Page 2 of Bachelor CEO

“Nope. Not if you don’t care that I went tothe University of Iowa,” he replied. He removed the car’s jack and handed it toher. His fingers brushed hers for a second as she took it from him.

After placing the spare onthe ground, he shed his suit coat and rolled up his sleeves. He’d never beenafraid of dirt or hard work, and he could shower when he reached Lone PineLake.

He’d be about a half hour late, but hisgrandfather would understand. Leroy was all about chivalry, especially on theparking lot of the company he owned and loved.

Chase loosened the lug nuts and he placed thejack under the frame of the car. He inserted the handle and began to turn it,raising the car up slowly until the tire was free of the ground.

Then he removed the lug nuts and the bad tire,ignoring that his hands had turned black from the brake dust and the roadgrime. He slid the spare on, reversed the process, and soon had her car readyto go.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” He put the flat in the trunk andset everything on top. “If I were you, I’d take this down to Bay’s Tire andhave them look at it. Bay’s is right there on the main drag. You can’t miss it.Looks like an old gas station without the pumps. Tell them Chase sent you.”

“Okay.” She crossed her arms over her chestand studied him.

“So, where are you heading after this? Goinginside?” he asked.

She shook her head, her short locks swishing.“No. I’m finished. I’m actually starting work here Tuesday. I filled out my taxforms today.”

“Oh.” He frowned. Come Tuesday she’d be anemployee. Chase had been well schooled in sexual harassment law. McDanielManufacturing prided itself on its employee satisfaction, stellar workenvironment and safety record.

Still, she wasn’t quite onthe job yet, and something about her intrigued him. Curious to learn more, hesaid, “I was wondering if you’d like to reward me for my valor by letting metake you to an early lunch.”

Instead of saying yes, she arched a darkeyebrow and her pixie mouth formed a slight pucker. “That’s sweet, and I reallyappreciate your offer, but you’ve already helped me out enough. I should havejoined an auto club or something. As it is, I’ve got to get going. The movingvan is on its way, if it’s not already waiting at my apartment.”

“They’re always late,” he replied, delayingher inevitable departure. Of course, he really had no clue about movingcompanies. He’d only moved once, from his grandfather’s estate to his ownplace, ten years ago.

However, she was already edging away, to thedriver’s side of the car. He stood there feeling like a fool. “It was nicemeeting you,” he said.

“Thank you again,” she replied.

“You’re welcome.” Chase remained frozen inplace until she drove off. Then he retrieved the suit coat he’d set on theground. His dry cleaners would kill him, but the bill would be well worth it.

Chenille had never seen anything like her.

If it had, Chase would have found her longago. Goodness knows he’d gone through enough women looking for the right one.Sex was never an issue. The problem was finding someone who could keep his mindand heart interested, as well. Someone he could love forever. Call him a closetromantic, but he believed in true love and wouldn’t settle until he found it.

He held up his dirty hands and grimaced. Eventhough he’d brought his suitcase with him, it might be best if he went home toshower before leaving for Minnesota. He should be able to doso and still be in plenty of time. His grandfather had specifically asked himto arrive earlier than the rest of his siblings. Every Memorial Day weekend theentire family gathered at the house on Lone Pine Lake, starting Friday night,to kick off the summer and celebrate Leroy’s birthday.

His grandfather would be eighty tomorrow, andChase was certain Leroy was finally ready to announce his retirement. He’d beenhinting for a while about passing the torch. Chase had been groomed his wholelife to become CEO of the family business, a role and legacy that had passed tohim when his parents died in a single-engine-plane crash.

Once he’d had dreams of leaving Chenille andmaking his way in some big city, but he’d long ago left those fantasies to hissiblings.

His sister Cecilia had made her home in NewYork as a professional ballerina. Now thirty and at the end of her dancingcareer, she’d started teaching ballet, gotten married and had a child on theway. Chase’s younger brother, Chris, was also married, and worked in Davenportas a minister. The youngest of the McDaniel clan, twenty-seven-year old Chandy,was doing her pediatric residency in Saint Louis.

Chase drove the short distance to his home, anatrium ranch sitting on five acres. He’d hoped to share it with a wife andkids, but he refused to get married until he knew he’d found his soul mate.Everyone in his family had happy marriages, and Chase wanted the same.

For a second, he thought of the woman he’dmet. McDaniel currently had several management openings, two in humanresources. Maybe she’d filled one of those.

He washed his hands andresisted the urge to call the office, especially since it was a holiday weekendand he’d told his secretary to take the rest of the day off. Tuesday morningwould arrive soon enough. Surely he could find out who the mystery woman wasthen.

MIRANDA CRAIG FOUND Bay Tire easily, andwithin a few minutes was sitting inside the store, watching while a cat yawnedhis assessment and sauntered off.

Her tire couldn’t be plugged, so she nodded inapproval of the new one they wanted to install.

This wasn’t one of those chain establishments,but rather a mom-and-pop operation. “So Chase sent you?” the wife asked,flipping through a magazine while her husband changed the tire. Both seemed tobe in their early fifties.

“He did,” Miranda replied.

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