“You took an apartment here?” Another red flag.
“I wanted to be close to the patients. I got used to that in training. The school offered assistance in job placement, and I got a job at Strides Forward in Virginia Beach. They have residential programs for kids, adults and vets, as well as hippotherapy. I left there when I was given the chance to start a program for teens at Coventry here in Leesburg, but I missed the veteran population. I saw a posting for here and applied.”
Wes removed the chicken and added potatoes to the pan with salt and pepper. When the pan steamed up, Wes closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Good for the sinuses and skin.”
Eleanor chuckled. “I never thought of that.”
“Your skin is beautiful.” He couldn’t resist running a finger down her cheek.
Eleanor blushed. “Thank you.” The words were correct, but she appeared scared.
He scared her. His own warning bells rang. “Plates are in that cabinet. Would you serve the salad, and I’ll portion out the entrée? I’ve got breadsticks in that keeper on the counter.”
They sat across from each other at the table. Wes refilled their wine glasses. “Have you always ridden horses?
“Yes. You?” She stuck her fork into a small piece of chicken and potato and took her first taste. “Yum, so good.”
He watched her swallow, and his heart beat faster. “I’m glad you’re enjoying. And to answer your question, I grew up on a cattle ranch in Montana. I learned to ride at the same time I learned to walk. My nieces and nephews are carrying on that family tradition. My parents and my three brothers and their wives continue to run the ranch today.”
“Are they upset that you didn’t come home after the service?”
The way she asked the question interested him. He’d spent a lot of time with therapists, Navy and Chase. Instead of immediately asking about his reasons for not going home after the service, and perhaps forcing him to deal with something uncomfortable, she asked about his feelings instead. A safer question, especially when she didn’t know him that well.
“They knew I had the wanderlust. I also needed focus. The Navy gave me that. When Ian and Kieran decided to form the company, it was an easy decision. It wasn’t that I disliked being with my family, but I felt I could do more for others with the Chases.”
A brief flash of sadness moved through her eyes. She created some distance between them by holding up her wine glass. She spoke freely about her college and employment days, but she shrugged off anything before them or anything personal during them. Was her family upset she never went home?
Then the other piece of his brain kicked in.She’s a date, not an interrogation. Wait, she’s not a date either.I justwanther to be a date.
He’d read her background check and resumé again. Why didn’t Kieran return his call? But he knew, if this turned into a relationship, the legal department would insist on a deeper background check. He had access to very secure information, and his past was filled with enemies. Julian was almost killed by an enemy from his past in September.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No, not at all. I was thinking…what would you like to name the horses? We made sure we placed them in a stall with an open gated wall. They are inseparable.” Looking at Eleanor across from him gave him a sense of calm.
“Hmm, a great love affair.” Eleanor’s eyes twinkled.
As they brainstormed, Wes got up to clear their plates. “More wine?”
Eleanor placed her hand over her glass. “I’m still working on this.”
“Come, let’s sit in the living room. You’re my first guest.” He placed his glass on the coffee table and started a fire.
“Your first guest?”
“We closed on the property recently. The decorator came in, and here we are. My colleagues don’t count.” He sat beside her.
* * *
Wes’s cologne teased her. Her senses awakened. Was this arousal? She’d never felt like this before. Was it the wine? Could he truly be interested in her? Why would he be interested in her? He was being nice. The thoughts whirled in her head.
“What about Bogie and Hepburn?” she drifted to safe territory.
“I like that. I’ll let Luke know in the morning. Do you want to tell me how the meeting went?” Wes sighed.
“A little saber rattling.”They think I slept with you.“It’s funny, the therapeutic programs are female-dominated, but men still don’t like taking orders from women. It will work itself out, or it won’t. You have a military background. How do you feel about female leaders?”
“As long as she can do the same things required, no issue.” Wes adjusted his position and groaned.
