"Have a good visit, Audrey, and I was serious about having you over for dinner one night."
"Okay, we'll work it out, I'd love to join you," Audrey said as she took Beth Anne's hand to walk out to the car.
When they reached Cora's house, the girls rushed inside with the children. Cora made sure they were settled with coloring books and crayons before she went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
"What can I do to help?" Audrey asked as she sat down at the bar.
"I think I'm just going to do pasta and salad tonight. If you want, you can put together a salad while I do the rest."
Between the two of them, dinner was ready by the time Dale walked in the door. As they enjoyed the evening meal as a family, Audrey looked around the table. Cora really did have it all.
"So, how did the office search go? Did you get to see anything today?" Dale asked as he helped clear the table, later.
Cora proceeded to tell him about the two locations that were currently available.
"Do you want to wait to see if something else opens up, or are you satisfied with the rental office?" he asked. "I think I'd prefer that to buying and renovating an older building on Main.
"I think it will work just fine, but I'd like for you to look at it, first," Cora responded.
"I can do that. Let me check my schedule, and I'll have you call Josie to set something up soon."
When they retired to the living room, Dale looked at Audrey and asked, "Are you enjoying our state so far?"
"It's rather hot compared to New York, but I've enjoyed it so far. I even had a nice visit with your mom today."
"Let me guess, she baked cookies," he replied with a chuckle.
"Yes, she and Beth Anne did. I gather she does this often, since little Dale was so sure cookies would be waiting for him when we got there."
"Oh, yes, for as long as I can remember. My mom always had freshly-baked cookies around the house."
"She's such a sweet lady. She even invited me over for dinner one night, before I go back home."
"Well, we'll have to definitely set that up," he said.
"Excuse me for a minute," Cora said as her cell rang. "It's Beau."
When she returned a few minutes later, she told them, "He's coming over for dinner tomorrow evening to discuss work. I hope the two of you don't mind."
"I don't mind. I know the two of you need to talk. How about I grill out?" Dale offered. "That way, you can concentrate on work, and I'll take care of dinner."
"I can help you, Dale," Audrey offered.
"That would be great. Cora might want your input too."
"You'll get to see the cowboy," Cora teased.
"Yes, I'll get to check out the cowboy who should be on a book cover but designs them in his spare time instead. Should be very interesting," she replied with a laugh.
Dale threw back his head and chuckled heartily. "Beau would turn ten shades of red if he knew you girls talked about him like that."
"I've already told him he belongs on a cover," Cora said.
"And he would have no part of it, if I remember correctly," her husband replied. "Seriously, Audrey, Beau is a good guy."
"I need to get the munchkins ready for bed. Why don't you two visit while I do that?" Cora said as she stood up to round up the children.
"If you don't need help, I would like to chat with Audrey for a while to catch up on her life in New York," Dale replied.
"That won't take long. There's not much to tell there, but I can fill you in on Kayla and Camille," Audrey replied with a giggle.
They talked while Cora put the kids to bed. When she came back, she could tell that Dale had been attempting to make Audrey feel comfortable enough to confide in him. He was aware of Cora's concerns about her friend's well being.
"Did you catch up on all the news?" she asked as she plopped down on the couch next to Dale.
"We've had a great talk," Dale replied. "And now, I'm going to head to bed and let you gals have some quiet time. Goodnight." He leaned over and kissed his wife on top of the head.
"Goodnight, honey, I'll be in later."
"Goodnight, Dale, and thanks," Audrey said with a smile.
"Anytime. You know you can count on both Cora and me," he said as he turned to go.
"Do you know how lucky you are?" Audrey asked when he'd gone. "He cares about your friends as much as you do."
"I'm very lucky, and Dale knows I've been concerned about you. I truly hope this trip gives you the insight you need to find where you're going with your life. We love you, Audrey."
"I love the two of you, too."
"Now, why don't you help me make a list of the things I need to discuss with Beau," Cora suggested.
