Kate Hoffmann - Danny

He left her standing in the center of the room, her green eyes wide, her lips parted. As Danny strode back to his car, he couldn’t help but wonder if all that had happened between them had simply been a way to secure his services. When she’d come to the smithy that morning, she’d been determined to convince him to work for her and here he was, ready to drop everything and move into her caretaker’s cottage.

No, Danny thought to himself. He knew how to read women and she was just as attracted to him as he was to her. There was a lot about this job he was going to like, Danny mused. And spending more time with Jordan Kennally was top on the list.

JORDAN ROLLED OVER in bed and stared at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was almost 8:00 a.m. and she’d only managed a few hours of sleep. She was always up early, supervising the workmen, putting together the daily schedule, checking on supplies and invoices. This morning, she’d risen at sunrise, unlocked the doors, then crawled back into bed.

After what had happened yesterday with Danny Quinn, her whole routine had been thrown into a tail-spin. Now, all she could think about was the way he’d kissed her and touched her, the feel of his chest beneath her palms, the way he seemed to ignite her desire with just one look.

Jordan groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. “I’ve been in Ireland too long,” she murmured. “I need to get back to my real life in New York.”

But she knew she was only kidding herself. The longer she’d stayed in Ireland, the more she’d grown to enjoy the feelings of freedom. Here she didn’t have to worry about pleasing her father or competing with her brothers or avoiding her mother’s endless attempts at matchmaking. Here, she did her job and she enjoyed it.

That had been easy until now. She hadn’t had any trouble keeping her mind on business. But after her encounter with Danny, maybe the effort had finally become too much to handle. The stress of devoting her every waking moment to this project had finally made her crack.

Never, ever, in her life had she thrown herself at a guy the way she had with him. He was, admittedly, the most handsome man she’d ever met. That dark hair and those incredible blue eyes. And that smile that sent shivers racing through her body. Undeniable lust was only a natural reaction.

But it was more than that. It felt good to be wanted. She’d spent so much time trying to make her way in the men’s club that was Kencor that she’d almost forgotten she was a woman. Danny had reminded her that she was pretty and interesting and maybe even a little sexy.

He was a charming bloke, as the Irish would say. Talented, too. She’d always admired artistic people. Though she’d possessed a knack for design, she’d majored in business in college. And her eye for choosing fabrics and furniture wasn’t nearly as interesting as that of a painter or sculptor.

But this project would be done in less than three months and she’d be ready to move on to something bigger and better at Kencor. Her father was in negotiation to buy an old Manhattan hotel and she wanted that project more than anything. She wasn’t about to allow herself to be distracted by a man-even one as sexy as Danny.

Jordan had sought her father’s approval from the time she knew what it was. But he’d never really noticed her, devoting his attention to his four sons. In truth, Jordan had always felt that she’d been born to satisfy her mother’s need for a daughter.

She’d spent her entire life trying to hide the fact that she was a girl. As a child, she’d dressed just like her brothers, in jeans and T-shirts, trying desperately to keep up with them in every activity from football to fishing. As a teen, she’d turned her competitiveness toward her education, refusing to take anything but the honors courses that her brothers had completed before her. And though she’d longed to major in interior design in college, she’d chosen business instead, like her brothers.

This was the project that would finally prove she was just as competent as any son Andrew Kennally had. He’d tossed this project to her, deeming it a good job for a girl. The fact that it was in Ireland made it even better. It would get Jordan out of the way for a year or two. But she’d determined that Castle Cnoc would prove her worthy of so much more.

Jordan snuggled back beneath the covers. If she could just catch a few more hours, she’d be ready to deal with the arrival of her new blacksmith. “Danny,” she murmured. “Danny Quinn.” She closed her eyes and an image of the handsome Irishman swirled around in her head.

It wasn’t wrong to indulge her attraction in private. Though sleeping with an employee was against every code she followed, sleeping with the fantasy of him was perfectly acceptable-as long as she didn’t tell anyone.

The sound of barking dogs invaded her waking dream and she brushed it aside. But then she heard a car door slam and that brought Jordan upright in bed. Tossing the covers aside, she raced over to the window that overlooked the front drive.

Two very familiar dogs ran around Danny’s battered Land Rover. “Oh, shit!” she muttered, running her hands through her tangled hair. How was it possible that he was here already? Had he stayed up all night packing? Somehow, she couldn’t imagine a man like Danny being so excited about moving in that he couldn’t sleep through the night. No, only silly, infatuated, desperate women did that.

Jordan scrambled to get dressed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, with no time for underwear. As she slipped on a pair of loafers, she ran her hands through her tangled hair. Today she’d regain her footing with this man. She’d act professionally and she wouldn’t let anything he said or did tempt her. Time to get back to business. “Stay strong, be firm,” she murmured to herself.

Jordan grabbed her sweater, then raced down the stairs and ran though the entrance hall. Opening the plywood front door, she expected to find Danny waiting on the other side, but he wasn’t. She walked beneath the scaffolding and pushed the plastic aside to find him sitting on the tailgate of his Land Rover, staring up at the facade of the manor house as he chatted with Bartie the gardener.

The dogs saw her first and they came trotting up. “Hi, puppies,” she mumbled. What were their names? Mogue was one. “Finny,” she said. “Finny and Mogue.”

“They seem excited to move in,” Danny commented.

