Page 26 of A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy

“Indeed.” He gestured toward the dining area, where the guys were already surrounding several tables. “After you.”

“Go ahead. I’ve got Jamie’s food started.” She smiled at the older man to soften the fact that she hadn’t jumped to do his bidding. Maybe she just hadn’t been brought up right.

Mr. Sullivan dipped his head and strode toward the serving counter. The man might have facial lines and a head of snowy white hair that indicated his age, but he seemed strong and healthy.

“How did your morning go?”

She turned with a start to find Tate holding Jamie close beside her. “Good. We spent a long time outside. I just let him wander around, and I followed him like a puppy.”

Tate’s eyes crinkled as he grinned. “A puppy, huh? Maybe I should get him one.”

“They’re a lot of work, and you’re not going to be home much.”

“In other words, you don’t want to add a puppy to watching Jamie.”

Stephanie hesitated. Hadn’t she wanted a pet when she was a kid, but her parents always said no? “Maybe we should all get settled into our new roles before taking on more.” She reached for Jamie, who came to her willingly. “Let’s get some lunch.”

“Are you okay with sorting files?”

She looked over her shoulder at him as she buckled Jamie into his booster. “Are they not confidential?”

“Probably, but there was a confidentiality clause in your contract, right? You know the local people, so you’ve got an advantage there, too.”

She scraped the chicken and vegetables from the bowl onto Jamie’s tray and set half a piece of garlic toast beside it before straightening and looking at Tate. “My previous job had clear parameters of what was my responsibility and what was not.”

Tate nodded and seemed to be trying to read her eyes. “If you’d rather not, I understand. I’ll do it myself in the evenings.”

There went her imaginary movie-and-popcorn time. “If you really think it wouldn’t be a privacy breach, I can try it and see how it goes.”

His wide smile made her knees go weak. “That’s all I ask. Can I bring you a bowl of soup?”

“Sure, thank you.”

All he asked? Stephanie’s request list was a whole lot longer than his.

Chapter Nine

Tate set the box on his dining table and plucked a file from the top. He glanced over the details. “Scott Erickson?”

Stephanie wrinkled her nose as she peered at the paper. “I wouldn’t hire that jerk if he were the only one in Montana with the right qualifications.”

“That’s a strong reaction.” Tate tipped up his eyebrows, trying to read her expression. He’d never tried so hard to fathom what a woman was thinking as he had since meeting this one. How had her thoughts come to matter so much to him in less than a week?

It was because of her instant bond with Jamie. No other reason. Really, Tate? No other reason?

He sighed. Okay, fine. It extended to him, as well. It had started with her trembling shoulders in her car after the near-miss. When pluck replaced vulnerability, and she decided to roll with her current reality.

And instant bond wasn’t strong enough. Call it a sudden, gripping attraction. He didn’t believe in love at first sight, but attraction? It was present in spades.

Also, she was looking at him strangely.

“Did I tune out? I’m sorry.” He tossed the file to the side — first in the reject pile — and reached for another.

“It doesn’t matter. I was just explaining about Scotty. He’s the brother of a friend of mine, but he’s still a creep.”

“Personal experience? Because I can hunt him down…”

Stephanie grinned, her eyes crinkling with amusement.

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