COWBOY: His ranch. His rules. His secrets. (Taking Charge Book 1)

by Maggie Carpenter

  "I'm there, Keith, I'm there."

  Her unexpected warning was all he needed to hear. The eruptions swept through them, and his finger stayed pressed against the flange of the dildo until she fell flat on the bed and his member slipped from her depths.

  Panting heavily he switched it off, then carefully pulling it out he laid next to her on his back. His heart was wildly thumping, and closing his eyes he took a long deep breath and willed it to settle.

  Carly was weightless, drained, and completely at peace, and when she felt the blindfold slide away and the blankets being placed over her, she sighed but didn't stir. She was completely unaware that Keith had moved softly from the bed. She didn't hear the running water, nor did she feel him return, but when his arms came around her, she snuggled against him and surrendered to the depths of a serene sleep. Keith too, was drained, and as he drifted off he was at peace with his decision to fly to Houston, and an unfamiliar feeling of being complete.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The following morning Carly stretched and yawned and rolled over to hug her cowboy, but to her dismay she found him gone, then her eye caught a folded note on the nightstand. Reaching across she opened it up, and as she stared at what he'd written happy tears sprang to her eyes.

  This cowboy loves you!

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Keith's long drive from the ranch to the airport was brightened when his cell phone rang and Carly's name was on the screen. Leaving the heartfelt note had been spontaneous, and his first hour on the road he'd had second thoughts. Had it been cowardly not to wake her and tell her in person? Then he'd pictured her happy smile as she read it, but a moment later he wondered if his assumption was correct, then told himself of course it was.

  "Mornin' beautiful."

  "This cowgirl loves you too," she said softly.

  A huge wave of happy relief flooded his heart.

  "Real happy to hear that."

  "What an amazing thing to find. This has to be the best morning of my life, except I wish you were here."

  "There's nothin' I'd like better than to be curled up with you right now, but I won't be gone long and when I get back I'll have lots to tell you."

  "I wouldn't care if you had nothing to tell me, just having you back will be enough for me. It's weird being in this bed without you, and last night, my gosh…"

  Keith grinned. His dominant soul had lived through a long drought and he'd done more than he'd planned, but he had no regrets. Then it hit him. The backpack. He'd forgotten to take it.

  "Carly, I just remembered something and I need your help. In the closet is a backpack. I need you to tuck it away in a back corner of the closet out of sight."

  "Okay. May I ask why?"

  He thought for a moment, then broke into a grin.

  "You may. In fact, I think you'll enjoy digging through it, and when you do you'll understand why I don't want Elsie stumbling across it. I doubt she'd take a peek but I don't want to take the chance."

  "I want to jump out of bed right now and look. It's wicked stuff, right? Like what you used last night?"

  "It is. I hope I didn't wear you out. I should have waited until after the buyers came today."

  "What? No! I feel really calm."

  "Calm not tired?"

  "Calm not tired! I promise, and I hate to say this but I need to get up. I overslept, though I can't imagine why."

  "I can't either," he chuckled. "You go shower and have your breakfast. I'll call you later," then lowering his voice he added, "love you, babe."

  "I love you too. You've made me so happy."

  "Back at ya, beautiful."

  Ending the call he felt his heart soar. The woman of his dreams had walked into his life, and very soon he'd be living his life openly, though it might be tough in the short term. It was entirely possible he'd be disinherited, but that was okay with him. He'd worked a double shift long enough. Being an oil company executive and building a successful ranch with his best friend and partner had been exhausting.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Happier than she ever remembered being, Carly showered and dressed, took a quick peek in the backpack, then hurried down to the dining room. Andy had already come and gone, and Elsie was sitting at the table with a pad of paper and pen in her hand. In the center of the table a tempting stack of pancakes was sending out a delicious aroma and Carly couldn't wait to dig in.

  "Good morning," Elsie said, smiling up at her. "Andy wanted flapjacks. Would you prefer something else?"

