Free Somebody Like You by Lynnette Austin Page A

finger, he hooked her bra strap, dangled it. “Very nice.”
    She snatched it from him and picked up the pile of clothes, hugging it to her chest. Heat radiated from her face, and she gave him her boardroom stare. “I like it.”
    “Bet you do.” Unfazed, he snitched a cookie and took a huge bite. “Mmmmm, mmmm. Can’t beat these, can you?” Then, scanning the cramped space, he asked, “You good to go now?”
    “Yes. I think I have everything I need. Thank you.”
    “Lock up behind me.”
    Her brows rose. “Is there much crime here?”
    “In Maverick Junction?” He laughed. “Nah. But just the same, when you’re here alone, it wouldn’t hurt to throw the lock.”
    She nodded. Throw the lock. If he only knew. Her everyday life revolved around elaborate security systems, video cams, and ever-present bodyguards.
    Not anymore. She was on her own now. For the short-term. But she would take his advice. No sense being stupid.
    “Dottie doesn’t.”
    “I know. She should. I’ve told her that.”
    After setting her laundry back onto the table, lingerie-side down, she followed him to the door. He opened it and paused to give her a quick, friendly peck on the cheek.
    She turned her head at that instant, and his lips missed their mark, landing squarely on her mouth.
    Both pulled away as if burned, and she stepped back. Their eyes met and locked. Heat swept through Annelise; her breasts felt heavy. The man was potent!
    His voice gravelly, Cash said, “Night, Annie.” Without another word or a second’s hesitation, he hurried down the stairs and into the night.
    Annelise laid her fingers over her lips. Her tingling lips. Innocent. Accidental. The kiss had meant nothing. So why was her heart racing?
    His car door opened, closed. The Caddy’s big engine roared to life, drowning out the cicadas’ incessant chirping.
    Leaning against the stair railing, she watched his red taillights disappear into the darkness. He’d given her a job, helped her find a place to live, then spent his entire evening taking her to dinner and grocery shopping. Who was this man?
    Used to people doing for her, she understood this was innately different. This was personal—and Cash Hardeman was very good at it. Good at making her feel welcome. Special.
    With those skills, he’d do well in the boardroom—far better than she. He’d have everyone eating out of his hand. And at stuffy, formal dinner parties? Closing her eyes, Annelise breathed in the heavy night air. Oh, yeah. She could see him. A tailor-made tux that fit his muscular build to perfection, his black Stetson, and his cowboy boots. And a smile with dimples sure to dazzle every woman within a sixty-mile radius. Her most of all.
    The killer Texas heat spiked another twenty degrees.

Chapter Six
    H ot enough under the collar to ignite a brush fire, Cash stalked toward the big house. Damn Vivi all to hell. This latest fiasco was her way of getting back at him for last night. He knew it as surely as he knew his own name.
    So now he had to take time out of the middle of the workday to smooth things out with Rosie. The Fourth of July was coming up fast, and the little league ball team he coached, along with their families and half the rest of the county, would be here expecting to eat and celebrate their country’s independence. It took a lot of planning and organization to pull off the annual event. If Rosie, his housekeeper and cook, wasn’t happy, that wasn’t gonna happen.
    One thing about Vivi, her timing was spot-on. She knew exactly when to throw her little snit fits to cause the most damage.
    His boots thudded loudly on the wooden porch steps. Without stopping to knock, he barged through the door, the screen banging shut behind him.
    “Vivi!”
    “What?” His grandfather’s widow poked her head out of the living room. Every hair in place, her makeup applied perfectly, she’d no doubt expected him. The short white shorts showed off miles of tanned legs, and the neon-pink