The Proposal at Siesta Key by Shelley Shepard Gray Page A

ofentertainment at his expense, and had ultimately caused the girl a lot of pain and tears.
    Now, the pretty young woman in his room stepped closer. “ Nee , it wasn’t like that at all.” Glaring, she continued. “I didn’t know you were here.”
    â€œAre you sure about that?” That girl in Lancaster County had said much the same thing.
    â€œI’m positive.” Her voice turned cool. “This inn was the only place where I could find a job on such short notice.”
    â€œI see.” It was quite a coincidence. Too much of one. What bad luck! He was stuck here with a girl who was obviously grasping at any reason she could think of to be around him. “Well, danke for your help, but I think I’m good now. You may leave.”
    But instead of accepting his statement and gracefully exiting the room, Penny shook her head. And then stepped closer. “Wait. Miss Beverly said one of my jobs is to see to your needs. Do you need anything?”
    â€œI do not.” Feeling exposed, he pulled the quilt up protectively over his chest.
    This girl needed to go. Permanently. The moment he saw Beverly again, he was going to tell her that this girl needed to stay away from him at all times.
    Penny was starting to look a bit panicked. “I promise, I didn’t know you were here. If I’d known, I would have applied at every other inn before coming here.”
    â€œIf you say so.”
    â€œI know so! Why, you have to be one of the rudest men I’ve ever met. If you cause me to lose my job . . . I don’t know what I’ll do.”
    Her words, combined with the outrage on her face, made everything click into place. He had just made a crucial, terriblemistake. Penny Troyer had not been lying about her reasons for being in his room. He really was her job. And if he didn’t make use of her efforts, she was going to get fired. And it was going to be all his fault.
    He was horrified. Embarrassed. And, well, he could kick himself. When was the last time he had misread a situation so horribly? For that matter, when was the last time someone had only wanted to spend time with him out of obligation?
    He couldn’t remember.
    His ego was truly in need of being taken down a notch or two. “Listen. I’m sorry. Not to sound too full of myself, but sometimes I run into women who, um, want to get to know me better.”
    Still glaring, she set the pitcher down on top of the dresser. “You can be sure that I am not one of them, Mr. Knoxx.”
    Obviously she wasn’t. Especially not now, since he’d managed to do a pretty good job of hurting her feelings. “I’m sure I’ll need something soon, but at the moment I am fine. Thank you for your offer of help, though. I appreciate it.”
    His gentle tone, coupled with his kinder explanation, visibly relieved Penny. Right before his eyes, that trapped, wary expression that seemed to encompass nearly everything she did eased, and in its place he saw something truly endearing. Her blue eyes brightened and the lines of stress around her lips smoothed away, revealing a small smile.
    Suddenly, she was adorable. Innocent and guileless and really, really cute.
    Which made him wonder how he’d ever thought she was conniving. Now it was obvious that she was simply a sheltered girl in a small community trying to do the best she could with the job that had been given to her. “Hey, I’m sorry for the way I talked to you the other night.”
    â€œIt’s all right.”
    â€œSo, you will forgive me?”
    â€œ Jah . I mean, I probably will. Eventually. I have to, anyway. After all, you are my job.”
    â€œ Danke . I’ll try to not be too much trouble.”
    When he grinned, a blush ignited her skin. “You can be all the trouble you want. I mean, you’re going to have surgery. That probably means you’ll be a lot of trouble.”
    â€œYou have a point.”
    Her