Tie-One-On Bar and Grill was known for two things: earsplitting country music and beautiful female patrons. Sam Beaumont indulged in both. He sat at a corner table in the honky-tonk listening to Toby Keith’s latest, while eyeing a tall blonde up at the bar. She’d caught his attention the minute she walked in. The thing of it was, the Texas bombshell had stared back at him with interest, then spent a minute deep in conversation with the bartender before grabbing two Coors and walking over to him.

“I need a man,” she said, with a shake of her head. Her long locks gyrated right back into place. She set the two bottles down on the table and gave him a good long assessing look.

“Yeah?”

“Chuck over at the bar says you might be interested.”

He surveyed the leggy blonde, sweeping a leisurely look over her body. She was beauty-queen pretty, but Sam had seen more than a fair share of pretty women in his day. No, it was something in her eyes that spoke to him, a guarded look he knew too well. It was that vulnerability, even as she stood there brazen as all hell, claiming she needed a man, that intrigued him.

Sam sipped his beer slowly, keeping her waiting, and a surge of something he hadn’t felt in nearly a year traveled through his veins. An unhurried rush, a tingle of awareness that he had believed long buried, surfaced.

That, in itself, was enough for him to send the woman packing. He didn’t want to feel anything. Not ever again.

“So are you?” she asked. “Interested?”

He swept her a look. “What’d you have in mind?”

Even through a layer of smoky haze and dim light, he couldn’t miss her face color to tomato red, but the woman seemed determined. She slid into the booth at the same time she slid a beer his way. “I need a month’s work, for a month’s wages, room and board included. Chuck vouched for you. He said you’re looking for work.”

He sipped his beer and thought about the events that had brought him here. The CEO of a major construction company on the run, not from the law, but from his own guilt-ridden past—Sam was running from things he could no longer face. He didn’t need the cash, but hell, staying real busy kept those agonizing thoughts at bay. And Sam needed that, almost as much as he needed his next breath.

“Maybe.” He surprised himself with his answer. Truth be told, he wouldn’t mind staying in one place longer than a week. So far, nobody had caught up with him. And he wanted to keep it that way. When he’d left his CEO position with its staggering responsibilities and his old life behind, he’d called his younger brother Wade occasionally, at his insistence, but Sam had never disclosed his location. Trust only went so far. He needed running room and manual labor to keep his tortured mind from remembering.

“I’m Caroline Portman.” She held out her hand and Sam took it. Well, hell, he wasn’t in the habit of shaking hands with women. But her handshake was firm, even though her skin was soft as butter.

“I’m kinda desperate for help right now, so you can take advantage of me, but only just a little.”

She smiled briefly, and he noted two dimples peeking out from both corners of her mouth. Like he said, beauty-queen pretty. He felt another unwelcome surge travel through his body.

“I’ve got one month to get my place up and running. It’s hard work and long hours, but I can pay well.”

“What kind of work?”

Sam cursed himself for asking. He’d pretty much determined that those sparks he felt a moment ago weren’t anything he wanted to feel again. He’d spent the better part of this year numb to the outside world. Keeping the status quo was essential. If those tiny sparks nudged away the numbness to any degree, then he’d never survive. He’d have to say no to pretty Miss Caroline Portman.

“I’m rebuilding my stables. The place sort of went downhill, and, well, I’m planning on bringing it back up to the way it was before, uh, before…”

She stopped, blinked several times, biting down on her lip, unable to get the words out. It wasn’t an act—he’d had enough experience to know when someone was downright lying. The lady had choked up, and Sam saw the heartache there, the pain she tried so bravely to hold back.

He didn’t want to know. He’d had enough grief of his own to last a lifetime. Hell, he’d been drifting for months, heading from one Texas town to another, trying to forget, and that was what kept him going. The forgetting.

He liked this town. Hope Wells reminded him of the place he’d been raised since the age of five, a small friendly place where life was simple and fair. But looking into Caroline Portman’s eyes, maybe he needed to amend the fairness part. Sam knew that life held more unfair uncertainties than sometimes a man could take.

Or a woman.

Damn if he didn’t love horses. Rebuilding a stable and working with horses again appealed to him. He had spent his young life around ranches. He knew a thing or two about livestock and would enjoy the work, but he still didn’t think this a good idea.

“Not interested.”

Caroline blinked her big baby-blue eyes.

Sam rose from the table, finishing off his beer. “Thanks for the offer.”

