Drawing Hearts. J.M. Jeffries
a cowgirl. If I’m going to dress like this, I’m going to know how to flaunt it.”
She sported the look just fine in his estimation. He felt a huge thud in the area of his heart and for the first time in his life he was willing to fall into lust. Oh, hell, he was going to fall in lust with her.
No. No. He didn’t have time to be in...whatever. He still had his life to figure out and her software problem. He went back to contemplating how he would fix her software...or her.
He turned back to the computer. He felt her behind him, the heat of her body like a solar flare. “You’re hovering,” he said, half turning to glare at her.
“I’m fascinated by what you’re doing.”
“I’m just playing to see where the glitches are. I don’t have my applications here to start working on the fix. I’m going to need your laptop for a couple hours.”
“I’ll be gone for a couple hours. Take all the time you need.”
He nodded and closed the laptop, tucking it under his arm. “You know, I’ll have access to everything on your laptop. I’ll know all your deepest, darkest secrets.” He’d already figured out she had no password protection set up.
She laughed. “Yeah. You’re going to find out I play Warhammer.”
That surprised him. “So do I.” He’d never met a woman who liked adventure gaming.
She tilted her head at him. “We’ll have to team up some day. You, me and my brothers. They get pretty intense.”
He had the feeling she could best them all.
He walked to the door and she opened it to let him out. She leaned against the edge of the door and gave him a smile that practically melted his insides.
“You’re not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?” he asked.
“Horn-rimmed glasses, plaid shirt and socially awkward.”
His eyebrows rose. Ten years ago he’d been exactly that—horn-rimmed glasses, plaid shirt and socially awkward. Laser surgery corrected his vision, a stylist helped with his wardrobe and experience conquered his awkwardness. He knew he tended to be introspective, but having millions in the bank had made him a target for women who had been throwing themselves at him for years, and he’d become adept at recognizing and avoiding them. “I’m sorry I wasn’t what you imagined.”
“You’re better.” She grinned mischievously, a flirting sparkle in her eyes.
Again, he felt a tug on his heart. He didn’t know how to respond to that. He liked her directness, but unpredictability lurked behind her dark eyes. He held up the laptop. “Hopefully I’ll have this ready for you when you get back from your lesson.” Or not. He wondered how long he could drag out fixing her software just so he could be near her. He wanted to be near her.
* * *
Kenzie watched him walk down the hall toward his suite. She really had expected geek extraordinaire. The fact that Reed Watson was a very handsome man made her tingle. She wanted to run her hands through his shaggy blond hair and kiss him. She’d never been attracted so strongly to a man on a first meeting.
Not even Sam. He’d worked his way up through the executive ranks at Saks and eventually landed as the director of marketing. They’d had a lovely time over the years, but Sam wasn’t into commitment. He’d been quite emphatic about making sure she understood his feelings from the beginning.
Sam had warned her she’d hate Reno and he wasn’t giving up his job to follow her. How could she back away from her career for a backwater town when she’d been all over the world and seen the best fashion the world had to offer? He was wrong. In the time she’d been in Reno, she’d come to love it. The town wasn’t jaded or as self-important as Vegas. Reno knew what it was and reveled in its frontier-town mentality.
Anything was possible. Look at Miss E., Kenzie’s grandmother. She’d taken a classic hotel and casino and made it new again. She’d got her family back together, and no one was unhappy. Hunter and Lydia were having a baby. Nina and Scott would be getting married soon. Donovan and Hendrix were cooking up a storm. Even though she was the odd one out, she was used to being the only girl. Besides, she wasn’t ready to settle down.
Her cell phone rang and she went back into her suite to answer it. Rapid French overwhelmed her.
“Slow down, Monique. What is going on?” Monique Benoit designed her own line of casual wear that had grown very popular over the past few years. Kenzie had discovered her and suggested that Saks offer her a contract for her designs. She’d always been able to spot the up-and-coming designers and talk stores into showcasing their lines.
“That woman,” Monique snarled. “I hate her.”
“What woman?” Kenzie cradled the phone against her ear with her shoulder while she poured herself a glass of iced tea.
“That Anna. The one who replaced you. I cannot work with her. She is an...an imbecile.”
“She came highly recommended.” Sam had campaigned for the store to hire her, replacing Kenzie. “I’m sorry she’s not working out with you.”
“She is not you, Kenzie.”
“I’m sure she’ll work out if you give her some time.”
“I don’t know,” Monique said, her tone resigned. “I like working with you.”
“And I with you. Your clothes are selling well here.” Kenzie had opened a small store in the hotel spa for Monique’s line. “I know it’s not like having your lines in Saks, but Reno is growing. I think you should consider expanding your lines with your own stores.”
“I think on it, but I’m not ready yet. I have no...worries about you in Reno. It is this Anna I have uncertainties about.”
“She’ll work out, Monique,” Kenzie soothed. “Change requires a period of adjustment. Talk to Sam. I’m sure he’ll help.”
“Maybe.” Monique sounded dispirited.
Kenzie wondered just what Anna was doing that upset Monique so much.
“Come to Reno and play for a week,” Kenzie offered. “I’ll show you around and we’ll explore. There’s some great hiking here.”
Monique, like Kenzie, was a hiker. She would love the mountain trails, the hot springs in unexpected places and the beautiful vistas.
“I will think on that,” Monique said before she hung up.
Kenzie tried not to let her friend’s conversation bog her down. Everyone she’d worked with in New York would adjust to the new buyer. She was sure Anna would work out. She might not have Kenzie’s intuition about things, but she would learn.
Maya sat on her horse as though born to the saddle. Kenzie knew how to ride. As a tween she’d been horse-mad and Miss E. had arranged for her to have riding lessons. For a while as a child, Kenzie had thought about being a cowgirl working on a ranch, but fashion won out.
Maya was turning into a little fashion plate all by herself. She wore black jeans, a pink shirt with red fringe and matching pink boots. A pink Stetson sat on her head. She’d wanted a pink saddle, but her mother, Lydia, had said no.
Kenzie watched Maya race her horse around the barrels. Hector Ibarra, her teacher, sat on the fence, his booted feet hooked around the bottom rail. Patti, Hector’s daughter and Maya’s best friend, sat on her own horse out of the way.
Kenzie wasn’t all that interested in barrel racing; she just wanted to bond with her niece.
“Good time,” Hector called when Maya finished the course. “You’re