Handsome Boss: Handsome Devils Book 2

by Lori Wilde

  Emma blinked. Good grief. Where had all that come from? She looked at Nathan. He was frowning at her.

  Apparently, she wasn’t okay. Apparently, she harbored a great deal of dislike for a woman Nathan hadn’t even met yet. How weird was that? It wasn’t like she was jealous. The last thing she wanted to do was fall for a man who had roots in a small town like this one. She had her own plans. Her own goals. She didn’t want to live happily ever after with Nathan, even if he was a fantastic kisser.

  Nathan moved toward her. “Really, are you okay?”

  “Um, yeah. I’m fine,” she finally managed to say once she remembered how to speak.

  Oh, yeah, she was fine all right. Losing her mind. But other than that, right as rain.

  Nathan was obviously unconvinced. “Are you sure?”

  She could hardly tell him what she’d been thinking, so she settled for saying, “I was worrying about my dissertation.”

  “Ah.” For a moment, he simply studied her and looked as if he might challenge her response. Then, thankfully, he turned and went back to work.

  Emma released the breath she’d been holding. Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out an antacid and chewed it slowly.

  Good thing she wasn’t sticking around this town for much longer. Honey was starting to get to her. If she didn’t watch herself, pretty soon she’d be gossiping about Leigh and stepping over dogs that looked like they hadn’t moved in a couple of years and sneaking into Nathan’s office to do cheers.

  Yep, it was a really good thing she was leaving in five weeks. A really good thing

  5

  “Hey, where are you hiding, Emma?” Leigh asked, waltzing into the family room like it wasn’t almost two in the morning.

  Nathan nodded toward the grandfather clock in the corner. “Kinda late, isn’t it?”

  Leigh flopped onto the sofa. “You’re too young to be so old.”

  “Ha, very funny.” Turning his options over in his mind, Nathan chose his words carefully. Yelling at Leigh wouldn’t do any good. As Emma kept pointing out, his sister was an adult. A wild adult, but still an adult. So all he said was, “I worry about you, Leigh. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  She groaned. “I’m a grown woman. You and Trent and Chase have to accept it.”

  His gut instinct was to argue with her, but Leigh was right. He had to let her make her own choices in life even if those choices made him crazy. It was so damn difficult not to worry about Leigh. She might be an adult, but she also attracted trouble like a picnic attracted ants.

  “I’ll butt out if you promise me you’ll be careful,” he finally said.

  Leigh flashed him a grin. “Wow, Nathan, that’s quite a concession from you. I can’t believe it.”

  “Yeah, well, just so you know, I’m not too happy about it, either. Don’t make me regret this, okay? That means, I’m not going to step in and save you, either, so be very careful what you do.”

  She drew an imaginary X on her chest. “I promise. I won’t get in trouble.”

  “Why don’t I believe that?”

  “Because you’re a cynic.”

  No, it was because he knew his sister. But as difficult as it was going to be, Nathan vowed he’d stand by his agreement. He’d butt out of her life, even if it drove him insane.

  Leigh settled back on the couch, looking way too pleased with herself. “So, you never told me what you did with Emma.”

  “She moved into the garage apartment,” he said. “And Trent and I really appreciate all the help you gave us.”

  Leigh laughed. “You’re cute when you’re snotty. Seriously, I would have helped. If I’d known.”

  “I told you twice that Emma and I were cleaning out the apartment after work.”

  Leigh pretended to consider what he said. “Oh, you mean when you called this afternoon and said ‘Leigh, we’re cleaning out the apartment after work’ you meant you were—”

  “Cleaning out the apartment after work,” he said dryly.

  “Ah. Well, that explains why I got confused. You need to be clearer when you tell me these things, Nathan. Jeez, I’m not a mind reader.”

  “Funny. Very funny. Seriously, you should spend at least a little time with Emma. You did convince her to come to Honey.”

  Leigh narrowed her eyes. “Are you getting tired of her company?”

  His sister was being annoying, and she knew it. “I don’t think you’re being a very good friend, that’s all.”

