To Tempt a Cowgirl
“Hey, Marti,” Dani said as she opened the gate to Lacy’s pen, “was that you bidding against me?”
“No,” Marti said with a light laugh, brushing back a hank of her beautifully streaked light brown hair. “I have more than enough horses to deal with. The last thing I need is a crazy one.” She leaned her arms on the rails, fixing Dani with a candid look. “So is it true what I’ve heard?”
“Depends on just what that was,” Dani said, coiling the halter rope. Marti had been a couple of years behind her in school and the undisputed queen of her class—no, make that of Eagle Valley High. The aura still clung to her, making it difficult for Dani to warm up to the woman. What made Marti so certain that she was a cut above everyone else, other than her perfect looks and amazing horse skills?
“That you’ve come home to start training for a living? Just like me and Dad?” she asked brightly.
“Seems like a good time to do it.”
“Wow. I hope you’ve done your research.” She spoke with a note of concern that didn’t fool Dani one bit. “You know that the market is fairly saturated here.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Dani said, trying to infuse some sweetness into her dead tone.
“I guess what I’m saying is, since you’re just starting out, don’t be surprised if you can’t get enough work to make ends meet. Dad and I are kind of the go-to trainers in the region.” She flashed her very perfect teeth. “But you know that.”
“Why,” Dani asked slowly, “would you care if I made ends meet?”
Marti seemed surprised by the question. “Because I’d hate to see you fail.”
Yeah. Right. And I have this bridge...
“I’ll be fine,” Dani said. “Thanks for your concern.”
“Well, good luck.” Marti patted the side of Lacy’s pen, the silver bangles on her arm jingling as she moved. She started for the door, then stopped and turned back. “Since you’re here, can I sign you up for an Eagle Valley Days committee? We have a lot of last-minute details to work out.”
“I need to work out a schedule before I commit. I may not have time.”
“Oh...and Chad’s family is pretty heavily involved. I understand.” She sounded as if she actually did understand as she expertly delivered the Chad jab. “But if you change your mind, give a call. We’re in the book.”
“I’m sure I can find your number.”
“Just look under ‘horse training’ in the Yellow Pages,” Marti said with another bright smile. “I think we’re the first entry.”
* * *
“SHOT DOWN. HOW UNUSUAL.”
Gabe smirked at his assistant, hoping the full effect came across on the FaceTime phone connection, even though Serena Anderson Widmeyer was impervious to both his charm and his temper.
“I’m not trying to date her. I’m trying to get to know her. Make friends.” Then offer her a fair price for a piece of land he needed. He had it on good authority that there were stability issues on the Lightning Creek Ranch and that it had come close to being put on the market a few months ago. He planned to capitalize on that instability as soon as possible.
“Hard to do if she shuts you down,” Serena said with a wicked smile that came through clearly, even though she had the airport terminal window at her back.
“You’re a rotten assistant.”
“That’s what happens when you hire the boss’s family.”
“You aren’t family,” he muttered.
“I was at one time,” she reminded him with a serene smile.
And then she’d come to her senses. She and his best friend, Neal Widmeyer, had been ridiculously unhappy in their marriage, but after the divorce, both had continued to work for Widmeyer Enterprises in different departments. Oddly, they now seemed to like each other much better than when they were married. Good thing, because Stewart Widmeyer did not take well to dissension in the ranks.
“What do you think of the place?” she asked.
“Potential. A lot of potential.” Nestled against a mountain with a fishing stream running through it and within shuttle distance of a ski resort, it was a gem of a property, nicely protected from the rest of the valley by Lightning Creek Ranch acreage.
“Enough to compete with Timberline?” Timberline was the resort on the opposite side of the valley that Stewart’s former partner had essentially stolen before parting ways with Widmeyer Enterprises.
“I think so. Eventually,” Gabe said. But they needed more land, first to insulate the proposed resort from the possibility of encroaching housing developments and, more important, to make a world-class golf course. Timberline didn’t have a golf course and had no hope of procuring the acreage at this point in the game.
That was Stewart’s trump card.
