She really wanted to spend more time with him—

About as much as she wanted to slam her hand in a car door. It was more opportunity to say something foolish, something he’d laugh about. She was still squirming over the things she’d said earlier, making it sound as if just thinking about sex was a terrible sin.

Libby thought about sex.

She thought about it a lot.

Actually sometimes sex was all she could think of…. But she wanted it to be with someone she loved, who loved her, someone who wanted to hold her during the night instead of calculating the fastest way out the door the minute his breathing slowed.

That someone wasn’t Neil O’Rourke.

Dear Reader,

I’ve put together a list of Silhouette Romance New Year’s resolutions to help you get off to a great start in 2004!

• Play along with our favorite boss’s daughter’s mischievous, matchmaking high jinks. In Rules of Engagement (#1702) by Carla Cassidy, Emily Winters—aka the love goddess—is hoping to unite a brooding exec and feisty businesswoman. This is the fifth title in Silhouette Romance’s exclusive, six-book MARRYING THE BOSS’S DAUGHTER series.

• Enjoy every delightful word of The Bachelor Boss (#1703) by the always-popular Julianna Morris. In this modern romantic fairy tale, a prim plain Jane melts the heart of a sexy playboy.

• Join the fun when a cowboy’s life is turned inside out by a softhearted beauty and the tiny charge he finds on his doorstep. Baby, Oh Baby! (#1704) is the first title in Teresa Southwick’s enchanting new three-book miniseries IF WISHES WERE…Stay tuned next month for the next title in this series that features three friends who have their dreams come true in unexpected ways.

• Be sure not to miss The Baby Chronicles (#1705) by Lissa Manley. This heartwarming reunion romance is sure to put a satisfied smile on your face.

Have a great New Year!

Mavis C. Allen

Associate Senior Editor

The Bachelor Boss
Julianna Morris

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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Books by Julianna Morris

Silhouette Romance

Baby Talk #1097

Family of Three #1178

Daddy Woke Up Married #1252

Dr. Dad #1278

The Marriage Stampede #1375

*Callie, Get Your Groom #1436

*Hannah Gets a Husband #1448

*Jodie’s Mail-Order Man #1460

Meeting Megan Again #1502

Tick Tock Goes the Baby Clock #1531

Last Chance for Baby! #1565

A Date with a Billionaire #1590

The Right Twin for Him #1676

The Bachelor Boss #1703

JULIANNA MORRIS

has an offbeat sense of humor, which frequently gets her into trouble. She is often accused of being curious about everything…her interests ranging from oceanography and photography to traveling, antiquing, walking on the beach and reading science fiction.

Julianna loves cats of all shapes and sizes, and recently she was adopted by a feline companion named Merlin. Like his namesake, Merlin is an alchemist—she says he can transform the house into a disaster area in nothing flat. And since he shares the premises with a writer, it’s interesting to note that he’s particularly fond of knocking books onto the floor.

Julianna happily reports meeting Mr. Right. Together they are working on a new dream of building a shoreline home in the Great Lakes area.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Chapter One

“Well, if it isn’t Miss Dumont,” said a voice from the open office door.

Libby groaned silently.

Neil O’Rourke.

Her least favorite person in the world. Until now she’d been having a really good day. What made it worse was that her first instinct was to check her appearance in a mirror—Neil had that effect on women, being as revoltingly handsome as he was obnoxious.

“Did you need something, Mr. O’Rourke?” she asked politely. As much as she didn’t like him, he was Kane O’Rourke’s brother, and Kane was the owner and founder of the company, so it didn’t make sense to be rude.

“Yes. And don’t you think it’s time you dropped the ‘Mr. O’Rourke’ routine?” Neil asked.

Libby’s eyes narrowed. “No. We barely know each other.”

His smile irritated her even more, mostly because it was Neil. “I wouldn’t exactly say that,” he said.

Drat the man.

Yet even as Libby fumed, she squirmed at the reminder of a long ago night when she’d been young and foolishly flattered that a man like Neil O’Rourke had asked her out on a date. She’d never forget breaking away from their out-of-control kiss, pulling her clothes together…her heart pounding because she wasn’t certain that pulling her clothes together was what she really wanted. Fighting the urge to be just a little bad.

Yeah, that pretty much covered it.

He’d gotten his arrogant masculine nose out of joint, she’d acted like a prig, and everything went downhill from there.

Of course, the only reason he remembered that evening was because she was probably one of the few members of the female sex who’d ever said no to him. She’d seen happily married women blush and sigh at his careless smile.

“I have a lot of work to do,” Libby said pointedly, hoping he’d take the hint and leave.

“So do I, but Kane wants to see us both in his office. Maybe he’s going on a second honeymoon and wants us to work together again.”

She wrinkled her nose. When Kane had met Beth and gotten married he’d asked Neil to run the company during his absence—much to her consternation. The man was impossible. She’d heaved a sigh of relief when he returned to the international branch, because she didn’t have to see or think about him there.

“I’m not Kane’s executive assistant any longer.”

His grin was faintly wicked. “That’s right. I keep forgetting you’re the administrative officer now.”

Huh.

Neil never forgot anything, especially how to annoy the living daylights out of her. Of course, being annoying must be a natural talent since he didn’t know her well enough to understand which buttons to push.

“Shall we go?” he murmured.

Libby stayed silent as they walked the short distance to the CEO’s office, resisting the urge to smooth her hair and make sure her blouse was tucked into the waistband of her skirt. Feminine vanity had a habit of rearing its head around Neil, no matter how hard she fought it.

