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Silently cursing, Hadley picked up a pouch of kitty treats and slipped out of her room. The floorboards squeaked beneath her. Moving with as much stealth as possible, she stole past Liam’s room and headed toward the stairs.
Once on the first floor, Hadley began shaking the treat bag and calling Waldo’s name in a stage whisper. She began in the living room, peering under furniture and trying not to sound as frustrated as she felt. No cat. Next, she moved on to the den. That, too, was feline free. After a quick and fruitless sweep of the dining room, she headed into the kitchen, praying Waldo had found himself a perch on top of the refrigerator or made a nest in the basket of dirty clothes in the laundry room. She found no sign of the gray tabby anywhere.
Hadley returned to the second floor, resigned to let the cat find his own way back, hoping he did before Liam woke up. But as she retraced her steps down the dim corridor, she noticed something that had eluded her earlier. Liam’s door was open just wide enough for a cat to slip inside. She paused in the hall and stared at the gap. Had it been like that when she’d passed by earlier? It would be just like Waldo to gravitate toward the one person in the house who didn’t like him.
She gave the pouch of cat treats a little shake. The sound was barely above a whisper, but Waldo had fantastic hearing, and while he might disregard her calls, he never ignored his stomach. Hadley held her breath for a few tense, silent seconds and listened for the patter of cat paws on the wood floor, but heard nothing but Liam’s deep, rhythmic breathing. Confident that he was sound asleep, she eased open his door until she could slip inside.
Her first step into Liam’s bedroom sent alarm bells shrilling in her head. Had she lost her mind? She was sneaking into her employer’s room in the middle of the night while he slept. How would she explain herself if he woke? Would he believe that she was in search of her missing cat or would he assume she was just another opportunistic female? As the absurdity of the situation hit her, Hadley pressed her face into the crook of her arm and smothered a giggle. Several deep breaths later she had herself mostly back under control and advanced another careful step into Liam’s room.
Her eyes had long ago grown accustomed to the darkness, and the light of a three-quarter moon spilled through the large window, so it was easy for her to make out the modern-looking king-size bed and the large man sprawled beneath the pale comforter. And there was Waldo, lying on top of Liam’s stomach looking for all the world as if he’d found the most comfortable place on earth. He stared at Hadley, the tip of his tail sweeping across Liam’s chin in a subtle taunt.
This could not be happening.
Hadley shook the pouch gently and Waldo’s gold eyes narrowed, but he showed no intention of moving. Afraid that Liam would wake if she called the cat, Hadley risked approaching the bed. He simply had to move on his own. In order to pick him up, she’d have to slide her hand between Waldo’s belly and Liam’s stomach. Surely that would wake the sleeping man.
Pulling out a treat, she waved it in front of the cat’s nose. Waldo’s nose twitched with interest, but he displayed typical catlike disdain for doing anything expected of him. He merely blinked and glanced away. Could she snatch up the cat and make it to the door before Liam knew what had happened? Her mind ran through the possibilities and saw nothing but disaster.
Maybe she could nudge the cat off Liam. She poked the cat’s shoulder. Waldo might have been glued where he lay. Working carefully, she slid her finger into his armpit and prodded upward, hoping to annoy him into a sitting position. He resisted by turning his body to stone.
Crossing her fingers that Liam was as sound a sleeper as he appeared, Hadley tried one last gambit. She scratched Waldo’s head and was rewarded by a soft purr. Now that he was relaxed, she slid her nails down his spine and was rewarded when he pushed to his feet, the better to enjoy the caress. Leaning farther over the mattress, she slid one hand behind his front legs and cupped his butt in her other palm when she felt the air stir the fabric of her pajama top against her skin.
Hadley almost yelped as a large hand skimmed beneath the hem of her top and traced upward over her rib cage to the lower curve of her breast. Awkwardly looming over Liam’s bed, her hands wrapped around an increasingly unhappy feline, she glanced at Liam’s face and noticed that while his eyes remained closed, one corner of his lips had lifted into a half smile.