He planned to make a bigger, better, more exclusive resort than Timberline, steal Timberline clientele and make his duplicitous partner, Mark Jeffries, pay. The trick was keeping the plans under wraps while Gabe investigated the possibility of buying the Lightning Creek. If anyone associated with Timberline figured out that Widmeyer Enterprises was looking at property, land prices would go up astronomically. That was where Gabe came in. Jeffries, of course, knew all the family members who worked for Widmeyer. He didn’t know Gabe, who acted as an independent consultant. His name was on no company rosters—he was identified only as Process Resources, Inc. He was nameless and faceless, and was thus able to lease the Staley property with no fear of word leaking out. He’d even drummed up a few side contracts so that he had something to do while he “vacationed” in his new house.
“They just called my flight,” Serena said, “which means you have to do without me for the next two weeks because I’m turning off my phone.”
“Right.”
“No, really. I’m doing it.”
“I’ll expect you to call for an update tomorrow.”
Serena made a rude noise. “Won’t happen. Good luck with Ms. Brody,” she said. “Gotta go.”
“What if I need you?” he asked, just to be a dick.
Serena made a face and then the screen went blank. Gabe smiled to himself as he set the phone down on the table.
Good luck with Ms. Brody. He was going to need it.
Temporarily moving to Montana from his home base in Bloomington, Illinois, getting to know Danica Brody and then introducing the idea of a sale had seemed a logical approach, but now that he’d met Dani, he sensed that he’d have to move carefully. Take his time, collect information. Refrain from pushing too hard and spooking her.
He could play it that way. And in the meantime...
Yes. In the meantime.
Gabe strode through the house, paused and looked out the window at the spectacular view, then walked back into the living room and unrolled a map. His side contract was a simple project designing a small park for a town in Idaho. He’d put in a low bid just to get something to work on and now he didn’t feel like working on it. For the next few days, until the service providers had time to work him into their schedules, he had no internet, no TV. No company. He wasn’t one for big gatherings and a lot of social interaction, but he wouldn’t mind hearing the sound of a human voice, either.
When was the last time he’d been lonely? Or ever considered the possibility of being lonely?
After an hour of staring at his project and listening to music on his phone, Gabe finally walked out of the house and headed for his car. If nothing else, he’d go eat somewhere, soak up some local atmosphere.
An hour later he had to concede defeat. Atmosphere soaking had not gone well. He’d hit a small tavern that served food, ate a steak dinner by himself, then wandered into the bar for a drink. Obviously McElroy’s was a very local establishment, since no one tried to make conversation with him, with the exception of the bartender, and that was duty talk.
Gabe didn’t mind. He conversed with the bartender until he finished his lone beer, then tipped the guy decently and hit the road back home again. He’d learned nothing of value, but he’d made the guy laugh a few times and considered that a decent inroad.
On the drive home, he was debating about the best way to make contact with Danica Brody without getting shot down again, when he rounded a corner and something white and large—no, huge—appeared in the road in front of him. He jerked the steering wheel to the right and mud flew as the tires spun, then caught, yanking the car sideways and slamming it into the ditch. Gabe’s forehead smacked the steering wheel and then he slumped back into his seat, checking his forehead for blood. His hand came away clean and he dropped it into his lap.
Well, shit.
Gabe let out a long breath, shoved the door open and got out to assess damage. In the distance, he could hear the hollow thud of hooves on the hard-packed road.
A horse.
A black-and-white horse.
And Gabe was pretty darned certain he knew where to find the owner.
CHAPTER TWO
GABE WALKED ACROSS the field toward the lights of the Lighting Creek Ranch, hunching his shoulders against the wind. The distance was deceptive and what he’d thought was at the most a ten-minute walk through the tall grass took well over twenty, but finally he climbed through the fence onto the driveway and made his way to the house.
Deep booming barks followed his knock on the front door and a few seconds later Dani glanced through the window, frowning as she realized who was on the porch. Instead of pulling the door open, she cracked it a few inches, hushing the giant dog behind her as she did so. She did not look happy at seeing him on her porch.
“I almost hit a horse with my car. I think it was the one you just bought.”
