Page 9 of The Bride's Desire

He put the plates into the already full sink and grabbed her bag.

“I’m going to put you upstairs…”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I can sleep on a sofa.”

He snorted. “You will not sleep on a sofa when we have six bedrooms. I’ll put you in the one I know is clean or had been clean four months ago.”

“Who’s been taking care of you?”

He wanted to laugh because although he was an adult and could take care of a house, he’d been too busy to do so and had let it turn into a pigsty.

“No one,” he said.

“Will I be leaving in the morning?”

He shook his head as he put her suitcase down on the bed.

“No. Don’t ever tell my mother, but she’s right,” he said and laughed. “I’ve been too busy to socialize, and my dream is to have a family. I think for the time being if you’d like to take the job as housekeeper while we get to know one another, that would be great. How does that sound?”

“I’d like that. Is there anything special you’d like me to do?”

He shook his head. “No. I think you’ll see what needs attention if you look around.”

“Will you want breakfast?”

“No. I’ve been eating at the shack.”

“Shack?”

“It’s where the men are fed every day.”

“What about lunch or dinner?”

“It’s the busy season, so I’ll not take the time to come up to the house for lunch, but dinner would be wonderful. Can you cook?”

“Yes, or well, I used to. It’s been a while, but I think I’ll be okay.”

“I don’t want you to stress about it. If you want to take a couple of days to relax, you can.”

She shook her head. “After a good night’s sleep, I should be fine.”

“Okay, just don’t push it.”

She shook her head.

“Okay. Night.”

He heard her soft reply as he closed her door. He walked across the hall, brushed his teeth, stripped, and fell into bed.

He just knew sooner rather than later that it would be pure torture having her in the house and not being able to touch her. He’d make a concerted effort to get to know her because his mom was right. Dammit, she’d picked a woman he would have himself. He’d never admit it to her, though. God, he’d never live it down if his mother knew.

He stared at the ceiling for a long time, unable to sleep. The thought of one of the prettiest women he’d ever seen in the shower, feet from his bed, was slowly driving him insane. He knew there wasn’t anything he could do about it, so he tried to think of the chores that needed to be done the next day.

That worked until he finally gave in to exhaustion, fell into a fitful sleep, and dreamed about her.

Chapter Five

Naomi tossed and turned all night. She didn’t think it was due to nerves, being in a strange house with a man she didn’t know. It felt more like excitement.

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