Taming Clint Westmoreland - Brenda Jackson [14]
The man gave her a huge smile. “No, Alyssa, it is nice meeting you. Come on in and I’ll show you around.”
“No, I’ll be showing Alyssa around,” Clint said.
Both Alyssa and Chester turned to Clint. “I thought you had a lot of work to do,” Chester said.
Alyssa had thought the very same thing and watched as Clint shrugged massive shoulders before he said, “What I have to do can wait.”
Alyssa glanced back at Chester and for a quick second she could have sworn she’d seen a sparkle in the old man’s eyes. “Suit yourself then,” Chester said. “I need to start dinner, anyway.” And then Alyssa watched as the older man gave her a final smile before going back into the house.
“I’ll take you to the guest room you’ll be using before giving you a tour,” Clint said.
Alyssa turned in time to see Clint walk over to the truck to get her overnight bag. She inclined her head as she continued to watch him. The man had such a sensuous walk, she thought.
As if he’d felt her eyes on him, he turned with a concerned look on his face.” Is everything all right, Alyssa?” he asked quietly.
She suddenly felt the need to hug her arms and protect herself from his intense gaze, but she didn’t. Instead she appreciated his thoughtful consideration. No one had asked if everything was all right with her since her grandfather’s death. “Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” she said.
He only nodded before opening the truck door to pull out her bag. He then turned and walked back toward her. She knew that he was uncomfortable with the situation they had been placed in and he didn’t like it any more than she did. But, they would work things out. She’d discovered five years ago that Clint Westmoreland was a man who could handle just about anything that came his way. She saw that strength in him and admired him for it.
“Come this way,” he said. She noticed he had come to a stop directly in front of her. His closeness caused her to breathe unevenly and she swallowed deeply to get control of her emotions. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t spent time together before. While working that assignment five years ago, for one full week they’d been almost glued at the hip, trying to make their cover believable. They’d even shared a hotel room—although at night she would take the bed and he would crash on the sofa. But still they had shared close quarters and although she had been fully aware of him as a man, his presence hadn’t affected her like it did now.
It seemed she was now more aware of the opposite sex. Actually, in this case, she was more aware of Clint Westmoreland. She had been fascinated with him when they’d worked together, but now he took her breath away. And back then she had been so focused on doing a good job on her first assignment as a Ranger that everything else, including Clint, had been secondary. But that was not the case now. How on earth would she survive under the same roof with this man for thirty days?
He opened the door for her and then stood back for her to enter. Her stomach knotted and she felt her senses tingling. She had a feeling that once she walked over the threshold her life would never be the same.
Steeling himself, Clint watched as Alyssa entered his home. He couldn’t recall the last time he had been so fully aware of a woman to the point that everything about her—even her scent was registering in his mind—seemed branded onto his brain cells.
If she decided to stay the thirty days, she would only be here for a short while, he reminded himself. He could handle that. His work days at the ranch were long and grueling. If he just kept his mind on the job at hand—running the ranch and keeping his uncle’s legacy alive—he would be fine.
His thoughts shifted back to Alyssa as he watched her stand in the middle of his living room glancing around. She seemed in awe, incapable of speaking. Had she thought just because he spent most of his time outdoors that he didn’t appreciate having nice things indoors?
“Everything is so beautiful,” she said in a low voice