Stunned, the blonde sat there wearing a disappointed look.

He set a few bills on the table and strode out of Tie-One-On. If nothing else, meeting Caroline Portman had added a little spice to an ordinary day.

He walked along the sidewalk, heading toward the motel adjacent to the honky-tonk. He’d almost made it to his room, but a shuffling sound from behind alerted him. He spun around.

“Wait up, Mr. Beaumont!”

Caroline Portman walked briskly toward him. Out of breath and flustered, she looked even sexier, like a woman who’d just had a wild night. Sam envisioned putting that look on her face and his momentary slick-hot fantasy made him shudder.

She came up to face him. “I need to know—why?”

“Why?” Sam kept walking, but at a slower pace.

She stayed with him. “Why did you refuse my offer?”

“I don’t recall telling you my name,” he said, as old instincts kicked in.

“It’s a small town. I know a little about you. You’re here looking for work, aren’t you?”

“Yep.”

“I’m offering you a job.”

“Yep.” He kept walking until he reached his motel room. He leaned against the door to face her. Moonlight streamed onto her form like a spotlight and Sam noticed the snug fit of light-blue jeans and a chambray shirt with some sort of rhinestone work on the chest. Not gaudy, but with style, the color bringing out the true blue in her eyes. She was a woman who didn’t flaunt what she had, but yet she couldn’t conceal the perfection of her body. “Don’t men say no to you very often?”

Caroline blinked and shot him a stern look. “Men say no to me all the time, Mr. Beaumont, but that’s not any of your business. I know you’re looking for work. The man I had lined up broke his leg, and now I’ve run out of time. Seems to me we could make some sort of arrangement.”

He glanced at his motel door, raising his brows.

“Not that kind of arrangement,” she hurried out.

Sam chuckled.

She folded her arms and waited.

Sam pursed his lips. He admired this kind of determination. Damn, if he wasn’t the biggest kind of fool. “I need to know something first.”

Caroline nodded.

He pulled her into his arms, and leaning back against the door he brought her with him. She was too stunned to protest, so he did what he’d wanted to do the minute he’d laid eyes on her. He kissed her.

It wasn’t long, and it wasn’t sweet, but rather a deep exploration of lips meeting and mating. Sam steeled himself against her honey-soft mouth. He braced himself against the onslaught of holding a beautiful woman in his arms. He breathed in her female scent, some fruity fresh concoction that reminded him of a lazy summer day, and willed his body not to react. It didn’t. Not in the least. Relieved, he released her immediately. He’d learned everything he needed to know.

He stared into furious blue eyes. “I accept the job.”

Caroline smiled with sugary sweetness and stepped out of his arms. “Good, because now I can fire you, Mr. Beaumont.”

Morning dawned way too fast for a woman who hadn’t slept a wink. Caroline Portman rose from bed, dressed quickly and went out to the kitchen to make breakfast. Her head ached and her eyes burned, but she couldn’t afford to waste any more time. She had work to do. And keeping busy kept her from thinking about Annabelle, her sweet five-year-old, who she had unselfishly sent off to Florida for a vacation with her grandparents.

How she missed her daughter. She and Annabelle had never been apart. But Caroline’s mother and father had insisted on taking Annabelle home with them, especially as they lived just minutes away from every child’s fantasy come true, Disney World.

Her parents’ offer had come once they’d heard Caroline’s plans to refurbish the stables. They had given her their blessing, backing her up one hundred percent. Her parents knew what the stables had meant to her, and how much it had hurt her that her ranch had been run down nearly to ruin. She’d given up her heart and her trust to the man she’d married and he’d abused both. He’d run her livelihood into the ground, putting her so much in debt that she’d only just now surfaced in the black again.

Gil Portman hadn’t the mind for business. He’d entered into one bad deal after another, running up bills that he couldn’t pay, then trying to recoup the loss by entering into one dubious deal after another. The last one had been investing in a shady stud-service scheme that had nearly bankrupted them. Caroline had been busy raising Annabelle, placing her trust in her husband, but she’d learned a hard lesson with Gil, and she’d never place her life or her livelihood in the hands of another man again. Caroline had vowed when Gil had run off, abandoning his family, that she’d never allow a man to run roughshod over her good intentions again. She knew better now. She could only rely on herself and her two very loving, supportive parents.

