“Oh, Cody. You’re so wrong, you know.”
“You don’t know all of it.” He met her eyes. “The deal was phony, Callie. I never intended to use the campaign Monica came up with. Her father’s agency is the company Dad used years ago. Their campaign made our ranch a success. When Hammond called in a favor, I couldn’t refuse.”
“Oh, God, Cody. You didn’t.”
“I did. Cassie, he’s the one.”
Her eyes widened. “The one?”
“The one who saved Dad.” Cody nodded. “There’s no way I could tell him no.”
She sighed. “Well, you did what you had to do. I know you won’t believe me now, but in time you’ll realize the mistake you’re making with Monica. Barbara was a lying, deceitful, selfish bitch. Monica doesn’t have a deceitful bone in her body. Selfish? Hell, she gave up her dream just to save her father’s ass. How do you know she wouldn’t understand if you told her why you did what you did?”
“Because I know her.”
“Maybe not as well as you think you do.” Cassie got up and tossed a folder into his lap.
“What’s this?”
“It’s her campaign. You might want to take a look inside.”
Cody opened the folder and flipped through the pages in awe. “I had no idea.” She’d captured the mountains perfectly. And his animals, God they were beautiful. He’d never seen them in this light. And the way she’d captured his men depicted life on the ranch perfectly. “She’s extremely talented. It’s a shame she’s letting it waste away.”
“Isn’t it? Take a look at the last drawing. It’s dated last night. Before you broke her heart.”
Cody turned to the last page with a sense of dread, afraid of what he might see. His heart lurched. It was a picture of him. A close up of his face, looking out over his land with a perfect mixture of pride and love for a part of him that was deeply rooted in his soul. “How could she capture what I’m thinking, feeling, in a sketch of my face?”
“Because she loves you, and you love her. You’re connected, and she would never try to change you. Just like you wouldn’t try to change her. Don’t you see, you’re both doing what you think is best for the other, instead of what’s best for both of you. Maybe it’s time you did some changing in your way of thinking.”
He closed the sketchbook and rubbed his temple, confused. “When the hell did you grow up?”
“While you were falling in love. But remember this, only a woman who really understands you could have drawn a picture like that.” She walked out of the barn shaking her head.
He would call Monica’s father and tell him he intended to use the campaign Monica had come up with. By God, he owed her that much at least. She deserved to get what she wanted. She deserved it all. But one thing was damn certain.
She sure as hell didn’t deserve to be saddled with him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Monday morning Monica went back to work. She headed to the board room because her father had called a meeting, but she dreaded seeing the disappointment in his eyes. Her stomach knotted. She held her head high and waltzed into the board room with an air of confidence, though her palms were sweating. “Dad. It’s good to see you again.”
“Is it? I wouldn’t know. When you got hurt, you didn’t want me in Colorado, and you haven’t bothered to drop by since you’ve been home.” He stared at her forehead, then her eyes, and scowled.
She had used cold teabags on her lingering puffy black eyes, and she’d replaced the orange Band-Aid on her forehead with a flesh-colored one. Apparently, it hadn’t worked. She must look as crappy as she felt. “Sorry. It’s not that I didn’t want you in Colorado, I just didn’t want you to come running when I got hurt. I wanted more time to finish my campaign. I stayed with Natalie for the weekend to get up to speed on work. I figured we could get caught up at lunch.”
She hoped he bought that. She hadn’t been in a rush to see him because she knew he wouldn’t approve of her blubbering like an idiot over the loss of Cody. The client. Someone she wasn’t supposed to get involved with in the first place.
Her father stared at her for a full minute. “Fair enough. Lunch it is.”
Natalie entered the room, her black silky bob bouncing off her shoulders. “Hi.” She winked.
Monica smiled and took a steady breath. “Hi, yourself.” Okay, she could do this. Wendell entered the room on crutches, and her smile disappeared.
He stood by her father’s side, smirking at her. Monica had the strongest urge to break his other leg, remembering she had a score to settle, but she’d bide her time and hear what her father had to say first. Ignoring Wendell, she turned to her father as he began to speak.
“Now that Monica’s back, I called you all here today to discuss my retirement before the big meeting with the board.”
Wendell stood a little straighter and gave Monica a pompous grin, as if to say ‘I’ve got this one in the bag, darling.’ She stiffened, wanting to slug him, but Nat nudged her with her knee. His time would come.
“I’ve made my decision,” her father continued, and she focused her attention on him. “I said in the beginning this job was too much for you to handle, and when you got hurt--”
Monica’s lip twitched, and it took everything in her not to scream. She forced her voice to remain calm. “That’s not fair, Dad. The accident had nothing to do with the campaign, or my abilities to run this company.” She shot Wendell a scathing glare and then looked back at her father. “Rafferty liked my plans. He just didn’t like how Wendell kept trying to sabotage me.” Bluffing might come back to bite her, but she had no choice. Cody never said he didn’t like her campaign; just that he wasn’t going to use any advertising. “Wendell made us look as if the whole company wasn’t on the same page.”
