Page 5 of The Billionaire's Housekeeper

“It’s okay,” he said, his captivating blue eyes gazed into hers and her heart turned over in her chest. Good Lord. The man was breathtaking. An appreciative grin curled her lips. Appreciation that he’d saved her life and that he was truly easy on the eyes.

Embarrassed at her own response, she couldn’t help but ogle his tasty features. Abbi noticed his dark sexy gaze, his high cheekbones and beautiful but masculine face. He had dark hair and a lovely tan and was wearing a professional-looking crisp navy-blue uniform. And those strong biceps of his. His muscular arms were incredibly smooth and firm. There was nothing like a man with rolled-up shirtsleeves exhibiting his finest assets. Abbi loved a man with muscled arms and broad shoulders. But what girl wouldn’t? There was just something about it that pleased Abbi. She read his name patch sewn into his shirt. It simply read Chad, maintenance support staff.

There was something about Chad that really struck a chord inside her. A delightful note. Her belly tingled with electricity at his touch.

She’d never, ever felt such an instant chemistry with a man before. Not like this. It caught her off guard in more ways than one. She caught the irresistible scent of his aftershave. Abbi noted he had incredibly solid biceps. Those arms were strong and powerful. He had great height too, she mused, having to look up to him, literally. The man was built well, with broad shoulders and a slim waistline. She noted a few ornate artsy tattoos down his right arm.

Chad, maintenance support staff, she read over his name tag again in her mind as if savoring the scent of his name in her mind.

Well, he was certainly supportive during her time of need. What a klutz she’d been, not focusing on where she was going. Another reason why cell phone use should be limited to non-multitasking.

“You okay, ma’am?” he asked yet again in his deep sexy voice.

Abbi was almost speechless.

“You could be in shock. I’ll get help.”

“No!” she blurted out. “I mean, no thank you. I’ll be fine.” Abbi shook her head to recapture her senses. Her heart still pounded hard and fast in her chest. She felt as if she’d explode from the heavy beats. Her belly was all knotted up in nerves.

“Thank you, Chad,” she said, breathing hard, addressing his nametag. Her leg ached but it could have been much worse if it hadn’t been for Chad.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

“No. I’m fine.” She brushed off her orange top and her brown pencil skirt. Chad was fine looking. Handsome and strong. She again noted his muscular arms and his broad chest. Abbi was willing to bet he worked out. Just a nice handsome, ordinary hardworking guy. A super average Joe. Very polite, caring and obviously diligent. She glanced at his ring finger. No rings. No ring indents. Wow. And he could very well be single.

Stop it, Abbi. He’s a potential co-worker. You’re only here on a temp assignment. Get real.

“I’m Abbi,” she said. “We’re going to be working together I guess.”

“Working together?”

“Yes. I’m from the agency. You guys needed a temp for a couple months while you go through restructuring.”

“We do?”

He seemed clueless. She guessed maybe not all the staff were aware of management’s plans. “Sorry, I guess I said too much.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I heard we’ll be going through some changes here. Which department?” he asked, walking with her on the stone pathway toward the front of the main lodge.

“I’m the new temp housekeeper,” she said.

She noticed Chad’s body language stiffened.

Chapter 3

“You’re the new housekeeper?” Chase asked Abbi, incredulously.

His eyes locked with hers momentarily and his body reacted.

He surveyed her delicate features. The woman was unbelievably stunning. Beautiful. He’d dated supermodels before but she was breathtaking and she plastered on none of that heavy makeup or fake eyelashes like the women he’d been with in the past. Pure, natural beauty. She had the silkiest hair he'd ever seen. She wore a lovely orange top that accentuated her dainty curves—and boy, were those curves sensuous. Her auburn hair carried the aroma of being freshly shampooed and was super curly cascading down her back. The color reflected like a vibrant kaleidoscope under the sun. Her cheekbones were high and she had the most mesmerizing large brown eyes he'd ever seen. There was something about her that captivated him. For once in his life Chase was actually speechless.

It caught Chase off guard to have this instant attraction to Abbi. That virtually never happened to him. He had to be cautious, so he often would get to know a girl first before swooning over her.

