Brenda Jackson The Westmoreland Series Books 16-20

by Brenda Jackson

  “Yes.”

  Chloe opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut, deciding to leave it alone. She and Nellie were two different people and the way the woman ran her kitchen was none of Chloe’s business. Chloe’s concern, her aim, was to make sure by the time she confessed who she was, Ramsey would feel he was irrevocably in her debt. And if offering the men who worked for him a variety at breakfast was going to get brownie points with him, then so be it. Besides, after listening to the men yesterday, it was quite obvious that most of them would like a home-cooked meal and she had no problem giving them one. Besides, being back in the kitchen had made her realize just how much she enjoyed cooking.

  She heard the sound of a vehicle pulling up. “Sounds like your men are starting to arrive.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s Callum. He always arrives earlier than the others. He and I usually have business to discuss in the mornings.”

  She nodded. She had noticed the man yesterday and could tell he and Ramsey had more than just an employer-employee relationship. They seemed to be close friends. “He’s from the Outback, isn’t he?”

  Ramsey had moved to where the coffeepot was sitting to pour a cup of coffee. He took a sip and frowned. The woman could even make damn good coffee. “Yes,” he finally said, answering her question.

  Few people, including some members of Ramsey’s own family, knew that Callum was a millionaire in his own right and owned a vast amount of land in Australia. He had several sheep ranches in Australia that were run by a very efficient staff. There was no need to tell her that the Aussie donated to charity the salary he earned as Ramsey’s ranch manager.

  Callum, at thirty-four, was the product of a wealthy white Australian father and an African American mother. His family had made billions in the sheep ranching business. Another thing she didn’t need to know was that the only reason Callum was still hanging around here instead of moseying it back to Australia was because he didn’t plan to leave without Gemma going with him.

  Callum knew Ramsey well enough to know that when it came to his three sisters, Ramsey was a tad overprotective and would stop any advances on Megan, Gemma or Bailey cold. It had taken the Aussie a full year to convince Ramsey that his intentions toward Gemma were honorable and that he loved her and wanted to marry her. Both Ramsey and Dillon had given Callum their blessings for a marriage; however, they’d made it clear the final decision would be Gemma’s. His sister had never given any indication that she was the least bit interested in Callum and was virtually clueless in regards to Callum’s interest in her. As far as Ramsey was concerned maybe that was a good thing because Gemma was known to be a handful at times and would definitely have a lot to say about it; especially when she’d stated on more than one occasion that she never intended to ever give her heart to any man. That meant the Aussie had his work cut out for him if he intended to win her over.

  Ramsey glanced around the kitchen before returning his gaze to Chloe. “It seems that you have everything under control.”

  “Sorry you thought that I wouldn’t.”

  The mockery of her words had him frowning. Something told him that when it came to an attitude, hers was worse than his sister’s. “It’s not that I thought you wouldn’t, Chloe. I think you more than proved your capabilities yesterday.”

  She lifted her chin. “Then what is it with you?”

  He could pretend he had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn’t. If the truth be told, he was the one with the attitude and was well aware it had probably been the pits since their initial meeting. He wasn’t used to having to deal with a woman who made men pause when she walked into a room. A woman who wore her sexuality like it was a brand with her name on it. A woman who even now had blood surging through his veins.

  And a woman he wanted to kiss.

  His heart was racing at the very thought of locking his mouth with hers, and he knew at that moment if she stayed another night under his roof he would be doing that very thing if for no other reason than to get her out of his system. It would only be right to give her fair warning.

  “How old are you, Chloe?”

  From her expression he could tell she was wondering what her age had to do with anything. “I’m twenty-eight.”

  He nodded slowly, while his gazed continued to hold hers. “Then I would think you’d know what it is with me. But just in case you don’t have a clue, I’ll show you later.”