Audrey shook her head and giggled. "I still can't picture an honest-to-goodness cowboy. This will be very interesting indeed."
Chapter 4
Cora had some work to attend to in the office. While she was busy, her houseguest phoned Camille to let her know she had arrived safely. The two chatted for a while before Audrey decided she should see if Cora needed any help.
"Give her my love and tell her we need to catch up soon. Have fun," Camille said as she hung up.
Audrey went into the office and filled Cora in on her conversation with their other friend.
"So, things aren't any better with Joe? I'll call her soon. I'm just about finished up here. Dale called and said he could go look at the building this afternoon, so I was just getting ready to call Josie to try to set that up."
She made her phone call and set up an appointment for one o'clock.
Beth Anne ran into the room. She'd been in the backyard playing with a neighbor child. She only attended preschool on Mondays and Wednesdays, so she was home with her mother the other days. Cora was going to have to figure out childcare when she moved to the new office, another thing on her already full plate. Hopefully, the grandmothers could help out.
"Mommy, I hungry," the little girl said.
"Why don't you and Aunt Audrey go into the kitchen and fix lunch while Mommy works?" Audrey said as she took Beth Anne's hand. The two had become fast friends since the previous afternoon.
"Okay."
"Thanks, Audrey, I'm almost finished."
"And I'll stay here with her while you go with Dale to see the office building."
"That would be great, thank you."
Audrey and Beth Anne went into the kitchen and made grilled cheese sandwiches. Audrey let the little girl help her, and they had a grand time together. Audrey hadn't spent much time around little ones through the years, but Cora's babies held a special place in her heart.
When Cora walked in a few minutes later, the three of them sat down and enjoyed the sandwiches. After lunch, Cora went to get ready to meet Dale and Josie while Audrey cleaned up the kitchen and put Beth Anne down for her nap. She stayed with her and told her a story about a princess who lived far away. When Beth Anne had drifted off to sleep, Audrey went into the living room and turned on the television set.
She thought about the upcoming dinner that night and wondered what she would think of Beau Birch when she finally met him. Dale and Cora seemed to think he was wonderful. He seemed too good to be true, and she was sure they would have nothing in common. He was stopping by for work-related reasons anyway. Still, it would be interesting to meet a new guy.
Cora returned with the news that she'd signed the lease and would move in after the first of the month.
"You'll have so much to do," Audrey said.
"Yes, but it'll be fun. The next thing is to place an ad in the paper for an assistant."
Audrey helped her compose the ad, and Cora called the local newspaper. Soon, it was time to pick up little Dale, so she left while Audrey stayed with Beth Anne, who had just woken up.
Work behind her for the day, Cora returned home, and the two women started to think about that night's dinner.
"I've got it under control. Dale and I talked about it last night, so don't worry about
a thing. He's going to grill the meat and potatoes while I do a salad and the dessert," Audrey said reassuringly. "All you have to do is worry about your talk with the cowboy."
"I don't know how that's going to turn out. I don't want to lose Beau, but I don't know if he can keep up with the growing demand for covers. I could take some of the load off him with the website, and I can train my assistant to do formatting, I suppose."
"Those are definitely things your assistant can take care of," Audrey agreed.
"Thanks, Audrey. You've been more help than you know with all this. And you're supposed to be on vacation."
"Hey, this is a fun change for me."
Dale came home early to prepare for the evening. Cora gathered the work she was going to give to Beau, and Audrey started preparing the salad. Little Dale had volunteered to help his daddy and, of course, Beth Anne was glued to Audrey's side.
Beau arrived right on time, at seven o'clock. When he caught sight of the beauty standing beside Cora, he took a double take. The woman was young—in her late twenties or early thirties, he guessed—with beautiful dark hair and a smile that made her entire face light up. Who was she? He didn't have to wait long to find out.
