Pregnant by the Cowboy CEO

by Catherine Mann

  Calculating.

  As the wheelchair rolled to a stop, Mariah folded her hands in her lap again. The bedroom was at once familiar and alien with its soaring high ceilings in rustic woodwork, supported by exposed beams in a darker wood. A two-tiered cast-iron chandelier hung over the living area, casting a warm glow, with lights that looked like gently flickering candles. Two wingback chairs bracketed the stone fireplace where she’d shared secrets and hot chocolate with her grandmother. But now there were additions to the place—a wheeled hospital cart of medical supplies and a leather recliner where the night nurse usually kept watch.

  No doubt, Gran’s caregiver would report in as soon as Amie sent her a text.

  “Can I help you get settled? Bring you anything before I call for the nurse?” She took out her phone but wanted to stay. Wanted to visit the way they used to, never caring how late the hour.

  Her eyes burned as she blinked away unexpected tears.

  Her grandmother gestured for her to sit. “Amie, I’ve lived a full life. Of course I would have liked to have more, or at the very least live these last days in full health. But I’m making the most of the time I have left. I’ve seen one grandson married and have hopes the other grandson will be settled soon.”

  Ouch. No mention of her granddaughter. Just that Stone was married, and Alex had found the perfect woman. She swallowed hard.

  “Alex and Nina are happy, and her son, Cody, is precious.” She was happy for Alex. Her twin’s joy was her joy.

  “It’s good to see a child here in the house again. I’ve missed the laughter of a little one.”

  Did her grandmother know? Was she hinting for an admission or just referencing Cody? Shooting to her feet, she turned away to hide any telltale expressions on her face. Amie picked up the pewter pitcher on the bedside table and refilled her grandmother’s water glass, unable to pull her eyes away from the photo of her grandparents on their wedding day. “You should turn in early and conserve your strength for the family breakfast tomorrow.”

  “I’m resting now and my strength isn’t going to return,” she said with a dry laugh. She sipped her water, cleared her throat and continued, “I don’t have to sleep to relax. Let’s talk.”

  “About what?” Her skin prickled. She sat on the chaise at the end of the four-poster bed that had been converted into a queen-size hospital bed. Unwilling to think about that—and how hard life had become for her beloved grandmother, Amie bent to breathe in the delicate scent of lilies of the valley in a big bunch on the nightstand.

  Gran set aside her glass of water. “Stone and Alex have both passed their test to assure me they can handle their share of the inheritance, that they can carry on the McNair tradition in the spirit I would wish.”

  Her cousin Stone had surprised them all by stepping down as CEO of Diamonds in the Rough and developing his nearby land. He’d started an equine therapy camp for children with special needs. Her twin brother, Alex, had gained their grandmother’s trust to keep running the Hidden Gem Ranch and opened up parts of the facility for Stone’s camp.

  “Ah, so now you get to the reason for this conversation.” She sagged back, clutching a decorative pillow protectively. “What do you have cooked up for me?”

  “You don’t need to look so worried.” A smile lighting her sapphire-blue eyes, Gran smoothed her grandmother-of-the-groom turquoise satin dress, the hem heavy with silver embroidery that mimicked a Diamonds in the Rough necklace she favored.

  “Of course I’m worried. And more than a little curious. You saved my test for last for a reason, I’m sure. I assume that’s because my challenge is the most difficult. Or I’m the most difficult to deal with.” A bitter memory from her past seeped in. “Mom always coveted that slot to perform last in a pageant to keep me foremost in the judges’ minds. After the bar had been raised as high as possible, she figured I would know how well I had to perform to win.”

  Like the year her mother had changed Amie’s baton-twirling act into a fire-throwing stunt—just half an hour before Amie took the stage—since another girl had done a great baton act. Amie would have never guessed her mother could find a way to light the ends of her batons on fire in thirty minutes. But with McNair wealth and a helpful hotel concierge, anything was possible for a demanding pageant mother. Amie hadn’t burned down the building or set herself on fire, but she hadn’t won and she’d been scared as hell.

  Gran’s smile faded and sympathy filled her eyes. “The test I have in mind isn’t like your mother making you compete in all those beauty pageants.”

  “Isn’t it?” Amie said bitterly, then felt guilty right away. It wasn’t her grandmother’s fault. “Never mind. Forget I said that. I know you’re not like Bayleigh... You love me, so whatever you’re doing must be for a reason.”

  “Your mother loves you, dear, she’s just...”

  “Self-absorbed.” There was no denying the truth. “I’ve acknowledged that and moved on. I’m an adult and I accept responsibility for my own feelings.”

  Gran tipped her head to the side. “You say that, but until this moment, I never realized this test would make you feel as if my love is conditional...like your mother’s.”

  “Does that mean I’m off the hook with my challenge? You’ll fire Preston and put me in charge?” she asked, only half joking.

  “Oh dear, you always did have a great sense of humor,” Gran said affectionately. “This isn’t about my love for you. Love isn’t about money. You have millions with your trust fund and personal earnings. This is about figuring out where you best fit professionally in the business.”

