He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and cautiously eased himself out of bed, partly because his head was about to explode and largely in part to not wanting to wake his bed partner. He quietly snorted, as he came to the realization that he was sneaking out of bed in his own damn house. Ridiculous he mused. Turns out the woman beside him was a light sleeper, the slight shift of the mattress quickly aroused her from her slumber. Her eyes fluttered open as she searched the room for him.
Spotting him, she smiled “Good morning”.
Devin forced a smile and responded “Good morning”. He sighed inwardly; time to let another one down easy. “Listen, um...”
The woman frowned, “You don’t remember my name, do you? It’s Carleen.”
“Right, Carleen. I have a busy day ahead of me; I’m already late for work so, I’m going to get going. You can show yourself out, right?
Carleen glared at him. “Are you seriously? You are such a jerk! Not even breakfast?”
“Look, Carleen I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression or led you on in any way, but I was just looking to have a good time... for one night. You understand?”
Carleen jumped off the bed, and searched the room for her clothes, mumbling angrily to herself. When she located all articles of clothing, she quickly threw them on and grab up her handbag. She made her way to the bedroom door and turned to glower at him.
Devin glanced at her, feeling guilty. If looks could kill he thought. He had no idea what to say to her. Rubbing the back of his neck he said sheepishly “Uh, thanks for a great night.”
“Screw you” Carleen spat vehemently and stormed though the door. Well that went well Devin thought.
Heading down the stairs at nine-thirty, Devin heard the voices of his housekeeper, Bernice and Abraham Kingsley, Vice President of Cooper’s Ranch and Tours. As he turned the corner into the vast, state of the art kitchen, they came into view. Bernice was taking freshly baked biscuits out of the oven, while Abe was flirting shamelessly with her. She laughed heartily at something Abe whispered and swatted him on the hand with a dishcloth as he tried to swipe a biscuit off the baking tin.
“Moring all” Devin said “Am I interrupting anything?”
“Good morning” they both piped in unison.
“You’re late boy” Abe grunted “Would your lack of punctuality have anything to do with the blond I saw rushing out the front door this morning?”
Devin gave the older man a small smile, but remained quiet. Abe was not just an employee, he was family. He and Devin’s father were best friends for as long as Devin could remember. When Devin’s father had started Cooper’s Ranch and Tours twenty five years ago, Abe was by his side helping him to build the company into the multi-billion dollar empire it is today.
When Devin’s father passed away four years ago, Abe had stepped in as a father figure and helped to groom the young man in the ways of the business.
“You need to stop running around town with these random girls Devin” Abe stated. They were sitting at the dining table consuming the hearty meal of eggs, bacon, sausages and biscuits Bernice had prepared. “It’s full time for you to settle down boy, you’ll be thirty-one next month. You need to marry a nice girl and produce and heir or two, to continue the legacy your father worked so hard build.”
Devin sighed “When the time is right Abe, a nice girl will fall into my lap and I’ll settle down. Right now, I will continue the with my one night stands, because all these women are interested in is my hefty bank account.”
Abe shook his head but couldn’t bother to respond, his mouth was stuffed with bacon and sausage. After breakfast Devin and Abe thanked Bernice and made their way to Devin’s home office on the left wing of the vast, two story mansion.
The men sat quietly for a few minutes, looking over paper work. Abe glanced at his fancy Rolex “You better get going boy, if you want to make it to the airport in time.”
“What the hell are you talking, old man?” Devin asked, not bothering to look up from the budget statements he was reviewing.
“Damn it Devin, don’t tell me you didn’t remember. We have a guest arriving at the Oklahoma City Airport, in...” Abe paused and pulled out his phone, glancing down at it briefly he continued, “In the next hour and a half. It’s about an hour drive, so you should get going.”
“Of course I didn’t forget” Devlin defended himself “I thought you were dealing with everything.”