  Chloe felt a slow burn in her midsection followed by the feel of her heart thudding erratically in her chest. The meaning behind his words was pretty clear. If it hadn’t been, then his eyes would have spelled things out for her. She could see the promises in the dark depths. Promises he wasn’t trying to hide. Promises he intended to keep.

  Before she could level a response the back door opened and Callum Austell walked in. He looked first at her and then at Ramsey. The smile that touched the man’s lips would have been too deadly sexy if she hadn’t thought Ramsey had a monopoly on sexiness.

  “Ram. Chloe. Did I come at a bad time?” Callum asked in a low tone.

  Chloe watched an irritated frown touch Ramsey’s features and she drew in a deep breath. Lucia had warned her that he was a private person and she wasn’t sure just how he felt about his friend picking up on the sexual tension flowing between them. It was tension so thick you could probably cut it with a knife and then spread it on bread. Deciding she needed to play off Callum’s words, make the man think he was wrong in his assumption, she turned to Callum, opened her mouth to speak, but Ramsey beat her to it.

  “No, you didn’t come at a bad time. Come on, Cal, let’s have that meeting.” He then sat the coffee cup he’d been holding on the counter with a thud and headed out of the room. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Callum who had halted beside her.

  “You sure look nice this morning, Chloe,” Callum said in a husky tone with his deep Australian accent.

  Chloe glanced up at the handsome man whom she figured was a year or two younger than Ramsey and couldn’t help wondering what he was about. Had he just delivered a polite comment or a blatant flirtation?

  “You’re wasting my time, Cal. Are we meeting or what?” Ramsey called out in a sharp tone.

  Callum looked across the room at Ramsey and smiled. “We’re meeting.”

  And then he moved to follow Ramsey out of the room.

  * * *

  Ramsey clenched his jaw until he was in the office and then he all but slammed the door shut before facing Callum. The other man had the nerve, the very audacity, the damn gall, to smile. “What the hell was that about?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  Callum gave him an innocent look, one Ramsey wasn’t buying or selling. “I don’t know what you mean, Ram.”

  Ramsey leaned back against his desk and frowned. “You were flirting with her.”

  Callum shrugged as another smile formed at the corners of his lips. “What if I was?”

  Ramsey crossed his arms over his chest. “If you did it to get a rise out of me, then—”

  “It worked,” Callum taunted as he eased his muscular frame into a chair across from the desk. “Come on, Ram. Go ahead and admit you want the woman, which is why you’re trying to get rid of her. When you know for yourself, even after eating just one meal, that she’s a lot better cook than Nellie and her temperament is a vast improvement to what we’re used to. I hate to say it but Nellie hasn’t been missed around here and you know why.”

  Ramsey drew in a deep breath. Yes, he did know why. Nellie’s disposition had begun deteriorating months ago after discovering her husband had been unfaithful to her. It was as if she had taken her hurt and anger out on the entire male population and his men knew it. They had tried being understanding, even sympathetic. But then after a while they’d become annoyed and just plain irritated. There was nothing worse than pissing a man off about his food.

  Although Nellie’s unexpected trip had placed him in a bind, he thought she needed the distance from
his men for a while and vice versa. She still had a job when she returned, but the two of them would have a long talk first.

  “Okay, so Nellie hasn’t been missed, but when she comes back, she still has a job,” he decided to speak up.

  “Fine. Great. But in the meantime I think your men deserve a nice smile and friendly words every now and then, not to mention food they can eat without worrying about it being burned or overly seasoned.”

  Ramsey was silent.

  “Look, I understand your problem with Chloe, Ram. Welcome to the club. I know how it is to want a woman so bad you ache,” Callum said.

  Ram frowned. He then narrowed his eyes on his friend. “You’re referring to my sister,” he said in a warning tone.

  Callum snorted. “I’m referring to the woman I intend to marry who refuses to give me the time of day and it’s getting damn near frustrating. Don’t be surprised one day if you wake up and find us both gone.” A smile touched Callum’s lips. “I might resort to kidnapping.”

