One Man and a Baby Page 11

  “And leave the farm? The job you’ve wanted forever? The people you had hoped to turn into family?”

  Rick watched her expression change as she considered that. “I guess I have been a little obsessive about the farm.”

  “A little.”

  “So he may have held back on telling me about his new life on the islands because he knew how I felt about keeping Seven Hills a home.” She shook her head sadly. “He may have even thought I’d try to talk him out of it.”

  Rick shrugged. “Or maybe he didn’t tell you because having you manage Seven Hills means he gets to keep both of his homes. I don’t think he wanted to leave the farm, either, Ashley. At least not permanently. But from the way he spoke when he interviewed me, I could tell he didn’t believe his future was here. Not the way you do.”

  “Yeah.” Her crying now completely stopped, Ashley took a cleansing breath and smiled up at him.

  Rick’s heart flopped over in his chest. His natural affection for Ashley had completely obliterated his common sense and he’d comforted her before he thought the whole situation through. And for his trouble he’d ended up closer to her than he was allowed to be. Not just physically, but emotionally. He wanted to step back, to step away, even to leave, but somehow his feet weren’t getting the message.

  She whispered, “Thanks.”

  His heart melted the same way it had when he’d realized Ruthie wanted him that afternoon. But as quickly as Rick recognized how much he was growing to care for Ashley, his emotions shifted and changed. Men weren’t built to feel only warm cuddly things for women. When they crossed a certain threshold of affection, hormones got involved, nerves came to life, skin began to tingle with need and desires turned dark and sensual.

  He swallowed.

  She smiled again and he didn’t even try to resist. He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. She slid her arms around him as naturally as breathing and Rick let his instincts take control. Slowly, as if they had all the time in the world, he slid his mouth across her mouth, tasting, testing, before he opened his lips over hers and let her make the choice of whether they deepened the kiss.

  She did and for Rick the world spun crazily. But even though he could have kissed her forever, he remembered that a relationship between them was impossible. She was struggling enough with the emotions of letting her dad go. Rick knew it would kill her if he were to step in now when she needed him, begin to create the home she wanted, and then leave because Senator Martin came after Ruthie.

  He found it harder to pull away than the other times they had kissed, but he did.

  “I gotta go,” he whispered, though everything inside of him was telling him to stay.

  “Stay.”

  He shook his head and tried to step back, but she grabbed his arm.

  “I can’t stay.”

  “Please.”

  “No!” He said it violently this time because he knew she didn’t understand that she was pulling him in two, making him want something he couldn’t have. And not just because he didn’t want her to be hurt. He didn’t want to be hurt, either. “Don’t you get it? I want this.”

  “Is that so bad?”

  “Yes. Even if I didn’t have Ruthie, in February I would still be leaving.”

  “What if you weren’t?”

  He shook his head sadly. “Ashley, say I did find a job here in Calhoun Corners and that we started to date and even fell in love. Then picture yourself waking up one morning to find me gone because Senator Martin filed for custody of Ruthie. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Someday, he will find her and when he does I’ll be gone because I’ll never beat him in a custody battle.”

  She licked her lips, then quietly said, “You could if you had enough money.”

  “I wouldn’t lose Ruthie because I’m poor. I’d lose because I spent the last ten years of my life bumming around, risking my life, indulging my fantasies. I might be able to tell you that I’ve changed and have you believe me because you also made a mistake, got burned and realized you couldn’t continue living the way you were. So you know the right mistake can change a person in the blink of an eye. But Senator Martin’s attorneys wouldn’t buy it for a second. They wouldn’t want to buy it. They’d use it to rip me to smithereens.”

  “Not if you had enough character witnesses. I’m sure you could prove…”

  “Damn it, Ashley! I couldn’t! But even if I could, you should want more than this,” he said, pointing at his chest. “You don’t know me. You think you do but you don’t. And until you do you can’t go making big decisions like sleeping with me, finding me character witnesses and giving me the money to fight for Ruthie.”