* * *
Liam was having an amazing dream. He lay on a couch in front of a roaring fire with a woman draped across him. Her long hair tickled his chin as his hands swept under her shirt, fingers tracing her ribs. Her bare skin was warm and soft beneath his caress and smelled like lavender and vanilla.
It was then he realized whom he held. He whispered her name as his palm discovered the swell of her breast. His fingertips grazed across her tight nipple and her body quivered in reaction, He smiled. A temptress lurked beneath her professional reserve and he was eager to draw her out. Before he could caress further, however, something landed on his chest with a thump.
The dream didn’t so much dissolve as shatter. One second he was inches away from heaven, the next he was sputtering after having his breath knocked out. His eyes shot open. Darkness greeted him. His senses adjusted as wakefulness returned.
The silken skin from his dream was oh so real against his fingers. As was the disturbed breathing that disrupted the room’s silence.
“Hadley?”
She was looming over his bed, frozen in place, her arms extended several inches above his body. “Waldo got out of my room and came in here. I was trying to lift him off you when you...” Her voice trailed off. She gathered the large gray cat against her chest and buried her face in his fur.
Liam realized his hand was still up her pajama top, palm resting against her side, thumb just below the swell of her breast. The willpower it took to disengage from the compromising position surprised him.
“I was dreaming...” He sat up in bed and rubbed his face to clear the lingering fog of sleep. “Somehow you got tangled up in it.”
“You were dreaming of me?” She sounded more dismayed than annoyed.
He reached for the fading dream and confirmed that she had been the object of his passion. “No.” She’d already pegged him as a womanizer; no need to add fuel to the fire. “The woman in my dream wasn’t anyone I knew.”
“Perhaps it was Margaret Garner.”
It frustrated him that she continued to believe Maggie was his daughter. “That’s possible, since I never met her.” His tone must have reflected his frustration because Hadley stepped away from his bed.
“I should get back to my room. Sorry we woke you.”
“No problem.” Liam waited until the door closed behind her before he toppled backward onto the mattress.
The sheer insanity of the past few moments made him grin. Had she really sneaked into his room to fetch the cat? Picturing what must have happened while he slept made him chuckle. He wished he could have seen her face. He’d bet she’d blushed from her hairline to her toes. Hadley didn’t have the brazen sensuality of the women who usually caught his interest. She’d never show up half dressed in his hotel room and pout because he’d rather watch a football game than fool around. Nor would she stir up gossip in an attempt to capture his attention. She was such a straight arrow. Her honesty both captivated and alarmed him.
Rather than stare sleepless at the ceiling, Liam laid his forearm over his eyes and tried to put Hadley out of his mind. However, vivid emotions had been stirred while he’d been unconscious. Plus, he was having a hard time forgetting the oh-so-memorable feel of her soft skin. With his body in such a heightened state of awareness, there was no way Liam was going to just fall back asleep. Cursing, he rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. Might as well head to the barn and catch up on paperwork.
Three hours later he’d completed the most pressing items and headed out to the barn to watch the trainers work the two-year-olds. At any time, there were between twenty and thirty horses in various stages of training.
They held classes and hosted clinics. For the last few years, Liam had taught a group of kids under ten years old who wanted to learn the ins and outs of competitive reining. They were a steely-eyed bunch of enthusiasts who were more serious about the sport than many adults. At the end of every class, he thanked heaven it would be a decade before he had to compete against them.
“Hey, boss. How’re the colts looking?” Jacob Stevens, Liam’s head trainer, had joined him near the railing.
“Promising.” Liam had been watching for about an hour. “That bay colt by Blue is looking better all the time.”
“His full brother earned over a quarter of a million. No reason to think Cielo can’t do just as well.” Jacob shot his boss a wry grin. “Think you’re going to hold on to him?”
Liam laughed. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to limit myself to keeping only five in my name. At the moment, I own eight.”
