won’t be open for business until the first of next month.”
“Ah well, isn’t that my bad luck? But that’s all right, really, as I will be back in the area on business again next month. Do you mind if I put you on hold while I check my calendar?”
“Not at all.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand. “I’m going to take this in the office. I’ll only be a moment.”
“I’ll wait.”
Maggie made it back to her desk, and pen and paper, just in time. The gentleman—a salesman from Philadelphia—requested a room for one for three nights, midweek, opening week. Maggie finished the details and disconnected the call.
Her eyes tracked up to the large calendar she’d hung above her desk. She didn’t know where the time was going, but she had only two weeks until opening. Why had she set herself such a tight schedule? Then she shook her head. It didn’t matter. There wasn’t really so much to do before opening, except the renovations she wanted to the third floor—and really, they could wait. Shaking her head, she set the pen down.
It would all work out. She just had to have faith.
With that, Maggie went in search of Richard and found him exactly where she’d left him, in the entrance hall.
“Booking guests already?”
“I activated this phone just this morning! I wonder how he even knew there was going to be an inn, let alone ask directory assistance for it? My first booked guest is a traveling salesman from Philadelphia.”
Richard shrugged. “Word gets around the area pretty fast. You went into Waco and opened that bank account the other day. You’d have had to give some employment reference?”
Since Richard seemed to be expecting a response, she nodded. She had mentioned opening the B and B in Lusty.
“So likely someone at the bank told two friends, and they told two friends…”
Maggie laughed. Richard’s sense of humor was keen, if drolly delivered. She recalled the shampoo commercial he was aping and finished it for him. “Uh huh, and so on, and so on, and so on.”
“Trust me, a lot of business works that way in Texas.”
“Hmm, I guess you’re right, because even though he’s from Pennsylvania, he obviously does business in Texas.” For the first time she noticed the box Richard held easily in one hand. “What do you have there?”
“This?” He held up the plain cardboard box that was a bit deeper than a box of chocolates. On the one side a name had been stamped— Sleeping Echoes . Maggie had never heard of the company before. She met Richard’s gaze and realized he was looking at her in that singular way he had that made her feel as if she had his total, complete, and undivided attention.
Maggie had to force her attention back to the moment. Meeting Richard’s gaze always played hell with her concentration. “Yes, since that’s the only thing you have to which I could be referring.”
Richard gave her a smile that seemed to shiver over her entire body before settling low in her belly to tease her clit. She came back to the moment and had to resist the urge to blush.
The expression on Richard’s face told her he knew where her thoughts had taken her. Then he said, “It’s a gift, for you. I’ll trade you for a kiss.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Is that what they call ‘paying for something in trade’?” Maggie had never before been plagued by an inner imp intent on getting her in trouble—and flirting outrageously with as potent a specimen of masculinity as Richard Benedict was definitely courting trouble.
The most delicious kind of trouble .
“No, ma’am. That’s what they call seizing any opportunity to taste heaven.”
Richard’s expression looked completely sincere. Maggie almost wanted to ask him if he’d realized she was flirting with him. She couldn’t resist prodding him just a bit more.
“Well that can’t be right, as you haven’t seized anything.”
“Clearly an oversight on my part, one that I’ll correct
“Ah well, isn’t that my bad luck? But that’s all right, really, as I will be back in the area on business again next month. Do you mind if I put you on hold while I check my calendar?”
“Not at all.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand. “I’m going to take this in the office. I’ll only be a moment.”
“I’ll wait.”
Maggie made it back to her desk, and pen and paper, just in time. The gentleman—a salesman from Philadelphia—requested a room for one for three nights, midweek, opening week. Maggie finished the details and disconnected the call.
Her eyes tracked up to the large calendar she’d hung above her desk. She didn’t know where the time was going, but she had only two weeks until opening. Why had she set herself such a tight schedule? Then she shook her head. It didn’t matter. There wasn’t really so much to do before opening, except the renovations she wanted to the third floor—and really, they could wait. Shaking her head, she set the pen down.
It would all work out. She just had to have faith.
With that, Maggie went in search of Richard and found him exactly where she’d left him, in the entrance hall.
“Booking guests already?”
“I activated this phone just this morning! I wonder how he even knew there was going to be an inn, let alone ask directory assistance for it? My first booked guest is a traveling salesman from Philadelphia.”
Richard shrugged. “Word gets around the area pretty fast. You went into Waco and opened that bank account the other day. You’d have had to give some employment reference?”
Since Richard seemed to be expecting a response, she nodded. She had mentioned opening the B and B in Lusty.
“So likely someone at the bank told two friends, and they told two friends…”
Maggie laughed. Richard’s sense of humor was keen, if drolly delivered. She recalled the shampoo commercial he was aping and finished it for him. “Uh huh, and so on, and so on, and so on.”
“Trust me, a lot of business works that way in Texas.”
“Hmm, I guess you’re right, because even though he’s from Pennsylvania, he obviously does business in Texas.” For the first time she noticed the box Richard held easily in one hand. “What do you have there?”
“This?” He held up the plain cardboard box that was a bit deeper than a box of chocolates. On the one side a name had been stamped— Sleeping Echoes . Maggie had never heard of the company before. She met Richard’s gaze and realized he was looking at her in that singular way he had that made her feel as if she had his total, complete, and undivided attention.
Maggie had to force her attention back to the moment. Meeting Richard’s gaze always played hell with her concentration. “Yes, since that’s the only thing you have to which I could be referring.”
Richard gave her a smile that seemed to shiver over her entire body before settling low in her belly to tease her clit. She came back to the moment and had to resist the urge to blush.
The expression on Richard’s face told her he knew where her thoughts had taken her. Then he said, “It’s a gift, for you. I’ll trade you for a kiss.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Is that what they call ‘paying for something in trade’?” Maggie had never before been plagued by an inner imp intent on getting her in trouble—and flirting outrageously with as potent a specimen of masculinity as Richard Benedict was definitely courting trouble.
The most delicious kind of trouble .
“No, ma’am. That’s what they call seizing any opportunity to taste heaven.”
Richard’s expression looked completely sincere. Maggie almost wanted to ask him if he’d realized she was flirting with him. She couldn’t resist prodding him just a bit more.
“Well that can’t be right, as you haven’t seized anything.”
“Clearly an oversight on my part, one that I’ll correct
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