The Perfect Proposal (5 page)

“
I can’t,” she told William
with an imploring look.

William gave her a sad smile. “I’m afraid you
don’t understand, Annie. If you want this position, you don’t have
a choice.”

Mitch grinned maddeningly. “Well I guess we
should go pack our bags…roomie.”

Annie didn’t bother saying what she was
thinking. If hell was in Texas, she’d be there shortly.

Indeed, hell
was
in Texas. Or at least it felt like it. Annie
pulled at her fashionable fall tunic as she trudged across the hot
tarmac outside of the small Petersville airport and wished that
she’d had the forethought to wear something more suited to a Texas
autumn.

Like Mitch, Annie thought irritably, glaring
at his broad, summer-knit covered back. Much to her annoyance, he’d
arrived bright-eyed and chipper this morning. Annie had never been
a morning person, and quite frankly, didn’t enjoy being around one
either. That Mitch appeared to have that very disposition only
irritated Annie further and reminded her of their differences. How
could she possibly live with the man for two weeks?

Mitch paused for her to catch up, then aimed
a devastating smile in her direction. “Isn’t this great?”

Annie eyed him warily. “Isn’t what
great?”

Mitch pulled in a deep breath and savored the
air as Annie would a spoonful of homemade ice cream. “The climate,
the heat. It’s an Indian summer,” he confided with a wink. “The
very best.”

Annie gave him a whatever-you-say look and
brushed by him. Okay, so he had a point. Annie imagined that if she
were dressed properly she would be enjoying the warm air on her
skin, and the clean dry scent wafting on the light breeze.

But she wasn’t. She was dressed for winter,
therefore she was hot. Besides, Annie wasn’t in the mood to be
happy. Her orderly life was spinning out of control and Mitch
Hightower was no small part in the problem. Furthermore, it would
be a whole lot easier to stay annoyed with the man if he weren’t so
damned charming.

Mitch loped up beside her as they neared the
limo, shortening his long stride to accommodate her shorter one.
“So how far is it from here to the ranch?” he asked.

“
How should I know? I’ve
never been here before.”

“
You haven’t?”

“
No.” Annie handed her
carry-on to the driver, made sure her other bags were stored, then
slid into the car. Mitch did the same, then crowded next to her.
Annie frowned. There were several yards of seat back here. Did he
have to sit so close? It was hard to ignore him in any amount of
space, much less with his thigh intimately pressed against
hers.

The driver informed them the journey to the
Triple P would only take a few minutes and encouraged them to make
the most of the mini-bar. While Annie could have used a drink, she
didn’t allow herself the luxury. She’d need all her wits about her
when they arrived at the ranch.

Mitch smiled as though he’d read her mind.
“You aren’t going to have anything to drink?”

“
No,” Annie said, resisting
the urge to clench her teeth.

Mitch nodded favorably. “Good, Annie. I’m
proud of you. Going cold turkey is the best way to beat a drinking
problem.”

Annie whirled to face him, prepared to blast
him out of the car for that remark, when she noticed the
infuriatingly amused grin he wore. Those unusual blue eyes twinkled
mischievously.

“
Very funny,” she said with
a smirk. “Do you enjoy goading me? Is that how you plan to
entertain yourself for the next two weeks?”

Mitch smiled and licked his lips, then
leveled an entirely too sexy look at Annie. Her stomach did a
flip-flop as she waited for his response.

“
Among other things,” Mitch
commented. “What do you plan to do to entertain
yourself?”

How did he manage to load that much innuendo
into one simple question? Annie wondered. Her toes curled in her
shoes until they pinched, a silent reminder that she wasn’t
supposed to like this man, much less be attracted to him.

“
How do I intend to
entertain myself?” Annie repeated. “I don’t,” she informed him
archly. “I plan to work.”

Mitch tsked. “You can’t work twenty-four
hours a day.”

“
You’re right,” she
concurred, folding her arms across her chest. “I can only work
sixteen. After that, I’ll sleep.”

Mitch gave her a disbelieving look, then a
small smiled curled his lips. “You know what they say about people
who are all work and no play…”he said lightly.

