Falling for the Texas Tycoon

“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.”

Was that relief he saw on Lisa’s face? What did she expect Carrie to interview her about?

“Sure, I can do that. I can even wear one of my new suits.”

“You say it’s this Saturday?” Brian asked his wife.

“Yes, why?”

“Because Lisa will be traveling to Texas with me and Alan next week. We might be gone the following Saturday. In fact, I was going to ask if you wanted to come along. Alan has room on the plane.”

“And there are plenty of guest rooms at the ranch,” Alan said encouragingly.

Carrie thought about it, then shook her head. “I’d have to miss the show. I promised Mom I’d take Timothy up to see her and Dad next week. In fact, if you’re going to be gone, I could just stay overnight. They’d love that. I think this time it’s better if I stay here.”

Alan made eye contact with Brian. “What she’s really saying is that she knows you’re going to be tied up working most of the time we’re gone, and that won’t be any fun.”

“A man who understands women’s subtext,” Carrie said with a laugh.

“I’ve learned a few things in thirty-eight years,” he replied.

Why had he stated his age? So that Lisa knew exactly how old he was? So that she realized they were from different generations? Whether there was chemistry between them or not, their age difference probably couldn’t be easily bridged.

Probably. Why was he even questioning it?

Lisa pushed her coffee away and laid her napkin on the table. “I’d better collect those things from the attic and load my car. It’s getting late and I have laundry to do tonight.”

Carrie frowned. “I don’t think everything’s going to fit in your car. What do you think, Brian?”

“I’ll stuff the rest of it in ours and follow her.”

“Where do you live?” Alan asked.

“On Chestnut.”

“My condo’s out that way. And I have an SUV with a back seat that folds down. Whatever doesn’t fit in your vehicle can go in mine. I don’t mind following you, and it will save Brian a trip.”

Alan wasn’t exactly sure why he’d offered. Maybe because he wanted to see her place…see if she was paying for it herself, or if it was much too nice for an office manager’s salary. Something told him she wasn’t exactly what she seemed. On the other hand, his sixth sense could just be on alert because she unsettled him.

“I don’t have to take everything tonight,” she said, a bit anxiously.

“I really don’t mind following you.” Alan checked his watch. “Besides, I should be going, too. There are some maps and statistics I’d like to go over this evening.”

“On the San Diego resort?” Brian asked with a smile.

“That’s the one.” Standing now, he said to Lisa, “Just point me to the attic.”

Forty-five minutes later, Lisa glanced in her rearview mirror, wishing she could get her life back under control. For the past three years she’d let Brian and Carrie help her, mainly by letting them put her through college, although she’d worked all she could for spending money, books, insurance and anything else she needed. They’d wanted to pay it all, but she’d already owed them way too much—they’d given her baby a home.

At school, she’d felt as if she were putting in time, preparing, but not really living the life she wanted to lead. With graduation, she’d felt on the verge of her future. Today, when she’d read the anonymous note, “You owe me, don’t think I’ve forgotten…”

Whom did she owe what to?

She’d intended to go home, rearrange some furniture and think, but now, with Alan Barrett following her…

This was her life and she made the decisions in it. If she didn’t want Alan to stay, she could ask him to leave. Simple, right?

No, not so simple. She had to work with him.

She practically groaned. Yesterday, her life had been easy, moving along its intended course. Today, she didn’t know what the next minute was going to bring.

Lisa drove down the tree-lined street of the old neighborhood, pulling up in front of a Victorian that had been divided into two apartments, one downstairs and one upstairs. She had the upper apartment. The rent was modest. Her kitchen linoleum had a crack, and she really should paint her bedroom. There was a stain on the ceiling from when the roof had leaked before she moved in. The grandmotherly lady who owned the property insisted the roof had definitely been fixed. The house brought in income for her, and her grandkids helped with the repairs. The past couple of weekends, Lisa had found a few furnishings and wall decorations at a public sale and at an antique fair. But she still had a way to go and she wasn’t keen on Alan seeing the apartment the way it was now.

What did it matter?

She hadn’t wanted to impress a man since she’d met Thad Preston during her senior year in high school. He’d been the football team’s quarterback, headed for the NFL. She’d learned the hard way that he’d intended to let nothing get in the way of that dream.

When she’d told him she was pregnant, he’d insisted she have an abortion. She could never have done that. And knowing that Aunt Edna would probably kick her out when she learned of the pregnancy, Lisa had saved her the trouble. She’d never wanted to live in Seattle, anyway…never liked Seattle. Portland was where she’d grown up, with parents who’d loved her. So that’s where she’d returned. She’d gotten a job waitressing, but her morning sickness had soon turned into all-day sickness, forcing her to cut back her hours. Working less, she couldn’t afford the room she’d rented. She was out on the streets. Craig, who had managed a local deli, often slipped food to her and her friend Ariel, who’d camped out in vacant buildings with her. He’d also supplied food while they were sleeping at the homeless shelter. But then one day, Lisa had passed out on the street, Ariel had called 911 and she’d been taken to the hospital. The Children’s Connection had gotten involved, and that had led to Carrie and Brian.

So who was sending her a threatening note?

Trying to clear her head so she could deal with Alan Barrett, she exited her car and motioned toward the back of the house. “Sorry, but I live upstairs. There’s a summer kitchen in the back. You could just unload everything in there.”

“And what? You’ll carry it up in the morning?”

“It’s just end tables and a coffee table, odds and ends.”

“You don’t like to let anyone do anything for you.” He sounded curious more than annoyed.

“If I can do something on my own, why should I ask for help?”

“You’re not the damsel in distress type?”

“Not if I can help it.”

