A Man of His Word by Sarah M. Anderson Read Free Book Online Page B

down in one big gulp. She fought the urge to cling to Dan’s arm. She wasn’t some weak female who needed a male protector. It wasn’t her fault if her fingers wrapped around his bare skin.
    â€œHave you ever been here?” he said as he held the door for her.
    â€œNever in. Just by, ” she said as her eyes adjusted to the darkened interior of the foyer. Actually, it looked nothing like a dungeon. Everything was neat and clean—even the mounted buffalo head she could see in the parlor was dust-free. The rooms had a warm, almost feminine sensibility to them.
    He nodded as he guided her down a long, dark hallway. “To hear Maria tell it, Cecil’s never set foot in any roomsbut the dining room and his bedroom. I guess the rest of this place is like a museum.”
    â€œWho’s Maria?”
    â€œThe housekeeper. She made us dinner tonight.” Dan pushed open a swinging door. “Oh, good. Maria, meet my guest, Rosebud Donnelly, the Lakota lawyer who’s suing Cecil. Rosebud, this is Maria Villerreal. She basically runs the place.” His tongue rolled the R s right. She flushed hot, thinking of his tongue rolling anything.
    â€œSeñor!” Maria was a small woman with a thick accent who was in the middle of putting on her coat. She ducked her head to Rosebud. “It is an honor to meet you, señorita. ”
    â€œThe pleasure is mine.” Again, this was not what she expected. A pristine mansion and kindly hired help? Maybe she had Cecil Armstrong all wrong.
    â€œDinner is in the oven, señor. Do you need anything else?”
    Dan patted her arm, and Rosebud saw the girlish blush rise up. “No, Maria, it smells wonderful. You can head out—give my best to Eduardo and the boys, okay?”
    â€œSí, señor.” Maria held out her hand to Rosebud. “Señor Daniel is a good man, señorita. ”
    As opposed to…his uncle? The statement opened the door to about twenty questions. Dan couldn’t have been around that long, or she would have heard about his arrival before he showed up at her office. How long had Maria worked for Cecil? Clearly, Dan was working his charm on more people than her. That wasn’t a bad thing, either, she decided. This wasn’t any different than judging a date by how he treated the waiter—except, she reminded herself, this wasn’t a date. Now that Maria was out of the house, Rosebud had to remember that.
    Dan pulled out a stool at the huge kitchen island and motioned for her to sit. She felt a little silly about the formality,but she couldn’t say no to that smile. “We’re eating in the kitchen?”
    â€œThe dining room is Cecil’s headquarters.” Dan got busy with plates and forks before he opened the oven. The scent of Mexican—good Mexican—filled the air. “The kitchen is a much nicer place, trust me. I hope you like tamales.”
    Sounded like the dining room was the place she needed to be. Something occurred to her. “You call him Cecil?”
    Dan paused, a sheepish smile on his face. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
    â€œYou don’t like him very much, do you?”
    â€œNot many people do.” He dug out some cheese and proceeded to garnish the tamales. A good-looking man who knows how to garnish, Rosebud thought in amazement. No, she caught herself. She would not be impressed. “You don’t like him.”
    That was putting it mildly. “I’ve never actually met him. He’s your uncle.”
    â€œAnd there’s not a damn thing I can do about that.” He sounded lighthearted, but the tension in his voice was unmistakable as he set her dinner before her. “I’d offer you a beer, but that suit says I’d be wasting my breath.” Here, just the two of them in a kitchen that smelled of warmth and goodness, she allowed herself to smile. His eyes latched on to her smile, and she froze. Did he think he