Falling for the Texas Tycoon

by Karen Rose Smith

  Again Lisa glanced at Alan. “Of course it can. I guess I’m just anxious to settle into my own place.”

  “You know Carrie and I will help you do that any way we can, including shoving around furniture.”

  As the discussion turned back to business, Lisa took copious notes, as if she’d put her distraction behind her. This young woman intrigued Alan, and he’d known her less than a morning.

  After the discussion about the proposed golf resort wound down, he checked his watch. “I’d better be going. I have another meeting in half an hour and then I’ll see you again at four to discuss the Sacramento resort with Joe Dulchek.”

  When Brian stood with a nod, Alan and Lisa rose, too, and found themselves standing very close together. He was a good six inches taller than she was. She was so slim and fragile-looking, yet the set of her shoulders and the fire in her eyes told him she’d fight for whatever she wanted. The term spitfire came to mind. Her perfume tempted him again, and he found himself studying her face.

  He wasn’t sure what prodded him to say it, but before she went her way and he went his, he advised her, “Bring comfortable clothes along to Texas when you pack. If you have boots, throw those in, too. We’ve got horses if you want to ride.”

  She said softly, “I’ve only been riding once before.”

  “We’ve got a few gentle horses.”

  “He’s being modest,” Brian interjected. “They breed cutting horses as well as their own cattle. You school them, too, don’t you?”

  “When I have the time. Neal does most of that now. I’ve been away from the ranch so much this past year, he’s taken on horses I know nothing about.”

  Lisa looked at her boss again. “How long will we be staying at Mr. Barrett’s?”

  “We’ll probably be there three or four days. We’ll see how the meetings progress and how much property we can get covered.”

  “Should I make airline reservations?”

  “No need for that. I’ve got my own jet,” Alan explained. “My pilot can be ready at a hour’s notice if he has to be.”

  When Alan mentioned his jet, most women looked impressed, but not Lisa Sanders. She simply said, “I see.”

  “If you have those notes on my desk by the end of the day, that will be fine,” Brian informed her. Then he asked, “You’re going to lunch with Craig, aren’t you?”

  She nodded and her lips turned up in a genuine smile. “I have to get changed. No way do I want to ride on his bike dressed like this.” She held out her hand to Alan. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Barrett. Next time you come in, I’ll make sure to buzz Brian right away.”

  Was she mending fences because they were going to be working together? Taking her hand, he realized it was cool to the touch—at first. Her handshake seemed to generate heat that flowed through him like aged bourbon.

  They released each other at the same time, and he thought she looked as startled as he felt. Damn, this was a kind of chemistry he’d never had with a woman before. How was that even possible? At thirty-eight, hadn’t he had every kind of experience there was with women?

  Looking a bit flustered, Lisa left Brian’s office.

  Brian was shuffling through a few papers on his desk when Alan asked, “How old is she?”

  “Lisa? She’s twenty-one.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want someone more experienced to sit in on these meetings? I can have someone join us from my office in Rocky Ridge.”

  “Lisa’s young, but she’s a hard worker and she learns fast. She went through four years of college in three and a half, even with working summers. Still, if you’d feel more confident having one of your people involved…”

  Alan had never had any reason to doubt Brian’s judgment. “No, if you feel she’s what we need, that’s fine.”

  As he left Brian’s office a short time later, after a discussion about the colleges Christina was considering, he stopped short. A young man who appeared to be about Lisa’s age was escorting her through the double glass doors. He looked like a biker with his shaggy hair, leather jacket, pierced brow, earrings and boots. Then Alan noticed Lisa. She’d changed, all right—into a long-sleeved black sweater that molded to her breasts and hugged her waist, and low-slung black jeans with a belt studded with rhinestones. She also carried a leather jacket over one arm, and her boots were similar to the young man’s.

  Seeing the two of them together made Alan feel every one of his thirty-eight years. In spite of that, he acknowledged what he’d felt that morning when Lisa Sanders had barred his way and stood up to him. He’d had the overwhelming urge to kiss her.