“I agree,” her father stated.
She blinked. “You do?” She glanced at Nat, and her friend’s stunned face mirrored Monica’s feelings.
“From what I can gather, other than some unprofessional issues which we will get into later, you were holding your own.”
“I was?” Her mouth hung open.
Nat bumped her with her hip.
“I mean, that’s right, I was.” Monica raised her chin a notch and held her hands behind her back. He didn’t have to know her fingers were crossed. “Wendell doesn’t deserve to run your company. His actions at the ranch should be proof enough that he can’t be trusted.”
“I agree.”
“You agree?” Wendell blurted, knocking over his crutch.
Her father ignored him, speaking directly to her. “I’ll admit that in the beginning, I honestly wondered if you could hack the work, but I never doubted you wouldn’t give it your all. And now I have my own proof.”
“Proof? Of what?” Monica glanced around the room.
“I did a little digging on my own. I just couldn’t risk letting you know.” He smiled at her like he’d done when she was a child. A smile that said everything a little girl ever wanted to hear her father say, but knew he wouldn’t because expressing emotions was hard for him.
Her heart squeezed, and a lump formed in her throat. So he’d believed her all along. “Thanks. That means a lot.” She wanted to hug him, but she had to remain professional.
“Whoa, wait one minute,” Wendell said, balancing on one crutch. “I saw with my own eyes what a lousy job you were doing, and not just with the campaign. You can’t hack it, and you know it.”
Outrage filled Monica to the core. She opened her mouth to let him have it, but her father beat her to it. “She didn’t blow anything, because this deal wasn’t even real.” Her father stepped between them, his face hardening once again.
“Not real? What the hell are you talking about?” Wendell frowned.
“My daughter’s a smart woman. When she says something’s not right, I listen. I could have fired you on the spot, but I wanted to know why you have it in for me. I knew if you thought I was giving her a real shot, then you’d try to sabotage h
er.”
Monica gasped. “You didn’t have enough faith in me to let me in on it? I busted my butt for nothing.”
“Monica, you wear your emotions on your sleeve. I needed you to be convincing. And sending you there was not for nothing. It showed me what you’re really made of. I’m damn proud of you.”
“Why? Mr. Rafferty didn’t even look at my campaign.”
“That’s because he didn’t have a choice. I told him not to go with you. I wanted Wendell to think he still had a chance.”
“Oh my God.” Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. “Cody knew about this. He was in on it all along.” She swayed on her feet, nearly collapsing from the impact of his words. All the men in her life had lied to her.
“Rafferty owed me a favor. I collected.” His eyes narrowed as he glared at Wendell. “You blew your chances the day you hurt my daughter, then you dared to cross me. I know all about Worldwide Pharmaceuticals.”
“But she slept with the client. Doesn’t that mean anything?” Wendell glared right back.
“It means you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong. Frankly, my daughter’s personal life is none of your business anymore. It also means her taste in men has improved. Cody’s more of a man than you’ll ever be. Now, go tell your father you failed, and stay the hell away from my daughter,” he snapped at Wendell, staring him down with distaste.
Wendell’s jaw fell open and he coughed, then he clamped it shut, flushing red. “You won’t get away with this.”
“I already have.”
“This is outrageous. What kind of game are you people playing?” Wendell asked.
“Monica?” her father questioned. “As acting CEO for the moment, what will be your first big decision?”
Monica couldn’t help smiling. “Wendell, you’re fired. Please let the door hit you on the ass on your way out, you lying, back-stabbing limp noodle.” The tension in the back of her neck broke free, and her whole body became loose. God, that felt good. She’d waited a long time to do that, and it was worth every second just to see Wendell’s wide eyes and slack jaw. Not very professional, but she didn’t care. Maybe the bastard would think twice before crossing another woman.
“You go, girl.” Nat high-fived her. “I feel like I’m watching Donna Trumpess, you head honcho, you.”
“Security is waiting by the door to escort you out,” her father added.
“On what grounds?” Wendell picked his other crutch up off the floor.
“Let’s see here.” Her father tapped his finger on his chin. “There’s a little issue of fraud, since you lied to us about who you are.”
“What?” Wendell stared.
“That’s right, Charles junior. I know exactly who you are. I also know about what you did with Worldwide, so leave.”
“How dare you,” Wendell whispered, his face paling.
“If you ever set foot near my daughter again, you’ll have to answer to me. Do I make myself clear?” her father growled.
“This isn’t over.” Wendell ignored him as his eyes shot daggers at Monica.