She glanced up at him, blinking against the morning light. “I’d prefer that they didn’t come in the main house,” she said.

“No problems,” he said. “They sleep with me.”

Another image of him flashed in her head, naked, lying in her bed, the covers tossed aside. What did he mean by that? Had he decided he wasn’t interested in sharing her bed? Jordan closed her eyes and banished the erotic fantasy from her head. “Morning, Bartie. You’re here early.” She glanced down to find the old man holding what looked like a metal detector. “What’s that?”

“Special thing it is. Got it from a gardener friend of mine. Supposed to measure the ferrous metals in the soil. Ferrous metals. Very bad for roses, I’m afraid.”

“Yes, well. Good luck with that. You’re not paying rental for it, are you?”

“No, no. ’Tis a loan.” Bartie nodded at them both, then strode off around the side of the manor house, his pace sprightly for a man of his years.

“Ferrous metals?” Danny asked. “What are those?”

Jordan shrugged. “I have no idea. Something Irish I suspect. According to Bartie, it’s a wonder anything grows in Ireland.”

“My mother has a beautiful rose garden at our family cottage,” Danny said. “I never heard her complain about…”

“Ferrous metals,” Jordan said. She held her hand up to the sun, squinting at him. “I was just going to make a pot of coffee. Would you like some?”

He pushed up from his seat on the tailgate. “Actually, I’m going to start unpacking my things. My brother Riley is going to bring my anvil and tools. And I’ve set up a coal delivery for today. Steel is coming in tomorrow. Can I drive around to the back?”

“Of course,” she said. “Well, it seems as if you have things under control.”

He chuckled softly, shoving his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Appearances can be deceiving. Right now, all I can think about is kissing you again. I’d say control is the last thing on my mind.”

“The hours from eight until five are considered work hours,” she said. “With an hour for lunch.” But though her warning effectively shut him up, Jordan was secretly pleased he was still thinking of her as a woman rather than a boss. Maybe they could stretch the rules a bit. A kiss here and there couldn’t hurt, could it?

“After I get some coffee, I’ll come and help you unload.” She groaned inwardly at her choice of words. Everything she said to him sounded sexual now.

“Bring me a cup and I’ll meet you there,” he said.

She nodded. “Fine. I’ll come in just a-” This was ridiculous! “I’ll be just a moment.” Jordan turned on her heel and walked back inside the manor. When she reached the safety of the kitchen, she clapped her hands to her warm cheeks. “Get a grip,” she muttered to herself. At this rate, they’d be in bed by lunchtime and exploring their deepest sexual fantasies by dinner.

If this was the way it was going to be every day that he was here, she wondered how she’d survive. Her heart was beating double-time and her nerves were so jangled she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.

The coffeemaker had been set up the night before and Jordan simply pushed a button and waited as the glass pot began to fill. Sitting at the huge worktable in the center of the kitchen, she cupped her chin in her palm and considered the men she’d allowed into her life-and into her bed.

Though she’d had a number of lovers in the past, none of them had really moved her. The relationships had always been enjoyable, the sex interesting, but she’d always held something back. And Jordan was self-aware enough to put the blame for this on her relationship with her father.

Though she’d struggled to win his approval, she sometimes resented the control he held over her life. Andrew Kennally could snap his fingers any time of the day or night and she’d come running, ready to do his bidding. But she had refused to do the same for any man in her life. And in the end, they’d never wanted to compete with a man as powerful as Andrew Kennally.

Jordan wondered what it would be like to let go of all the baggage she carried around. Just to set it down and feel completely at ease for once. What harm could a little romantic fling do? There were few people around to witness any dalliance, just a workman here and there. Bartie and Daisy were too preoccupied with the garden to pay any notice. And everyone left at five, giving her all evening alone with Danny on this remote seaside estate.

The coffeemaker clicked off, startling her back to reality. It was a risk, pure and simple. If her father found out, he’d be furious. Sex with an employee was forbidden by company policy. She could be sued for sexual harassment, putting her entire professional future at Kencor in jeopardy.

Jordan grabbed a pair of mugs from a nearby cupboard and filled them, then put sugar and creamer in one and left the other black. After this morning, she’d know exactly how he liked his coffee. And by the end of the day, Jordan was certain she’d know a lot of other things about Danny.

Anticipation mixed with fear as she walked out the kitchen door and toward the caretaker’s cottage. The dogs were romping along the garden path and joined her, trotting along behind. “I don’t want the two of you digging up any of the new plantings in the garden,” she ordered. “And if you have to poop, run out along the cliff to do it.”

Finny and Mogue looked up at her as if they understood everything she was saying. But she made a mental note to repeat the rules to their owner as well.

When she reached the cottage, she found Danny inside, his belongings tossed in the middle of the living area. He emerged a few moments later from the kitchen, his canvas jacket gone. He wore a faded T-shirt that hugged the muscles of his chest and dangled loosely around his waist.

“There’s beer in the fridge,” he said.

“I stocked the refrigerator last night.” She frowned. “Do you drink your beer warm?”

He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “No. Cold is fine. And I drink my coffee hot and black.” She handed him the proper mug. “That was nice of you. Very thoughtful…for a boss.”

She knew immediately that he was teasing. There was a definitely a twinkle in his eye and a devilish smile playing across his lips. “I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable,” Jordan said.