“Hey, bro,” Neil said as they walked into Kane’s inner sanctum.

“Hey.” Kane smiled and waited until they were seated, then leaned forward. “Libby, you’re aware that I’m delegating authority in the company so I have more time to spend with Beth.” He beamed at his wife’s name. “As part of the reorganization I’ve named Neil as the president of the New Business Developments division. I told him about it earlier.”

“That’s…nice,” she murmured.

“Yes, but what he hasn’t heard is that I’m appointing you as his vice president. I wanted you both to be here for the news.”

Libby’s heart lodged in her throat.

“What?” she demanded in unison with Neil. She looked at him and was glad to see he appeared as thunderstruck as she felt.

Kane lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. “I realize you haven’t always gotten along, but you have skills that complement each other, and you managed to work together earlier this year.” He shot a look at his brother. “You’ll find Libby’s abilities are just what you need.”

She blinked, torn between shock and hysteria.

This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t possibly be Neil O’Rourke’s vice president. He was too…everything. The two brothers were nearly identical in appearance, though Neil had cool gray eyes in contrast to Kane’s blue. Both were high-powered and driven for success, but Kane managed to be kind and friendly, while Neil was distant and impatient.

Darn it all. She’d just gotten rid of the man and now he was back. Wasn’t a few weeks working with him enough punishment for one lifetime? It wasn’t that she didn’t want the new position. Being promoted so quickly might be a little unconventional, but Kane never did things in the usual way. And since he’d built O’Rourke Enterprises into a multibillion-dollar corporation, people usually had the good sense to agree with his wishes.

Still, how could she work with someone so impossible?

Libby sneaked a glance at the impossible man in question and saw he didn’t look any happier than she felt.

Well, fine.

Let him be the one to tell Kane it was out of the question.

“Libby?” Kane prompted.

“Uh…that’s wonderful,” she said, lying through her teeth.

“You’ve earned it. I’m still working out the final details, but I’ve decided to have each of my division presidents and vice presidents directly involved in a project together in order to build teamwork.”

Neil cleared his throat. “That’s an interesting idea, but we’ll be busy with our own duties.”

“And one of those duties will be cooperating on a project together.”

Libby recognized the expression on her boss’s face, even if his brother didn’t. Kane had mentioned his plans, but she hadn’t thought much about it other than sparing a moment of sympathy for the poor sap who ended up working with Neil O’Rourke. Before his short stint in the CEO’s office she’d avoided Neil for nebulous reasons she’d never really thought about. Now she actively disliked him.

“What project are you thinking about?” she asked.

“The bed-and-breakfast inn proposal.” Kane handed her the file. “You were particularly interested in it, so I thought it would be the perfect place to start your collaboration.”

Lord, Kane should never have picked something so homey and small scale if he hoped to get Neil excited. Neil loved glitz and glamour, the fast pace of international wheeling and dealing and high finance. He was a brilliant maverick. Developing a line of historic bed-and-breakfast inns was the last thing he’d want to do.

“B and B’s?” Neil sounded predictably appalled, as if he’d just been asked to work on a line of brothels. “I think that’s a project Libby could handle on her own.”

Kane shook his head. “I want both of you involved. This is Beth’s idea, and it goes at the top of the list.”

Beth.

Kane’s wife.

The magic word.

A warm smile crossed Neil’s face, so apparently he was fond of his new sister-in-law. “Beth does love old places. We’ll make it our first priority.”

“Good. The two of you can go over the proposal this afternoon. You’ll have until after Christmas to get things moving on it before we start the formal reorganization.”

Libby’s fingers tightened on the file. She’d worked on putting the proposal together and had hoped to be assigned to the project, but this wasn’t what she’d had in mind.

“Today?” Neil asked. He cast her a sideways glance that made her squirm.

What was it about him that made her so…aware?

“Today,” Kane said firmly.

Libby edged toward the door. “In that case, I’ve got a lot to do in the meantime. Thanks again, Kane.”

“No thanks are necessary. Your contract will be ready in a few days, along with a generous salary boost. You’ll always have a place with us, Libby.” From years of working with Kane, Libby knew he was reassuring her that no matter how things turned out with Neil, her place with the company was guaranteed.

“That’s nice to hear.” She forced herself to leave at a dignified pace, only to have Neil follow her.

“It isn’t afternoon yet,” she snapped. As a rule she tried to be calmly courteous with him, but Kane’s announcement had scrambled her brains worse than an eggbeater.

“Now is as good a time as any. Kane likes the teamwork approach, remember?”

Libby practically snorted. Neil O’Rourke wasn’t a team player. He enjoyed being in charge too much for that. Thankfully, except for his brief time as acting CEO, she’d hardly seen him over the years. He’d traveled all over the world for the company, earning a reputation as a tough and able negotiator.

Too bad he wasn’t better with people. She wasn’t the only employee who avoided him; his cool direct gaze could cut right through a person.

“A leopard can’t change his spots,” she muttered, not that he’d understand. Neil honestly didn’t seem to know he had the corporate persona of a runaway locomotive, mashing everyone in his path. Kane was indulging in wishful thinking if he thought his brother would listen to anyone on how to run the new division, much less to her.

Maybe Neil was different with his family.

Maybe.

She was acquainted with two of his sisters, Shannon and Kathleen, and thought his mother was a lovely woman, but Neil was a puzzle beyond words.

A small frown creased his forehead. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on. Teamwork? You?”