  "No, thanks, these look great. I can't remember the last time I had a decadent breakfast like this."

  "Help yourself. I have to run into town but I won't be long. Don't worry about clearing things up. Do you need anything while I'm out?"

  "No, but thanks for asking."

  "Sorry to leave you to eat on your own," Elsie said, tearing the page from the pad and rising to her feet. "I always serve coffee and cake to our clients and I've run out of some things. I'll see you shortly."

  Elsie bustled out, and eyeing the golden pancakes Carly had just lifted one onto her plate when her phone buzzed. Pulling it from her pocket she saw it was Andy. Hoping he wasn't calling to chase her up she answered the call.

  "Hi. I'm just finishing breakfast. Sorry if I'm late. I'll be right down."

  "You don't have to be. That's why I'm callin'." I wanna spend some time draggin' the ring and gettin' it real even."

  "Do you want me to ride in the outdoor ring?"

  "Did you forget? The horses get one day off a week and that's today."

  "Oh, that's right. There's been so much going on it slipped my mind. What about the horses we're showing?"

  "It's best to leave them in their paddocks, it keeps them settled, and Connie Masters likes to see them bein' brought in and tacked up. Many of the clients are like that."

  "So I don't need to come down this morning?"

  "Not unless you wanna ride Winston, otherwise you can take it easy."

  "I'll probably come down in a little bit and jump on my big boy. The buyers are coming at three o'clock, so what time do you want me there?"

  "Two-forty-five would be good."

  "Okay, Andy. Thanks. Bye."

  "Bye."

  Pushing her phone back in her pocket, Carly returned to her pancake, and as she covered it with butter and syrup her mind began to wander. She needed to call her parents. It would be easier to conference them so she didn't have to repeat her story, but they would end up arguing, they always did, and she needed to talk to her father anyway, to ask him about finding someone who'd disappeared. There was also Gary, the man Elsie loved who was sitting in prison hoping to be paroled. Elsie was one of the kindest, warmest people Carly had ever met, and she wanted to help her.

  "Shoot. I need Gary's last name," she muttered, pouring herself some coffee. "Dad won't be able to uncover anything without it. I hate to poke around but I have no choice, and I'd better do it right now before Elsie gets back."

  Leaving her breakfast half-eaten she rose to her feet, and hurrying from the dining room she started down the hallway not sure where to start. Keith's office seemed the likeliest place, and though she was tempted to learn about Keith's father and Keith himself, it was Elsie's plight that was foremost in her mind. Opening the door she walked in, then she stood for a moment staring around the room.

  "What the heck can I find in here about Elsie's boyfriend?" she muttered. "No, I need to go to her apartment, unless…"

  Walking across to his bookshelf she studied the photographs. There were many of Andy collecting trophies, and standing with well-dressed people, various horses with gleaming coats in expensive frames with their names etched in brass plaques, including a few champions she recognized, but there appeared to be nothing with Keith and Elsie.

  Then she saw it.

  At the very end of a shelf behind a bronze globe there was a photograph of two couples in elegant evening wear, and Keith as a young man. He was standing in front of the coup
le she assumed were his parents. The man was every bit as handsome as Keith, and the woman at his side was a stunning beauty. Next to them she recognized Elsie. Dressed in a sparkling forest green gown she was smiling into the camera, but the man beside her was a few feet away and sporting a dour expression. His this black hair and eyebrows came him a sinister look, and if it was Gary he certainly didn't look very happy.

  Lifting the frame from the bookshelf she turned it around and was delighted to see the back was easy to remove. Feeling optimistic she pulled it away, and as the back of the picture revealed itself her heart skipped. There were five names, though barely legible. Carrying it across to the window to view it in a better light, she could make out Elsie's name, and the name Mabel.

  "What is that. Harry? No, Hart, Harlan. His father's name is Harlan, but where does it say Keith? That's weird, that's an h. H-e-a…is it heart? Oh, my gosh, it's Heath? Who the hell is Heath? Does Keith have a twin brother?"