Until Hadley had shown up, he’d been seriously contemplating selling Electric Slide. The colt was going to be a champion, but Liam had more horses than he had time for. If only he could convince Hadley to get back in the saddle. He knew she’d balk at being given the horse, but maybe she’d be willing to work him as much as time permitted.
“Thing is,” Jacob began, “you’ve got a good eye, and the ranch keeps producing winners.”
Liam nodded. “It’s definitely a quality problem. I’ve had a couple of good offers recently. Maybe I need to stop turning people down.”
“Or just wait for the right owner.”
“Speaking of that. Can you get one of the guys to put Electric Slide through his paces? I want to get some video for a friend of mine.”
“Sure.”
As he recorded the chestnut colt, Liam wasn’t sure if he’d have any luck persuading Hadley to come check out the horse, but he really wanted to get to the bottom of her resistance.
Lunchtime rolled around, and Liam headed back to the house. He hadn’t realized how eager he was to spend some time with Maggie and Hadley until he stopped his truck on the empty driveway and realized Hadley’s SUV was absent.
Candace was pulling a pie out of the oven as he entered the kitchen. Her broad smile faded as she read the expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Hadley?”
“Shopping for clothes and things for Maggie.” Candace set a roast beef sandwich on the center island and went to the refrigerator for a soda. “The poor girl hasn’t been out of here in days.”
“She took Maggie with her?”
“I offered to watch her while she was gone, but the weather is warm, and Hadley thought the outing would do her some good.”
“How long have they been gone?”
“About fifteen minutes.” Candace set her hands on her hips and regarded him squarely. “Is there some reason for all the questions?”
“No.”
Liam wondered at his edginess. He trusted Maggie was in good hands with Hadley, but for some reason, the thought of both of them leaving the ranch had sparked his anxiety. What was wrong with him? It wasn’t as if they weren’t ever coming back.
The thought caught him by surprise. Is that what was in the back of his mind? The notion that people he cared about left the ranch and didn’t come back? Ridiculous. Sure, his mother had left him and Kyle. And then Kyle had gone off to join the navy, but people needed to live their lives. It had nothing to do with him or the ranch. Still, the sense of uneasiness lingered.
* * *
Royal Diner was humming with lunchtime activity when Hadley pushed through the glass door in search of a tuna melt and a chance to catch up with Kori. To her relief, her best friend had already snagged one of the booths. Hadley crossed the black-and-white checkerboard floor and slid onto the red faux-leather seat with a grateful sigh.
“I’m so glad you were able to meet me last-minute,” Hadley said, settling Maggie’s carrier beside her and checking on the sleeping infant.
She’d already fed and changed the baby at Priceless, Raina Patterson’s antiques store and craft studio. Hadley had taken a candle-making class there last month and wanted to see what else Raina might be offering.
“Thanks for calling. This time of year is both a blessing and a curse.” Kori was a CPA who did a lot of tax work, making January one of her slower months. “I love Scott, but his obsessive need to be busy at all times gets on my nerves.” Kori and her husband had started their accounting company two years ago, and despite what she’d just said, the decision had been perfect for them.
“You’re the one doing me a favor. I really need your advice.” Hadley trailed off as the waitress brought two Diet Cokes.
They put in their lunch order and when the waitress departed, Kori leaned her forearms on the table and fixed Hadley with an eager stare.
“This is fantastic. You never need my help with anything.”
Her friend’s statement caught Hadley off guard. “That’s not true. I’m always asking for favors.”
“Little things, sure, like when you asked me to pick up baby stuff for Miss Maggie or help with your taxes, but when it comes to life stuff you’re so self-sufficient.” Kori paused. “And I’m always boring you with the stuff that I’m going through.”
Hadley considered. “I guess I’ve been focused on finishing my degree and haven’t thought much beyond that. Plus, it’s not like I have a social life to speak of.”
Kori waved her hands. “Forget all that. Tell me what’s going on.”
Embarrassment over her early-morning encounter with Liam hadn’t faded one bit. Her skin continued to tingle in the aftermath of his touch while other parts of her pulsed with insistent urgency. The only thing that kept her from quitting on the spot was that he’d been asleep when he’d slid his hand beneath her clothes.