The color drained from her face. “Are you sure?”
“It happened fast, but yeah.”
Without another word, Dani grabbed a coat and stepped outside, shutting the door before the dog got out. She brushed past Gabe, taking the porch steps two at a time, her golden-brown braid bouncing on her back.
Gabe followed her across the driveway to the corrals attached to one side of the barn. Once there she pulled a small flashlight from her pocket and snapped it on, sweeping the light through the enclosure not once, but twice, as if she could possibly miss something as large as a horse. The corral was most definitely empty.
“How did she get out?” Gabe asked.
Dani shook her head as she reached out to rattle the closed gate. The latch held firm. “I don’t know, but I have to find her before someone hits her.” She hurried back across the drive, head down against the wind.
“Where’s your car?” she asked.
“It’s in the ditch.”
Dani stopped. “Is it damaged?” she asked on a startled note.
“I don’t know.”
“We can use the tractor to pull it out just as soon as I find the mare.”
“I’ll get a tow truck.”
“I can’t afford a tow truck. I’m on a tight budget,” she said as she once again made a beeline to the house. Gabe had to trot to keep up with her.
“I’ll pay for it.”
“Why would you do that when I can just pull you out?”
Gabe shook his head, then followed. Where he came from, women didn’t pull cars out of ditches with tractors. Nor did guys. They called tow trucks, as he was going to do.
“Which way did she run?”
“I was kind of busy hitting the ditch after she charged me, so I’m not certain.”
“Think, please.” She stopped again, tilting her chin to look up at him impatiently.
Gabe reminded himself that he was here for diplomatic reasons and couldn’t afford to lose his temper any more than he already had. “I think...she went toward my place.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Gabe didn’t question the “let’s.” He simply fell into step and then when she jerked her head to the passenger side of the ugliest truck he’d ever seen, he wrenched open the door and got inside. A cloud of dust rose from the seat cover as he sat, then he shifted on the seat to move the deadly-looking piece of curved metal digging into his thigh.
“Hay hook. Just toss it on the floor.”
Dani put the truck in gear and it jerked forward, groaning as she shifted it into a higher gear. She swung the wheel hard, turning the truck in a tight U and Gabe bounced sideways in his seat, dust rising once again. “Damn, I hope she went your way.”
So did he. He wanted Danica to recapture her horse and he wanted his freaking car out of the ditch. If he hadn’t left his phone in the car, he’d be seeing about it right now.
* * *
THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE, plain and simple. She’d just gotten Lacy back and now she was gone again. More than that, if the mare hadn’t gone to Gabe’s place, she was a menace to traffic. She could easily lose her horse and get sued in one fell swoop.
“We’ll find her,” Gabe said from beside her, keying in on her thoughts. It’d be pretty hard not to know what she was thinking, hunched over the steering wheel like a crazed woman.
She turned down the drive to the castle, slowing as they passed his car, which was a good five feet off the road. It looked very expensive—the kind that needed parts special-ordered—but she wasn’t going to worry about that now.
“I see tracks,” Gabe said, pointing at the road.
Sure enough, there were U-shaped divots that the horse had brought up out of the road as she’d cantered toward his place. Great. Now all she had to do was hope that the mare was still at his place and hadn’t taken off cross-country.
“This horse means a lot to you,” Gabe commented.
“She was my 4-H project. I raised her, trained her with my dad’s help, won a lot of money on her, then sold her to help pay for college. All part of the plan I’d made with my dad before he died. The ass-hat that bought her abused her with big bits and spurs.”
“That stinks.”
“It hurt. Lacy trusted me. She was a fantastic roping horse. Before...” Dani spoke without looking at Gabe, then slowed the truck to a stop and got out. Gabe followed and as soon as the truck door banged shut, they stood together in the darkness, looking, listening.
“There she is.”
Dani turned in the direction Gabe was pointing and saw the pale outline of the mare standing in the shadows behind the large stone, cedar and glass house. “Stay here,” she said. “Block the gate if she tries to leave.”
“Sure thing,” Gabe said.
