Her Outlaw Cowboys: A Reverse Harem Romance (Cowboy Desires Book 2)

by Asha Daniels

  While he was no computer expert, especially given his time behind bars, he knew enough to detect tampering. Or so he thought.

  Savage didn’t pass a single person on his way to the office. True to his word, there were additional files piled up on his desk, boxes in the corner. At least Richard had locked the door behind him. Being secretive, even to Toby and Josh had its downfalls, but being trusted again was very important to him.

  He settled in behind the desk, flipping on the computer as he began to go through various files. While the computer files didn’t show any outward sign of tampering, the various records just weren’t jiving. Numbers didn’t transpose from one month to the other, at least not to the penny. To the untrained eye, there would appear nothing unusual, but he’d been trained to look for anything abnormal.

  Everything about the Lone Wolf Ranch files seemed… off. There was no other way to describe what he was seeing. There was also no fingerprint of who had worked on which file. He doubted the regular bookkeepers did anything but plug in the numbers, but he’d need to verify the data.

  Too many things weren’t adding up to him. The truth was, everything was neat and tidy. He allowed his mind to wander to how this gig happened in the first place. Josh just ran into an old buddy who happened to know of not one but three jobs that might be available?

  What if this entire situation had been planned from the get go? What else?

  They were hired for their expertise without a hitch. The owner didn’t care about their records. However, the two brothers of the owner were out to get them. Then there was Georgia, out of the blue, taking a job across the country and only for the summer. If he were a betting man, he’d place a whole lot of bills on blackjack.

  Someone was setting them up, but for what exactly and who were the players?

  The network was no more helpful, including Richard’s private files. Even the last audit left no clues, except for a single line on the footnotes.

  Monies donated as requested.

  Why was there no explanation? Donating to some charity was beneficial, but there were no other line items, no additional notations.

  He was in over his head with this.

  By the time he looked up, the sun had already risen, showering the sky with a golden hue. His eyes were burning, the exhaustion from zero sleep taking its toll. He sorted through piles, placing them in particular stacks. Tapping his fingers on what he considered to be the most important group, he opened one drawer after another, placing the papers and files under a series of notebooks. There was no particular reason for him to be leery except for the basic matter at hand as well as the attempted break in. Someone seemed to be tampering with the files and if they found out what he was really hired to do, things could get dicey.

  Marketing. Now, he had to figure out how the hell to market the ranch in its entirety. He didn’t have a dark room established so he’d need to go into town later to get the roll developed. Richard had also left instructions on the website. That would be his afternoon project, and everything would have to seem on the up and up, including his attitude.

  His thoughts shifted to Georgia, including the night spent together.

  He sat back, rubbing his tired eyes. Could they work together without interference? A snort slipped past his lips. Of a sexual nature? He hoped to hell they could. He wasn’t ready for the good deputy to sniff around them, especially since he seemed more than just interested in Georgia.

  Another rambling thought entered his mind. No, he wasn’t going to compare Georgia to anyone, but he had a terrible feeling Josh was already falling hard for the girl. They had to take this slow, especially given his suspicions. Jesus Christ. What was he thinking? Maybe that was it, his brain was foggy. Georgia didn’t have it in her to be a pawn for anyone. But the smarts for playing a game of her own?

  You bet.

  A cup of coffee was certainly needed at this point. He checked his watch before heading to the door. It was after seven already. The majority of the morning staff would have arrived, breakfast for the guests served. As he walked out into the hallway, he noticed Shane heading in his direction. Uncertain of what the brother knew to any degree, he casually locked the door, shoving his keys into his pocket then nodded as the man came closer.

  “You’re here early,” Shane said, giving him a scrutinizing look.

  “Couldn’t sleep. Wanted to get started on the marketing campaign.” The way Shane glanced at the door sent an instant red flag. The man was teeming with curiosity as well as another hard emotion.

  Anger.

  “Yeah. Sure.”