Edie and Mike Swenson knew that their daughter would need time alone to achieve her goals without a five-year-old distracting her. They wanted the ranch to succeed again, because they knew that the ranch meant stability for Caroline, but it also meant something more. It meant independence. Caroline needed both now, for herself and for her daughter. Her parents hadn’t flinched, but had stepped in, offering to help with her little bundle of energy. And, as they’d put it so tenderly, they’d missed seeing Annabelle. Spending time with their granddaughter would be good for all of them.

Caroline had finally relented, agreeing to let them have Annabelle for one month. In that time, she planned to work harder than she’d ever worked to get her stables back up to par. She’d come up with a new name to signify all the changes she’d planned to make. Annabelle Star Portman would be excited to know that Portman Stables would now be known as Belle Star Stables.

Caroline stuck a piece of sourdough bread in the toaster oven, set the coffeepot to brewing, then sat down at the table to check the classified ad she’d placed in yesterday’s Hope Wells Reporter .

The telephone wasn’t ringing and no one was breaking down her door looking for work. Her last hope had been dashed yesterday, with Sam Beaumont. But she wouldn’t think about him, not when she had a problem to solve. Finding a suitable worker on a temporary basis wasn’t easy. But Caroline knew without a doubt she’d have to find someone or her plans for Belle Star would crumble.

Fatigued, Caroline slumped in her seat, struggling to keep her eyes open. She glanced at the Reporter, blinking her eyes, but the newspaper print blurred, her eyelids drooped and her mind all but shut down. Maybe if she just slept for a few minutes, she’d feel better.

Maybe if she laid her head down on the table, just for five minutes…

The explosion rocked Caroline to a sitting position. She snapped her head up from the kitchen table where just minutes ago, she’d laid her head down to rest. Dazed from her little nap, it took a moment for her to come to grips with what just happened. Her toaster oven had overheated. The appliance, literally “toast” now, had ignited the can of cooking spray she’d left nearby. Caroline was covered with the greasy effects of that combustion.

And within seconds, flames erupted, catching on to the overhead oak cabinets.

Caroline screamed, “Oh God!”

She ran for the fire extinguisher on the wall next to the refrigerator and yanked it free. Fumbling with the handle, she couldn’t get it to work. She’d never used an extinguisher before. Heat burned her cheeks and smoke billowed from the cabinets. The fire spread.

Panicked, she fidgeted again with the extinguisher and cursed the husband who’d left her in this mess, the husband who’d abandoned his wife and child when the going got rough, the husband who had recently died, leaving her a widow. “Damn you, Gil!”

She didn’t take time to worry about speaking ill of the dead. Since Gil had abandoned his family, nothing much had gone right in her life. She couldn’t help but lay the blame where it seemed to fit. Marrying Gil had been the biggest mistake she’d ever made, yet without him, she wouldn’t have had Annabelle. That was the only good thing he’d ever given her.

Caroline gave up on the extinguisher, opting to call the fire department instead. Of course, she knew her entire kitchen might burn to the ground before they arrived, but she had little choice.

And then the choice was taken from her.

A pair of masculine hands reached out to grab the extinguisher. Stunned, Caroline turned sharply to find him, the man who had caused her sleepless night, standing beside her, taking control.

“Get back,” Sam Beaumont said, commanding her with a quick nod.

Caroline stepped back and watched as he pulled the pin and operated the fire extinguisher, putting out the flames with long sweeping motions. He did a thorough job, making sure all the flames were put out, before turning to look at her. “You okay?”

Numb, she nodded, biting her lip.

He swept a quick gaze over her body as if he had to make sure himself. She must have passed inspection because he set the extinguisher down and assessed the damage to her cabinets.

Caroline glanced at her once-tidy kitchen, where just minutes ago everything had been neat and organized. Now, the place looked like a disaster, but her kitchen was still standing, and so was she. “What are you doing here?”

He turned to face her, his lips quirking up in a charming smile. “Apparently, putting out your fire.”

Tears stung her eyes, from the smoke and the flames and from the relief she felt at this moment. She gazed into Sam Beaumont’s dark-brown eyes, seeing not the hard man who had refused her yesterday, but a man who appeared genuinely concerned. He’d shown up in the nick of time.

And Caroline owed him. But he still hadn’t explained what he was doing here.

“Want to tell me what happened?”