  If that wasn’t an insane fantasy, he didn’t know what was. But he was not going to let his imagination take on a life of its own. He was not going to think about Lisa Sanders again, except as Brian’s office manager who would be assisting them on this project.

  End of story.

  After locking the door to the unisex bathroom at Summers Development, Lisa pulled her sweater over her head so she could change back into her business suit. The upside-down mermaid tattoo on her left arm practically winked at her. The peace sign tattoo high on her other wrist also reminded her she was trying to leave her past behind. No one here knew about her tattoos except Brian, of course. She always kept them covered. They really weren’t befitting an up-and-coming professional.

  As if it were calling to her again, she reached for the note in her jeans pocket. Opening it, she read, “You owe me. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

  Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She’d almost told Craig about it. After all, they’d been friends when she’d returned to Portland, pregnant. Back then, after she’d had Timothy, she’d even thought they might connect romantically. But they never really had. Craig was two years older than she was, protective and they’d settled into a friendship that was valuable and she hoped lasting.

  The note looked as if it had been generated by computer on plain white paper. When she was homeless and living on the streets, she’d met some shady characters. She’d met pimps who wanted her to turn tricks for them. She’d met drug dealers and avoided them, but not before they checked her over, trying to figure what she could do for them.

  And then there was Thad, Timothy’s biological father. He’d wanted nothing to do with her and the baby because he’d had his own plans. How could the note be from him, when he’d signed away his parental rights?

  Just as she had.

  The difference was, she was still connected to Timothy and always would be. Some nights her heart ached unbearably because of the decision she’d made. But she’d known it was best for Timothy then, and she believed it was best for him now.

  What did this note mean, anyway? Was it a precursor to blackmail? Did someone think that, since she was connected to Brian and Carrie, she had money, too?

  Folding the note, she slipped it into her purse. She’d have to think about it some more before she told anyone. Besides, what was there to tell? She was certainly not going to worry Brian and Carrie unnecessarily, not after everything they’d done for her. She was making a life on her own now and she wouldn’t depend on anyone else.

  The locket around her neck swung free as she bent to remove her boots and then her jeans. In only her panties and bra, she opened the heart necklace and looked at the little face of the baby she’d given away, touched the silky lock of his hair.

  “You’re happy where you are,” she said, her voice catching. “That’s all that matters. Carrie and Brian love you as if you were their very own.”

  Standing up straight and squaring her shoulders, she quickly dressed in her suit and high heels, ran a comb through her hair, reapplied lipstick and gazed at the professional woman she was trying to become.

  Alan Barrett’s tanned face with its firm jaw and crooked lines around his eyes seemed to gaze back at her. She blinked. Alan was years older than she was. He was Brian’s colleague. He was too handsome and he knew it. He was a little bit arrogant, determined and even
authoritarian.

  So why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?

  Because he’d looked at her with such concern after she’d opened the note? Or because when their eyes met, she felt rattled down to her spike heels?

  She doubted very much if Alan Barrett would like a woman with tattoos.

  She doubted if Alan Barrett would even consider getting involved with a woman who had given up her child.

  Chapter Two

  During a game of hide-and-seek that evening, Lisa spotted Timothy by the leg of the dining room table. “I see you!”

  Giggling, he dashed under the table, where the white cloth partially hid him. After she crouched down, Lisa got to her hands and knees and went after him. As she caught him, he laughed.

  “You can’t hide from me,” she warned him, tickling his tummy.

  When Carrie spoke, Lisa could hardly hear her above their laughter. Releasing Timothy, she peered out from under the tablecloth.

  Carrie was smiling, and she wasn’t alone. “Brian brought a friend home for dinner.”

  As Lisa’s gaze traveled from boots, up expensive slacks to the Western-cut jacket, she practically groaned. The friend that Brian had brought home was Alan Barrett.

