Texas Temptation by Bárbara McCauley Page A

sound of goodbyes said long ago. One at the airport, then one over a coffin.
    And now fate had brought her back. Back to a place where she’d never thought she’d return, back to the rig that had taken Jonathan from her.
    Back to a man who blamed himself for his brother’s death.
    Sighing, she closed her eyes, wondering what might have happened if she hadn’t pulled herself out of Jared’s arms the other night. Would he have kissed her? Would it have been a hard demanding kiss, like the first time, or would it have been tender and giving?
    He’d been careful to keep his distance the past few days. Almost to the point of being ridiculous. But no matter how much either one of them ignored it, the attraction was still there, hovering, circling. And sooner or later, it was going to come in for a landing. A crash landing, no doubt, she thought with a frown.
    â€œAnnie?”
    She nearly fell over backward in her chair; her legs flew upward and down as she caught herself. A word no lady should say flew from her lips.
    â€œJared!” She gripped the chair arm as she spun the seat around to face him. “You startled me.”
    He grinned at her. “Sorry ‘bout that. I thought you heard me drive up.”
    She might have, if she hadn’t been so engrossed in thinking about him. She started to rise from her chair. “No, I—”
    She stopped at the sight of another man, in worn jeans and a chambray shirt, standing directly behind Jared. He was a giant of a man, an inch or two taller than Jared, with a barrel chest and short brown hair. A scar cut across his right brow to his temple, and his dark eyes had a narrow dangerous glint in them. She took a deep breath and sank back into her chair.
    â€œAnnie,” Jared said, “this is Hugh Slater, our foreman.”
    Hugh. As in hu-mongous, Annie thought, forcing her legs to push her up and out of the chair. She stuck out her hand, almost expecting to lose it, but when his gigantic paw covered hers, his touch was amazingly gentle. His eyes, a deep brown, took her in, but she sensed that his measure was not of a sexual nature. He was assessing her character.
    â€œWhat’s her fieldwork?” Hugh asked Jared, but kept his eyes on her. He didn’t smile.
    â€œParker Phillips,” Jared began, “Sonny Hodges—”
    â€œI can speak for myself, Mr. Slater,” Annie said indignantly, and she went on to list the rigs she’d worked on. He was obviously familiar with most of them, because he nodded approvingly several times.
    When Annie turned the tables on the man and began to grill him on his experience, Jared sat on the edge of the desk and watched in amusement. Slater’s shoulders stiffened and squared as Annie directed several questions at him regarding drilling procedures. People rarely questioned Hugh Slater on his expertise. Especially women.
    But then, if Jared had learned anything about Annie, it was only to expect the unexpected. One minute she was sexy and soft and the next minute she was facing down a 250-pound bear of a man without so much as blinking an eye. She had a red pencil stuck behind her ear that seemed to punctuate the air every time she asked a question, while Slater, his massive arms folded, scowled at Annie, answering her with a controlled patience that Jared had never witnessed before.
    She was one hell of a woman, he thought. The kind of woman any man would be proud to—
    He stopped himself. To what?
    To hire, he decided. To have on his team.
    He forced his thoughts back to the discussion taking place in front of him. Annie’s head was tilted, her brow furrowed, as she listened to Slater explain a complicated but inexpensive method of jetting mud.
    Satisfied at last, both Annie and Slater relaxed.
    â€œWelcome aboard, Mr. Slater,” Annie said, sticking out her hand again.
    â€œGlad to be here, Miss Bailey.” He took her hand. “Just Slater will