  When Shane bumped into his shoulder as he passed by, Savage bristled. The man was just goading him, but he didn’t like the dude on any level.

  “By the way. Have you seen Georgia lately? I heard what happened to her yesterday. Wanted to make certain she was all right. Coyotes can be dangerous, biting the hand that feeds them so to speak. Oh, wait. She had you to save her.”

  Yeah, the asshole was gleaning for information. “Haven’t seen her since yesterday. She was fine, just scared.” Don’t do it. Don’t get in his face. Damn asshole. He continued to walk down the hall, his mind reeling. Leaving her car at the corral had been a stupid as shit thing to do. They’d have to be much more careful. Shit, he felt like some wayward teenager, sneaking out on a date.

  “Good to have your type around, I guess, to clean up the varmints.”

  Savage clenched his teeth and continued walking, hearing a chuckle coming from the man. Yeah, they were going to end up doing more than just sparring one day. He gave himself a mental note to find out as much as he could about Shane Marshall and why he was suddenly interested in the ranch.

  After grabbing a cup of coffee, he noticed Georgia storming in, her brow furrowed, her face flushed. He headed in her direction, sliding the cup onto a tray. He caught her in the lobby, pulling her to the side. “Whoa. Whoa. You look pissed. What’s going on?”

  Huffing, she glanced in both directions then glared out the door, her hand ready to make an obscene gesture. “Damn asshole.” While she said the words under her breath, they seemed to echo even with the vaulted ceiling.

  “Who are we talking about?” Amused, he leaned against the wall.

  “The friggin’ deputy. That’s who,” Georgia snapped then placed her hand on his arm, immediately pulling it away. “I’m sorry. He caught me outside, giving me a wrath of shit about the coyote and danger and didn’t I know that the mountains aren’t for nice little girls. Asshole.” This time, the last word was said loudly enough a few guests looked in their direction.

  “A form of foreplay,” he joked until she flashed her angry eyes in his direction. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for on my part as well as his. He just walked up to you?”

  “I swear to God, it was like he was waiting for me. I’m beginning to question why I came here.” She sucked in her breath. “I mean for business reasons.” A flush crept up from her neck.

  Savage was startled at the way his body reacted, desire as well as his need to protect her streaming into his conscience. “Look, don’t let him get to you. Coyotes aren’t rare in this area but coming as close to the ranch is unusual. A member of law enforcement is called any time there is a wildlife kill. He’s just doing his job.”

  She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “Interesting. You can’t stand him one minute. Now, you’re taking up for him.”

  “Hell no. But no reason to get riled. He’s not worth it.”

  Georgia shook her head. “Agreed. I have no time to prepare a social scenario. I’m at a loss.”

  “Well, why don’t you come into town with me? I need to get the pictures developed anyway and we can talk to some of the locals. Find out what they like about the ranch and what they don’t.”

  “We should check out Rattlesnake Ranch. Find out what they’re made of.”

  The look on her face remained agitated. The last thing he wanted to do was check out another dude ranch but spending time with
Georgia might put a few things into perspective. “Then, why don’t we go?”

  She wrinkled her nose before answering. “First, I need to talk to you. Do you have an office, because I have a cube? Not that it’s a bad cubicle or anything but the open-air environment isn’t the best for discussing anything important.”

  The way she was suddenly babbling confused him until he felt a presence, hovering way too closely. Looking over his shoulder, the sight of the damn deputy turned his stomach. “Yeah, I have an office. Come with me.” Without giving the officer of the law another look, he moved toward the hallway, keeping his eye on anyone who might be watching. His trust factor had tanked, but he’d be able to flush out the truth.

  One way or the other.

  “You have a locked office?” Georgia narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

  Savage didn’t answer until they were inside, the door closed behind them.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Her eyes opened wide.

  He could tell by her reaction that she had no idea what was going on, either from conniving with another party or from Richard himself. “I have an accounting background. Richard asked if I would take a look at the books.”

