A silence settled over them as they took in the bucolic acreage. Kate had always loved this property. She sometimes daydreamed about winning the Mega Lotto and convincing the owner to sell. She’d build a limestone ranch house with a wraparound porch and a tin roof. She’d wear faded denim shirts and jeans, with cowboy boots that were so broken in her feet would hurt when she wasn’t wearing them. Her hair would eventually turn gray, but she’d grow it long and wear it in a braid. She’d learn to make goat cheese. Oh, and she’d have a good-looking ranch hand named Buck who would become her lover.
Coming back to the present, she looked over at Jack and briefly envisioned him in a denim shirt. Enough! He continued to scan the land, no doubt focused on Gridion’s project and not long, gray braids.
“Jack, I hate to break the spell, but really, this property is not available. The owner has been approached countless times with very generous offers, but they’ve never budged. I would’ve included this in my proposed sites if I thought there was any possibility, but it’s just not an option.”
She turned to head back to the car, but Jack stayed at the fence. What the hell? Kate was hot, they were wasting time, and she couldn’t stop wondering if a Texas scorpion sting could kill you.
“The first time I saw this windmill I was with my mom. She was driving and pointed to it. She said, ‘Jack, when you’re grown up and rich, I want you to buy me that farm.’”
Jack kept his focus on the field.
“How old were you?”
“Maybe ten or eleven.” He turned to her with a gentle smile. “After that, I’d write down the number for any rural lot for sale. I wanted to get her a farm then. Of course, every time I called, the owner or agent hung up when they heard a kid.”
Kate’s heart fluttered. God, it made her think of Charlie. Of how he tried to buy her things, even if it was a toy convertible. She managed her way back to Jack. “That’s so sweet. I’m sure she loved your intentions.
He shook his head. “I never told her. I wanted it to be a surprise, but after a while, I gave up.”
“You should tell her now. Trust me, she’ll be touched by the thought.”
“She died.”
Kate hurt for the man beside her as well as the boy who’d wanted to please his momma. “I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged as if to dismiss her sympathy. “Some things are out of our control, no matter how hard you try.”
She knew that truth too well but still tried to fight it. Her own loss swept over her and washed away any reply. They stood side by side in silence for some time, the sound of passing cars and buzzing insects enough to fill the void.
After what could’ve been hours, Jack finally spoke. “This is where I want Gridion.”
Stunned, it took Kate a moment to regain speech, all melancholy blown away. “Are you serious?”
Jack nodded, not even looking at her. Maybe he didn’t want to see the exasperation in her eyes. Kate let out a list of profanities. When he still didn’t move, she realized the tirade was only in her head, but oh, how she was tempted to let him have it, to tell him how he was screwing up her project. The vision of a pink slip lying on her desk stopped her cold in her tracks. Taking a deep breath, she pulled on her reserves of professionalism.
“You need to consider that your project doesn’t require this much space, and even if a miracle would unfold and the owner would sell, they’d never break up the property. What would you do with all the extra acreage?”
“We’d establish a preserve for native wildlife.”
She waited for him to laugh, but instead, he turned to her, looking as confident as ever.
Kate shook her head, trying to clear it. Surely, she’d misunderstood him. “What? You never mentioned anything about that in your project specs. We’ve spent two days looking at properties that are a fraction of the size. Why didn’t you tell me this from the start?”
“It wasn’t part of the plan . . . initially, but now that I see the potential here, I think it’s definitely something to pursue. I told you, Gridion is determined to redefine the standards for corporations protecting the environment. Our long-range plans include establishing such a preserve. I’m just pushing up the timeline.”
Kate stared at the property, unable to face the man or the situation. Eventually, she calmed down and reviewed Jack’s newest proposal. In truth, his idea of protecting the pristine acreage, at least the majority of it, was the best one could hope for. Throughout her years in Austin, she’d watched developers cover one parcel of land after another with tract homes, apartments, and the chain businesses that would serve the residents. It seemed to be inevitable. With Jack’s plan, at least one would be saved.