  “Ouch. Got me with that one. Okay, I’ll spend more time with Emma.” Her expression brightened. “I know, I’ll ask her to come to the rodeo with me.”

  “Trent already did,” Nathan pointed out.

  Leigh blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “He’s taking his latest girlfriend to the rodeo on Friday and asked Emma to come along.”

  “Trent’s taking Emma along on one of his dates?” Leigh’s laughter bubbled out. “Now that I’d like to see. Emma, playing chaperone.”

  “I’m going with them, so it won’t be like Emma’s a third wheel.”

  The grin on Leigh’s face turned downright mischievous. “Oh, really? You’re going along? What, as Emma’s date?”

  Nathan frowned, not appreciating his sister’s sense of humor in the least. “Of course not.” “Why not? I know you like Emma.”

  “She works for me, in case you’ve forgotten,” Nathan said pointedly, hoping Leigh would get the hint and drop the subject. But true to form, the more sensitive the topic, the more it interested Leigh.

  “Is that the best excuse you can come up with?” Leigh asked with a snort. “If you like Emma, you should go ahead and date her.”

  “I have no interest in dating Emma,” Nathan maintained, knowing that he was lying like a rug. Lying badly, too. But the last person he wanted to discuss Emma with was Leigh. “I simply thought she might be more comfortable going to the rodeo if I came along, too.”

  Leigh clearly didn’t buy his excuse for a second. “Seriously, why don’t you go out with Emma? I think the two of you would be perfect together.”

  Suspicion slammed into Nathan. He hadn’t been born yesterday, and he could smell one of Leigh’s plots a mile away. Not that this one was proving to be much of a challenge. His sister’s intentions had been fairly obvious all along.

  “Leigh, I know your plan is to try to fix me up with Emma.”

  She fluttered her eyelashes. “Who, me? Never.”

  Nathan ignored her denial and continued, “It isn’t going to work. Emma and I are too different, and we both have our own agendas and things we want to achieve. It would never work out between us, so stop being a pest.”

  “That’s a nice little speech. Who are you trying to convince—you or me?”

  Nathan sighed. Today had been a really long day, and the last thing he wanted to do was discuss Emma with Leigh. Truthfully, he didn’t want to think about Emma at all. He’d done way too much of that today as it was.

  “Why don’t we spend a little time talking about you and Jared? Seems to me you two are spending way too much time together.”

  Leigh laughed. “Nice way to turn the tables, big brother. Okay, if you want to talk about Jared, we will. He and I have gone out on a couple of dates. Nothing serious, and it’s no big deal.”

  It took every ounce of Nathan’s self-control not to point out to his sister that Jared was hardly the right sort of man for her to be dating. Leigh knew very well what sort Jared was, and he’d promised to back off. But promising and doing were two very different things.

  “You know I’m worried about you?” was all he finally said.

  Leigh crossed the room and gave him a big hug. “Yes. And you’re sweet to be that way. A total pain in the rear, of course. But sweet.”

  Nathan chuckled. “Thanks. I think.”

  “So, here’s the deal. I’ll butt out of your love life, and you’ll butt out of mine. That way we’ll both have only ourselves to blame no matter how things turn out.”

&n
bsp; Since Nathan would give anything to keep Leigh from meddling in his love life, he accepted the agreement. He wasn’t happy about it because he really felt she was making a huge mistake by going out with Jared. But he accepted it.

  “Deal,” he reluctantly said.

  Leigh hugged him again and gave him a loud, smacking kiss on his cheek. “Did I ever tell you that you’re my favorite brother?”

  “You’re a natural born con artist, kiddo.”

  “It’s a talent, what can I say?”

  Nathan couldn’t help laughing. His sister drove him nuts and worried him sick. She also made his life a lot of fun. He wanted the very best for her. “Promise you’ll be careful,” he said.

  Leigh sighed. “You know, I’m not the only one who should be worried about winding up with a broken heart. You could be in trouble and not even know it.”

  Nathan wanted to argue but couldn’t. When the lady had a point, she had a point.

  “Are all rodeos this noisy?” Emma asked, leaning closer to Nathan.

  He grinned. “If they’re done right, they are. Why, is it getting to you?”