I was after all, Abe’s idea to have some raffle ticket winner from some big city come out to the new Guest Ranch they had just built in Norman. There were several Cooper’s Guest Ranches and Tours scattered across Oklahoma. The company’s goal was to provide visitors from around the world with luxurious accommodations and at the same time, a real western experience. Guests had access to Jacuzzis, hot tubs, swimming pools, fine western cuisine and nature hikes/rides and horse riding lessons.
When Abe had somehow gotten wind of a school in Detroit looking for a destination getaway as the first prize for a raffle draw, he had offered Cooper’s and Tours’ services. He thought it would be good advertisement for the new ranch. The company was already beyond successful but Abe was determined was to have this ranch bring in the big bucks.
“All you have to do is collect our visitor from the airport and drop him/her off at the ranch in Norman” Abe said “ Simple, nothing more to it, now get going boy, or you’ll be late.”
Devin sighed, how the hell did he get hampered with this job, didn’t they have sufficient staff for this kind of thing? He put his thoughts in to words “Don’t we have staff for this kind of thing?”
“The Norman ranch isn’t fully staffed yet, and it would be good to have the owner show our guest some hospitality.” Abe answered.
“Alright, all I have to do is pick this person up from the airport, right? How hard can that be? Guess I’m going to the airport” Devin reluctantly gave in.
Five minutes later Devin was on his way to the airport in his silver range rover. The drive from Paul’s Valley where he resided, to Oklahoma City would take roughly an hour. He wound the windows down and relaxed, nodding his head to a Luke Bryan son blaring from the radio. Damn it, he thought, once again Abe had forced in to something he didn’t want to do. He wanted no part of entertaining this guest, that’s what the company paid other people to do. He put a little more pressure on the gas pedal, watching the speedometer hit one hundred. He wanted to get this pick up and drop off process over with Devin pulled into the extensive parking lot at Oklahoma City airport. He looked at the digital clock on the dashboard. He had made it in time with fifteen minutes to spare. He reached over to the back seat and picked up a piece of cardboard with the guest’s name on it. “Mary Lou Carpenter” he read aloud. He exited his vehicle and made his way to the arrival terminal.
Mary Lou made her way through the revolving doors lugging her huge suitcase behind her, while tugging at the cream mini dress she sported. It was definitely not her style. She would have been happy in a jeans and loose T-shirt, but Yvonne had practically held her down and forced her into the damn dress. The weekend before her trip, Yvonne had somehow convinced Mary to go on a shopping expedition. She had coerced Mary in to buying clothes she had never even dreamed she would wear. Folded neatly in her luggage were shorts, miniskirts, skinny jeans, tube tops and tight dresses, along with completely insensible shoes.
Yvonne had closely monitored Mary’s packing, ensuring that she bought none of her old clothes. When Mary had asked her why she needed to bring such revealing clothes, Yvonne stated “To snag you a sexy cowboy, honey.” Mary rolled her eyes at the memory. Yvonne had also ensure that Mary’s face was well made up with eye shadow and liner, mascara, deep red lipstick, the whole works; and her mass of wild curly hair was glistening and flowing around her shoulders. When Yvonne had mentioned straightening her curls, Mary had firmly put her foot down; she would maintain at least one aspect of her true self. As she made her way through the crowd, she scanned the numerous c
ardboards and papers being held up, for her name. Aha, there it is. She spotted the card board with her name and pushed her way through the back of the crowd to the person hold it.
Devin felt ridiculous standing in the crowd holding up the piece of cardboard with some stranger’s name on it. He had positioned himself toward the back of the crowd, when he confirmed that the flight had landed. He waited impatiently as a never-ending line of people passed through the revolving glass doors. He looked around as people hugged and kissed loved ones; and people meeting for the first time shook hands. Where the hell is this Mary Lou Carpenter? He asked inwardly, getting agitated. With any luck, she had changed her mind about making the then, he wouldn’t have to worry about playing nice with some tourist, he had more important things to do with his day.
