“You’re right, I can’t. But I can assure you, I will work hard to find a solution.”
One brow lifted. “Do you always make so many assurances?”
Unable to keep from it, she smiled. “Only when I mean it.”
Feeling left out, Gary scooted forward. “Of course we can find a way around it. Elle and I are good together. Once we get our minds set on something, we find a way to work it out.”
“Good to hear,” Sully replied his tone flat again. “But I’m not going to change my mind. Sorry to waste your time.”
The engine came back to life and he drove back toward where they’d parked. Gary talked the entire time, making promises, throwing out numbers and plans so fast Elle wanted to slap him silent. However, she could see Sully was listening, his dark head moving up and down every so often.
He was a smart businessman. Sullivan Cole was a wealthy entrepreneur who worked hard to maintain his family business prominent in Montana and all over the country.
Although she hoped he would accept their offer, somehow she got the feeling that once he made up his mind, it would take a great deal to change it. The brother and cousin would no doubt follow his lead since they'd sent him to represent the trio of owners.
“So, dinner then?”
Elle blinked and looked from one man to the other. “Excuse me?”
Gary’s eyes rounded at her lack of focus during this crucial time. “Mr. Cole has requested to discuss our proposition over dinner with you.”
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry. I was admiring the view and became lost in thought.”
Since Sully turned to look to where she’d directed her gaze, Gary rolled his eyes and gave her a pointed “don’t screw this up” look.
Annoyed at why she was chosen to go to dinner and not Gary, she turned back to the scenery in front of them. With mountains in the background, the expanse of land and aged buildings resembled a beautiful painting. The bright blue sky was almost as breathtaking as the man’s eyes. She let out a long sigh. “I could stare at that view all day.”
“Let’s give Mr. Cole time to think.” Gary had appeared at the passenger door and opened it. He took her elbow to assist her from the vehicle.
Seeming deep in thought, his brow furrowed, Sully walked to stand at the front of his vehicle and leaned on it, his arms crossed over wide chest while waiting for them to exit the vehicle. He was the perfect picture of an all American cowboy with brown Stetson, faded jeans and dusty boots.
“See you this evening, Miss Tyler.” He shook both their hands and met her gaze. “I’ll pick you up at your office at five.”
“Why don’t you meet me? I’ll text the info.”
“Sure.”
Once they were settled into the truck that Gary had insisted on renting, she jabbed at him with her index finger. “What the hell did you set me up to do?”
“I told him you would gladly meet with him over dinner to discuss any further details. Hey, it's a Hail Mary. The man is not budging unless we do something drastic.”
Elle narrowed her eyes. “So you think pimping me out to a client will work, huh?”
“What? No! Of course not. Its just dinner.”
“You’re darn right. That’s all he’ll get, too.”
She huffed with irritation. Men were so dense. Did Gary think Sullivan Cole didn’t see through the ploy? Did Sully think she met potential clients for intimate dinners on a regular basis and think he was in for a “good time”?
Besides it was her family girl's night out and she hated to cancel dinner with the crazy bunch of women who lifted her spirits every time they got together.
Realizing she already had plans with some very interesting people who would definitely teach the rancher a lesson, her lips curved into a smile. Sullivan Cole was in for an experience like no other.
“I’m looking forward to this evening. It will definitely be unforgettable.”
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Gary said.
Elle crossed her fingers. "Of course not."
Two
“I really need to get one of those Spanx girdles,” Elle’s Aunt Janet exclaimed inspecting herself in a full-length mirror at Elle's house. “What are you thinking having a mirror in the entryway where people can scare themselves to death?” She frowned at Elle and waddled to the kitchen. “Have any of those cookies Margie made left?”
“No Aunt Janet, I don’t. Scott came over yesterday and ate them all,” she said, referring to her brother.
Wednesdays were the Tyler women’s, girl's night out. Along with her Aunt Janet, who lived next door, her mother, Margie, and Aunt Janet's daughters, Deana and Jennifer, they went to a nearby Mexican restaurant for food and margaritas.
