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“I believe she’s been transformed by a passion wielding cowboy.”
He steepled his fingers against his lips and peered at her for a long moment. “Are you sure?”
“Do I impress you as being an indecisive woman?”
The heat now glittering in his eyes touched her like a hand. “You are going to be in so much trouble, MissBookkeeper.”
He’d related the same mock warning the evening he’d kissed her for the first time, but now she had a clearer understanding of just what that meant. As a result, the pulse between her thighs sprang to life.
He added, “I want you to wear a skirt the next time I get you alone. No denims.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll be taking your drawers as punishment for how hard I’m going to be for the rest of the day thinking about you and your sponge. You really are trying to kill me.”
Thrilled by his words, she didn’t agree to the order but gave him a serene smile instead. As she walked away, she was trailed by his laughter.
Kent hadn’t been kidding about his arousal. Watching her exit, he was as hard as he’d ever been for a woman and it had occurred instantly. He didn’t know where she’d gotten the sponges, but he had to smile because he’d just purchased rubbers while in Tucson earlier. He couldn’t wait to get her alone. Once she was out of sight, it took him a few moments to will his body back into a calm state and for his mind to remember what he’d planned to do before being nearly knocked to his knees by her and her talk of sponges, but once he had everything back in order, he went inside to find Rhine.
His knock on the frame of the opened door made Rhine glance up from his seat behind his desk. “Come on in. Regan said the trip to Tucson went well.”
Kent settled into one of the brown leather chairs. “It did. No Apaches or outlaws.”
“Good. Glad we got that group out of our hair.”
Kent was, too. “I’d like to talk to you about something if I can.”
Rhine sat back. “Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“You mentioned the possibility of maybe leasing the Blanchard property.”
“I did.”
“Would you consider letting me lease it with an option to buy it outright at some point in the future? I have some money saved up.”
The famous Fontaine poker face descended over Rhine’s features. After a few long minutes of silence, he asked, “What about future income? Where would it come from?”
“Horses. If I make one trip a year and bring back a reasonable amount to sell, I think I could make a business and be able to pay you and any hands I’d need to hire.”
“Thought you were too old for horse wrangling.”
“Was when I thought I’d be working for you. Working for myself is a different matter.” And if he could convince Portia to be his wife, he needed a way to provide for her and any children they might have.
Rhine asked, “Can you give me some time to think about it?”
“Sure.” He hadn’t expected Rhine to agree to the proposal without giving it some thought.
“I also may have to deal with Landry and his bogus claim.”
“Understood.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know soon.”
“Thanks. In the meantime, I’m going to grab something to eat. I want to ride over there after dinner and make sure nothing else has happened. I take it you haven’t heard anything from the sheriff about the posse?”
“No and it angers me.”
“Same here.”
