Maid in Montana Read online

  “Have a seat.”

  She sat with a smile. A big smile. He wouldn’t have called her into his office unless he had something important to discuss. She had to show him that no matter what he wanted she’d do her best to accommodate him. No matter what he said, she would agree.

  He sat on the big leather chair behind the desk. “I’ve decided to modify your duties.”

  Great! More work! Finally a way to prove herself! If she had any luck, he’d changed his mind about breakfast. She was a much better cook than housekeeper, and breakfast was her specialty. She could easily impress him with omelets and waffles. If he’d simply add breakfast into her duties, he’d beg her to stay the entire year of their contract.

  “I’m taking all cooking off your list of responsibilities.”

  All the breath whooshed out of Sophie’s lungs. “What?”

  “The cooking. I’m taking it off your list of job duties. You have plenty to do without it.”

  “No, I don’t!”

  He fiddled with some papers on his desk, then looked up at her. “Yes, you do.” He leaned back in the seat. “You were surprised this morning when I didn’t get up with the sun because you thought that’s what ranchers do.”

  Heartsick because she’d lost her best way to impress him, Sophie nodded.

  “Usually that’s true, but in our case I don’t really run the Silver Saddle. I run the ranch management company that owns the Silver Saddle. As ranch foreman, Slim gets up and gets the day going with the hands. That’s what every foreman at every ranch my company manages does. I personally don’t run the ranches. I have great foremen who do that.”

  “And what do you do?”

  “I market my business.” He sat up again, leaning forward on his desk, obviously comfortable talking about his company, looking like a lethal combination of sexy rancher and savvy businessman. “This house,” he said, pointing around in a circle, “is a big part of my marketing plan. Remember, during the interview I told you I had frequent guests?”

  “Yes.”

  “The guests are wealthy people who buy ranches so that they have a private country retreat. Somewhere they can go and be themselves. Be comfortable. But after a year or so of owning a ranch, they realize how much trouble it is to run it, so they go looking for somebody like me. Or a company like mine. We do the work for the ranch. They reap the benefits.”

  “I’m still not sure what this has to do with me.”

  “If it were just me living here, I wouldn’t have a housekeeper. I’d let the dust pile up. But because of my guests I need the place to be clean. Which means you’re part of the business. You’re not really a maid. You’re more of an extension of the ranch management company, making sure everything sparkles for clients.” He relaxed and leaned back on his chair again. “So that’s all I want you to do.”

  Knowing he was waiting for a reaction from her, Sophie stalled for time by running her tongue along her lips. A smart woman would simply say okay. Sophie told herself to say okay. To smile. To accept his order. Not to argue that cooking was her forte and if he’d just allow her cook for him, he’d never let her leave.

  She took a breath. Told herself again to simply say, “Okay.”

  Just say okay!

  She opened her mouth, but instead of her one-word agreement, she found herself saying, “This is because of Brady, isn’t it?” But once the words were out of her mouth, she wasn’t sorry. The guy was going to fire her for something that wasn’t her fault and she’d be damned if she’d roll over and play dead.

  “No.”

  “Yes. It is.” She rose from her seat and leaned across the desk. “You didn’t even look at him this morning.”

  He rose, pressed his hands on his desk and leaned toward her. “I asked you to keep him away from me. If we push everything else aside in this discussion, the bottom line is you disobeyed an order from your boss. Now you’re paying the consequences.”

  “But Brady’s a sweet kid!” She paused, drew in a breath. “You know what? Maybe if you’d spend some time with him you might get a little sweeter.”

  He gaped at her. “Are you kidding me? After disobeying a direct order, now you’re sassing?”

  Sophie reared back and pressed her palm to her mouth. In her zeal to prove that she could work with Brady, she’d forgotten that he didn’t want the baby in the room. But he was right about the sassing. That didn’t help her cause at all. And she knew better. But when it came to Brady, her motherly instincts always surprised her.

  He sighed. “Look, I have potential clients arriving in three weeks. What I need…No, what the business needs is for this big house to be clean, looking like the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of a busy life. After that you can leave. I’ll even give you the thousand dollars. I just want you and your baby gone.”

  Tears filled her eyes. She was being fired because she had a baby. She shook her head in disbelief. “He doesn’t talk. If he makes a sound it’s a gurgle of happiness. How could you possibly be opposed to that?”

  “It doesn’t matter. This is my ranch. My business and my home. I set the rules. I told you I didn’t want to see your baby, but you either chose not to keep him out of my way or couldn’t keep him out of my way as requested. The arrangement failed.” He leaned back in his chair again. “Now, you can stay three weeks because I do need the house cleaned for the clients, and I’m even giving you the extra thousand you asked for. But after that you’re gone. I won’t have a baby here.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  SOPHIE watched television until eleven that night, hoping to make herself tired. But even after hours of mindless TV her upset over losing her job made her too restless to go to bed.

  After checking to make sure Brady was in a deep sleep, she slid into her one-piece bathing suit and the matching terry-cloth cover-up then grabbed the portable baby monitor from the bedside table. Slim had shown her a swimming pool when he gave her the tour of the house and said she was free to use it. Of course, that was before she had been fired, but she didn’t care. She was restless and needed to make herself tired. She was having a swim.