“
Actually, I don’t, but it
doesn’t surprise me that you do.”

To Annie’s delight, Mitch frowned. “What’s
that supposed to mean? That I don’t know how to work?”

Annie lifted her shoulders noncommittally.
“If the Italian loafers fit…”

Mitch turned and stared out the window.
“Well, my approach to work might be a little more laid-back than
yours,” he remarked. “But I would have figured you to be more
intelligent, Annie. You know, it’s not wise to tell your future
boss that you think he’s lazy.”

Annie turned and glared at
him. “Any more than it would be wise to tell your future boss that
you think
she’s
stupid.”

To Annie’s ultimate irritation, Mitch had the
audacity to laugh. He wasn’t taking her or this entire situation
seriously at all. To him it was another high stakes game, and he’d
probably never lost one before.

But he would lose this one.

Annie hadn’t spent the last five years making
a name for herself at Hightower Advertising to let this pretty boy
come in and take it away from her. As far as she was concerned,
he’d given up his right to the agency when he walked away. Besides,
according to William, Mitch had already found his niche in
computers. He didn’t need Hightower. She did.

From beneath her lashes, Annie covertly
studied him. He didn’t look at all like a computer nerd. Given the
sheer size of the man, it was hard to imagine him hunched over a
keyboard, pounding away with gigabyte induced abandon. Especially
with those hands, Annie noted. They were large, very manly hands.
Slightly roughened, she remembered. A woman with an active
imagination could easily envision those hands cupping her face as
he drew her to a kiss. Could picture them sliding over her body.
Kneading her breasts.

Annie drew in a shaky breath and cursed the
vision. Good thing she’d learned the importance of forgetting
fanciful notions. Her childhood upbringing in the foster care
system had taught her that lesson very well.

A moment later the driver wheeled the limo
beneath an ornate wrought iron arch bearing the Triple P brand,
then traveled along the tree-lined drive. Uniform white split-rail
fences enclosed acres and acres of pasture land. Les Peter’s
beloved cows dotted the landscape, munching away on the last of the
green grass. It was a peaceful scene and Annie found herself oddly
enchanted. Enchantment, however, quickly turned to awe as they
neared the house. Her jaw dropped as she surveyed the estate before
her.

It was Tara!

The grand antebellum mansion
looked as though it had been transplanted from the very set
of
Gone with the Wind.
She blinked, certain her eyes had deceived her, but the vision
didn’t disappear. Impressive pillars supported the magnificent
veranda on the first and second floors. Huge ferns flanked the
massive double doors and potted palms and other greenery added to
the eye-pleasing décor. Formally manicured gardens surround the
house.

Beside her, Mitch whistled low. “Nice
spread.”

“
Uh-huh,” Annie agreed
absently. Further inspection revealed a huge garage, the stables, a
pool house, and various other buildings. Nestled against the back
of the landscaped property were several little cottages. Her
enthusiasm lessened considerably. She and Mitch would undoubtedly
occupy one of those soon. Too soon to suit her, Annie thought
miserably.

No sooner had Mitch exited the car when the
huge doors to the house flung open and Les Peters rushed out. His
little booted feet beat a hasty tattoo across the tiled veranda.
“Hot dog!” he bellowed jubilantly. “Y’all are here! Welcome to the
Triple P.”

Mitch smiled. “Thank you, sir. It’s quite a
home you have here.”

Les beamed at the compliment. “All the little
woman’s doin’. Can’t say that I had a lot to do with it, except for
the financing, of course.” He shot Mitch a wink and laughed at his
own joke, then turned to Annie. “Why, Ms. Witherspoon, you look
lovely this morning. I dare say this Texas climate agrees with
you.”

Mitch watched in amazement as Annie smoothly
transformed a pained look into a professional smile. “Thank you,
sir,” she said. “I’m inclined to agree.”

Mitch snorted at the lie, soliciting a sharp
jab in the ribs from Annie.

“
Well,” Les announced with a
slap on his palms. “No sense lollygaggin’ around out here all day.
I know you two kids are anxious to get settled in, but come inside
and meet the family first.” Les barked a few orders at the driver,
then in his customary take-charge fashion began to herd them
inside. Mitch noted that Annie watched, seemingly concerned, when
the driver loaded their bags onto a golf cart and drove away with
them. He nudged her into motion.