“Easy, baby,” Danica said, slowly approaching the shaking horse. Lacy snorted and stomped a foot. Dani stopped instantly and took a step back. The horse rolled her eyes, but stayed put.
“Easy,” she cooed as she slowly approached the horse, stopping and taking a half step back whenever the mare looked as if she was going to bolt. Finally she reached out and rubbed the mare’s lower neck, then slipped the rope around it. As soon as the rope touched her, the mare stilled.
Dani bit her lip and eased the halter over the mare’s nose. Lacy’s head jerked up but Dani held tight to the rope, tried again once her nose came down and this time managed to fasten the halter. Her shoulders sagged with relief and she sent Gabe a weary look that she doubted he saw through the darkness.
“Well done,” he said.
“Yeah.” She continued to stroke the mare’s neck, crooning at her under her breath. “You don’t have a lot of light around here,” she commented, wanting to check the mare for injuries.
“Apparently the yard lights are all dead. I’ll have to see about getting the bulbs replaced. I’ve only been here a couple of nights and haven’t had time to call a service guy about it.”
“Service guy?”
“I don’t seem to have a ladder that tall,” he said.
“I’ll lend you one,” she said, patting the mare soothingly. “And we’ll see about getting your car back on the road.”
“I’ll get a tow truck.” He seemed to mean it.
“Suit yourself,” she said.
“Nothing personal. It’s just that my insurance will cover a tow. It probably won’t cover you ripping my rear axle off with a tractor.”
Dani didn’t know whether to laugh or be insulted. Regardless, she was responsible for whatever happed with his vehicle and told him so.
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now we need to focus on getting the horse home. Do you want me to help you get your trailer?”
She shook her head. “I’ll just lead her home.”
“Home is a good mile away.”
She shrugged.
“It’s dark.”
“I have a flashlight.”
“How about I come with you?”
Again she shook her head. “I’ve put you through enough tonight. I’ll be back in the morning for the truck if you don’t mind if I leave it here.”
“Why would I mind?” he asked innocently.
* * *
DANI ARRIVED AT Gabe Matthews’s driveway early the next morning just as a tow truck pulled out, a sports car attached to the towline. How much was this going to cost her? It’d looked as if the car had simply ended up in the grassy ditch last night when she’d walked by leading Lacy, but knowing her luck, the frame was now bent, or some chunk of special German-made chrome needed to be replaced.
Well, such was life.
But why was life always this way when money was tight? When she was trying to live on a shoestring budget as she started her dream business...the one that Marti Kendall had pretty much told her was doomed.
Yeah, we’ll see about that, Marti.
Jingling the keys in her sweatshirt pocket, she continued down the driveway. Worrying didn’t do a lick of good. All she could do was focus on the positives, and there were positives. She had a place to start her business; a place where she could live rent-free.
After she and Jolie had talked Allie and Mel out of instantly selling the ranch following Allie’s divorce, the sisters had agreed that as long as one of them wanted to live on the place, they would keep it. If Dani and Jolie didn’t want to live on the place, they would revisit the idea of a sale. Dani didn’t see that happening. Her father had once told her that he didn’t regret not having a lot of money because he had something better—a life that made him glad to get up in the morning. That was what Dani wanted. In a way she was lucky that her company had folded when it did. It gave her the kick in the butt she needed to start living a life that made her glad to get up in the morning.
She walked over the cattle guard at the Staley gate and paused for a moment, studying the house. It’d literally been years since she’d been close to the house, but it looked better than ever. Even though no had lived in it for the past year or so, the windows sparkled in the early-morning sun, the cedar appeared freshly oiled and the lawn was green and manicured. The Staleys had paid a pretty penny to keep the place they’d grown tired of maintained as they’d waited—and waited—for a buyer. Apparently they still hadn’t found one if Gabe’s company was only leasing.
She’d decided against checking in with Gabe before leaving in the truck. It was early—barely after sunrise—and she imagined a guy on vacation would want to sleep in. She’d just started for her beat-up vehicle when a voice behind her made her jump.
