Cowboy Edition EBook

by Maree, Kay

  “Shit!” I sighed.

  Maybe if I was home more this wouldn’t be happening but there was nothing, I could do about it. In order to live I had to work, and I couldn’t help that I was good at my job which entailed that I travel.

  ***

  An hour later Mrs Wilkes messaged me with details. I must admit as much as she loved to bitch about my sister and her friends, she kept a close eye on my property while I was away on business and I was grateful. I messaged back a thank you and left it at that because if I continued to message back and forth Mrs Wilkes would be forever sending my ringtone off. Besides, she’d see me Thursday when I’d be returning to my creature comforts for a much-needed holiday. Not that I’d have a lot of time off, a week to be exact but it was better than a day or two here or there which is what I’d been taking for the past couple of months.

  “Adelaide,” Kate called. “Mr Brady is waiting in conference room one,” she continued.

  It was time to return my focus on the meeting I’d be preparing for. I had to admit the distraction would be a blessing as I needed to keep my mind from worrying about things I couldn’t control, at least not until I left London to return home. The control freak Adelaide could come to the table.

  Adelaide

  One Week Later

  Nothing beats being home. Now that, I can freely admit to myself and to others because it was the truth. I’d been away for so long, that I’d began to think I’d never return to the bright blue skies of Sydney, Australia. To the sunshine, the nightlife of a city that appeared to never sleep. The Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, Taronga Zoo… this city had something to offer everyone.

  I loved to travel, but recently I’d been back and forth to London, that it had become my second home. While I liked London and its people, shopping and nightlife I could happily do without the weeks and weeks of miserable rainy weather. If I wanted that shit, I’d be living in Melborne where you apparently receive every season within a few hours.

  “Welcome to Sydney Australia, we hope you enjoy your stay,” the flight attendant happily smiled. Her glowing reception making me realise why I loved this place so much. The Aussie twang, the all-round g’day mate hospitality. On that note, I exited the plane and began to make my way into the terminal.

  Ian would be waiting to collect my luggage and drive me to the home. Odd to call it my home since I’d spontaneously purchased the property over two years ago. As I said, Linds and I had been in the system since we were little. Our birth mother, whoever she was had not only abandoned me but also a half-sister. A sibling I didn’t know existed until I was fifteen. I try not to remember my childhood, the horrors I endured. In fact, I’d hate to think what my poor sister lived through. Forgetting such memories of your life is easier said than done because your life experiences good and bad tend to creep in. Thank the sweet lord for second chances in life.

  I’d been kicked, punched and untimely put down in life but I wasn’t going to let them ruin what I’d achieved, and I’d been achieving a lot since I was fifteen. Now at twenty-four I’d managed to not only secure myself a high position in an international company, I’d also been able to make sure that Lindsey and I had a ridiculously oversized home to live in even if we didn’t live in it as much as we should. I’d barley been able to enjoy that home due to work but Linds seemed to enjoy it a little too much. Thank goodness, the enjoyment was subjected to certain weekends as she attended boarding school in Queensland. Which reminded me I needed to book a flight to visit her. Damn! I only had the week off and as much as I wanted to relax and enjoy myself, I needed to check in with my little sister.

  “Good morning Miss Keller. I trust your flight was a pleasant one?” David asked as he took my laptop bag with a friendly smile.

  “Nothing beats first-class David,” I replied returning his smile.

  David was one of the perks of working for an international company, personal driver, crazy overpriced hotels and first-class tickets on the best flights in and out of the country. No expenses spared... that was what my boss Karl, had said when he interviewed me for the position. I was positive at the time that I’d tank the interview because I didn’t have the experience the other interviewees had, I barley passed high school and I certainly didn’t go to university but for the lack of paperwork proving I was worth taking a chance on I certainly made up for with work ethic. I guess Karl had seen something in me that day and now five years on I ran a whole division of his company.

  “Karl is at the office waiting to be debriefed about your trip to London, he apologises for inconveniencing you but….”

  “Don’t worry Ian, Karl is always inconveniencing me, but I’ve learnt to deal with his interruptions,” I said as I silently groaned. All I wanted was to sleep, jet lag was going to kick my ass in a few hours and by then I wanted to be showered, fed and crawling into my big oversized bed.

  We made our way to the conveyer belts where I collected my luggage before following Ian to the black SUV waiting at valet parking and half an hour later, I was sitting in Karl’s office starring out a wall of glass windows, the bright afternoon sun shining in. I hadn’t noticed until now, just how tired I was but I would push through.

  “Thanks Maria,” I said as she handed me a cup of takeaway coffee. She knew what I liked; the joyous smell of barista made coffee from the little hole in the wall café on the corner made my senses spring to life. As I took a sip, I relished the warmth not to mention the delicious taste of the divine liquid.

  “Something tells me you’re in need of a good night’s sleep,” Karl stated.

  “Mm mm….”

  He chuckled as he took a seat at his desk. “I won’t keep you any further Keller, enjoy your brief holiday and I’ll catch you back in the office next week,” he continued.