More times than not, her other cousins, twins Lori and Sandy, would join them. Her uncle Todd’s daughters were an odd set of twins. They were always together but argued constantly.
Lori was more restrained, while Sandy cussed like a sailor and changed the color of her hair depending on her moods. And it seemed Sandy's moods changed rather frequently.
Today, all seven were meeting at a Mexican restaurant. It was truly cruel that she’d asked Sully to meet her there. It was obvious he would not change his mind about the land and if Elle were to be honest, she didn’t blame him one bit.
Although she’d hate typing the email to the conglomerate planning to purchase the land, it was not the end of the road on the project.
Always ready for a Plan B, she’d already scoped out another property, which, although not as nice as the Cole lands, would suit the purpose for the venture.
The commission from the sale of the Cole property, even after splitting it with Gary, would have been nice. She’d already earned very well on the architectural plans for the combination dude ranch, condo and adult resort. If she and Gary bartered a land deal for it to come to fruition, Elle could relax and only take jobs she was passionate about for a couple of years.
“Aunt Janet, I asked a client to stop by La Veranda tonight. I don’t suspect he’ll be there long.”
Her aunt stopped with a chocolate truffle halfway to her mouth. “Is he single and good looking?”
Elle eyed the chocolate. “How did you find my stash?”
Her aunt shrugged and popped the expensive treat into her mouth. “It was right there in the open for anyone to take.”
“In the third drawer down, under kitchen towels you mean?
Aunt Janet waved her remarks away. “Back to the subject don’t distract me. Who is this client of yours?”
Her lips quivered in anticipation of her aunt’s reaction. “Sullivan Cole.”
“Oklahoma!” her aunt exclaimed. “Dallas and Toledo,” her voice lowered to a reverent level. “Isn’t he the most eligible bachelor in the entire state of Montana?”
“He’s also a male chauvinist pig, who thinks I do ‘dinner’ with clients,” Elle replied making air quotes. “So anyway, you don’t have to be nice to him.”
“Honey I’m not just going to be nice to him, I’m going to pay for his dinner myself. “ Aunt Janet picked up the nearest cell phone, which happened to be Elle’s and stared at it for a moment then poked at it. “Listen up, buttercup, tell your sister to fix up nice for dinner. Tell her to put on some makeup and wear that green dress she wore to Jenny’s wedding. Tell Jennifer tonight is not the night to be wearing those tacky romance reader t-shirts. And tell her for God’s sake slap some lotion on those feet!”
Her aunt listened for a few seconds. “Sullivan Cole is joining us for dinner. That’s what’s going on.”
Elle’s mouth fell open. “No he’s not. I was going to sit him at a table next to ours for the few minutes he’ll stay.”
“Hello is this Lori? Coming to dinner tonight? You may want to leave Sandy behind...” Her aunt was the fastest dialer when on a mission.
Elle shook her head and dug in the drawer for a chocolate. Maybe she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life. Before she could bring it to he
r mouth, Aunt Janet snagged it. "All this excitement is making me hungry."
She walked off with Elle's phone. "Hey Margie, you're not gonna believe this..."
The ambience at La Veranda could only be described as tacky with a twist of Mexican flair. Armando, their usual server, rushed to Elle and Aunt Janet and ushered them to a table on the far side of the restaurant.
Elle couldn’t figure out if it was to give them privacy, or because he feared they’d run off other patrons. She ducked a beer bottle piñata and hurried to hug her mother who’d arrived along with Deana and Jennifer.
Unable to stop from staring wide-eyed at her cousins’ appearance, Elle froze. Both looked like a trailer park version of the Kardashians. “Hey, Cuz,” Deana said looking past her toward the entrance. “How are ya?”
Jennifer didn’t bother to greet her. Instead, she clapped her hands up over her right shoulder like a Flamenco dancer. “Armando, I need a strong margarita. Throw a shot of vodka in it.”
