Cowboy's Bride: A Secret Baby, Ranch Western Romance (Rainbow Canyon Cowboys Book 6)

by KC Crowne

  I stepped away from the white F-350 and over to a deep blue GMC Sierra, also a good-looking vehicle, also overpriced by a few thousand.

  “So,” I murmured, Manuel close by. “You say you get a lot of buyers from Houston?”

  “Sure do. Taxes are a little cheaper here. They buy the truck and register it in Idylwood and save a few thousand.”

  “Ain’t exactly legal.”

  Manuel shrugged. “Not sayin’ we tell ‘em to do it. We sell ‘em the trucks – where they get ‘em registered is their business.”

  I flashed him another grin, and yet another wave of relief washed over his ruddy features. “Say, I’ve been runnin’ around all mornin’ and haven’t even had a chance to get my mornin’ coffee.”

  Manuel quickly gestured to the building in the center of the lot, sensing an opportunity to keep me around for more sales pressure. “Just brewed a fresh pot if you want to sit a spell.”

  “That sounds like a fine idea.”

  Together we headed to the main building, and I glanced down the other few rows of trucks to see if I’d missed anyone else on the lot. Nope – only the two of us. Strange as hell for the middle of the day.

  We entered the main building, a cramped space with a small desk dominating the center, papers strewn about. A TV hanging against the wall played some Mexican game show I couldn’t make heads or tails of. Two doors were on the far end, one with a bathroom sign, the other with one that read “Manager.”

  I sat down, Manuel fetching a pair of coffees from the dingy pot. The place struck me more like a low-rent oil change joint than a dealership selling forty-thousand-dollar trucks.

  “Cream and sugar?” Manuel asked.

  “Black’s just fine.”

  He added some cream and sugar to his coffee, enough to turn it nearly cloud white. Manuel handed me mine and sat down behind his desk. “So,” he said. “Hate to use the old cliché, but what can I do to put you in one of our trucks today?”

  I chuckled. “Just to be up front, I’m still in browsing mode. Probably won’t be buyin’ for a little while.” Part of me felt a touch guilty about wasting his time, but he didn’t seem to have anything better to do.

  “Sure, sure,” Manuel said, nodding. “I can put some ideas in your head, give you some time to think.”

  “Perfect.” I turned around and glanced over my shoulder at the still-empty lot. “Now, I don’t mean nothin’ by it, but it seems pretty dead here for this time of day. You guys manage to do enough business to stay open? Especially with these prices?”

  Manuel didn’t seem bothered by the question, as if he had a pre-loaded spiel ready to go. “We do most of our business with people coming in from Houston, like I said. And some online sales, too, if you believe it.”

  I nodded. “Still, I had a buddy who ran a lot like this. Had to do some major turn-around just to stay in the black. How many trucks you sold in the last month, out of curiosity.”

  Manuel glanced away, his mouth in a flat line. I’d seen that look on enough faces to know it meant he was trying to figure out whether to spin a lie or tell a truth. “Well, I’ve sold one in the last month.”

  My eyebrows rose a bit. “One? And that’s enough to pay the bills?” I was pushing into none of my business territory, but Manuel didn’t strike me as the type to put up a wall.

  “We do things a little differently around here when it comes to things like that.”

  “That right? How so?”

  “We don’t run entirely on commission. We used to, but things changed around six months ago.”

  Six months – the exact time frame for when this place started turning a major profit. “What happened six months ago?”

  “We’d been running in the red for a while, and for a time it looked like we might have to shut down. But the old owner got approached for a buy-out. I don’t know the exact numbers, but it was enough for him to sell on the spot.”

  “And where’s the old owner?”

  “Willy? Took his money and moved to Houston. Haven’t heard from him since.”

  Took the money and ran. Awfully suspicious. “So, you guys are under new management?”

  “Right. Sweet deal, really. We get a base salary, and whatever we sell goes on top of that.”

  “Meanin’ you don’t need to actually sell anything to make a livin’?”

  Manuel grinned broadly, as if still pleased as punch about it. “That’s right. They pay us to keep the lot warm, basically. And if we manage to move a car, it’s gravy on top.”

