The Perfect Proposal Read online

  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. The
y’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.”

  Completely puzzled, Mitch climbed into the cart and aimed in the direction Les had instructed. An odd sense of foreboding twisted in his gut.

  Annie settled into the cart’s passenger seat and waited until they were out of Les’s earshot before she spoke. “Does any of this seem strange to you?”

  “Definitely,” Mitch said.

  He drove past the other cottages, then under a canopy of trees. The tunnel of foliage heralded fall’s coming in a dazzling display of yellows, browns, burnt orange and reds. It was quite beautiful and, had Annie been in a mood to fully appreciate it, she would have been humbled by such a sight. While still touched her, she didn’t have the presence of mind to truly enjoy it. She was too worried about what lay at the end of this drive. Something told her Rose Cottage was much more than a small guest house.

  She swallowed a delighted “oh” as the little house came into view. The white frame cottage was a charmer, with a steep-pitched roof and green shutters. Ivy grew as a ground cover and wound its way up the rock chimney. A curved stone path led to a small front porch and a white picket fence surrounded the yard. An arbor, covered with late-blooming pink roses, provided entrance into the picture-perfect scene.

  Mitch parked the cart. After a moment when he failed to comment, Annie stole a glance at him. His handsome face was set in a scowl. His firm but full lips were drawn into a disapproving line. The drive over had ruffled his raven hair and a leaf had fallen to rest on his shoulder. Without thinking, Annie reached out and brushed it off. Mitch turned and his questioning gaze caught hers. For a moment, she couldn’t speak, held silent by that potent stare.

  “Y-you had a leaf on your shoulder,” she explained, feeling stupid.

  Mitch smiled. “Thanks.” He blew out a resigned breath. “Well, we should get settled in.” With that comment, he swung out of the cart and made for the door. At the porch, he stopped to wait for Annie.

  “It’s nice,” Annie said, uncomfortable with the silence.

  “Yeah, if you were on a honeymoon,” Mitch replied dryly.

  Annie didn’t know what to say to that, so she kept her mouth shut. She felt a blush stain her cheeks. Mitch and honeymoon were not words she should be thinking about in conjunction. Just the thought made her heart pound. Mitch slipped the key in the lock, then opened the door for Annie.

  The cozy little cottage was chock-full of antiques and lace. Tea roses patterned the wallpaper, thus giving the home its name. Varying shades of pink, red and cream created the ambiance of an old bed and breakfast, but a modern entertainment center and television were tucked into an old chifferobe. The kitchen table, visible from the living room, held a bottle of chilled champagne and a fruit basket.

  Annie let out a deep breath. “Well,” she murmured, for lack of anything articulate to say.

  “Well,” he echoed grimly.

  Needing a moment alone, Annie walked past Mitch to survey the rest of the house. The first door on the right led to a spacious bath. Painted a soft yellow, the room boasted a double marble vanity, glassed-in shower, and a huge antique claw-toothed tub, Annie imagined herself neck deep in fragrant bubbles and let out a soft sigh.

  She ducked out, promising herself an indulgent bath that night before dinner with the Peters. Right now, she needed to make certain that her things had been delivered as Les promised. Vaguely she noted there were only two other doors and assumed that both of them led to bedrooms, one of which probably had a private bath.

  A glance into one of the rooms disproved her theory. A vein of panic worked its way through her. One of the rooms was an office. A huge oak desk took up most of the space. Among the things on top were a computer, a laptop, phone and fax. On the opposite wall sat a small table and chairs, and a filing cabinet.

  A sense of dread curdled her empty stomach. Surely Les wouldn’t have assigned them a guest house with only one bedroom? Annie forced one foot in front of the other and said a silent prayer to the Almighty as she made her way to the one remaining room. She simply couldn’t believe this.

  When she reached the last door, she closed her eyes tight, then reopened them and glanced inside to see a room from heaven in this hell. A kind-sized mahogany bed draped with yards and yards of pink mosquito netting graced the far wall. A crocheted coverlet atop the bed was set off by a variety of big fluffy pillows, piled high. Fresh-cut flowers blossomed from vases placed strategically around the room on various other delicate antiques. It was whimsical, romantic…and unique.

  “Er, Annie,” Mitch announced from the doorway. “We’ve got a problem. There’s only one bedroom.”

  Annie bit back the biting remark that sprang to mind. Right now, Mitch’s ability to understate the obvious was the least of her problems. At the moment, figuring out sleeping arrangements—or, better yet, getting out of this whole ridiculous situation—required her immediate attention.

  “This isn’t going to work,” she muttered aloud, her gaze riveted to the bed. Her luggage and Mitch’s sat cozily at its foot. Seeing her own bags abated one irrational fear, but seeing his sent a bolt of panic through her. “I’m going to buzz the house right away and request a different cottage.” Annie pivoted determinedly and start for the door.

  Mitch snagged her arm. “Wait, Annie. Let’s think this through first.”

  “There’s nothing to think about,” Annie said, panic making her voice shrill. “There’s one bed and two of us. H-how are we supposed to stay here fo
r the next fourteen days?” Again, she tried to brush her way past him.

  Mitch sighed impatiently. “Annie, Les said we’d have to stay in the guest cottage due to limited space. Do you honestly think he would put us in this house if he had any other place we could stay? Do you want to insult him?”

  Annie bit her lip and considered the logical points Mitch had just brought up. “No,” she admitted. “I suppose not.” She brightened hopefully. “What about a hotel?”

  Mitch winced and shot her a sympathetic look. “Again, he still might be insulted if we thumb our nose at his hospitality. Besides, we’re thirty miles from the nearest town. It’s not feasible. And we’re not in a position to upset him.”

  Defeated, Annie plopped into a chair and exhaled with a whoosh. “You’re right,” she admitted. “We’ll just have to think of something.”

  “I already have.”

  Hopeful, Annie looked up. “What?”

  He smiled reassuringly and, for whatever reason, Annie found that grin utterly endearing.

  “It’s simple,” he told her. “I’ll take the couch.”

  Chapter Five

  Dinner with the Peters—particularly Price and Joy, Mitch thought as another dinner roll whizzed past his head—was an ordeal he didn’t wish to repeat. Watching the twins in action made him totally rethink his recent longing for parenthood. What Mitch found so amazing was Les and Cora seemed completely oblivious to the flying food.

  With a shake of his head, Mitch averted his gaze from the devious duo and tuned more fully into the conversation.

  “So, Annie,” Les was saying. “Tell me about yourself. I don’t feel like I know the real you.”

  Annie took a sip of her iced tea and smiled at Les. “Well, I signed on with Hightower a little over five years ago. I —”