“Yes, it is. Now clear out your stuff and get the hell off my property.” He cut off Wendell’s view of Monica. “You’re lucky I don’t have you arrested. Give your father my regards.”
Wendell marched out as best his crutches would allow, muttering curses as he went. The smooth-talking, sophisticated business man had vanished, turning into someone Monica didn’t recognize. He looked like pure evil. She shivered. How had she ever thought that she and Wendell had anything in common? Thank God she hadn’t married him.
“You knew about Worldwide? And who in the world is Charles?” Monica asked, stunned.
“I do my homework, honey. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t.” Her father faced her. “His father is Charles Miller.”
“The V.P. you fired for embezzlement?” Monica stared at her father. “Didn’t he go to prison?”
“Oh, yeah. He used to threaten me on a regular basis. Those threats stopped about the same time Wendell started dating you.”
She blinked. “When did you suspect Wendell was trying to take over.”
“I didn’t. Not until you called off the wedding and insisted that he was up to no good. I put it all together while you were at the ranch.”
Now everything made sense. Leave it to her father to be the one to get to the bottom of things. “I guess you didn’t need my help after all.” Her father was a shrewd business man. She should have realized he had everything under control. She’d underestimated him in a big way. Obviously, so had Wendell.
“That’s where you are so wrong, honey. I wouldn’t have started digging had you not said anything to me. I thought Wendell was a godsend, not Satan in a pair of Italian leather shoes.
“Then why the big charade? Why let me think you still wanted to appoint him as CEO?”
“I only said that to buy some time while I found out who he worked for and how to stop them.” He glanced at Nat. “Thank you for returning my files. Not much he can do now.”
“Anytime, sir.”
“Can I ask you one thing?” Monica asked.
“Anything.” Her father’s eyes sparkled like the day she’d brought home straight A’s.
“How did you know I pulled the campaign together?”
“Cody called me and told me what a great job you did. He’s using your campaign.” Her father watched her as he spoke.
“He is?” She couldn’t breathe.
“Monica, honey. Cody’s father was the army buddy I told you about.”
“What buddy?” She racked her brain, but her father had so many stories.
“The man who said I saved his life, although I was only doing what any other good soldier would do.”
“And if I recall the story correctly, you took a bullet meant for him.”
“That bullet was meant for any one of us. If I hadn’t moved quickly, he would have been dead, and possibly me too. Besides, it was a graze.”
“So humble, but what does this have to do with Cody.”
“Cody felt duty-bound to honor my favor. I’ve never met a more honorable man. His father would be proud.”
“But he lied to me.”
“Because I asked him to. I was afraid of what Wendell might do. Tell me, what would you have done to protect me from Wendell?” He arched a brow.
“Anything.”
“My point exactly. Cody only did what he thought his father would want him to, and what we both thought was best for you. He cares about you, and it’s obvious you care for him.”
“Oh, no, I don’t--”
“Oh, yes, you do,” Nat piped in.
Monica glared at her, having forgotten she was even in the room. “It’s complicated.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Nat argued.
“Butt out, Natalie,” Monica snapped.
Her father chuckled. “This reminds me of when you girls were little.” Then he frowned. “You look miserable, Monica. Why are you here?”
“Wh-What do you mean? I’m here to take over.”
He stared hard into her eyes. “We both know this isn’t what you really want. I only appointed you so you could fire Thorndike.” When she started to speak, he held up his hand. “Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. I’m okay. My company is okay.” He cupped her cheek. “You’ve given up enough of your time for me. What do you really want?”
“I ... I ....” She swallowed hard, not knowing how to put into words how she felt or what had happened between her and Cody. She loved him, but after all the deception and the things they both said to each other, it was probably too late. She started to cry, and her father pulled her into his arms.
Nat stepped forward. “I’ll just head to my office if we’re done--”
“Stay, Natalie, I’m not done. This concerns you,” Monica’s father said.
Monica stepped back and saw Natalie’s eyebrows shoot up as she said, “Okay.”
“Dad, what are you up to
?”
“I found some non-work related drawings. You’re very talented.”
“Thanks,” Monica glanced at Nat, who gave her a blank expression.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you draw?”
“Because it makes me happy.” She looked at Nat again for support because Monica had no idea what her father was getting at.
“You think you could do one of those gallery showings?”
“I’m not sure I’m good enough.”
“Well, I am, and I think you should be doing your art full-time.”
Monica shook her head and began to pace. “But that is what I am doing, here, in your company. I thought you wanted to retire. I want you to be able to retire, and you can’t do that if I don’t take over.”
“I’ve been thinking the best person for the job has been right under my nose all along. And she’s more like family than anyone else I know. What do you say, Natalie?”
“I ... really? I ... oh, my God.” Nat gaped like a flounder.
Destiny Wears Spurs Page 20