  "Heath is Keith's second cousin."

  Spinning around, turning beet red, she saw Elsie standing in the doorway.

  "The man next to me is my ex-husband, Brice. He was a sonofabitch. Please put the photo back."

  "Elsie, this isn't what it looks like, I swear."

  "What else could it be?" she asked with a heavy frown. "You're in Keith's office and you're studying a personal picture. Obviously you're trying to delve into his background. Carly, you know how much Keith values his privacy."

  "Sorry, please let me explain," Carly said hastily, placing the photograph back in its frame. "Honestly, I have a very good reason for doing this. Two very good reasons, but I can only tell you about one of them."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Good grief. Okay, I have to confess something you're not going to like."

  "I'm already seeing something I don't like."

  "I know, but it will make sense in a minute," Carly promised, and returning the picture to the shelf, she walked across the room and perched herself on the arm of the couch. "I overheard your conversation with Keith about your friend Gary. I was looking for information about him so I could help. Without his last name it's impossible."

  "You eavesdropped?"

  "It wasn't about you. I mean, I wasn't listening because I was being nosey about you. I knew Keith was going to tell you about us and I just wanted to hear what he said about me. Call it vanity, foolish pride, insecurity, whatever, but I wasn't motivated by nosiness, I was motivated by my heart. I'm crazy about him, but that's beside the point," she said, and taking a deep breath she fixed Elsie with an earnest gaze. "I can, absolutely, help your friend, or rather, my father can."

  "What kind of help?"

  "I heard you say you're worried that Keith's dad might interfere with the parole board."

  "Gary's in prison for cocaine possession. He might be a nefarious drug dealer for all you know. Why would you want to become involved?"

  "The man who refused to even take an aspirin is a nefarious drug dealer? Elsie, please. I apologize for doing this behind your back. I was going to help without you knowing, but you caught me"

  "You were going to help without me knowing, is that what you just said?"

  "Yes, all I needed was Gary's last name. Am I curious about Keith? Of course, but my sole purpose this morning was finding information about Gary so I could pass it along to my father."

  "But again I must ask you, why? We're virtual strangers."

  "Let's see, virtual strangers who have brought me into their home and treated me with nothing but warmth and kindness, and as I said, I'm crazy about Keith, and, uh, it's mutual. Of course I want to help."

  "My goodness," Elsie said, staring at her. "I'm at a loss for words."

  "Do you think Keith's father will try to interfere with Gary's parole?"

  "He might," Elsie replied, her frown deepening. "I don't have anything to do with him anymore, but from what Keith has told me he's become extremely unpredictable. He's changed so much. It's very upsetting. My brother and I were once very close."

  "I'm sorry, Elsie. Please will you let me help you?"

  "But how can you?"

  "Is Gary in Bellworth?"

  "He is, what of it?"

  "Why don't we take this conversation back to the table and talk over a cup of coffee?" Carly suggested. "There's a lot I need to tell you, and maybe when I'm done you'll have things you'll want to tell me."

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  While Carly and Elsie were deep in conversation, inside the garage the sandy-haired man had climbed from the trunk of Elsie's car.

  A short time before he'd been sitting outside the local cafe drinking coffee. He'd been so amazed to see Elsie he'd literally dropped his spoon in his mug. She'd been climbing from a silver Buick sedan, and as she'd walked through the neighboring parking lot he'd leaned forward and scrutinized her. It was just too good to be true, but it was definitely her. Throwing some money on the table he'd hurried across the small lane and made a beeline for her car. There was no-one around, a feature of small towns he'd always hated was now working to his advantage. Shooting a quick glance around the lot he'd tried the drivers door. It was unlocked, and leaning in he'd popped the trunk. Sauntering around the car he'd peered inside. Just as he suspected it was huge and empty, and offered an emergency escape pull. The opportunity was too good to pass up, and praying no-one was watching from some vantage point he'd missed, he'd quickly climbed and closed himself in.

