Conceal, Protect - By Carol Ericson Page 0,12
Buck Ridge most of the time.”
He dumped the paper towels in the trash can. “Will you consider it?”
“Get the job first.”
“I will. I’m good for it, Noelle. I’m a changed man.”
“Glad to hear it. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”
Ted smiled, the charming smile of a con man. J.D. could recognize it a mile away. “You’re not so hard after all. I thought that thing with Alex had changed you, turned you into your mother. But maybe you’re getting back to the sweet girl I grew up with.”
Noelle’s chin jutted forward. “You mean the one you scammed all the time?”
“Aw, I wouldn’t put it like that.” Ted shrugged into his well-worn jacket. “Anyway, as luck would have it, I do have a place to crash tonight and for the next few nights. But I’d like to stay in my family home.” He held up his hands as Noelle opened her mouth. “I’ll get that job first, sis.”
She snapped her mouth shut and nodded. “You get that job, and we’ll talk.”
She walked Ted to the door, and he gave her a hug, which she returned with one arm. He waved to J.D. “No hard feelings, man. I probably would’ve done the same thing in your place.”
“Yeah, sorry about your nose. It’ll be okay.”
This time, Ted didn’t walk his bike off the ranch silently. The engine roared to life and he fishtailed down the drive, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Noelle sighed beside him. “You must think I’m a terrible sister, but the family put up with a lot from Ted. He’s had his share of problems—most of them self-induced.”
“I know the type, and I think you handled it great. You’re no enabler.”
“Not anymore.” She folded her hands behind her and leaned against the doorjamb. “About our deal.”
“Uh-huh?” His gaze dropped to her mouth and he dragged his attention back to her eyes, which darkened to a violet hue.
“I just said that so I didn’t have to offer the guesthouse to Ted. You don’t really have to work on the ranch in exchange for room and board, but thanks for playing along.”
“I wasn’t playing.”
“What?”
He had her right where he wanted her, or at least had himself right where he wanted to be.
“I wasn’t playing any game, Noelle.”
“What do you mean? I wasn’t really making you that offer. I just came up with it at the spur of the moment to get Teddy off my back.”
He took one step closer to her, close enough to inhale her fresh scent. “But you made the offer—in front of a witness—and I’m taking it. I’m moving into your guesthouse, Noelle Dupree.”
Chapter Five
Noelle gulped. Did he just say he was taking her up on her offer? She couldn’t think straight with him standing so close, those tawny eyes staring deep into hers. The clean, outdoorsy smell of him clouding her senses.
He must’ve misunderstood. “No, really. I don’t need any help with the ranch. It was just a way to get rid of Ted.”
He lifted the sagging screen door with two fingers and let it drop. “You don’t need help with the ranch?”
“I never meant—”
He put a finger to her lips, and she had to clutch the doorknob behind her.
“I know you said it to get rid of your brother, but it sounds like he’s going to stick around. Buck Ridge is a small town. How are you going to explain the fact that I’m not staying in the guesthouse and helping out?”
Thankfully, he removed his finger from her lips and she could breathe again—and even talk. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
“I like your suggestion. I need a place to stay, I’m familiar with ranches, I’m handy and it will keep away that brother of yours.”
She did need help with the ranch. She’d come here to make some improvements and see if she could maybe turn that guesthouse into a studio.
And she had to admit, J.D.’s presence would be a comfort. Her gaze roamed over his lean, muscled frame, and she swallowed. Maybe comfort wasn’t the right word. Security. Safety. She looked into his eyes. Danger.
She could use a little more of that kind of danger in her life. “The guesthouse isn’t much. It has a bathroom with a shower but no kitchen.”
“I’m not much of a cook, anyway. And you don’t have to pay me. The room is enough.”
She shoved at the screen door with her toe. “This place needs a lot of work. I’ll pay you a salary, and you’ll