Expecting The Rancher's Baby?. KRISTI GOLD

Чтение книги онлайн.

       Two

      The comment robbed Jill of her speech, but only momentarily. “If you’re about to proposition me, you can—”

      “Do you want me to proposition you?”

      She didn’t intend to hesitate even a split second, but she did. “Of course not.”

      “Hey, relax. I have a proposition for you, but I promise it doesn’t involve scooping you up and carrying you into the motel for a little predawn delight.”

      That stirred up a few inadvisable images in her muddled mind. “What a relief.”

      “Besides, that would be tough to do with my hand in a cast,” he said, topping off the comment with a wily wink. He leaned back against the car, as if he had no intention of going anywhere. “First, a couple of questions.”

      So much for getting that snooze any time soon. “All right.”

      “Where is your home base?”

      “Actually, I don’t really have one. At least not a place of my own. I list my permanent address as my parents’ house in Florida.”

      “You travel that much?”

      “Most of the year. I live in hotels and motels and the occasional corporate apartment. I don’t even own a car, so I have to rely on rentals, like that sedan you’re polishing with your behind. Why?”

      He shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “When you were gone earlier, I called Dallas. And when he found out you were with me, he suggested you might be a good candidate for the medical position at Texas Extreme.”

      That threw her for a mental loop. “He’s offering me a job?”

      “He wants to interview you first. It’s my understanding you’d have full control over the medical program, hire anyone you want and make all the decisions.”

      She considered several problems with that setup and prepared to bat all his arguments away like a practiced tennis player. “Thanks, but I like the job I have.”

      “You’d have your own apartment. A brand-new apartment.”

      “I have no problem traveling. Makes life less boring.”

      “He’ll double your salary.”

      He’d just served up a surprise backhand. “How can Dallas promise that if he doesn’t even know how much I get paid?”

      He pushed away from the car and smiled. “Doesn’t matter. We can afford it.”

      That she didn’t doubt. Still, she realized one serious obstacle remained, and she planned to lob it right to him. “No offense, Houston, but I’m not sure I could work for you.”

      “Not a problem. You wouldn’t be working for me. You’d be working for Dallas. Besides, I’ll be back on the circuit before you know it and you won’t have to deal with me.”

      Having Houston’s brother as a boss could be a major concern if Dallas Calloway happened to be as stubborn as his younger sibling. And she would still encounter Houston on a regular basis until he took off again for the next rodeo. That wouldn’t be for another two to three months.

      But double the salary? She’d be foolish not to give it some thought. She might be a bigger fool if she accepted without knowing all the particulars. “Look, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t tempted, but—”

      “I can tempt you even more.”

      Jill reacted to the deep grainy quality of his voice with unwelcome goose bumps. One more reason she should walk away from him and his blasted offer. Maintaining complete professionalism in his presence could be difficult outside the rodeo circuit considering his persistence, the fact that he wouldn’t be her patient and this idiotic attraction to him that had begun to rear its ugly head. “I believe I have enough to make an informed decision, and my answer is—”

      “A ride on a decked-out plane, complete with a fully stocked bar, in case you’re nervous about flying.”

      “I’m not nervous.” The slight tremor in her voice betrayed her, but it had nothing to do with the flight. “I can’t count the times I’ve been on a plane.”

      “A private plane?”

      If he only knew. “Actually, I have.”

      He cracked a crooked smile. “Yeah, but you haven’t been on mine.”

      Why СКАЧАТЬ