  “What if I do like Stone and decide to build my own future?” She just wished there was something else she wanted to do, but she lived and breathed to work at Diamonds in the Rough.

  Or at least she had until Preston showed up and took away the job she’d hoped for as her own.

  “That’s your choice. But keep in mind Stone still took his test because he knew that would put my mind at ease. These requests of mine are because I love you and I want the best for you.”

  Amie sighed, exhaustion stealing through her. “I do know that, Gran.”

  Her grandmother’s shoulders braced. “This week Preston Armstrong is traveling in support of the unveiling of our new line. I want you to go with him.”

  She waited for the rest and...nothing. “That’s it?” Amie asked, incredulous. “That’s my test?”

  “Yes, be civil. Don’t cause a scene. Truly show the world that we’re a unified force, even away from the office, and stockholders will be reassured.”

  “A week on the road with no scenes.” She’d kept her distance from him for two months, she could do so for longer.

  “That’s all.”

  “You’re letting me off rather easy,” she conceded, hoping she could finish up some design work on the trip since she’d been working night and day on a secret collection—a labor of love that she worried wasn’t right for Diamonds in the Rough.

  “I don’t think so.” Her grandmother shook her head. “Not considering the cold shoulder you’ve given him these past couple of months.”

  She could have sworn she’d kept that from her grandmother. Mariah wasn’t at the office often at all. Amie had imagined—hoped—her chilly reception would be perceived as businesslike.

  She’d guessed wrong. “I apologize if you think I haven’t been receptive to your new CEO. I thought I was simply being professional.”

  “Don’t try that innocent act with me,” Gran snorted. “You won’t even stay in the same room with him unless forced by a meeting. I’m not sure what your differences are and I don’t need to know. We are very lucky to have lured him away from his job in Oklahoma. It was a big sell convincing him this job would increase his corporate appeal as a man of serious net worth and business importance. I do not want to lose him at Dia
monds in the Rough, as our stocks continue to rise since we announced he was taking the helm.”

  “Rising at the expense of firing some of our most loyal, long-serving middle management,” she reminded her grandmother.

  “And I can see you’re still bitter about that decision to consolidate here and expand other offices.”

  Amie pressed her lips together to keep from arguing with her grandmother, something that would only stress her out since clearly this battle was already lost.

  Gran nodded wearily. “Reconcile with him. Because, like it or not, he is the CEO, and if having you there upsets the flow of business, well, I can’t have that.”

  The full weight of her grandmother’s words sunk in. “Are you threatening to fire me?”

  And just as troubling, what did Preston have to do with this? Had he been pressuring Gran to nudge her out of the company? Or to find another angle to wrangle his way into her bed?

  His approach tonight might not have been coincidental. He could have set this whole thing up, damn him. Anger fired hotter inside her, almost a welcome relief after the frustrated passion, fear for her child—and grief for Gran.

  “Let’s not borrow trouble. Focus on the week and learn to forge a friendship with Preston.”

  Friendship? With the father of her child from a one-night stand? And how was he going to react to the news of the baby? Gran’s request might not even be possible. “What if Preston doesn’t agree? Or if he’s antagonistic?”

  Her grandmother smiled with a narrow-eyed determination Amie recognized well. “Then you’ll just have to win him over. Because, like it or not, your days of avoiding him are done.”

  Two

  Hands jammed in his tuxedo pockets, Preston strode away from the barn to the resort cabin where he planned to spend the night. Most of the guests were either staying in the main lodge or in one of the bungalows scattered around the property.

  He’d done his duty at the reception, put in an appearance. With luck, he could pull out his laptop and log some extra hours preparing for his upcoming business trip. He would try to numb his mind and body against the attraction. Just being near Amie at the wedding had desire pumping through him. He needed to come up with some kind of plan to work with her without this eating them both alive, but damned if he knew which way to turn. For now, burying himself in reports and numbers would have to do.

  The reception was still going strong in the towering barn, music and conversation swelling out into the night. The lodge itself held two wings, one for family suites and the other for guests. Then the cabins offered larger, more private space, farther away from the din of the ongoing party.

  A movement from the family quarters snagged his attention, a shadowy figure charging across a first-floor veranda. The moonlight cast a glow, illuminating the unmistakable silhouette of... Amie. She paused at the railing, scanning the grounds. She was looking for him—that was clear the second her gaze landed on him.

  Her shoulders went back, her breasts straining at the strapless dress, teardrop earrings brushing her bare shoulders. She flicked her long hair over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing. She stomped down the porch steps, hem of her bridesmaid’s gown in her fists and hitched to her knees so she could storm closer all the faster. Something had lit her fuse. He wanted her attention back on him anyway.

  He stopped in his tracks and waited. Anticipation pumped through him. Even mad, she was incredible, a sight not to be missed. Besides, there was something about knowing he got under her skin this much. That he’d put all that spark and fire inside her.

  She stopped in front of him under the shade of a sprawling oak strung with white lights. Her breasts rose and fell rapidly, enticingly. “Are you responsible for this?”

