His Marriage Pact: The Rancher's Marriage Pact / The Rancher's One-Week Wife / Terms of a Texas Marriage. Kathie DeNoskyЧитать онлайн книгу.
“I’m primarily a vegetarian.”
“I’m strictly a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy.”
What a shocker. “I won’t judge your food preferences if you won’t judge mine.”
“Agreed.” He took off his hat to place it brim up on the desk, then forked a hand through his dark brown hair that worked well with those deadly blue eyes. “If you’re a beautician, I don’t need one. Just a quick round with the clippers and I’m good to go.”
Yes, he was. Good enough to go anywhere he might want to take her. “No, I’m not a hairstylist. Do you give up now?”
“Yep. I’m all out of guesses.”
The time had come to lay all her cards on the table, less a few secrets he didn’t need to know. “I’m a commercial interior designer.” Disgraced designer.
“No kidding?” he said, sounding somewhat awed over the admission.
“No kidding. And that’s why I’m here. I wanted to speak to you about—”
“Hey, Dallas, I’m about to head out.”
Paris shifted in her seat to see a young, buff blond guy filling the doorway. Aside from the tattered jeans and worn cowboy boots, he looked more surfer than rancher. Or body builder in light of the fit of the lime-green T-shirt hugging his muscled arms and torso.
“Where are you going now?” Dallas asked, looking and sounding none too pleased.
“To the beach for the weekend,” the stranger replied as he strode to the wet bar.
Aha! Paris had pegged him right on his surfer status, though she still didn’t know his relationship to the Calloways. He certainly didn’t resemble Dallas.
“Did you talk to Fort yet, Worth?” Dallas asked.
“I called him,” the man with the unusual name said as he pulled a soda from the fridge and popped it open. “But he’s still pissed I left him high and dry and came here. He refuses to call me back.”
“Figures,” Dallas muttered. “By the way, does Houston know you’re leaving?”
“Yeah, and Austin’s agreed to hang around in case any of the heifers calve.”
“That’s good because Tyler’s going to be gone until Monday.”
Paris felt as though she’d just gone on a Cities of Texas tour. Without further hesitation, she stood to face Surfer Worth and smiled, bent on introducing herself since her potential boss evidently wasn’t going to do the honors. “Hi, my name is Paris Reynolds.”
Worth grinned and shook her extended hand, revealing the same dimple Dallas sported. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Are you a friend of my big brother’s?”
That confirmed her supposition that he was a Calloway sibling, although she couldn’t recall any mention of him in any of the press releases she’d recently read. “Actually, we just met today.”
Worth winked. “Well, if he doesn’t treat you right, you’re welcome to come to Padre Island with me. I’m a helluva lot more fun.”
And way too young for her, Paris decided. Plus, she had always been attracted to brown-haired men, like the one seated not far away.
Dallas pointed at the door. “Get out, Worthless. Ms. Reynolds doesn’t need you coming on to her.”
Worth backed toward the exit with hands held up, palms forward. “All right. And when you find out where the hell you left your sense of humor, let me know.”
With that, the younger Calloway son winked at Paris again before striding out of the room.
“I apologize for his behavior,” Dallas said as he resumed holding cowboy court from his place behind the desk.
Paris dropped back down into her designated chair. “No need. He seems relatively harmless.”
“He’s a skirt chaser, according to his mother, and I’ve seen more than enough evidence of that fact.”
The identity of Worth’s mother didn’t require a lot of guessing. “Is that Jenny?”
“Yeah, my father’s third wife. Maria is the second.”
“And your mother is?”
Dallas’s gaze drifted away for a moment. “Gone. She died when I was pretty young.”
“I’m sorry, Dallas.” And she sincerely was. “I’m sure that’s been really difficult for you.”
“Not so much,” he said. “I barely remember her. Now let’s get back to the reason why you’re here.”
Being summarily dismissed wasn’t all that surprising to Paris. Most men clammed up when it came to emotional issues, including her own father. “Well, as I was saying, I’m a commercial interior designer, and since it’s apparent you’ll need my services soon, I’m here to apply for the position.”
He frowned. “Why do you believe I need an interior decorator?”
She wasn’t certain if he was kidding, or he really didn’t have a clue. “Look, I saw an article in the San Antonio paper about this Texas Extreme project and how you’re going to cater to people who want to enjoy the whole high-risk rodeo experience.” Though she couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to do that. “I also read about your plans to build a lodge to house your guests, and that’s where I come in. I would like the opportunity to oversee the design of that lodge.”
“We haven’t even broken ground yet,” he said. “In fact, we haven’t seen the final plans from the architect.”
That could definitely work to her advantage. “All the better. If I’m involved in the beginning, then I can make suggestions that will only enhance the guests’ experience. I have extensive knowledge in hotel design. I have a strong attention to detail and—”
“Ms. Reynolds—”
“Paris.”
“Okay, Paris, first of all, these guests are wannabe cowboys. They don’t need a fancy room. They only need a bunk and a bathroom. Hell, they might be satisfied with an outhouse and a creek.”
The thought made her shudder. Yet he had made a good point, darn it. Still... “What if some of them want to bring their wives? Women have much higher standards. What if some of the wives or girlfriends want to participate, too?”
He mulled that over a moment before addressing her again. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
Now she was getting somewhere. “Have you given any consideration to the kitchen? You are having one installed, aren’t you? Or will you be roasting marshmallows and wieners?”
He favored her with a sexy grin. “That’s a thought.”
“Seriously? A wiener roast for every meal?”
“Maybe that’s not a great idea. But the kitchen doesn’t have to be all that elaborate. Just the basics.”
He truly didn’t grasp the concept of hospitality. “How many people do you plan to house at one time?”
“Fifty if we’re at capacity, but we want to be able to accommodate more in the future.”
“Feeding fifty hungry men and/or women will require more than a four-burner stove, a side-by-side refrigerator and a single oven. You’ll need commercial-grade appliances, plenty of prep space—”
“I understand what you’re saying,” he said, effectively cutting her off. “But we don’t plan to open for business for a year, maybe longer if we can’t get all the facilities set up by then. Not only do we have to build the lodge, we have to build a new arena and catch pens, plus a first-aid station and acquire rodeo stock.