Caroline shrugged, numbed from the thought of what might have happened. The little appliance mishap might have escalated into a full-blown house fire if Sam Beaumont hadn’t shown up. “I guess the toaster oven overheated. It’s old and I should have known the other day when…it…sparked…that I…” A lump formed in Caroline’s throat. She couldn’t finish her thought.

Sam took her arm gently and guided her out of the kitchen. “Let’s get away from this smoke.”

He opened the back door and they both stepped outside. The fresh air was like a balm to her out-of-whack nerves. She breathed in deeply.

“Wanna sit?” he asked and led her over to the back-porch swing. She sat down, and to her surprise he took a seat right next to her.

Still reeling in shock, Caroline remained quiet. It had been so long since anyone had taken care of her. So long since she didn’t have to think or make decisions. She needed peace, just for a moment.

And Sam Beaumont seemed to understand. He sat beside her in silence.

Morning birds chirped, their song a harmonious cluster of sounds that soothed. Caroline closed her eyes, breathing deeply, listening, fully aware of the man next to her.

He’d been a major part of the reason she hadn’t slept last night. Since her husband had left nearly two years ago, Caroline hadn’t had any physical contact with a man. She hadn’t been held intimately. She hadn’t been kissed.

Sam Beaumont had reminded her of all the things she was missing. He’d taken her into his arms, pulled her close and brought his mouth to hers. He’d made her feel feminine and alive with just one kiss. He’d sparked something in her that Caroline had buried a long time ago. She knew she was no longer that young, naive, innocent girl who believed in happily ever after. No, a bad marriage had erased all of those thoughts, but she hadn’t realized that she’d been dry, like an arid desert, wasting her womanhood away.

Sam Beaumont’s kiss, the look in his eyes, right before their mouths touched, was enough to remind her that she wasn’t just a single mother raising a daughter alone, but a woman, through and through.

Enough of a woman to realize that the man sitting next to her was sexy as sin. The tight fit of his jeans and the broad expanse of his shoulders hadn’t escaped her.

“It’s nice out here,” he said.

Caroline nodded in full agreement, but then she turned to look at him as curiosity set in. She asked once again, “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t hesitate this time. “I could lie and say I was passing by on my way out of town. That’s what I’d planned on saying. But the truth is, I found your ad in the newspaper and came out here deliberately.”

“Why?” Caroline asked, realizing she should be concentrating on how to fix her newly burned kitchen cabinets instead of shooting the breeze with Sam Beaumont, but somehow she couldn’t quite tear herself away. She had questions for him and she hoped he would give her the satisfaction of truthful answers.

“I came here to apologize.”

“Oh.” It was the last thing she expected him to say. Caroline wasn’t accustomed to having men apologize to her. Gil hadn’t had the civility or manners to do so. His arrogance wouldn’t allow it. Caroline only saw her husband’s good side when he wanted something from her. And sadly, she hadn’t realized his tactics until after he’d abandoned his family. She’d been blinded by love, or what she’d thought was love, and now, as she gazed into Sam Beaumont’s dark eyes, she wondered if she could believe him.

“I stood behind your door, ready to knock, when I heard the explosion. Then I heard you scream. Your door was open, and, by the way, you should keep your doors locked, especially when you’re all alone out here. The rest is history.”

Caroline stared out into the morning light, squinting her eyes and holding her breath. “You say you came to apologize?”

“I was way out of line yesterday. It kept me from sleep last night and I knew I had to make it right.”

So, she hadn’t been the only one who hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. She felt herself softening to him. It seemed he had scruples and a conscience, but she wasn’t letting him off so easily. She’d learned her lessons the hard way. “I see. So was it your refusal, the kiss or your arrogance that you’re apologizing for?”

Sam chuckled and lifted up from the swing to lean against the porch post. He faced her squarely. “I deserved that.”

“I know,” she said, but a smile she couldn’t contain emerged. There was something extremely charming about the man, yet, Caroline wouldn’t let her guard down completely. She stood up to face him. “What I can’t figure is why you kissed me.”

Sam’s gaze traveled to her chest as sunlight beamed down. She felt piercing rays of heat, not from the sun but from his direct perusal.

He ran a hand down his face and finally, he lifted his eyes to hers. “You’ve got, uh, something wet splattered on your blouse.”

Caroline glanced down. She’d been through too much this morning to be embarrassed, but the fact remained that she’d been splattered with cooking spray, and grease stains made her blouse almost transparent. And of course, the moisture had hit the most protruding target. Her breasts. She folded her arms over the wet area, hiding what he’d already seen. “Hazards of wet cotton.”