The note of amused disbelief in Libby’s voice irritated Neil. He knew it was his fault they didn’t get along—he’d acted like an oversexed jock on the one date they’d had years ago. A naive preacher’s daughter and a former college football star weren’t a good mix. People who thought that all preacher’s daughters were wild as sin didn’t know anything. Jeez, she was practically a nun.

Yet he didn’t dislike Libby, he just didn’t think she was vice president material. She was too softhearted, an innocent with the cutthroat business sense of a newborn kitten.

“You can’t know how I feel about teamwork,” he said slowly.

“I have a pretty good idea.”

His eyebrows shot upward. “I don’t think a single date gives you that much insight to my character. Especially since we’ve hardly said ‘boo’ to each other ever since.”

It was the first time since that disastrous night the subject had been directly raised, and relief crept through him. They should have cleared the air a long time ago instead of just going their own way and avoiding contact.

Hell, he probably wouldn’t have thought about it again if she hadn’t been so damned desirable…and so very prudish with her sexy little body. If he’d learned nothing else, it was that dating co-workers was a lousy idea.

“Maybe, but it was instructive,” she snapped. Her green eyes were stormy and Neil restrained a grin. This was an interesting side to Libby; he wanted to see more. It was like watching the kitten discover she had claws.

“That was a date, this is business,” he said.

“I’ve heard about the way you work. And I saw it for myself when you were in the CEO’s office. You obviously have to be in control, no matter what.”

“Isn’t that what we all want?” he asked.

She made a disgusted gesture. “Not all of us have a fetish about it. You must be ready to chew nails over Kane making me a vice president.”

Neil wasn’t thrilled, but he’d never admit it to Libby. And since he planned to make the New Developments division the most successful in the company, he would have to deal with her one way or another. Besides, it could be a lot of fun teasing that pink color into her cheeks.

“Especially with me being a woman,” Libby added.

“What?” He scowled, no longer amused. “I don’t have a problem with qualified women in business, so don’t put words into my mouth.”

“Ah, but you don’t think I’m qualified.”

“That remains to be seen. Your qualifications, that is,” Neil said, giving her a measuring glance. Libby certainly looked the part of a career woman…now. But the day they met she’d been wearing an unstructured sweater and skirt.

That damned bulky sweater should have been his first clue, he thought irritably. It had practically screamed small-town innocent, but even the most sophisticated women had been wearing the down-home earthy look back then. If he’d known she was a naive virgin he would have stayed a thousand miles away.

“I’m sure you’ll do a fine job,” he said, distracted by the memory. Or was it the memory of sweet curves that fitted perfectly against him?

Damn. Where had that come from? Libby had a fine body—not that she did anything to advertise it—but he’d been with his share of gorgeous women. Willing women who didn’t have marriage and a baby carriage on the mind.

“Marriage and a baby carriage? What do you mean by that?” Libby demanded.

Neil winced, realizing he’d muttered the last part aloud. “Er…I was thinking about Kane,” he said. “He’s turned into a huge advocate of marriage and children ever since he met Beth.”

“Is that so terrible?”

“Depends on how you see it. I think it must be hard to keep your focus while at the same time dealing with a nagging spouse and kids.”

“You mean a nagging wife. But for your information, not all wives nag,” Libby shot back, though she didn’t know why she bothered. Neil’s views on the incompatibility of marriage and business were infamous.

“I just meant…” He shrugged. “Forget it. I guess marriage is all right for other people.”

“Wow. Isn’t that big of you.”

Neil looked surprised by her sarcastic tone, and to be honest, Libby was surprised herself. She’d never spoken her mind to him, not since that embarrassing night when she’d said all sorts of things about men who expected to sleep with a woman on the first date.

She sighed, a hollow feeling in her tummy.

Principles were fine things, but she was awfully tired of going home to a lonely house in the evening.

“I’m not going to hold anything against an executive who wants to get married, if that’s what you think.”

Libby rolled her eyes. “As if your brother would let you.”

Neil regarded her curiously. “You think Kane and I are that different?”

“Like night and day.”

“Because he got married.”

“No.” She shook her head in exasperation. “Because he’s nice, and you’re…” Libby stopped, realizing if she’d sounded rude before, it would be nothing to calling him a smug, self-centered chauvinist with the compassion of a fence post.

Swallowing, she dropped into the chair behind her desk. He couldn’t seem to understand that the people who worked for O’Rourke Enterprises were people, not machines, with lives outside the company that were important to them.

“I’m what?”

The small twitch to Neil’s mouth suggested he had a good idea of what she’d almost called him. He sat on a chair himself and stretched out his legs. From head to toe he was the consummate executive—from his expensive suit to his ice-blue silk shirt and perfect tie. There was only one time she’d ever seen him in a less than immaculate state, and that was the night they’d almost…

She put a hasty brake on her thoughts. Okay, Neil could be charming when he wanted something, and he’d come very close to getting what he’d once wanted from her. It didn’t mean anything.

“Well?” he prompted. “What am I?”

“You’re just…different.”

“Different, as in ‘not nice.”’

“I didn’t say that,” she said, annoyed.

“You didn’t have to.” Neil told himself he should stop. This wasn’t the right way to start their new relationship as president and vice president, but he didn’t want to work with veiled hostility simmering between them—he’d take open warfare over that. For that matter, conflict could be very good for business.

“You said not to put words in your mouth, so don’t do it with me.”