  He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck then headed for the door. “Someday you’re going to find a man who deserves you and when you do, you’ll thank me for leaving.”

  He strode out of the den knowing she was watching him go, knowing she was alone, knowing that she believed she would be alone for the rest of her life.

  But she wouldn’t and that was why he had to be the strong one. His greater life experience made it easy for him to see that she was a beautiful, intelligent woman. Once she was introduced to the world as the manager, someday-to-be-owner of Seven Hills, she would attract men with money and power. She’d attract the kind of man she deserved.

  Chapter Eight

  Standing alone in her father’s den, Ashley wasn’t as upset as Rick thought, mostly because she didn’t agree that they couldn’t have a personal relationship. After the way he had talked her through her difficult situation that night, it was very clear to her that they were perfectly matched. But she also knew her emotional state about her dad might have skewed her opinions. So for over a week, she said nothing personal to Rick. She let the days go by with them simply interacting as mutually respectful coworkers. She recognized that she had to accustom herself to her father’s engagement and get her emotions to a normal level before she drew conclusions about anything. She also wanted some time to watch Rick.

  But she didn’t need as long as she thought to recognize that her original observations were correct. In one week Rick’s interactions with the farm workers, his daughter and even Ashley herself proved he was good, kind, smart, fair. And she was tired of waiting, tired of being alone, especially when someone so perfect was just a touch away and the opportunity to show him how she felt was at hand.

  The party’s annual preelection dinner wasn’t held at the fire hall as Calhoun Corners’s local meetings and receptions typically were. This dinner, the biggest event of the year, was held at a fancy hotel in Charlottesville. Ashley had been to it with her dad every year since her mother died. She didn’t feel odd that she wasn’t going with her father that year. After the initial shock of her dad’s engagement had worn off, Ashley knew Rick was right. Her dad was too young to be alone and it was time for her to get on with the rest of her life.

  In fact, dressing for dinner that night, she had begun to look forward to moving on because she now had a purpose. A mission. Rick was the most honest, most genuine man she had ever met and she wanted him. No, she didn’t want him; she loved him. Nobody had ever cared for her the way he had the night she’d heard about her father’s engagement. He hadn’t babied her. He’d been honest with her, but he’d done it kindly. And even with a bit of humor. He was strong, but he had a soft heart. She needed his honesty, loved how he couldn’t stand to see her hurt, needed his help with the farm, and wanted to be a mother to his desperate-for-female-attention baby girl.

  She didn’t believe it was an accident that he’d come to her father for a job. She knew it was fate. In less than two weeks, she’d not only realized how well they fit, but she’d fallen in love and now she had to convince Rick they could make this work.

  Finished dressing for the preelection dinner, Ashley studied her reflection in the full-length mirror with a critical eye. Having attended this event every year for the past four, she knew how well she could dress without g
oing overboard and she intended to take advantage of the opportunity.

  Her straight, midnight-blue dress looked conservative and demure, but it had absolutely no back. So when they danced, and she would see to it that they would, he would touch her. Not her dress, but her skin. Not in a vulgar way, but in an enticing, tempting way. Just the way she wanted.

  She hurried down the steps at the same time that her front doorbell rang. She pulled it open and Rick smiled at her. “Hey you look nice.”

  She agreed. She did look “nice” from the front view of her simple blue dress, but from the back she was nothing but naughty. He on the other hand looked magnificent. This party wasn’t a tuxedo affair. The gentlemen guests wore their best suits and Rick looked fabulous in his. Black with a white shirt and silver tie, his outfit made the most of his dark hair and blue eyes. And it was a struggle not to kiss him.

  But he didn’t yet realize they were meant to be together, so she couldn’t jump in and do the things she wanted to do. More than that, she wasn’t just any woman pursuing him. She was an heiress and he was sensitive about being called an opportunist. In the same way that a trainer had to properly bring along a prize stallion, Ashley had to ease Rick into her life correctly or she would spook him. So she took a quick breath and only smiled at him, knowing she had some wonderful subtle tricks up her sleeve—and absolutely no back to her dress.