  “You have an accounting background?” Georgia moved closer to the desk, peering down. She picked up a stack of papers.

  “Yes, believe it or not. After the stint in the Marines, I went to college on their dime. Only way I could.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing and I just got started.” He took the papers out of her hand.

  She crossed her arms, turning to face him. “I’m not an idiot, Savage. I actually have a Master of Business Administration, but that and a quarter was able to land me a teaching job. Richard Marshall isn’t going to pull someone in out of the blue that he’s never worked with before to take a look at his private books. So, what’s going on?”

  Savage exhaled and walked toward the window. “I don’t know at this point, but Richard did ask me to look into the books. He’s worried someone on his staff with access has been tampering. There was an attempted break in as well. Richard mentioned some odd things were going on.”

  “Hmmm… One of the kitchen staff pretty much told me the same thing as well. Maybe the folks from Rattlesnake are trying to scare away the guests.”

  Savage lifted a single eyebrow. “That sounds pretty lame to me. Richard said two developers were sniffing around, trying to force him to sell.”

  “But you think there’s more going on, don’t you?” Georgia’s eyes swept the records again.

  “I don’t know what to think, except when something smells, there’s usually a rat.”

  “Extortion? Money laundering? What are we talking about?”

  “He just asked that I look for discrepancies.”

  Georgia inched closer. “You don’t think Richard is giving you the entire truth.”

  “I don’t know what to believe, but I do think he has more than one enemy. All I have to do is compare last year’s year end statement to last month’s balance sheet. Unless there are monies being used for other purposes, there’s a hole, only enough of one that you have to be looking for it. However, why bring my attention to it? Why? Doesn’t make any sense to me at all. I’m an ex-con. Richard knows that. I could tell him anything, including lies.”

  “But you won’t.”

  “No, I have honor, more so than a huge percentage of people in this country. Not that anyone sees that now. They only see the man with a criminal record. Still, things aren’t adding up. What if they want to set me up, have me take a fall?”

  She shook her head. “That would take a lot of preplanning; making certain you got this job, getting you involved with the books.”

  “As I said, the shit is starting to stink, and I’ve only been here a few days.”

  She placed a hand on his. “Then take my advice. Be careful. But that does give me some interesting thoughts. Deputy Marshall. I know why you said he’s hanging around, but he also warned me again about you in particular. He did the short version of your incarceration, leaving Josh and Toby completely out of the story. He has no way of knowing that I learned the entire story and I pretended to be shocked.”

  “What did he say? Exactly?” Savage tamped back his anger. At least she could play the actress. He could see concern in her eyes.

  “That you’d killed before.”

  Georgia finally realized how debilitating having a criminal record was for all three men that she’d started to care about. Going into Cheyenne had been eye-opening. Even taking a walk through the competition had been unproductive, except for being able to take a gander at the various social programs they had on tap. She sighed as she glanced down at her page full of ideas. What she’d learned from her trip with Savage had been that Lone Wolf was old school in far too many ways. While people still loved the outdoors, including hikes, horseback riding and even watching a rodeo, they preferred the new and shiny gizmos, including rock wall climbing, bungee jumping and anything considered dangerous.

  Except for dangerous men.

  The fact that three ex-cons were working for the ranch had done nothing positive for Lone Wolf’s reputation. Although there’d only been two direct comments made to Savage, the two had been enough. And very telling.

  People in town considered all three men to be off limits. There had to be more of a reason than a damn bar fight that ended in a man getting killed. She dropped her head, groaning as soundlessly as possible. There were a solid dozen employees surrounding her cubicle and every one of them seemed to be giving her a curious stare. She had no method of dealing with keeping secrets while attempting to do her job, especially when she didn’t know what the hell she was doing. To hell with them. She cared about Savage and what he had to endure was ridiculous.