"Beau, I'd like you to meet my friend, Audrey Carter, from New York. We worked together at the publishing house, and she's come out for a visit. Audrey, this is Beau," Cora said as she introduced the two.
"I'm pleased to meet you, ma'am," Beau said as he shook her hand. "Welcome to Texas."
Audrey nodded. She was at a loss for words as she stared at the man standing in front of her. He was everything Cora had said, and more. He was tall, with sandy-colored hair and blue eyes. His jeans were tight fitting, and the Dallas Cowboys T-shirt he wore was just snug enough to define his muscular, broad-shouldered build. From the tip of his sandy head to the cowboy boots he wore on his feet, he was a god. Yes, he was definitely romance novel cover material. She was finally able to utter the words, "Thank you."
Cora was watching the exchange between the two and grinning. She rescued Audrey by saying, "Beau, come on into the office, and we can talk. We'll get work out of the way and then enjoy our dinner. Dale is grilling for us."
The man who held Audrey's attention smiled at her and followed Cora into her office. She shut the door and sat down.
"Pull up a chair, and let's get to it," she said with a grin. "I see you liked Audrey."
"I don't know your friend yet, but she is a very pretty lady. Tell me more."
"She comes from a society family in New York, and she was promoted to editor when I left there. She was my assistant. She wanted to make it on her own, so she lives in a loft, works, and stays away from the social scene she grew up in. She's a darling girl and a good friend."
"How long is she staying?" he asked with interest.
"Only a few weeks, so don't get any ideas. I mean, it would be nice if the two of you wanted to go out while she's here, but it's only a visit. I don't want either of you getting hurt."
"Point taken, so let's talk shop," the handsome man replied.
Cora took a deep breath before speaking. "As you know, my business is rapidly growing. I signed a lease today on an office space in town. I'll be setting up shop there, the first of the month. I have some covers for you to work on, but we have to discuss whether or not you'll have the time to keep up with everything. I don't want to lose you."
"I was afraid that was what this meeting was going to be about. I'll do my best to keep up, Cora."
"I'm advertising for an assistant. Once I get that person trained, I thought perhaps he or she could take over the website and learn to do the formatting, to take some of that pressure off of you. That would free up more of your time for the artwork, which I believe is what we both want you to be concentrating on. Does that sound workable?" Cora asked kindly.
"That's very generous of you. I promise I'll do my best not to disappoint you. If the time comes you see you'll need to hire another artist, we'll talk again. Fair enough?" he asked.
"I'm agreeable to trying it. Now, let's talk about the covers I want you to work on this week." Cora showed him the ideas for upcoming books, and together they brainstormed until dinner was ready.
Audrey knocked and stuck her head in the door. "We're ready when you are."
Cora looked up. "We'll be right out. Thanks, Audrey."
"I'll get to work on these right away," Beau said as he put the work back into the folder and stood up.
"Thank you, Beau. Now, let's go enjoy our dinner and have a pleasant evening."
They joined the others on the patio for a delicious meal and good conversation. Audrey was quiet most of the night, listening to the others talk. She watched Beau and listened to him. She loved his accent, and he was the hottest-looking thing she'd ever laid eyes on, but what did they really have in common, other than mutual friends and an interest in bringing books to life? And he seemed to think he knew a lot about just about everything. Besides, she was only here for a visit. He wasn't the one she was looking for. He couldn't be.
Beau cast a few sideways glances her way, as well. She caught him doing so and wondered what he was thinking.
When the evening came to an end, Beau stood up and said, "Thank y'all for such a great night, but I need to get going. Work comes early in the morning. Cora, I need to get that folder from your office with the cover orders in it."
"Come on, let's go grab them," Cora said as she got up and led him back into the house.
He went back to tell the others goodbye. He shook little Dale's hand and bowed to Beth Anne. He told Dale goodbye, and when he turned to Audrey, he said, "We should get together sometime before you go home."