  Emma shook her head. No. The noise wasn’t bothering her. Not really. In fact, for the most part, she found the experience exhilarating. It was hard to believe she’d lived in Texas so long and hadn’t once gone to a rodeo. But up until tonight, she’d never imagined she’d have fun at a rodeo.

  Of course, she’d never been to one with Nathan before.

  “The man on the horse is Jared,” Nathan said, indicating a tall rider in the main arena. “That means Leigh’s probably around somewhere nearby.”

  Emma scanned the crowd, finally spotting Leigh on the far side. “She’s right there.”

  Nathan nodded. “See. I knew she’d be nearby. She can no more resist Jared than a bird can resist a freshly washed car.”

  His tone was resigned, but Emma didn’t buy Nathan’s act for a minute. He didn’t like Leigh dating this Jared person, but he was trying to be civilized about the situation. On her other side, Trent had no such reluctance. He’d kept up a running soliloquy for the past half hour about how his sister was involved with the wrong guy.

  Not that Trent’s date seemed to be his soul mate. As far as Emma could tell, Sue Ann Finely had ogled every man in the place. Twice. The petite redhead wasn’t exactly subtle, either. She’d even oohed and aahed a couple of times and once leaned over Trent to nudge Emma and say, “Check out the guy in the white Stetson.”

  No, Trent and Sue Ann weren’t a love match. Trent was equally unfocused on his date. If he wasn’t complaining about Jared, he was smiling at the women who stopped by to say hi to one or both of the Barrett brothers.

  Emma was finding the show in the stands much more interesting than anything happening in the arena. Six women had already stopped by specifically to say hello to Nathan. Caitlin Estes had stopped by twice. And each time, Emma made herself ignore any inappropriate feelings she might have toward the women flirting with Nathan. It wasn’t any of her business, and she certainly wasn’t jealous. Nathan was her boss, and hopefully, her friend. But that was all.

  And she reminded herself of that each time one of those hussies...er, um, ladies stopped by to say hello.

  Trent hollered across Emma to get his brother’s attention. “Hey, Nathan, maybe we’ll luck out and Jared will disappear like he did before, then our problems are solved.”

  “Don’t be a meanie,” Sue Ann said. “Jared’s a great guy.”

  Both Trent and Nathan snorted in unison, and Emma bit back a smile. These Barretts certainly weren’t shy about letting the world know their opinions.

  “Great is a relative term, Sue Ann,” Nathan muttered.

  Sue Ann frowned. “He’s not my relative. I just like him.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Nathan started. “I meant that not everyone thinks he’s great.”

  Sue Ann turned in her seat so she could half face Nathan. The movement made her oversize silver earrings sway and bob, and Emma once more found herself wondering why a woman as tiny as Sue Ann would want to wear earrings the size of grapefruit.

  They kept clinking and clanking. Just like the rodeo, Sue Ann’s earrings were making a lot of noise.

  “Well, whatever you meant, you’re wrong about Jared. He is great. And trust me, I should know. I used to date a rodeo clown,” Sue Ann announced. Then she settled back in her seat as if she’d somehow ended the argument.

  Nathan glanced at Emma, a baffled expression on his face. “What?”

  Emma shrugged. “Beats me.”

  Before any of them could ask Sue Ann to explain, she stood, straightened her T-shirt that read Everything is Bigger in Texas, and said, “Y’all please excuse me while I go to the little girls’ room.”

  Nathan had a definite twinkle in his eyes when after Sue Ann left, he leaned toward Emma and asked, “You want to ask about the rodeo clown, or should I?”

  “You ask.” Emma took a sip of her soda. “I’m happy pretending I know what she’s talking about.”

  Nathan sighed with exaggerated dramatic flair. “Fine. I’ll ask.” He looked at his brother. “I don’t suppose you know what Sue Ann meant. I mean, you have been dating the woman for a lifetime.”

  Trent shook his head. “Haven’t a clue. But Sue Ann is like that. Full of mystery. I prefer to remain unenlightened most of the time.”

  Emma turned to look at him. “Trent, how can you build a relationship with someone when you don’t make an effort to understand them?”

