“How was the flight?” He grabbed her bag, then headed to the exit doors.
“Good. Short.” She flexed her muscles, trying to relieve the discomfort.
Sean watched Dana, noticing her discomfort. “You all right?”
“Me? Of course. I’m just feeling the effects of Cassie trying to teach me to barrel race. I had no idea how physically demanding it could be.”
Sean laughed as he opened the door to a huge red dually. “You need some help up?”
She set her computer case on the floor, glaring up at him, yet her eyes crinkled in amusement. “Heck no. I may be stiff but I’m not an invalid. At least not yet.”
He climbed in across from her and pulled into traffic. “I hope you don’t mind staying at the ranch house. The stockyards are across town from the airport and most of the hotels. Skye and I thought it would be more convenient to stay close. There’s also a car you can use.”
“I don’t mind as long as it’s not an inconvenience.”
“Not at all. With Rafe in Fire Mountain, it’s just Rhett and Samantha. Both are working at RTC for the summer and are in and out. The refrigerator’s always stocked and you’ll get the large guest room with private bath.” He turned onto a divided highway and pointed ahead. “RTC is up on the right. The ranch house is a couple miles to the left. We’ll stop so you can drop off your bag and get settled, then I’ll take you to the office.”
They continued down a long drive. As they approached a large house with two stories, a familiar looking truck passed them and honked. Sean waved and honked back.
“Was that Mitch?”
“Yep.” Sean paused a moment. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. He stays most nights at Pop’s house.”
Chapter Seven
Dana tossed her bag on the bed, fuming at the knowledge she’d be sharing quarters with Mitch. For a split second she’d considered trying to find a way to graciously decline staying at the house. Since she’d made no protest when Sean mentioned Rhett and Sam, it seemed too telling to back out once she learned Mitch was part of the deal.
At Sean’s suggestion, she changed into jeans, a blouse, and boots. At the last minute she grabbed her baseball cap, figuring to get teased for not bringing along a traditional cowboy hat.
“All set.” Dana met Sean in the entry, admiring the collection of western art on all the walls and the handmade furniture throughout the room. “This is beautiful.” She let her hand slide across the back of a wooden settee, noticing the details and finish.
“Mitch made it.”
Her eyes shot to his at the unexpected comment. “You’re kidding. He never mentioned his talent with wood.”
“Yeah…well, Mitch has a lot of skills he keeps to himself. The house is full of furniture he’s made over the years. Most of the art on the walls are his, also.” He pointed to one a few feet away of a running stream surrounded by tall pines and a peaked mountain in the background. “This is his favorite, just don’t tell him I told you. He can be sensitive about his artwork.”
“Mitch, sensitive? That’s a new one.”
“Oh, he has a whole other side few people see. As in, maybe four or five. You ready?”
Within ten minutes they walked into the entrance of RTC. She glanced about, seeing no sign of Mitch’s artwork or furniture.
“He’s probably upstairs in his office.”
She followed Sean, seeing posters of their animals bucking off some of the biggest names in the PBR. Dana already knew about the Professional Bull Riders association and that RTC supplied stock used at their events. There were other, smaller rodeos that contracted with RTC, and she hoped to focus more marketing on those groups. Their breeding program would also receive attention as the MacLarens raised and sold a couple hundred bulls each year.
Sean knocked once on Mitch’s door then pushed it open. “Dana’s here.” He stood aside, nodding for her to go on in.
An unexpected tightening in her chest caught Dana by surprise when she took her first look at Mitch in weeks. At that moment, all she could remember was the searing kiss the night before he left—the one which caused her more than a few restless nights. She let her gaze wander from the hand-tooled belt, to his broad chest and shoulders, settling on the full mouth she couldn’t get out of her mind.
“Are you going to stare at me all day?”
She tore her gaze from his lips to his eyes, seeing the humor as well as a knowing look, as if he’d read her mind. Clearing her throat, she reached her hand toward him.
