Page 2 of Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire

He bent over, took her hand, and shook it.“Well, Meri it is, then.And you should call me Chase.Shall we talk some business?”

His touch left her feeling a wave of tingles as she withdrew her hand.He smiled and his pupils dilated.“Of course.Why don’t you tell me what services you need from me?”

He walked back around his desk and sat.“I want to do a little redecorating, starting with the outer office.”

She chuckled.“Tired of the green?I know it’s supposed to be soothing, but I’ve never found it so.”

He smiled, and the movement reached all the way to his eyes.

Nice eyes.They were such a deep blue as to almost be dark violet.Eyes the color of the Colorado sky at midnight.Just like when she had camped out with her little brother on the roof, staring at the stars and looking for constellations.Eyes that right now seemed to see right into her soul.She wouldn’t get involved with an employer, or even someone she hoped would be an employer.Been there and done that.She dropped her gaze to her lap and struggled to bury her fanciful feelings.Then she looked up again.

“Yes, it’s time to get rid of the green.”Then his smile disappeared.“My fiancée chose the colors.Green was her favorite.”

“I see.”But she honestly didn’t.He’d said greenwasher favorite.Had she changed her mind about the green?Or was she no longer in the picture?Why did she find that possibility a good one?She didn’t like to think this man was engaged.She’d Googled him and found almost no personal information on him.It seemed like someone had scrubbed the internet of anything not related to his businesses.She was jealous and sad to think he might be married now.She checked his hand for a ring but didn’t find one…to her relief anddelight.

“I see.What is her favorite color now?”

“She doesn’t have one.She’s dead—murdered.”

His voice was flat when he said it.No emotion other than the dimming of his gaze.

She did her best to ignore her mixed feelings of happiness that he was not engaged but sadness that his fiancée had died.“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

His expression was shuttered now.No smile, no twinkle in his eyes.“Thank you, but it happened a long time ago.”

Yet only now was he ready to move on, to change the color of the room.He must have loved her very much.

Meri took her laptop out of her bag, powered it up, and started making notes.“You had talked about a mural.What color are you thinking about for the outer office, and what kinds of things would you like in the mural?You know, mountains, streams, flowers, ocean, beach…what?”

Chase leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk, and clasped his hands, resting them on the desk in front of him.“I want a light blue for the walls.I plan on having it re-carpeted in a medium blue, I’ll get new furniture in dark blue but the same style and I want to keep the coffee table with the driftwood.”

“Okay, that’s good.Would you like the ocean or the mountains for the mural?I think those would work best with the blue.”

He turned in his chair and waved his arm at the window.“Since this is Denver, mountains would be more appropriate.”

Meri gazed up at the vista out the window and nodded.She’d almost finished with her notes.“How did you find me?”

His smile returned.“I was at Jim Gordon’s home and you had painted a mural in his den.I liked it and thought it would be good for the outer office.Rita needs to look at something besides four green walls.She’s got to be tired of it by now.”

She grinned, sat back in the chair, and crossed her legs.“I remember the Gordon’s painting.Originally, Jim wanted to have a leopard pattern all over the walls.Jeannie convinced him a jungle motif would be better.I think they were happy with the result.”

“Oh, they are.”He laughed.“It was the first thing Jim wanted to show me when I came through the door.After seeing it, I could understand why.”

“I’m glad you’re familiar with my work.”She decided to assume he was hiring her.Might as well be positive.“When will you want me to start?You’ll have to have the room already painted blue before I do.”

“You are direct.I haven’t even said I’d hire you.”

She smiled up at him.“But you will.”

He laughed.“You’re right.I want you to paint the office for me.”

“When do you want me to start?”

“The painters will be here tomorrow.You could start next Thursday.”

She added the date to her notes and then placed the laptop in her bag.“That’s perfect.I’ll start on the mural a week from today.All the painted walls should be dry and ready to go.”

“Sounds good.”