Yet her cheeks pinkened, and he knew she felt guilty for whatever she’d been thinking—which just proved she hadn’t changed over the years.

Sweet.

Innocent.

With an interesting streak of temper. Rather like her hair, a rich silky brown with hints of hidden fire—it was still long, caught back in an attractive French braid, though small tendrils had escaped and framed her face.

Neil shifted in the chair. He didn’t have any business thinking her temper was interesting or not. Libby was off-limits. Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the situation.

“Are you thinking about tying the knot, and are afraid my beliefs about marriage will be a problem?” he asked. “The company policy is clear—we’re a family-friendly business. So you have nothing to be concerned about, no matter what my personal feelings are on the issue.”

Libby stared in astonishment and he cursed his wayward tongue. He really hadn’t thought that much about her over the years, but now that she was going to be his vice president, all sorts of questions were banging around in his head.

Most of them were none of his concern.

And he certainly shouldn’t be wondering if the faint scent of vanilla drifting from her skin was a perfume, or some other bit of unique feminine chemistry. Hell, it wasn’t the least bit sophisticated, but on Libby the fragrance was fresh and light, without being cloying.

“No, I’m not thinking about ‘tying the knot’ as you put it,” she said. “I hate that phrase. It makes marriage sound like prison or some other type of captivity . Do you think Kane feels that way about being married to Beth?”

“Of course not.”

“Then let’s drop the subject. We’re supposed to be talking about the B and B proposal, remember?”

He remembered.

He rarely thought about anything but business, though his mother was doing her best to distract him with introductions to “nice young women.” Nice single women, of course. Having finally gotten two of her sons married, she wanted to see all her children taking a trip down the proverbial aisle, followed a few months later with the announcement that a baby was on the way.

Libby pulled a pen and pad of paper from a drawer. “How do you want to get started?”

“Give me a quick rundown on the project.”

She kept her spine straight, barely skimming the back of her chair. “The first active steps will be choosing sites and contacting historical societies for local history and background.”

“What?” Neil rocked forward in his chair. “We have to deal with hysterical societies?”

“That’s historical societies,” Libby corrected, the corners of her mouth twitching despite herself. Historical societies could be very passionate about their work, but she liked working with people who cared. “Of course we’ll have to talk with them, and consult with restoration experts and contractors. By the way, we should use local people as much as possible as part of the community development aspect of the project.”

He grimaced without looking particularly upset. “You mean we’ll be restoring old buildings that should have been demolished decades ago. I don’t suppose we could buy a bunch of existing bed-and-breakfast inns and slap our name on them?” he asked, a rueful humor in his voice.

She barely kept from rolling her eyes. Neil was so focused on the future, he couldn’t see the benefit to saving wonderful old survivors from the past.

Modern, that defined Neil O’Rourke.

Glitz, high finance, his world moving at lightning speed. If he went on vacation it was to five-star hotels in the most exotic and glamorous places, so bed-and-breakfast inns weren’t likely to interest him. He avoided ties that might slow him down—like a wife and children. The idea of spending a quiet evening at home would probably horrify him.

“I don’t suppose we can.” Libby handed him the file. “Why don’t you go over this on your own? I’ll come by your office at one this afternoon so we can discuss it.” Without waiting for acknowledgment, she headed for the door and stood by it, making it obvious she expected him to leave.

“Libby…”

She looked at his handsome face, and the same old shiver went through her tummy. Why did she have to be attracted to him? Wasn’t attraction supposed to be based on respect and liking, more than chemistry? She didn’t know Neil that well, but she didn’t like him, so it wasn’t logical the way her body responded whenever he walked into the room.

“Yes?”

“We should talk about what happened eleven years ago. Get everything said and out in the open.”

Her pulse surged. “That isn’t such a good idea.”

“Why not? Haven’t you wondered what would have happened if we hadn’t stopped that night?”

Only about a million times.

Not that it would have made any difference. According to the office gossip she couldn’t avoid, Neil’s idea of a long term relationship was a weekend in the Bahamas.

“There isn’t any point in discussing it,” she said.

“It’s getting in the way of us working together.”

“No, it isn’t,” Libby said.

It was true.

Their disastrous date, embarrassing as the memory might be, wasn’t the real reason they didn’t get along.

“Then what’s the problem?” Neil’s gray eyes had darkened, and his gaze moved deliberately over her. “Is it because I called you the virgin queen? I’ve never apologized for that, and I am sorry.”

He sounded sincere and Libby couldn’t control the flush rising in her cheeks…or the instinctive warmth sliding through her veins. “That has nothing to do with it. There are lots of reasons we don’t get along, but it’s mostly because we’re poles apart in the way we look at life.”

Because I’m a small town country girl and you’re a big city snob, she added silently. She didn’t like cities, fast nightlife, or the high-stakes gambles that Neil O’Rourke thrived upon. Dealing with Neil was like dealing with unstable dynamite—no matter how careful you were, in the end you got burned.

“Maybe. But there’s still an attraction between us.”

“I’m not attracted to you,” she denied instantly. “And if you’re attracted to me, it’s only because I said no. If we’d slept together I would have been old news before the week was out. You have the staying power of an amoeba.”

“Really? I’m told I have more stamina than most men.” His tone was so outrageously suggestive she wanted to scream.

“And like most men, all you ever think about is sex. If you ever had an honest-to-God tender emotion for a woman, I think you’d jump off a building just to get rid of it. Now get out.” Libby slammed the door behind him and stormed back to her desk.

Men.

