Catching the Cowgirl (Cotton Creek Romance)

by Jennie Marts

  “I didn’t borrow it from anyone. It’s mine.”

  She laughed. “Yours? Where did you get a laptop? Did I miss the Computer Fairy? Was she here earlier, doling out random computers to the whole ranch?”

  “No, just to you and me. And the Computer Fairy isn’t a she, it’s a he. It’s Adam.”

  “Adam gave you that laptop?”

  “Yeah, of course. Mom, don’t you remember seeing all those boxes when you came in before. We told you we’d been working all afternoon. Come on, I’ll show you.” He stood up and led her toward her office.

  She realized, for the first time, that the apartment had been cleaned up. The empty boxes and plastic wrap that had been strewn around before were gone. Adam must have cleaned it all up before he left.

  Stepping into her office, she let out a gasp.

  She didn’t even recognize her own desk.

  It was the same desk, in the same place it had been that morning, but it looked completely different. Her old clunky computer was gone, replaced with a sleek new monitor and keyboard. Her paperwork and envelopes were neatly arranged in desk organizers, and a bright yellow cup that read “Good morning, Sunshine” held all of her pens and markers.

  Everything had been dusted and neatly arranged. The floor had even been vacuumed. And a petite vase holding an array of wildflowers sat to the left of the monitor.

  She shook her head, unable to believe it. “Did you do all of this? Or did Adam?”

  A grin broke across her son’s face. “We did it together. Adam worked on setting up all of the computer stuff, but he said he didn’t want to mess with your mail and paperwork, so I organized all of that. I mean, I didn’t read everything, but I grouped all of the ranch stuff together and filed it by categories, like activities, guest stuff, and lodge stuff. You can look at it and see what you think.”

  “I think it’s incredible. I can’t believe you did this. For me.”

  “Well, we did it. And Adam did most of it. Like that cup is totally from him. And the flowers. And it was his idea to vacuum. Oh, and check this out.” He tapped the space bar, and the monitor sprang to life.

  Tears filled her eyes as the monitor lit, and a slideshow of pictures crossed the screen. The first was a picture of her and Cody from when he was about four—the same framed picture that was on the wall in the hallway. The second picture was the selfie she and Adam had taken at the lake.

  A bubble of laughter burst from her throat as the third picture appeared. It was of Adam and Cody making goofy smiling faces at the camera. They were wearing the same clothes they had on today, so they must have a taken a selfie that afternoon.

  “Do you like it?” Cody asked softly.

  She wrapped an arm around her son’s shoulder, her heart full to bursting. “Yes. I do. I like it very much. In fact, I love it.” Tipping her head, she dropped a quick kiss on Cody’s head. “Thank you.”

  “It wasn’t all me. It was Adam, too. He’s a good guy, Mom. I really like him.”

  Yeah, I really like him, too.

  That was the problem.

  The pain in her heart flared up.

  Why had he done all of this? She’d treated him terribly—screamed at him, even. She’d practically called him a liar and told him to get out of her life, and he’d responded by doing all of this for her. By spending the whole afternoon setting her business up for success and picking her flowers.

  She didn’t understand. She’d never met a man like him before. And she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Or both.

  “There’s more.” Cody grabbed a slim silver laptop from the shelf. “This is for you.”

  She turned the computer over in her hands, marveling at its sleekness. “This is too much. We can’t accept all of this.”

  “Mom, we have to. It’s really going to help the ranch. Plus, we’re going to need these to help with the game.”

  “What game?”

  “The new Misfortune. We’re calling it Gaming and Grit.”

  “Cody, what are you talking about? What the heck is Gaming and Grits?”

  “Not grits. Grit—you know like toughness. And it’s our new game idea.”

  “Whose?”

  “Mine and Adam’s. And yours, too, I guess. At least your name’s on the contract, too.”

  “Contract?”

  “Haven’t you been paying attention at all, Mom? All this time that we’ve been talking to Adam about the game and giving him ideas, he’s been taking our ideas and using our suggestions for his new game. He said he didn’t want to take our ideas for free, so he’s crediting us on the game and giving us some royalties.” He pulled a green folder from the organizer, opened it, and took out a stapled pack of papers. “He gave us a contract and everything. I filed it in a folder labeled ‘Contracts.’”

  Taking the paper, she stared down at it, dumb-founded. Was Adam really offering them a contract with royalties? For a few silly suggestions?

  Her delight in the desk, and the cup, and the flowers, and the pictures—oh my gosh, the pictures were so amazing—was quickly turning to irritation. Adam had crossed one too many lines.

  Who does this guy think he is?

  “Don’t you think this is awesome?”

  “I think it’s something, all right. And I think I need to have a serious talk with Mr. Clark.”

  …

  Adam had just stepped out of the shower when he heard the knocking on his door, pounding actually.

  “Adam? Are you in there?”

  Skye?

  “Hold on. I’m coming,” he yelled toward the door as he tugged on a pair of shorts. He was still rubbing the towel over his hair as he yanked the door open.