The server’s eyes rounded. “You want a margarita with vodka? That’s just wrong.”
“The tequila don’t care. Tequila is very friendly to other liquors. Oh, and bring everyone a shot of your best tequila while you’re at it. Elle is paying for those.”
Armando hurried away after counting heads and promising shots and margaritas for everyone except her mother.
Margie Tyler was a proper lady. How she’d ended up with a circus for a family was a mystery. She didn’t cuss, drink or ever raise her voice. She dressed tastefully and was so sweet sometimes it made Elle’s teeth hurt.
“Why in the world would you bring an important client to dinner on a Wednesday night?” Her mother grabbed Elle’s arm and steered her away from the others. “They won’t give the poor man a chance to get a word in edgewise.”
At the murmur of voices from other restaurant patrons, they looked to the entrance just as Lori and Sandy walked in. Sandy clung to her twin’s arm to keep from falling off her four-inch heels. Both were dressed what looked like belly dancing costumes, except, thankfully, their midsections were covered. Long sparkling earrings hung from their ears and they wore enough necklaces to make Mr. T proud.
It was a stupid mistake. She’d call Sullivan Cole right away and make excuses. “I’m going to call him and reschedule,” Elle announced to no one in particular, held up her phone and hurried to the doorway. When she attempted to round her cousins, Sandy latched on to her arm. “What are Deana and Jennifer doing here? Who invited them?”
“Since when does anyone need an invitation for Wednesday night?” Elle yanked her arm away.
Sandy screamed and flapped her arms twice before falling backward into Armando’s tray full of margaritas. Unfortunately, Elle tried to save a pitcher only for it to flip forward and splash all over her feet.
“Dang it!” She leaned forward just as Armando straightened the tray slamming her in the face.
Elle wobbled backward and would have landed on her butt if not for someone catching her around the waist.
Huffing, she pushed her rescuer’s hands away. “Lori, get your sister to the table. I have to go outside and cancel with my client. Although I don’t like the man, even he doesn’t deserve to be around my crazy ass family.”
“Should I leave then?”
The deep voice pouring over her was colder than the frozen margarita mush between her toes.
It seemed Sullivan Cole had arrived early.
Damn his punctuality.
Three
Apparently, the one thing Elle Tyler had not found out about him was how much he enjoyed a challenge. He’d not only stay, but also make her regret whatever she’d planned.
Sully took her elbow and peered down at her shoes. She wore tight faded jeans and what used to be white sandals. They were more of a green shade now.
“Miss Tyler, you may want to rinse your shoes off. They’ll be sticky.”
Her wide eyes went from him down to her shoes and then over her shoulder towards where the woman who’d almost fallen was now being helped to sit. “Ah...yes, well there apparently has been a mix-up. I forgot my family would be here tonight. We should reschedule. Or better yet, how about we meet at your office.... or...or mine?”
Totally different from the woman in the business suit. This Elle was dressed casually, with gleaming blonde hair flowing past her shoulders. Her makeup was precise without being overly done and the off the shoulder t-shirt made him wonder what it would feel like to touch the smooth olive skin.
The waiter came to them and gave him an apologetic look. “Do you need a table?”
“No,” Elle answered for him. “Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Cole. I’ll call you to arrange another meeting.”
From the table, six sets of expectant faces watched them with interest. “No need for all that extra work. How about I go and sit with your family while you wash up.”
He directed the now wide-eyed pale woman towards the neon bathroom sign and then walked toward the table.
Elle ran into the bathroom and kicked off her shoes. She did the best she could with wet paper towels on her feet before running her sandals under tap water. She danced in place with nerves.
He’d gone to the table.
He was there right now with her relatives who’d waste no time in spilling every ugly detail of her life.
That, combined with her cousins fighting for his attention, could potentially ruin any future business with Cole Ranching.