  Minus his Stetson, he looked amused as he said, “I used to do that with my daughter. In some ways, it seems as if it were yesterday.”

  Carrie explained, “Alan’s daughter will be leaving for college in the fall.”

  He had a daughter. He was married. Lisa almost breathed a sigh of relief at that news.

  Timothy chose that moment to scramble away from her and run to his mom, snagging Carrie by one leg. “Can I have a cookie, please?”

  A beautiful woman and a former model, Carrie stooped and lifted Timothy into her arms. Her auburn hair hid her face until she absently brushed it away. “It’s almost bedtime. I suppose you can have a cookie if you have a glass of milk with it.”

  One of those little pangs stabbed Lisa’s heart. Carrie had final say in everything Timothy did. She was a wonderful mom and Lisa couldn’t have found anyone better to be a mother to her son.

  Crawling out from under the table, Lisa felt foolish. When she’d arrived at Carrie and Brian’s, she’d changed from her suit into the clothes she had worn to have lunch with Craig. Now she was rumpled after roughhousing with Timothy. She knew her hair was probably a mess and her lipstick nonexistent. Some professional image she was projecting to a man she’d be working with!

  Ruffling Timothy’s hair, Brian said, “I’m going to check messages in my office.” After loosening his tie, he motioned to the top of the buffet and suggested to Alan, “Make yourself at home. Drinks are there. Lisa can tell you where anything is if you can’t find it.”

  “Dinner will be ready as soon as I get this little rascal a snack and put him to bed,” Carrie added. “I’m so glad you could join us, Alan. Please do make yourself at home.”

  A few moments later, the dining room seemed small and quiet with just the two of them in it. Alan seemed to tower over Lisa. Awkward tension vibrated between them until he stepped toward the buffet.

  Searching for some topic of conversation, Lisa asked, “Where will your daughter be going to school?”

  Alan picked up an old-fashioned glass and tipped the lid from the ice bucket. “She has to make up her mind soon. I’ll find out when I get back to the ranch next week.”

  “I imagine it’s hard to be away from your family when you travel for work.”

  Although Lisa had told herself from the moment of Timothy’s birth that he was no longer hers, although she’d given him to Brian and Carrie so he’d have a secure future where hers had been uncertain, she’d still missed him terribly when she’d gone off to college. She’d thought once she’d started her own life she could put her past behind her and move on. That had included reconciling herself to the fact that although she’d given birth to a son, he was no longer hers and she was not a mother. But even her heavy load of course work hadn’t been able to make her forget about Timothy, though her resolve had always been strong and sure. She had done what was best for him. Thankful that Brian and Carrie were letting her stay involved in his life, she knew that the dull ache in her heart might never go away. But she’d always be a backup to Brian and Carrie. She just hoped as Timothy matured and learned the truth, he’d understand. Most of all, she hoped that he’d forgive her.

  “I have been away a lot the past six months,” Alan replied. “Most of the time I’ve been working up here in Portland with Brian. I bought a condo in the fall to cut back on hotel bills.” He flashed the crooked grin that made Lisa’s toes curl in her boots.

  He’s married, she scolded herself. No toe-curling allowed.

  “Did I hear you say you got a new apartment?” he asked, glancing at her.

  Alan had apparently been in and out of Brian’s life for the past six months, but she didn’t know what Brian might have told him. So she treaded carefully.

  “Yes, I’m furnishing it, little by little. I dropped over tonight because Carrie had some extra things in the attic she thought I could use.”

  “Brian and Carrie are a great couple. Truth be told, I never thought I’d want a partner, but Brian’s got great instincts and something else that’s hard to find these days—integrity.” He poured Scotch into his glass and then soda. “Can I fix you something?” he asked when he was done.

  That surprised her, and he must have seen it in her expression.

  “What? You think a man can’t fix a drink for a lady? Believe me, whenever Christina stays with me, I hear about the changing roles of men and women. I think she even did a paper on it.”

