The Rancher's Bargain Page 16

  “And you’re sleeping with her,” Ethan added for him. Did this explain Gabriel’s latest attempt to change things up? Was his new girlfriend behind it all?

  “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  Before he could answer, Ethan heard a brisk knock on the door, then it swung open and his assistant, Sadie Matthews, poked her head inside. Her big blue eyes shifted from him to Gabe and back again before she asked, “War over?”

  “Not even close,” Gabriel said.

  Ethan scowled at him. “What is it, Sadie?”

  “The shouts are starting to drift out onto the floor,” she said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.

  For just a second, Ethan took a long, hard look at her.

  Sadie had been his executive assistant for five years. Tall, she had short, curly blond hair, dark blue eyes and it seemed to him that a smile was always tugging at her mouth. She was efficient, beautiful, smart, sexy, and completely off-limits. Over the years, he’d actually had to train himself to not react to her as he would if she didn’t work for him. It wasn’t easy. Hell, one look at her curves would bring any red-blooded man to his knees.

  Her mouth was a temptation and that spark of barely restrained rebellion in her eyes had always intrigued him. Early on, he’d even considered firing her just so he could try for a taste. But she was too damn good at her job.

  Walking toward his desk, she said, “I actually heard a couple people placing bets on which one of you would win this round.”

  “Who?” Ethan demanded with another hard look at his brother.

  She looked surprised at the question and shook her head. “I’m not going to tell you.”

  “What the hell, Sadie...”

  She ignored him and looked at Gabriel. “The new distributor is waiting in your office for that meeting you have scheduled. If you’d rather, I could tell him you’re in a heated battle with your brother...”

  Gabriel gritted his teeth, but nodded. “Fine. I’ll go.” He looked at his brother. “But this isn’t over, Ethan.”

  “Never thought it was,” he said with a sigh.

  When Gabriel was gone, Ethan asked, “Did you bet on me?”

  She grinned. “How do you know I placed a bet?”

  “You’re too smart not to bet on me.”

  “Wow, a compliment for me and a pat on your own back all at the same time. Impressive.”

  “Is the distributor really in Gabe’s office or did you do that just to break up the war?”

  “Oh, he’s really there,” she said, walking toward the bank of windows. “But I did want to break up the argument, so I would have made something up if I’d had to.”

  “He’s driving me crazy.” Ethan turned and moved to stand beside her at the windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean. January could be cold and gray in Southern California, but winter seas had their own magic. The water was as dark as the sky, with waves rolling relentlessly toward shore. Surfers posed on their boards, waiting for the perfect wave, and a few boats with brightly colored sails skimmed the water’s surface. The scene should have calmed him—it usually did. But this thing with Gabriel was getting more irritating every time it came up.

  “He still wants to make some changes to the chocolate line, doesn’t he.”

  Ethan glanced at Sadie. “And now he’s got some woman helping him wage his campaign.”

  “It’s not a completely crazy idea,” she said with a shrug.

  He stared at her. “Not you, too.”

  Sadie shrugged again. “Change isn’t always a bad thing, Ethan.”

  “In my experience, it is,” he argued. He took her shoulders, ignored the leap of heat inside, then turned her to face him. Once she was, he released her and stepped back before saying, “People always talk about changing their lives. New car, new house, new hair color, hell, new beliefs. Well, there’s something to be said for stasis. For finding what works and sticking with it.”

  “Okay, but sometimes change is the only route left open to you.”

  “Not this time,” he muttered. Turning his back on her and the view, he headed to his desk, sat down and reached for the latest marketing report. He gave her a quick glance. “Sadie, if you’re going to side with Gabriel on this, I don’t want to hear it. I’m not in the mood to have another argument for change.”

  “Right. Well, we all have to do things we don’t want to do.”

  “What?” He looked up at her.

  She blew out a breath and handed him a single sheet of paper. “I’m quitting my job.”

  “You can’t quit. We have a meeting in twenty minutes.”

  “And yet...”

  Ethan just stared at her, not really sure he’d heard her correctly. This was coming out of the blue and made absolutely no sense. “No, you’re not.”

  She waved the paper. “Read the letter, Ethan.”

  He snatched it from her and skimmed the neatly typed lines. “This is ridiculous.” He held it out to her. “I’m not accepting this.”

  * * *

  Sadie put her hands behind her back so she wouldn’t be at all tempted to take the letter and pretend none of this had happened. Oh, she had known quitting was going to be hard. Had known that Ethan would fight her on this, and she was a little worried he might convince her to stay. Because she didn’t really want to leave Heart Chocolates.

  But, she reminded herself, she really didn’t want to spend the next five years of her life as she’d spent the previous five. Hopelessly in love with a boss who saw her as nothing more than an efficient piece of office furniture.

  “You can’t quit,” he argued. When she refused to take back her letter of resignation, he tossed it facedown onto his desk, as if he couldn’t bring himself to even see it again. “We’ve got the spring campaign to finalize, the rehab at the factory—”

  “And all of it will get done without me,” Sadie said, and hoped he didn’t hear the nearly wistful tone in her voice.