  Ram’s frown deepened. “You’d better be joking.” He then shook his head at Callum’s outrageous threat. And then he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Go ahead and kidnap her. I’ll give you less than a week and you’ll be bringing her back. Gemma will make your life a living hell if you did such a thing and I wouldn’t be one to close my eyes on her if I were you. She likes getting even.”

  Ram smiled. Although he’d gone a little overboard he knew Callum got the picture. Of his three sisters, Gemma was the one who had a knack for not only speaking her mind but for backing up her thoughts. Callum knew this and was still in love with her. Go figure.

  “Are you really thinking about letting Chloe go?” Callum asked and Ramsey figured he was now desperate to change the subject from Gemma back to Chloe. “I think it’s a sin and a shame that your men will have to suffer just because you can’t control your urges,” Callum said.

  Ramsey knew there was really no reason to deny what Callum had just said. It was true. He was finding it hard to control his urges around Chloe. And they were urges he’d been controlling just fine before she’d shown up.

  “The men are taking a bet as to how long we’ll keep her.” Callum grinned and said, “I bet some will be surprised to find her still here this morning.”

  Ramsey didn’t see anything amusing. He didn’t like being reminded that others had noticed his interest in her yesterday. “She’s not the only good cook around these parts.”

  “I’m sure she isn’t, but not many would want to have to live on the ranch. Most would probably have homes of their own; families they had to take care of when they left here like Nellie.” Callum rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Um, that makes me wonder.”

  Ramsey lifted a brow. “About what?”

  “Why would a woman with her looks take a job where she’ll have to live here in the middle of nowhere for two solid weeks. Doesn’t she have any family?”

  Ramsey considered Callum’s question. To be honest Chloe’s personal life hadn’t crossed his mind, mainly because he hadn’t intended for her to stay. In fact, he had planned to call the employment agency when it opened this morning to see how soon they could send a replacement. But Callum had posed a good question. Evidently she did have a place in town because she had returned last night with her luggage in tow.

  “What if she’s on the run and took the job to hide out here?”

  Ramsey looked over at Callum. “On the run from what?”

  “An abusive husband. A psycho fiancé. A possessive boyfriend. Hell, I don’t know, Ram. But if I were you I would find out.”

  Ramsey’s frown hardened at the thought that Chloe might be running from a demented stalker. But then when he’d mentioned to her yesterday that she was hired as a live-in cook she’d seemed surprised. And last night she claimed that she’d only returned after deciding she didn’t want to risk being late this morning. What if there was more than that?

  “I don’t think she’s married or engaged because she’s not wearing a ring and there’s no indentation around her finger to indicate that she’s worn one in the past,” he said.

  Callum chuckled. “You’re as bad as Eric and Thel if you noticed all of that about a woman’s finger.”

  Ramsey shrugged his shoulders, refusing to let Callum bait him. “Whatever.”

  “Well, it might be whatever if you don’t find out. If you make her leave, then you could very well be sending her to her death.”

  Ramsey rolled his eyes. “Spare me the dramatics.”

  Callum stood. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you if something were to happen to her.” He headed for the door.

  Ramsey watched him about to leave. “Hey, where are you going? We haven’t had our meeting yet.”

  Callum smiled over at him. “And we won’t. At least not this morning. I smell homemade biscuits and both bacon and sausage. If you’re still thinking about getting rid of her, then I need to make sure I eat well this morning. No telling what we might end up with for lunch.”

  * * *

  Ramsey had always been a man who’d prided himself on two things: strength of mind and self-control. He felt both take a flying leap when he walked into the dining area an hour later. His men were gone and Chloe was clearing off the table. She glanced over in his direction and the moment he looked into her eyes, he wanted to cross the room and pull her to him and kiss her until she was nothing more than a limp body in his arms.

  “You missed breakfast, but I kept you something warming in the oven. The eggs will be made to order,” she said.