  That explained the fancy duds for a man working at a low-rent lot. “This new owner – he around?”

  Manuel scoffed, as if I’d just asked a silly-as-shit question. “The man might as well be a ghost. Hell, I don’t even know if it is a man. Someone met with Willy, bought the lot, and that was that. We do get some shareholders droppin’ in every now and then, just to make sure the place is lookin’ right.”

  “Wait, shareholders? For a car lot?”

  “Investors – whatever they are.” He waved a hand as if the information was unimportant. “Anyway, I’m not complaining. Since they took over, business has been doing well.”

  “One truck a month well.”

  Manuel shrugged. “Whatever these guys are doin’ behind the scenes, it’s payin’ off. I get a steady paycheck, and the rest of the sales guys get the same.”

  Manuel was being surprisingly forthcoming with all of this info. Made me realize two things – one, that whatever was going on, he likely wasn’t in on it. And two, that he was being paid enough he didn’t want to question it, as odd as he clearly knew the situation was.

  “These stockholders – they got contact info or anything like that? I’m actually lookin’ for some investors for a business idea I’ve been kickin’ around.”

  Manuel shrugged before getting up and stepping over to one of the nearby file cabinets. He pulled open a drawer, fished around for a bit, and pulled out a small stack of business cards.

  “Here it is – Blue Sky Holdings.” He handed me one of the cards.

  The card was of a picture of a blue sky. The name of the firm was written in swoopy handwriting. But the name on the card – Michael Diaz –caught my eye. I tapped the card with my fingertip.

  “This Michael Diaz – you know anything about him?”

  Another shrug from Manuel. “Only in passing. Whenever the stockholders stop by to take a look around, I always heard them mention him, like he’s the guy they report back to.”

  Looks like I had a new lead. I threw back the rest of my coffee and got up, tossing the Styrofoam cup into a nearby waste bin. “Well, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time.” I flashed him a disarming smile. “That F-350’s a beaut – might swing by again later to look at it again. Not sure how my boy feels about white, though.”

  Manuel rose with me, handing me another card – this one with his name on it. “Call me with any questions. Happy to help out.”

  He then showed me out, pointing out a few other trucks that might be of interest to me as he headed toward the exit. As I watched Manuel head back to the lot building, I considered just how easily he’d let me leave. Car lots weren’t exactly low-pressure places, but he didn’t seem all that concerned about making a sale.

  The whole thing stank to high heaven.

  I climbed into my truck and took out the card for Blue Sky Holdings and dialed the number. It rang and rang – no answer. The voicemail was a boilerplate message, and I cleared my throat before speaking.

  “Hi, there. Name’s Duane Shawford, and I hear you folks are the place to go for business investment. Well, have I got a proposal for you.”

  Chapter 8

  Crystal

  Seeing the B&B empty was like a punch in the gut. I’d had big plans for the B&B, and by this stage in the game I’d imagined it to be bustling like a beehive, full of out-of-towners from all over the country. I’d imagined the lounge full of people drinking coffee in front of a warm fire, kids playin
g in the garden, and every table at Adie’s packed with hungry diners.

  Instead, the place was more like a haunted house, empty and cold. My footsteps echoed through the open rooms. Out on the front porch, I could see the dining room at Adie’s. One customer was in there, sipping coffee at the counter and reading the paper.

  It couldn’t last. Another month or two like this and we’d be out of business.

  And the most messed up thing of all was that I actually missed Gerald. Sure, he was a cocky son-of-a-gun and seemed to get a distinct pleasure out of busting my balls every chance he got. But at least he was a paying customer. Him being easy on the eyes didn’t hurt matters, either.

  Adie’s eyes met mine as I stood on the porch, and I watched as she said something to Bess, the waitress who worked for her, before taking off her apron and coming over to me.

  “You look busy,” she said with a smile as she headed down the stone-lined pathway that led up to the front porch.

  “God, don’t even joke about it. This is ridiculous.”

