Falling for the Texas Tycoon
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Karen Rose Smith
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13
Chapter One
Men like Alan Barrett were trouble with a capital T. With his Stetson and his I-can-beat-down-any-obstacle-in-my-path smile, he obviously thought he could get his own way no matter what.
He was wrong.
Although Lisa Sanders had been her boss’s gatekeeper for only a month, she was already good at it. No one charmed or intimidated her. Not even a six-foot-two Texan who claimed to be a friend of Brian’s. He was not listed on her boss’s schedule and that’s all that mattered.
She stared into his to-die-for blue eyes, ignored the runaway beat of her pulse and repeated, “Mr. Summers is in a meeting and can’t be disturbed. His schedule is tight today. I might be able to fit you in around one-fifteen.”
Alan Barrett’s smile faded. “Look, Miss—” His gaze dropped to the nameplate on her desk. “Miss Sanders. Besides the fact that we do business together, Brian and I are friends. I spoke to him less than an hour ago. He said he’d meet with me at ten. It’s now ten.”
Lisa wasn’t simply fresh out of college with a degree in business, she had a history of street smarts behind her, one that made her square her shoulders and act even more protective of Brian. He wasn’t only her boss. He and his wife, Carrie, were her benefactors. If it weren’t for them, she didn’t know where she’d be now. Maybe still in a homeless shelter, her baby put up for adoption to people she didn’t know. Brian and Carrie had given her a home and a new life, and she would be forever grateful to them. As soon as she earned her real estate license, she’d be more than Brian’s office manager, and she’d never ever let him down. She wanted him to know he could depend on her just as she’d depended on him.
Motioning to the group of pale gray, leather-covered club chairs in the waiting area where the receptionist was located—Alan Barrett had bypassed the admin and come straight to her—Lisa said firmly but politely, “If you take a seat, I’ll check with Mr. Summers when his meeting is over.”
The Texan’s gaze became steely as he assessed everything from Lisa’s chin-length bob and navy suit to her color of lipstick. A slight shiver trembled through her when she realized she was attracted to his raw sex appeal, the jut of his rugged jaw, his broad, muscular shoulders. Even with his hat shadowing his face, the lines there told her he had to be near forty. He was way too old for her and definitely out of her league. She didn’t react to men this way. She had no time for men. She was on a career path. Besides all that, she doubted she could find a man who could accept the fact that she’d given away her child.
“Since I haven’t seen you here before, Miss Sanders, I’ll take into consideration the fact that you’re probably new and trying to do a good job. But if you don’t buzz Brian and let him know I’m here, you might lose it.”
She’d suspected this man might try to turn to intimidation tactics. His type always did. She didn’t do well with patronizing authority figures. The other employees who worked for Brian were under the illusion that she was a relative of her boss’s and he’d given her this job to help her get a good start. Only his and Carrie’s closest friends knew the whole story—that they’d taken her in in her eighth month of pregnancy, when she was eighteen, had adopted her baby and treated her like a daughter ever since, including paying for her college tuition. If Mr. Barrett didn’t “know” about her, then how close a friend of Brian’s could he be?
“Believe me, Mr. Barrett, I’m not going to lose my job. If you don’t want to have a seat, then I guess you’ll have to leave.”
If Alan Barrett was surprised she hadn’t backed down, he hid it well. Glancing at his watch again, he said in an I’m-not-happy-about-this-but-I’ll-deal-with-it voice, “I needed to see Brian immediately because I have an important call to make in half an hour. Do you have a conference room I can use so I can make it now?”
She’d rarely known men like Alan Barrett to be flexible. She supposed Brian wouldn’t mind if he used one of the offices. She’d just have to keep an eye on him. Pushing back the contract she’d been studying, she stood.
“Follow me,” she said crisply, then led him to a hall to the right of her desk. The hairs at the nape of her neck prickled as he followed her. She hoped her suit jacket wasn’t wrinkled yet. She hoped the back seam of her skirt was straight. She hoped…
She hoped nothing where this man was concerned. When his business with Brian was finished, he’d be gone.
At the first conference room they reached, she opened the door and let it swing inward. Not intending to enter, she started to move out of the way. But she wasn’t quite quick enough. As she turned to sidestep, there was Alan Barrett practically nose to nose with her. Or more like nose to chest.
When she looked up, her breath caught in her throat. She inhaled his cologne, which was woodsy and male, and felt so small and fragile standing near him it was as if he could swallow her up. The fabric of his Western-cut suit coat brushed her own jacket. There was a flicker in his eyes, a tightening of his lips. Did that mean he was affected, too?