A bee buzzed past her head and brought Kate back to reality. That reality included the fact the property wasn’t available.
“Jack, I respect your plan, but the owner’s not—”
“Let me worry about the owner.”
Kate stared at him, trying to hide her opinion that he was being ridiculous. His plan to be a steward of the land might be noble, but it was sure as hell going to lessen her chances of closing the deal. “What about the infrastructure? We have no idea what it’s going to take to get—”
“Let’s start with the land. I’ll make the call.”
Good luck with that. “Fine.” She headed back to the car, carefully maneuvering a safe path through the tall grass. Kate screamed when she felt something buzz up her skirt and forgot all about the ground. She frantically swatted at her skirt, trying to knock the pest out. Her movements only incited the bug, which turned out to be a bee. A very angry bee.
“Ooow!” she screamed again when it finally nailed her. Between her erratic movements and the sudden jump from the sting, she started to fall.
Jack caught her just before she bit the dust. “Whoa!” she yelped in surprise as he lifted her up into his arms and headed to the car. The burning, throbbing pain of the sting was temporarily forgotten when all her blood rushed to her face. Not again.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“A bee flew up my skirt and stung me, but I can walk. You can put me down now.”
Jack ignored her request. “I’m sorry I dragged you out here.”
“It’s my own fault. I chose to come traipsing through the brush in a suit.” Kate gave up on getting down and blew a curl out of her eye. “Believe it or not, this is not my normal M.O. with clients.”
“I hope not. I’m always having to save your ass.” Jack winked, and Kate couldn’t help but smile.
“If it makes you feel any better, the first two rescues occurred before I was officially your client. And hell, one of those was my fault.” He set her on the edge of the passenger seat with her feet hanging out the door.
Kate jerked up off the seat. “Dam—, that hurts!”
“We need to pull out the stinger. It’ll ease the pain.”
“Wait!” Kate yelled, spreading her hands over her skirt. She tried to feign a calm façade, but panic rushed through her. Only in the life of Kate Livingston could every embarrassing situation come together at the most inopportune time.
Today of all days would be the one in which she’d decided to wear her new suit with the straight skirt. She’d wanted to look her best for their morning meeting with the Governor. Even though it was lined and fit comfortably, her panty lines were still visible. She’d decided it’d be okay to skip the panties. The black, linen skirt hung just below the knees. Even with the kick pleat, no matter how she moved, fell, or even touched her toes, there was no way she could pull a Basic Instinct. She hadn’t considered bee stings.
Jack got down on a knee. “Which leg is it?”
“It’ll be okay until I get home,” she said, heading around to the driver’s seat. “I want to get back to the office and start on the utility estimates. It’s going to take a while, so the sooner we get back, the better.”
“So, you’re Rambo. Going to tough it out,” he said, getting into his seat.
No. Just commando. “It’s no biggy, Jack. I’m not allergic or anything.” She moved into her seat and immediately thrust up her hips. “Ooow!” She jumped out of the car to take the weight off the sting.
Jack got out of the car and met her at the hood. “I told you, we need to get the stinger out.”
The sting was starting to throb. She knew he was right, but she sure wasn’t going to let him near her ass. “Okay! But I’ll do it. You sit up front and don’t look in the back.
He tilted his head, looking at her as if she was being ridiculous. “I’ve seen you in boxers . . . and a swimsuit.”
Yeah, but never a straight view of Miss Kitty. Kate stared at him until he shook his head.
“Fine, I’ll sit in the front and look straight ahead. Heaven forbid I see your leg.”
Kate could live with that. “Thank you.”
Jack got into his seat, and she climbed into the back. The sedan’s bench wasn’t huge, but if she leaned against the door, she had enough space to straighten her leg.