  He was hoping she would show up, was hoping that all of his efforts that afternoon had shown her the way he felt, and that his actions spoke louder than his words. He was hoping she’d knock on his door and throw herself happily into his arms.

  But she didn’t look happy—no, not happy at all. In fact, by the narrow squint of her eyes and the tight set of her mouth, he would say she looked like one pissed-off cowgirl.

  She slapped a stack of papers against his chest, her expression faltering for just a moment as her hand touched his bare skin. But she recovered quickly, yanking her hand back. “Just what in the hell are you trying to pull, mister?”

  “Pull? What are you talking about?”

  “What I’m talking about is this thing—this contract, apparently. What kind of game are you trying to play?”

  Wow, this woman had really had a number pulled on her. She really didn’t trust anyone.

  He sighed. “Why don’t you come in and sit down?

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  “Skye. Come on.”

  “Fine.” She stepped through the door, and the scent of her surrounded him and almost brought him to his knees. He wanted to reach out, to grab her and pull her into his arms, but he was a smart guy, and something told him she might not be quite ready for that.

  She sat gingerly on the edge of the sofa, and he dropped his wet towel on the coffee table and sat down in the chair next to hers, their knees almost touching, but not quite.

  He reached for her hand, but she pulled it back, hugging her arms around her middle as if trying to protect herself.

  Protecting herself from him? That thought was like a punch to the gut.

  He settled back in the chair, trying to set a relaxed tone. He could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves, and he knew he needed to stay calm and not push her away.

  “You want some tea, or coffee, or some water or something?”

  “No, Adam. I don’t want some tea. I want you to tell me what’s going on.”

  He held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. So, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about you, obviously, and about us, and about how we keep talking about how different we are. But I don’t want our differences to define us, or to come between us, so I devised a plan that would incorporate our diffe
rences—make them work together and complement each other. You know, so our differences seem like a positive instead of a negative.”

  “I don’t see how our differences have anything to do with this.” She held up the papers.

  “I’m getting to that. I thought about each of our strengths and how we could combine those strengths to help both of us. Then I remembered something Cody had said that first night we all played video games together, and I came up with the idea for Gaming and Grit. I’m pretty proud of that name, too. It describes the concept, as well as the two of us, like I’m the ‘gaming’ and you’re the ‘grit’ part.” He grinned at her, but she wasn’t smiling back. Not even a little. “But grit in the good sense, of course, like tough and western.”

  She raised an eyebrow, but her mouth stayed set in a tight line.

  “Anyway, we can change the name if you’d like, but I wanted to have an idea that would use the best of what we both do. So I came up with the idea to use real settings from Hawkins Ridge in the new Misfortunes game, then create a camp, here at the ranch, where kids can spend a week and actually experience those settings. There could be hands-on activities that mirror what’s happening in the game, for instance, a cattle drive along the same ridge that’s pictured on the screen, or we could even open up part of the mine for spelunking or gold-panning. We have tons of ideas of things we could do.”

  “Who’s we?”

  “Me and Cody. We’ve been working on this all week. That kid is smart and ridiculously inventive. He’s come up with some really cool ideas. He has experience with the game, so he comes at it from the participant side. Then I try to incorporate his ideas into the design from the business side.”

  “Wait. Cody has been helping you with all of this?”

  “Yeah, of course. That’s why I’m offering him, and you, a percentage of royalties. Otherwise, it would feel like I’m just stealing ideas from a kid. I wanted to talk to you about it yesterday, because you might want to set up some kind of trust or something for his future. And regardless of whether or not you decide to incorporate the ranch into the deal, I’m still using his ideas, and yours, in the new Misfortune game. That’s the part I had the contract drawn up for. We can figure the rest of it all out later.”

  She rubbed her hand across her forehead. “Slow down. You’re talking about contracts and trusts and incorporating the ranch, and I can’t keep up.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just so excited about it. And I want you to be excited, too. This is going to save the ranch. You won’t have to worry about money anymore.”

  Her eyes widened, then narrowed, and she pushed up from the sofa. “I’m not a poor, weak woman who’s searching for a man to rescue her. I don’t need you, or anyone else, to save me.”

  He stood, reaching for her hand. “That came out wrong. That’s not what I’m trying to do. Dammit, Skye, you’ve got to quit comparing me to the other men in your life. I’m nothing like them. I won’t run out on you like your ex, and I won’t try to swindle you like Clint. I know you don’t believe me about that, but it’s true.”

  She let out a sigh. “I do believe you. You were right, about Clint, about everything you said about him. I went to confront him and found the evidence myself. I think you may have been right about him sabotaging the ranch.”

  “That sucks. I’m sorry.” Even though he wasn’t, not really. He was sorry that she’d been hurt, and he’d make sure that Cowboy Clint paid for hurting her, but he was glad that she now saw the guy for the ass-wipe he was.

  “Me, too. But I’d rather know the truth than have him continue to use me and the relationship we had for his own personal gain.”

  Adam jerked back as if he’d been slapped. “Do you think that’s what I’m doing?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to think anymore.”

  He took a deep breath, trying to rein in his own emotions, and see things from her side. Even though his plans would benefit him, there was no selfish intent involved. In fact, when it came to her, all he could think of was what he could give to her.