  Trent scratched the side of his face. “Relationship? Let me think here for a second.” He snapped his fingers and grinned. “That’s right. I’m not worried about my relationship with Sue Ann because we don’t have a relationship. We’re just dating.”

  A loud cheer went up from the crowd, momentarily distracting Emma. Jared must have done something good in the rodeo world, but Emma hadn’t a clue what it was, so she turned her attention back to Trent just as Sue Ann returned from the restroom.

  “Still, I think when two people are dating, they should understand each other. Know how the other one feels about a lot of subjects. It’s not enough simply to share common interests. You should know a great deal about the other person.”

  Sue Ann settled back into her seat, gave Trent a loud, smacking kiss, then looked at Emma. “What sort of things should you know?”

  Emma shrugged. “Well, for starters, there’s the usual. Where each of you went to school. Your birthday. Things about your family. Your goals and dreams. Then you should also learn each other’s philosophies and ideologies.”

  Sue Ann blinked. Twice. “Why would I need to know all that? We’re just dating.”

  Emma couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. It seemed to her this was obvious. “Aren’t you curious about the person you’re dating?”

  Sue Ann grinned. “Oh, honey. I know plenty about Trent. Plenty.” Then she proceeded to give Trent a couple more smacky kisses.

  Emma was all set to continue her debate with Sue Ann and Trent as soon as they came up for air, but Nathan patted her on the arm. “You might as well let it go. They’re not going to see this your way. Trent doesn’t do relationships, and he doesn’t date women who do relationships.”

  With a sigh, Emma settled back in her seat. “I just don’t understand. How can they not know at least the fundamentals, like each other’s birthdays?”

  “Different approaches to life, I guess.”

  “It’s not like the two of you know each other’s birthdays, either,” Trent said, draping an arm around Sue Ann.

  “Emma and I aren’t dating—”

  “October seven,” Emma said without thinking. Nathan turned and looked at her, surprise evident on his handsome face. “You know when my birthday is? Why?”

  “Your previous assistant had it marked on the calendar,” Emma confessed, feeling like a fool for offering up the information. Now both Trent and Sue Ann were grinning at her as if she’d let slip some grea
t state secret.

  “So, Nathan,” Trent said slowly. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you know when Emma’s birthday is?”

  “That really doesn’t prove anything, so wipe that stupid smirk off your face,” Nathan said.

  Sue Ann looked from Emma to Nathan then back at Emma. “Does that mean he knows?”

  Truthfully, Emma wasn’t sure. She also wasn’t sure that she wanted to know if he knew.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she hurriedly said, wanting to direct the conversation in a new—and hopefully not so dangerous—direction. “All I was trying to say was that it seems to me that people who are dating would want to share information about themselves.”

  Sue Ann leaned across Trent and yelled to Nathan, “Hey, do you know when her birthday is or not? You never did answer my question.”

  Nathan frowned. “Emma’s point is that—”

  “I think he knows,” Sue Ann announced in a singsong voice. “I think he knows.” She looked at Trent. “Seems to me, these two sure talk a lot about being honest and upfront with people, but then they sure are sneaky about some things.”

  Trent grinned at his brother. “I couldn’t agree with you more, Sue Ann. And usually Nathan is such a trustworthy, forthright person. I can’t imagine what’s gotten into him tonight.”

  Nathan groaned. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you as a brother.”

  “Stood in the right place at the right time. Seriously, you need me in your life, Nathan. I keep you on your toes. So now, tell me. When’s Emma’s birthday?”

  For a second, Nathan remained silent. Then he said, “November two.”

  That was the last thing Emma had expected. Stunned, she turned to look at him. “How in the world did you know? I never told you when my birthday was.”

  “It was on your application. I’m good at remembering numbers.”

  For several long moments, Emma simply looked at Nathan. She was surprised by his revelation. Truly surprised. Next to her, Trent and Sue Ann laughed and teased, but Emma couldn’t focus on their nonsense. All she could focus on was Nathan.

  Then another cheer from the crowd broke the spell that had settled over her. She blinked and looked away from Nathan.