The Rancher's Bargain by Joanne Rock

Author:Joanne Rock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-10-12T15:09:49+00:00

Eight

“This is amazing.” Lydia closed her eyes after a bite of the wood-roasted mushrooms midway through their dinner, clearly savoring the experience.

James hadn’t eaten at the Glass House before, but he had to admit he was impressed, too. The farm-to-table restaurant had a tasting menu and he’d talked her into trying it with him so they could see what they liked best. So far, there hadn’t been a bad dish in the lot, each new plate boasting locally farmed fruits and vegetables, plus cheeses made on-site and wines from an extensive cellar. Lydia professed a special love of the mushroom dish, though, even after their waiter had delivered tasting plates of smoked trout, grilled guinea hen and roasted duck.

They sat at a quiet table in the back that overlooked The Bellamy grounds, including an ornamental garden decorated with white lights for the holidays. Inside, a pianist played in the front of the restaurant, the sound pleasantly dulled for conversing thanks to the live plants and potted trees that served as the main decor. Even inside, the Glass House was full of greenery.

“It’s good to see you enjoying yourself since we now know that we both work too hard.” He’d been surprised to realize how long it had been since he’d taken any time for fun when she’d asked him about it earlier.

Lydia sipped her wine, a pinot noir the sommelier had paired for this course.

“I’m very fulfilled by my work,” she said as she replaced her glass on the table near a tray full of white votive candles and interspersed with white poinsettia blooms. “So I’m not sure that I necessarily devote too much time to it. But I could probably balance the job with more fun outlets.”

“And yet your job with the child care facility will be different from what you’ve been doing, right?” he asked, liking the way she’d let her guard down tonight. “Why the change?”

“I thought it would be rewarding to oversee more children. To potentially touch more kids’ lives than I could as a nanny.” She pushed back from the table slightly, crossing her legs in a way that had her calf brush against his for a moment.

Her gaze darted to his, awareness from that touch pinging back and forth between them. Heat rising from even that brief contact. Was she finding it as tough to refrain from more as him? That kiss they’d shared was never far from his mind.

“Yet you’ve been taking care of kids your whole life. Or so it seemed to me when I read your mother’s blog.”

That flash of heat he’d seen in her eyes faded a bit, and he partially regretted bringing it up. But hadn’t they said they were going to get to know each other?

“The House Rules empire is built on a whitewashed version of my family. The truth bears little resemblance to the fiction she posts online.” She stopped speaking when their waiter neared to clear the plates from the meal and bring them the next round of the tasting menu, a selection of desserts.

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