Elle had no doubt he’d overheard her comment about not liking him. To be fair to the man, she didn't know him well enough not to like him. It was Gary who orchestrated the entire dinner thing.
“Miss?”
“Huh?” She jumped as a woman tried to get to the paper towels. “Sorry,” Elle muttered and walked out holding the drenched shoes.
At the table, Sullivan Cole sat in the center seat on one side, her cousins, Deana and Lori, at his elbows. The other two cousins, who’d obviously lost the battle, sat across from him.
Letting out a breath, she neared only to freeze when all the women laughed. Her mother clapped at whatever he’d said and shook with mirth.
Her. Mother. Flirted.
“What’s going on?” Elle narrowed her eyes at Sully. “Why is my mother giggling?”
“Sit down,” Aunt Janet tugged her to the only empty chair, which was in between her mother and aunt. The untouchables section.
Great.
“Sully was just telling us one of his childhood antics.” Jennifer all but fell across the table toward the man, who seemed to be enjoying the attention tremendously. “You missed it.”
“So Sully,” Lori said leaning against his arm. “What is your drink of choice? Elle’s buying drinks tonight.”
“He can’t stay for drinks,” Elle said, meeting his gaze. “Didn’t you tell me you had a meeting with another client Mr. Cole?”
There was a gleam of challenge when he looked to her and lifted that damn brow. “They cancelled. I’ll have a beer since you’re buying. Can’t turn down a free drink. Momma didn’t raise no fool.”
The women all laughed hysterically as if he’d invented the overly done saying. She turned to her mother and whispered, “They are acting like sex starved maniacs. Deana's married for lord's sake.”
“Oh, it’s all in good fun. He is very charming after all.” Margie looked back toward Sully, ignoring her distress.
Charming? He certainly had the entire table eating out of his hand. And if she was to be honest, she did envy Lori and Deana just a little. When Aunt Janet announced she had to pee, Sully stood. “Please allow me.”
“Aunt Janet doesn’t need help, she’s in very good shape,” Elle told Sully.
“My knee has been acting up lately,” Aunt Janet interjected and waited for him to take her elbow and assist her to stand.
“Thank you dear,” she actually blushed and smiled up at him. “You’re a good boy.”
“Can it get any deeper in here,” Elle muttered only to be shus
hed by her mother.
They finally called it a night after Lori's false eyelash plopped into her margarita and everyone shuffled to the door. It was like a dysfunctional parade with Aunt Janet leading a crew that included a limping Sandy clinging to one of Sully’s arms while her mother, of all people, clutched the other.
Elle shuffled behind everyone hoping the walking dead waited outside and she wouldn’t have to deal with whatever her client would do next.
After overly exaggerated goodbyes and too-long hugs, finally, everyone left. Her aunt scurried to wait for her in the car after Elle announced to the group that she and Sully hadn’t had time to talk business.
Once again, the challenge twinkled in his eyes and he studied her. “This was one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had in a long time. Thank you so much for arranging it.”
“I’d honestly forgotten about it being family girl’s night,” she replied looking him square in the eye. She attempted to lift a brow but, unfortunately, she had never been able to accomplish the task no matter how much she practiced in the mirror.
“I’ve learned that when someone reinforces a statement with ‘honestly’, ‘truly’ or ‘I swear’, they are usually stretching the truth.”
Elle gasped. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“No, truly I’m not.”
She took a long breath. If the man were to change his mind about the land deal, which she doubted, it was not in her best interest to insult him. He was too powerful of a businessman to not have as an ally.
“I believe our business is pretty much over, Mr. Cole. I will contact you in three business days to confirm you will not sign the deal. That should give you time to discuss the matter with your family.”
The jingle of his keys was followed by the curve of his lips, which of course, made Elle wonder how it would feel to be kissed by him.
“Goodnight, Miss Tyler. I will see you tomorrow at nine o’clock sharp. My office.” He strolled off, leaving her without a choice but to study his well-formed back end.
Montana Born and Bred Page 2