Flynn Morgan caught one glimpse of the most beautiful smile he’d ever
seen and knew he was in deep, deep trouble. This was Hickory’s awkward,
workaholic, socially inept niece? Just one look warned that this succulent
bit of femininity was about as safe from him as a nerdy lamb from a
not-quite fully reformed wolf. So much for his assumption that he’d be
dealing with a Plain Jane.
She was of average height. If he held her in his arms, her head would
nestle perfectly beneath his chin. And her hair, though plastered back from
her face, was dark blonde, highlighted with pale gold streaks. It made him
wonder what it would look like if she ever released it from the prison of
her various pins and clips. To his amusement, she wore two sets of glasses,
one perched on the end of her nose, the other propped on top of her head.
The fading sunlight reflected off them and all four huge, plastic lenses
winked at him, one after the other. For some odd reason he found her
protective mask of glasses both vulnerable and endearing. It also made him
realize that this woman was far too attractive for his peace of mind.
Only one possibility offered a shot at salvation. Maybe the woman
standing in front of him wasn’t Jane, the niece. It was a long shot,
considering the uncles had shoved him up onto the front porch of this very
house and then hidden behind a huge laurel bush not twenty feet away. Still,
he could hope.
"Jane Dearly?" he asked, praying she’d deny it.
"Yes?"
Damn. "I’m Flynn Morgan. Your uncles sent me."
"Fantastic. Stand right there," she ordered.
Hell, who was he to argue? "Okay."
"I mean it. Don’t move."
"Not a muscle."
The door slammed in his face and the uncles, muttering among themselves,
shoved through the bushes. Swiveling to glare, Flynn signaled them to return
to their hiding places. Hickory and Dogg caught on instantly. Rube took a
bit more convincing before he fluttered back behind the greenery, sourball
wrappers floating in his wake.
The door opened again and Jane stood there, her mouth set in a
regrettably straight line. It was then that Flynn made a decision. He might
be a changed man, but that wouldn’t stop him from doing his level best to
coax free another of her incredible smiles.
Far from smiling, disappointment further dimmed her enthusiasm.
Apparently, standing there and staring wasn’t what she had in mind. "Hello,"
he said, offering a broad grin of appreciation.
Her eyes widened behind the lenses of her glasses and he realized they
were a dark green, a color similar to the one that haunted the cool depths
of a pine forest. Isolated, untouched, primitive and wary of intruders.
"Hello," she replied cautiously.
Still no smile. Once they got to know each other a little better, he’d
have to explain the importance of lips and teeth on a man. "I’m Flynn
Morgan."
"You mentioned that already. I’m Jane Dearly."
"I think I mentioned that your uncles sent me. I’m supposed to make an
appointment with you to install a security system in your lab, but I heard
it’s your birthday today, so..." He whipped out the box of chocolates and
bouquet of roses he held behind his back. When she failed to smile, he
prompted, "These are for you. Happy birthday."
"I’m not interested in a security system."
"Your uncles are. That’s why I’m here."
Her frown deepened. Definitely bad news. "Let me get this straight. My
uncles hired you?"
"Right."
"For security?"
Her eyes had grown so dark he could barely make out the color. It would
seem night had come to the forest. "You can’t be too careful these days," he
said.
Somehow the situation had taken a nosedive, though he couldn’t figure out
what the hell he’d done wrong. Most women on the receiving end of chocolate
and flowers not only smiled, they tumbled into his arms and thanked him with
a full-blown kiss. The sort of full-blown kiss he’d like to experience with
Jane. The sort he doubted he’d receive from her any time in the near future.
The sort he shouldn’t receive from a client unless he wanted to become
reacquainted with Paulie’s fist.
"That’s why you were being so friendly? Because my uncles hired you?" She
took a step closer, fanning her hands back and forth as though suffering
from a hot flash. "No other reason?"
"It’s your birthday, right?"
"So?"
"So..." He gave the box and flowers a little shake. Rose petals rained
downward, settling at his feet. "So, I thought I’d bring you these."
"Why?"
He fought to enunciate through gritted teeth. "For. A. Birthday. Present.
Are you familiar with that custom?"
"Yes." She eyed the flowers and grimaced. "For hothouse roses, these sure
have a strong odor. Here. Let me get these out of the way." She grabbed the
bouquet and held the flowers behind the door. "Now stand there and take a
deep breath."
"Right." Flynn made a hasty reassessment of the situation. Tightly-wound
scientist, gut-wrenching smile, gorgeous eyes—most of the time—and nutty as
a sack of almonds. Damn.
"Are you breathing?"
"It’s sort of automatic with me." She
planted her hands on her hips and he released a sigh. She reminded him of
the nun he’d suffered as a young schoolboy right before his days at Lost
Springs Ranch—a tough old teacher who’d done her best to "reform" him with
the painful end of a ruler. "Yes, I’m breathing."
"And?"
It took him sixty full seconds to realize that the truth might actually
work to his advantage. "And I like your smile."
Unfortunately, the truth didn’t work. Pink flared into her cheeks. At a
guess, it wasn’t because she had a tendency to blush. She confirmed it the
instant she opened her mouth—the same mouth he’d have loved to explore in
intimate detail. "You can’t fool me. You’re just saying that because you’re
hoping to sell your security equipment to my uncles."
"Not really," he said with absolute honesty.
"Tell my uncles I’m not interested in fooling with a security system
right now. It’s inconvenient. If they really want to help, they can get me a
man. A real man."
With that she whipped around him and into her house, slamming the door
behind her.
