by Caro Carson
He had the kind of chiseled features that could make women swoon. Even her knees weakened for a moment before she forced herself to stay upright. His light brown skin was unmarred by the slightest blemish and his dark brown eyes, rimmed by thick soot eyelashes, were filled with intelligence. With his looks, he could make a fortune as a male model.
More than great looks, he had a commanding presence. No doubt he’d dominate any room he entered. He smiled as he crossed the room to shake her hand and her stomach took a foolish tumble. No way. He was a client. She couldn’t allow herself to feel the slightest attraction to him.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“No problem.” As she shook his hand, she felt the calluses on his palm. Daniel Dubois wasn’t some rich guy dabbling in ranching until something else drew his attention. He worked his ranch. Impressive.
After declining his offer of a beverage, she let him lead her to a seating area in front of a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. The drapes had been pulled back, revealing a view of the ranch that went on forever. From this vantage point, she could see all the way to a babbling brook about twenty yards away. Shrubs and purple-and-yellow wildflowers billowed in the breeze and a few deer drank from the water As dedicated as she was to her work, she’d have to use all of her discipline to not be distracted by the beauty the windows revealed.
Once they were seated, her on the brown leather sofa and him on a coordinating chair beside her, she opened her notebook and took out a pen. She preferred the old-fashioned method of taking notes when meeting with clients. It was more personal and didn’t create the artificial distance a computer did.
“So, tell me about your event. What do you envision? What are your goals?”
He leaned against the back of his chair, stretched his long legs in front of him and crossed his ankles. Dressed in comfortable jeans that had been faded over time and a chambray shirt that stretched across his muscular chest and shoulders, he looked at ease. But given his reputation, she knew his mind was sharp and that he wouldn’t miss a trick.
“Did you notice the cabins in the distance while you were driving in?”
“Yes. They’re lovely.”
“Those are guest cabins. I plan to turn a part of my ranch into a dude ranch. A top-of-the-line resort worthy of Bronco Heights and serving an exclusive clientele. I’ve been in business long enough to know that community buy-in is important to any business. Although there is a lot of land between me and my neighbors, I want them to feel comfortable with what I’m about to do with my property.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“That’s where you come in. I want to have a dinner for the leading families and community leaders in Bronco to inform them about the resort. I’ll distribute information packets as well as answer any questions they may have.”
Brittany nodded. She admired the way he planned to take the proverbial bull by the horn. As a newcomer to town, he would be subject to a lot of suspicion by the old-moneyed folk who at times could be a bit insular. He struck her as someone who wouldn’t be cowed and who’d soon earn everyone’s respect.
He glanced at her and his beautiful smile faded. “Why do you think you’re qualified for a job that other firms were incapable of handling?”
Brittany was momentarily stunned by the abrupt change from charming man to cold businessman, but she shifted gears, as well. Now that the pleasantries were over, it was down to business. “I can’t say why the others failed, because I’m not acquainted with them. What I can tell you is that I’m good at my job. Very good. You strike me as someone who knows what he’s doing, so I’m sure you’ve already asked about me.”
“I have.”
“Then you know I have an excellent reputation.”
“I’ve heard good things. But I also know that you’ve only been with Bronco Heights Elite Parties for a few months. Before that you worked at that ghost-hunting company.” He shook his head, making it obvious what he thought of that business. “All told, you don’t have very much experience.”
“I can see how you would believe that.”
“It’s not a belief. It’s a fact.”
She’d give him that. “The people you hired before had experience, right?”
“Yes.”
“How’d that work out for you?”
His eyes narrowed. Obviously, he didn’t like being challenged.
Smiling internally, she continued. “They weren’t able to deliver. Clearly, a long résumé doesn’t guarantee ability or a successful outcome. You should consider my natural assets.” He raised an eyebrow and she realized how suggestive that comment sounded. Rather than try to clean it up and thereby prolong the uncomfortable moment, she soldiered on. “I have skills that can’t be taught. I can arrange a dinner party that your guests will be buzzing about for months. And I guarantee they’ll be lining up for invitations to your next dinner party while those unfortunate enough to have been left off the guest list try to wrangle invitations to your next event. More than that, it’ll drum up interest and support for your resort.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself.”
