Chapter 12
Danielle
Dani leaned back in the chair, glancing around Wade Harrison’s office before looking out the window. Wade Harrison had a beautiful ranch. Richard and Libby’s spread was massive, but the Harrisons’ was just as large.
When she arrived at nine-thirty yesterday morning, she was greeted by Elena.
The older woman had opened the door with a huge, welcoming smile, then disappeared.
As Wade had said, she hardly noticed the housekeeper was there.
Now she understood why. His ranch house was spacious, and his very roomy office was tucked away in a huge wing by itself, with a beautiful view of plains, valleys, and an oval-shaped pond from a wall-to-wall window.
How was she supposed to get anything done with such a beautiful view?
And the surroundings were peaceful, even more so than at Richard and Libby’s place.
There were no sounds of cows and horses.
She figured it was because all the ranch hands had taken the cows to another part of Wade’s spread to be branded.
Both today and yesterday, Elena had surprised Dani by knocking on the door around noon with lunch.
She hadn’t expected it but was grateful for the woman’s kindness.
She would have to say that yesterday’s chicken salad sandwich had been the best she’d ever eaten, and the homemade tortilla chips had been to die for.
The lemonade had been delicious as well.
Today Elena brought Dani a Mexican salad with grilled chicken, enchiladas, and iced tea.
It had been delicious, too. When she delivered lunch, Elena stayed and talked for a while.
She told Dani that she and her husband Carlos had worked for the Harrisons since before Wade had been born, and they’d always been treated like family.
Wade had told her that she probably wouldn’t see him until Wednesday or Thursday. Well, today was Wednesday. Would he return today? Elena had mentioned that usually, during branding, Wade and his men would stay a couple of nights on the range.
That sounded like heaven. Dani had been the only one of her father’s daughters who had been interested in going camping with him. She now knew she’d only started doing that because she was hoping he would see that being born a girl didn’t make her delicate.
Dani checked her watch. She’d be finished her work for the day in another couple of hours or so.
She enjoyed the pace she’d managed to set, and was surprised at how much she had accomplished.
If she kept it up, she would finish earlier on Friday than she had originally thought.
Even Paula had seemed surprised by her progress when Dani had called to give her an update.
Libby had called this morning, too. She’d wanted to know how things were going before they boarded the river cruise ship from Paris, headed to Germany.
Dani mentioned the problem she’d had with the internet service and how Wade Harrison had come to her rescue.
She didn’t mention her rudeness. She hoped that since she and Wade had started over, that little incident would be kept between them.
Libby told her that she didn’t know Wade very well, since he spent most of his time on the rodeo circuit, but he seemed like a nice guy.
Richard and Cal definitely liked him because the three of them had been friends since childhood.
Then Libby added that it had been kind of Wade to let her use the internet at his home. Dani wholeheartedly agreed.
She’d also heard from her oldest sister, Kim, who’d also called to see how she was doing…and to inform her that Steve had called her the previous day. Like their mother, Kim hadn’t accepted his call. But Kim did add that she should stop giving Steve a hard time and make up with him.
Dani set Kim straight—something she should have done long ago. She told her sister that, contrary to what Kim and Libby thought, she had no intention of going back to him. And then she added that she’d appreciate it if Kim didn’t tell Steve where she was. She was done with him, once and for all.
Pushing all thoughts from her mind except for the Barker project, she turned her attention to the marketing campaign, determined to make it a success.
“I didn’t expect you guys back until tomorrow,” Elena said when she came downstairs to find Wade in the mudroom, removing his boots.
“There were only a few steers left to brand, so I cut out early. I wanted to sleep in my bed tonight,” he said.
That was partly true. But the main reason he’d wanted to come home was because Dani Manchester was here.
For some reason, she had been on his mind.
He wanted to scowl at the thought, but on the ride from the branding area back to the ranch, he kept telling himself that his attraction to her was normal.
After all, she was a beautiful woman, and he was a hot-blooded man.
One who hadn’t been involved with a woman for more than a year.
“I’m afraid, I didn’t cook dinner. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon,” Elena said, interrupting his thoughts.
“No problem. I can fend for myself. If you recall, I’m a pretty darn good cook.”
“Only because I taught you.”
“True,” he said, grinning. “I noticed Dani’s car is still here.”
“Yes. She’s in your office, but she usually leaves around four. I like her.”
Wade thought that said a lot, considering Elena hadn’t liked his former girlfriend, Gail. “What is it you like about her?” he asked. “You’ve only known her a couple of days.”
“I know,” Elena said, straightening off the counter. “She’s friendly, respectful, and appreciative.”
He nodded. All the things she thought Gail hadn’t been.
Unfortunately, he had to agree with her.
He had met Gail on the circuit where she performed as a barrel racer.
They had dated a good seven months before he’d brought her home, but that was when her true colors showed.
She’d treated Elena like hired help instead of family, acting as if the older woman was at her beck and call during the week she was there.