  “Sorry if I’m a little vague at the moment, I do apologize,” I smiled as I stood from my seated position.

  “Go home,” he said waving me off.

  “What about the debrief?” I asked.

  “I already know everything that went down in London,” he responded.

  “Then why?”

  “I just wanted to see you,” he smirked. “It’s been weeks,” he added.

  “You’re a dick,” I said as I took a step toward him. He wanted to see me, what kind of rubbish was that. He’d been skyping me every week while I was in London.

  “That’s a lame excuse to drag me into the office after a ridiculously long flight Karl,” I declared as I put the cup of coffee down on his desk.

  “I missed you. Is that a better excuse?” he questioned with a smirk.

  “You’re a….”

  “I know I’m a dick,” he interjected.

  I laughed as I leaned in to give him a hug. “I’m tired and you’re using my condition to your advantage… last I checked that could be classed as unwanted advances… maybe even grounds for a sexual harassment lawsuit,” I joked.

  “Go ahead, file a claim, it will never even get to court,” he whispered.

  I pulled back and smiled up at him. “Seriously Karl, I’m the only one who’d ever put up with your unwanted advances,” I meekly smiled before busting out a yawn.

  “Who said they’re unwanted… you know how protective I am of my girl.”

  “Rubbish,” I chuffed, pushing him away. It was time to leave.

  “We better get you home Adelaide,” he declared.

  “We?” I asked curious as to his comment.

  “Oh god, hell no. I’m not coming home with you,” he said stepping back and putting his hands up in a I surrender gesture. The evil smirk on his lips told me he was having a joke with me but in my state of tiredness I wasn’t picking up on his playfulness. I was going home, to rest and Ian was driving me but Karl he’d be stuck here in the office for several hours while his very gorgeous boyfriend cooked and cleaned in their multimillion-dollar home.

  I yawned again as I bid him farewell and headed down the corridor towar
d the bay of lifts where Ian was patiently waiting for me. As I slipped into the back of the car, I felt my eyelids get heaver and the next thing I knew I was drowned in darkness.

  Riker

  “Are you kidding me,” I grumbled in frustration. The fucking doorbell was ringing but clearly that wasn’t enough to grab my attention because whoever was at the door was also banging on it with such force that the beating was literally pounding through my head. I swear whoever was the culprit I was gonna skin alive. I’d only just gone to bed after a night of binge-watching rubbish on Netflix and now this shit. The dreaded sound rang out again, making me acutely aware that whoever was making that fucking noise wasn’t going to give up. I swear, if it was the girl from next door, I was going to be calling the cops, I’d taken it easy on her yesterday but today was a totally new cup of tea. I could barely deal with her parties let alone her hitting on my door right this second. Why the fuck would anyone be banging down my door at this ungodly hour.

  “I’m coming,” I yelled in a groan as I crawled from the bed stumbling on my scattered clothing. “Shit!” I shouted. Stopping dead in my tracks because there was no way in this world that I’d be answering the door without clothing on. Naked man answers his front door and gets arrested. I can see the headline splashed in the papers.

  Silently groaning to myself, I grabbed the only thing I could find which was a towel hanging on the doorknob before making my way down the hall towards the stairs. I’d made it down three steps before the inconsiderate asshole started up the racket. Clearly, they hadn’t heard me yell out.

  “I’m coming,” I angrily bellowed as I took the last few steps, gripping the doorhandle and opening the heavy timber door to reveal Neal casually standing there calm as sloth. Eight minutes of bashing on my door and I don’t even get a good-looking girl to gawk at.

  “Hey mate,” Neal smirked. yeah, he could “hey mate” me all day but right now all I wanted to do was smash his face.

  “Do you know what time it is?” I asked.

  “11:58 in the morning to be exact,” he chuckled his reply.

  “Don’t be a smart ass,” I snarled back.

  He laughed brushing off my underline warning. “Are you going to invite me in?” he requested.

  He didn’t need an invite to come in and he knew it, he was just pushing me to see how far he could push me until I’d snap. I rolled my eyes at the mere thought of his antics, Neal was a royal pain, but I couldn’t do a thing about it because blood was thicker than water and as much as I hated my brother, I also loved the shithead. I stepped aside to give him access to the house after all what could I do.

  “By the way, your neighbour is fucking gorgeous,” he commented as he entered.

  What the fuck was Neal on about, my next-door neighbour was an annoying teenage girl who partied far too much for someone who should be focusing on furthering her education then on being the most popular girl in school.

  “What’s that look for?” Neal commented.

  “Do you wish to get arrested, seriously the girl next door is barely eighteen,” I remarked.

  “The woman,” he emphasized the word woman, “I just saw is far older than eighteen. As for getting arrested… well I’m more than happy to go to jail after pressing myself into that fine piece of….”