Oh, boy. This girl was trouble with a capital T. The last thing Chase needed was to have a strong attraction to a girl he’d only just met. And she was housekeeping staff to top it off. A distraction. Chase didn’t need a distraction right now. He had serious business to take care of. Sure, he’d told his brother and his father that he’d try to find a nice country girl out there while working undercover at the resort, but a fellow staff member?

“Yes. Well, I’m just a temp from the Elite Agency. If all goes as planned, I’ll be here for a couple of months and maybe more. You seem surprised.”

Oh, he was surprised all right. Caught by surprise by his amazing attraction to her. She seemed kind of different from many girls he'd seen or met.

She stopped walking and sat down on the park bench on the pathway, and briefly rubbed her right leg.

“You okay?” he asked, surveying her leg to see if she’d somehow managed to bruise it. Thankfully, no bruises.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just need a couple of seconds. I probably pulled a muscle. But I’m good.”

He was glad that she wasn’t seriously hurt.

Earlier, he’d overheard her talking about sending money to her sister while he sat up on the hill gazing at the surroundings, surveying the land. He realized she was a caring person who took care of her family. Good on her. He wanted more than anything to fly her to his private masseuse—the best in the country—back east to have her legs professionally massaged. But that idea would be too far-fetched.

So far, no one knew who he really was and how long he’d be there—and he had to keep it that way. Thanks to his brother Brandon who hooked him up with a fake ID and got him a new uniform and a reference letter, he was placed there as staff from another Belmont facility.

Chase figured since the Belmonts kept the former staff from the old resort under the previous owners, that it could be someone who was already working there long before the Belmonts took over who was starting up trouble with their rival. But he hadn’t realized that the staffing was so bad they’d hired from an outside agency. Not that he minded the agency temp they’d hired.

“I’m actually surprised, about your contract," he continued with his previous conversation with her.

“Oh?"

“Yes, I wasn't expecting agency staff to be working in housekeeping…” he said then caught himself, remembering he was not supposed to be management in his new role, but a regular staffer on site. “I mean, I didn’t realize the ranch would be using agency staff for your department. I guess we’re short staffed all over.”

He offered his hand to help her up from the bench when he saw she was ready to get up.

“Thank you,” Abbi said as she held tightly to his hand and pushed herself up.

Her hands were soft like the downy feathers on doves and delicate. A jolt of electricity pulsed through him. There was an instance chemical reaction that was undeniable.

“You’re welcome.”

He loved the sound of her voice, smooth like velvet.

As they both walked towards the main house, Chase noticed her glancing around. “This your first time here?” he asked her.

“Yes, it is. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this place. It’s certainly relaxing,” she said, looking around at the mountain view in the distance. “Nothing like clean, fresh mountain air. My kind of living.”

“I know! Tell me about it.”

Well, that was something they had in common. Most of the girls he’d dated were city women who liked life in the fast lane.

“I hope they hire me permanently. Do you know if they have any full-time openings?”

Chase coughed and cleared his throat. Under other circumstances he’d be able to hire her on the spot and give her all kinds of benefits but currently he had to remember he was simply the help, not the boss. Talk about a change in status and forfeiting one’s power. Chase was a man who was used to calling the shots. “Well, I can ask Shirley, the manager of housekeeping. You’ll be reporting to her, I guess.”

“Right. I’ll ask her when the time’s right. I brought my resume just in case.”

“Good for you.”

“You know the trick with these places is to do a good job, get along with everyone and show them what you’ve got. I heard places like this hire from people they know but once in a while they’ll take on an outsider who proves herself. God, it’s so hard to get permanent work.”

Chase’s heart pulled just then. He could hear the sound of desperation in Abbi’s voice and in her tone. He really hadn’t thought of how difficult it might be for average working-class folks to get by in the tough job market. He wished he could just hand her a job in housekeeping on the spot. Never mind her sweeping the floors, he’d love to sweep her off her feet—and into his bed. Too bad he had to keep his real identity a secret. Still, he knew better. That was his libido talking and he was not there for any one-night stands. He had work to do and to get to the bottom of the trouble at the ranch by keeping his mouth shut and his ears open. So far he’d gathered the situation wasn’t as smooth as it could be in the human resources department. Seemed like staffing was in chaos since the changeover of ownership.

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