“That’s it?” He was missing something, but he wasn’t sure what. “I move in and help you out?” Living with Brandee was like a dream come true. He could survive a few backbreaking days of hard work if it meant plenty of time to convince her they could be good together for a while.
“I can see where your mind has gone and yes...” She paused for effect. “You’ll have ample opportunity to convince me to sleep with you.”
A shock as potent as if he’d grabbed a live wire with both hands blasted through him. His nerve endings tingled in the aftermath. He struggled to keep his breathing even as he considered the enormity of what she’d just offered.
“You call that a wager?” He had no idea where he found the strength to joke. “I call it shooting ducks in a barrel.”
“Don’t you mean fish?” Her dry smile warned him winning wasn’t going to be easy. “Getting me to sleep with you isn’t the wager. You were right when you said I was lacking male companionship.”
Well, smack my ass and call me a newborn. The phrase, often repeated by Shane’s grandma Bee, popped into his head unbidden. He coughed to clear his throat.
“I said you needed to be kissed senseless.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Yes. Yes. It’s been a while since I dated anyone. And I’ll admit the thought of you and I has crossed my mind once or twice.”
“Damn, woman. You sure do know how to stroke a man’s ego.”
“Oh please,” she said. “You love playing games. I thought this would appeal to everything you stand for.”
“And what is that exactly?”
“You get me to say I love you and I sell you the ranch for ten million.”
He hadn’t prepared himself properly for the devastation of that other shoe. It was a doozy. “And what needs to happen for you to win?”
“Simple.” Her smile was pure evil. “I get you to say ‘I love you’ to me.”
* * *
Brandee stood on her front porch, heart beating double-time, and watched Shane pull a duffel out of his SUV. In his other hand he held a laptop case. It was late afternoon the day after Brandee had pitched her ridiculous wager to Shane and he was moving in.
This was without a doubt the stupidest idea she’d ever had. Paying Maverick the blackmail money and quitting the TCC was looking better and better. But how would she explain her abrupt change of heart to Shane? No doubt he would consider her backpedaling proof that she was afraid of losing her heart to him.
At least she didn’t have to worry about that happening. There was only room in her life for her ranch and her camp. Maybe in a couple years when things settled down she could start socializing. She’d discovered that as soon as she’d started thinking about seducing Shane, a floodgate to something uncomfortably close to loneliness had opened wide.
“Hey, roomie,” he called, taking her porch steps in one easy bound.
Involuntarily she stepped back as he came within a foot of her. His wolfish grin was an acknowledgment of her flinch.
“Welcome to Hope Springs Ranch.”
“Glad to be here.”
“Let me show you to your room. Dinner’s at seven. Breakfast is at six. I don’t know what you’re used to, but we get up early around here.”
“Early to bed. Early to rise. I can get on board with the first part. The second may take some getting used to.”
Brandee let out a quiet sigh. Shane’s not-so-subtle sexual innuendo was going to get old really fast. It might be worth sleeping with him right away to get that to stop.
“I’m sure you’ll manage.” She led the way into the ranch house and played tour guide. “Kitchen. Dining room. Living room.”
“Nice.” Shane took his time gazing around the uncluttered open-plan space.
“Your room is this way.” She led him into a hallway and indicated a door on the left. “Guest bedrooms one and two share that bathroom. I put you in the guest suite. It has its own bathroom and opens to the patio.”
Shane entered the room she indicated and set his duffel on the king-size bed. “Nice.”
The suite was decorated in the same neutral tones found throughout the rest of the house. It was smaller than her master bedroom, but she’d lavished the same high-end materials on it.