  “Enough,” I said cutting him off as I gave into my better judgement and decided to take a quick peek at who my crazy brother was talking about. There was no way he was seeing what he was seeing, for all I know the fuckers seen the old Mrs Wilkes outside watering her garden in her skimp clothing. Don’t get me wrong, the woman’s a kind soul but she really did take the saying ‘Mutton dressed as lamb’ to a whole new level. On that note, I popped my head out the door expecting to see the worst when I was hit by something far more appealing than mutton. It was lamb, a very fine-looking lamb. There she was, a woman waving to the SUV pulling out of her driveway, but the car wasn’t the thing that drew my attention… hell no, it was that fucking adorably gorgeous smile plastered on her lips. The way it seemed to light up her face, the way her hair framed her eyes, the elegance of her hand waving to whoever was in the car. Fucking gorgeous woman indeed. I needed to high five Neal because he was correct in his observation. The only problem with this whole scene was that the woman I was staring at, was so not my neighbour, not a chance in hell. This chick was older than the teenage girl who threw ridiculous parties while I tried my best to sleep and enjoy a little R&R in the big city.

  I mentally kicked myself because the truth was as much as that teenage girl pissed me off, her parties were nothing compared to the shitstorm I used to pull when I was younger. Bonfires in back paddocks, making out under the stars, rolling around in the hayshed with….

  I shook my head mentally bringing myself back to the here and now. I couldn’t be angry at anyone who wanted to enjoy life even if their enjoyment seemed to ruin my beauty sleep. I snapped out of my fuzz to see that the woman was gone.

  “I told you she was hot,” Neal called out.

  I rolled my eyes as I turned back to the house, closing the front door behind me. “Neal,” I shouted, “What are you doing in Sydney?” I asked.

  “You know why I’m here. Court hearing… if I want Zara back then I have to comply,” he replied.

  “And I gather you want her back?” I quired.

  “She’s my daughter, of course I want her fucking back,” he answered. “You know little Zara would love to see her uncle Riker,” he added.

  And I’d love to see her too. It had been far too long since I’d seen the cute rosy cheeked niece of mine. However, Alice was not gonna make it easy for Neal, but he’d been on the straight and narrow for the past two years and according to his lawyer he had a good chance to gain joint custody.

  “So, Alice is finally gonna attend a court date?” I asked as I stepped into the kitchen. Neal was making himself a cup of coffee.

  “She has to, otherwise she loses Zara. She’s evaded the last two dates and that only strengthened my case,” he answered as he took a long sip of his hot drink.

  You’re probably after the backstory, here goes. Alice, about three years back had for some strange reason decided to flee in the middle of the night leaving Neal to discover when he woke that he no longer had a girlfriend or a daughter. Of course, the realization of such a thing sent Neal into a crazy downwards spiral that seemed to be fuelled by alcohol. After a brief but over the top drunken stupor, he realized that it was time to seek professional help to not only get him on the clean and narrow but to track Alice down. Turns out Alice was running from several people and it took police and a private investigator to discover that she also had a psycho ex hubby who had threatened to expose her for a few sordid things from her past.

  “How long you in Sydney for?” I inquired.

  “Why, you wanting to get rid of me already?” he smirked.

  “Why would I want to get rid of you?” I said.

  “You have me for a few hours. I return home tomorrow morning. I gotta get back to work. As I said I’m here for the court hearing to see where I go to from here regarding Zara,” he stated taking another sip of his coffee.

  “What times your court hearing?”

  “In about two hours. You gonna join me?” he asked.

  As much as I’d like to just climb back into my bed and sleep a little more, I knew I couldn’t refuse him. Besides he needed family moral support in order to see this case finished and his daughter returned to him. I grumbled and groaned under my breath before disappearing to have a quick shower and get ready.

  Adelaide

  I had a new neighbour, or that was what appeared to be the memo according to the message Mrs Wilkes left on my machine. She rang to welcome me back and hoped I’d pop over to see her before I left again. I of course, had turned the home phone off and set my mobile to silent so I could get some much-needed sleep. The headache I already felt building up as I entered my home expecting to find the pl
ace trashed because my little sister decided to use money, I’d sent her in case of an emergency. Instead she used it to throw some bash and piss off the neighbourhood. Regardless of the state of my home, I wasn’t going to clean it tonight and I knew the housekeeper I’d ordered would be around this week sometime. For now, it was sleep, tomorrow it was off to the hairdressers to get a bit of haircare on my much-needed locks.

  ***

  “I just can’t believe he did it. You’d think that she would have learnt her lesson. She’s been burnt too many times to just let another man screw her over,” Bridget bitched as she washed my hair. This was my once in a blue moon appointment, Bridget was the best hairdresser I could ask for, but she loved to blab on and on about friends of hers as she dished out a few beauty treatments. “You’d think she’d grow some balls or at least rip the balls off the man who’d fucked her life,” Bridget went on.

  Oh god! I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Just thinking about her poor friend’s ears burning with every word spewing from her mouth made me grateful that she was just my hairdresser and not a close friend because I’d hate to be on the receiving end of her wrath. I took a deep breath as I continued to enjoy her massage conditioner into my long hair.