by Susan Arden
When Carolina didn’t fill in the gaps, Matt smoothly interjected, “I hope this won’t upset your plans, Dr. Rodriguez?”
Would it matter? she thought but quickly said, “I signed a service contract that included a non-disclosure agreement. Even if I had a problem, I couldn’t tell a soul.” Carolina smiled pleasantly if not a little stiffly after finding her voice. “Anyway, I’ve promised you two weeks of my time.”
“Yes, two weeks on a cattle ranch that doesn’t include running away.”
Carolina almost choked at the barb. “Is there a reason I would need to do any running? I’d rather know right now. Should I pack my trainers when it comes to your little neck of the woods. I’m accustomed to top-rated professional offices.” Now, it was her turn to show McLemore she wasn’t some meek little mouse. “Maybe the fault is mine given the interview was curtailed. Exactly what type of ranch office do you run?”
Matt’s expression changed, sharpened. “Strictly business. Look, Dr. Rodriguez, we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.”
“Wrong foot? More like an ongoing case of foot in mouth, wouldn’t you agree?”
He took hold of her arm and led her toward the exit. “Let’s discuss this later tonight. This isn’t the correct time or place. Don’t you have to help the bride or something?”
The photographer’s assistant was frantically trying to gather the wedding party together.
“As a matter of fact, I do. But first, I want to make it perfectly clear that I’m a professional. Mr. McLemore, I expect to provide vet services in a professional manner. What happened before should have no bearing on our business arrangement. As long as you understand that fact, there’s nothing more to discuss.”
“Point of fact, there is, Dr. Rodriguez. In our service agreement, there’s a provision that we need to discuss before you’re allowed access to the ranch barn and stable sites. So, either we can do it later or when you arrive in Texas. But until you and I have a little sit-down and get a few things ironed out, there won’t be any work for you to do directly. I’ve got a ranch to run, and I don’t have time to play games. I’ve already spent enough time finding a vet.” His eyes glittered and dropped to her mouth. “If you think I’m about to waste more time, because you’ve got second thoughts, I’d rather be told upfront. Otherwise, the next communication you’ll have from Evermore Ranch will be from my attorneys. Had I known who you were when we first met, I would never have let the situation get away from me. Truthfully, I had no idea anyone was in the car next to me in the parking lot. My mother taught me not to curse in front of a lady.”
Oh, this was rich. Did he honestly think she was put off by a man who cursed? “You can keep your temper in check or not. I’ve been around ranchers, farmers, land owners, zoos, universities, you name it. A little cursing isn’t going to unseat me. I’ll honor my service contract as long as Evermore does the same. Mr. McLemore, you’re right about one thing. The only thing of interest to me is treating your cattle. Once the job is done, I’ll be only too happy to leave you in peace and we can go our separate ways.”
The masculine scent of citrus, sage, leather, and wood filled her head. A muscle flexed along Matt’s jaw. The hard set of his mouth didn’t resemble the man from before. He’d done just as he’d promised, shutting one door, and leaving in place a man who didn’t look as if he enjoyed playing games. This version of Matt McLemore still came with a piercing gaze, but if looks could kill, she was a goner.
“I’m glad we understand one another then, Dr. Rodriguez. I expect to meet with you at your convenience. The sooner the better. I’m flying out tomorrow. There’s nothing small-time about where I’m from, aside from the Wi-Fi connection, which we’re working on as we speak. If you can deal with Evermore’s lack of cell towers, our relationship will be strictly business, strictly professional.”
Carolina’s eyes had widened from his talking her down. At least, she’d kept her mouth shut on this go-round. Grudgingly, she nodded. “As long as there’s a working computer server, the rest is detail. I’m sure we can speak later. It shouldn’t take longer than a half-hour for you to fill me in.”
Matt held out his hand, again. “I’ll find you.”
Their palms connected. A surging jolt swept through Carolina that was both instantaneous and strong. Dazed, she searched Matt’s incredible eyes, undone by the overwhelming ache to do more than touch this man.
