Midnight Under the Mistletoe. Sara Orwig
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dinner?” Emma interjected, trying to get the conversation on a different note as rapidly as possible.
He flashed a slight smile as he shook his head. “I work out and my injured foot has thrown me off schedule. As for the leftovers—there are a lot of people on this ranch. She’ll pass them on after lunch and they’ll be gone by midafternoon. You think all those hungry cowboys won’t light into her cooking? They’ll devour it.”
She smiled, glad the moment had been diffused and they were back on a harmless topic. “This is delicious,” she said as she ate a bite. She looked up to meet his steady gaze that fluttered her insides.
“She’ll be glad to know you liked it. Rosie’s been cooking for us since I was a little kid.”
She smiled and they enjoyed their desserts, then she said, “Do you mind if I put a few family pictures on my desk?”
“Emma, within reason, put whatever you want on your desk or around your desk or in your room upstairs. I don’t care what you do unless you want to paint something or make a permanent change.”
“Of course not. Thanks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think this time I will get back to work,” she said, folding her napkin and standing. When she picked up her plate, he touched her wrist lightly.
“Leave the dishes or you’ll get a Rosie lecture. She’s in charge here and she wants to do things herself and her way,” he said, releasing her wrist as he stood and walked around the table.
Smiling, she set her plate down. “I know how my mother and one of my sisters are. Sometimes they just want all of us out of the kitchen.”
“You’re so tied into your family. Are you going to be able to stay away from Dallas for the length of this job?”
“I gave that some serious thought, but this isn’t permanent and as far as I can see, this assignment is a great opportunity because it’s a hike in pay, even temporarily, and I’m saving money to finish my education. And I did ask for the weekends off to go home.”
“We both hope it works out. So far, so good. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to last the morning, because several before you didn’t. I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
“Glad to hear I’m up to snuff. So far so good in working for you,” she replied with a smile.
One dark eyebrow arched quizzically as he looked down at her. “You expected an ogre. Aah—let me guess—rumors from your predecessors.”
Still smiling, she nodded. They entered the office and she left to return to the correspondence and filing. Within the hour she noticed he had stopped heaping work for her and she could see where she would catch up with all he had given her.
No matter how lost she got in the assignments, she couldn’t shake her awareness of him. Carrying papers to his desk, she often met his gaze while he talked on the phone. Each time it was the same as a physical contact with a sizzle.
Common sense warned this job would not be as simple and straightforward as she had envisioned. When he talked on the phone, his voice was usually low enough that she couldn’t hear much of what he was saying and she made no effort to try to hear. She caught snatches of words, enough to know he was discussing problems involving his work.
As she placed a letter in the box for mail, Zach got off his phone. “Emma, take a break. The afternoon is more than half gone.”
“I’m fine.”
“Take a break—walk around the place, go outside, go to the kitchen and get a snack—whatever you want to do. Don’t argue or I’ll come get you and we’ll go for a stroll. As much as I can stroll right now.”
She laughed. “What a threat,” she said, placing mail in the box and hurrying out of the room as she received a grin from him. She hoped he didn’t guess moments like that played havoc with her insides. How tempting to head back to work just to get him to spend the next few minutes with her.
She stood in the wide, empty hall and wondered what to do, finally going toward the kitchen to get a cup of tea. She suspected there was a very well-stocked pantry.
“Afternoon, Emma,” Rosie greeted her.
“It smells wonderful in here.”
“Roast for dinner. Can I get you something?”
“Yes, thank you. If possible, I’d like a cup of hot tea.”
“Of course,” Rosie replied. “Looks as if you might be the one who stays.”
“I hope so.”
Rosie chuckled. “Those others looked frazzled and unhappy from the first morning. I would have sent one packing faster than Zach did. Have a seat and I’ll brew your tea—or if you want a breath of fresh air, go outside and I’ll bring it to you.”
“Thanks, Rosie.”
“You can take it back to your desk if you want. Zach isn’t particular about food in the office if you don’t leave crumbs or make a big mess.”
“I won’t,” Emma replied, smiling. “I’ll wait outside,” she added, stepping out onto the patio and strolling to the pool to look at the crystal water that was almost the same blue as Zach’s eyes.
When she finished her tea, she went to her room to retrieve a small box of family pictures. She had already distributed some pictures in the bedroom. When instructed to arrive with her things packed she had brought what she really wanted with her. She stopped to look around again, still amazed at the size and beauty of where she would stay.
When she returned to her desk, Zach was on the phone and she had more work waiting. After placing her pictures on her desk and table, she focused on correspondence, so lost in concentration she was startled when Zach spoke to her.
“It’s half past five. Just because the work is here in the house, you don’t need to stay all hours. We’ll close the office now. I eat a late dinner, but you can eat whenever you want—Rosie will be in the kitchen until eight. After that she’ll have cold or easily heated choices on a chalkboard menu.”
“Thanks,” she said, wondering if she had eaten her last meal with the boss. If she had, it would be the wisest thing to happen. At the same time, she couldn’t prevent her slight disappointment.
“You’ve done good work today, Emma. I hope you like the job.”
She wanted to laugh and say that he sounded surprised. Instead, she merely nodded. “Thank you. I think this will be good.”
He gave her a long look that killed the impersonal moments that had just passed. Once again her nerves tingled, invisible sparks danced in the air and she could feel heat rising. In spite of logic, she didn’t want him to go.
Turning away, he walked out of the room without saying anything further. She stared at the empty doorway. The chemistry had not changed. He seemed to fight it as much as she, which was a relief and made the situation easier.
Zach continued to pile on a lot of work. While there wasn’t as much as that first morning, letters to write, papers to proof, appointments to set, phone calls and various tasks streamed to her desk. Time passed swiftly as she worked diligently and kept up with what he sent to her. There were no more lunches together. Sometimes he worked straight through and then stopped about four. Sometimes he ate at his desk. He continued to make an effort to keep their relationship impersonal, which suited her completely. No matter how cool he was, there still was no way to stop that acute consciousness she had of him as an appealing male.
Thursday the work he gave her in the morning was done by noon. When she returned after lunch he sat by a large cardboard box filled with papers.
“Want to tackle some of the old letters and memorabilia?”
“Sure,” she replied, watching him pull another chair near his. “That’s a lot of letters.”
“Many