“It’s good to see you, Mitch.”
He walked around the desk, glancing at her hand then back up to her face before grasping it. Pulling her toward him, he stopped short of touching his body with hers. He leaned down, something almost feral showing in his eyes.
“It’s good to see you also, Dana.” He held her hand a moment longer than needed, then let go, not stepping away. “Thanks, Sean.”
Sean stood silent, watching Mitch act in a way he’d never seen. At that moment he knew, without doubt, his brother had plans for Dana Ballard, but had no idea what. He just hoped his brother didn’t mess up with a woman their father and uncles thought well of, screwing up relationships between the companies.
“Sure. Let me know if you need me to show her around.”
“Oh, I think I’ll be able to do that just fine.” Although his words were meant for Sean, he never took his gaze off Dana. Neither heard the door close as Sean left.
She took a breath and tried to step away, almost tripping over a chair leg before he reached out and grasped her arm.
Clearing her throat, she looked up, seeing his steel-gray eyes turn dark, assessing her as if making a decision.
“Thanks. I can be a little clumsy sometimes,” she breathed out, feeling him draw her closer. One second she stood a foot away, the next he’d pulled her flush, his head lowering until his mouth claimed hers. He gave her a chance to step away. Instead, she moved her hands to rest on his arms, leaning into him.
She’d yearned for this since he’d left, wanting to know if her body would again respond to him the way it had that night. Refusing to listen to her inner voice saying she should push away and stop the insanity before it got out of control, she wrapped her hands around his neck and held him to her, letting his mouth do wicked and delicious things to hers. It felt as if an electric shock scorched through her body, rocking her all the way to her toes. She moaned aloud a moment before he pulled back. Staring into her eyes, he set her aside.
Crossing his arms, a self-satisfied grin on his face, he stepped away. “You greet all the men at work like that?”
She felt her face color and body stiffen at his obvious insult. Instead of taking the bait, she took a calming breath and mimicked him, crossing her arms, glaring at him as she took a small step forward.
“Forgetting for a moment you were the one to start it, I must say, you seem to have lost something since you left Fire Mountain. Guess you’re losing your touch.” She turned her back to him, picked up her computer case, and took a seat, noticing he hadn’t moved. “Well, you ready to work or do you want a do-over, see if you can improve?”
Mitch narrowed his eyes and dropped his arms to his side, the corners of his mouth turning upward. “Well, babe, from your response, I don’t believe I’ve lost a thing.”
“Well, I can’t help it if you’re delusional. And don’t call me babe.”
He shook his head, taking a seat, and folding his hands on top of his desk. “I understand you’re here to convince me we need a new marketing plan, updated website, and added presence on those social media sites I detest.” He sat back, clasping his hands behind his head. “So start convincing.”
******
Mitch waited for her to fire up her computer, noticing the slight tremor in her hands, and chastising himself for his impulsive action. He’d done the same in Fire Mountain. Something about Dana set him off in all the wrong ways, and even though he knew better, he couldn’t seem to stop his need to touch h
er, feel her fire rip through him. She felt like sunlight and danger, neither sensation comfortable nor welcome. Mitch had to shut this down, if not today, then soon, and send her back home.
Her voice cut into his thoughts and he realized he’d missed everything she’d said since opening her computer. Blinking a couple of times, he sat straight in his seat, sliding a pad of paper toward him and grabbing a pen. At least he could make her think he’d heard her.
“Would it be better if I printed the presentation out for you?”
Irritation swept through him—at Dana, the purpose of her visit, and at himself for letting her get to him. “I can see the computer fine. Just keep going.”
Working through each idea, how it would be addressed, the schedule, and budget, she became increasingly frustrated at what appeared to be total ambivalence. He asked no questions, nor offered any suggestions or comments, answering her entire presentation with complete silence.
After closing her laptop, she set it aside and leaned forward. “What do you think?”
“Interesting. It seems to me you and Amber have gone to a lot of work to fix something which isn’t broken.”