Ablaze, she let go, and whirled around. Picking up handfuls of her gown, she darted across the nave to join the other bridesmaids. She’d done what she set out to do — stand her ground. Now that all the cards were on the table, she no longer felt like hunted prey. Not exactly, she told herself, since her heart was still galloping like a runaway horse. Carolina glanced over her shoulder but Matt was gone. “What’s wrong, Caro?” one of her cousin’s asked.
“Err, nothing. Everything’s great.” She’d just stood toe-to-toe with Matt McLemore and faced down the bull!
Chapter Five
The reception inside the Cardover Hotel was nothing less than impressive, even when it came to Texas standards for remarkable gala events. There weren’t a hundred people. There were several hundred guests, along with several wedding planners on staff, directing guests to three open bars and a champagne fountain. Leave it up to Rob to downplay his wedding.
Matt entered the lobby and headed straight for liquid intervention. A green cloud of bridesmaids drifted into the hotel and his gaze automatically targeted Carolina. Once more, their eyes locked. It was brief. Hardly half a second before she glanced away. There was some serious chemistry on both sides of the table, regardless of what Dr. Rodriguez claimed.
Underneath that shroud of professionalism, he bet she was a fireball. From what he’d glimpsed earlier, that woman gave as good as she got. At the bar, Matt turned away, a wry twist to his lips.
“Sir?” the bartender inquired.
Matt ordered, “Bourbon, neat.” A clap on his back followed and he turned to face another college buddy.
“McLemore, what are you up to these days?” Bennett Stone said.
“Trouble,” he responded. One word summarized his life. Trouble with his family, trouble with the ranch, and now trouble walked right past him in a green dress that hugged every curve swaying into his imagination. “What about you?”
Ben laughed. “Dude, you missed one hell of a bachelor party last night.”
“Couldn’t be helped. Things have hit a rough patch on the ranch.” Matt traced a curved pattern across the surface of the bar.
“Sounds serious.” Ben frowned. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Naw. Unless you’ve gone from politics and banking into the realm of genome studies.”
“Breeding? Not even close. How’s your father?”
“Stubborn.”
“Aren’t they all. Our parents come from a stock that if they weren’t set in their ways, we’d have to rethink who we were. Am I right?” Ben’s parents were the old-money in Atlanta.
“Don’t get me started.” Matt sipped his bourbon. “Heard you were expanding, going national.”
“More like international.” Ben leaned against the bar, ordering a Scotch with soda and a white wine. “Timing is good, given the economy and what’s going on in D.C. Besides, if not now, when? I can afford the risk, and I’d rather be traveling and campaigning before my marriage, than afterwards. I popped the question just last week. After a conference on the beach.”
“You too? Must be something in the water down here.”
Matt watched Carolina and loosened his bow tie. The woman got to him alright. Just watching her across the room made his pulse ramp up. The tendons in the back of his neck tightened.
This is what he got for relying on Wi-Fi to conduct an interview. He should have required that Dr. Rodriguez come for a face-to-face meeting, instead of relying on Rob’s offhanded remark that she was a straight shooter and knew how to concentrate on business. Her resume and refere
nces were substantial and solid. None of her emails indicated the good doctor came with a curvaceous exterior.
Of all the luck. She looked nothing like the ranch vets back home. Instead of sun-baked skin and weathered hands, Carolina was a woman who rivalled those models in a pin-up calendar, featured in a mechanic’s garage. Posters nailed to the wall and every man’s fantasy.
“Getting married has nothing to do with the water, my friend,” Ben scoffed. “I’m thirty-two. It’s time to settle down. What about you?”
“I’m flying solo.” For some reason, admitting it aloud gnawed at Matt. Without thinking, he glanced over his shoulder. Affirmative, Dr. Rodriguez was hot. What he’d give for a night with that little firecracker. He glanced back at his old college buddy, trying to focus on their conversation. “So, when are you getting hitched?”
“Xavia is up for the sooner, the better. She’s got the honeymoon planned.”
Matt’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “How soon are we talking?”