What was happening that she was having fantasies at work? Maybe she should take Carrie’s advice and go out on a few dates, even if she didn’t intend to get serious with anyone.
Regrouping, she quickly stepped away from him. “Take as long as you like. When Brian finishes with his meeting, I’ll tell him you’re here.”
Then, feeling as if she were running from the devil himself, she hurried back to the safety of her desk and the work that was going to be her future.
Alan didn’t like to be kept waiting.
He never sat on the sidelines—not at the family ranch in Texas, not when he was working in real estate wherever it took him. For the past year, he’d been dividing his time between Texas and Portland, Oregon, doing more deals with Brian here and in other areas of the West Coast.
Unable to help himself, he looked out at the blond-haired young woman who had barred him from Brian’s door. Damn, he was used to getting his own way, and he wasn’t accustomed to his pulse racing as it had when he’d looked into her green eyes and heart-shaped face. With a low oath, he told himself Lisa Sanders was probably not much older than his daughter.
Turning away from her with some reluctance—and wondering if she was as efficient as she looked—he went over to the window and peered down the five stories. Taking his phone from his belt, he dialed his daughter’s school. This call to Christina’s guidance counselor was important. She’d been accepted at Stanford and USC, though she was seriously considering the University of Illinois because of the animal sciences program. His ex-wife didn’t like that idea at all. She wanted Christina to pursue psychology or premed, a more highbrow science. But his daughter had her own mind. She was the light of his life and, to his consternation, could usually get him to side with her. Sherri would also be having this discussion about colleges with Christina’s guidance counselor either today or tomorrow.
Alan brought up the guidance counselor’s name and pressed Send. Hopefully, she’d be free and they could have their discussion a little bit early.
Half an hour later, finished with his conversation, he exited the conference room. About to approach Lisa Sanders and demand again she tell Brian he was here, he stopped to watch her a moment as she opened mail. Her bob was chic and blunt-cut, swinging forward when she tilted her head. Her suit fit her slim body as if it was custom-made. Her white blouse had a demure scoop neck, and he saw she was wearing a locket. A present from a boyfriend?
Probably.
Alarm bells went off and he told himself not to even wonder about it. He’d never had a penchant for younger women, so why start now?
But there had been a maturity in Lisa Sanders’s eyes when she looked at him that had almost startled him.
Now she quickly slit open an envelope, took out the sheet of paper…and went absolutely white.
What kind of mail could cause that reaction?
As he approached her, he saw her hands were shaking. “What’s wrong?” he asked, standing in front of her desk.
She was still staring at the sheet of paper in her hand.
“Miss Sanders, are you all right?”
The sound of her name must have caught her attention, and she glanced up. When their gazes met, he felt that full-body impact again. He looked deeper and thought he saw fear. What was this young woman afraid of?
Putting on her official office manager’s face again, she blinked, took a deep breath, then replied, “I’m fine.”
“Your hands are trembling.”
She looked down at them, then at the letter. Folding it, she quickly tucked it into her suit jacket. “I’m just a little…cold, I guess, with the damp weather outside and all….”
When he was in Portland it seemed as if it was always damp. But he could sense a lie when he heard it, and she was lying through her teeth. She wasn’t cold. She was upset about that letter in her pocket.
It was none of his business.
Since his encounter with Brian’s gatekeeper earlier, he hadn’t pegged her for a shrinking violet. The letter she’d received in the mail must have upset her greatly.
Suddenly men’s voices burst from behind the closed door. Seconds later, Brian and two men Alan assumed were clients were standing near Lisa’s desk. Brian greeted Alan and introduced him to the men, who soon excused themselves and left Summers Development. All the while, Alan kept one eye on Lisa, who was still pale and fidgeting with messages that had probably come in while Brian was in his meeting.
After the clients left, Brian turned to Alan. “It’s good to see you again. I missed you this past month. How are things in Texas?”
“My brother’s a good manager. I don’t have to worry when I’m away from the ranch.”
Now Brian turned to Lisa to include her in the conversation. “I guess you’ve met Mr. Barrett?”
Lisa gave her boss what Alan suspected was a forced smile. “Yes, I have. I didn’t want to interrupt you when he arrived,” she admitted honestly.
“Alan and I’ve been doing a lot of work together. You can always interrupt me when he shows up.” Brian took the messages she handed to him, flipped through them, then stuffed them into his pocket. “I’ll take care of these later. I want to get our meeting started. Lisa, I’d like you to sit in.”
