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"I beg your pardon? Work for you?" Tessa asked, unable
to believe her ears. "Are you insane?"
Will's lips quirked. "Not last I checked."
"Why on earth would I want to work for you when the
Sheriff's Department is the cause of this--"shuddering, she gestured to
encompass the mess "--this debacle."
His mouth straightened into a grim line. "I said
work for me, not the sheriff. You'd be dealing with the Rangers."
"Oh, excuse me for not understanding the
distinction." Propping her hands on her hips, she glared at him. "Besides, I
have a job. I have two jobs. Or I did until Sheriff Fielder and his flunkies
destroyed one of them."
His gaze surveyed the land before coming back to
meet hers. "Do you want another chance at the archeological site, or not?"
His way or the highway. He might not have said the
words, nevertheless, she heard them clearly. "What other choice do I have?" She
shook her head in disgust, admitting defeat. "What is it you want me to do?"
He nodded briskly, as if he'd expected her
agreement. "Excavate this area of the site. Where you found the body. If you
uncover anything that hasn't been destroyed by whoever tossed this dirt around,
I want to know about it. Once you've finished with this area, you can resume
work on your Caddo dig. No interference."
She set her jaw. He wasn't running roughshod over
her. No sir, not when his lawmen cronies had already destroyed weeks of work,
not to mention the integrity of the site. "Not good enough, Ranger McClain. I
want part of my team to be allowed to resume work at the Caddo burial mound
immediately. I'll need a few people to help me out with what you want me to do,
but certainly not everyone." If work at the archeological site continued now,
she might just finish her thesis after all. That is, if the burial mound had
been left alone. Thinking about it, she winced. Probably too optimistic an
assumption, given the state of the rest of the land in question.
"Agreed," he said. "But no students at the murder
site. Keep them well away from here. Professionals only, and I want you
supervising the entire time anyone else is present."
She shrugged an agreement. "Fine by me. The students
are interested in the nineteenth century anyway, not the twentieth or
twenty-first." Although a number of them probably would be curious about a local
murder come to light. "By the way, do you intend to pay us?"
He shot her a surprised glance. "This is an official
investigation. You'll be paid the going rate for a forensic archeologist."
"I'm not a forensic archeologist."
"Close enough." He waved a hand at the wreckage.
"Given the shape this site is in, I doubt it will matter. You're an
archeologist, aren't you? Which is a hell of a lot more than these jokers were.
At least you know how to handle what you find and how to run a dig."
That she did. Having been involved with uncounted
archeological sites since the age of twelve had a lot to do with that knowledge.
"And you'll keep the sheriff and his men out of here?"
Will smiled grimly. "No problem there. Don't worry,
the sheriff won't be bothering you."
"Then I accept. But I won't be able to start Monday
morning. I have classes."
"Work it out however you can. Just get on it as soon
as possible." He put out a hand. "It's a deal, then."
"Deal," she echoed faintly, slipping her hand into
his much larger one. He shook it but didn't release it. Their gazes met as she
felt the warmth from his palm. It's just a handshake, she thought. No big deal.
Oh, no? Then why are you tingling, Tessa?
She cleared her throat and he allowed her hand to
drop. Heat crept up her neck and she cursed her fair complexion, knowing she was
blushing. What was the matter with her? He had simply offered her a job.
Abruptly, she turned and began walking to her car.
"I'll go with you," he said, falling into step
beside her. "I'm finished here for now."
Dazed, she tried to grasp what had just occurred.
She'd agreed to work with the Texas Rangers on a nineteen year old murder case.
She glanced up at the man beside her. Lord, he was good looking. And autocratic
and demanding, she reminded herself. What would he be like to work with?
"Do you have plans for dinner?"
Well, there's your answer. "If you think I'm
starting on this thing now, you really are crazy."
He laughed. "I'm asking you to dinner, Tessa. It has
nothing to do with the job."
Shocked, she stared at him. He seemed sincere.
Still, even a new haircut couldn't account for a man like Will McClain asking
her out. She was hardly his type. Someone like Amanda Jennings, the banker's
twice--or was it three times?--divorced daughter, seemed more his style. Blond,
busty, beautiful. Or maybe a sultry brunette. Anyway, not a mousy, red-headed
archeologist. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. She'd already agreed to take
on the job. What was he after?
"Why?" she asked after a long pause.
He still looked amused, if a little taken aback.
"Why did I ask you to dinner?" They reached her car. He opened her door,
gesturing for her to get in.
She nodded and slid into the driver's seat. "I said
I'd work for you. You don't have to bribe me."
He laughed and closed the door, placing his hands on
the open window. "It's no bribe."
He leaned down, eye level with her. His irises were
the oddest color she'd ever seen, like they couldn't make up their minds between
green and gray. Right now they glowed spring grass green. And that smile of his
. . . definite heartbreaker material.
"I'm in the mood for Mexican food and the company of
a pretty woman. So, how about it?"
Pretty? Her? Oh, right. She might not be dog ugly,
but plain was about the best she could hope for. But she didn't call him on it.
Instead, she went at it from another angle. "How do you know I'm not married?"
He glanced at her left hand gripping the steering
wheel, then back to her eyes. "No ring." His lips curved upward. "I'm a cop,
remember? We notice things like that."
"Maybe I don't wear one. After all, I dig in the
dirt for a living."
The smile remained, but for the first time his voice
held a hint of exasperation. "Tessa, do you want to go to dinner with me or
not?"
She was tempted. Really tempted. In fact, he was the
first man she remembered being attracted to in ages. What harm could it do? As
long as she remained wary, nothing bad would happen. "All right. I'd like that."
"Are you always this hard on men who ask you out?"
She thought about that for a minute. "Yes." Of
course, until very recently she hadn't needed to be hard on anyone.
He smiled and straightened. "I'll pick you up around
seven. Don't dress up. Great food, but it's a dive."
"Don't you want to know where I live?"
"I'm a cop. I'll figure it out."
Tessa watched him walk to his truck, sighing a
little over his long-limbed easy stride. She still wasn't sure of his plan, but
she decided she didn't care. Dinner with Will McClain wouldn't be a hardship,
even if he had a pot full of ulterior motives.
Excerpt from A MAN OF HIS WORD, copyright 2001 by Eve
Gaddy, Harlequin Superromance #990, June 2001.
You can order from Eve Gaddy's currently
available titles at Author,
Author! or Amazon.
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