Without trying to, Matt pictured Carolina naked, leaning against a barn, cupping her large breasts and wearing an itty-bitty thong on those curvy hips of hers. On that thought, he tossed the shot of bourbon. The burn of the alcohol didn’t do much to his mood except remind him that he hadn’t eaten since morning. After breakfast at the ranch, he’d driven to Clarkesville and caught a nonstop flight to Miami.
“We’re tying the knot this December,” Ben replied. “My fiancée wants a winter wedding. We’re traveling to Colorado for our honeymoon.”
“Snowbound oasis. You know we’ve got a couple of condos in Breckenridge if you’re interested.”
“Thanks, but Xavia’s family is tight with Randall. We’ve booked a hotel with a good spa. The wedding invitations are going out next month. I expect to see you there.” Ben swirled the liquor in his glass and took a sip.
Matt motioned to the bartender for a refill. “Man, I’ve been out of the loop. How long have you been dating?”
“A couple of months and don’t worry about it. Dude, you’ve got your hands full. What in the hell is Stephen up to?”
“Besides blowing up things? Same old, same old.” Matt shook his head. His younger brother was a demolition engineer. Stephen blew into town and helped out on the ranch, then disappeared for weeks at a time. But when push came to shove, Matt was tight with all his brothers. They had each other’s backs. That would never change. Ironically, maybe that was part of the problem. The flipside of tradition and grit, unbending loyalty and determination meant everyone was set in their ways. “Can’t get my father to agree to bring in modern vet medicine. Not after he allowed the agricultural college to get involved. Old buddies of his who weren’t up on technology. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.”
“What are your options?” Ben asked.
“You know my father. He’s hard-headed and proud. But I’m not about to stand around and keep counting dead cattle. Something has got to give.”
“Sorry to hear.”
“Man, if you’ve got a crystal ball, give it up.” Matt lifted his glass to his lips.
Ben reached out to a young woman, pulling her close to his side. She was blonde, tan, and resembled Ivanka Trump. The resemblance was uncanny.
“Matt, here she is. My fiancée, Xavia Silver.”
“Miss Silver, it’s my pleasure.” No wonder she seemed so familiar. Matt recognized the last name immediately. The Silvers were banking icons in Manhattan and hailed from Boston. He put his drink down to shake Ben’s fiancée’s hand.
From the periphery, he noticed that Carolina had entered into the ballroom where dinner would be served. Instead of relaxing, Matt tensed at the thought of her sitting next to one of Rob’s single friends or single family. At the thought of any of them charming Carolina, he found himself clenching his jaw. She kept making a point of slinging the term of ‘professional’ around—yeah, those Bostonian types were probably right up her alley when it came to eligible dates.
It wasn’t news that the easiest place to get lucky was at a wedding. Their brief encounter had lit him up. Except, like an idiot, he had stridently fought to convince Dr. Rodriguez that their relationship would be nothing except professional. The challenge of spending the next two weeks together with Carolina, rode rough-shod over Matt.
Ben kissed his fiancée full on the lips. Matt looked away and noticed Dr. Rodriguez in her form-fitting gown and gloves coming back through the doorway of the ballroom, accompanied by several women, laughing and smiling. Most men in the room had stopped to watch this flotilla. Miami was too hot to handle.
The irony that Carolina caught his eye at the exact moment that thought materialized in Matt’s head no longer seemed surprising. Their gazes collided and she swerved, changing course, taking the long way around the fountain to a bar in the corner of the lobby. Captivated, he watched her alright. She was like a beautiful present wrapped up and how he’d like to undress her. Layer by layer until she was bared to him. Naked, on her back, with her incredible long legs splayed. The things he’d enjoy doing to and with Dr. Rodriguez might take their whole night and then some.
In that moment, it seemed like Matt’s whole world tilted. His lips curved at the shock in Carolina’s wide steel gray eyes as she turned and found him staring. An electrical current tore a path through him, jolting to the point of action.
Always one for a challenge, this ought to be good. No use denying that his body was attuned to the little firecracker, even if his business sense punched him in the gut. A flagrant reminder that one screwed-up relationship was all a man should have to live through. Matt gripped his glass and knew his next move was regret in the making.
