Free Something Wild by Toni Blake Page B

replied. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?"
    Her playful tone made him smile. "Is this the same grandma who lived in Kentucky?"
    "Yep, same one."
    "So you said the farm isn't a farm anymore. Did all the Hallorans get into the food-and-drink business?"
    "No, just Patti and me. My father owns a hardware store, one of the last family-run ones in the city. And my grandparents are retired. But they probably should all be in the restaurant business. My grandmother and mother are wonderful cooks and they taught me everything I know."
    "What about Patti?" he asked over his shoulder. "They didn't teach her?"
    Penny's short laugh resonated through the house. "Well, they tried, but it didn't work out. She handles more the management end of the business, the hiring, the firing, the banking. And I handle the menu and payroll … and now, I guess, the computer."
    The glasses nearly slipped from Penny's hands when she entered the room to see Ryan down on all fours, his suit-clad butt in the air. She'd never really seen his butt before, but it looked nice. Really nice. Pinpricks of sensation skittered up her inner thighs. Right when things were going so smoothly, too.
    After standing frozen in place for a moment, she lowered the two lemonades quietly to the corner of the desk, then headed for the bathroom. That's why she'd originally gotten up, wasn't it? And she certainly didn't want to get caught gaping, or risk messing up what had, so far, been a nice, normal workday between them, despite what she'd felt upon his arrival. Familiar tendrils of desire had curled through her when she'd found him standing on her doorstep looking totally GQ , but she'd pushed them down, helped along by his brusque candor and his refusal to look at her. Now, however, the tension had eased—other than these sexy little shivers he never had to know about—and she hoped they could keep things on an even keel.
    When she returned, Ryan had, thankfully, risen back to his chair to take a sip of lemonade. "This is good."
    But their eyes met, and something warm melted through her. Uh-oh.
    "Real lemons, ice not water, and lots of extra sugar," she unthinkingly blurted out, then hurried to take her seat beside him. Somehow it was easier then, when they were looking at the computers and not each other.
    "What?" he asked.
    She lifted her gaze, then lowered it just as quickly. "That's the recipe. In case you wanted to know."
    Maybe he'd been right when he'd arrived, Penny thought. Maybe anything else was inviting trouble. Reaching for her own lemonade, she took a long swallow and tried to let it cool her down inside.
    She felt his glance from the corner of her eye. "I thought it was a secret."
    Penny sighed. "Well, you seem trustworthy," she said, for lack of any better response.
    He reached to type something onto his laptop and accidentally bumped her arm. They both flinched uncomfortably, then exchanged lightning-quick looks.
    "So…" he said.
    "So…" she replied. Her heart beat too fast. Darn it, why couldn't they act normal around each other for longer periods of time?
    "Let's talk payroll," he suggested hurriedly.
    "Yes, let's."
    * * *
    When Ryan looked past her toward the window, Penny raised her gaze, as well.
    "It's getting dark," he said.
    It startled Penny to see dusk falling outside; the lights she'd turned on this afternoon had kept them from noticing the gradual change. She glanced to the mantel clock. "I can't believe it's so late. Almost nine."
    He gave his head a regretful shake. "My fault. I get on a roll, and I totally lose track of time."
    "No need to apologize," Penny assured him. "I'm just surprised. I had no idea we'd worked that long." But when she thought about it, they'd covered a lot. They'd gone over her manual payroll procedures and discussed how to best represent them in the system, then they'd moved on to her notes about budget and the monthly balance sheets. Although the comfort level had grown steadily deeper, Penny had