Wild Ride Rancher

by Maureen Child

  Truthfully, she didn’t know if he would or not. That would be lovely, but she had plans if that didn’t happen. “I can buy land from him or maybe even another rancher not far from Houston.”

  He snorted.

  She was really getting tired of that sound.

  “Of course you can.”

  Chloe frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing,” he said. “Ranchers don’t often sell their land. They’re more interested in adding acreage to their spread. But, then again, women like you are used to getting exactly what they want from men.”

  “Women like me?” Irritation rose up and quickly bristled into temper. Okay, yes, she was wildly attracted to the man, but she wasn’t going to stand there and be insulted. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “Hey, hey, rein in your temper. No offense meant,” he said, holding up one hand for peace. “I only meant that nothing comes that easy to most people. But a pretty woman can persuade a man to do most anything.”

  “Wow.” She simply stared at him. “You’re not a cowboy. You’re a Neanderthal.”

  “Might be, but I notice you’re not disagreeing,” he pointed out.

  It would have been hard to, as much as Chloe wanted to let him have it. Hadn’t she seen it for herself most of her life? Heck, her own mother could still play Chloe’s father like a finely tuned piano. And in the social circles Chloe knew best, girls were practically trained how to do the same. Pretty women turned on the charm, and that usually worked long enough for them to get their way.

  “All right, there may be some truth to what you said...”

  He nodded.

  “But,” she added, “pretty doesn’t last. I use my brain, Liam. I work for what I want, and I don’t use my looks or my name to take me where I want to go.”

  He studied her for a long couple of seconds. “I can see that. So sorry. Again. Look, I’m not a caveman and I’m not stupid. What you’re trying to do is pretty tough, but if you can convince me that you can run this camp without interfering with the work on the ranch, then I’ll take it to Sterling.” He stopped, looked at her. “After that, it’s up to you and Sterling what you work out between you. But I will say I don’t see him selling you a piece of his spread.”

  Chloe took a breath and let it out again. She hadn’t expected him to apologize or to give her respect. She just wished she knew if he meant it or if he was just trying to placate her. Either way, arguing with Sterling’s representative wasn’t going to get her anywhere, and the bottom line was, what he thought of her didn’t matter in the slightest. She’d been alternately dismissed, overlooked and had assumptions made about her for years. Those who stood outside a wealthy family and thought it was all cotton candy and carnivals were invariably wrong, but it was nearly impossible to convince them of that.

  Chloe’s life had been easy as far as money went. But a soul could starve even if the body was well fed.

  Yet she gave him a bright smile anyway and saw a flicker of something dart across those amazing blue eyes. It was there and gone again so quickly, she couldn’t be sure exactly what it was, but her body reacted anyway. Honestly, it was getting harder to keep her mind on the business at hand—in spite of the irritation he could spike in an instant. Still, she tried.

  “Okay, like I said before, what I want to do is introduce the girls to ranch life,” she said, warming to her theme the second she started talking. “Most of them will be from the city and completely unaware of a world where there isn’t traffic and noise and so many lights you can’t see the stars at night.”

  He gave her a thoughtful look. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

  “I grew up in Houston, and the only time I got to see the stars was when I visited my grandfather in El Paso.”

  “Is that what fixated you on ranch life?’

  “It is,” she said as memories flooded her mind. Smiling to herself, she admitted, “Once my father sold my ‘dream ranch,’ I spent lots of time with my grandfather. I’m sure I got in the way plenty, but I helped the men working for my grandfather whenever I was there. They taught me how to care for a horse, how to ride and that hard work was the only kind of success that mattered.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “Your father was okay with that?”

  “No, not really,” she admitted. “But my mom was. She’d grown up on that ranch, and wanted me to have the same experiences. Mom died when I was fourteen, so the visits to the ranch ended. My grandfather died a couple of years later, and my father sold that ranch too.”

  Nodding, he asked, “So you’re doing all of this as a way of spitting in your dad’s eye?”

  Surprised, she had to admit, “No. Well, in a way, that’s true, I guess. Hadn’t really thought about it, but yes. I’m a disappointment to him, I suppose, but my younger sister, Ellen, is exactly the type of daughter he wanted us both to be.”

  One corner of his mouth lifted briefly, and Chloe felt a quick rush of heat.

  “And what kind of daughter is that?”

  “Malleable,” she said with the slightest twinge of sorrow. “I love my sister, but she’s more willing to let our father direct her life than I am. And wow, that sounded terrible, didn’t it?” Guilt roared into life inside her. “We’re not very close and I regret that, but I just don’t...get her, I guess.”

  And why was she making this confession to a man she didn’t even know?

  “I can understand that,” he said. “I don’t really get you, either.”

  Chloe laughed. “Okay, that’s honest. I like honest. But seriously, what’s not to get?” She’d been completely forthright, and actually even more truthful than she’d determined to be. Why for heaven’s sake had she told him about her parents and her sister and her grandfather? That had nothing to do with this meeting. “I don’t know why, but for some reason I’m telling you things I had no intention of telling, so you probably know me better by now than my sister does.”

