Falling for the Texas Tycoon

Men like Alan Barrett were trouble with a capital T. With his Stetson and his I-can-beat-down-any-obstaclein-my-path smile, he obviously thought he could get his own way no matter what. He waswrong. Although Lisa Sanders had been her boss's gatekeeper for only a month, she was already good at it. No one charmed or intimidated her. Not even a six-foot-two Texan who claimed to be a friend of Brian's. He was not listed on her boss's schedule and that's all that mattered. She stared into his to-die-for blue eyes, ignored the runaway beat of her pulse and repeated, "Mr. Summers is in a meeting and can't be disturbed. His schedule is tight today. I might be able to fit you in around one-fifteen." Alan Barrett's smile faded. "Look, Miss." His gaze dropped to the nameplate on her desk. "Miss Sanders. Besides the fact that we do business together, Brian and I are friends. I spoke to him less than an hour ago. He said he'd meet with me at ten. It's now ten." Lisa wasn't simply fresh out of college with a degree in business, she had a history of street smarts behind her, one that made her square her shoulders and act even more protective of Brian. He wasn't only her boss. He and his wife, Carrie, were her benefactors. If it weren't for them, she didn't know where she'd be now. Maybe still in a homeless shelter, her baby put up for adoption to people she didn't know. Brian and Carrie had given her a home and a new life, and she would be forever grateful to them. As soon as she earned her real estate license, she'd be more than Brian's office manager, and she'd nevereverlet him down. She wanted him to know he could depend on her just as she'd depended on him. Motioning to the group of pale gray, leather-covered club chairs in the waiting area where the receptionist was located"Alan Barrett had bypassed the admin and come straight to her"Lisa said firmly but politely, "If you take a seat, I'll check with Mr. Summers when his meeting is over." The Texan's gaze became steely as he assessed everything from Lisa's chin-length bob and navy suit to her color of lipstick. A slight shiver trembled through her when she realized she was attracted to his raw sex appeal, the jut of his rugged jaw, his broad, muscular shoulders. Even with his hat shadowing his face, the lines there told her he had to be near forty. He was way too old for her and definitely out of her league. She didn't react to men this way. She had no time for men. She was on a career path. Besides all that, she doubted she could find a man who could accept the fact that she'd given away her child. "Since I haven't seen you here before, Miss Sanders, I'll take into consideration the fact that you're probably new and trying to do a good job. But if you don't buzz Brian and let him know I'm here, you might lose it." She'd suspected this man might try to turn to intimidation tactics. His type always did. She didn't do well with patronizing authority figures. The other employees who worked for Brian were under the illusion that she was a relative of her boss's and he'd given her this job to help her get a good start. Only his and Carrie's closest friends knew the whole story"that they'd taken her in in her eighth month of pregnancy, when she was eighteen, had adopted her baby and treated her like a daughter ever since, including paying for her college tuition. If Mr. Barrett didn't "know" about her, then how close a friend of Brian's could he be? "Believe me, Mr. Barrett, I'm not going to lose my job. If you don't want to have a seat, then I guess you'll have to leave." If Alan Barrett was surprised she hadn't backed down, he hid it well. Glancing at his watch again, he said in an I'm-not-happy-about-this-but-I'll-deal-with-it voice, "I needed to see Brian immediately because I have an important call to make in half an hour. Do you have a conference room I can use so I can make it now?" She'd rarely knowSmith, Karen Rose is the author of 'Falling for the Texas Tycoon ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373248070 and ISBN 0373248075.