They were the rottenest, most unreasonable creatures imaginable. She didn’t know why a woman would bother with them, except they were necessary to keep the human race going.

Chapter Two

Neil couldn’t keep a grin from splitting his face as he strode away.

Libby might be an innocent, but that unexpected temper was priceless. Of course, he shouldn’t have said he was still attracted to her. It just made things more complicated, but it was entertaining watching her blush and react so strongly.

No matter what she claimed, he wasn’t attracted to her just because she’d refused him. Absolutely not. He had his moments he wasn’t proud of, but he wasn’t that shallow and immature. He could keep things under control without actually doing anything about it.

“Any messages?” he asked his secretary.

“They’re on your desk, Mr. O’Rourke.” Margie turned back to her desk, avoiding his gaze.

He hesitated. “Is something wrong?”

“No, of course not.”

Neil waited, then decided not to say anything else. She was new and apparently having personal troubles, but he didn’t want to make either of them uncomfortable by asking too much.

“Thank you. I have an appointment with Libby Dumont at one this afternoon. Keep my schedule clear.”

“Yes, sir.”

Going into his office, he tossed the bed-and-breakfast file on his desk. “B and B’s,” he murmured, shaking his head as he swiftly scanned the pages.

After several hours of making notes and jotting down figures, Neil got up and stretched, realizing he’d worked through lunch again. He had to admit the bed-and-breakfast project had some interesting aspects, but what still boggled his mind was that Kane had promoted Libby Dumont. Vice president? She might be all right in a division that handled corporate giving, but new developments?

His brother was going soft in the head. Beth was a great wife and sister-in-law, but if that’s what falling in love did to you, the rest of the world could keep it.

Love did strange things to people.

Restless all at once, Neil paced around the room, then stood at the window and looked out at the Puget Sound. It was a rare, cloudless day in Seattle, the sun shining brightly on the water. A ferry chugged away from the shore, with seagulls soaring and swooping in the air above.

He usually tried not to think about how his father had given up the work he cherished—handcrafting fine wood furniture—to take a higher paying job in the forest industry. A job that eventually killed him, just to support a growing family.

There were too many tradeoffs to love and marriage, and Neil knew he was too selfish to make them. It was better to be honest with himself, than to get married and end up in a bitter divorce, making everyone miserable.

The phone on the desk rang. It was Margie, telling him that Libby was waiting for their appointment.

“Tell her to come in.”

Libby walked inside with an I’m-going-to-be-nice-to-the-jackass-if-it-kills-me expression on her face.

“Good afternoon, Mr. O’Rourke.”

He looked at her narrowly. That “Mr. O’Rourke” nonsense would have to end. Sooner or later he’d get her to call him Neil. It was a challenge, and he loved challenges.

“Good afternoon, Miss Dumont,” he mimicked back. “You do know my first name, don’t you?”

“Of course,” she said evenly.

“Then use it.”

“I’m not the only employee who calls you Mr. O’Rourke,” Libby murmured.

Neil frowned. Come to think of it, she was right.

“But just your subordinates,” she added. “So you have nothing to worry about. I mean, it’s a little stuffy, but who cares when you’re in charge, right?”

“I’m not a snob, Libby. I’ve never insisted on that kind of formality,” he said, stung.

“But you’ve never invited us peons to call you Neil, either.”

“I did this morning and it didn’t do any good. You still insist on using Mr. O’Rourke,” Neil snapped. “And nobody’s a peon at O’Rourke Enterprises. You damn well know that.”

Libby took a breath. She couldn’t believe she’d let her tongue run away with her that morning, and now she was doing it again. After a lifetime of being a well-behaved preacher’s daughter, watching what she said and trying to be tactful no matter what the situation, she’d totally lost it.

Of course, by all accounts, tact wasn’t high on Neil O’Rourke’s list of priorities.

“Maybe we should just talk about the B and B proposal,” she said quickly.

“Suits me. Where do you think we should start looking for properties? I’ve made some notes, but I should hear your ideas about it before we go ahead.”

Libby wanted to say Endicott, her hometown. If a community ever needed development, it was Endicott. But that would convince him more than ever that she was too sentimental to be “executive” material.

“We could write various historical societies and ask if they know of any likely houses that would meet our purpose,” she suggested instead.

Neil shook his head. “It’s bad enough we have to talk to them at all, but you’ll get them up in arms before we even start,” he declared.

“They might decide to work with us, you know. For the chance of saving a piece of history.”

“Sure, and I believe in leprechauns.”

Libby doubted Neil had ever believed in something so whimsical, even as a boy.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” she asked.

“Yes. We could assign a team to scout locations. Other teams can work on acquisitions and restoration.”

Her chin lifted. “Well, that certainly has the personal touch Kane and Beth have in mind for the project.”

Neil glared. “Fine, then we’ll do it together. All of it. The two of us, every step of the way. That should have a personal enough touch to suit you.”

Swell.

She really wanted to spend more time with him—about as much as she wanted to slam her hand in a car door. It was more opportunity to say something foolish, something he’d laugh about. She was still squirming over the things she’d said earlier, making it sound as if just thinking about sex was a terrible sin.

Libby thought about sex.

She thought about it a lot.

Actually, sometimes sex was all she could think of, though she usually tried to blame it on hormones and being that time of the month. But she wanted to be with someone she loved, who loved her, someone who wanted to hold her during the night instead of calculating the fastest way out the door the minute his breathing slowed.

That someone wasn’t Neil O’Rourke.

