Page 13 of Texas Temptation

“Thought you’d hit him up for it,” he finished for her.

She flushed slightly.

Cade stared. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a woman blush. It didn’t go with the image he’d formed, of a swinging single woman partying at the beach who had gotten caught with a baby.

“I’m only a couple of thousand short, I thought if he, you…I mean, I thought it was Caleb’s father who donated so much. And if he had that much to donate, then he could surely spare two thousand dollars for his own son.” She ended all in a rush. “Caleb’s really a great little boy. And I hate for him to start school with the problem.”

Cade rubbed the back of his neck. The few times he’d seen Caleb, the kid had been upbeat and enthusiastic. He’d worried about his mother, then scampered off and been captivated by the horses. Jack reported he was no trouble, and was, in fact, soaking up everything he learned.

Cade could understand Jordan’s determination. If Vicki had needed anything, he would have moved heaven and earth to get it for her. He turned and went to the door, looking out over the spread.

He hadn’t been able to do anything for his daughter. By the time he’d heard of the drunken driver crashing into his wife’s car, both Marissa and Vicki had been dead for several hours.

But maybe he could help another child.

He turned and glanced around the room.

“Do you know anything about office work?” he asked.

Chapter Three

“Not much,” Jordan said, surprised at the question. Waiting tables was nothing like working in an office.

“Can you type, answer the phones?” he persisted.

She thought about the hours she’s spent on the Internet searching for Caleb’s father while Caleb enjoyed storybook time in the library. About the endless letters she’d typed on the library computers and sent out—always searching.

“I can type, but not fast. And anyone can answer a phone.”

“I need clerical help,” he said. “Penny, my personal assistant, had to leave on a family emergency a few days ago. I’ve had two incompetent women in since then, and the office is in more chaos than if I had had no one.”

“I have a job waiting for me in South Beach,” Jordan said.

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll make up the difference for Caleb’s surgery and he can have the operation in Dallas. In exchange, you work for me until Penny returns.”

That would solve the problem of a temp leaving in a huff.

Jordan stared at the man. He would pay for the surgery for a total stranger? What was the catch?

“How long is Penny going to be gone?”

“I do not know, a couple of weeks, a couple of months. She’s supposed to let me know when she has a better handle on things at her end. Do we have a deal?”

Jordan bit her lip, hope flooding. Did he mean it? He’d pay the balance for Caleb’s surgery if she worked in his office until Penny returned? Could she get Joe to hold her job until she got back to Florida?

Did she even care about that job if she got Caleb’s surgery taken care of? Good waitresses weren’t as plentiful as people thought. She’d be able to get another job if Joe wouldn’t take her back.

The thought of having Caleb’s eyes fixed before he started school made her almost giddy.

“Just office work?” she clarified. He wasn’t expecting anything else, was he? Not that she was some femme fatale, but his offer seemed too generous for mere clerical work—especially for someone who had no office experience.

His PA could return before the surgery was even scheduled. Then what?

“I have a housekeeper. I don’t need another one. And Amelia doubles as hostess when I have a need for one for business events. I only need help with office work,” Cade replied.

“I won’t be fast or as efficient as a trained office worker,” she warned.

Was she an idiot? She should snap up his offer in a heartbeat.

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