“I do.” She rushed to add, “And please don’t insist on getting it. It won’t look good on my résumé if you break your other arm.”
He chuckled, but his jaw had a stubborn set. “If I let you carry your own luggage, I’ll have to surrender rights to my Stetson. You can hold Nugget while I get your things out of your car.”
He passed the dog to her. Without another word, he disappeared outside in his wet clothes. She cuddled the little dog—some kind of tiny terrier—close. Her boss was a stubborn one, all right. She would do well to remember that and tread warily. Surrendering on the suitcase issue seemed wise. She secured the towel around the shivering dog and cradled him like a baby.
Working for anyone in the oil-rich Steele family would prove to be a boon in more ways than one. She could pad her résumé in a way her previous jobs hadn’t provided. And being with the Steele family could give her the opportunity to somehow make peace with her past. She desperately needed to find resolution for how the long-ago tragedy in Marshall’s life had eventually led to her own father’s suicide. He’d been her last living relative, other than a newborn baby she’d given up the next year.
How surreal that her life, her past, was so entwined with this man’s. Not that he or his family even knew who she was. And she preferred to keep it that way for now. As far as they knew, she was just the temporary maid service.
But she was also the daughter of the drunk airplane mechanic responsible for the death of Marshall’s mother and sister.
* * *
“Nugget, it appears our quiet bachelor-pad lifestyle has suffered an invasion,” Marshall Steele said to his scrappy little mutt, currently sprawled on the bathroom floor, clearly savoring the heated tiles.
Easing the arm of a T-shirt over his cast, Marshall couldn’t stop thinking about the new cleaning lady who would be living under his roof for the next six weeks.
He preferred the solitude of his ranch home, or of recreational time spent riding and reading. Solitude was something the rest of his overlarge family didn’t seem to understand. The cleaning lady was the latest in their well-meaning attempts to help him. He’d thought their insisting on the holiday charity fund-raiser being held at his house was a rather heavy-handed way of interfering with his social life. But sending a sexy woman to live in his house for the next six weeks was definitely going overboard.
And yes, he was grouchy as hell after taking a tumble at the end of a rodeo ten days ago, breaking his dominant arm in two places. The cast and sling left him barely able to dress himself. He was stuck wearing shirts a size too large so he could wedge his cast through. Thanks to one ill-timed kick from a horse, he couldn’t even manage to save a ten-pound mutt from a paddle in a pool.
A mutt currently drifting off to sleep, unimpressed with anything Marshall had to say.
He worked the button fly on his jeans, trying to keep his mind off images of his new housekeeper in her suite changing into dry clothes, too. Images of her sleeping under his roof at night.
Having her work days here helping prepare for the upcoming fund-raiser to be held at his home would have been somewhat simpler to manage than having her be his damn babysitter. But it wasn’t fair to penalize her for his family’s overreach.
Which left him with a dilemma.
He believed her when she said she’d sublet her place to save money. And she was correct that his stepmother—and therefore his father, too—would be upset if Marshall rejected help recovering. But Tally was a significant distraction.
He kept a rigid control over his world now, a far cry from his partying years full-time on the rodeo circuit. He’d played hard—drunk hard. Too hard. He’d been sober now for four years. Not a minute of it easy, but then taking it one day at a time was part of the program.
He should have known better than to step back into the rodeo ring, even for a onetime special show. For an instant, he’d been distracted by demons from the past, and now he had a broken arm to show for it.
As well as the knowledge it could have been much worse if that hoof had caught him in the gut or head.
He needed to get his focus back and his life reined in again. Holidays were difficult enough with the stress they brought, but with his recent accident... He was in a vulnerable place. He needed to steer clear of any temptations that could derail his sobriety.
He picked up the phone and dialed his father. “Dad, you and I need to have a talk.”
Jack Steele chuckled on the other end. “About what?”
“I’m not sure what agenda you and Jeannie have going on, but it’s not going to work.” The two were inseparable. Marshall found it tough to believe his father wouldn’t know about the new employee. He snagged his socks from the top of his dresser and sat on his king-size bed.
“You’ll have to give me more information. I’m in the dark.”
Marshall thumbed the phone on speaker with a frustrated sigh so he could tug on his socks one-handed. “Just because so many of your kids are settling down doesn’t mean I’m interested in joining the ranks of the duly domesticated.”
“So you keep telling us,” his father answered. “And what does this have to do with Jeannie?”
“I agreed for her to hire a part-time housekeeper. Not a live-in Victoria’s Secret supermodel.”
His dad laughed again, louder this time. “Son, I don’t see why the two are mutually exclusive. Seems that would be politically incorrect and downright wrong to factor looks into the hiring equation.”
Something was up. He just didn’t know what. “Did Jeannie interview the prospects?”
The line went silent.
“My point exactly.”
“So the housekeeper’s that attractive?”
Understatement. Her red hair, perfect curves and personality full of grit had sparked a fire in him. “Well, it didn’t help that she was starring in a wet T-shirt contest when we met.”
