Who's Your Boss? (Original Version) Revised version available in eBook/paperback

Chapter 9

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(Winnie)

I glanced up from the menu I held in my hands and gazed at Reed. He was staring at his own menu and scratching his stubbled jaw. I took the opportunity and studied him. His suit coat and tie were gone. The first two buttons on his dress shirt was undone and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. His hair looked as though he had run a hand through it. He oozed masculinity and dare I say sex appeal.

"Do you like what you see, Ms. Monroe?" he asked with what sounded like amusement.

I should've been embarrassed that I got caught gawking at him, but I wasn't. He had done his share of staring in the past. Smirking, I replied, "Nope. I find you rather hideous."

"Really?" He grinned at me over the top of his menu. "I've never had a complaint from the ladies before."

"There's always a first time for everything." I put down the menu and took off my reading glasses. Putting them back in their case, I slipped the case into my purse and returned my attention to Reed. "All joking aside I've always thought you were a handsome man. I just don't-"

"Are we ready to order?" the server asked, pausing by our table.

"I believe so," I said. "I'll have the beef stew."

"Alright." She wrote the order on her pad, took the menu from me, and turned to Reed. "And you, sir?"

"I'll have the same," he told her.

"Okay." She added his order to the pad and picked up his menu. "I'll be back shortly with your food. If you need anything else don't hesitate to ask." She hurried off to place the orders with the chef.

"Before we were interrupted you were telling me that I was handsome." Reed reached for his bottle of beer. "Please, continue."

I rolled my eyes. "I think I've said enough. I don't want you getting a big head and thinking you're all that."

"Never. " He took a drink of beer and set the bottle down. "Talk to me, Winnie. Tell me about yourself. It can be anything."

"Anything." I fiddled with my napkin while I thought back over my life. "I grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. My dad, who was the foreman, taught me and my sister how to ride a horse." A smile came to my lips as I remembered my childhood. "The first time I got on a horse it became spooked and threw me. I landed wrong on my left leg and broke it."

"You see," Reed said. "That's why you'll never get me on a horse. It's too dangerous."

I snorted. "Life is dangerous. You take a risk every time you leave your house."

"True." He sat back against the cushioned booth. "I envy you, Winnie. You grew up surrounded by open fields and clean air. For me it was buildings and air that was anything but clean. You mentioned your dad was a foreman. What did your mom do?"

"I don't know." I swallowed past the lump that had quickly formed. "I never knew her. Not long after I was born she ran away with a ranch hand." I smiled weakly. "Before you go saying you're sorry let me tell you that I had a mother. The ranch owner's wife was a lovely, kindhearted woman. She took to raising me and my sister along with her own children."

"I'm glad you had someone," he muttered. "I understand now why you and Jack bonded so quickly. You both had something in common. Your mother's abandoned you when you were just infants."