However, when he had walked in from the barn one evening and caught her talking down to Elena, that had been the last straw.
He had asked her to pack, then hadn’t wasted time in getting her to the airport and putting her on a plane.
That was one of the reasons Dani’s attitude had angered him when they’d first met.
He’d thought her temperament had been no better than Gail’s.
“Do you think Dani got a lot done?” he asked.
“Yes. She told me today she might even finish her project ahead of schedule. She likes it here.”
He glanced up at Elena. “How do you know that?”
“She told me.”
He shrugged. “She’s a city girl.”
Elena laughed. “I don’t think anyone was more of a city girl than her sister Libby, and she’s adjusted just fine.”
Wade wondered why they were having this conversation. It didn’t matter to him if Dani liked his ranch or not. “I’m going upstairs to take a shower,” he said.
“Okay. Since you’re home, I will leave early since Carlos will be returning tomorrow. You can let Dani out.”
Wade smiled. Since Carlos and Elena had gotten married a few years before he was born, and he was thirty-five, he figured they would be celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary soon.
After a few days of branding or a long period out on the range, his men got the next two days off.
It always amused him how Elena made it a point to spend those two days with his foreman, which meant she would be taking tomorrow and Friday off.
That was what he’d longed for when he finally ended his career on the rodeo circuit—knowing his wife would be there waiting for him with open arms, happy to see him, when he returned home.
His parents had had that kind of marriage, forever acting like newlyweds.
He suspected that over the years, his mother had encouraged Elena to do the same.
Even with four grown children, Carlos seemed to strut around, letting everyone know how much he loved his wife.
“That’s no problem, Elena. I’ll see you Monday,” he said, heading toward the stairs.
He refused to glance down the long hallway where his office was located, knowing Dani was in there with the door closed.
That part of the house had originally been intended to be a nursery.
His parents had wanted a lot of kids. At least four.
Medical issues dictated that his mother would only give birth to one.
Warren and Willow Harrison had been great parents who hadn’t had a problem with their only son’s dream of one day joining the rodeo circuit.
After all, both his parents had done the same thing.
In fact, that was how they’d met. And they always made his homecomings special.
He missed his folks and knew that if he ever married, he would want a marriage like theirs, where they loved each other to the end.
He honestly couldn’t see one dying without the other, and felt comforted in believing they were still together.
As he entered his bedroom, he began removing his clothes, looking forward to his shower.
As Dani packed up her briefcase, she sniffed the air. Something certainly smelled good. She wondered what Elena was cooking. If Wade were returning tomorrow, the older woman would probably be getting an early start on tomorrow’s dinner.
She would need to prepare herself to see him again, since he had been on her mind. Were his eyes really as brown as she remembered? The color of a chocolate chip? And had he really been that tall? One thing she couldn’t forget was how good he looked in jeans and a Stetson.
She would love to see him ride a horse. Heck, she would even go to the rodeo just to see him. She could just imagine him performing some of the stunts that rodeo cowboys were known for.
After pulling the blinds in the office, she headed down the long hall to the living room. Calling out, she said, “Elena, I’m leaving. I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks for everything.”
Dani’s breath caught when, instead of seeing Elena coming out of the kitchen, her gaze fell on Wade. His shirt wasn’t fully buttoned, his jeans rode low on his hips, and he was barefoot, with a beer bottle in his hand. “Hi, Dani. Elena left already.”
After a moment, Dani found her voice. “Hello, Wade. I thought you weren’t planning on returning until tomorrow.”
He nodded. “My team finished up early. Did you get much done?”
“I got a lot done. Thanks again for everything. I’ll be going now.”
She moved toward the door, but his next words stopped her. “I just made a pot of chili with a pan of cornbread. Would you like to join me for dinner?”
She lifted a brow. “You can cook?”
He chuckled. “Yes, I can cook. Can you?”
“I can, as a matter of fact. My mother’s grandmother owned a restaurant in Birmingham.
I understand it was quite popular. She taught my mom how to cook, and my mom taught her girls.
Even Libby can cook, although her specialties tend to be on the exotic side,” Dani said, then added, “I figure that’s why Richard hired a cook.
“And what do you know how to cook?” he asked.
“Pretty well everything.”
He nodded. “In that case, you need to taste my chili and tell me what you think. I also baked a few cinnamon rolls for dessert.”
Dani knew she should decline his invitation.
She could recognize sexual attraction a mile off, and the chemistry flowing between her and Wade was right in their faces.
He had been checking her out…the same way she’d been watching him.
But his close scrutiny didn’t bother her at all, nor did it make her uncomfortable.
He was a man, and she was a woman. And in her opinion, sexual attraction wasn’t as complex as some people made it out to be. When it happened, you dealt with it. Besides, there was no reason she shouldn’t get to know Wade Harrison better.
Making a decision, she said, “Thanks for the invitation. I’d love to join you for dinner, Wade.”