The sting was right below her bottom. Removing it would be challenging, to say the least. Kate inched up her skirt. The plan was to lift her leg, then lean over to pull out the stinger. But that didn’t work. The skirt was too restrictive, and she had to raise it even more.
“You’re not looking are you?”
“No, Kate. I’m not looking,” he answered, sounding perturbed at her accusation.
She had to raise the skirt to her hips before she was able to lift her leg higher. She hadn’t been this exposed since her annual. She bent over to see the sting but couldn’t quite get there. She tried again. And again. Still no success.
“Shit,” she hissed under her breath. She thought of Maggie and all the times she’d invited her to yoga class with all the damn up dogs and down dogs. Maggie insisted it would be good for her, but Kate was too busy. Well, once again, big sister was right. She slumped back on the car door, letting out a huge sigh.
“How’s it going back there?”
Kate was hot and disgusted. She was angry at the bee, at her vanity that made her think panty lines were a crime, and at her laziness in foregoing yoga classes. There was only one option left. One that would redefine the word “humiliation.” And knowing this was her only choice made her even angrier. So as any good woman would do, she focused her anger on the closest subject.
“It is not going!” she yelled. “I’m going to need your help.”
He must have heard the stress in her voice because he sounded calm when he answered. “Okay. Stay there, and I’ll come around.”
Kate jerked down her skirt and tried to sit up without touching the throbbing sting on the bench.
Jack opened the back door and leaned in. “So where exactly is the spot?”
Beyond embarrassed, Kate gave up on decorum. “It’s right below my bottom.”
She watched Jack’s reaction. He had a sparkle in his eyes and his lips were pressed together. Then he looked down at his feet and coughed. When he finally faced Kate again, he had a serious look on his face. A little too serious. The man would never win an Oscar.
“That explains why you couldn’t get to it. Come here.” He reached in and pulled her out of the car. “Lean against the trunk.” Kate looked at him, eyes wide.
“I need to see it. Can you think of a better way? Unless you want to lie down in the back seat.”
Kate sighed and turned to face the trunk. At least, being on the passenger side, no one passing by would see what was going on. Jack knelt down behind her and started to raise her skirt. She jumped at his touch, almost knocking him over.
“Just relax. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
He started to raise the hem again, and this time, Kate let out a nervous laugh. He might think this was nothing, but her body was definitely feeling something. She had a good-looking man kneeling behind her, lifting up her skirt. She shuddered. Stop it! He’s the client. Do you want to lose this job and make Big Macs on the nightshift?
“Here it is. Just hang on. It’ll only hurt for a second.” Kate winced in preparation for the pain.
“Got it.”
A semi stormed by, blaring its horn. Kate jumped up with Jack’s hands still on the skirt, causing it to slip even higher up her thigh. The wind created by the passing truck flipped the kick pleat open. And there it was: her ass. Maybe not available for everyone’s viewing, but definitely right there in high definition for Jack Graham.
Jack pulled down her skirt and walked away. He reached into the front seat and grabbed his phone. “I’m going to get some shots of the place.” His voice was hollow.
Kate attempted to straighten her skirt, not quite feeling the lining. She was rather numb all over. Perhaps her personality was splitting. She’d heard that horrific events usually triggered such a thing.
He’d seen her ass. Not just a hint of a cheek escaping a swimsuit. No, it was the mother lode. And then he’d walked away, without a word. Was he embarrassed? Was he disgusted? Was this some form of accidental wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am?
“Just stop it,” she whispered to herself and any other personalities that were listening. “It was an accident. It was asexual. You’re adults. You’ll probably laugh about it later.”
Jack was still taking pictures. She was grateful for the distance but wondered how she would face him when he returned to the car. She took some deep breaths and thought about happy things.
Visions of tranquil seas, puppy dogs, and hot fudge sundaes didn’t distract her, especially from a tortuous thought that could not be repressed. When Jack had come up behind her and started lifting her skirt and touching her thigh, her body—actually one particular part of her body—had come to life. She still felt a tingling heat. What was wrong with her? Humiliated and horny? Oh, there was definitely a personality split.