She turned to see Gabe standing on the porch, wearing jeans and a gray-and-black plaid shirt, half-buttoned, with the tails hanging out. His dark hair was still rumpled from sleep, his feet were bare and he wore glasses. Dark horn-rimmed glasses that made him look like a sexy scientist. “You’re here early,” he said, running a hand over the back of his head.
“My sister is coming later this morning.”
“She could have given you a ride.” He walked down the damp stone steps. Dani pulled her eyes away from his bare feet and fixed them back onto his face.
“I like walking.”
“I noticed. How’s the mare?”
“I put her in a stall in the barn. As far as I know, she’s still there.” She took a few steps closer, turning the keys over in her hands. “I saw your car...leave.”
“It’s a company car, so I figured it’d be best to have it checked out.”
“What company?”
“I doubt you’ve heard of it,” he said with a half smile. “I’m a consultant for a company that designs parks and gardens for towns and universities.”
“Does the company have a name?”
One of his eyebrows lifted slightly at the question. “Gabe Matthews, Consultant, LLC.”
“You’re forcing yourself into a vacation?”
“It was either that or a heart attack.”
“Do you have other employees?”
“I contract my help for the most part.”
Which only brought more questions to mind, but Dani forced herself to step back. Her neighbor’s business had nothing to do with her. “Well, let me know what the damages to your car are.”
“Danica, I don’t quite know how to break this to you, but you’re not paying.”
“I’m not?” The words came out on a note of challenge.
“That’s what insurance is for.”
“What about the deductible?”
“My company has a top-notch insurance policy. Low deductible.” He stepped onto the purplish flagstones. “I’ll tell you what you can do.”
“What’s that?” she asked, her eyes never leaving his. They were the most amazing stormy gray, and looked even grayer because of the shirt he was wearing.
“You can give me a ride to town when I get the call to pick it up.”
“I could do that,” Dani agreed. “And maybe even buy you lunch.” It seemed the least she could do. Then maybe she could get answers to the questions she probably shouldn’t be wondering about in the first place.
“Or dinner. My treat,” Gabe said.
“That isn’t exactly me buying you lunch.”
“You can buy a drink later.”
Dani shook her head. “Lunch.”
“I’m not hitting on you,” he said on a note of amused exasperation.
“You’re not?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow.
He smiled crookedly. “Maybe a little, but in a neighborly sort of way.”
And maybe that was a bit flattering, but Dani shifted into retreat mode. She still had some Chad issues to work through before diving back into the dating—or even the quick-drink—pool. “I don’t know you and I don’t go out with guys I don’t know.”
“How do we get to know each other?”
“I guess we go to lunch.” Because that was as far as she’d let things go, even if he was the best-looking guy she’d seen in forever.
“Lunch it is.”
* * *
OKAY. DANI BRODY truly was skittish. He had to take care not to appear to be hitting on her, but he had to admit, it was a bit difficult when everything in him reacted to her in a positive way. A very positive way. It didn’t help that she looked pretty damned delectable wearing jeans she probably hadn’t expected to be seen in since she’d arrived so damned early. Form-fitting, well-worn, frayed holes at the knees...he blew out a short breath, shaking his head as he watched her ass while she stepped up into the truck. Yeah, the woman could wear jeans.
She started the engine and with a quick wave swung the vehicle into a circle and drove past him. The old truck groaned as she shifted gears, and not because she was bad with a clutch. No, this was more of a transmission-on-its-last-legs groan. Well, when she sold the ranch to Widmeyer, she’d have plenty of money for transmissions. She could buy property elsewhere and set herself up in style. New house, new truck. Big barn. Just without quite as much acreage as she had now.
He went back into the house and almost turned around and went back out again. He’d been rattling around alone inside of the elegant box for three days and now, without the car, he had no means of escape. Granted, he had work to do, but he preferred to work in the evenings, losing himself in his plans until somewhere along the line he realized it was early morning and he needed to go to bed. That was what had happened last night and it’d only been a fluke that he’d woken up and glanced out the huge window next to his bed to see Dani walking down the drive.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. When his friend Neal Widmeyer answered he said simply, “I’m going to need more to work on while I’m here to keep from going stir-crazy. Have anything you can send my way?”