Languidly, he let his gaze drift down her body. Every inch of that woman seemed to call to him. What would it be like to take those pins from her hair? He’d let the thick curtain fall in rippling dark waves around her tanned shoulders. He’d brush her hair from her lovely face, on his way to tasting her incredible full, sensuous lips. This was pure unadulterated torture.
Since he couldn’t ignore the good doctor, he’d confront her head-on. Matt downed the rest of his drink.
“Xavia and Ben, best wishes on your engagement. I’ll catch up with you both, inside.”
“Take care, Matt.” They said in unison.
Yeah, that’s what he intended to do if his idiot imagination had any say in the matter. Then an idea hit him between the eyes. Carolina might have a boyfriend or be engaged. That would be ironic. Attracted to another woman who was taken. Then why was she alone? Had been alone in that cargo van and parked all the way in the corner of the church lot. He’d found it not only unusual but he’d wanted to find out why? Not that it was his business except for some inane reason, he wanted to uncover all Carolina’s secrets.
What the hell! He was doing a body slide, and might as well clear the air with the dark-haired beauty. It made sense, in the realm of business. Matt strode across the room as his eyes locked with Carolina’s. Yeah, keep telling yourself, this is strictly business.
“It seems I can’t escape you,” he said, coming up next to her at the bar.
“You enjoy stalking is more like it, Mr. McLemore,” she huffed.
“This is nothing but my attempt to set things right. Look, I apologize for coming off so gruff before. Carolina, I wasn’t prepared for you.”
Her eyes widened at his words, then she rapidly blinked. Good, he finally got one over on her and didn’t offer to smooth the way. He wanted to figure out what they had going on, but it required that she put away her claws. For a couple of beats, neither of them spoke.
She seemed to consider his apology. “Prepared? What does that mean?”
It was the proverbial moment to show his cards. He leaned his forearms on the oak bar and laced his fingers together. “I expected a different type of woman, that’s all. Certainly not the type to make a man forget himself.”
“Does that mean you aren’t going to honor our work
contract?”
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m fully able to put the past behind me. The question is, can you? I doubt what we did, out in a church parking lot, rocked either of our boats. It’s hardly a blip on the map. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Her eyes were the color of a stormy sea and her mouth resembled a pink moist flower. Damn, he wanted to kiss her.
“You called me a ferret!” she hissed, glaring up at him like an angry panther.
He almost laughed. “Ah, now there you’re wrong. I said you reminded me of one. It isn’t the same thing. Christ, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve laid eyes on in months. Whether or not we work together, that fact isn’t going to change. But I’m not an animal. Why can’t you accept my apology?”
“Because it doesn’t sound like one.” She turned to leave.
Matt caught her wrist, feeling her delicate bones between his thumb and forefinger. “Woman, how do you manage a large animal without getting hurt?”
She tried to pull her arm away and he refused to let go. “I don’t rely on brute strength to get the job done.”
“Carolina, I bet you could whistle the winds to comply with your every wish. I know I’m under some spell,” he murmured. “I can’t make it any clearer. I’m sorry if I said something to offend you. Tell me what it is, so I can make amends.”
“Respect me. Stop seeing me through some lens.”
“Done,” Matt assured her, but he wasn’t entirely sure he could put aside that she was a beautiful woman. It wasn’t as easy for him to turn off what he had believed was a mutual attraction. He let go of her slender arm. A twinge stabbed him between the ribs. A larger truth loomed. He’d seen large burly men get kicked in the head, tossed about like a cork, and trampled when trying to corral cattle. Beautiful or not, Carolina was a woman. A woman who could easily get broke in half if a bull got ornery. “Talk to me about how you manage a bull. It’s our summer breeding season on the ranch. Dr. Rodriguez, I don’t doubt you could bewitch a beast. I just don’t want you getting hurt before you finish your job. Have you ever been to a Texas cattle ranch? I don’t suspect there’s much raising beef and hay on the beaches down here.”