by Leanne Davis
“Please call me Darren. It’s nice to meet you.” They had several conversations over the course of the last month.
“I’m thrilled you decided to personally come here. Please let me give you a tour, especially of the rescue barn. I think you’ll be very impressed. Although it’s still a new enterprise, when you see the rest of the Rydells’ enterprises and what they have accomplished as a backdrop, you will no doubt feel reassured of their consistent demand for success.”
She easily spouted the history of the ranch and the resort, explaining how they survived the fire and rebuilt better and bigger, and she ended with the addition of the huge arena they stood staring at. They went inside and toured the adjacent cavernous building at length. A group of riders were practicing in the center of the recently raked soft dirt arena. They kept it immaculate. As they toured the side halls, passing all the horse stalls that lined the length of the arena, they stopped to speak to several horse owners. Darren asked them personally about their experiences regarding the use of the arena as well as the boarding of the horses.
The restaurant was managed by Jocelyn Rydell. It featured floor-to-ceiling glass walls that overlooked the arena. Although it was sealed off, it seemed as if you could step right into the main arena store from there. She and Darren ordered lunch and he gushed about the food and drink, as well as the unique ambiance and unparalleled service. Jocelyn saw to every detail. Darren was enormously impressed; no podunk enterprise here. Always first class, Brianna had no doubt when she caught the spark in his eye that he too believed in the Rydell success package and was seriously considering a nonprofit contribution towards their undertaking.
Eventually, they wandered down toward the rescue barn.
“Beautiful location, here; right on top of all the different venues and enterprises.”
“Yes. It’s pretty breathtaking.”
“You live on the ranch as well? I gathered you were just the marketing director. But you speak with such intimate knowledge of the goings on as well as the residents. Most of the people we passed reacted to you as if they knew you on a personal level.”
Brianna called herself the marketing director just to have a title. But damn. The Rydells sorely needed one. By under-advertising there was no one tooting their horn. The place could have gone viral on many fronts from her viewpoint, if they’d freaking get the word out there. None of the Rydells particularly loved social media, not like Brianna did. Neither did they see the value of it so they all but ignored it. Brianna believed in the integrity of their work and knew that would speak for itself.
The Rydells saw little advantage in sharing anything on social media. Brianna eagerly wanted to share almost everything.
She smiled. “That’s because most of the residents have known me since I was fifteen. Gig’s up. My mom married one of the Rydell brothers. I’ve spent every summer here since that happened. But I am also their marketing director. I strongly recommend them as a great investment in public relations for your company.”
Darren nodded. “I see lots of potential here. Show me the rescue barn first, and then of course, I’d like to meet the man behind it all: Jack Rydell. I’ve heard his name for years. Always attached to the best training methods and unequaled success.”
“Sure. Follow me.”
Darren was a little flirty. He was perhaps thirty years old and handsome with blond hair that he cut close to his scalp and he had an athletic build. He was just the right amount of flirtatious. Not so much as to make her roll her eyes and want to shower, but subtler. She was sure he found her attractive. Appealing. Nice.
Laughing and talking, she might have walked a little closer to him than she intended to, trying to maximize the easygoing camaraderie that flowed between them. He was easy to talk to and had plenty of references to pop culture that made Brianna laugh and commiserate with him. They started touring the River’s Rescue facilities and she patiently explained Jack’s theories and commitment to the cause. She asked Finn over a month ago for details, which was when she began collecting notes to write the text for the website and pamphlet, as well as all other manners of online advertising. She also asked Finn about the rescued horses to generate more human interest in their well-being and rehabilitation.
Horses were like any other product she sold, from jewelry and makeup to skin care. Although they were not inanimate objects, (duh!) and she well knew the difference, her strategy for getting the word out about them was almost identical. First, she made them appealing. Talking about them and constantly posting short, little videos with music. She captured all kinds of the sweet, beautiful, cute, and clever things the horses did on the ranch. It took her considerable time to collect all of them, but they were priceless. In no time, they became little memes and good day stuff that many people reposted; but in each post, the Rydell River Rescue brand was visible on them.
“That’s what you do with all those videos?” Jack asked when he discovered it at one of their meetings.
She nodded.
“I thought they were just for fun.”
“Well, they are fun for the internet. They’re good content too, not just begging for money or selling your name. They are happy and expressive and they convey that feeling to other people scrolling through the constant stream of narcissistic crap online. These horses are only being horses, which makes them kind of priceless.”
Jack leaned back, sliding his hands behind his head. “Brianna Starr, you are a gem at this. I doubt anyone else could have taken the lead like you have. I mean it. Cami was good, but you know how to grab people’s attention. In the best way. Thank you. I’ll get back to what I know, which is the horses. You definitely know what you’re doing.”
She did too. And she had no trouble charming Darren Santis into partnering with them. His donations were of the serious kind. His pledges would transform and elevate the work they did by increasing the number of horses they could help as well as hiring more staff.