"Uh, okay, let me know. Your schedule is busier than mine, right now."
"I'll call you." With that, he turned and walked to his car.
Cora looked at Audrey, who had a shocked look on her face. "You were awfully quiet tonight."
"I guess I didn't have much to say. Mr. Cowboy did a lot of talking."
"What did you think of him?" Dale asked as he winked at Cora.
"You were right about his looks. That's for sure. I'm not sure about anything else. He seems pretty sure of himself."
Dale was surprised at her words. "You got that impression? He's really a good guy."
"Self-confidence isn't a bad thing, Audrey," Cora interceded.
"No, I guess not. I'm just not used to these Texas cowboys. If you don't mind, I think I'll call it a night and go up to my room."
"Okay, see you in the morning. We'll do something fun," Cora called after her.
In her room, she sat down on the bed. Wow, what a night. There was something about Beau Birch that attracted her a little bit too much. When he'd touched her hand, it had sent shivers down her spine, in a good way. But it was pointless. They had nothing in common. She was a Carter from New York, and he was a cowboy from Texas. It could never work. And he did seem a bit confident about himself. She wasn't sure quite how to take that. He seemed to know everything about being a cowboy and everything about book covers. Maybe he did know, but how could he be that versed on all subjects? She'd never met anyone like him before. And she'd agreed to a date with him. What harm could it do? Again, what was the point?
She finally got up from the bed and changed into her nightgown. Crawling into bed, she let her thoughts wander again. What was it about the hot cowboy that was causing a strange feeling in the pit of her tummy? A good feeling, a feeling she'd never felt before. She was so confused. It took some time for Audrey to fall asleep that night. She had finally met a man who intrigued her, and it had to be someone she could never have. No, she and Beau could never be. They weren't a good match, not at all. Then, what was this feeling she got every time his face popped into her head?
Her dreams were muddled that night. They made no sense to her, and she woke up feeling as tired as if she'd never been to sleep. She rolled over and tried to drift back off. When it didn't happen, she got up, took a shower and went to the kit
chen for coffee. Cora was sitting at the bar when she walked in.
After one look at her, Cora said, "Oh, honey, you've got it bad."
Audrey reached into the cupboard for a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee. She carried it to the bar and sat down. After taking a sip of the hot brew, she looked at Cora. Dark circles ringed her eyes. "I just didn't sleep well last night. I'll be fine."
"I think it's more than that. You were awfully quiet all through dinner. Then you excused yourself immediately after Beau left. Now you come in here looking like a girl with a lot on her mind. What gives?"
"You were right about one thing."
"What's that?" Cora asked.
"He is hot."
"I've never known you to be blown away by a guy's looks. What is going on with you?"
"The truth? I'm extremely attracted to Beau. But I know nothing can come of it. We have nothing in common, he is mouthy and I'm going home soon."
"Wow, it's worse than I thought," Cora replied as she took a sip of her own coffee, trying to hide a grin.
"I agreed to go out with him. So what? One date. He can show me around town, and that'll be it. That's all it can ever be, just one night."
"I do agree, it seems unlikely anything could come of it. After all, you live in New York, and he lives in Texas. He's a cowboy, and you're an uptown girl. But I remember another girl about seven years ago who thought there was no way it could work for her and a guy from Texas."
"You and Dale are completely different than Beau and I."
"Maybe, but if this is meant to be, it will find a way."
"Cora, you can't be serious."
"Whatever's meant to be will always find a way."
"It's not meant to be. I need to put any thoughts like that right out of my head. He's not moving to New York, and I'm not moving to Texas. End of story."
"I seem to recall you telling me that you're ready for a change. Could it be the change has found you?"
"I wouldn't get along with that loudmouthed know-it-all for five minutes."
"Audrey, he isn't like that. You're using that as an excuse to convince yourself you don't want to find out if there could be something between the two of you."
Her Texas Dom (Dominant Men Book 4) Page 4