  “I’m ready. Just let me grab my purse,” she said, pivoting to snatch the little blue evening bag from the table in the foyer, “and I’ll be all set.”

  When she turned again, the expression on Rick’s face was priceless. She gave him an innocent look. “What?”

  “Your dress has no back.”

  “Of course, it has a back,” she said, twisting around to glance behind her. She ran her hand along the material that covered her bottom. “See. Everything’s covered.”

  “Everything but your whole damned back! I hope you have a coat. It’s November and it’s cold out there.”

  “I have a coat,” she said, walking three steps down the hall to the right to retrieve her navy-blue evening coat from the closet. She handed it to him. “Here.”

  She heard him suck in a breath when she presented her back to him. The very fact that a back wasn’t exactly a sexy part of a body gave her several advantages. She didn’t appear to be deliberately trying to seduce him. And his consistent reactions to something so innocent proved he was in deeper than he wanted to admit.

  With her coat on, she turned and smiled. “Ready?”

  “Your car or mine?”

  Because she’d thought this through, she pulled a set of keys from the little blue bag. “Let’s take Daddy’s Mercedes. It’s cleaner.”

  He glanced down at the keys, looking at them as if they would bite him. She knew why. He didn’t want people to think he was an opportunist, taking advantage of her or using her for the things in her life. But this was all part of her plan. He needed to get accustomed to all the “things” she and her father owned. He needed to get comfortable with the cars and the big house and the creature comforts. Then, when their attraction turned into a relationship, her things would be a part of his life and no longer an issue.

  “Car’s in the garage,” she said casually and turned quickly, so he didn’t notice that she also pulled back the keys. He needed a minute to grow accustomed to taking the car. Which was fine. If push came to shove, she could even drive. This wasn’t a date. She’d made arrangements to “ride” together to attend the dinner as employees of the farm attending a dinner to do political glad-handing for the business. She could take this evening as far as Rick would let her.

  They walked through the long corridor to the right to enter the multicar garage. Neither said a word as they approached the Mercedes. Two steps before they reached it, Ashley got a brainstorm and said, “Catch,” as she tossed the keys at Rick.

  He caught them in midair, and glanced over at her. But she quickly looked away, forcing him to either drive or admit he felt uncomfortable. After only a few seconds, he hit the button that unlocked the doors and as if his driving her dad’s car were the most ordinary thing in the world, Ashley climbed inside.

  The garage door opened automatically when Rick started the car and closed after they had backed out onto the driveway.

  Rick said, “Nice.”

  “Yeah, money has its advantages.”

  He snorted a laugh. Then the car got extremely quiet. But Ashley had learned a few lessons from Rick and she didn’t intend to break the silence. If she wanted the ball to stay in her court tonight, she had to continue to be casual to the point of being oblivious. That meant having him bring up the obvious first.

  “You know everybody’s going to think we’re together.”

  Well, that didn’t take long. Ashley pretended great interest in something in her purse and said, “Not really. We work together, remember? And we’re both going to the dinner tonight to represent the farm’s interests. It was smarter to share a ride. If you’re worried, we can go our separate ways at the door.”

  “I’m not going to drive you there and let you sit by yourself.”

  She smiled down at her lap. He was such a gentleman that he played right into her hands. “Does this mean I get to sit at the mayor’s table?”

  He shifted uncomfortably on his seat. “I’ve already mentioned it to my mother. Not because I think you can’t handle yourself, but because Tia and Drew decided not to attend.”

