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Her McKnight in Shining Armour
Teresa Southwick
Everything about contractor Alex McKnight was hard – hard body, hard heart, and he was damn hard to ignore.Yet while architect Ellie Hart couldn’t deny her attraction, she was going to resist! Until she got injured and Alex offered her a place to stay while she recovered.Then he suggested the unthinkable: a no-strings-attached, passion-unleashed affair… !
A DEAL MADE TO BE BROKEN
Everything about Alex McKnight was hard—hard body, hard heart and damn hard to ignore. Yet architect Ellie Hart couldn’t deny her immediate attraction to the dark-haired, handsome contractor assigned to complete the Mercy Medical Center with her. Ellie traveled with her own emotional baggage and there was no way she was going to fall so fast for a man like Alex. But when she actually did fall fast—by tripping and injuring her foot—Alex came to the rescue by offering her a place to stay while she recovered.
Then Alex suggested the unthinkable: a no-strings-attached, passion-unleashed affair…at least until their project was finished and Ellie could walk again. But as restless days became tender, sleepless nights, could Ellie keep her heart safe? And more, could Alex?
“Stay.” Alex reached out and loosely encircled Ellie’s wrist in his strong fingers.
There was surprise in his eyes now, and he didn’t look particularly happy about saying it, but he also didn’t let her go. “I bared my soul. Isn’t that worth a drink and dinner?”
The touch felt so good. The warmth peeled back several layers of protection that hid her loneliness from the rest of the world. It had been so long since a man had touched her, casually or any other way. And nearly as long since she’d allowed herself to consider having dinner with a man.
She simply couldn’t make herself pull free.
If she hadn’t really wanted to stay, it would have been easy to walk away. And if she’d just walked away, everything would have been fine.
Dear Reader,
On a plane recently I was making small talk with the woman seated next to me. I was tired and mostly wanted to close my eyes, but I didn’t want to be rude during the forty-five-minute flight from L.A. to Las Vegas and we ended up sharing information about our jobs. An avid reader, she was excited to meet a published author, which is flattering because I don’t consider myself all that exciting. Then she posed a question no one has ever asked before. How do I name my characters and do I ever change the names?
The first part of my answer was easy. In a continuing series I keep a list of existing characters and try to make sure no two names start with the same letter. In my humble opinion it’s less confusing when a reader is trying to keep everyone straight. For Her McKnight in Shining Armor I did change the heroine’s name. Starting a book is never easy, but this one was more of a challenge than usual. Originally I called her Emma but was having trouble getting this character to talk and decided to change her name. She’s a Texas girl and I wanted something very Lone Star State. The TV show Dallas is set in Texas and when I ticked off the characters, Sue Ellen struck a chord. A “voice” began to form. But she’s not a Sue or Susie, so I settled on Ellie and the name felt right. I had her voice and Chapter One took off.
A hero is only as satisfying to the reader as the strong, sassy woman who wins him over. Ellie Hart sashayed into Blackwater Lake on her four-inch heels and rocked Alex McKnight’s world. She was an incredibly fun character to create and I hope you enjoy reading her story as much as I did writing it.
Happy Reading!
Teresa Southwick
Her McKnight in Shining Armor
Teresa Southwick
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
TERESA SOUTHWICK lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Mills & Boon.
To Mary Karlik, a Texas girl and real-life heroine. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met and I’m proud to call you my friend.
Contents
Chapter One (#u28ee8e7c-64ac-53cc-bd29-78baaf5a1f5e)
Chapter Two (#u85e3222b-9b46-5b56-906c-982e9fe1b86b)
Chapter Three (#uc239857d-de83-5819-a042-f09876df389a)
Chapter Four (#ue4513cdd-5a98-56d6-b057-6ace69f1a03e)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Alex McKnight needed a woman.
More specifically, he needed his architect, who just happened to be a very hot woman. The fact that he’d noticed was a problem because he didn’t date coworkers, or any other ladies in Blackwater Lake, Montana, for that matter. He had a business to run in this town and couldn’t afford to feed the rumor mill and tick off prospective clients with stuff from his personal life.