Just then he spotted woman heading directly to him. He wondered if it was Mary Lou. The medium built, about five feet four inches tall, African-American woman, was a quite a stunner, her deep brown skin was flawless, and she had the fullest, most kissable lips he had ever seen on any human. Her mane of dark, curly hair bounced off her shoulders as she walked, and had the strange urge to run his fingers through it to see if it felt as soft as it looked. She wasn’t model thin, she had firm, and ample breast, a small waist that flared out at the hips, hips made for child-bearing, and her short dress reveal shapely legs, emphasized by sexy, incredibly high red sandals. Wow, a real pretty girl, not his type, but pretty none the less. However, the fact that she was attractive did nothing to improve his sour mood. He still didn’t see why he was the one the one that had t be here, his day was now wasted. The thought caused him to scowl deeply.
As Mary Lou approached the man holding up her name, she almost toppled over high heels. Her breath stopped in her chest as she took him in. He was about six feet three inches tall, with biceps that were honed by physical labour, or maybe in a gym, who knows. Her gazed continued up to his broad chest, wide masculine shoulders, up further to his sexy pink lips and chiselled jaw; strong nose, and dreamy blue eyes, topped off with his sandy brown shaped in a crew cut. Mary momentarily forgot about her decision to avoid dating and relationships. She had never thought of dating a white guy, but she would definitely do this one. This cowboy was drop dead gorgeous!
Mary then noticed the frown on his face. Sheesh what’s eating him?, she wondered before politely holding out her hand she said with a smile “Hi, I’m Mary Lou Carpenter.”
“Devin Cooper” he said gruffly, gripping her hand briefly. “If you will follow me”, he turned and walked towards the exit.
Mary was taken aback by Mr. Cooper’s attitude. Not even a smile, or a “welcome to Oklahoma”? He didn’t even offer to help me with my luggage. A real gentleman this one is she though sarcastically. Sticking her tongue out at him, she followed him to his vehicle.
Devin loaded Mary Lou’s suitcase in the trunk of vehicle and quickly drove off. Thirty minute drive to Norman was going to be extremely awkward. Neither said a word to the other for a good ten minutes. The tension in the air could be sliced with a knife. Mary Lou focused on the scenic country surroundings, enjoying the fresh, clean Oklahoma breeze caressing her face. As they drove she saw acre of open pasture, some with cows, and some with horses. Everything just looked so peaceful here, and to think she was dreading the trip to country. Oklahoma didn’t seem half bad, and that was saying a lot coming from a bonafide city girl.
She closed her eyes briefly and inhaled deeply. Maybe this trip won’t be so bad after all, if can avoid mister sour puss here. She thought. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye; he wore the same scowl he had before they left the airport. She was getting the vibe that he really didn’t want to be here. Well, that was just fine with her; she wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at the thought of his company either. When she got to the ranch, she would unpack, catch a snooze and entertain herself. She made up her mind to avoid Devin Cooper for the next five days.
Chapter Three
Twenty minutes later. Devin’s van turned into a narrow dirt road leading up to a charming, rustic looking cabin like, scattered about were several smaller cabins. The dirt road continued passed to the cabin where Mary Lou spotted the sign “Horse Ridding” with an arrow pointing behind the main cabin. She felt a jolt of excitement, she had always wanted to learn how to ride a horse, but there wasn’t much access to horses in Detroit.
Devin collected her suitcase form the van, “Ok little lady, follow me” he said and sauntered off carrying her suitcase. Little lady? Marry almost laughed out loud. She has never been referred to “Little Lady” before. Welcome to cowboy nation she mused.
Mary followed Devin in the direction of the main cabin; she had time admire him from behind. He had a confident, bordering on arrogant type of walk, and she could see that he had a tight, muscular ass that she was tempted to just reach out and grab. Whoa there girl, get a grip on your hormones, this in not like you, it must be the country air, she though. When she walked through the cabin door, she drew in a sharp breath, inside was absolutely lovely. It had a cosy, homely feel to it with its quaint wooden furniture and stone fireplace. Over to the right was what seemed like a booking area. She guessed right.