  “It really doesn’t matter to me where I sit. I know the organizers don’t usually assign seats, so I could mingle with my dad’s friends or people trying to get on my good side now that they know I’m going to be running Seven Hills. Eventually someone will invite me to sit with him,” she said, again keeping her voice light, but hoping to stir up a little jealousy before she eased him into phase two of this discussion. “People already know you’re training me. Most people will see us as boss and employer.” She paused to let that sink in before she added, “Because that’s what we are.”

  “For another couple of months.”

  Ashley nearly snickered. He was making this incredibly easy. “Actually, Rick, you’ve hit something that I’ve been meaning to talk about. I don’t really want you to leave when my dad officially retires.”

  He peered over at her. “Farm doesn’t need two managers.”

  “No, but I wouldn’t mind taking over the breeding end of things, and giving everything else to you. Basically you’d be doing everything but nuisance negotiating and scheduling. I’d even want your take on any purchases I decide to make.”

  When he didn’t immediately argue, Ashley knew he was tempted. “You don’t have to answer me today. Though your taking a job at Seven Hills permanently would more easily explain our presence tonight. But we don’t really need that either because I could sit with any number of people.” She shifted on the seat, crossing her ankles to draw his attention to her legs and got exactly the result she wanted.

  He looked at her legs. He flexed his fingers on the steering wheel and all but growled his displeasure. “I’d rather you sat with my family, but if you want to sit with someone else that’s okay.”

  “I can’t really sit with your family without starting an entire calendar full of gossip.” She paused. “Unless we have a bona fide working relationship. Then everybody will see us as representing the interests of Seven Hills.”

  He drew a quiet breath. “Okay.”

  Unable to hide her surprise at his easy acquiescence, she peeked at him. “Okay?”

  “Yes, I’ll work for you after your dad officially retires.”

  She wanted to shout for joy. If nothing else she wanted to say, “Really?” and hope he gave her a detailed explanation of how they were a good team. Instead she casually said, “Okay.”

  They walked into the hotel in downtown Charlottesville and Ashley led Rick to the banquet room. “You’re mighty familiar with this hotel.”

  “I attended a lot of banquets with my dad.” As
soon as they reached the outer hall, Ashley began removing her coat. “Coatroom is down here.”

  Rick followed her, taking her evening coat from her and handing it across the counter to the attendant, who smiled and gave him a number.

  They turned and headed for the open doors of the banquet room. Rick placed his hand on the small of her back, but pulled it off as if it had burned him, shifting it down, only to realize he had settled his hand on her bottom.

  “There’s nowhere for me to put my hand.”

  “You could have kept it on my back.”

  “It wouldn’t look right for an employee to have his hand on his employer’s naked back.”

  “Is it better for my employee to have his hand on my butt?”

  Rick growled. Ashley laughed. “Come on. Don’t put your hand anywhere. You don’t have to guide me. I can just lead.”

  Ashley strode into the banquet room and immediately spotted his father’s table. Tall, dark-haired Mayor Capriotti chatted with two party officials. Wearing an elegant black dress and pearls, Elizabeth stood dutifully by his side.

  “We should go rescue my mother,” Rick whispered in her ear and Ashley smiled and nodded.

  They approached the table and though Rick’s mother’s smile widened as they grew closer, Rick’s father’s eyes narrowed and his smile turned into a frown.

  The second they were within hearing range, Ben said, “What’s this?”

  “What’s what?” Rick asked, leaning over to kiss his mother.

  Mayor Capriotti motioned between Rick and Ashley. “This?” he demanded and Ashley suddenly wondered if the basis for most of Rick’s concern about gossip over their relationship wasn’t the entire population of Calhoun Corners, but his dad.

  She quickly said, “Rick agreed tonight to work with me once my father retires officially.”

  Happily surprised, Elizabeth said, “Oh that’s great!”

  But Ben’s frown deepened. “As what?”

  Ashley again jumped in before Rick could. “I don’t want to run the whole darned farm, Ben. I like the breeding end.” She smiled prettily and squeezed Ben’s forearm affectionately. “And I have enough money that I don’t have to do the work I don’t want to do.”