“Sure, I can do that.” She glanced over at the old grandfather clock in the corner of the bar. “I should probably head home. Need to get some sleep to make sure I’m on the ball for tomorrow.” She grabbed her bag and stood up. “Good night, guys! Great work tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow, Roz.”
She all but sprinted out the door.
My gut pinched. Why was she behaving so strangely? I hadn’t realized how much I enjoyed Olivia’s open, warm personality until it disappeared.
Perhaps tomorrow I’d find out.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
OLIVIA
I gazedopen-mouthed at Roz from my vantage point on the couch. She stood in front of Fred and me, her eyes sparkling under the gold dome pendant light that hung from the study ceiling, her voice confident and passionate. I’d heard the phrase “competence is sexy” before, but I’d never understood it… until now.Damn. Surely Fred would be throwing his money at Roz after this performance. With Roz’s attention focused on Fred, I let my gaze drop down her body. She was wearing another ridiculous suit, a sleek black one with a starched gray shirt underneath that made her blue eyes pop even more than usual. I bit my lip.Ridiculous.Or ridiculously hot,suggested a small voice in the back of my head. I clenched my jaw.Not helpful.
I looked up to find Roz and Fred staring at me expectantly. Heat spread across my cheeks. “Sorry, what was that?”
“I just asked whether the solar panels on the roof would generate extra electricity that could be used elsewhere in the farm, not just for the event space?” Fred said.
“Oh, sorry.” I cleared my throat. “Yes, we’ll definitely be able to use the electricity for other purposes as well, like powering the irrigation systems and lighting the barns.”
“Excellent.” Fred slapped his hands on his thighs. “Well, I don’t have any further questions. That was very impressive. Thank you both.” He smiled and rose to his feet. “Before I head off, would you mind showing me where you’re planning to put the new buildings? They’re going to be a lot larger than I thought, so I’d like to visualize how it might change the farm’s aesthetics.”
“Of course. We can go now,” Roz said, taking off her jacket and then ushering Fred out of the study. I followed them out of the house and over to the field where Thelma and Louise usually roamed. I twisted my head, looking for their familiar brown bodies. My chest constricted.She hasn’t gotten rid of them, has she?I exhaled as I spotted them in the far corner of the field. I squinted. Someone—possibly Dana—was bending over the fence. Thelma and Louise appeared to be keeping them company.
Roz gestured at the ground. “It’s a little muddy here, so watch your step.” Her shiny black leather shoes were already splattered with dirt. Did the woman not own any sensible footwear? Even Fred had dressed down for today’s meeting, wearing hiking boots, jeans and a checkered shirt.
“If you need to run to change Roz, that’s fine,” Fred said, his eyes dropping to her feet. “Or you can just show us from here.”
“No. No. I’m fi—argh!” Roz’s feet slipped, shooting off the ground.
Heart pounding, I yanked my hands out to steady her as she tipped back. I wasn’t fast enough.
My heart ricocheted into my throat as she tumbled, landing flat on her back with a thud.
“Shit! Are you okay?” I crouched down next to Roz.
She struggled into a sitting position, wiping hair off her brow and streaking mud across her forehead in the process. “I’m fine.” She clambered to her feet.
Brown mud plastered the back of her shirt. I dropped my eyes farther and—oh god!Her black pants had split down the seam, revealing a glimpse of shapely ass and black underwear, both a little smeared with mud. I bit my lip and then blinked.Now is not the time to leer at Roz’s butt.
Springing into action, I wrapped my arm around Roz and repositioned her so she was facing Fred, her exposed ass out of Fred’s sight.
“Why don’t we just show Fred from here, babe?” I said, trying to keep my voice light.
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Let’s go a little farther into the field so Fred can really envision it.”
“No!” I yelped.
Fred tilted his head and looked at me.
Shit. If Roz turned and kept walking in front of Fred, her butt would be on complete display. And as annoying as Roz could be on occasion, she didn’t deserve to be humiliated in front of her hopefully future business partner.
Fred was too close for me to whisper a warning to her.There was only one way I could think of to let her know…
Holding my breath, my hand slipped down Roz’s back and over the curve of her butt until it reached the split seam.Damn. She has a nice, firm body.I tapped her bare bottom with a finger.
Roz’s eyes widened. Mission accomplished, I yanked my hand away before I was tempted to let it linger.
“Actually, here is fine,” she said, before launching into a description of how the new building would be positioned.