His father spluttered on the other end of the phone. “Run that by me again?”
“I was in the pool fishing out Nugget—”
“Whoa. Hold on. You were swimming with your cast on?”
“The dog fell in, so to call my rescue efforts ‘swimming’ is a stretch. Besides, I kept my arm above the water.” He tugged on gym shoes. Even putting on his boots was an ordeal.
“That was damn reckless,” his father said softly. “What if you’d reinjured yourself, worse this time?”
“Then I would have gotten patched up again. I couldn’t let Nugget drown. You would have done the same.”
A low grunt carried through the phone line. “True enough. How did the pup end up in the pool?”
“We were coming in from a walk,” he said, casting an eye at the scraggly pup who had come into his life when a member of his AA group had moved to Europe, “and Nugget ran through the sunroom door full tilt straight into the water.”
“Then the new hire showed up?”
“Exactly. Tallulah Benson’s got spunk, I’ll give her that.” He couldn’t shake the memory of seeing her plunge into the water, determination firing in her hazel eyes. And for heaven’s sake, how was it he remembered her eye color? “She jumped in, pushed right past me and scooped up Nugget.”
“Ah, thus the wet T-shirt reference.”
“Uh-huh.” The revived image of her soaking wet with all those curves on display threatened to steal his focus clean out from under him. “I was worried about her getting bitten since the mutt was so freaked out by this point. But she handled things with complete calm and competence.”
“She’ll need it to deal with you.”
“Are you insinuating I’m difficult?”
“Not insinuating. I’m stating facts. You’re stubborn, which can be good when you have a task to accomplish and bad when it holds you back from asking for help.” He paused. “I’m concerned about you.”
There
was something in his father’s voice that gave Marshall pause. No one knew about his alcoholism. But had his dad somehow figured it out? Was the cleaning lady some kind of family spy to keep track of his sobriety?
The thought felt paranoid, but there was something reserved about Tally’s sparkling hazel eyes, a hint of secrets...
Although who was he to judge? He had secrets of his own to keep from her.
“Dad, let’s just say the position of the live-in cleaning lady is contingent upon my say-so and leave it at that.”
No matter how intense the draw of his housekeeper, he was going to table the attraction for as long as she was working for him.
Two
Being drawn to her boss was not wise. At all.
But the laws of attraction defied logic.
She needed to get dressed quickly and start to work before her logic slipped further away.
Tally tugged on a soft long-sleeved cotton shirt—her work uniform along with khaki slacks. She just had to hold firm for six weeks. Surely she could keep her hormones reined in for that long.
She reached for her fur-lined ankle boots, her toes still chilly from her dip in the pool. Even the heated water had left her sprinting for her suite, teeth chattering.
Or maybe it was the man who’d sent her running, needing distance from her tempting boss. It was better to focus firmly on her job.
She’d cleaned a few upscale houses, but nothing like this. Her bedroom was more of a suite, larger than her apartment. No wonder room and board was such a big deal with this kind of accommodations.
Sure, she was proud of the life she had built and the place she called home. Everything in her apartment served a utilitarian purpose. This larger-than-her-lifestyle room felt antithetical to her experiences, but she couldn’t deny the appeal. Floor-to-ceiling arched windows allowed natural light to pour into the space, washing the dark furniture in a luxurious glow. She scrunched her toes, taking in the sensation of the plush carpet as her eyes pulled to the view out the windows. To the sight of rugged Alaskan wilderness, tall pine trees kissing the sky. A mountain loomed in the distance, looking so impossibly beautiful that it seemed painted. Tally could have stayed in this room for hours, just watching the breeze set the shrubbery to life.
Unable to justify delaying any longer, she made her way to the kitchen to prepare dinner, taking in pine panes on the ceiling. As she moved through the sparsely decorated hallways, Tally felt like she was winding her way through a forest. The incorporated wood features, the natural color palette. It all felt like an extension of the outside world.
The Steeles seemed to have everything money could buy...and yet they’d suffered the worst blow a family could face, losing two loved ones. She understood that kind of pain wasn’t anything money could fix. Her father had killed himself out of guilt for his role in that plane crash, and his death haunted her still.
She shook off thoughts of the past that threatened her focus. She needed to familiarize herself with the place, to do the best job possible so as not to arouse suspicion.
Like her bedroom, the kitchen featured a grand window over the sink, allowing another breathtaking view of the wilderness. The stone facade of the octagon kitchen island repeated the use of natural elements in the house. More stone framed the pine cabinets where condiments, spices and mixing bowls were carefully arranged. Laying a hand on the sand-colored granite countertop, she surveyed the rustic space. Light bounced off the glass cabinet panes. Built-in appliances were sleek and functional.
Perhaps she’d mischaracterized this space. Not quite a forest. The arrangement of stones reminded her of a special she’d seen on Viking halls. Something decidedly masculine about this space had her cheeks heating even though Marshall hadn’t reappeared. She’d been given a list of her boss’s preferences, courtesy of his new stepmother. What she hadn’t known how to make, she’d studied up on prior to arriving.