Brianna might have walked a little close to Darren Santis, and smiled a lot while peppering in a few extra nice laughs. She might have even touched his elbow or his forearm, for a second to establish a subtle connection. There was nothing overt. She didn’t lean over and flash him some cleavage or lick her lips salaciously. No. God, she was far better at marketing than that. Cheap was too obvious. She was premium quality. She managed to radiate genuine warmth and interest to whomever she directed it at. As a caring person, people naturally hoped she was interested in them. And she was, although she kept it strictly professional.
She glanced up as Darren spoke to her and nodded, taking his arm and gently pulling him, “Come, this way, Darren. I’d like to show you my favorite horse.”
“I can tell you spend a lot of time out here.”
“Oh, I do. I come down here every day…” She didn’t explain that it was primarily to see her boyfriend; Darren didn’t need to know that. She knew how to make herself effective, easy and powerful and controlled the conversation as well as the outcome of it to her advantage.
“So if I came out to the ranch again, shall I expect you to be my contact point?”
“I’m sure I can be. But Jack is far more knowledgeable. I love this place and all the horses, but I can’t give you any details about the operation of it.”
He nodded, letting his gaze traverse her face. “Oh, I don’t need to know any details. A general purview works. But you make it sound more interesting. I expected work on a ranch to be rather dry or dull. At least…”
“Thanks, and you’re right. There’s nothing dry or dull about me.” She smiled extra wide at him, which he could have interpreted as an overt pass. But not quite. Plausible denial was another device she used regularly.
Her phone rang.
Placing her hand on his arm for a brief squeeze, she smiled and turned to retreat for a moment with her phone, turning her back on Darren. She thought she heard a voice, which became a louder voice. She glanced back. Finn was in the far corner of the barn and Darren w
as standing behind him. He was talking to Finn’s back.
She left Darren for barely a moment, but she clearly heard him say, “Excuse me? Would you mind explaining to me what you’re doing with that mare?” She all but dropped her phone before tucking it into her pocket and running towards them. She heard Darren say in a much louder and irritated tone, “Excuse me, what’s your damn problem?” Darren leaned over and shoved Finn’s shoulder to get his attention.
Finn reacted as he always did when being startled. He turned around, grabbing the arm that touched him and jumped to his feet in a blink. He also pulled Darren’s arm damn near out of the socket judging by the way Darren collapsed to his knees.
“Finn! Finn! Let him go!” Brianna felt stupid when she realized he still couldn’t see her. She rushed over to him, her arm outstretched. “Finn!”
He saw her and mistook her panic to mean she was scared or worried about the stranger. He instantly pulled harder on the man’s hand and held his arm higher behind this back. “What are you doing here?” Finn asked Brianna.
She shook her head frantically. “Finn! Let him go! Let him go. It’s okay. He’s with me.”
Finn stared at her, gasping mouthfuls of air. He was so startled, the fight or flight instinct kicked in and his rush of adrenaline was slow to dissipate. He hated being snuck up on. Down in the back of the barn, the corner was dimly lit and he failed to sense any movement behind him. Usually, he only expected to find her in the barn. And he knew she’d just wait for him to finish. She rarely came up behind and never startled him. She politely waited for him to see her first.
Plus since Finn had bought a phone, she more often than not, texted him to let him know she was there. Jack and most everyone else associated with the ranch also texted him to let him know to expect them and where to find them. Finn kept his phone on vibrate. That was why being disturbed by another man, who approached Finn from behind, just didn’t happen.
Darren fumed with anger. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he yelled. Finn let him go and turned towards Brianna, his gaze scrutinizing her face, awaiting an explanation. She was out of breath from running and had a hard time speaking.
Darren began pacing. “Who does that? What’s wrong with that guy? I was just curious and asked what he was doing; after all, I was touring the place, and he reacted by attacking me…”
“Stop it. He’s deaf, Darren. He had no idea you were behind him, or even inside the barn. Everyone else texts him before their arrival. No one ever comes up behind him. Not in this barn. You simply scared him. I’m sure he automatically assumed you had bad intentions and when he saw me, he wanted to protect me too.”
Finn followed her explanation, and when she finished, he looked at Darren. The questions were evident in his eyes. Who was this man? Why was she talking to him instead of explaining to Finn what happened? The hurt and anger she saw in Finn’s eyes broke her heart. His nostrils flared when she said “scared.”
“Oh,” Darren replied after a long, profound moment of silence. “I had no idea.”
“No. Neither of you knew what to expect. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have walked away to take that call without first letting Finn know we were down here. This is his private domain and I knew better…” She stared at Finn. “Finn, this is Darren Santis from West Coast Farm Supply. I’m giving him a tour of the ranch and rescue…”
“I thought you said he was deaf?” Darren interjected.
Finn replied, “He can read your lips and he speaks just fine.” Finn surprised Darren when he answered for himself.
Darren was visibly startled. Finn managed to instantly fluster the rich CEO and Brianna tried not to smile at the irony of it.
“Well, you have one hell of a grip,” Darren said as he moved his arm back and forth.
Brianna mouthed to Finn, “Apologize.”
Finn merely glared at her. He was pissed. If steam started blowing out of his ears, Brianna would not have been too surprised but she wondered why. He refused to apologize, and he shook his head infinitesimally to indicate his reply was a no but only she could see it.