Her green eyes went wide with surprise. “You would?”
“Sure,” Brian said easily. “The only way you’re going to get experience is to be involved in what I do. When you earn your real estate license, you’ll really be ready to go. You might want to take some notes for us, too.”
Ever since Alan had stood within three feet of Lisa, he could smell her perfume. It was a haunting fragrance, somewhere between flowers and musk. Now he got another good whiff as she leaned toward her desk, grabbing a notepad and pen.
Stepping aside, he motioned for her to precede him into Brian’s office. Their gazes held for just a second too long and he felt that jolt of adrenaline again that had been missing from his life for many years.
As Alan waited for Lisa to be seated in one of the chairs in front of Brian’s desk, Brian explained, “Lisa graduated in December with a degree in business.”
“Margery left?” Fifty-five years old now, Margery had been Brian’s office manager for as long as Alan had been working with him.
“Margery’s husband retired and she’s traveling with him. Lisa’s only taking over the job temporarily until she has her license.”
Alan wondered why Brian had chosen Lisa out of all the people he could have hired for the position. Why would he be waiting for her to earn her license to join his team? Why wouldn’t he hire someone with experience?
As he checked out Brian’s interaction with Lisa, he didn’t see any evidence that his colleague was enamored with the young woman, or that Lisa was attracted to Brian. Still, one never knew what went on behind closed doors. Brian had once alluded to a rocky time in his marriage, but Allan had never seen evidence of that, and with adopting Timothy, he and Carrie seemed to have absolutely everything they wanted.
Studying Lisa, Alan thought she still looked unsettled. She was staring down at her pad, pen in hand, ready to take notes. But he sensed she was distracted.
He was sure of it when Brian began talking about the project they were working on. She was writing, but not much, and she didn’t look up.
“I got the paperwork you faxed me yesterday,” Brian said to Alan. “All of the properties look as if they’ll be suitable. Do you have a meeting set up with the investors?”
“Next Thursday. I thought we could fly down on Wednesday. Does that fit your schedule?”
“That should work out fine. Lisa, I’m going to want you to fly along on this trip and be an assistant to both me and Alan.”
When his office manager didn’t look up, Brian said a little more loudly, “Lisa?”
Her head came up then and she flushed, putting color back into her cheeks. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
Brian’s brows quirked up. “I said I want you to fly to Texas with me and Alan and act as our assistant on this venture. I hope we can put together a deal for the golf resort. Fortunately, it’s practically in Alan’s backyard and we’re going to be staying at his family’s ranch.”
“You’re sure you want me to come along?” She glanced at Alan, as if being in close proximity to him wasn’t a good idea.
He didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered.
“No better way to get your feet wet,” Brian assured her.
“I’m still furnishing my apartment and—”
“As long as you have a bed to sleep in and a chair to sit on, that can wait, can’t it?” her boss asked.
Again Lisa glanced at Alan. “Of course it can. I guess I’m just anxious to settle into my own place.”
“You know Carrie and I will help you do that any way we can, including shoving around furniture.”
As the discussion turned back to business, Lisa took copious notes, as if she’d put her distraction behind her. This young woman intrigued Alan, and he’d known her less than a morning.
After the discussion about the proposed golf resort wound down, he checked his watch. “I’d better be going. I have another meeting in half an hour and then I’ll see you again at four to discuss the Sacramento resort with Joe Dulchek.”
When Brian stood with a nod, Alan and Lisa rose, too, and found themselves standing very close together. He was a good six inches taller than she was. She was so slim and fragile-looking, yet the set of her shoulders and the fire in her eyes told him she’d fight for whatever she wanted. The term spitfire came to mind. Her perfume tempted him again, and he found himself studying her face.
He wasn’t sure what prodded him to say it, but before she went her way and he went his, he advised her, “Bring comfortable clothes along to Texas when you pack. If you have boots, throw those in, too. We’ve got horses if you want to ride.”
She said softly, “I’ve only been riding once before.”
“We’ve got a few gentle horses.”
“He’s being modest,” Brian interjected. “They breed cutting horses as well as their own cattle. You school them, too, don’t you?”
“When I have the time. Neal does most of that now. I’ve been away from the ranch so much this past year, he’s taken on horses I know nothing about.”
Lisa looked at her boss again. “How long will we be staying at Mr. Barrett’s?”
“We’ll probably be there three or four days. We’ll see how the meetings progress and how much property we can get covered.”
“Should I make airline reservations?”
