Taffeta & Hotspur

She sighed and wondered if Chase MacAdams was out walking his foothills. Where would he be? He only owned one thousand acres …

She returned to the front oak door and peered through its long, wood-paned side window. She put her hands on her jean-covered hips and turned to look down the long winding driveway.

“Well,” she told the wind. “No one home … so I guess I’ll leave it for another day?” As she walked towards her rental, her hips swayed and her provocative body moved gracefully. She fished in her pocket for her keys and stopped as she heard a sound in the woods that flanked and stretched upwards along the driveway.

* * *

Chase licked his lips as he watched her; she stirred a sudden, strong desire in his loins. She was a beauty, and he liked the way she moved. There was almost a stealth to her style. He watched her as she went to his garage, and he saw her delicate dark brows as they drew together. Who the hell was she?

He hurried the remainder of the way and entered his home through the back door. He threw on a pair of jeans and a black T and slipped into his Gucci boots, smiling to himself, for he had always enjoyed high fashion.

He opened his door wide. Her back was to him as she still stood by her rental and scanned the driveway. He said, “May I help you?”

She turned, and he almost sucked in air. She was breathtaking. At a distance he had not realized how incredibly beautiful she was. Her black, silky hair blew across her face, and as she brushed it away and smiled at him, he felt his hard-on throb in his jeans, making him damned uncomfortable. Then she spoke, and the sound of her voice sent shivers through his body.

“Oh, you are here …”

“So I am,” he said in his Old World Scottish accent and had the satisfaction of watching her eyes look him over with what he thought was sure appreciation. Oh, och aye, this was going to be a good day. “Aye, then …” he said and stood aside as he inclined his head and offered, “Would you like to come in out of the cold, lass?”

She laughed and said, “Yes, thank you. It is cold—I didn’t realize it would be quite this cold in your Highlands, and I don’t think this little jacket is doing the trick.”

He looked at the little brown, waist-length soft leather jacket and noticed the fullness of her breasts as his eyelids half closed. He asked, “American?”

* * *

“Yup, that’s me … American … Native American in fact, on my mother’s side.” She had closed the distance between them and stepped into the central hall. A quick glance showed her a modern ‘log cabin—mansion styled’ home. Everything was in rich wood and stone, and it was warm and inviting. She put out her hand and said, “Hi … I’m Roxie MacBran, and your solicitor said you would be expecting me?” She tilted her head.

“Tom said that?” He frowned and turned to the round table sitting in the middle of hallway where a stack of mail he had picked up still sat. He went to it and sorted through until he found what he was looking for and slapped it across his hand, “Ah …” He smiled at her. “Save us some time … Miss MacBran, why are you here?”

“To fill the position of gatekeeper,” she answered with self assurance.

He stopped dead in his tracks and shook his head. “Noo … Oh, I don’t think so.”

“But you haven’t even looked at my references … They should be in that envelope.” She pointed to the letter he was still holding.

“I was looking for a man,” he answered roundly.

“But I am fully qualified. I have a gun license, and I know how to use one. I am a black belt and—”

“Just what do you think being a gatekeeper involves? I don’t need protection or that kind of a guard. I just need someone to man—the key word being ‘man’—my gate at the beginning of my drive. People have a habit of sometimes driving in, parking along my driveway, and using my woods for camping. I need that to stop … and there is more of it during the spring and summer months.”

“If that is all you want, an automatic gate is all you need.”

“If no one is about, they park outside the gate and tramp on up—”

“Then I am the one for the job. No one will tramp on up while I am on duty,” she said firmly.

“Yes, but—”

“But what?”

“Why would you want the job? It can be lonely here in the Highlands.”

“You have a village nearby where I’m sure I can find a pub and make some friends, and there is Inverness on my days off.”

He frowned and made a circle, came right up to her, and leaned in close. As his six-foot-something towered over her five-foot-five, he said, “I doona think it is a good idea for a woman to live alone … up here away from … the world.”

“As I said,” she answered softly, looking up into his gold eyes until she thought she could feel his heart beating between them, “I know how to take care of myself, and I need this job.”