The Texan's Reluctant Bride. Judy Christenberry

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      Chapter One

      Thomasina Tyler pasted her most charming smile on her face, smoothed down the jacket of her best suit and opened the door to her boss’s office.

      “Ah, Tommie, come in,” Isabel Landon said. “I’ve been telling Mr. Schofield all about you.”

      Tommie turned to the gentleman who had risen to his feet as she entered the office, her hand extended. But when she got her first look at the president of the prestigious Boston software company that was moving to Fort Worth, she almost fell off her three-inch heels.

      “How do you do, Mr. Schofield,” she managed to eke out, hiding her surprise. Peter Schofield was handsome and young and tall. Even wearing heels, she came up only to his mouth. To his perfectly formed lips. He wore a navy suit that was fitted to him like a second skin, no doubt hand-tailored to accentuate his broad shoulders and lean hips. The taupe shirt brought out the gold in his hazel eyes, and his dark hair was short and styled, probably at the best salon in New England. When he smiled at her and his eyes glittered, she almost forgot why she was there. Almost.

      Isabel helped bring her to her senses. “Tommie is one of the best Realtors in Fort Worth. I’m sure she’ll be able to find you the ideal area for your relocation as well as the perfect houses for you and all your executives.”

      Tommie’s smile widened even more as she considered the future working with this incredible male specimen. “Please come with me to my office and we’ll get started on your relocation at once,” she said, gesturing to the door.

      “With pleasure…” He hesitated, then asked, “May I call you Tommie?”

      “Of course.”

      Isabel had warned her about the upcoming interview and Tommie had thoroughly prepared for it. Too bad her boss hadn’t warned her about the man himself, she thought. Nevertheless, in her office she had several areas of town picked out with the advantages of each listed for him to consider. Of course, since Mr. Schofield had grown up in Fort Worth, he might already be familiar with the demographics.

      Tommie took another quick look over her shoulder at the transplanted Texan. Forget the beef, the beer, the country music, even the presidents—Peter Schofield was the best thing Texas had ever exported!

      Smoothing out her red power suit, she reined in her errant thoughts and reached out to open her office door. Her client beat her to it, holding it open for her to precede him.

      “Mrs. Landon assures me you’re quite experienced…but you look about eighteen years old,” he said on a short but pleasant-sounding laugh.

      Tommie was surprised by her lack of indignation. “Let me put your mind to rest, Mr. Schofield. I’ve been doing this for five years and I’ve won numerous sales awards.” She gestured to the plaques adorning the walls of her office, which was smaller but no less neat and nicely appointed as Isabel’s. “And for the record, I’m twenty-six.” She sat down behind her desk and pulled out some papers. “The same is true on my part. I expected a grizzled older man who’d fought his battles for years to own his own company. You scarcely have a wrinkle.”

      He grinned. “I enjoy my work.”

      He volunteered no vital statistics, though Tommie suspected he couldn’t be beyond his early thirties. She immediately got down to business. “On this map of Fort Worth I’ve targeted three areas that I think you might like. The blue area is located near Texas Christian University. It has a mixture of old and new housing. It’s centrally located and has good schools and shopping. The yellow area—” She looked up to find Mr. Schofield staring at her, not the map.

      “Is something wrong?”

      “No, not at all. Why would you ask that?”

      “You weren’t looking at the map.” In fact, his eyes continued to peer into her own, making her extremely uncomfortable.

      “Oh, I was just distracted,” he said matter-of-factly. “By your beautiful voice.” He cleared his throat and continued without skipping a beat, though her heart had suddenly decided to skip a few. “I’m familiar with Fort Worth. I was born and raised here. Area C is my choice.”

      “I knew you grew up here, but I wasn’t sure you’d selected a particular location yet.”

      “Yes, I should have told Isabel, but I wasn’t positive until I got back home.” He looked at her, an apologetic expression on his face.

      “I guess I don’t have to tell you the advantages of the area, then.”

      He shook his head, then reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a sheaf of papers. “These are the wish lists from the executives who are making the move. I’m afraid they know nothing of Fort Worth, but I thought the information would help you find houses to fit their needs.”

      “Thank you so much. You’re making my job much easier.”

      “And more efficient, I hope.”

      “So I’m assuming time is of the essence?”

      He nodded, and the friendly client instantly transformed to a diligent boss. “The sooner we all get settled, the sooner we’ll be back at work.”

      “Very well. Would you like to start looking for your own house first? Or shall I line up houses for your staff?”

      “Let’s start with me. The others won’t be flying in until next week. I’d like to be settled by then.”

      Tommie thought he was being overly optimistic, but she wasn’t going to say anything to discourage him. “I understand. Shall we meet at, say, ten o’clock tomorrow morning? I’ll have a list of homes for you to see then.”

      “Let’s meet at nine and I’ll buy you breakfast,” he countered.

      “Fine. Tell me your hotel and I’ll pick you up there.”

      “I’m not staying in a hotel. My mother insisted I stay with her. Here’s the address.” He leaned in and adopted a conspiratorial tone. “I love the woman, but I can assure you I’m highly motivated to get a place of my own.”

      Tommie’s lips trembled with laughter. She understood exactly what he meant.

      Pete found himself smiling the rest of the day as he thought about his Realtor. When Isabel Landon had told him his company move would be handled by Tommie Tyler, Pete had pictured a smarmy salesman and had worried about how he and his executives would work with the man.

      Then the door had opened and Tommie Tyler had entered. He figured he’d be seeing the woman in his dreams. She was a beauty. And she’d done her homework. He’d looked at the areas she’d chosen, knowing any of the three would’ve been fine. He’d chosen the third because his mother and brother lived nearby.

      He’d been planning to return to Texas a few years down the road, but he’d pushed up his schedule because of his mother’s health. After all, it wasn’t fair to leave his brother with all the responsibility.