  “All right,” he conceded with a nod, “maybe it’s not that I don’t get you—but more that you’re not what I expected.”

  “You mean I’m not talking about manicures and my last trip to Paris?”

  He shrugged, and that action made his chest shift and move in a really enticing way. Keep your mind on the camp, Chloe.

  So she gave him a bright smile. “Well, then, I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

  “You really should,” he told her and his blue eyes flashed again, threatening her concentration abilities. “So show me more.”

  Three

  Clinging to hope, Chloe went through her sample pages, one at a time. The Perry Ranch was well-known in this corner of Texas, and had been photographed hundreds of times. All she’d had to do was use some of those photos that had been in countless magazines and have her friend Curtis Photoshop girls into the images.

  Outside, the day got darker, the rain hammered the window like tiny fists demanding entry, and the rising wind rushed down the street with gleeful abandon.

  But for the next half hour, Chloe didn’t notice. She gave her spiel on how great the ranch camp would be for girls, and Liam listened. He paid attention. He asked great questions and even made a suggestion or two. She assured him that she would be there herself to keep the girls out of the working cowboys’ way. In fact, Chloe was starting to feel more than hopeful. One corner of her mind began to plot and plan, sure that he would come down on her side. That he would talk to Sterling and her dream camp would become a reality. If he said no now, she’d be crushed. “I’ve really thought it all out. It’s been building in my head for years.”

  “I can see that,” he said, nodding.

  “And not only would this be great for the girls, but it’s a publicity treasure for the Perry Ranch,” she added, dangling that thought like a worm on a hook. “Think of the goodwill Sterling would get for ho
sting and funding this ranch camp.”

  He was still nodding, so Chloe took that as a good sign.

  “Really, the funding would be just a drop in the bucket to Sterling Perry, and he would be the talk of Texas.”

  “He’d enjoy that,” Liam murmured.

  She grinned. “The funding would be mostly on covering food and the tents where the girls would stay. I’d want the camp itself to be free to underprivileged kids and maybe a modest cost to those who could afford it.”

  “I’d want the camp to start this June.” She could see he was doing some fast thinking. Yes, it was already April, but she didn’t want to lose another summer. If she started in June, it wouldn’t be much, but it would be a beginning. “We’d probably just have a handful of girls for the first camp, but by July we could handle a dozen or more.”

  “And you’d be there? Overseeing it all?”

  “I would.” She winced internally at the thought of being away from her new business for days at a time, but she had a cell phone; she could work through email and her tablet had a good battery. She could do this. She would do this, if it meant success.

  “I’ll think about it,” he finally said.

  “Really think about it,” she asked, “or pretend to think about it while giving it a few days before calling to say no?”

  One eyebrow lifted. “When I tell you something, it’s the straight truth. I said I’ll think about it and let you know. And I will.”

  “Okay, I believe you. But don’t make me wait too long, all right? I’m not really patient, and the wait will probably kill me.”

  He laughed shortly. “Gotta say it again, you’re nothing like I expected. So I don’t know what to make of you yet.”

  “And that’s important?”

  “Good to know who you’re dealing with.”

  “Fair point.” After all, she didn’t know quite what to make of him, either. She knew she wanted him. Knew he could be irritating. But beyond that he was a mystery, and maybe that was feeding her body’s reaction to him. “If you say yes, we’ll get to know each other really well, because I’ll be at the Perry Ranch until the end of the month.”

  He frowned and she had to take that as a bad sign. “Yeah,” he said thoughtfully, “you would be.”

  Into the suddenly strained silence, he turned his head to stare out the window and into the street beyond.

  “What is it?”

  “Take a look at that. The storm,” he murmured, narrowing his gaze on the rain, now coming in sideways, riding the wind. The downpour was so heavy, it was as if it were erasing the world it rained down on. “Saw it on the horizon when I left the ranch. Thought we’d have a few hours. We don’t.”

  “That looks bad,” Chloe whispered. And even as the words slipped out, she recognized them as a major understatement. Lightning cracked the sky, and thunder rolled down with a deafening boom. When a heavy storm like this roared into Houston so quickly, it meant flooding wasn’t far behind. She’d seen it before and the currents that swept away cars, animals, even people.

  “We should go.” Liam grabbed her arm, but Chloe pulled free long enough to snatch up her purse and tuck her tablet inside. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she hurried behind Liam as he strode for the front door. They hadn’t taken three steps when a sudden microburst of wind hit the big window, shattering it. Liam whirled around, pulled her in tight against him and tucked her head down against his chest.

  * * *

  Liam felt the power of the wind and the slash of the rain, but neither of them, luckily, had been cut by the glass. The back of his shirt and his jeans were soaking wet, but he didn’t feel any pain. They’d gotten lucky. Chloe had her arms wrapped around him and he felt her shaking. Easing back just far enough that he could look down into her eyes, he shouted, “You okay?”

  Stupid question, but she nodded, looking past him at the devastation of her office. The wind howled like damned souls released from Hell, and the heavy rain swept into the room like a blanket of water. Everything was wet and glass was everywhere. Outside, the streets were already flooded up to the curb and the water was still rising. With so much water coming in so quickly, the city’s drains couldn’t keep up. The flooding, he knew, would get worse.