Sam agreed, “Yeah, what a bummer.”

She caught his smile, but he had the good grace to maintain eye contact with her.

“Will you answer my question?”

He set both hands in the back pockets of his jeans and sighed quietly. “Why does a man kiss a beautiful woman?”

Caroline soaked up the compliment. Oh God, did it feel good to hear those words. Yet she steeled her resolve, not letting him off the hook so easily. She had to know. “You tell me.”

Sam averted his gaze, looking off in the distance. She doubted he was studying the scenery. After all, broken-down barns and stables, along with a neglected yard chock-full of weeds, weren’t all that interesting.

“Okay,” he said, “you deserve the truth. It was a test.”

“And I passed? Or failed?” Caroline tried to make sense from his words.

He shook his head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but the test had nothing to do with you. It was my test. I had to know something.”

“What? What did you have to know? I offered you a job and you kissed me? What kind of test was that?” Caroline asked, exasperated. She didn’t understand any of this. The man seemed to be speaking in riddles.

Sam just stood there, looking guilty.

It was that look that got her to thinking. Then, as if a light clicked on in her head, she figured it out. “You kissed me to see if you were attracted to me,” she stated with certainty. “And…and once you did…you accepted the job.”

Sam’s mouth twisted.

“Meaning, you decided you could work with me…because…because…” Caroline blinked her eyes, keeping both fury and tears in check as the niggling truth began to surge forth in her mind.

“Look, it was a mistake, a damn fool thing to do. But you’ve got one heck of an ad campaign, lady, walking up to me in that bar claiming you’re looking for a man. I’m just looking for work. Period.”

“I could have phrased that better,” she said defensively, “but you had no right to put me to your test.”

Caroline closed her eyes, willing away the pain as realization dawned quite clearly. Sam Beaumont had made her come alive last night, with a hungry mouth and steady embrace. He’d made her feel things she hadn’t felt in years, while she, on the other hand, had been so uninspiring that he’d decided he could work with her. She wouldn’t be a temptation at all. Caroline Portman wouldn’t shake his resolve in any way.

Caroline didn’t think her day could have gotten any worse. Sam Beaumont had touched her last night with an embrace and sexy kiss that had revived what she believed dead inside in one quick unexpected moment.

“Look, I’m here to apologize. I know I made a mistake. And I’m real sorry.”

Caroline heard the sincerity in his tone. She stared deeply into his eyes and saw it there, too. His expression never faltered, the apology written all over his handsome face. For some strange reason, she believed him. Which was saying something. After what Gil had put her through, Caroline didn’t put much faith in any man. “Okay, I accept your apology.”

“Listen, let me put my words into action. Since I’m here anyway, and I know a thing or two about carpentry, I can fix your cabinets for you. Unless you’ve hired someone already?”

She shook her head.

“It’ll take me the rest of the day, but I’m not heading anywhere special, so I don’t mind doing the work.”

Caroline inhaled deeply. The offer had merit. “I don’t know if I can afford you.”

“No charge,” he said immediately.

“That’s not what I meant, Sam.”

He stared into her eyes for a long moment. Too bad he had a sinful body, a handsome face and dark eyes that could burn into your soul, because sexy Sam Beaumont found Caroline completely lacking as a female. Boy, she didn’t know if she’d ever get over that one.

“I’ll be on my best behavior.”

She could bank on that but the thought didn’t comfort her. Sam wasn’t good for her ego, but Caroline had put that part of her life on hold anyway, so what did it matter if she wasn’t the kind of woman Sam Beaumont thought attractive? Right now, all she needed to know was if he could help her out with her cabinets. “You sure you know how to fix cabinets?”

“I’ve had some experience.” He peered at the damage with a gleam in his eyes as if calculating exactly what he needed to do and how he’d accomplish it.

It was good enough for Caroline. She surely didn’t know anything about repairing them and it didn’t look as if anyone else was coming to her rescue today. “You’re on.”

He nodded, then approached her with a purposeful stride. Their gazes locked as he stood before her. “Tell me something.”

His probing look told her she wasn’t going to like his question. “What do you want to know?”

“When I was behind your door, I heard you scream out. So, who’s Gil?”

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Bunking Down with the Boss

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Bunking Down with the Boss
Charlene Sands

Contents

One

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