Chapter 11
Colette hesitated on the porch, catching her breath before knocking. Her gaze caught on Marshall, stooped over the kitchen island, eating his dinner alone and scrolling through his phone. Something inside her ached at seeing him like this.
She wondered if he was lonely, as she was sometimes.
Or maybe he had a woman in town to keep him company.
Well, that was none of her business. Moving to the country was meant to be a change of scenery, a fresh start after an abysmal end to her last job.
Her fingers were getting cold and turning red as she watched him.
Underestimating the arctic chill of spring nights, she had run over to the main house in only a long-sleeve shirt.
Big mistake. She knocked on the glass, just loud enough for the dog to start barking and for Marshall to turn his head, eyes widening in surprise.
He swiveled on his barstool and walked over to the door in socked feet, and the beat of her heart picked up at his approach.
She crossed her arms, nervous. Why was she nervous?
There were files missing in the pile Marshall had offered her, and she was merely coming to request more documentation.
The door swung open; a welcome gust of warm air, filled with the cozy scents of a home-cooked meal, wafted toward Colette.
No, Marshall wasn’t lonely. He was well cared for.
She cleared her throat. “Hey, Marshall. Sorry to bother you so late. I was missing a file and wanted to see if you might have it here.”
“Uh, maybe?” Marshall replied.
Marshall waved her into the grand, airy space.
“I hadn’t seen you all day and noticed your lights were on. I hope that’s okay.”
It was a large kitchen and living room combination space with a clean, modern look.
White overstuffed sofas and a glass-covered wicker coffee table.
A large antique wagon wheel on the white wall, plush, patterned blue and gray carpet.
She followed him to the large kitchen island, where he grabbed his drink and took a sip, leaning against the granite countertop.
“I thought I gave you all the files I have,” he said. “Hang on.”
He walked around the island and opened the cupboard to pull out a glass matching his. Showing her the glass with a lifted brow, she nodded, and he poured her a couple fingers of bourbon.
“Well, I was looking through the ones you gave me and matching them up to the ledger entries. I wanted to make sure I had all the information before starting to dig in. I see records of sales and payments from a company called Lorimer Fertilizers, but no corresponding information. Is it on a different computer? Could be it’s not printed up, maybe?
” Colette said, tilting her glass to sip her bourbon.
She shivered as the drink sent flames licking down her throat, then warmth to the tips of her still freezing fingers.
Clutching the glass to her chest, she watched as Marshall rubbed his beard.
She couldn’t help but rest her gaze on his lips, soft and sensuous.
It was hard for her to disguise the interest in her gaze.
He was fascinating. In her normal life, she was used to making moves and being bold with men.
Those moves got her someone to warm her bed after a night at the bar, but not much else.
Her friends were accustomed to ghosting guys, but she was more on the receiving end of the vanishing suitor.
Perhaps she wasn’t the ideal candidate for a long-term relationship and was therefore overlooked.
But she kept trying, hoping someone, someday, would stick around for more than just a moment.
Marshall could never be that someone. Of that she was certain.
Never mind his Playboy reputation as described by Simone, which instantly made him a candidate she should avoid.
With Marshall, something inside her said stop.
Bright lights flickering around a DANGER sign.
He was bad news for several reasons. The most important being that he was the grandson of her boss.
The second being that she wasn’t in the mood to start something that would have an expiration date.
Most of her relationships did. Flings offered little comfort and left her feeling hollow.
She had grown to hate the emptiness, opting for an engaging romance novel and a vibrator to fulfill that need.
There was no emotional connection, but she was saved from the pain of caring for someone who considered her disposable.
Any relationship with Marshall would have a time limit.
In this case, the duration of her contract.
Nowhere in her plan was staying at the ranch an option. This job was a move to better her life. In the city.
She rubbed her arms to stave off the chill that had seeped into her bones. Marshall’s eyes slid to her hands, and he stopped stroking his beard.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“It’s a little chilly. I’m not quite warmed up from walking here.”
“I can help with that,” Marshall said, disappearing up the wide staircase.
She took advantage of being alone to peer down the main floor hallway, which seemed to lead to some bedrooms, maybe?
An office? The wide plank floors in a rich dark chestnut led into a dark abyss.
This house was huge. It had to be, to fit all the family at the same time.
“Here,” Marshall said breathlessly, handing her a thick wool sweater.