“I know what I can do.”
He nodded, as if impressed. “Do you have time to see the ranch? If you’re going to be organizing this function, it would be helpful for you to have a look around.”
“I have time.” She’d cleared the afternoon for the express purpose of getting to know him.
“Okay. There are a few places we can only reach by horseback, so I’ll have to settle with describing them to you.”
“Why? I can ride.”
One side of his lips lifted in a sexy half smile that had her toes curling in her boots. She forced them straight. She didn’t get involved with clients.
“Really? In that case, let’s take the horses.”
“Yes. Let’s.”
He stood and held out his hand to her. Pleasantly surprised by the gesture, she placed her hand in his and rose. He led her from his office and through the magnificent house. The rooms were spacious, airy and exquisitely decorated, if a little masculine for her taste. But then there wasn’t a Mrs. Dubois in the picture to soften the décor. Or the man.
They walked through a long hallway where gorgeous paintings hung from the dark-paneled wall. She would have liked to slow down to get a better look at the artwork, but he was on a mission. Nearly half a foot shorter, she couldn’t keep up with his long strides.
They exited through a door and stepped into the warm air. She inhaled the scent of wildflowers and freshly mowed grass. The view from here was even better than the one from his office, showing a property more expansive than she’d thought. A paved path led from the door into two directions. One led to a small pond. The other—the one they took—led to the stables.
A man approached them as they stepped inside, pulling his cowboy hat from his head when he saw her. “Good afternoon, Mr. Dubois. Ma’am.”
“Hi,” Brittany said.
“I’m going to take Ms. Brandt on a ride around the ranch, Jerry. Would you saddle Sugar Cookie for her?”
“Right away,” he said and then ambled away.
“Sugar Cookie?” Brittany asked. He didn’t strike her as the kind of man who’d give a horse such a fanciful name.
“I didn’t choose it,” he said quickly, as if his man card was in danger of being revoked. “The previous owner’s daughter named her that.”
“I think it’s sweet.”
He snorted and strode to a stall where a gorgeous stallion waited. In under a minute, he’d saddled the horse and led it to where Brittany waited. The groom returned with Sugar Cookie and stepped up beside Brittany to help her mount.
“I’ll do that,” Daniel said.
“Okay,” Jerry said and walked away.
Before Brittany could tell Daniel that she was perfectly capable of mounting the hors
e on her own, he was beside her. When he gently put his hands on her waist and, her voice abandoned her as he lifted her into the saddle. She inhaled and she was instantly surrounded by his masculine scent. Her heart beat a little faster and the blood raced through her veins. Then he adjusted her stirrups. When he turned his back and returned to his own horse she blew out a shaky breath and wiped her hand across her suddenly damp brow.
How many times did she have to remind herself that she didn’t get involved with clients? She’d never struggled this hard to keep business and personal separate. Hopefully, this was a temporary problem.
She twisted in her seat, getting comfortable in the saddle. If she’d known ahead of time that she’d be riding a horse, she would have worn jeans and a T-shirt instead of the high-waisted black pants and pink-and-white chiffon blouse. But since this was the opportunity to get to know Daniel better, she wouldn’t complain. Besides, her parents owned a large dry-cleaning business, so getting her clothes cleaned wouldn’t be a hassle.
Daniel swung up onto his stallion and led them out of the stable and into the pasture. Without the slightest hesitation, he started off across the large expanse of grass. He went slowly at first, as if not believing she could really ride. She’d grown up in Montana. Of course she could ride.
Apparently satisfied that she knew what she was doing, he sped up. She tried to keep her eyes on the beautiful scenery, but they kept drifting to Daniel’s muscular body. He looked so fine riding on his stallion that her mouth began to water.
She was in unchartered territory here. Normally she had laser focus on work. Now the dinner was the farthest thing on her mind. The only thing she could concentrate on was the very sexy Daniel Dubois. If she didn’t get her wayward mind under control and tamp down on her attraction, she was going to be in deep trouble.
Copyright © 2020 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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ISBN-13: 9781488070068
The Slow Burn
Copyright © 2020 by Caroline Phipps
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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