Page 2 of Fool's Gold

She frowned, her chin rising defiantly. "I can see you're not surprised to see me. Rose must have filled you in on our conversation."

"That's right." He kept a tight rein on his reaction as he watched the play of emotions across her expressive face, yearning for what might have been intrigue, but mostly of pain. He wanted to kick himself for having hurt her, even though he still didn’t know what he’d done, why she’d run. That was the first thing he’d have to fix. "So, you want to sign on as my housekeeper. Have you got any references?"

"It's no joking matter, Rafe." She scowled at him. "To put it bluntly, I've come to save your reputation. Now, do you want my help or not?"

He slowly got to his feet, feeling her simmering resentment. But he felt something else, as well—the unrequited passion that hung between them. He walked past her, smirking at her sharp indrawn breath as he brushed by her and opened the door.

"Why don't we take this inside, wife? There's no need to give the hands more food for gossip."

She nodded and briskly walked through, Rafe at her heels.

"Let's go into the study," he directed.

He followed her. The door clicked shut behind him with a soft finality.

Her shoulders tensed before she turned to face him, her expression enigmatic.

He hastened to relieve her mind. "Don't worry. There aren't going to be any tearful recriminations. I'm willing to let bygones be bygones."

She wrinkled her nose. "That's very generous of you. As you know, I've heard about your alleged problems. I've come to offer you a deal."

"Do tell." He straightened and sauntered toward her.

She backed away, coming to rest against his desk.

Rafe caught a whiff of her scent again. Strawberries and butterscotch. His mouth watered, and his senses went into overload.

She drew a shaky breath. The pulse flickered at the base of her throat, and he recalled how she dabbed herself with perfume there. He was ever so tempted to nuzzle that sweet spot. Brought him right back to the moment they’d met when he saved her from a blizzard. She was close to being buried in an avalanche, but she was so focused on the wolves she was taking pictures of, she’d been oblivious to the danger. He’d dismounted, scaring off the wolves, when she spun to scold him. Their eyes met, and he’d been well and truly smitten. Lone wolf confirmed bachelor. Her pure spunk, her love of life had intrigued him. They’d both holed up in a line cabin until the storm passed, and by then, they were mated and soon married.

She gulped. "Yes, I've heard you've been having some problems since we split."

"You mean since you tore out of here on our wedding night like your tail was on fire?" He closed the gap between them, put his hands on her waist, and lifted her onto the desk.

She gasped, and he smiled, pleased by her response. Oh yes, she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. He couldn't help focusing on her slightly parted lips. It brought back memories of when he'd tasted that intriguing line.

She shimmied back on the desk surface and smoothed her skirt. "Stop that! I didn't come here to be manhandled. As I said, I'm prepared to help you under certain conditions..."

"What's in it for you?"

She hesitated, biting her lip. "My editor has been clamoring for the series I started shooting. I could finish it in addition to my housekeeping duties."

"Hmm..." He slid his index finger along her smooth calf, drawing an outraged glower from her.

She shook her hair back over her shoulder. What would it look like spread out on his pillow? That he'd never found out was one of his many regrets. He intended to rectify the error soon.

"So, we both win. That's generous of you, wife. Just what did you have in mind?"

"As I said, I've returned to save your reputation. I'll fill in for Rose for the next two weeks, and people will assume we've gotten back together. The talk will die down. I'll finish my series, and then I can quietly slip out of town."

He frowned at her eager tone. Could she dismiss him that easily? "Just like that, huh?"

She quickly added, "Of course, there can't be any intimacy between us."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. We have a natural attraction, just like a couple of magnets."

"You don't love me." She glared at him. "This attraction you mention is meaningless. What we had was just physical on your part. Sooner or later, it'll go away."

He frowned as his suspicions were confirmed. "So, that's why you left. Because I didn't give you the words."

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