A bigger problem was that the very hot female architect was two hours late for work, and that didn’t bode well for completing the Mercy Medical Clinic expansion on time. He had projects stacked up like planes waiting to land and if this one ran behind all the rest could crash and burn.
He looked at his watch and swore softly. It was going on noon and still no word from Miss Suellen Hart. Tomorrow the cement foundation was being poured, and last Friday, when he’d spoken with her, she’d promised to fly out of Dallas in plenty of time to be here for the event on Monday.
“They don’t call. They don’t write. So much for promises,” he mumbled.
Maybe he was a tad critical, but in his opinion, he had an excellent reason. His wife, ex-wife, had promised to love, honor and all the rest of that baloney. But vows hadn’t stopped her from running back into the arms of the man who’d fathered the baby she’d let Alex believe was his. She’d ripped out the foundation of his life, and if that wasn’t cause to be bitter, he didn’t know what was.
Alex walked the wood form set in the prepared ground that would hold the cement foundation of the clinic addition. He inspected every weight-bearing wall support to make sure they were in the right place. It would have been nice for the architect to be here with him to corroborate his judgment, although that was just a formality. He knew his job.
Just then he heard a car squeal into the temporary parking lot for the clinic. He turned and saw the little compact, a rental from the airport, skid to a stop by the construction trailer. The door opened, and out swung the best-looking pair of legs he’d seen east of California, and the rest of her was just as impressive. She was wearing a red skirt and snug matching jacket. The coordinating four-inch heels had come-and-get-me written all over them.
She leaned back inside, showing a pretty good view of her backside, then pulled out a purse the size of a Toyota. Much as he might like to avoid her forever, Alex knew he couldn’t, so he moseyed over to meet her.
Miss Suellen Hart smiled as if being welcomed to a garden party. “So nice to see you again, Mr. McKnight.”
He’d met her when she’d come to town for meetings on the project and accepted the fact that she was a looker, but it wasn’t nice to see her again. She’d asked him to call her Ellie and at the time he’d thought it was cute. But not anymore. This woman pushed his buttons, none of the good ones.
“I thought you were going to call me Alex.”
“I forgot.” There was apology in her Texas bluebonnet-colored eyes. “Not surprisin’ what with being late and all. I am so sorry, Alex. I’m normally punctual to a fault, although you have no reason to believe that. My plan was to fly in yesterday and get settled, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Y’all know how ladies have an inclination toward changin’ their minds?”
“I do,” he said dryly.
“Well, in Texas they say if y’all don’t like the weather, just wait a minute. My flight from Dallas was canceled because of thunderstorms, and I was stuck at the airport. Cell service was sporadic to nonexistent, and I couldn’t get a call through. I got here as quick as I could from that cute little Montana airport just a hop, skip and jump down the highway.”
That cute little airport was close to a hundred miles from Blackwater Lake on a winding two-lane road. With mountains all around cell service was notorious for cutting in and out. “Stuff happens.”
“Y’all must think I’m a flake.”
Not the first word that came to his mind. Especially when she spoke in a breathless Southern drawl that was a little gravel, a little honey and all woman. “That wouldn’t be fair.”
“I promise that no one works harder than me. Y’all won’t be disappointed.” She took a breath. “I do apologize. Am I talkin’ too much?”
“No.” Damned if he couldn’t listen to the Southern comfort in her voice all day.
“I must have had a bucket of coffee. Don’t you worry. It’ll wear off.”
Studying her more closely, he could see that her skirt was wrinkled as if she’d slept in it, and fatigue had carved dark circles under those big, beautiful eyes. It was a look that made him want to take care of her, and that was a habit he thought he’d learned to break.
“You’re here now.” He almost added better late than never. He didn’t, because she was pretty enough to be tempting, which made never a better alternative. “I’ll show you the office.”
“Okay. I’m anxious to get started.” She smiled brightly. “I swear Mayor Goodson and the town council won’t regret they picked me for the job.”
“Your bid was the cheapest,” he said. “No offense.”
