipment still in the yard. In front of the house sprinklers slowly revolved, watering the lawn and beds of early spring flowers bordering the porch.
As she remembered Blake’s midnight eyes and black hair, butterflies danced in her stomach. She hoped when they greeted each other she felt nothing except eagerness to start this job and gratitude for his donation.
The limo drove around the house, pulled beneath a portico and stopped. Blake stepped out and approached them. In jeans, a navy Western-style shirt and black boots, he looked like the successful rancher he was.
The driver opened her door and she stepped out of the limo. When she looked up into Blake’s brown eyes, she realized this job would not be as easy as she had hoped, because a sizzling current rocked her to her toes.
How was she going to work with this tall, handsome man without giving in to this attraction?
TWO
On a windy March afternoon, Blake watched Sierra Benson step out of the limo. She wore deep blue slacks and a matching shirt, her hair tied back by a blue scarf.
Taking a deep breath, Blake walked over and extended his hand. He wanted to find out if he had the same sensual reaction he’d had when he first met her, or if that had been his imagination. The moment his hand enveloped hers, he had his answer.
He felt the same sparks, and he saw the same surprise flicker in her big, blue eyes.
He never dated anyone he worked with, and she was not the type of woman he would be friends with. Even as he thought of the reasons he should keep his relationship with Sierra impersonal and professional, he was caught in those blue eyes and didn’t want to look away. Far from it. When his gaze lowered to her full red lips, he inhaled, trying to ignore a flash of curiosity. What would it be like to kiss her?
With a mental shake, he tried to get a grip on his thoughts. For all he knew she was engaged, deeply in love with someone at home and totally off limits.
“Welcome to my ranch,” he said with a smile. “Come inside, and I’ll have someone bring in your things while I show you around.”
“Thanks,” she said, slipping her hand out of his and falling into step beside him. “You have a beautiful home. It looks very big already, even without adding a wing to make it larger.”
“It’s home—a haven for me. I wanted a larger bedroom suite, something in a contemporary style, and there are three more large suites in the new wing. I wanted an entertainment room, an exercise room and a casual living area—so I’ll have all that in the new wing, too.”
“It’s a huge place for one man.”
He smiled. “I have a staff to
take care of it and relatives on Mom’s side of the family. They’re scattered across the country, and she likes to have them here during Christmas—they’ll fill both wings. I have three half brothers who visit and one of them, Nate, is married with a baby girl. Cade and Gabe—heaven knows if and when they’ll marry. I have friends who come to fish or hunt or for a party or just to visit. I don’t intend to rattle around alone. Would your family fill the space?”
Her eyes widened. “We could fill a lot of the bedrooms. Growing up, we always had kids sleeping on air mattresses and sofas because of the company we brought home.”
He saw her looking at the heavy crystal-and-brass chandelier hanging over the circular entryway filled with potted palms. There were also oil paintings on the walls. The entryway ceiling was two stories high, and on both sides of the hallway the rooms were open, with Corinthian columns instead of walls on the side facing the circular hallway.
“I have an office you can use on the second floor. It’s next to your suite.” He motioned toward a sweeping staircase with iron railings.
On the second floor he directed her down a wide hallway. They passed a bedroom and then stepped into a living area. “This suite will be yours. If you need anything, just let me know.” He saw amusement curve her mouth slightly. Tempting lips that looked soft and enticing.
Mildly exasperated that she stirred unexpected feelings in him, he shifted his thoughts to the present. “What’s amusing you?” he asked.
“How could I possibly want anything in all this luxury?” she asked. “You’ve seen my office.”
“Yes, I have. I suspect you didn’t do the decor for it.”
She smiled, and a warm feeling filled him. Her smile was contagious, as inviting as sunshine. “No, there is no decor in my office. Very plain vanilla, and we have buckets for rainy days.”
“You should have enough money from my check to fix the roof.”
