Even if that were true, she’d be the best cabin-cleaner in Wyoming. She didn’t know if she could ever tell him just how grateful she was to him for rescuing her yesterday, but she could definitely show him by being a hard-working employee.
Garrett’s faded denims hugged his muscular butt as he wielded the vacuum, and her mind flashed back to the moment in the kitchen when she’d joined him in her new clothes. Maybe she’d just imagined that look in his eye, she told herself. After all, she wasn’t great at picking up signals from guys. For instance, Howard’s proposal had taken her completely by surprise - because he only wanted to marry you to make partner, she chided herself.
But why would Garrett be interested in her? She was only going to be here for three weeks, after all.
Maybe that’s all he wants.
Maddie shook her head. She didn’t do casual. And the last thing she wanted was to jump into another relationship, even with a man as hot and sexy as Garrett.
Garrett backed out of the cabin. “That should do it.” He gestured with satisfaction to the interior of the pine cabin. She looked inside, impressed at how much dirt and dust he’d managed to get rid of.#p#分页标题#e#
“I’ll get started.” She picked up the dust rags and stepped inside.
“I’ll get this back to Carol.” He picked up the vacuum. “She said lunch will be ready in about an hour.”
“Okay.” Maddie started dusting the table again, grateful that this time she didn’t sneeze.
“I’ll come and pick you up.”
Her gaze flew to his. “There’s no need, Garrett. I can walk to the house.”
“It wasn’t a question, Maddie.” There was a hint of steel in his dark brown eyes. She blinked in surprise, then nodded.
He hoisted the vacuum into the SUV. “I’ll see you in an hour.”
###
Garrett picked her up an hour later and brought her back to the house for lunch, which consisted of salad, cold-cuts, and a loaf of fresh bread Carol had brought from town that morning. The older woman joined them for lunch, and Maddie learned that the housekeeper only came to Garrett’s one day per week and hadn’t had time to clean the cabins.
“I’ve been telling Mr. Garrett for a while now he should be doing something with those cabins,” the older woman explained during the meal, “and now I guess he is.”
Maddie wondered at the slight flush of red staining Garrett’s cheekbones at the comment, but before she could think any more about it, he turned the conversation to another topic.
After lunch, Garrett accompanied her down to the cabins and helped her finish dusting the walls and furniture. An alarm beeped on his fancy-looking silver watch and he muttered something to himself. “I’ve got a conference call in fifteen minutes.” He raked a hand through his charcoal hair, leaving a smudge of dust.
Once he’d left for the house, Maddie’s thoughts drifted. Who was Garrett Trask? He helped her with the cleaning he'd hired her to do, had conference calls, and owned a large ranch. Maddie realized that although they slept in the same house, she knew surprisingly little about him. Except that he’d rescued her. And was sexy as heck.
Maddie knew that some of her friends in the city would prefer a guy to be hot in bed and cold in his heart, but she wanted the complete package. She wanted a man to love her for herself, not because her father was a big-shot lawyer in Portland. She wanted a man who could stand on his own two feet, absolutely ruin her for all other men but also have regard for her thoughts and feelings.
She smiled wryly. Maybe that man was Garrett. It was just a shame the timing was wrong.
###
Maddie entered the kitchen the next morning, a smile on her face. She wore a mint-green T-shirt that Carol had bought for her and another pair of new, blue jeans. The housekeeper’s old gardening shoes were a lot more comfortable than her kitten heels, which she’d tossed in the closet. The aroma of sizzling bacon had tempted her growling stomach as soon as she’d opened her bedroom door.
“Morning,” she said cheerfully.
Garrett turned from the stove and grinned. “Morning. Coffee?” Before she could reply, he hit the button on the machine. Coffee hissed into a waiting cup.
“I could have done that,” she protested, secretly pleased at his attentiveness.
“Tomorrow,” he promised, bringing the coffee over to her. “I hope you’re hungry. Carol brought some extra eggs yesterday.”
“Carol does the grocery shopping?” Maddie took a sip of her coffee, appreciating again that Garrett had added cream and sugar to it.