  “Why?” he demanded, scowling at her. “Is this about a raise? Fine. You have it.”

  “It’s not about money, Ethan,” she said tightly. She already made more money than she would at any other job. Ethan was generous with his employees. That wasn’t the issue at all.

  He stood up. “All right, an extra two weeks of vacation a year, plus the raise.”

  She laughed at the idea and suddenly relaxed her guard. Really, for being such a good boss, he was also completely clueless sometimes. “Ethan, I don’t take my vacation now. What good is two more weeks to me?”

  “You’re being unreasonable.”

  “I’m being pragmatic.”

  “I disagree.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said, and she really was. Sadie didn’t want to leave. Didn’t want to never see him again. In fact, that thought opened up a dark, empty pit in the bottom of her stomach. Which told her she simply had no other choice.

  “Then what’s this about?”

  “I want a life,” she said, and hated how desperate those four words sounded.

  But she’d spent the last eight years of her life working for Heart chocolates, the last five of which she’d been Ethan’s assistant. She worked outrageous hours, hardly ever saw her family, and the houseplants in the condo she’d purchased the year before were dried-out sticks because she was never there often enough to water them.

  She wanted romance. Sex. Maybe a family of her own before she was too old to get any of that.

  “You have a life,” he said, clearly affronted at the accusation that he’d somehow cheated her. “You’re integral to this business. To me.”

  If only.

  The real problem here was that she’d been in love with Ethan for years now. It was empty, completely one-sided and guaranteed to leave her a bitter old woman one day. Nope. For her own sake, she had to quit
.

  Shaking her head, she said, “That’s work, Ethan, and there’s more to life than work.”

  “Not that I’ve noticed,” he complained.

  “That’s part of the problem,” she argued. “Don’t you get it? We work hideously long hours, come in on weekends, and last year you even called me in from my cousin’s wedding to help you cover that mix-up with the Mother’s Day shipment.”

  “It was important,” he reminded her.

  “So was Megan’s wedding,” she told him, shaking her head. “No, I have to do this. It’s time for a change.”

  “Change again,” he muttered, standing up and coming around the desk to stop right in front of her. “I’m really getting sick of that word.”

  “Change isn’t always bad.”

  “Or good,” he pointed out. “When things are working, why screw it up?”

  “I knew you’d hate this and maybe it was bad timing coming in to talk to you right after your latest battle with Gabe. But yes. I need a change.” She stared up into his grass-green eyes and felt a pang of regret that she was leaving. His dark brown hair was mussed, no doubt because he’d been stabbing his fingers through it again while arguing with Gabe. His tie was loosened and that alone was so damn sexy, her breath caught in her throat.

  What was it about this man that hit her on so many levels? It wasn’t just how gorgeous he was or the way he made her yearn with just a glance. He was strong and smart and tough and the combination was a constant temptation to her. So resigning was really her only choice.

  How could she want him so badly and stay in a position that guaranteed she’d never have him?

  “Damn it, Sadie what is it you want changed, exactly?”

  “My life,” she said, looking up into his eyes and willing him to see her, not just his always professional assistant. But he never would. She was like the fax machine or a new computer. There to do a job. “Do you know my brother, Mike, and his wife, Gina, just had their third baby?”

  Confusion shone in his eyes. “So? What’s that got to do with you?”

  “Mike’s wife is two years younger than me.” She threw her hands up in disgust. “She has three kids. I have four dead plants.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  She sighed a little. She’d known going in that quitting wouldn’t be easy. That Ethan would try to keep her by offering raises, promotions, vacations. But she hadn’t realized how hard it would be to tell him what was bothering her. What was driving her to leave. Heck, she’d only recently figured it out for herself.

  “I want a family, Ethan. I want a man to love me...” You, her brain whispered, but she shut that inner voice down fast. “I want kids, Ethan. I’m almost thirty.”

  “Seriously?” He pushed the edges of his jacket back and stuffed both hands into his pants pockets. “That’s what this is about? A biological clock moment?”

  “Not just a moment,” she told him. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Ethan, we work fifteen-hour days, sometimes more. I haven’t been on a date in forever and haven’t had sex in three years.”

  He blinked.

  She winced. Okay, she hadn’t meant to tell him that. Bad enough that Sadie knew the pitiful truth. Downright embarrassing for Ethan to know it. “My point is, I don’t want to look back when I’m old and gray and all alone—except for a cat and I don’t even like cats—and have the only thing I can say about my life be, Boy, I really was a good assistant. Kept that office running smoothly, didn’t I?”

  “Doesn’t sound like a bad thing.”

  Exasperated, Sadie stabbed her index finger at him. “That’s because you don’t have a life, either.” Yes, it had been forever since she’d been with anyone. But he was no better. “You bury yourself in your work. You never talk to anyone but me or Gabe. You own a damn mansion in Dana Point, but you’re never there. You eat takeout at your desk and pour everything you have into charts and ledgers, and that’s not healthy.”

  One dark eyebrow arched. “Thanks very much.”

  Sadie took a step back, mostly because standing so close to him was hard on her nerve endings. He smelled good. His jaw was tight, his eyes flashing and he looked...too tempting. Not for the first time, she wondered what would happen if she threw herself at his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. Would he hold her back? Kiss her senseless?