  Responsible for what? He could hardly think with her so close, her heaving breasts nearly brushing his chest. He would only need to move one step closer. “You’ll need to narrow that down for me.”

  “You said on the dance floor that we need to talk soon.” She jabbed him in the chest with one finger.

  He grabbed her finger. “And you said our secretaries need to set up a lunch next week.”

  “Did you know that couldn’t possibly happen? Did you pressure my grandmother into making me travel with you around the country this week?”

  He dropped her hand. He didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. He was heading out for a week to launch a new line for Diamonds in the Rough, but he’d made no plans to take her along. Apparently she thought otherwise for some reason.

  Still, that didn’t explain her angry reaction. They’d worked together for two months. Why was she so upset about this trip? He was missing something and he wasn’t sure what.

  But he intended to find out. “Why would I go out of my way to insist on that?”

  “For a week of repeats of our encounter in the coat closet two months ago.”

  Righteous indignation steamed through him. “Have I pressured you in any way that would make you assume that I would disregard your wishes? Because I take the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace damn seriously.”

  “No, you haven’t done anything inappropriate,” she acquiesced, chewing her full bottom lip. “But you sounded determined tonight. I just had to know if you’re manipulating me behind the scenes as well.”

  Unable to resist taunting her, he stepped closer, letting his gaze linger on her mouth as their bodies brushed. “Should I have?”

  A light flashed in the night sky and an appreciative murmur went up from a crowd gathered on the western lawn. The fireworks show had started to celebrate the nuptials.

  “Quit twisting my words around.” She tipped her face toward him without backing down, her creamy skin lit by the purple-and-white lights sparking overhead. “I don’t like being played, that’s all.”

  He swept a stray lock of silky dark hair over her shoulder, his knuckles skimming her soft skin, the teardrop earring cool across the top of his hand. “I take this to mean we’re going on a business trip together this week.”

  The crowd watching fireworks cheered as a series of pops and bangs ended in a giant red heart burning into the cloudless Texas sky.

  Her eyebrows pinched together, her gaze never wavering to watch the display. “You really don’t know about my grandmother’s plan for us?”

  Gently, he gripped her shoulders and turned her so she could see the bright red heart before it faded. While she watched, he leaned closer to speak into her ear.

  “I have no reason to lie to you.” In fact, he just wanted to open a dialogue with her so they could figure out how to work together—or resume the affair. He couldn’t help but wonder if part of the reason they kept sparking off each other was that they hadn’t let all that attraction run its course. “It’s been tough breaking through your walls these past two months, but I wouldn’t go to someone else to take care of that problem for me. And I certainly wouldn’t worry a terminally ill person with my concerns.”

  She turned to face him again, giving him a clipped nod, some of the tension easing from her while the orchestra played a Mozart piece timed to coordinate with the explosions in the air.

  He leaned back against the tree trunk and jammed his hands into his pockets and away from temptation. “Now catch me up to speed about what’s going on with this business trip, since it appears to involve us both and Diamonds in the Rough.”

  “My grandmother has insisted that I accompany you for the unveiling of the new line to reassure the stockholders that the McNairs fully endorse your leadership.” Sighing, she perched a hand on her hip.

  Preston’s gaze fell to her waist, the dips and curves of her so damn alluring his mouth watered. “That’s a sound business decision on her part. What’s the problem?”

  He didn’t understand why she was so upset. She’d worked hard on the new line, had investe
d a lot of time and creative energy toward putting it together. She deserved to see the first public reactions to her work.

  But she shook her head. Visibly upset.

  “The problem is... She’s an amazing woman and I just want to do what she needs.” She blinked back tears, making her blue eyes shine in the reflected light from the soaring roman candles in a multicolored display. That sheen in her gaze made him want to hold her.

  “Amie?” He resisted the urge to reach for her, half certain she would bolt. “Losing someone you love is not easy. I’m sorry about your grandmother’s illness.”

  “Me, too.” She swiped her wrist over her eyes, smudging mascara. “So we’re traveling together this week for the unveiling tour. Just the two of us.”

  “Apparently so.” He wondered what her grandmother was up to with this last-minute idea and why she hadn’t discussed it with him first. “To Los Angeles, New York City and Atlanta. It may be for the best. We have to figure out how to work together without all this tension.”

  He had sensed that Amie was working on a private project these last few weeks and he wondered why she hadn’t shared any details. That kind of closed-off creativity didn’t benefit the larger company. He needed her communicating more.

  Had that been Mariah McNair’s intent, to smooth the business waters before she passed away? It wasn’t such an odd wish. The woman did live, eat and breathe the business, even from her sickbed.

  Amie crossed her arms over her chest, her breasts pushing even harder against the fabric. “We’ve been doing fine so far at the office.”

  “Are you serious?” These had been some of the most tense workweeks in his life. He’d never had personnel problems—until now. Until her.

  “Has my work performance been in any way substandard?”

  “Of course not,” he admitted, not mentioning the way she’d retreated to her office for long periods at a time with her door closed. “But it would help workplace morale if you didn’t act like you want me dead.”