Page 6 of Wilde Sanctuary

Broad shoulders stretched the fabric of his flannel shirt, which was unbuttoned over a white tee shirt. A very tight white tee shirt that did nothing to hide his muscular torso. It was his uniform, she’d discovered. Flannel and denim. She didn’t hate it at all.

Besides, the man had muscles on top of muscles and there was something about a broad-shouldered man in butt-hugging jeans that made her knees weak.

The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up over broad forearms, and as he folded his arms over his chest, her gaze jumped to his face.

“Morning, what can I—” he broke off as he looked and saw her. He smiled and tilted his head. “Charlie? What are you doing here?”

At first, Charlie wondered if she’d made a mistake, but no, she’d definitely come to the right place. Was Cape Wilde Outdoor Adventures the family business Rhett had said he worked at? She’d just have to ask Rhett where the owner was.

“Um, hi Rhett. I wanted to speak to Henry West,” she said, pulling the folio out of her tote to give herself something to do.

“Henry West?” Rhett’s smile fell, and his eyes focused on her folio with suspicion.

She took a step closer and his eyes—those intense blue eyes she’d drowned in last night—snapped to hers.

“Yes, he’s the owner, isn’t he? I wanted to talk to him about the land out at?—”

Rhett’s hands tightened into fists. “The land. You’re here about the land.”

“That’s right. I work for Sinclair Properties?—”

Rhett closed his eyes and laughed, but it was bitter and humorless. “I should have known.”

This was not going well at all.

“Sorry?”

He shook his head. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

“What was?”

“You.”

His blue eyes were so fiercely angry that she took an involuntary step back.

“I knew you were too good to be true.”

“I don’t understand.” Charlie’s head was swimming. What was he talking about?

“Let me explain then, beautiful.”

The endearment did not sound at all complimentary and she flinched.

“Henry was my grandfather. He died and left me the business. I own the land. But you knew that already, didn’t you?”

“What? No!”

He shook his head, crossing his arms in front of his broad chest. “Don’t deny it. You people have been trying to get us to sell for years. For what? To knock down all the trees and build some huge resort that would kill the atmosphere of our town?Let alone what it would do for the local environment. Not going to happen.”

Charlie’s chest clenched. He really thought the worst of her. That she’d come here to what, seduce him into selling the land? She felt sick at the thought. Of all the things her father had done, there’s no way he’d stoop to prostituting his daughter to get a deal.

You told your father you’d do anything to prove you belonged in the business.

She cringed.

“No, Rhett. I didn’t come here to seduce you into selling the land.”

He scoffed and looked to one side, refusing to meet her eyes.

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