  Or would he be horrified and toss her to one side?

  Since she was quitting, she could easily find out the answers. But the truth was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Sometimes a really good fantasy was way better than reality.

  “This isn’t about me and my life,” he pointed out.

  “In a way it is,” she said. “Maybe if you hire an assistant who insists on a nine-to-five schedule, you’ll get out of this office once in a while.”

  “Fine.” He jumped on her statement. “You want nine to five, we can do that.”

  Sadie laughed. “No, we can’t. Remember Megan’s wedding?” Her cousin had been hurt that Sadie had slipped out of the chapel and missed the whole thing. And Sadie hadn’t liked it, either. “I’m really sorry, Ethan, but I have to quit. I’ll stay for two weeks, train a replacement.”

  “Who?” He crossed his arms over his chest and dared her with his eyes to come up with a suitable replacement.

  “Vicki in Marketing.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “She hums. Constantly.”

  Okay, she had to give him that one. He wasn’t the only one to complain about Vicki. Worse, Sadie was pretty sure the woman was tone deaf. “Fine. Beth in Payroll.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Her perfume is an assault on the senses.”

  Typical, she thought. Of course he would find something wrong with everyone she suggested. He might be young, gorgeous and a sex-on-a-stick walking fantasy, but he had the resistance to change of a ninety-year-old.

  Good thing she’d been prepared for this. “How about Rick? He’s been working here for two years. He knows the business.”

  If anything, his jaw got tighter. “Rick agrees with Gabriel. I’m not going to spend every day arguing with my assistant.”

  True. So it came down to this. To him suggesting her replacement. “Who do you suggest, then?”

  “You.” He was frowning and somehow that only made him look sexier.

  What was wrong with her?

  “We’re a team, Sadie. A good one. Why break that up?”

  Though she loved the fact that he didn’t want her to leave, she knew she had to go for her own peace of mind. How could she ever look for love somewhere else when she was too wrapped up in Ethan Hart? God, how pitiful did that sound?

  “I’ll find someone,” she said firmly.

  He didn’t look happy at that, but he jerked a nod. “And you agree not to leave until a replacement is trained.”

  She narrowed her eyes on him, because she saw the trap. If he never agreed to a replacement, she’d never get that person trained and thus, never leave. “And you agree to accept the replacement.”

  He shrugged. “If this nameless person can do the job, of course.”

  “You sound so reasonable.” Sadie tipped her head to one side and watched him closely. “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “Suspicious nature?”

  His eyes flashed and her insides skittered in response. Seriously, from the moment she’d taken this job with Ethan Hart, Sadie had been half in love with him. And over the years, she’d taken the full-on tumble. She still wasn’t sure why. Ethan wasn’t anywhere near her ideal man.

  She’d put a lot of time and thought into what she wanted. Yes, Ethan was gorgeous. Really way too handsome. Women were always tripping over themselves trying to get close to him. Yes, he was successful, but he was driven by his work to the exclusio
n of everything else in his life. She didn’t know if he liked children because he was never around any. She didn’t know if he was an amazing lover—though she’d had quite a few dreams in which he was the ultimate sex god. He had a sense of humor but he didn’t use it often, and he was entirely too spoiled. Too used to getting his own way.

  No, Ethan Hart was not the man for her and if she ever hoped to find that elusive lover, then she had to leave this job.

  “I have reason to be suspicious,” she said.

  “Why would I lie?” he asked, feigning astonishment at the very idea.

  “To get what you want.”

  “You know me so well, Sadie,” he said, shaking his head. “Just one more reason why we make a good team.”

  They really did. Damn it. She hated having to leave and couldn’t stand staying.

  “Ethan, I’m serious,” she said, lifting her chin and meeting his gaze squarely. “I’m quitting.”

  He looked at her for a long, silent minute. “Fine.”

  Just like that, his walls went up and his eyes went blank. “Wow, you’re good at that.”

  “What?”

  “Going from hot to cold in a blink.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Of course you do,” Sadie said, staring into those beautiful eyes of his. “It’s your signature move. Whenever a conversation or a negotiation starts going in a direction you don’t approve of, up come the defenses. And now that I’ve officially resigned, I can tell you that I don’t like it when you do it.”

  He frowned. “Is that right?”

  “Yes.” Sadie planted both hands on her hips. “You know, it’s pretty great being able to just say what I’m thinking.”

  “I’ve never known you not to,” he pointed out.

  “Oh,” she said with a laugh, “you have no idea the restraint I’ve shown over the years. Well, until now.”

  Those grass-green eyes narrowed on her. “Feeling pretty sure of yourself now, are you?”

  “I’m always sure of myself, I just don’t usually tell you everything I’m thinking. I have to admit,” she added, “this is very freeing.” Sure, she’d miss her job. And she’d really miss Ethan. But this was the best thing for her, and since she had to leave anyway, she was going to allow herself to enjoy her last two weeks with him. She’d be completely honest and hold nothing back. Well, she wasn’t about to admit she loved him or anything, but other than that... “Also, I hate your coffee.”