Love and Other Surprises by Robin Wells

only tell him how well she could adapt to someone else’s tastes, he thought, not how she’d handle a project on her own. The question was whether he was willing to take a risk or not. He rested an ankle on his knee and studied her as he pondered the situation.
    She was sitting ramrod straight in her chair and looking at him as if he held the key to her future. In a way, he guessed he did. If there were a market for Robert’s designs beyond the housing development he was constructing, it would provide her with an additional source of income. And there was another angle to this that she hadn’t mentioned: if she succeeded with this project, she’d be able to write her own ticket professionally.
    This project meant a lot to her, he thought. After all, she’d quit her job, made a move and mortgaged her home. She was obviously committed to it.
    Then there was the fact that she was Robert’s sister. Matt sighed deeply, knowing that there was no way he could deny her this opportunity despite all of his misgivings. Especially when she was looking at him like that with those enormous blue-gray eyes.
    She’ll drive you crazy. She’ll spend extra money you don’t need to spend. She’ll jinx the project. Worst of all, she’ll make you want her to the point of distraction.
    Matt drummed his fingers on his desk and silently swore.
    She was Robert’s sister, and he simply had no choice. Matt leaned forward over the desk. “Okay. You can tackle two houses.”
    Ali’s face lit up like the sky on the fourth of July. “Make it four and you’ve got a deal,” she countered.
    “Three,” Matt said. His voice brooked no room for further negotiation, but he secretly admired her spunk. “The homes are being constructed in groups of three. You can take the first group and we’ll see what happens.”
    “Will I get to do the others if I’m successful?”
    “Let’s start with the first three and see how it goes,” Matt said gruffly. “And there are a few conditions you’ll have to agree to. I want to approve everything before it’s installed, and I reserve the right to veto anything I think is too farfetched or out of line. And we’re going to set a limit on what you spend on each house.”
    Ali’s grin spread from ear to ear. “That sounds reasonable.”
    “One more thing,” Matt warned. “The interiors have to be completed according to our original time schedule. We’re going to have a hard enough time dealing with spring storms this time of year, and I won’t tolerate any additional holdups.”
    “You won’t have to,” she reassured him.
    “I hope you understand that this is just a temporary arrangement,” Matt cautioned. “After these homes are sold, I want to follow my initial plan and buy out your shares of the company.”
    “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to foist myself on you as a permanent partner.” Her grin was so wide, her face so aglow with excitement, that Matt felt a touch of it himself. He was surprised to discover he was smiling.
    “You’ll need a place to work. I’ll have Hattie help you get settled in Robert’s old office,” he found himself saying.
    “Great,” Ali said.
    What are you doing? If you have any sense, you’ll get her out of here before you give away the store.
    He pushed himself out of his chair. “Anything else you need?”
    Ali unfolded her legs, and Matt found himself mesmerized by the motion. His eyes traveled the smooth length from her suede pumps to the hem of her short skirt and back again. He swallowed hard and ran a finger under his collar.
    Ali stood and picked up her briefcase. “I’d like to see the construction site,” she replied.
    Matt pulled his eyes from her legs with an effort. “I’m going out there this afternoon around four. You’re welcome to come with me.”
    Thinking about the job site made him knit his brows into a frown. With her dangling earrings, short skirt and impractical shoes, she would be a workplace hazard—not to