He wanted success, power, and a life of travel and accomplishment, equating marriage to sacrifice. Sacrifice. No woman in her right mind wanted a man who considered her a sacrifice, no matter how good-looking he might be. It wasn’t worth the heartache.

And she didn’t even know why she was thinking about it except she’d never reacted to any man more strongly than Neil.

Blast.

It wasn’t fair that he could turn her inside out with-out even knowing he’d done it. She’d gone for months at a time without thinking about the man, and then only in passing, but now her head was filled with wayward thoughts.

Maybe it was knowing he wasn’t going anywhere. This time she was stuck with him.

“A historical bed-and-breakfast line wasn’t my idea,” she said, trying to sound calm. “You don’t have to be annoyed with me for wanting to do things the way Kane asked.”

“Whatever. Just stay here,” Neil ordered, getting up and stomping out.

“Stay?” Libby scowled at his empty chair.

She wasn’t a golden retriever he could order to stay put. Then she shrugged, deciding she’d have to pick her battles carefully when it came to Neil. Otherwise she’d never stop arguing with the man, being as he was the most annoying person on the planet.

After a few minutes he returned with a load of phone books in his arms.

“I got these from the secretarial pool,” he said, dropping them in a heap on the couch. “We’ll go through them and start making calls to real estate agents about likely properties.

Libby lifted one of the dog-eared phone books in disbelief. The thing was eight years old. Hadn’t Neil ever heard of the Internet? The information highway loaded with helpful items like up-to-date phone numbers? He must have dug these out of a back cabinet somebody had forgotten.

A bubble of laughter struggled for release in her throat.

He had to be totally rattled, beyond thinking clearly. They hadn’t even talked about what towns to start in, but his first course of action was to bring in some ancient phone books and randomly start contacting real estate agents?

“Start calling,” Neil said. “That’s a separate phone line over by the couch.”

Within seconds he was talking to an agent, crisply barking out his “needs” and asking that a list of suitable properties be faxed immediately.

She followed suit, glancing at him from time to time, and realizing that maybe his plan wasn’t daft after all. It could be more organized, but at least it had a personal touch.

At one point Neil smiled so warmly that Libby was startled. Then her gaze narrowed. From the bits of conversation she could catch, he was obviously talking to a woman who was doing her best to flirt.

What about his precious professionalism?

Why did she care?

Libby hastily looked back at her own phone book. It didn’t sound like he was flirting back with “Sue,” but he was such a stickler for being cool and professional she’d have expected him to end the conversation with the first calculated giggle.

“How many agents have you talked to?” he asked after another hour.

She counted. “Eight who promised to fax something today.”

“I’ve got fifteen. Let’s see if anything has come in, and we can decide which properties we’re going to look at first.” He picked up the phone. “Margie? Yes, I know a lot is coming in on the machine. Bring it in.”

Margie sidled into the office like a frightened rabbit and handed Neil a stack of paper. Libby gave her an encouraging smile before she left, recognizing the sign of fresh tears on the other woman’s face.

Neil didn’t even look up and Libby wanted to kick him. Granted, Margie was new to working in an executive suite, but she’d been with the company for a long while and she was going through a tough time with a sick daughter. A little sensitivity from her equally new boss would help.

“Looks like some good stuff to start with,” Neil muttered, sitting next to Libby on the couch, and flipping through the faxed sheets.

He recognized the ones from the agents he’d talked with. They were adequate, but Libby’s faxes were much longer, provided more material, and the cover sheets contained hand-written notes saying things like “enjoyed talking with you,” “anything we can do to help,” and “sounds like a great project, love to be a part of it.”

The only personal note to him was a message from Susan Weston, who asked if he wanted to have dinner the next time he was in Olympia.

“Olympia?” Libby asked, looking over his shoulder at the boldly scrawled invitation. “It’s a beautiful city, but I thought the idea was to look for places in small towns, especially towns needing revitalization.”

“It is.” Neil crumpled the sheet and tossed it on the floor, unaccountably embarrassed. He hadn’t encouraged Sue to flirt. He’d dealt with her before on land deals in the south Puget sound area, so had naturally called her to see if she had any likely listings for a bed-and-breakfast inn. “Susan has a big agency. She lists property from Lacey to Aberdeen.”

“Oh. Personal friend?”

“No.” The denial came out more sharply than he’d intend. “We’ve done business before, that’s all.”

Libby squirmed on the soft leather cushions, trying to sit up straight, and her leg brushed his thigh.

Damn. He should never have thought about her curves, her perfume, or anything else so personal. They worked together, for pity’s sake. She was his vice president. And if she was the reason he was so fierce about not dating someone in the company, then so what?

They’d had one date, eleven years ago. A date that ended with him taking a cold shower.

“Er…Libby,” Neil murmured, hoping she’d sit still and quit turning him on. Hell, he was in charge here.

“What?”

“About this morning—I meant you were attractive. Not that I was interested in starting something.”

“I see.” Her eyes darkened stormily. “Well, let me be clear. I’m not interested in starting something, either.”

Great.

They were both on the same page.

Of course, he’d ticked her off again, but hadn’t he decided a little conflict would be good for business?

Libby squirmed again, only this time she got to her feet. She tugged at her skirt that had ridden up and made an obvious attempt to compose herself.

“I’ll do some Internet research on these listings,” she said, color flags high in her cheeks. “Then I’ll prepare a preliminary report and you can decide which sites you’re going to visit next week.”