  She plopped into one of the rocking chairs and propped her feet up on the railing. “I don’t know – it’s kind of nice. Peaceful, really.”

  Always looking on the sunny side of things, I thought, though I couldn’t work up a smile for her. “Peaceful ain’t what I want. I want this place to be a madhouse – busy as hell.”

  “We’ll get there. Just need to get over this little hurdle. That’s what running a small business is all about, right?”

  “I’d anticipated hurdles,” I admitted, sitting down next to her. “I didn’t anticipate getting screwed over by the city for the crime of trying to open a business.”

  Adie pursed her lips, thinking the matter over. “Well, I know it sucks, but we’re in this together, right?”

  “That we are.” Honestly, it did give me some consolation to know I had a pair of good friends at my side as I went through this. “How’s your stuff goin’?”

  Adie let out a laugh. “See old Reggie at the counter?” She titled her head toward the restaurant. “He’s been our only customer since breakfast. And all he’s ordered is a cup of coffee with some toast. I guess people see that the B&B is closed and think the restaurant’s closed too.”

  “God, what a mess.” I shook my head as I stared off into the distance toward the outskirts of the town.

  “Ain’t nothin’ to do but follow what the city says, right?” she asked. “You and Sabrina look into gettin’ it taken care of?”

  “Sabrina’s inside lookin’ around, tryin’ to find the best spots for exits. But damn, why do I get the distinct impression that as soon as we get this taken care of, some other load of BS is gonna be right there behind it?”

  “Well, my granny always said there’s no sense in worryin’ about anything that hasn’t happened yet. Take one problem at a time – the only way to do it.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, gotta agree with your granny on that one. We’ll get these dang exits sorted out and go from there. Only thing we can do unless we just want to close up shop right here and now.”

  “And we both know that ain’t an option.”

  “Damn straight.”

  Adie smiled. “Besides, we’ve got one payin’ customer in there, right? Don’t think it’d be too kind to toss Mr. Gerald out on his behind – his spectacular, perfectly shaped behind.”

  “Adie!” I laughed, reaching over and giving her leg a quick swat.

  “What?” she laughed, grinning at me. “You honestly gonna tell me you haven’t noticed that his behind is, like, the stuff of dreams? He was made for that denim.” She followed this up by fanning her face with her hand as if she’d been overcome by the mental image.

  “He’s a fine-lookin’ man, sure.”

  “Fine-lookin’ is about the understatement of the century. He looks like he’s carved out of stone.”

  “Adie, do you have a crush on the man or somethin’?”

  She shrugged. “Now, don’t you go bringing feelin’s into this. I just know a good-looking man when I see one. And he’s most definitely that. Hell, all those Walker boys are somethin’ else. They’re all hitched by now, though. Guess I blew my chance.”

  “Since when have you been thinkin’ about gettin’ married?”

  She smiled coyly. “Not sayin’ it’s the top thing on my mind, but you can’t tell me it wouldn’t be nice to find a good man and settle down.”

  “Well, if that’s what you’re thinkin’ then I’d steer clear of Gerald. He’s a rascal, through and through.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Course it is! He’s a smartass, for one. And you should’ve seen the look on his face when he accidentally dropped his towel in front of me.” I shook my head, my face heating when I remembered the size of his cock. “Like he thought it was the funniest dang thing in the world.”

  Another big grin. “Well, if a man like Gerald accidently flashed his you-know-what in front of me, my eyes likely wouldn’t be on his face, if you catch what I’m sayin’.”

  I laughed again, giving Adie another quick swat. That’s what I loved about going into business with my two best friends – never a dull moment. And like she said, we were all in this together.

  “He’s all yours if you want him. Too much of a handful for me.”

  Adie laughed. “There’s a handful joke I could make here, but because I’m the classy type, I’m just gonna leave it be.”

  We laughed again. But hell, she wasn’t wrong. I’d have to be blind to not notice what a gorgeous guy Gerald was. Didn’t change what I’d said about him being a pain in the behind, however.

  Before the conversation could go on, the front door opened and Sabrina stepped out. “You ladies havin’ fun out here?”