At the same time Devin told her “Over here is the booking/customer service area. I’ll just go and enter your information into our system. All the details were already given to me by my business partner.” He put her suitcase down and made his way to the desk and computer. While Devin typed, Mary Lou decided to explore a little. She walked off to her left and passed through a sitting area, set up like a comfy living room. The dim soft glows of the light made her want to lay down on one of the sofas and relax. Beyond the sitting area, through double glass doors was a dining area, with ceiling to floor windows, where guest could enjoy their meals as well as the picturesque outdoors. This place is marvellous.
Devin found Mary in the dining room; once again he was sporting a frown.
“What’s the sour look for this time? Tired of me already Mr. Cooper?” Mary Lou teased.
Devin raised an eyebrow at her and answered “I’m just wondering where everyone is.”
Mary had been too busy admiring the scenery to realize that the place was completely deserted. It just hit her that she was out in the middle of nowhere with a complete stranger who didn’t seem to like her much. “Yea, where are all the other guests.”
“Actually I was talking about the my emloyees, you are the only guest here.”
“What? Why? What kind of guest ranch has only one guest?” Mary inquired, starting to panic a bit.
Devin must have seen the apprehension in her eyes as he quickly reassured her, “No need to worry darlin’ he drawled, his western accent more pronounced than ever. You’re completely safe here; you’re the only guest here because we don’t official open until five days from now, Friday. The Vice President of the company, Abe thought it would be a brilliant idea to sponsor a raffle ticket draw all the way in Detroit, making this ranch the destination prize. So you will have the accommodations all to yourself for the next five days, and when we open this weekend and invite the press, we will have a raving testimonial, from guess who, you Mary Lou Carpenter.” Devin rolled his eyes and continued “I really don’t know what inspired this harebrained scheme of his. We simple could have had the press come in a few days after we opened started receiving guests.”
“Yea, that sounds like it would have been a simpler, rational thing to do” Mary agreed.
“Well, Abe is neither a simple nor rational man darlin’. He also has high hopes that you will return to Detroit and rave about out little place here. I still can’t figure out how the hell he found about a school fundraiser, all the way in Michigan”, Devin shook his head still confused about that little detail.
Mary considered it for a moment and shrugged well “I’m already here, might as well make the most of it, right? So... you don’t know where your employers are?” Mary asked, finding that more than a little strange.
Devin lo
oked floored. He shrugged “There is suppose to be a skeleton staff in place for the next two days to take care of all your needs, but it’s like every single one of them has been abducted by aliens or something.”
Devin led Mary Lou back to the waiting area. “Just have a seat” he pointed to a chair “and give me a few minutes to find out what the hell is going on.” He fetched his phone from his pocket and dialled while making his way outside.
Mary watched him through the glass door, while he talked he angry hand gestures and she could tell the person on the other end of the line was getting an ear full. Mary took the moment alone to make a couple of calls as well. She called her mother to let her know she had reached her destination safely. Before hanging up her mom warned “You be careful now baby girl, behave yourself and watch out for those cowboy types, they’ll charm the panties right off you, take what they want and gallop away on horse, before you even know what happened.”
Mary dropped her head in her hand “Oh my God, mom. Did you really have to go there?” But Mary could help smiling; she was use to her candidness. “Ok, mom I’ll be careful, I promise. No panty dropping.”
“Good girl. Love you baby.”
“Love you too mom. Mary hung up and quickly dialled Yvonne’s number.
“Hey girl!” Yvonne answered almost immediately. What the hell took you so long to call” I was worried sick. So how is it so far, have you been to any rodeos, ride any bulls, do any cowboys yet?”
ROMANCE: WESTERN ROMANCE: The Secret Cowboy (BWWM Billionaire Interracial Multicultural Romance) (Contemporary Steamy Western Short Stories) Page 5