Nine Months. Beverly Barton

that they’d forget it, pretend it never happened. All she was to him was an employee. His Grand Springs administrative assistant. A voice on the phone.

      They had corresponded on business matters via fax, E-mail and occasionally telephone. He avoided calling her except when it was absolutely necessary. Just the sound of her voice made him hard. It wasn’t her fault, of course. She couldn’t help that her voice was sweet and soft and so sexy that she could make reading from the phone book sound like an invitation to bed.

      Jared had put off returning to Colorado as long as he possibly could, relying on Greg to get the business off to a good start. But he needed to be in Grand Springs himself. He’d never before let a new branch of his company go without his personal attention for such a long time. And Greg was beginning to ask questions. Questions Jared couldn’t answer. Hell, what was he supposed to say? I’m scared to come back to Grand Springs because I had sex with my assistant when we were trapped in the elevator and I can’t get her out of my system? He’d never forget that Monday morning after they’d made love in the elevator.

      * * *

      Seeing Paige again was a surprise. Finding out she was his new administrative assistant was a shock. He supposed he should have fired her on the spot. But that would have been unfair to Paige. He felt relieved when she agreed to remain in his employ.

      “Then you’ll stay on here at Montgomery Real Estate and Land Development?” he asked.

      “Yes, I’ll stay.”

      “Then we have a deal, Ms. Summers. We’re going to pretend Friday night never happened.” He held out his hand. “And you’re going to stay on as my assistant.”

      Jared clasped her small soft hand. He wanted this woman. Wanted her badly. And wanted her now. Thank God he wouldn’t be in Colorado long. If he knew what was good for him, he’d leave that day. The last thing he wanted was to get involved with some administrative assistant who had stars in her eyes and the wedding march playing in her head. Paige Summers might be the most gorgeous, tempting female he’d ever run across, but she was not the type of woman he planned to marry. He certainly wasn’t going to allow his attraction to her ruin all his plans.

      He wished she wasn’t so damned gorgeous. All round, voluptuous curves, big brown eyes and glorious red hair. Just looking at her aroused him. If he had any sense at all, he’d send her away.

      Pulling her hand out of Jared’s grasp, Paige smiled weakly. “I’d better go back outside to my desk.”

      “Good idea. I’m sure Greg and Ms. Thompson are wondering why I whisked you off in here so quickly.”

      “If Kay…that is, if Ms. Thompson asks, what can I tell her?”

      “Tell her that my plans have changed and I’m going back to Texas today, so I needed to brief you on your duties immediately.”

      “But you haven’t,” Paige said.

      “Haven’t what?” He stared at her quizzically.

      “You haven’t briefed me on my duties.”

      “No, I haven’t.” Damn! If he didn’t straighten up his act, Paige would figure out what sort of effect she was having on him. Hell, if she took a good look at his crotch, she’d know. Just brief her as quickly as possible, he told himself, and get her out of your sight.

      Within an hour, Jared had rearranged his entire weekly schedule and was en route to the airport. He knew that the sooner he got away from Paige Summers, the better. And he’d have to stay away long enough to forget her. Forget about her beautiful face and perfect body. Forget about her sweet lips and warm brown eyes. Forget about her whimpering little cries of pleasure when he thrust into her. Forget about the way he felt when she fell apart in his arms.

      How long would it take? A month? Two? Longer? Heaven help him, he’d just have to stay away, no matter how long it took to work her out of his system.

      * * *

      Well, that had been four months ago, and Jared still wasn’t a hundred percent sure he had worked Paige Summers out of his system. But whether he had or not, he was returning to Colorado. He had already stayed away too long.

      He checked his Gucci watch. Another hour and his pilot would land the Montgomery jet in Grand Springs. He lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip of the half-Drambuie, half-Scotch drink. A rusty nail, as the mixture was called, had been Grandpa Monty’s favorite, and the old man had served Jared his first on-the-rocks rusty nail when he’d been fourteen. That night had been a rite of passage in many ways for Jared. His grandfather had been quite a man, not as smooth or sophisticated as his father, the old man’s only son, but smarter, tougher and filled with a passion for life few men possessed. The old man had made his millions in oil right after the First World War, but in his heart, he’d never been anything but a cowboy. Jared had cared for Grandpa Monty more than he’d ever cared about another living soul, and even now, fifteen years after Monty’s death, Jared still missed him.

      He wondered what the old man would think of Paige Summers. He already knew what his widowed mother would think of her. Joyce Montgomery shunned anyone she considered even remotely beneath her.

      Of course, it didn’t matter what anyone thought. He wasn’t returning to Colorado to begin an affair with Paige. Quite the opposite. He was going to stay in Grand Springs as long as it took to get over his obsession with the girl. And that’s all it was. An obsession. Once he saw her again, he’d probably realize that his memories of her were overblown fantasies. She couldn’t possibly be as lovely as he remembered or her body as alluring. And the sex they’d shared had been just that—sex. He’d had good sex before. Often. His mind and body had played tricks on him, making him remember their lovemaking as something more than it was. It couldn’t have been that earth-shattering.

      When he arrived at his office, he intended to treat Ms. Summers as nothing more than an employee. If she had been fantasizing about their having a relationship, then she’d have to face reality. He was her boss. She was his administrative assistant. If she harbored any illusions about the two of them, then he’d make it perfectly clear to her that they had no future together.

      Chapter Two

      Paige heard Jared’s voice in the hallway. He was here. Her heart skipped a beat. Greg Addison laughed heartily. The door to Paige’s office swung open and the two men entered, Kay Thompson following closely behind.

      Paige’s heart stopped for a split second as she rose from her chair, her gaze riveted to Jared. He was the very essence of a successful businessman, an aura of wealth and power surrounding him. He filled out the double-breasted jacket he wore to perfection, and the brown stripes in his broadcloth shirt matched the dark silk of his hair.

      She stepped out from behind her desk and smiled. More than anything, she wanted to run into his arms. She’d been kidding herself if she thought she could see him again and not feel the same magic that had caused her to act so out of character four months ago. She was as drawn to him as metal to a magnet.

      When Jared paused briefly at her side, Paige’s smile widened. “Welcome back to Grand Springs,” she said, amazed that she’d been able to keep the nervous quiver out of her voice, when it was wreaking havoc in her stomach.

      “Thank you, Ms. Summers. It’s good to see you again.”

      His gaze never quite settled on her face. Paige realized that he was looking somewhere over her left shoulder, at the wall behind her. Without another word or gesture of any kind, L. J. Montgomery proceeded to his office. When Kay followed the two men into Jared’s office and closed the door behind them, Paige slumped down in her chair. Clenching her teeth tightly in an effort not to cry, not to overreact to Jared’s cool, businesslike greeting, she closed her eyes and counted to ten. Counting had always been her mother’s solution to problems. When they’d been children, Mama had given Bryant, Austen and her to the count of three to obey her command or else face the consequences. And whenever any of them lost their temper, Mama would