“No need for that. I’ve got my own jet,” Alan explained. “My pilot can be ready at a hour’s notice if he has to be.”
When Alan mentioned his jet, most women looked impressed, but not Lisa Sanders. She simply said, “I see.”
“If you have those notes on my desk by the end of the day, that will be fine,” Brian informed her. Then he asked, “You’re going to lunch with Craig, aren’t you?”
She nodded and her lips turned up in a genuine smile. “I have to get changed. No way do I want to ride on his bike dressed like this.” She held out her hand to Alan. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Barrett. Next time you come in, I’ll make sure to buzz Brian right away.”
Was she mending fences because they were going to be working together? Taking her hand, he realized it was cool to the touch—at first. Her handshake seemed to generate heat that flowed through him like aged bourbon.
They released each other at the same time, and he thought she looked as startled as he felt. Damn, this was a kind of chemistry he’d never had with a woman before. How was that even possible? At thirty-eight, hadn’t he had every kind of experience there was with women?
Looking a bit flustered, Lisa left Brian’s office.
Brian was shuffling through a few papers on his desk when Alan asked, “How old is she?”
“Lisa? She’s twenty-one.”
“Are you sure you don’t want someone more experienced to sit in on these meetings? I can have someone join us from my office in Rocky Ridge.”
“Lisa’s young, but she’s a hard worker and she learns fast. She went through four years of college in three and a half, even with working summers. Still, if you’d feel more confident having one of your people involved…”
Alan had never had any reason to doubt Brian’s judgment. “No, if you feel she’s what we need, that’s fine.”
As he left Brian’s office a short time later, after a discussion about the colleges Christina was considering, he stopped short. A young man who appeared to be about Lisa’s age was escorting her through the double glass doors. He looked like a biker with his shaggy hair, leather jacket, pierced brow, earrings and boots. Then Alan noticed Lisa. She’d changed, all right—into a long-sleeved black sweater that molded to her breasts and hugged her waist, and low-slung black jeans with a belt studded with rhinestones. She also carried a leather jacket over one arm, and her boots were similar to the young man’s.
Seeing the two of them together made Alan feel every one of his thirty-eight years. In spite of that, he acknowledged what he’d felt that morning when Lisa Sanders had barred his way and stood up to him. He’d had the overwhelming urge to kiss her.
If that wasn’t an insane fantasy, he didn’t know what was. But he was not going to let his imagination take on a life of its own. He was not going to think about Lisa Sanders again, except as Brian’s office manager who would be assisting them on this project.
End of story.
After locking the door to the unisex bathroom at Summers Development, Lisa pulled her sweater over her head so she could change back into her business suit. The upside-down mermaid tattoo on her left arm practically winked at her. The peace sign tattoo high on her other wrist also reminded her she was trying to leave her past behind. No one here knew about her tattoos except Brian, of course. She always kept them covered. They really weren’t befitting an up-and-coming professional.
As if it were calling to her again, she reached for the note in her jeans pocket. Opening it, she read, “You owe me. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She’d almost told Craig about it. After all, they’d been friends when she’d returned to Portland, pregnant. Back then, after she’d had Timothy, she’d even thought they might connect romantically. But they never really had. Craig was two years older than she was, protective and they’d settled into a friendship that was valuable and she hoped lasting.
The note looked as if it had been generated by computer on plain white paper. When she was homeless and living on the streets, she’d met some shady characters. She’d met pimps who wanted her to turn tricks for them. She’d met drug dealers and avoided them, but not before they checked her over, trying to figure what she could do for them.
And then there was Thad, Timothy’s biological father. He’d wanted nothing to do with her and the baby because he’d had his own plans. How could the note be from him, when he’d signed away his parental rights?
Just as she had.
The difference was, she was still connected to Timothy and always would be. Some nights her heart ached unbearably because of the decision she’d made. But she’d known it was best for Timothy then, and she believed it was best for him now.
What did this note mean, anyway? Was it a precursor to blackmail? Did someone think that, since she was connected to Brian and Carrie, she had money, too?
Folding the note, she slipped it into her purse. She’d have to think about it some more before she told anyone. Besides, what was there to tell? She was certainly not going to worry Brian and Carrie unnecessarily, not after everything they’d done for her. She was making a life on her own now and she wouldn’t depend on anyone else.
The locket around her neck swung free as she bent to remove her boots and then her jeans. In only her panties and bra, she opened the heart necklace and looked at the little face of the baby she’d given away, touched the silky lock of his hair.
“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.