  And what she needed right now was patience and understanding and to know that he was in this thing for the long run. That he wasn’t leaving, or trying to use or trick her.

  “I know that you’ve been hurt before, but that’s not what I’m trying to do. I promise. And I told you before that I keep my promises. Please, just give me a chance to explain. Just listen.”

  She slowly eased back down on the side of the sofa, but her shoulders stayed tense, her back rigid, her expression wary.

  He knelt in front of her, resting his hands lightly on her knees. He hadn’t planned to talk to her like this—he wished he was wearing a shirt, at least—but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she listened.

  “Please give me a chance here. And try to listen with your heart, and know that everything I’m saying is because I want what’s best for you, me, and Cody—for our future together. Because that’s what I want most of all, a future with you and Cody in my life. Okay?”

  She nodded, not saying anything, but the tension in her shoulders eased a bit.

  “I know that you are a strong, proud woman, and I admire that in you. And I know that you would never accept charity or let someone come in and take over what has been in your family for decades. So know, first of all, that that’s not what I’m suggesting. This isn’t charity or a handout. It’s not something I’m giving to you because I feel sorry for you. It’s something we would do together. I want to enter into a partnership with you, something we can agree on jointly, that will benefit all of us and the ranch. And it’s a really good idea. I think you’re truly going to love some of the stuff we came up with.

  “Like, for instance, I know you said you were struggling to connect with Cody because all he wanted to do was play games. So we came up with the idea of having a week where the parents and kids would come to camp together. The parents would learn how to play the video game and connect with them. And both kids and adults would have the added benefit of spending time in this beautiful place, acting out the game. Doesn’t that sound cool?”

  “Yeah, it does. But I run a dude ranch. It sounds like you’re suggesting we change the very fiber of the ranch into some commercialized live-action video game.”

  He shook his head. “No, not at all. I love the charm of the ranch, and I don’t want to change that. I’m suggesting that we do three or four of these specialized camps next summer in between your regular schedule. They would be something truly unique, something that gamers have never had a chance to experience. I think you could charge more for those camps, and they would fill quickly.”

  “But just trying to prepare for all of that and making the changes would be incredibly expensive. I don’t even have wifi.”

  He grinned. “You do now. That’s another thing Cody and I did this afternoon. But that doesn’t matter right now, because that’s the beauty of the partnership. We each have something to bring to the table, Skye. I have plenty of money, so I can cover the finances. But I have no idea how to run a camp or handle guests or deal with food prep or camp-outs or even people in general. I get hives if I have to spend too much time with strangers, making small talk. So that’s why I need you. You know how to do all of those things. And you’re good at them.”

  She offered him a small smile, and his heart soared.

  He was making progress.

  “It would take both of us, all of us, working together. And I’d have to be on site for a lot of it, so I could split my time between here and California. And you and Cody could come out and spend time with me. So, while everyone here is freezing, you could be lying on the beach in that cute little red bikini. Doesn’t that sound good?”

  Her grin broadened for just a moment. Then it was replaced with another frown, as if she caught herself.

  “Of course it sounds good. This all sounds really great and like a wonderful dream. But first of all, I run a ranch that has liv
e animals on it, so I can’t just up and run off to the beach whenever I want. I have responsibilities. Besides that, everything you’re suggesting sounds like a full-time job.”

  “It is. That’s why I think you need a full-time camp host that lives on-site, taking care of the ranch and the camps while you’re gone. And I’ve got just the people in mind. Josh and Brittany.”

  Her eyes widened. “The newlyweds?”

  “Not just newlyweds. Josh is a recent college graduate with a degree in Park Administration, and evidently Brittany has experience in event planning.”

  “That girl is afraid of horses.”

  He chuckled. “True. But apparently she’s good at organizing and scheduling. And Josh says she’s really good with social media, which would help with the marketing side of our business venture.”

  “Our business venture?” She shook her head. “You seem to have this all figured out, don’t you?”

  He picked up her hand and laid a gentle kiss on the back of it. “I’m trying. Because that’s what I do. I’m a details guy. I thrive on finding logical solutions, which makes all of the business stuff so easy to talk about it. It’s the other part, the relationship stuff, that’s harder for me. Because, Skye, none of that is logical. And none of it fits into any part of my compartmentalized brain. But it doesn’t have to. Because it all fits perfectly in my heart.”

  She blinked, and tears sprang to her eyes.

  Shit. He wasn’t trying to make her cry.

  “I know, that sounds gushy as hell. But dammit, whenever I’m around you, my brain goes to mush. All I can think about is you. And I start picking flowers and taking couple-selfies and doing all the things I generally mock other silly couples for doing.”

  She laughed. A small laugh, barely a chuckle, but it was a start.

  He reached up and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. “I don’t know how to do all of this romantic stuff. Nor do I know if all of these ideas will work. I don’t know what it will be like to fly back and forth to see each other, and I seriously have no idea how to help raise a kid, but I do know one thing—one crazy wonderful realization. I know that I’m in love with you. The rest is just details. And I’m good at handling those.”