Kate slapped herself out of her mental therapy and decided the best thing to do was to get back to work. Once in the driver’s seat, she placed her jacket under her leg to cushion the sting. It was tender, but the pain was easing. She got out her phone and started making calls.
Jack stood at the fence line, taking shots of who knew what. The property that had caught his attention ten minutes earlier was now just a blur. The only thing he could picture was Kate Livingston with that fine ass, leaning over the trunk. Shit! He had to stop thinking about it, or his hard-on would never go away.
He’d laughed quietly, hearing her desperate efforts in the back seat. Now he knew why she’d been so upset. He would’ve never thought Kate the commando type. Perhaps that’s why he’d been drawn to that skirt all morning. It wasn’t tight. Kate probably didn’t own anything tight, but it was sexy. Of course, there was sexy, and then there was heart stopping.
When that skirt had flipped up, he’d been blown away by her firm, round bottom. Had she heard the hitch in his breath? It’d taken him a few beats to get a grip, and with a Herculean effort, he’d lowered her skirt and fled from temptation.
Jack forced his thoughts back to business. Scanning the acreage, he realized it would be an ideal setup. Plenty of space for future expansions, the wildlife preserve. Hell, they would even save the historic windmill. Mom would like that. He shook the thought aside. Seeing the possibilities reinforced what he’d come to realize: This was the perfect project to implement Gridion’s environmental steward program. No doubt, Phoenix and Huntsville could find similar sites.
But it wouldn’t be Austin. As soon as Kate had said the land wasn’t available, he knew he had his out.
Through the years, memories of his childhood had haunted him from time to time, but here in Austin, the ghosts were everywhere. Jack dragged a hand down his face. He had to stay away.
He looked back at the car. Kate was in the driver’s seat on her phone. She was the one factor in this scheme that pricked his conscience. He was an asshole for setting her up for failure. He’d have to make sure she wasn’t held accountable for Austin’s elimination. Jack could live with himself if he di
dn’t hurt Kate.
Chapter 9
“You know, Austin has one of the most highly-trained technical communities in the country,” the heavyset man lectured. Jack couldn’t remember if Mr. Factoid was from the community college, the Masons, or the city manager’s office. It didn’t matter, they were all the same, throwing out handshakes or promising eighteen holes on the most challenging course in the area.
He hated these meet-and-greets. He had never made a decision based on the BS that was thrown around at these events, yet every city that had ever courted him had put together some form of it. The city leaders wanted face time with him so they could claim the glory if Gridion came to town.
“Rick, quit badgering the man. He’s heard it all.” A short, disheveled man reeking of cigarette smoke stepped in front of Mr. Factoid, dismissing him from the conversation. He extended his hand. “Steve Trent, Chamber of Commerce.”
Jack started to reply, but the man interrupted. “Of course I know who you are. It’s nice to finally meet the famous Jack Graham.” The man leaned into him, as if they were old friends. Jack pulled away, escaping the man’s smoker’s breath.
“So, are you getting the full tour? Meeting everyone?”
“Yes. I’ve seen it all,” Jack replied, scanning the room for Kate.
“Kate Livingston’s handling your project. You’re in good hands.”
“She’s been a great help. You’re fortunate to have her working for the state.”
“Yeah, Kate’s the best. Worked with her for years.” Steve put his hand on Jack’s shoulder and leaned in once again. “She’s a widow, you know. Has two kids she loves more than life itself. But she’s the first to the table when there’s work to be done. She knows what she’s doing, and if she doesn’t, she knows the right man to call.”
Jack saw the pride in the older man’s eyes. Who wouldn’t be proud to have someone like Kate on their team? A sense of peace settled, knowing she was surrounded by people who appreciated her talents. “Nice meeting you, Steve,” he said, meaning it, and took off looking for the woman of the hour.
Then He Showed Up Page 7
