Bunking Down with the Boss. Charlene Sands

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      Panicked, she fidgeted again with the extinguisher and cursed the husband who’d left her in this mess, the husband who’d abandoned his wife and child when the going got rough, the husband who had recently died, leaving her a widow. “Damn you, Gil!”

      She didn’t take time to worry about speaking ill of the dead. Since Gil had abandoned his family, nothing much had gone right in her life. She couldn’t help but lay the blame where it seemed to fit. Marrying Gil had been the biggest mistake she’d ever made, yet without him, she wouldn’t have had Annabelle. That was the only good thing he’d ever given her.

      Caroline gave up on the extinguisher, opting to call the fire department instead. Of course, she knew her entire kitchen might burn to the ground before they arrived, but she had little choice.

      And then the choice was taken from her.

      A pair of masculine hands reached out to grab the extinguisher. Stunned, Caroline turned sharply to find him, the man who had caused her sleepless night, standing beside her, taking control.

      “Get back,” Sam Beaumont said, commanding her with a quick nod.

      Caroline stepped back and watched as he pulled the pin and operated the fire extinguisher, putting out the flames with long sweeping motions. He did a thorough job, making sure all the flames were put out, before turning to look at her. “You okay?”

      Numb, she nodded, biting her lip.

      He swept a quick gaze over her body as if he had to make sure himself. She must have passed inspection because he set the extinguisher down and assessed the damage to her cabinets.

      Caroline glanced at her once-tidy kitchen, where just minutes ago everything had been neat and organized. Now, the place looked like a disaster, but her kitchen was still standing, and so was she. “What are you doing here?”

      He turned to face her, his lips quirking up in a charming smile. “Apparently, putting out your fire.”

      Tears stung her eyes, from the smoke and the flames and from the relief she felt at this moment. She gazed into Sam Beaumont’s dark-brown eyes, seeing not the hard man who had refused her yesterday, but a man who appeared genuinely concerned. He’d shown up in the nick of time.

      And Caroline owed him. But he still hadn’t explained what he was doing here.

      “Want to tell me what happened?”

      Caroline shrugged, numbed from the thought of what might have happened. The little appliance mishap might have escalated into a full-blown house fire if Sam Beaumont hadn’t shown up. “I guess the toaster oven overheated. It’s old and I should have known the other day when…it…sparked…that I…” A lump formed in Caroline’s throat. She couldn’t finish her thought.

      Sam took her arm gently and guided her out of the kitchen. “Let’s get away from this smoke.”

      He opened the back door and they both stepped outside. The fresh air was like a balm to her out-of-whack nerves. She breathed in deeply.

      “Wanna sit?” he asked and led her over to the back-porch swing. She sat down, and to her surprise he took a seat right next to her.

      Still reeling in shock, Caroline remained quiet. It had been so long since anyone had taken care of her. So long since she didn’t have to think or make decisions. She needed peace, just for a moment.

      And Sam Beaumont seemed to understand. He sat beside her in silence.

      Morning birds chirped, their song a harmonious cluster of sounds that soothed. Caroline closed her eyes, breathing deeply, listening, fully aware of the man next to her.

      He’d been a major part of the reason she hadn’t slept last night. Since her husband had left nearly two years ago, Caroline hadn’t had any physical contact with a man. She hadn’t been held intimately. She hadn’t been kissed.

      Sam Beaumont had reminded her of all the things she was missing. He’d taken her into his arms, pulled her close and brought his mouth to hers. He’d made her feel feminine and alive with just one kiss. He’d sparked something in her that Caroline had buried a long time ago. She knew she was no longer that young, naive, innocent girl who believed in happily ever after. No, a bad marriage had erased all of those thoughts, but she hadn’t realized that she’d been dry, like an arid desert, wasting her womanhood away.

      Sam Beaumont’s kiss, the look in his eyes, right before their mouths touched, was enough to remind her that she wasn’t just a single mother raising a daughter alone, but a woman, through and through.

      Enough of a woman to realize that the man sitting next to her was sexy as sin. The tight fit of his jeans and the broad expanse of his shoulders hadn’t escaped her.

      “It’s nice out here,” he said.

      Caroline nodded in full agreement, but then she turned to look at him as curiosity set in. She asked once again, “What are you doing here?”

      He didn’t hesitate this time. “I could lie and say I was passing by on my way out of town. That’s what I’d planned on saying. But the truth is, I found your ad in the newspaper and came out here deliberately.”

      “Why?” Caroline asked, realizing she should be concentrating on how to fix her newly burned kitchen cabinets instead of shooting the breeze with Sam Beaumont, but somehow she couldn’t quite tear herself away. She had questions for him and she hoped he would give her the satisfaction of truthful answers.

      “I came here to apologize.”

      “Oh.” It was the last thing she expected him to say. Caroline wasn’t accustomed to having men apologize to her. Gil hadn’t had the civility or manners to do so. His arrogance wouldn’t allow it. Caroline only saw her husband’s good side when he wanted something from her. And sadly, she hadn’t realized his tactics until after he’d abandoned his family. She’d been blinded by love, or what she’d thought was love, and now, as she gazed into Sam Beaumont’s dark eyes, she wondered if she could believe him.

      “I stood behind your door, ready to knock, when I heard the explosion. Then I heard you scream. Your door was open, and, by the way, you should keep your doors locked, especially when you’re all alone out here. The rest is history.”

      Caroline stared out into the morning light, squinting her eyes and holding her breath. “You say you came to apologize?”

      “I was way out of line yesterday. It kept me from sleep last night and I knew I had to make it right.”

      So, she hadn’t been the only one who hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. She felt herself softening to him. It seemed he had scruples and a conscience, but she wasn’t letting him off so easily. She’d learned her lessons the hard way. “I see. So was it your refusal, the kiss or your arrogance that you’re apologizing for?”

      Sam chuckled and lifted up from the swing to lean against the porch post. He faced her squarely. “I deserved that.”

      “I know,” she said, but a smile she couldn’t contain emerged. There was something extremely charming about the man, yet, Caroline wouldn’t let her guard down completely. She stood up to face him. “What I can’t figure is why you kissed me.”

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