“This is so cozy. Did your grandmother knit it or something?” she asked, tucking her arms into the heavenly knit.
Marshall chuckled. “She would rather die than do any crafty shit. My mom bought it for me. Follow me,” he said with a wave. “Let’s see if I have those files here.”
Turning on the lights in the darkened hallway, Colette took in the continuing white walls and entered a room with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, a large desk, and various cupboards and cabinets. A thick rug covering the floor provided warmth to the space, which was otherwise stark and minimalistic.
“I usually work from my ranch office, because I can be easily accessible to everyone, but when I’m not feeling it, I use the home office,” Marshall explained.
Colette tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded, leaning against the heavy oak desk. “Do you have extra files in here?”
“I might have some duplicates,” he said as he chewed his bottom lip and opened a filing cabinet. “Lorimer, you said?”
“Lorimer Fertilizers. You’ve done more business with them recently,” she explained, watching him finger the files. He checked each drawer twice, slamming the last one with a grunt.
“Fuck. I can’t see it,” Marshall said, draining his glass and placing it loudly on the desk. He crossed his arms. “I wish I could be more help.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to upset you. I just want to make sure I have all the information,” Colette said, placing a hand on his arm. “I’ll come back tomorrow and go through the cabinet more thoroughly. I know it’s late.”
His gaze slid to her hand, which was enjoying the feel of his dark green flannel shirt beneath her palm.
So what if she stroked her thumb up and down?
There was no harm in that. It was an instinctual movement to provide comfort.
Nothing more. Marshall was staring at her hand as though it was on fire.
She pulled away, tucking her hand inside the sweater sleeve.
“I should go,” she said, turning on her heel and walking from the room. “It’ll turn up. I’ll look harder. Sometimes it’s hard to find things on the server if the file has a particular name.”
Her pace picked up as she headed toward the door.
“Colette, wait,” he called from the hallway. “Hang on. I’m not mad.”
“Well, you look mad,” she replied and clenched her teeth, brows drawn in concern.
“I feel like an idiot. All I had to do was keep track of the finances while we waited for a replacement for our last bookkeeper, and I couldn’t even do that.
My incompetence glares at me every time you find something I messed up.
I’m sorry.” He pulled on her sleeve to get the thick sweater arm to cover her wrists.
It was a comforting gesture that left her even more confused.
“You’re not an idiot, Marshall. I’m sure it’s just misplaced.
Once I get access to all the computer files, I’ll find it,” she reassured, unable to resist placing her hand on his arm again and feeling the heat radiating from his muscular biceps.
“I can never resist a mystery.” Her breath shuddered in her chest. It pained her to think she was making Marshall question his intelligence.
He huffed. “Don’t make excuses for me. I screwed up and I know it.”
She hazarded a glance into his eyes, and her breath caught. Swallowing thickly, she squeezed his arm and let go, pulling away before she got lost in his mesmerizing gaze. Clearing her throat, she felt for the knob on the door behind her and turned, breaking the spell.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said with a half-smile, a burst of cool evening air pulling her out of her haze.
“You won’t. We’ll be off early, working with Dr. Moore, the veterinarian. He’s coming to do checkups on the herd. But you can enter the house whenever. We don’t use locks here; it’s safe. Let me walk you back,” he said, pulling a jacket off a nearby hook. “I know you don’t like the dark.”
Nodding silently, Colette stepped out into the night.
They walked in silence; Colette huddled in her sweater against the chill evening breeze.
She was glad he couldn’t see her face, because she was smiling.
On the way to the main house, she had run to avoid being out in the dark too long.
The sound of his breath huffing next to her was a comforting caress, the heat of his thick wool sweater, like a hug.
Despite her misgivings about Marshall, his presence was reassuring. When he was near, she felt safer.
When she arrived at the concrete stoop, Marshall’s gaze lingered on her back as she opened the guest house door. She should probably return his sweater, but something inside her protested the loss of heat. The emptiness of the darkened kitchen and living room wrapped around her. She turned.
“See? I do turn the lights off sometimes. Have a good night, Marshall,” she said with a laugh, running her hand along the wall for the light switch.
Stepping up behind her, Marshall reached into the house, and Colette froze, the proximity of their bodies making her unable to react or move.
He passed behind her and found the switch immediately, and relief flooded her chest as the room filled with light.
A hot blush burned her cheeks. Of course he wasn’t making a move on her.
Marshall was chasing away the shadows.