“Oh my goodness,” Kori exclaimed in awe. “You’re blushing.”
Hadley clapped her hands over her cheeks. “Am I?”
“What happened?”
“Waldo got out of my room last night when I got up for Maggie’s feeding, and when I tracked him down, he was in Liam’s room, curled up right here.” Hadley indicated where her cat had been on Liam’s anatomy.
“You said he isn’t a cat person. Was he mad?”
“He was asleep.”
Kori began to laugh. “So what happened?”
“I tried to lure him off with a treat, but Waldo being Waldo wouldn’t budge. As I was picking him up...” Swept by mortification, Hadley closed her eyes for a span of two heartbeats.
“Yes?” Kori’s voice vibrated with anticipation. “You picked him up and what?”
“I was leaning over the bed and Liam was sleeping. And dreaming.” Hadley shuddered. “About having sex with some woman, I think.”
“And?” Kori’s delighted tone prompted Hadley to spill the next part of her tale.
“The next thing I knew, his hand was up my shirt and he—” she mimed a gesture “—my breast.” Her voice trailed off in dismay.
“No way. And you’re sure he was asleep?”
“Positive. Unfortunately, I was so shocked that I didn’t keep a good hold of Waldo and he jumped onto Liam’s chest, waking him. I don’t think he knew what hit him.”
“What did he say?”
“I honestly don’t remember. I think I mumbled an apology for waking him. He retrieved his hand from beneath my pajama top and I bolted with Waldo.”
“Did you talk to him later?”
“He was gone before Maggie woke up again, and then I took off before he came home for lunch.” Hadley glanced at her charge to make sure the baby was sleeping soundly. “What am I supposed to say or do the next time I see him?”
“You could thank him for giving you the best sex you’ve had in years.”
“We didn’t have sex.” Hadley lowered her voice and hissed the last word, scowling at her friend.
“It’s the closest thing you’ve had to a physical encounter in way too long.” Kori fluffed her red hair and gazed in disgust at her friend. “I don’t know how you’ve gone so long without going crazy. If Scott and I go three days without sex we become vile, miserable people.”
Hadley rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m not in a committed, monogamous relationship. You and Scott have been together for seven years. You’ve forgotten how challenging being single is. And if you recall, the last time I fell in love it didn’t work out so well.”
“Noah was an ass. He led you on while he was still working through things with his ex-wife.”
“She wanted him back,” Hadley reminded her friend. “He’d never stopped loving her even after finding out she’d cheated on him. And he was thinking about his kids.”
“He still hedged his bets with you. At the very least, he should have told you where things stood between them.”
On that, Hadley agreed. Five years earlier, she’d been a blind fool to fall in love with Noah. Not only had he been her employer, but also things had moved too fast between them. Almost immediately he’d made her feel like a part of the family. Because it was her first time being a nanny, she hadn’t understood that his behavior had crossed a line. She’d merely felt accepted and loved.
“That was a long time ago.” Thinking about Noah made her sad and angry. He’d damaged her ability to trust and opened a hole in her heart that had never healed. “Can we get back to my more immediate problem? Do I quit?”
“Because your boss sleep–felt you up?” Kori shook her head. “Chalk it up to an embarrassing mistake and forget about it.”
“You’re right.” Only she was having a hard time forgetting how much she enjoyed his hands on her skin. In fact, she wanted him to run his hands all over her body and make her come for him over and over.
Kori broke into her thoughts. “You’re thinking about him right now, aren’t you?”
“What?” Hadley sipped at her cold drink, feeling overly warm. “No. Why would you think that?”
“You’ve got the hots for him. Good for you.”
“No. Not good for me. He’s my boss, for one thing. For another, he’s a major player. I knew him when I used to race barrels. He had girls chasing after him all the time, and he enjoyed every second of it.”
“So he’s a playboy. You don’t need to fall in love with him, just scratch an itch.”