  “Are you all right?” She had to shout to be heard over the wind.

  He kept one arm around her, snatched up his hat from where the wind had blown it, then pulled it down tight on his head. “Yeah. Fine. We’ve gotta get clear of this.”

  “My car’s down the street.”

  His sharp laugh was cut off abruptly. “No way in hell are you driving in this. My truck wouldn’t make it so a car never will.”

  He pulled her up close to his side and ignored the flash of burn he felt with her body pressed so closely to his. He’d been fighting the draw toward her since the moment he’d walked into that office, and it wasn’t getting easier. They had to get to safety. The question was...to where? Liam knew that in a few minutes his truck would probably be floating down the street, so they had to find somewhere close to hole up.

  Then he looked out the broken window and saw it. “We’re going over there.”

  She swiped wind-driven rain off her face, and pushed her sodden hair back from her forehead. “The new Texas Cattleman’s Club?” she asked. “It’s not open. It’s not even finished.”

  Lightning lit up the sky again and was reflected in her pale brown eyes. Over the crash of thunder and the screaming wind, Liam shouted, “I’ve got a key. Even if the first floor floods, one of the rooms on the top floor is mostly finished. We can wait it out there.”

  She looked around as if trying to find another option. He could have told her there weren’t any. They were stuck together. The city was shut down but for emergency vehicles by now, and it’d stay that way until the storm blew through.

  Finally, she nodded.

  “Good enough.” He gave her a nod and a tight smile. “I’m going to hold on to you. That water in the street is rising fast, and the current’s like a high-running river. Just grab hold of my belt and don’t let go.” He kept one arm wrapped around her, his hand settling just beneath her left boob. Ridiculous to be noticing in this situation just how good it was to have his hands on her. “You ready?”

  Chloe nodded. Snaking one arm around his waist, she grabbed hold of his belt and ducked her head against the rain when he led her out of the office.

  Icy cold water sloshed against their shoes, their ankles and all too quickly, their shins. The water was rising even faster than he’d thought it would. Not surprising. The rain was coming down in a thick sheet now, showing no signs of easing up. Stepping off the curb into the river that was the street, Liam fought against the current to keep his balance and to keep Chloe safe.

  Overhead the sky was almost black with menacing clouds. Jagged claws of lightning briefly flashing in the darkness. The rumble of thunder was a constant roar. The sidewalks were empty, people having long ago headed for cover. If he hadn’t been distracted by Chloe while she gave her pitch about a kids’ camp, he might have noticed the change in the weather in time to avoid being half-drowned.

  But that was done. All he could do now was keep her safe and get them both somewhere dry. “Come on,” he urged, his muscular arm tightening around her, “keep moving. Don’t stop—you could get swept away in the current.”

  The middle of the street looked like a whitewater river not a main street in downtown Houston. Parked cars were rising off the ground to bob and sway in the current like a fisherman’s lure. It might take hours for the water to recede, and that would be after the storm stopped.

  Chloe turned her face against Liam’s wet shirt and everything in him tensed. Hell of a time to have his own dick distracting him. He ignored his own personal agony and concentrated on reaching safety. Every step felt like a victory as they leaned into the wind, headed inexorably for the
new Texas Cattleman’s Club building.

  “Almost there.” He lowered his head to her, and still, he knew his voice was nearly lost in the punishing weather.

  “Thank God,” she shouted back.

  He dipped his head into the wind, pulled her up onto the sidewalk and then moved her to stand between him and the building as he dug out keys to the TCC. In a few seconds, he had the door opened, them inside and the door closed and locked behind them. But a lot of water had already rushed in, and now it was pushing up under the front door. Those few seconds with the door open had given the rain freedom to sweep inside, wetting down the whole front hall.

  “Won’t these windows shatter, too?” Chloe wiped wet hands across her wet face, and even with her hair plastered to her head and her eye makeup all smeared, she was still one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen.

  He shook his head and stepped back from her. “Probably. But they haven’t yet, so we’re in better shape than we were at your office.”

  “That’s true.” She looked around then, and Liam followed her gaze.

  The first floor was covered in painter’s tarps. There were sawhorses scattered about and a few tools the crew had left behind. It was a room under construction, and the only thing it had going for it at the moment was that they were out of the cold and wet and noise. Then Liam looked down to where the water was still sliding through under the door frame.

  “We go up,” he said, motioning toward the renovated grand staircase that sat in the middle of the room like an aging queen who’d had a makeover.

  “This will flood, won’t it?”

  As she said it, gusty winds rattled the windowpanes, and one of them on the other side of the room broke under the force of it. Rain and wind raced through that opening, and the other windows rattled again as if preparing to shatter themselves.

  “Yeah,” he said. “It will. Probably soon. The construction crews started at the top and got one room done, at Sterling’s orders, before they went back down to the first floor. These old windows haven’t been replaced yet, and there’s enough water pouring in under the door frame that in another hour, we’ll be ankle deep—if it takes that long.”