“Like ajackass.”
“Okay, fine. Like a jackass. But can you blame me for being shocked to find you sitting in mylivingroom?”
“Iguessnot.”
“I’d still like tointerviewyou.”
Who was he kidding? He had to hire her no matter what. If the B&B failed, they’d have trouble paying for the ranch’s other winter supplies. He’d also lose the reputation he’d worked so hard to build. In an area rife with vacation rentals, he needed to be at the top of his game to make sure the reservationswerefull.
She stood studying him. “I’ll humor you if you apologize for being anasshole.”
“I’m sorry,” hegrumbled.
She turned up her nose. “Fine. I’ll let you interview me, but I’m not sure I even want this jobanymore.”
“Then let me convince you.” He flashed a charming smile in the hopes of breaking the tensionbetweenthem.
He knew the moment she caved. The rigidity in her shoulders dissipated along with the steel in her spine. If nothing else, she seemed like the kind of woman who would be ready for anything. Helikedthat.
“Let’sgo.”
He reached toward the small of her back then quickly snatched his hand away. What was he thinking? If he did manage to convince her to stay, she’d be his employee and he had a strict no-fraternizing rule. He’d have to keep his hands off the spicy vixen. Too bad, because she was insanely good inthesack.
Back inside the B&B, he waited for her to choose a place to sit. She chose the sofa. He didn’t want to get too close to her, so he sat in achair.
“Tell me why you wantthisjob.”
She hesitated a beat too long before speaking. “I’ve run bed and breakfasts before and I lovedoingit.”
“I tried to call Holiday Cottages to confirm your previous employment but the line had beendisconnected.”
“They went out ofbusiness.”
“Did Aspen Holiday Honeymoon Cabins also go out ofbusiness?”
She shifted in her seat. “Isuppose.”
“I have no way of confirming your pastemployment.”
“I worked at both of those places,” sheinsisted.
“All right. Tell me about what you didthere.”
As she rattled off a list of tasks, he couldn’t help but notice the way her suit lay across her breasts. Flashes of her silky perfection raced through his mind, completely distracting him. It took a few seconds to realize she’d stoppedtalking.
He cleared his throat. “Okay, so, um, why should Ihireyou?”
“Because I’m more than capable of running this place and I needthejob.”
“You came a long way for a job.” He suspected there was far more to her story, but he didn’t want to pry too hard. If he scared her off, he wasscrewed.
“I’ve always wanted to work in Montana. Something about the open fields and endless sky healsmysoul.”
The wistfulness in her tone spoke to his heart. He knew exactly what she meant. Sometimes he’d ride up to the hill overlooking the valley and just watch the play of sunlight across the horizon. He also wondered why her soul needed healing. He’d have to find outlater.
“So, did I get the job?” sheasked.
The look of hope in her eyes helped finalize his decision. She may have lied about her name last night, but so had he. As long as she wasn’t lying about anything else, he could live with having her around for the next few weeks. This Christmas season didn’t have to run perfectly, but as long as she didn’t scare any of the guests away, he could makeitwork.