“None taken. I needed the work. It has to be said that I didn’t expect y’all to be one of those contractors who believes the architect relationship is terminated on completion of the construction documents.”
“What you’re really saying is you’re glad I don’t think your presence on the job is both a nuisance and an unnecessary expense.”
“Those words would never cross my lips.”
And very fine lips they were, he thought, then ordered himself to focus. On work. “I believe an architect has a critical role to play during construction, and this addition to Mercy Medical Clinic isn’t like an ordinary house.”
She nodded. “If it were simply exam rooms there’d be very little challenge, but the outpatient surgery center needs more in the way of electrical and plumbing.”
“One of the reasons the town council accepted your bid was the fact that you agreed to absorb the expense of being on site during the construction process.”
“To keep a project on track and within budget inspections are advisable a minimum of three times a week. As remote as Blackwater Lake is, sticking around seemed like a good idea.”
“You must have really wanted the job.” He studied her closely and saw her smile slip for just a moment.
“It’s an investment in the future. Everyone’s got to start their own business somewhere.”
“Yeah.”
Except Alex was pretty sure this wasn’t her start. He’d read her resume, and there was a yearlong gap between college and when she’d gone to work for Hart Industries, her family’s company in Dallas. He wondered what had happened during that year. Nothing good if it was left blank. But she could have fudged the dates and she hadn’t. One point to her.
And none of that was his problem, since he hadn’t made the decision to hire her. He just had to do his best with that decision. “Come inside.”
“I just have to get some things from the car if y’all want to go on ahead.”
“Can I take something?” he asked.
“No, I’m used to this.” She opened the trunk, and he saw a couple suitcases inside. She grabbed a briefcase and several tubes that probably contained blueprints.
“Is that everything?” When she nodded, he closed it up and said, “Follow me.”
Alex was normally a “ladies first” kind of guy, but if he walked in front, he wouldn’t have to look at the way that tight little skirt wrapped her world-class butt in silk. And just like that he got an image of tangled legs and twisted sheets with all that long shiny brown hair of hers spread out on a white pillow.
Whoa. Alex couldn’t believe he’d just thought about sex with this woman. Then again, he reasoned, it had been a long time. This reaction wasn’t personal, just a man’s normal response to a pretty lady.
He opened the trailer door and let her precede him inside. “After you.”
“If y’all don’t mind I’ll just get to work and make up for lost time.” She looked around. “Is it all right if I use that desk?”
“Help yourself,” he answered.
She walked across the room and put down her expensive leather briefcase and gigantic purse, and let the unwieldy tubes fall haphazardly on the flat surface. She pulled out her laptop and opened it, all business now. But, damn it, she’d just driven in from the airport after a crappy trip, and the silence after her Southern fried soliloquy felt all wrong.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” He pointed to the corner, where a pot was set up on a small table.
“Oh, Lord, no thank you. I think my head would explode.”
“I guess you’re staying at Blackwater Lake Lodge?”
“Actually no. They couldn’t confirm a reservation for the length of my stay.”
“I’m surprised.” He walked over and rested a hip on the corner of the desk, then leveled a friendly smile at her. He’d been told it could bring a woman to her knees, but that wasn’t his intention. He needed this job to come in early and on budget—in other words, go smoothly. The best way to make that happen was for the two of them to get along.
“I was told that spring and summer bookings are really up this year.”
“That might have something to do with the recent publicity generated by the hotel’s new executive manager. Camille Halliday,” he added.
Ellie’s brows pulled together thoughtfully. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“She’s part of the Halliday Hospitality family and apparently something of a wild child in her youth.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Right around the time I was here before there was a lot of talk about the press hounding her and a picture in the paper of her kissing your brother.”
“That’s right.”
She nodded. “I met with Dr. McKnight, and he couldn’t have been sweeter to me. Dr. Stone, too. We had several conversations about their expectations and suggestions for the clinic expansion before I drew up the plans.”
“By the way, he’s engaged now.”
“Who?”
“My brother, Ben. To Camille Halliday.”