“That’s true. The basic foundation isn’t broken, but it can be improved and needs to align with the other MacLaren companies.”
“Why is that? We’ve done fine all these years without changing the brand.”
She opened her laptop again, pointing to the updated logos. “As you can see, the basic design is the same. We’re updating it to flow with the new marketing material and be consistent with MacLaren Rodeo Company.”
“Ah, MRC, the new name for the saddle bronc and bareback stock company. Why go to all this effort when you and I both know RTC will be folded into MacLaren Rodeo within a year.”
Although Dana suspected as much, she hadn’t been told by Amber or anyone of the proposed change. In her mind, it made sense to integrate as many services as they could, yet she saw little chance of combining the two facilities.
“I haven’t been told about moving RTC into MacLaren Rodeo. It does make sense—at least in some of the areas.” She slid her computer into the case. “What upsets you about that?”
“Are you kidding?” He pushed back from the desk and walked toward the window, motioning her to join him. “Look out here, Dana.”
She moved next to him, feeling her senses go on alert as he brushed an arm with hers.
“You see those men working with the stock? They’ve been with us since I was a kid. We count on them to keep the business running well, and they depend on RTC for their incomes. The same with the office workers. You and I both know when companies combine duplicated work, people lose jobs, families suffer, and it’s almost always an unsatisfactory outcome.” He turned toward her, trying to calm his voice, which had hardened with each sentence. “I’ll fight any action that impacts my people.”
She opened her mouth to speak, stopping when Mitch’s phone rang.
Answering the call, he moved away from her, then out into the hall in an obvious move for privacy. Dana turned back toward the window, watching as workers fed the stock and cleaned stalls, walking in hurried motions around the yard. She’d seen the same flurry of activity at Cam’s location, although the animals being maintained were horses and not bulls.
As Mitch’s absence stretched on, she thought of her barrel racing lessons and the way Cassie controlled her horse with so little effort. It came from years of experience. Much like riding a bicycle, the skills returned, even if, like Cassie, you hadn’t done it in years. She’d competed in high school, dropping off the barrel racing team to concentrate on her studies before going to college.
Dana had no desire to compete, the challenge is what captured her interest. The same as riding her horse, or her motorcycle through winding stretches of mountain roads, and the same challenge she experienced working with Mitch. He tugged at her sense of competence, making her want to prove to him she was as good as anyone else.
“We’ll need to meet again tomorrow.”
“But—”
“Look, Dana. I know you believe what we’re talking about is the most important deal going. Well, it’s not. To be honest, it’s not even a blip on my scale of importance. I’m meeting with you because I have no choice. On the other hand, you do have a choice—two of them. One, head back to Fire Mountain and we’ll communicate via phone and email. So you know, that’s the option I prefer. Two, stick around and roll with my schedule.”
“I have a flight scheduled this weekend.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud and Mitch wasted no time jumping on it.
“Good. Move it up to tomorrow morning.” He picked up his hat and opened the hall door. “I’ll see you the next time I’m in Fire Mountain.” Walking toward the stairs, he paused for only a moment when he heard her footsteps.
“I’m not going anywhere, Mr. MacLaren. You’ll just have to get used to me hanging around until you deem it important to finish an assignment handed to us by Heath, Jace, and your father. I’ll make myself at home until I hear from you.” She walked back into his office, slamming the door behind her, but not before she heard a deep chuckle as he descended the stairs.
******
“I appreciate you checking into this for us, Pop.” Skye reread her notes on Double Ace, circling the name of the man she’d lost proposals to over the last few weeks.
“Give me the name and I’ll check with Heath and Jace. There aren’t too many rodeo contestants they haven’t heard of, especially since he’s from Arizona.” Rafe cradled the phone as he wrote down the name she gave him. “Matt Garner…got it. They’re in the valley for the next few days, but I’ll get back with you as soon as I can.”