  He nodded, surprised she had thought of him. “Thanks.” He had deliberately remained in his office, trying to concentrate on finishing reports he had failed to do last night. His men’s voices had carried to his office and he could tell from their conversations that they had enjoyed breakfast and were looking forward to lunch.

  “Your men were wondering why you didn’t eat breakfast with them.”

  He glanced over at her as he poured a cup of coffee, wondering if his men had been the ones speculating or if it had been her. “Were they?”

  “Yes.”

  When he didn’t say anything but sipped his coffee while watching her, she said. “If you’re ready to eat I’ll get your plate out of the oven.”

  “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”

  He moved toward the table and after sitting down he watched her and wondered if Callum’s speculations were true. Was she living here at the ranch as his cook because she was on the run from someone? He sipped his coffee thinking that he was not one to overreact, but what if some of what Callum assumed was true?

  “How do you want your eggs, Ramsey?”

  He blinked, realizing she had asked him a question. “Excuse me? What did you say?”

  “Your eggs. Do you prefer scrambled, sunny-side up or over easy?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to say he preferred them over her so he could lick them off, but thought better of it. She was wearing another short dress and like last night she had spoiled the effect by a pair of leggings. What was with those things? Why the hell were women wearing them under their dresses? He enjoyed seeing bare skin. Nothing was wrong with seeing a nice piece of feminine flesh on occasion. And although he’d never seen her legs, he had no reason to believe they weren’t gorgeous, a real arousal-getter just like the rest of her.

  The lower part of his body was already throbbing with the way her outfit fit over her bottom, showing a perfect shape. He could just imagine lying in bed with that backside curved against his front in spoon fashion, dipping his head to nibble on her neck and to place marks of passion there before moving toward…

  “Ramsey?”

  He blinked again. “Yes?”

  “How do you want your eggs?”

  “Sunny-side up will be fine.”

  He watched how she handled the frying pan. There was no doubt in his mind she knew what she was doing. And the way she cracked the egg was sure and precise. He couldn’t help wondering about her c
ooking skills. Had she gone to culinary school? If so, why wasn’t she working at a first-class restaurant somewhere? Why was she here on a sheep ranch on the outskirts of Denver? There was only one way to find out. He’d discovered that with some women if you got them talking they would tell you just about anything you wanted to know. It worked with Bailey, although it hadn’t been a proven trick with Megan or Gemma.

  As she cooked his eggs he studied her. She didn’t look like a woman under any sort of duress. She seemed calm and looked cool. And she appeared to enjoy what she was doing.

  His gaze moved to her face. She didn’t have normal features. She was beautiful. Soft-looking brown skin, a sensual pair of eyes, a cute nose and a pair of lips he longed to taste. Her dark brown hair was shoulder length, lustrous curly strands. It didn’t take much to imagine that hair spread across a pillow. His pillow. And those sensual dark eyes shimmering with arousal right as she shifted her body to spread her thighs, open her legs to fill the air with her scent while he stared down at her feminine mound, moist, ready, waiting for him to sample.

  The surge of desire that swept through him at that moment was so fierce it almost took his breath away. He needed something stronger than a cup of coffee and was tempted to pull a beer out of the refrigerator. Instead he drew in a long, deep breath, shifted his gaze to look out the window. Think about something else. The bill that was soon to come due on his new tractor. The fact that Gemma was bugging him about decorating the rest of his house. Anything except making hot, carnal love to Chloe.

  Trying to regain control of his libido and senses, he looked over toward her. She might know how to wield a frying pan and all that, but there was a refined air about her that disconnected her ability in the kitchen with the way she carried herself. It was as if she should be getting served instead of being the one doing the serving. “Are you married?”

  She glanced over at him but only for a second. She went back to concentrating on cooking his eggs. “No.”

  “You sure?”

  Her head lifted and she stared at him, gave him a look like he’d suddenly grown two heads or something. “Of course I’m sure.” She held up her left hand. “See, no ring.”