  Grabbing a pad, she glanced over her shoulder before writing down some notes. Who would want to sabotage Mr. Marshall? Moving her pen across her lips, her mind went to every ridiculous scenario. Richard was in over his head in gambling debt. Somehow, he didn’t seem the type. Richard owed money to the mob. No, were there even mafia connections in Wyoming? Richard was trying to destroy Lone Wolf for insurance purposes, which could mean starting a fire. Good one. She jotted down a note with a star beside it. What else?

  He was upside down in the mortgage, thereby needing to sell the ranch, but didn’t want to disappoint his employees. Sighing, she glared at the computer screen, her nerves on edge. So what if she was curious about who and what she was dealing with in life? What was wrong with investigating the world around her?

  She shifted her computer, moving to the internet. Research, she was damn good at. She started by typing in Savage’s name, finding very little listed under Parker Harland with the exception of two newspaper articles. Zooming in, she jotted down the name of the Senator. Ryland Sampson, his son and the man killed in the brawl Jeremiah. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she clicked her mouse on the link for the Senator.

  Hunkering over, she flipped through several pages, nearly gagging at the man’s basic bravado in his declarations for making Wyoming a better place to live. Seeing the number of photographs, she could tell the man loved an audience. A single picture caught her eye. While taken from a distance, she swallowed as she recognized the man standing next to the Senator.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  “Georgia.”

  Dropping the pen, she immediately jerked her chair forward, blocking the computer screen. “Mr. Marshall. You scared me.”

  Richard laughed. “Please. Richard will do, and I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “Okay, Richard.” No, this was far too much of a coincidence. When her boss crowded further into her space, she tried to nonchalantly close the window. Her fingers were stiff, her hand shaking.

  “I just came to check on you and make certain you were coming to the party tonight. Big splash to celebrate the season. We’re even having fireworks. Should give you an excellent idea of what we do. Granted, same splas
h as we had last year. I’m certain you’ll be able to give me some pointers.” He glanced down at her desk, his eyes narrowing.

  “I’ll certainly try,” Georgia almost whispered, her hackles raised. She finally managed to click on the button.

  “Is there something wrong?” Richard took a step to the right, enabling his ability to catch a glimpse of her computer.

  “No, other than I am having a bit of a difficult time putting certain pieces together.” Wasn’t that more of the truth than she cared to admit?

  “I heard you went to Rattlesnake Ranch today.”

  Jesus Christ. Nothing went by without being noticed. “I did. They are very… glitzy.”

  “And nothing like what I want Lone Wolf to be.”

  “I did manage to think about a few ideas anyway.” Beads of perspiration trickled down one side of her face.

  “Excellent.”

  The ideas she’d written down had been all about gleaning from the various brochures she’d picked up from one of the travel offices. Everything was glitzy, bold colors used, lettering to attract attention. She could only hope Richard would appreciate her ideas, let alone accept even one of them. “Of course, I’ll be there tonight.”

  “Excellent. I do expect a full report on my desk in the morning, but you can certainly be late. Tonight will be a late night for all of us.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He leaned over her desk and dangerously close to being able to see her notes. “You have nothing to worry about. Whatever you come up with, I’m certain will be amazing. Just think of this as your personal playground.”

  In his eyes, she noticed a glimmer of hope more than anything else. Please don’t look down. Please. “I haven’t played much in my life. I hope I won’t let you down.”

  “Allow me to let you in on a little secret. This place was originally in my family, although I didn’t want anything to do with it and neither did my brothers. Hell, I’d moved to Phoenix, had a fantastic life. Left when I was barely eighteen. Yeah, I had my reasons, but family comes first, and I had to learn that the hard way. My father sold it and that was a terrible mistake. The owner let everything go to shit. So, when I purchased the shit hole, I spent some of my own money to fix things up, try and get us back on our feet. Everything was fantastic for a couple years. Now…” He looked away, as if struggling to find the words. “Well, none of your concern. I have faith in you, young lady. I really do.” Before leaning back, he took a solid glance at her notepad.