  She opened the door to her suite slowly, not wanting to run in to anyone since her cover-up was short and she felt uncomfortable walking around only half dressed.

  Common sense told her she had no reason to fear. It was late. She was on the first floor. Her boss’s suite of rooms was on the second floor. Slim had a cabin behind the homestead. Only a few hands actually slept in the bunkhouse, but even they were so far from the house that no one would see her. She was perfectly safe.

  She took a breath, stole down the short hall that led to the kitchen and then slipped into the family room with French doors that led to the pool. In another two steps, she was standing on the stone patio.

  Silence descended on her like a warm blanket. The city always had sound. Background noise. A person might grow accustomed to it and not “hear” it, but it was always there. On this ranch, so far away from civilization, she learned the meaning of the word silence.

  Removing her cover-up, she glanced around in awe. Except for dim lights illuminating the blue water of the pool, this world was also inky-black. Remembering something about seeing stars in the country, she quickly glanced up and sighed.

  “Oh, my gosh.”

  “Oh, my gosh what?”

  On a gasp, Sophie spun around to find Jeb walking out of the shadows behind her. Water flattened his thick black hair and droplets cascaded from his shoulders and down his broad chest, making trails through whorls of dark hair leading to six-pack abs. Wet black swimming trucks clung precariously to lean hips and a butt made for a woman to sink her fingernails into in the throes of passion.

  Even as her mouth went dry, she groaned inwardly. How could she be attracted to the man who had just fired her?

  “Oh, my gosh what?” He repeated his question as he walked over to her, stopping within arm’s reach.

  Awareness shimmied through her. With her cover-up in he
r hand and wearing only her bathing suit, she wasn’t quite as naked as he was, but they were both scantily dressed, alone, in the darkness.

  She pulled in a breath. This was ridiculous. Not only were they were both sufficiently covered, but also she was furious with him and he clearly didn’t like her. There was no reason to remind him of that, but she wouldn’t cower from him, either.

  She forced herself to meet his gaze. “The stars. There are so many.”

  “You have big city syndrome,” he growled, back to being the grouchy boss. “The sky is always lit over a city, blocking one of nature’s greatest gifts. A starry night.”

  He looked up into the star-spangled darkness and her gaze skimmed his broad chest and perfect tummy. He was, quite literally, the sexiest man she’d ever seen.

  “Yeah. We certainly don’t have stars like this in the city.” She swallowed, desperately trying to will away her attraction. He was a self-centered grouch, who had fired her. He was the last person she wanted to feel anything for. But she couldn’t deny that being this close to him, her whole body hummed. She told herself it was just plain foolish to be attracted to a man she didn’t even like. Yet, here she stood, her breathing erratic, her nerve endings on red alert.

  “I’ll go back to my room.”

  He snatched a huge green towel from a nearby chaise. “No, I’ll go. I’m done with my swim. In about ten seconds the patio will be all yours.”

  A nervous laugh bubbled up from her. There was no way she’d force him to leave his own swimming pool. No way she’d give him another thing to complain about. “No. That’s okay. You stay. I only came out here to get a breath of fresh air.”

  She watched his gaze move from her face, down her one-piece suit, pausing on the length of leg exposed beneath the high-cut bottom.

  “If you only came out for fresh air, then why are you in a swimsuit?”

  Her breathing, which had been erratic, stalled in her chest. His voice might have been strong, detached, but the look he’d given her had been long and slow. He’d taken in every square inch of her and lingered on the part of her that usually drew a man—her legs.

  She swallowed.

  Knowing she had to get herself out of this and quickly, she tried to fall back on humor. “All right. You caught me. I’m guilty as charged. I wanted a quick swim, but I didn’t realize you were using the pool or I wouldn’t have come out.”

  He took a step closer. “I didn’t picture you as the one-piece suit type. I figured you more for a bikini girl.”

  Another nervous laugh escaped her. Was it her imagination, or was he flirting with her? If he made a pass at her, she wasn’t sure if she would melt or faint.

  Of course, she could be jumping to conclusions. One little comment didn’t necessarily mean he was flirting. He could actually be confused by her choice of swimwear.

  “Why a bikini?”

  “Don’t you surf?”

  “No.”

  “Hum. A California girl who doesn’t surf. Another myth debunked.”

  Relief skittered through her. He wasn’t flirting but confused by her. She could breathe again. “You think all California girls surf?”

  He caught her gaze, his pale eyes soft and serious in the moonlight. “Yes.”

  Realization of how close they were slid over her. He was a very different man when he wasn’t yelling at her. In fact, from the way he was looking at her she’d never guess he had a problem with her at all.

  She licked her suddenly dry lips, feeling reactions and emotions that were more instinctive than conscious. Her eyes desperately wanted to move down again, soak in the beauty and masculinity of his chest, and she struggled to keep them locked with his. Her nerve endings sparkled like the stars overhead.

  He stepped back, his gaze still locked with hers. “You’d do well to remember that I’m a grouch and check to make sure the pool isn’t occupied the next time you want to swim.”