  “Stays with you?” That sounded as if—

  “Yes. I’ve had joint custody with my ex-wife since Christina was ten.”

  “You’re…divorced?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  The toe-curling was back double-time now. “Maybe I will have a club soda,” she murmured.

  “Ice?” he asked.

  She nodded, then watched as his very large, tanned hands took the tongs and dropped three cubes into the glass. After he unscrewed the lid, he poured in the soda. He and Lisa reached for a lime slice at the same time. His fingers were hot, and when her skin touched his, she became hot, too. She knew a flush rose to her cheeks as she pulled back and let him add the fruit to her glass. When he handed it to her, she was careful that their fingers didn’t meet.

  “Your lunch date looked like an interesting guy,” Alan remarked nonchalantly.

  “Craig and I have known each other since…” She stopped. “For a long time.”

  “You dated through college?”

  “No. We kept in touch, but with him in Portland and me at college, we went our separate ways.”

  “But now you’re back and he’s here, too.”

  Was Alan fishing or just making conversation? She had the feeling he was going to cast out a few more lines, and she didn’t want to answer his questions. They were going to be working together, and she didn’t want him to be judging her while they were. And he would judge her if he found out about Timothy. She was sure of it. She did not want Brian’s friend looking at her as the homeless, unwed mother she’d once been. Maybe it was pride on her part, but she was trying to create a future.

  “I’m going to see if Timothy finished his snack. Maybe I can read him a bedtime story before dinner. If you’ll excuse me…”

  After a long, studying look, Alan tipped his glass to her. “Bedtime stories are almost as important as goodnight kisses. Enjoy.”

  His words lingered as she went to the kitchen to find Timothy. Alan sounded as if he understood. He sounded as if he knew the importance of being a father.

  One more reason to keep her past a secret.

  During dinner, Alan’s gaze kept going back to Lisa again and again, in spite of his intentions to have a pleasant meal with Brian and Carrie and ignore the young woman who’d been in and out of his thoughts all afternoon. Damn it, she had a
pretty face. Yes, she had glossy hair he’d love to run his hands through. Yes, she had a curvy figure that looked wonderful in low-slung jeans. And those boots—

  He stabbed a bite of cake as if it might run away from him. He wanted a few questions answered. He and Brian weren’t close friends—not yet, anyway—but he’d been here for dinner before and there had never been any talk about Lisa Sanders. Yet here she was, acting as if she was a relative of some kind.

  “So, Lisa, have you always lived in Portland?”

  After a quick glance at Brian, she wiped her mouth with her napkin and seemed to consider an answer carefully. Finally she revealed, “I lived in Seattle with an aunt for a couple of years. But I was born in Portland and I always considered it my home.”

  “She’s a friend of the family,” Carrie added casually. “We watch out for her.”

  So they weren’t related. “You’re very good with Timothy,” Alan remarked. “I thought maybe Carrie had hired you to help out so you could earn extra money for college.”

  The two women exchanged a look.

  “I help out because we’re friends,” Lisa answered quietly.

  There was an uncomfortable silence that Alan didn’t understand. Then Carrie focused her attention on Lisa. “Speaking of being friends, I have a favor to ask you.”

  Lisa grinned. “Uh-oh. Let’s see. You want me to help with the spring charity auction.”

  “Hmm, that would be great if you could, but that wasn’t what I had in mind right now. I’m in a pickle. My guest for Saturday canceled.”

  Alan was aware that Carrie hosted a live Saturday morning talk show in the area. About Portland usually consisted of human interest stories or timely events.

  “How can I help with that?” Lisa asked.

  “I’d like you to come on and be my guest. You’re intelligent and well-spoken, and I’d like to talk about the opportunities available for young women in Portland who are fresh out of college, settling into the job market now. You’d be great to interview. What do you think?” Carrie was quick to add, “We’d be concentrating on your present job, what you’re doing at Summers Development, where you want your future and career to go.”