Eat with me.
His request replayed in her mind. Once again this job was taking another unexpected turn. Could she continue being close to him, associating with him daily, and still stay remote and impassive around him? He had to know he was having an effect on her every time they were together. It was obvious sometimes that he felt it just as much as she.
She hurried to get his lunch, and twenty minutes later she took the hamburgers off the small grill as he came through the door.
They sat at a table overlooking the formal garden and a pond with a fountain, a waterfall and blooming lilies.
“This is a beautiful view,” she said.
“Yes, it is,” he said in a warm voice that held a note that caught her attention. She turned to look at him as he gazed back with a faint smile. He looked back at his plate. “This looks great and I’m hungry. It’s been a long time since breakfast.”
“I baked beans,” she said. “I thought that might be healthier than the fries.”
“You’re probably right. So far, I’ve rejected both women I interviewed this morning. You’re still at the top of the list.” He took a bite of his burger.
“That’s good news because I think I’ll like it here. We’ll see how you like my lunch and dinner. Lunch isn’t really a test, because burgers are sort of always the same and very easy.”
“The burger is good.”
“Thank you. Are you planning on staying at the ranch for a while now or will you go back to Houston soon?”
“I’m in and out right now. I’ll go to Houston later this week.”
As he spoke, she gazed into his warm brown eyes. She had made such a poor judgment with her ex; was she making more poor decisions now with Ryan? He smiled and picked up his burger to take another bite.
“I’m glad to hear the job is still open,” she said.
“Oh, yes. I have two interviews after lunch. I’ll let you know how it goes. So far, lunch is good. The beans are great and the burger is cooked just the way I like it.”
“I’m glad. Gwen told me you like burgers, but not how you like them cooked.”
“You guessed well. Gwen and her husband both work here, you know.”
“That’s what she said.” She wiped her hands on her napkin and stood up. “I have pie for dinner tonight, but I baked some cookies for now.” She went inside to get a plate of chocolate-chip cookies, which she placed in front of him. He promptly held the plate out to offer her one as she sat.
“No thanks,” she said. “I’m not a sweets person.”
“I’ll remember that,” he answered, taking a cookie.
“I don’t think you need to remember your cook doesn’t eat sweets,” she said.
“I might want to send you a present sometime and I would need to remember,” he added. He still kept his voice impersonal. There was no flirting, no touch, but when she looked into his chocolate-colored eyes with those thick bedroom lashes, a current sizzled between them. The attraction was still there, like bedrock beneath a stream of polite conversation.
She drew her eyes away, focusing on the nearby fountain. She had to get her head back in the game.
“Did you go with this guy in college?”
Ryan’s question drew her up short, and she realized she must have missed something he said. “My ex?” she guessed. When he nodded, she replied, “No. He was a bit older than I am. I’ve known him all my life.
“I think he thought I’d be the perfect wife. That I would never find out about his affairs. And if I did, I’d go along with his infidelities.” She shook her head. “I was just naive about everything. Anyway, it’s over now.”
“Your family is in Tennessee. Won’t you go back someday?”
“Oh, my, yes. I love Tennessee with all my heart, especially Nashville. That’s where I plan to live. It’s close enough to my family in Memphis to be convenient but far enough that I can live my own life and I won’t run into my ex often. Before I go back, though, I want to recover from the stress of the past few months.”
“If peace and quiet helps you recover, you’ve come to the right place.” With a glance at his watch, Ryan rose. “Excuse me, Jessica,” he said, her name spoken by him stirring a tingle, sounding deeper, more personal than when he’d previously said it. “It’s time I get back to my office and look over my notes before the next interview. Thanks for the lunch.”
She couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he would continue to interview applicants, so she went into work mode, gathering the dishes and bringing them inside. She turned from the sink and almost bumped into Ryan, who stood there with glasses in his hands. He steadied her, his fingers lightly on her shoulders, but the moment he touched her, she saw his eyes narrow slightly. Inhaling deeply, he released her. Her heartbeat raced and she wanted to lean closer to him.
But Ryan hurried out of the room in long strides.
Watching him, she took a deep breath. Once again common sense said to pack and go. She was having a volatile reaction to Ryan Delaney and he had had a reaction to touching her, too. Maybe he would hire someone this afternoon and the job decision would be out of her hands.
She cleaned the dishes and then got more familiar with the kitchen, turning on an oven to start cooking a roast for dinner. She spent the afternoon laboring over dinner, checking on the roast, making rolls and mashing potatoes. Later she set the table for the evening meal and finally reached a point where she could go to her suite to get ready to be with Ryan.
After showering, she slipped into a blue sundress and sandals and brushed her hair out. By five she was back in the kitchen to finish cooking dinner. Everything was going well, which lifted her spirits. Whether she got the job or not, she was happy to discover she could turn out a lunch and dinner when the result was crucial and time was of the essence. It was dinner tonight, one good enough to get her hired, or she was out. There would be no second chance tomorrow.
As she made gravy and steamed collard greens, she couldn’t squelch the nagging question: Was she more excited over the prospect of a dinner that would determine her future...or the thought of an evening with Ryan?
Three
Ryan straightened up over the tractor. “All right. Buy the parts if you think that’s the way to go and you’re certain you can fix it.”
“I can fix it.” Jeb stepped away from the tractor to walk with Ryan. “What did you do today? I see the red car is here. Am I going to teach her to cook?”
“No. Tonight is a test. She talked me into giving her a chance.”
Jeb’s mouth twitched. “Imagine that. I suspect she’ll talk you into hiring her no matter her cooking ability.”
“No. If she can’t cook, she goes and she knows it. But I agreed to give her a chance and let her cook dinner tonight.”
“Well, I can guess the outcome of that. As I said, I’ll be happy to teach her to cook.”
“Thanks for the offer. I won’t forget,” Ryan answered drily. “Lunch was good, a burger and beans, so maybe she can cook.”
“Even a kid can cook a burger and beans. Go enjoy dinner and the evening.”
“Sure, Jeb.” Ryan left the foreman to head for his house, wondering about his dinner. In spite of a good lunch, he didn’t expect her to have as much success with dinner. He reminded himself that she did have some credentials in her background, though, so maybe she could really cook. Why did he doubt it?
He didn’t go in through the kitchen and