“Thanks. Did they take Anne and Caroline down there on a vacation?”
“No, they’re meeting with some people who want Heath to run for public office. From the way Jace tells it, they’ve been after him for a few years. He’s turned them down each time.”
“So, what’s different now?”
“He thinks it may be time to at least listen to the committee. I doubt anything will come of it. Now, how’s Dana doing with Mitch?”
“She’s no wall flower, that’s for certain. It’s her first day and Mitch gave her an hour, then he took off for meetings. He warned Sean and me off, saying he’d give her a tour tomorrow before discussing her ideas in more detail. If I were to bet, I think she’s got no better than a fifty-fifty chance of winning him over.”
“That’s better odds than I’d give her. Mitch seems real determined to shut her ideas down flat. ’Course, Heath’s already made up his mind to go with what she and Amber came up with. Your brother’s got a battle ahead that I’m not sure it’s smart to fight.”
“It’s his battle to lose. You know better than anyone to stay out of his way when he’s got something burning a hole in his gut.” Skye glanced up as Rhett opened the door and took a seat. “I’ve got to go. Call me if you learn anything. Love you.”
“Was that Pop?”
“Yes. He’s going to ask Heath and Jace about Matt Garner…find out if anyone’s heard of him. How’d it go today?”
“Emilio never slows down. That guy moves from one fire to the next all day long. He even eats lunch on the run.” A wry grin spread across Rhett’s face as he spoke about their stock manager.
“He is a whirlwind. At first I wasn’t sure Pop made the right move, promoting him after we had to fire Butch, but now I’m a believer. He’s done a great job. And letting him hire Fritz as his assistant was a great move.” Skye still felt a twinge of pain when she thought of their longtime stock manager who retired and moved to Texas. He’d been with them since before Skye’s birth, and she still missed him.
They’d hired a replacement on the recommendation of a local rancher. Turned out Butch had a well-concealed drinking problem coupled with a gambling habit. Within a few months a young bull went missing, along with other items such as an extra set of truck tires, expensive tools, and tack—all objects he
could sell to make money. They’d brought in the sheriff and within weeks they arrested Butch for the thefts at RTC as well as from other local businesses. He admitted to stealing the tack and tools while denying any involvement in the loss of the bull. The jury hadn’t bought into any of his excuses and sent him off to jail for a few years. Heath made the decision to promote Emilio rather than bring in another outsider.
“What ever happened to Butch? Is he still in jail?” Rhett grabbed a cola from Skye’s refrigerator and popped it open.
“No one’s mentioned him in a long time. I suspect the sheriff will let us know when he gets out. From what Pop said, he won’t be welcome around Crooked Tree.” She glanced at her watch. “Well, guess it’s time we head out. Did you hear what Dana’s doing for dinner?”
“Nope. The last I heard, she drove back to the ranch house to work.” Rhett tossed the empty can in a recycle tub and followed Skye into the parking lot. “My guess is she’ll grab something to eat out of the refrigerator.”
Skye stopped next to her truck, rubbing a hand across her forehead. “I heard Mitch was meeting Lizzie for a drink after work.”
“Yeah, right,” Rhett snorted. “My guess is he won’t be home until late—if he comes back at all.”
She glanced at him, rolling her eyes. “Cut him some slack. He’s putting in sixteen-hour days and deserves a little down time.”
“With Lizzie?”
Skye glared at him, wondering what her seventeen-year-old brother would know about the relationship between Mitch and Lizzie. “It’s his choice, Rhett. Don’t judge until you’re old enough to figure it all out.”
“Geez, Skye, from what I’ve seen in our family, I’ll never be old enough to figure it out. Any of it.” He pushed his hat down on his head, pulling keys from his pocket. “I’ll see you later.”
She watched him drive out of the lot, thinking over his last comment and deciding he might be right. Their parents’ divorce hadn’t surprised them—the reason for it did. Everyone felt relief when their mother moved to Southern California to shack up with her boyfriend.
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