  Embarrassment poured through her in a rush of heat. So much for him being a different man when he wasn’t yelling.

  But even if he couldn’t rise above their differences, she could. “I’m sorry. Next time I want to swim I’ll ask.”

  “There’s no reason to ask. Just remember that I swim every night around ten-thirty and we’ll be fine.”

  Though his words were appropriate, his voice went back to being soft, hypnotic, resurrecting the sprinkle of gooseflesh that covered her body. She peeked at him, confused again. What was going on here?

  Before she could say anything, he turned to the French doors and within seconds was gone.

  She shook her head. If she didn’t desperately need the money she’d get working here for three weeks, she might be tempted to simply pack her bags and go now. But she did need the money. Not for herself, but for her child. Once again, her motherly instincts won out. But as soon as she had her three weeks pay and the extra thousand dollars, she was out of here.

  The next morning, Jeb waited until he heard Sophie head upstairs before he walked into a blissfully empty kitchen. He poured himself a cup of the coffee she’d brewed, and with a huge sigh of relief made his way to his office.

  Listening to the messages on his answering machine, he rooted through the stacks of paper looking for a pad to jot down a few numbers, but instead found a note of complaint Maria had left about a leaky faucet. At the time she’d lodged it, she’d been shamelessly coming on to him and he hadn’t been sure if it was a genuine complaint or a way to get him to her bedroom.

  He cursed. He’d never checked this out and now that he had someone using the suite again, he couldn’t let it slide. With Sophie upstairs, he knew he could sneak into her rooms and try the faucet without her even knowing there’d been a problem. After the episode at the swimming pool the night before, that was probably for the best. He’d decided he wasn’t even going to be in the same room with her again, if at all possible. So it was good he found the note now when he could check it out.

  He left his office and stealthily made his way to her suite. The door opened to a sitting room that smelled soft and feminine. Brady’s baby powders and soaps mixed with more mature scents of something smoky and sexy, undoubtedly belonging to Brady’s mom and a picture of her in her innocent one-piece bathing suite popped into his head. He could almost feel the warmth of the night, hear her soft voice as she told him about the stars, and his groin tightened. He didn’t know what it was about that woman that got to him, but she had something. He thanked his lucky stars she’d be leaving soon.

  On his way to the bathroom, his gaze fell on a four-foot-by-four-foot square thing that sat in the corner of the sitting room and he stopped. Covered in net, with a bumper guard decorated with childish characters and images, the thing was obviously a convenient place for the baby to sit and play while his mother worked. But he didn’t know that for sure. He didn’t know anything about babies.

  He glanced around. With no one in the room to see him, he could indulge his curiosity. He walked over to it and ran his fingers along the smooth plastic that formed a soft rim, probably to protect the kid in someway. He stooped down, peering inside at the toys Sophie had left behind. A stuffed bear. A doll made of soft-looking fabric with yarn for hair. Brightly colored balls and rattles. They were curious things, foreign, almost exotic to a man who hadn’t spent two minutes with a baby until his housekeeper had brought one to his home.

  “Oh, I’m sorry!”

  At the sound of Sophie’s voice, his heart all but pounded out of his chest. But with the ease that comes with years of practice, he glanced over indolently, as if she were the one in the wrong.

  She stood in the doorway, wild-haired baby on her arm. Her eyes shone brightly with fear, and her breath stuttered into her chest. She should have been angry that he was in her quarters without her permission or even her knowledge. Instead she shook with fear over being in his presence—with her baby. The baby who belonged in this room more than he did.

  The guilt he’d felt when she made him breakfas
t reared its ugly head again. He didn’t have a qualm about firing someone for not doing her job; but he wasn’t firing Sophie for not doing her job. He was firing her for having a baby.

  The little boy cooed, drawing Jeb’s gaze to the smiling imp and he swallowed. Did a man ever get over a life blow like the one he had received? Would he ever be able to look at a child without feeling the horrible emptiness?

  It didn’t matter. His only concern right now was getting himself out of this room before “the fixer” realized something was wrong and asked another one of her damned questions.

  He pulled himself up from his crouched position. “My last housekeeper said the bathroom faucet leaks. Does it?”

  “I…” She cleared her throat. “I never noticed it leaking.”

  He strode to the door. “That’s what I figured.”

  He left without another word. Walking down the hall, he tried to focus on being furious with Maria for making his life miserable, but his mind wandered back to soft blankets, sweet smelling toys and blue eyes filled with life and wonder.

  He might feel guilty over firing Sophie, but there was no way around it. If the house were clean, he’d give her the three weeks’ pay and bonus today just to save his sanity.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  RIDING the fence line the next day on Jezebel, with Slim beside him on his black stallion, Thunder, Jeb knew he should be enjoying the easy camaraderie with his foreman. The sun was hot and a breeze shimmied through the wildflowers in the shiny green grass. Typically this was when Jeb’s focus was its sharpest. Instead the easy pace of the ride lulled him, and his mind wandered back to the sweet smells in Sophie’s suite, then to Sophie herself.