She stepped forward and touched Darren’s shoulder. She had to apologize then. She gushed, laying on the charm and appearing more than a little contrite. “Are you okay, Darren? Again, I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding. Finn wouldn’t deliberately harm a soul. No one here would. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry for scaring both of you to death and causing this fiasco in our communication.”
Darren finally gave her a sympathetic smile and replied, “Hey, we all forget things. It’s okay.”
“Oh, thank you, Darren, for understanding. Finn and I are both sorry.” She stepped back, all but sinking her heel onto Finn’s foot. He couldn’t feel her wrath through his steel-toed boot.
Darren nodded, still staring at her. She smiled as she tried to revive their previous chemistry and warmth. “Damn, I never imagined a day like this.”
“No, I’m sure you didn’t. Darren, this is Finn Alexander, Jack’s full-time associate here. He is primarily responsible for seeing to all the horses’ daily needs and therapy. He changes the dressings on their bandages and works with Jack on their physical rehabilitation. They have a veterinarian who helped design the program with Jack but Finn does all of the actual work with the animals. Finn, this is Darren. I’m so sorry for such an awkward introduction.”
Finn stared at Darren and vice versa, but neither of them offered his hand to shake. Brianna prattled on about the horse that stood nearest them. She was obviously trying to relieve the graceless moment and would have greatly appreciated either of them stepping forward to make it better. She wasn’t asking them to be magnanimous, just civil. She gnashed her teeth, getting so mad she wanted to gnaw on one or both of them. Stupid, male pride.
Finally, Darren began reengaging her. She chatted with him but had to dig deep inside herself to make it happen. All the while, she was seething at Finn and Darren and pretty much, the male gender in general.
She finally followed Darren to his car. Silver in color, it had tinted windows and she had no doubt it was a six-figure status symbol of his wealth and luxury. He shook her hand, holding it for a brief moment too long. It went past the usual etiquette gestures. “It’s been a pleasure, Brianna. I think we are definitely interested in lending our brand to endorse your kid’s camp. Let me crunch some numbers and decide what I might like to schedule later on. I want to shoot some promotional shorts. Could we meet next week in my office sometime? You mentioned you often come to my side of the state?”
She recognized the spark in his eye. He liked her. He definitely liked her looks and was attracted to her sexually, but she sensed he genuinely enjoyed the afternoon with her as well. She had a warm fluttering towards him and if she’d been single and not dating Finn, she could have been interested in him.
But she was dating Finn, and not interested in Darren.
The only thing she sought from Darren was his financial help for the horse rescue. She needed his backing and obviously, that came with deep pockets. She could have easily stayed with her dad in Everett. Darren was based out of Everett, which would have made it a short commute to meet him.
“All right then. I’ll contact you with exact dates.” She smiled, leaning towards him just enough to tease him. She knew how to read men, and Darren was first class in everything. That probably included any woman he dated, or so she believed. She could be classy. Or in a horse barn. Both were within her comfort zone. She wasn’t a chameleon but she could adapt to versatile environments and present multiple personalities as needed. Finn found that hard to believe. He considered it being fake or phony to get what she wanted from people. But it wasn’t like that at all for her.
Darren shook her hand but held her palm just a moment too long, squeezing her fingers. “Until next time, Brianna Starr.”
She waved, and watched him pull away. After he looked back for the last time before he hit the road and disappeared, her pleasant smile faded. She jerked around
and headed down to the rescue barn to see her boyfriend. Her boyfriend who was anything but helpful toward Darren.
Chapter Twelve
FINN WATCHED BRIANNA SPEND the rest of her hour with the fucking hearing, rich, handsome and successful Darren Santis. He glared when she all but leaned her body into his torso, fluttering her eyelashes, flipping her hair, and he bet she topped it all off with a breathy laugh. Although he never heard it, the way her mouth puckered, he imagined it was hot and sultry like a too warm night.
He turned away when she all but held Darren’s hand as he prepared to go. She watched the ridiculously costly car pulling away. Fuck. Yeah. That was who Brianna Starr should have been with. She was also disturbingly accomplished at flirting. She never acted that way with him. Could he even awaken that side of her? He suspected it existed, sure, but seeing her in action with another guy left his stomach churning. He couldn’t do that. The subtle flirting and suggestive passes? No way could he survive the pitfalls of such interactions. And what if this were exactly what Brianna needed to sustain her interest and keep her turned on and tuned in to a relationship?
A relationship. Could he really have one? Maybe, if his family had only lived long enough to help him learn how to navigate such things. But he missed those lessons, and had no clue how to do them. With a hearing person? How could he manage that? Maybe if Brianna knew ASL, they could be on a more equal footing, and he could more easily figure out how to function in a relationship. But that wasn’t the case, so how could it work?
He started back to the barn and filled a water bucket for the new colt, which he set inside the stall.
He jumped when Brianna’s hand touched his back. He knew how her hand felt. It was small and she always used extra pressure, her signature hello to him. He flipped around.
“Enjoy your date?” He tried to make his tone sarcastic, but had no idea if he succeeded. Seeing his crossed arms and scowl must have conveyed his anger even if his tone didn’t.