“The sites we’re going to visit,” Neil reminded. “We’re supposed to do this together so we can build teamwork. So we’ll drive ourselves rather than take a chauffeur,” he said, deciding it would be a good idea to have one of them occupied with driving. Besides, he didn’t care for limousines, no matter how convenient.

“Fine. I’ll e-mail the report to you later,” Libby said, and hurried out.

His private phone rang and he hauled himself off the couch to answer it.

“How is your first day as president going?” asked Kane.

Neil thought about Libby’s flashing eyes and the angry color in her cheeks, and decided he shouldn’t mention either one. “It’s great.”

“Good. You remember the party is tonight, right?” Their twin nieces’ fourth birthday party was that evening, and they both planned to leave work early.

“Yup. I’m coming.”

“Don’t forget you’re supposed to bring the ice cream.”

“Yeah. Strawberry, or something.” Neil deliberately sounded vague.

Kane’s sigh was exasperated, even over the phone line. “No. Chocolate for Peggy, and vanilla for Amy. Stop by the grocery store on the way. And get lots, you know how they love ice cream.”

Neil grinned. After their father’s death, Kane had done his best to fill his shoes, quitting college and managing to make a fortune at the same time he was supporting the family. He enjoyed playing big-brother-turned-father-figure so much, they still indulged him every now and then. Of course, he’d probably have his fill of being “daddy” once his wife gave birth to their first baby and he experienced 2:00 a.m. feedings for himself.

“That’s right. Thanks for the reminder.”

Neil chuckled as he replaced the receiver. He’d enjoyed running O’Rourke Enterprises when Kane was courting and on his honeymoon, but he hadn’t expected it to last. Having Kane decide to establish new internal corporate divisions was a boon.

Now with Libby as his vice president…he rubbed the side of his jaw. It was going to be interesting. She had some intriguing qualities he hadn’t expected, though whether they would help or hinder him, he didn’t know.

The phone rang again and he picked it up, still deep in thought. “O’Rourke, here.”

“That sounds so cold, darlin’.”

It was his mother.

“Are you calling to remind me about the ice cream? Kane already took care of that.”

“Actually I heard about Libby’s promotion, and thought you might bring her to the party. I haven’t seen the dear child since Kane and Beth’s wedding—you know Dylan is coming, and they got on so well at the reception.”

Neil groaned. His mom liked Libby Dumont, and she liked the idea of Libby becoming a daughter-in-law even more. She’d worked on him for a while, but when it became obvious that he and Libby were grossly incompatible, she’d decided his younger brother, Dylan, was a possibility.

He had news…Dylan had no more interest in finding a bride than he did.

“Mom, don’t you think trying to match Dylan with someone else might upset Katrina?”

“Dylan can’t see Kate, either, though she’s been standin’ right in front of him for years.” Pegeen sounded quite put out, because Katrina Douglas was another name on her daughter-in-law wish list. “But invite Libby just the same.”

“All right.” There wasn’t any point in arguing, when his mother made up her mind she could teach stubborn to a mule. “I’ll see you later.”

Neil dropped his head back onto his chair. He’d started the day with a great promotion, then he’d learned his vice president would be Libby Dumont. In just a few hours they’d already had several disagreements, and he’d been painfully reminded that she was still as attractive as ever.

Beautiful, really.

In a fresh-scrubbed sort of way.

And his delightful, very Irish mother was determined to get Libby married to one of her sons, come hell or high water.

Man, was he in trouble.

At four o’clock a new message alert flashed on Neil’s computer. He opened the e-mail and found Libby’s preliminary report, listing various properties, their historical significance and other pertinent material.

Neil quickly printed the document and hurried out. He walked into Libby’s office, and his nerves went on alert. It wasn’t that she dressed provocatively. Her trim, dark blue suit accentuated the slender lines of her body without drawing attention to her curves. Problem was, he knew all about her curves and how good they felt beneath his fingers—so good he’d never forgotten it.

She was standing next to her desk, explaining something to a tall, gangly young man who looked familiar for some reason.

“Mr. O’Rourke,” the young man exclaimed when he saw Neil. He threw out a nervous hand and knocked over a cup of coffee.

Oh, jeez.

Neil remembered him now. Duncan “Dunk” Anderson. Every time he’d ever seen Dunk he’d managed to spill, break, spindle or mutilate something.

Libby grabbed a handful of tissue and began sopping up the mess. She shot a dire glance in Neil’s direction, which seemed patently unfair since it was Dunk who’d spilled the coffee.

“I’m so sorry, Libby. I can’t believe I did that.”

“It’s all right, Duncan,” she said calmly. “Why don’t you take that material over to Kane? I’ll finish up here.”

“Sure thing.” With another sideways glance at Neil, Dunk scooped a file from a nearby credenza and bolted for the door.

“Please tell me he’s only here because there’s a flu epidemic and everyone else is desperately ill,” Neil muttered.

“Duncan is highly qualified.”

“For what? The demolition derby? Oh, God, Dunk is Kane’s new executive assistant, isn’t he?”

Libby rolled her eyes. “Yes, he is. I recommended him and Kane agreed.”

Neil groaned. “Couldn’t you have chosen someone better…like Typhoid Mary? Honestly, your employee recommendations could use some help.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Except Libby did know, because a few weeks ago she had hand-picked the employee to replace Neil’s latest in a long string of secretaries. She’d had a lot of fun, too, watching him squirm over her selection. Not that it lasted, he’d quickly moved Margie Clarke into the position, instead.

