it away just because he has a cocky, know-it-all son.”
His brows lifted as his lips spread into a devilish grin. “So this means we’ll be working together?”
“Against my better judgment.”
It was certainly against Adam’s judgment, too. But he wasn’t a man to back away from a challenge. “My dad will be pleased to hear it.”
She smiled then. A sumptuous little movement of her lips that packed enough power to curl Adam’s toes.
“You don’t have to bother saying you’re pleased, too.” she countered.
As if she considered their conversation closed, she walked over to the chair she’d been sitting in and picked up a leather purse. She pulled the strap onto her shoulder and started to the door. Adam’s gaze followed the graceful swing of her hips.
“Do you need help finding a place around here?” he asked in afterthought.
She glanced at her wristwatch, then opened the door. “I’m meeting a real-estate agent in thirty minutes.”
“A real-estate agent! You mean you’re planning to buy rather than rent?”
She smiled again. “You said Sanders Exploration sinks a lot of holes—well, I plan to sink some roots.”
“Without a trial run?”
She nodded. “The moment I saw this area, I fell in love with it. In the past few minutes, I’ve decided that whatever I have to put up with on the job will be a small price to pay to make my home here.”
My home. She’d told Adam she wasn’t seeking a home in the traditional sense. So what was she looking for? And why did he keep picturing her as a wife and mother? She was a scientist. A woman who studied rocks and shale and sludge and seismographic charts.
“Then I hope you’re not disappointed, Ms. York.”
“The only way I’ll be disappointed is if you continue to call me Ms. York. My name is Maureen,” she said with a wry smile, then slipped past the door and out of Adam’s sight.
Adam thrust a hand through his hair and let out a low groan. The woman was a walking piece of dynamite. Just looking at her was dangerous. And working with her? Well, he could already see the explosion coming.
Chapter Two
The sky was full of stars and a warm breeze carried the scent of sage and pine. The sweeter fragrance of petunias blooming close by mingled with the tangy smells of the high desert country.
It was a pleasant night to eat outdoors, and for the first time in ages, his parents had managed to find time in their busy schedules to meet him at this favorite mountainside restaurant.
Across the table, Chloe was finishing the last of her chocolate mousse while the two men sipped their coffee. “I know you’re ready to go, darling,” she said to Wyatt. “But just give me time for a few more bites. It’s rare I have a chance to eat a dessert I haven’t made myself.”
Wyatt chuckled and patted his wife’s hand. “I know, you’re just a regular little slave. One of these days, I might let you out of your chains.”
A faint smile crossed Adam’s face as he watched the teasing exchange between his parents. After twenty-some years of marriage, the two of them were still very much in love and completely devoted to each other. The solidity of his family had always been reassuring to Adam. Yet now that he’d grown older, his parents’ relationship oftentimes amazed him. And sometimes even saddened him. Because he knew he would never be blessed in such a way.
Chloe put down her spoon and dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Okay, signal the waiter for the check and we’ll get out of here,” she told her husband. “I need to get home anyway and check on that mare. If she doesn’t foal tonight, she will tomorrow.”
Wyatt reached for his wallet and began to thumb through the bills inside. Across the table, Adam shook his head. “Forget the check,” he told the two of them. “I’m footing the bill.”
His mother frowned at him. “Adam, this is a celebration of sorts because you got your cast off. Your dad and I want to treat you.”
“Having your company was treat enough.”
Wyatt put his wallet away, then scraped back his chair and patted his nonexistent belly. “Well, I must admit this has been a good day. My son got his foot back, the company just hired the best damn geologist in the gas business, and now I’ve had a free meal to top it all off.”
“Well, if Miss Mighty Dash gives me the painted colt I want, then it will be a perfect day,” Chloe added as she fished her purse from beneath the chair.
“By the way,” Wyatt said to Adam, “do you know if Ms. York has a place to stay yet?”
“She mentioned something about meeting with a real-estate agent this afternoon,” Adam told him. “I suppose for right now, she’s staying in a motel.”
Wyatt gave his chin a thoughtful rub. “She’s taking on a major relocation to work for us. We really should invite her to stay on the ranch until she can find a more permanent place and get her things shipped up from Houston. What do you think?” He turned a questioning look on his wife.
Chloe smiled agreeably. “We’ve had some of your other employees stay at the ranch before. As far as I’m concerned, Ms. York is certainly welcome.”
Adam stared at the two of them in utter dismay. Normally, it wouldn’t make any difference to him who stayed on the Bar M. The ranch was his parents’ home. Adam had his own place. But this past month he’d temporarily moved back to the Bar M while a pair of carpenters renovated the inside of his house. If Maureen moved out to the Bar M, that meant he’d have to live with her, too!
“You can’t be serious! She doesn’t need to be invited to the Bar M! No way! No how! Look, I may have to work with her, but that doesn’t mean I have to be in her company round the clock!”
“Why, Adam,” Chloe scolded, taken aback by her son’s sudden outburst, “Ms. York wouldn’t necessarily be your guest. She’d be your dad’s and mine. What’s with all the uproar anyway? It’s not like you to be so petty and childish.”
There wasn’t anything childish about the feelings Maureen York stirred up in him, and he was relieved that the shadows of the evening were settling over the restaurant’s outdoor patio; otherwise, his parents would see a blush pouring over his face.
“Mother, I’m not being childish. The woman... well, we just rub each other the wrong way. Believe me, you don’t want that much friction in the house.”
She studied him thoughtfully, and just when Adam was certain she was going to accuse him of behaving boorishly, she surprised him by saying, “All right, Adam, I’m sure your dad will agree that we don’t want to force the woman down your throat. If that’s the way you feel, we’ll let her stay in a motel and the company can reimburse her for her expenses.”
“It’s the way I feel,” he clipped.
Chloe and Wyatt rose to their feet, thanked him for the meal and bade him good-night. By the time they started to walk away from the table, Adam felt as if he’d shrunk to the height of two inches.
“Wait a minute,” he called out to them.
Both his parents paused and glanced back at him. “Was there something else you wanted to say about Ms. York?” Wyatt asked with an innocence that irked Adam.
“Hell, yes! I’ll invite her out to the ranch myself! But don’t be surprised if she refuses to come. I think the woman would take particular pleasure in killing me.”
Chloe smiled sweetly at her son. “Well, darling, I’m sure she’s not the first woman who’s wanted to kill you.”
Maureen