At that, he laughed and, unfortunately, she liked the sound of it. His laughter was deep and rich, just like his voice. She might as well get this over with, and then he could be on his way, she decided.

They almost had a tug-of-war over the coffee table, the heaviest piece. But Alan was bigger and stronger. When he’d wrestled it from her, he smiled. “Give in, Lisa. Let me take the heavier pieces.”

Hands on her hips, she glared up at him. “Are you going to be difficult to work with on the golf resort project, too, Mr. Barrett?”

Holding the coffee table as if it weighed no more than his Stetson, he smiled at her. “It’s Alan. And as far as being difficult to work with, that depends on whether you let me have my way or not.”

“And I suppose you’re used to getting your own way?” she challenged.

“Not many people cross me.”

“Then maybe you’ve met your match.”

He eyed her thoroughly. “Maybe. Or maybe because we’re both determined and because we both know how to get the job done, we could work very well together.”

With a sigh and a shake of her head, she gave in. “Take the coffee table upstairs. I’ll grab one of the end tables.”

“Why don’t you just grab the magazine rack or the flower stand?”

“One thing you’re going to learn about me, Mr.—” At the lift of his brow, she stopped. “Alan…is that I pull my own weight.”

“Then go ahead and pull your own weight up there, and unlock the door. You can do that better if you’re not carrying anything too heavy.”

If she smiled, he’d know he’d won. She wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. Instead of the magazine rack or the flower stand, she picked up a floor lamp and hoisted it over her shoulder, then quickly moved ahead of him and hurried toward her apartment. She had to get rid of him. She had to stop reacting to his grin. She had to forget that his eyes were as blue as any sky she’d ever seen.

After several more trips, Lisa quickly positioned everything where she wanted it.

Alan glanced around appreciatively after it was all in place. “You have an eye for arranging furniture.”

“I just know where I want it.”

His gaze fell on the striped salmon-and-turquoise sofa, the Boston rocker, the mahogany tables and the Tiffany lamp. “You’re missing something.”

“I know. I need to get an area rug.”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant. You’re missing a big old recliner where someone could be really comfortable.”

She assessed him thoughtfully. “Do you have one of those?”

“Back in Texas I do. Here, none of the furniture’s quite broken in yet. The recliner has to be five years old to be comfortable.”

She couldn’t help but move closer to him. She couldn’t help but study his expression carefully. “A man like you keeps a five-year-old recliner?”

“I hold on to things I’m fond of. Just because I can buy anything I want, doesn’t mean I’d rather have new than aged. Sort of like that necklace you keep fingering. It doesn’t look brand-new, but it seems to mean a lot to you.”

She knew whenever she was nervous or uncertain, her locket was a talisman she touched to stay grounded. But she didn’t want Alan asking too many questions about it. She certainly wouldn’t open it for him.

“This was a gift from Carrie and it means a lot to me. It’s an antique. I guess I keep touching it to make sure its still there.”

“You’re a contradiction.”

“And that means…?”

“That means you like to act tough, but I think you’ve got a softer side.”

“You don’t know me.” She was sure if he did, he would want nothing to do with her.

“We’ll be remedying that soon. Working out of town and traveling together has a way of taking off the veneer pretty fast.”

The apartment had a quaint older-house smell, part plaster, part polished furniture, part lavender potpourri. But she was standing close enough to Alan to catch the scent of his cologne, to see the interest in his eyes, to feel a pull toward him that made her feel trembly inside.

“Do you live alone at your ranch in Texas?” She wondered what to expect when they got there.

“No, my brother lives there, and I have a housekeeper.”

“Does the ranch have a name?” If she didn’t keep talking, if she didn’t keep words between them, she was afraid something would happen that she’d regret.

“The Lazy B. My grandfather named it and started it on the road to success.”

“Why did you get involved in real estate? I mean, wasn’t the ranch enough?”

“In some ways, the ranch was too much,” he drawled. “I grew up there and learned the ropes as a kid. But I also learned it could engulf a man’s whole life. I wanted more than that. And since my brother was more inclined to want to handle it, I let him. Christina has always been interested in the horse breeding aspect. It wouldn’t surprise me if she wants to take that over someday.”

His daughter was merely four years younger than Lisa was. She shouldn’t be standing here like this with him, alone in her apartment. She didn’t know him. She shouldn’t even want to know him.

When she took a step back, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I know you said you have work to do tonight, and I don’t want to keep you.”

“You suddenly got very nervous on me, Lisa. What’s going through your head?”

Since they did have to work together, she wasn’t about to tell him. “Nothing you want to know about.”

“You mean like earlier today? When you got something in the mail and wouldn’t tell me why you were upset?”

“As I said, Alan, you don’t know me. Maybe you were wrong about my reaction. Maybe you were seeing something that wasn’t there.”

“Or maybe you’re trying to hide how disturbed you were by that piece of mail.”

She took a couple more steps back, knowing that this man saw entirely too much. “I think you’d better go.”

Cocking his head, he asked gently, “Are you afraid of me, Lisa?”

“Should I be?” Her question was almost belligerent. She needed to wrap defenses around herself, and that was the only one she could find.

“Hell, no. I like women. I respect them. And I think I can read the signals they give out pretty well.”

“I’m not giving out any signals.”

“You’re doing a terrific job of trying not to.” He shrugged. “As you said, we’re going to be working together. If we establish a friendship, that will be a lot easier.”

A friendship? Like she had with Craig? She doubted that. Everything about Alan shouted, I’m a powerful male and used to getting my own way. She had a habit of defying any man who tried to patronize her or wear a mantle of authority around her.

“Just think about it,” Alan suggested, as if whatever decision she came to didn’t matter to him at all. “I promise you, you’re safe around me, Lisa. After all, I have a daughter who’s only a few years younger than you.”