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CHAPTER ONE
“YOU KNOW WHY I’m here”
Mrs Nancy Owensstare All of which were impressive
Unfortunately for Jack McGarry, he didn’t have a clue as to what she was talking about
He knew a lot of things He knew the LA Stallions wouldn’t get to the Super Bowl this year, that his right shoulder ached when it was going to rain, that there was a saucyin his kitchen and that while every part of his being wanted to bolt right now rather than have this conversation, he couldn’t Because Mrs Oas Larissa’s h to be his mother and he’d been raised better
“Ma’am?”
Mrs Owens sighed “I’hter”
Right But the woman had three “Larissa?”
“Of course Larissa Who else? You hter moved with you and now she’s here”
An excellent recap, he thought, struggling to find the point
“You don’t like Fool’s Gold,” he said, stating as probably the obvious
“I neither like nor dislike the town” Her tone implied he was an idiot “That’s not the point Larissa is here”
He knew that, ith signing her paycheck—figuratively rather than literally—and seeing her every day But Mrs Owens already knew that, too
“She is herewith you” Mrs Owens sighed heavily “She loves her job”
Okay, fine He illing to aduy Maybe a little taller, with a used-to-be-better throwing ar desire to win, but at his heart, he was prettyerator and the Mercedes in his garage
Nancy Owens, an attractive woman in her early fifties, sroaned “Do I have to spell it out for you?”
“Apparently so, ma’am”
“Larissa is twenty-eight years old, you randchildren That is never going to happen while she’s working for you Especially not afterhere I want you to fire her That way she’ll eles, find someone decent to marry and settle down”
“Why can’t she do that here?”
Mrs Owens sighed the sigh of those blessed with intelligence and insight most could only aspire to
“Because, Mr McGarry, I’hter is in love with you”
LARISSA OWENS STARED at the blue-eyed cat standing in the center of her s, beautiful eyes, a sweet face and a thick coat She had white fur on her chest and front paws and bits of gray on her face She was the cat equivalent of a super
Larissa’s instinct was always to rescue Cats, dogs, butterflies, people It didn’t matter which She knew her friends would clai to ad So when she’d heard about a cat in need of a hoht she would be so gorgeous
“You’re a little overwhel,” Larissa admitted as she crossed to the small kitchen and put water into a bowl “Should I dress better now that we’re roommates?”
Dyna glanced at her, as if taking in the yoga pants and T-shirt that were Larissa’s ardrobe, then continued to explore the small apartment She sniffed the sofa, checked out corners, studied the full-size nored the small bathroom
“Yeah, I know,” Larissa said, putting the water on a placeafter her “The bathroom is really tiny”
There wasn’t a counter—just a pedestal sink, a toilet and a stall shower
Okay, so the apartrand Larissa didn’t need much Besides, the place was clean and the rent was cheap That left her with ive to her causes Because there was always a cause
“The sills are wide and you’ll get a lot of light,” Larissa told the cat “Thesun is really nice”
The small apartment came with one unexpected feature—a laundry room She’d tucked Dyna’s litter box next to the dryer The cat perused the facilities, then juhtly onto the kitchen counter and walked to the sink She glanced at Larissa, her gaze expectant
Larissa knew this hy she’d always resisted actually adopting an animal before She’d told herself it was her lifestyle—that she was so focused on saving them all that she couldn’t be with just one But in her heart, she’d been afraid she si blue eyes, she knew she’d been right
“What?” she asked softly “If you just tell me what you want, I’ll do it”
Dyna looked at the faucet and back at her
“From the tap?” Larissa asked, then turned on the cold water
The cat leaned in and delicately lapped at the water Larissa grinned in triu after all
She waited until Dyna was done, then picked her up The cat relaxed in her ar her eyes slowly close Fro purr
“I like you, too,” Larissa told her new rooreat”
She settled Dyna on the sofa, then glanced at the clock “I hate to bring you hoet to work It’s only for a couple of hours and then I’ll be ho and headed for the front door “Think about what you want to watch on TV tonight You get to pick”
With that, she closed the door and raced down the stairs to the ground level of her apart, then out onto the street
She’d only been in Fool’s Gold a fewenough to be thriving, and sh people to reat job, friends and she was a comfortable 425 miles from her family
Not that she didn’t love her parents, her stepparents, her sisters, their spouses and kids, but sometimes she felt a little overwhel Los Angeles, but now she knew it had been the right thing to do Her mother’s two-day visit, while enjoyable, had been an intense caet her to move back home