Hell, Peters made this sound like a
honeymoon. Frankly, Mitch was more concerned with getting down to
business than settling in.

In fact, the sooner he wrapped this “contest”
up, the better. Though he’d made light of the sleeping
arrangements, Mitch didn’t like the situation any better than Annie
did. Despite reason, logic, everything, Mitch found himself
incredibly attracted to her. Spending any amount of time with the
desirable Annie would be a test and, considering he was already in
the middle of one important pop quiz, thanks to his uncle, he
didn’t need another.

“
Cora!” Les bellowed as they
entered the cavernous entry hallway. “Y’all come and meet our
guests.”

Within seconds, two rambunctious youngsters
came barreling down the grand staircase Annie had been covertly
admiring. A small tow-headed boy jumped onto the railing at the
landing and slid all the way down until his feet hit the expensive
antique carpet that covered the marble floor. Beside him, Annie’s
jaw had gone slack. The little girl, her hair the same color as her
brother’s, made the same enthusiastic entrance.

Les guffawed happily and beamed at the little
hellions. “Mitch, Annie, these young ‘uns are my Pride and
Joy.”

“
Our Pride and Joy,” a
petite brunette echoed as she sailed into the room. A welcoming
smile wreathed her pretty face as she extended her small bejeweled
hand. “I’m Cora Peters. It’s nice to meet you.”

Mitch and Annie exchanged introductions.
“Lovely children,” Annie said. “Are they twins?”

Cora grinned fondly. “Our second set. You’ll
meet Rhett and Scarlett later in the week. They’ll be in from
college on Thursday, for the reunion.” She gave a wry look at the
duo before her. “These two are out of school today. We’re having
parent-teacher conferences today, so I’ve got to go down to the
school right now, but I’ll be back after a while and we can get
acquainted.” She smiled regretfully. “Why don’t y’all plan on
joining us for dinner?”

“
Of course they’ll join us,”
Les boomed before Mitch and Annie could answer. “Dinner’s at seven
and Cookie gets real upset if anyone’s late.”

“
We’ll be on time,” Annie
said.

“
Speaking of time, I’ve got
to go.” Cora gave them a warm smile. “I look forward to seeing
y’all this evening. Pride, Joy,” she called. “Come and give Mama a
kiss.” The two little scamps abandoned the drapes they were
attempting to climb and obligingly gave their mother a peck on the
cheek. As soon as their mother had gone, they returned to their
climbing. If Les noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“
Okay,” the little cowboy
announced, “let’s get y’all settled in.” He began to lead them
through the impressive house. “As I said yesterday, we’ve got
family coming in this week and are in the middle of preparations
for the family reunion. Y’all will be staying in the Rose Cottage.”
He ushered them through the kitchen, then onto the wide back porch.
Next to the porch sat a couple of golf carts. “Y’all can use one of
these to get back and forth.”

Puzzled, Mitch just nodded. A row of little
cottages lined the back of the expansive lawn. Though it was
several yards, he couldn’t imagine why they would need a golf cart
to get back and forth.

Les handed Mitch a key. “Your things have
already been delivered and I had the kitchen stocked. If you need
anything, there’s an intercom. Just call for service.”

Again, Mitch nodded. A look at Annie
confirmed she was every bit as confused as he was.

“
Now for the directions,”
Les said.

Directions? Mitch wondered. He could see the
cottages. All les had to do was indicate which one. Hell, he
wouldn’t need a map.

“
Here’s the map,” Les said
to Mitch’s astonishment, drawing a piece of paper from his coat
pocket. “This is the layout of the entire estate, and you’ll need
it for the tours that I intend for you to take. Anyhoo, Rose
Cottage is circled.” Les pointed to the service road that ran in
front of the little houses Mitch had noticed. “Take that road right
over there and follow it until it dead-ends. It’ll take you
straight to Rose Cottage. If y’all have any questions, give me a
holler. Until then, just rest up until dinner.” He smiled. “You’re
going to need it.”