  The garage was dark, the only light coming from the trunk lid. Retrieving his phone he turned on the flashlight, and spying a door he assumed led into the house, he softly closed the trunk and crept forward. Hearing nothing he turned off his phone, pushed open the door and peered into the large empty kitchen. Walking inside he saw a swinging door, and moving across he paused, and again was met with silence. Pushing it open a crack he peeked around, and though it was empty there was a stack of pancakes in the middle of the table and a half-eaten on on a plate. Would people soon be returning? As far as he knew there were only the two men, Elsie and the girl. Had their breakfast been interrupted? Swiftly moving into the room he grabbed two of the pancakes, then walked to the open doorway and looked down the empty hall.

  "Fuck this place is big," he muttered as he began to creep forward, then suddenly hearing voices he ducked into the first door.

  They were female, and watching through the door jamb he saw Elsie and the pretty young woman walking towards him. The two men would be working, and leaning against the wall he broke into an evil smile. It had taken him a long time but he'd finally found them. He'd take his time, do some exploring, then make his move.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The flight to Houston had been uneventful, and Keith had used the time thinking through what he would say to his father and how he would say it. A company car was waiting, and as he climbed into the back seat he pulled out his phone and called Carly. He wanted and needed to hear her voice. His resolve was firm, but he would soon be having the conversation he both dreaded yet couldn't wait to have.

  "Keith! How great to hear from you," she beamed over the phone. "Is everything okay?"

  "Yes, fine. How are you?"

  "Great, except I miss you. Andy wanted to work on the footing in the ring and I'd planned to ride Winston, but Elsie and I have been hanging out."

  "I'm glad. You two should get to know each other better."

  "And that's what we're doing."

  "Okay, babe, I'll call you again soon."

  "Bye. And thank you, it's wonderful to hear your voice."

  "Yours too."

  The car was already out of the airport, and as he leaned back and stared out the window he recalled his conversation with Elsie. His father was many things, and it was true when mother had passed away the man had undergone a personality change, but Keith still didn't believe he would have framed Gary Campbell, especially using drugs. It just wasn't his style. He would have hired lawyers to quietly dig into Gary's dealings, and if he'd found something incrimina
ting he would have turned it over to his powerful friends. Though he'd been in the house when Elsie had dramatically and tearfully accused Harlan of the hateful act, Keith had never discussed it with him. Now was he determined to learn the truth, whatever that was, and lay it to rest once and for all. His phone chimed, breaking into his thoughts, and he wasn't surprised to see it was the man himself.

  "Hey, dad, I was just about to call you. We're exiting the freeway now. I'll be in River Oaks shortly."

  "Good flight?"

  "Is there such a thing anymore?"

  "If you stayed here in Houston like you should, you could use the company jet whenever you wanted."

  "I'll keep that in mind."

  "Mitzi is at the house and she'll be joining us for dinner. I'm thinking I'll meet you at the restaurant. I'm still in the office."

  "No surprise there. Has anyone ever mentioned that you work too hard?"

  "It's not work when you love what you do," Harlan retorted. "That's something you need to learn."

  "I have already, dad, a while back."

  "Does that mean you're loving your job now? Has your old man's company finally won you over?"

  "Not exactly, but dad, I don't want to go out to dinner. Can you just come home?"

  "Sure, if you want. Did I tell you I've hired a chef? He's pretty damn good."

  "No, but I'm sure he is."

  "I'll see you shortly, son. Bye."

  "Bye, dad."

  With a heavy sigh Keith ended the call. He was entering the exclusive neighborhood, and though he admired the magnificent houses, none were as appealing as his rambling log cabin on the knoll. Turning into the sweeping driveway of his father's home the car rolled to a stop, and as he stepped out Mitzi opened the front door and walked quickly forward to greet him.

  "I'm so relieved you're here," she said dramatically, hurrying forward to meet him. "I need to talk to you."