Nine Months. Beverly Barton

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      “What?”

      “I said, you must be thinking about a guy.”

      “Well, to be honest, I was.”

      “Not weaving fantasies about your new boss, are you? I understand from Greg that L.J. has a cardinal rule about not dating his employees.”

      “Oh, no, I can assure you that I haven’t set my sights on Mr. Montgomery,” Paige said. “I was thinking about a cowboy I met Friday night. When the power went out.”

      “Oh. We’ll have to go to lunch together.” Kay grabbed Paige’s arm. “You can tell me all the delicious details.”

      The inner office door swung open and two men emerged from L. J. Montgomery’s office. Paige looked up to see Greg Addison.

      “Well, here they are,” Greg said. “Ms. Thompson, my assistant, and Ms. Summers, your administrative assistant.”

      “Ms. Thompson.” The man smiled at Kay.

      Paige’s stomach tightened into painful knots. She recognized that voice. She looked at the man standing beside Greg Addison, and for one heart-stopping moment, she thought she was going to faint.

      “And this must be—” Jared glared at her, his mouth agape.

      “Mr. Montgomery?” Paige spoke his name in a strained squeak.

      Grabbing Paige’s arm, Jared jerked her toward him. “Come with me, please, Ms. Summers.”

      She allowed him to drag her into his office, leaving behind Greg and Kay. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw the startled looks on their faces. Jared slammed the door.

      “You’re my assistant?” Jared settled his hands on his hips and glared at her. “You?”

      Paige looked at the harsh, stern man and wondered if she had lost her mind. This couldn’t be happening. He was the same man she’d made love with in the elevator—and yet he wasn’t. Jared, her Friday night lover, had been a cowboy in a Stetson, boots and jeans. L. J. Montgomery wore an expensive suit, silk tie and linen shirt.

      “Why were you dressed like a cowboy Friday evening?” she asked.

      “I’d just flown in from my ranch in Texas,” he said. “Besides, I don’t wear suits all the time. What about you? Why didn’t you tell me you’d just been hired as my administrative assistant?”

      “I didn’t know who you were! I had no idea you were L. J. Montgomery.”

      “Sit down.” He pulled up a chair and placed it in front of his desk. “We’re caught in a rather awkward situation here, aren’t we?”

      That was the understatement of the year, she thought as she continued standing there staring at him. He was going to fire her, here and now. She was just about to lose the best job she’d ever had before she even started work. “I’ll save you the trouble of asking me to leave. I’ll get my purse off my desk and—”

      “I’m not going to fire you,” he said, then pointed to the chair. “Please, Ms. Summers…Paige, sit down.”

      Reluctantly, she sat, her back ramrod straight.

      “I know that we both assumed we’d never meet again,” he said. “But…we have.”

      “Yes, we have.” Paige was torn between her delight at seeing Jared again and her misery over the fact that he had turned out to be L. J. Montgomery. Her boss! One of the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen in the Southwest.

      “Look, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason you can’t keep this job.” Jared eased his rear down on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “What happened between us Friday night was a one-time-only thing. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have happened. And it’ll never happen again.”

      “I’m not sure I could work for you after what happened,” she said. Not now that I think I might already be halfway in love with you.

      “Look, Paige, you obviously need this job or you wouldn’t have applied for it.” Jared uncrossed his arms and stuck his hands in his pockets. “A job like this one, with all the benefits, doesn’t come along every day. It wouldn’t be fair to ask you to give it up just because of what happened. And I don’t date my employees. It’s one of my cardinal rules. One I never break.”

      “But don’t you think it might be a little embarrassing, our working together every day?”

      “There’s no reason why it has to be. We’ll just put the Friday night incident in the past, where it belongs. And it’s not as if you’ll even see me that often. I probably won’t be back to Colorado for several months.”

      “I know. Mr. Addison explained about your work schedule when he hired me.”

      “Then there shouldn’t be a problem.” Jared eased off his desk. “Honey, we’re a couple of adults. It wasn’t the first time for either of us. These things happen.”

      They don’t happen to me, she wanted to say, but didn’t. Instead she said, “You’re right, Mr. Montgomery. It would be stupid of me to let what happened between us make me give up a wonderful job.”

      “Then you’ll stay on here at Montgomery Real Estate and Land Development?”

      “Yes, I’ll stay.” As long as he wasn’t around every day, she’d be fine. And when he was in town, she’d just have to find a way to manage.

      “Then we have a deal, Ms. Summers. We’re going to pretend Friday night never happened.” Jared held out his hand. “And you’re going to stay on as my administrative assistant.”

      She didn’t want to touch him. But she had no choice. If she didn’t accept his handshake, he’d know she was afraid. Willing herself not to tremble, she put her hand in his. Her insides melted. All she wanted to do was wrap herself around him and ask him to hold her close forever.

      * * *

      That had been the last time Paige had seen him. Four months ago. And in those four months her life had changed forever. She had longed for Jared to return and tell her that his rejection had been a mistake, that he still wanted her as much as he had the night they’d shared such unparalleled passion in the elevator.

      Now Paige realized that once she had discovered L. J. Montgomery and her lover, Jared, were one in the same, she should have given up her job as his administrative assistant. She could have found something with another firm. After all, she had a business degree and nearly four years’ experience. If only she’d done the smart thing, she wouldn’t have had to endure talking to him on the phone, which always prompted her to dream about him. And she wouldn’t now be facing the prospect of his imminent return. But jobs that paid the salary she received at Montgomery’s and companies that provided such excellent employee benefits were few and far between.

      And now that she was in this situation, she desperately needed her good insurance to pay the doctor and hospital bills.

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