  “Just takin’ a breather,” I said. “Tryin’ to process all this stuff.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. “But before you get too comfy, wanna come on in and see what I’ve figured out for the exits?” She led us inside, talking as we walked. “Now, first thing with the exits is that they’ve gotta be on the first floor, obviously. Second is that we want them outta the way. So, here’s what I’m thinkin’.”

  She led us down the first-floor hallway, gesturing as she spoke. “All the bedrooms are on the second and third floors – with one exception.” She opened the door at the end of the hall and revealed the enormous first floor bedroom. It was a gorgeous space with antique furniture and windows that looked out onto the garden.

  “Tell me you’re not thinkin’ about doin’ anything to the first-floor bedroom,” I warned.

  A pained expression formed on Sabrina’s face. “I know it sucks, but right now it’s a matter of what sucks less. We put it in the lounge, and we ruin the whole vibe of that space. We put it too close to the front and it won’t be up to code.”

  “So,” Adie guessed, “we, what, tell whoever stays in here that they’ve got an exit people might be comin’ and goin’ out of in an emergency?”

  Sabrina shook her head. “Nope. What I’m thinkin’ is we turn this room into somethin’ else – like a common area. Kinda like a bar, but comfier and more relaxing. We can put in a bar, get some new furniture, maybe even by a pool table. A place where the adults can have a little private space.”

  I sighed out a defeated breath. “Sabrina, that’s a nice idea and all, but that’s gonna cost so much money just thinkin’ about it is enough to give me a headache. We’ll have to redo a whole room and get new furniture, and on top of that we’d be losin’ one of the bedrooms, which means less money comin’ in.”

  Sabrina gave me a knowing expression. “I know, I know. I thought about it and like we all said, it’s just a matter of which poison’s gonna go down the smoothest. And besides, we’ve always had plans to expand, right? We bought this big stretch of land with big dreams of expanding the house and even building a few private cabins.”

  “Right,” Adie said, more excitement in her voice. “Really somethin’ to give Rainbow Canyons a run for
their money.”

  “We did,” I agreed slowly. “But that was all way down the line. Right now we’ve just gotta focus on making a little bit of profit to recoup our initial investment. If we redo this room and install the exits and all that…man, it just might be enough to wipe us out.”

  “I went over the numbers,” Sabrina countered. “And assuming we don’t get totally gouged by the contractors, we’ll have enough. It might be a rough couple of months, but with a little luck we’ll get through it.”

  I said nothing, staring into the bedroom and imagining the chaos of such a remodel. What else was there to do? We had to install the exits, and as much as I didn’t want to spend the money, every day we spent doing nothing was another day down the drain.

  “Alright,” I finally agreed. “I mean, it’s a fine idea. Losing the bedroom would be a blow, but we could still make a profit with the rest of the rooms. And we could replace the bedroom down the line.”

  “Right,” Sabrina agreed. “We can make it happen.”

  I put my hands on my hips and nodded. “Alright. I’ll give the contractors a call, start with that Adam guy Gerald told me about. No sense wastin’ time.”

  “I should get back to the café,” Adie said, heading for the door. “Don’t want ol’ Reggie to feel ignored.”

  “Keep us posted, alright?” Sabrina asked.

  “Will do.”

  Adie and Sabrina headed out, and I hurried back up to the office and pulled up the online yellow pages. I spotted the name for Adam’s contracting company and called.

  “Done-Right Contracting,” a gruff, deep voice said on the other end. “This is Adam.”

  “Hey there,” I said. “My name’s Crystal. I own the new B&B over in Idylwood.”

  “Heard of y’all. How can I help?”

  “Well, it’s kind of a last-minute thing, but I’ve got some emergency projects that need to get done.” I covered the details, explaining to him about the plans Sabrina had come up with for the bedroom.

  “That’s a tall order,” he murmured thoughtfully. “And a project of that size…shoot, that’d take a good week, no doubt. Now, I’m happy to take on the job, but I’m pretty booked for the next month. Maybe in…” I heard some papers shuffle on the other end. “Five weeks from now. That’s about the soonest I could do it.”