The inside of his refrigerator was just as incredible as the rest of the house.
Stocked to the nines with fruits, meats and a variety of cheeses. The freezer was every bit as impressive. She hadn’t even made it to the pantry yet, but she felt sure preparing meals here—and eating the food—would be a dream.
Cooking for Christmas in this restaurant-quality space would be memorable. She itched to get to work on researching menu options.
And yes, she was distracting herself with business to keep her mind off her boss. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected. The Steele siblings were all renowned for being attractive and intelligent. She should have researched more about Marshall in particular, but she’d never come across this issue in her work in the past. She’d considered herself immune. She’d been wrong.
But more unsettling, it seemed to her, those rogue feelings were reciprocated.
There’d been a curiosity in his eyes that gave her pause. She didn’t want him searching too deeply. She needed to keep her professionalism in place, do her job and lay family ghosts to rest. All so she could move forward with a future that was secure financially and emotionally.
“Tallulah...”
His voice pulled her out of her reverie.
“Tally,” she reminded him without looking over her shoulder. She kept her head buried in the refrigerator to cool her cheeks, which were already heating with a blush.
“Tally...” His footsteps drew closer. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making you something to eat. Hopefully you’ll share, because I’m starved,” she said with a brisk efficiency she hoped would set the right tone going forward.
A tone that didn’t involve the two of them soaking wet, inches apart.
“Ah, the whole room-and-board deal.” He leaned a hip on the polished stone counter.
Tally did her best not to appreciate his rugged unkempt hair, which curled ever so slightly. Or the way his scruff highlighted his sharp, strong jawline.
“Exactly.” She pulled out a package of ground moose and fresh vegetables for burgers. Not fancy, but fast and filling with top-quality ingredients. “Where’s your dog?”
“Nugget’s drying off in my bathroom, staying warm on the heated floor.”
A heated floor for a pup. This was definitely a world away from her little apartment. Another reason the attraction to this man was dangerous. A romance between her and her wealthy boss was an unlikely match from the get-go.
“I took a guess at what you would like based on what was in your refrigerator and a list of favorites from your stepmother. Although some of what’s in the fridge looks like meals brought over by others, perhaps to help during your recovery? You’re lucky to have so many people who care for you.” She tried to keep the wistfulness from her tone. She’d understood too well how difficult life could be without family support when she found herself alone and pregnant. Did Marshall appreciate the blessing of his big family?
“You’ve done better than I could have one-handed. Thanks.” He gestured to an indoor grill with a chimney vent. “Although I can grill them.”
“You could. But I prefer to earn my keep.” She busied her hands placing the ground meat in a bowl to keep from surrendering to the temptation to pick a piece of lint from his shirt. To touch him.
“There’s not going to be a lot to keep you occupied around this place.” He passed her the fresh spices. “I’m fairly self-sufficient, even with the cast.”
“No offense meant, but the place is dusty.” In fact, she’d already made a list of tasks to accomplish before the fund-raiser and in preparation for Christmas. The holidays were going to be chaotic enough blending the Steele and Mikkelson traditions. Luckily, much of the Christmas prep would also double as party prep. She needed to stay focused on her work, her tasks and her goal of making peace with her family’s past. “I don’t know what you were paying the other cleaning lady to do during her visits.”
“Are you angling to
take her place permanently?”
His question caught her off guard. If her father hadn’t been the mechanic for that fated aircraft... If she hadn’t found her boss so incredibly attractive...
Then yes, this would have been the perfect job for her to seek long-term.
But that wasn’t the case.
“I’m only pointing out facts. My work will speak for itself and hopefully garner a good reference for another job.” She placed the patties out for the burgers, arranging three on a dish. “Wait until you see what I can do with my special brand of homemade fabric softener.”
“Homemade, huh?”
“I use all-natural cleaning supplies. Better for the environment and my health.” She’d started off mixing her own to save money and go easy on the environment, then found she liked the products better. She felt better, too—less sinus and skin irritation from work.
“Am I going to start seeing tofu and alfalfa sprouts in my food?” He tapped the plate, eyeing the burgers suspiciously.
“Do you like sprouts and tofu?” she found herself asking contrarily, even though they were both low on her list of favorites.
“Haven’t tried them.” He turned on the indoor grill, the flames licking upward to heat the grate.
“So you prejudge.” She was playing with fire, bantering with him. Yet she couldn’t seem to stop.
“Do you always argue with your employers?” He turned toward her to take the plate, their fingers brushing.
The light touch sent electricity crackling through her, leaving her loath to pull her hand from his.
“Not arguing. Just making conversation.”
“Uh-huh.” He took the plate, backing away slowly, then turned.
He flipped the burgers on the grill, the sizzling meat sending spicy scents into the air. His low growl of approval stirred her. Deeply. Calling to mind other primal pleasures.
Six weeks suddenly sounded like a very long time.
Heat built inside him faster than any smoking from the stone grill. Marshall watched Tally turn toward the pantry, all sass and sex rolled into one.
The Rancher's Seduction Page 2
