Free Tallchief: The Hunter by Cait London Page A

hands were quite properly placed. Those are poor, pitiful shoes to be wearing when hunting a man, Jillian,” he mocked gently.
    “I wasn’t hunting you. I just wanted to have a private conversation—” She stared at Adam, who had begun chafing her sock-covered feet. He tucked her feet beneath his arms and then folded them, tilting his head slightly as he listened. Jillian considered her predicament—and decided to deliver her message without losing as much dignity as possible. “Something has come up, a really good paying contract with good opportunities to draw attention to my work. I don’t have time to relocate my equipment or my home just yet. Before I can do good work, I have to feel settled in my environment. I’ve found that harmony is very important to me. It will take all my energy and focus to do a good job on this new contract. I’m not established well just yet, and this will mean bigger clients. You’re not going to ruin my chances, Adam.”
    “I wouldn’t think of it,” he murmured. “Not for a moment. But you could do with a good pair of boots if you’re going to be coming after me.”
    It was difficult to retain her composure while sitting on top of a fence post, her feet warming under Adam’s arms. She decided to venture a nothing-tried-nothing-gained. “Would you leave now, before the Tallchiefs sense that we don’t like each other? To be honest, it’s deeper, more fierce than that.”
    “Aye, it is.” He nodded solemnly, his gray eyes considering her, shielded by those thick, black, glossy lashes. “It’s cozy here in Amen Flats, Jilly-dear, with all my relatives around. I’d be a fool to leave a warm house and good food. I can pick up odd jobs here and there, enough for change money. Maybe you’ve got something I can do.”
    She stared at him and realized her mouth was open. “You’re just tormenting me. You know full well that you are moving on when it suits you. I just tried to give you a sizable check to get you out of here. Why would I want to hire you? And what could you do for me?”
    She didn’t trust the searing heat in his eyes, quickly veiled by a mild smile and a shrug. “I’m a pretty good cook. I can do laundry and clean while you work. I can run errands for you. It’s only the last of March now and someone has to carry in wood for the stove. April can still be chilly.”
    Adam Tallchief was asking her for a job. Jillian gripped the ancient wood of the fence post to keep from toppling from it. “Adam, that won’t work. Not with us, and you know it. And I’m used to caring for myself. If I’m busy, the laundry can wait, so can the dishes.”
    Adam Tallchief, doing her laundry, making her bed, washing her dishes—in her house…. He’d take over the quiet life she’d build, her concentration destroyed. Her emotions concerning him were too fierce and unpredictable. She couldn’t have him anywhere near her!
    He wasn’t deterred, watching her with those narrowed, steely eyes. Was he planning revenge?
    “Maybe it’s time for a change,” he said quietly as the sheep moved around him. The wind snagged his hair, sailing it away from those rugged features. The impact of that hard, determined face took her breath away as he continued. “Maybe you’ll become so busy you’ll need help. I thought that since you’re set on me not embarrassing my relatives, you might see what my talents are and help me get a good start for a meaningful life. In your times when you’re notfocusing and creating, of course, when you have to step away from work to refresh the well.”
    “No,” she returned firmly. Jillian tugged her now-warmed feet from his keeping. Somehow Adam understood that too much concentration led to dry, gritty eyes and slowed the creative process. In her first attempts at finishing contracts in lightning-quick time, she’d discovered it was much better to take refreshing breaks than to run herself dry. “I can’t see any creative conversation happening