“You know perfectly well what I’m talking about,” he snapped.

“Not really. Tami Berkut is intelligent, excellent on the computer, and does great phone. She’s highly qualified and very…willing. Eager to please in every way.”

Neil winced at the subtle dig in Libby’s voice. Tami Berkut—also known as Tam Tam the Barracuda—had a fondness for tight red sweaters that showed off her spectacular breasts, and an itch to sleep her way through the executive washroom. But she wasn’t a bad employee, so he’d had her reassigned to a fifty-something executive who was devoted to his mother and thoroughly disinterested in red sweaters.

“Anyway, Kane likes Duncan, and he did a great job when I was on vacation a couple years ago. Besides, he’s only nervous around you, not anyone else. I think it has something to do with that cool, superior stare of yours.”

“I don’t have a superior stare.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“I don’t.” Neil insisted, a little offended. First she’d implied he was a snob, now he was cool and superior.

He didn’t think he was better than anyone else. Okay, he should admit preferring more office ceremony than Kane. But Kane could afford to be relaxed—he owned the company, which was a far cry from being the boss’s brother who had to prove he’d earned each and every promotion and wasn’t just being given a free ride out of nepotism.

“Anyway, you make Duncan nervous,” Libby said. “He’s very nice, and quite competent as long as you aren’t around.”

“Kane needs someone who’s competent no matter what.”

She waved her hand, unperturbed. “Duncan will be. I’m going to tell him something outrageous that will make him smile, instead of spill or break something when he sees you.”

Neil’s self-protective instincts went on full alert. “You don’t know anything outrageous about me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

He was sure.

Well, pretty sure.

Kane wouldn’t have told Libby about his occasional boyhood exploits, or about the time he’d gone skinny-dipping with a cheerleader in the Puget Sound. Skinny-dipping during a Washington winter wasn’t the brightest thing, but neither were teenage jocks. And he couldn’t think of anything else she might have heard about in the last eleven years that would qualify as outrageous.

“You don’t have anything to tell Dunk about me, unless you make something up,” he said severely.

“What a great idea. Thanks. I’ll think of something really good.”

“Don’t you dare,” he warned.

“Why not? It was your idea.”

His idea?

Right. As if Libby hadn’t already thought of inventing some extravagant, ridiculous tale to entertain Dunk Anderson. Nothing licentious, of course, just embarrassing as hell.

“I don’t know what Dunk is doing with the company, anyway,” Neil said, trying to change the subject. “Didn’t I hear he has a stockbroker’s license?”

She dumped handfuls of coffee-soaked tissue into the waste can. “Yes, but he didn’t like it. I think you’re prejudiced because he’s a man, and you think secretaries and assistants should be dutiful, coffee-fetching women, while men should be the power-brokers who run the universe.”

“That isn’t true. And didn’t we have this discussion a few hours ago? I don’t have hang-ups about women in business.”

She just lifted an eyebrow.

Neil opened his mouth, then closed it again. He might as well forget it. After countless debates with his sisters, he knew women understood a certain logic, men understood another, and there was no meeting in the middle. Particularly with a woman in Libby’s mood.

It was his own fault, both for the things he’d said earlier in the day, and for asking her out all those years ago. Some mistakes haunted you forever.

Of course, no one had ever tempted him like Libby Dumont. New on the job, Libby had been assigned to reorganize archived files in a basement of the company’s first building…a grim place everyone called the crypt. He’d gotten frustrated waiting for data on an old merger and gone down to get the file himself.

Then he’d seen Libby.

She was reaching up, pushing a teetering box back on a high shelf. Her sweater had pulled tight, defining her body and instantly setting him on fire. She’d glanced in his direction, lost her battle with the box, and was showered with dusty files. Instead of getting angry or embarrassed, she just laughed, her green eyes sparkling like jewels and her long hair falling down her back in a silken torrent of brown and gold and red.

God, he’d loved that laugh.

Unselfconscious, charming, convincing him she was a whole lot more experienced than was really the case.

Neil hesitated, then ran a finger into his collar and tugged on his tie. “By the way, my mother called and suggested I bring you to my nieces’ birthday party.”

Libby’s mouth dropped open.

A children’s party?

Wasn’t that too prosaic and normal for Neil? Over the years she’d heard Kane talk endlessly about the family; he was devoted to them. Neil seemed fond of his siblings, too, but she’d never imagined him attending a birthday celebration for two four-year-old girls.

“Thanks, but I’ve got work to do.” She would have enjoyed the party and visiting with the rest of the O’Rourke family, but going anywhere with Neil wasn’t the best idea—even though she wanted to kick him for looking so relieved at her refusal.

“I’m sure you’ve already put in enough hours.”

“Actually, I have…plans. For the evening.” It wasn’t a lie. She did have plans—laundry, vacuuming, and dosing the cat for fleas. Lately it felt like too much effort going on dates that never seemed to lead anywhere.

“All right. By the way, thanks for the report,” he said, holding up a sheaf of papers. “I’ll go over it this weekend, then we’ll talk again Monday.”

It wasn’t until after he’d left that Libby let out the breath she’d been holding.

She could always ask Kane to forget her promotion. He might even be relieved he didn’t have to find a new administrative officer. She’d only had the position for a short while, so it wasn’t like she was bored with her work or anything.

No.

Her chin lifted stubbornly.

She wouldn’t let Neil O’Rourke have the satisfaction of thinking he’d driven her away. And she’d make a darned good vice president, no matter what he might think.

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