Nearly six feet tall, with his slim athletic build, dark hair and silvery gray eyes, Ty Weston was striking enough when he just stood still. When he spoke or smiled he was absolutely devastating.
Jenny hadn't felt this drawn to a man in a long time. She ruthlessly suppressed the delicious tingle that started at her toes and worked its way up her body.
What a bad time for long-dead feelings to suddenly revive! She had bigger problems to think about now, besides Ty Weston's disarming smile and those silver eyes of his with just a smidgen of gray--or were they gray with a smidgen of silver?
A sign of frustration barely escaped her lips. Her dog had just assaulted a potential client, which surely must be a crime, and here she was mooning over the color of the victim's eyes.
Ty Weston may have been joking about suing her, but it would be no joke if he decided to hire someone else to do his newsletter.
Not that she'd blame him after Baby's rough treatment, but it would a disaster if Ty changed his mind about offering her the job. Lately her cash flow had slowed to a trickle, and she needed all the work she could get.
Jenny marshaled her courage, and faced him.
"I'm so sorry about what happened. Like I said before your, uh, encounter with Baby, he is a bit over-protective of me."
"Over-protective? He's a lethal weapon, a loose cannon set to go off at any moment. How many bodies of his victims do you have buried in the backyard? I think I've got bruises just from him standing on me."
He rubbed his chest as he spoke. Jenny couldn't help noticing, however irrelevantly, that it was a fine, broad chest that would look equally at home in denim or flannel as the linen broadcloth he now wore. And even better with nothing on at all. The sudden image shocked her into a blush.
Mentally Jenny gave herself a vigorous shake to dispel her troublesome thoughts. She hoped her face wasn't as red as it felt.
"I'm sorry," Ty said, misunderstanding her discomfort. "I didn't mean to be so emphatic. But your dog mauled me."
"Oh, no, not really. If he'd really wanted to hurt you, he would have bitten you."
"That's comforting. I suppose all I got was a warning. Sort of a dog equivalent of leaving a horse's head in my bed. Well, I can take a hint."
"Please don't let this affect our working arrangement." She struggled not to sound too pleading. "Baby will get used to you, I promise. He doesn't like anybody at first. It's just his nature. He's a guard dog. He'll warm up to you after a while."
Ty looked out the back door to where Baby was barking, and Jenny followed his gaze. The dog was totally worked up, ears and cheeks flapping as he barked, his spittle flying against the screen.
When Baby saw Ty looking at him, the dog threw himself against the door with frame-splintering force for added emphasis.
"He seems pretty warmed up already." Ty reached for the other cup of coffee and downed it in one long gulp. Despite his ruined suit and tousled hair, Ty leaned against the kitchen cabinet as nonchalantly as if he were at the espresso counter of a swanky coffee shop.
His coolness was impressive. With a glance Ty took in the sad state of his shirt, which had the contents of the other cup of coffee all over it, as well as a few rips from Baby's oversize paws. Ty winced at the destruction.
Jenny thought she could read the signals. She sighed.
"I'll understand if you want to find somebody else for your newsletter."
Ty sighed, too. She thought she saw resignation on his face as his lips curved into a grim smile.
"Oh no, that won't be necessary. I'm sure we can work this out."
)
