by Wood, Lauren
Rosalyn shook her head. “Child, what are you doing? Answer this man.”
She looked at Rosalyn and she was even more spooked than before. “I will. I am. I just. I didn’t see this coming is all. We haven’t talked about this before and it is coming as quite a shock right now at the moment.”
“So what do you say Sherry? Are you going to give me an answer and make me the happiest man on Earth?”
“Yes Rex. I will marry you.”
I stood up and embraced her. It had been literally weeks and weeks since I had been able to do it and she felt so right in my arms. It was the feeling that I had missed so completely before, but now she was mine and I was never going to let her go.
There were congratulations all around and I looked at Charlie once I was done hugging Sherry to me. I waited for him to say anything, I knew what he was thinking, but he just kind of grinned and patted me on the back.
“Welcome to the family Rex, though you have been a part of our family for a long time now.”
“Yes you have Rex. I can’t believe this news! My daughter is getting married and she is going to have a baby! I couldn’t be happier, really.”
The two women embraced and her father slapped me on the back as well. I could tell that he was feeling more like his son than his wife, still not sure. I had always looked up to him, he was a good man and maybe the announcement wouldn’t have been so unwelcomed if it hadn’t been following an announcement of the fact that I had knocked her up as well.
“You better take care of her Rex. She will always be my little girl.”
“Of course, Sir. I will spend my life making her happy.”
“Good, you are a good man and she couldn’t have picked better. I just wish that there was a slower engagement in our future. The women are going to froth this up in now time. How quickly are you two going to get married?”
We hadn’t talked about it, at all. I hadn’t spoken to his daughter in several weeks, but I knew what my answer to that question was.
“I am going to marry her as soon as she will let me. Tomorrow if possible.”
The older man grinned and told me that it was a good answer. Sherry overheard the conversation and smiled at me. It was the kind that stuck me in the heart and promised to never let go.
“Tomorrow sounds really good.”
BUZZ
Chapter 36
Sherry
9 months later…
“Are you sure that this is what you want to do with your day off? We could be at home getting dirty right now.”
“It is what I want to do, though I wouldn’t say no to some naughty dirt either. I wanted you to see all of what has changed. I know that you are going to be surprised.”
“I still don’t know what made all of this change. Why do you want to put it all in the past now? I mean, I am glad, don’t get me wrong, but the club brought in a good amount of profit. It was what we were going to live on.”
He pulled me to him and told me that I didn’t have anything to worry about. “I have plenty of money put aside for a rainy day Sherry. This is going to work. Charlie and I know this market and it is better than what we have been doing. After Layla was born, I couldn’t work there anymore. I kept thinking, what if this was my daughter. It ruined the business and Charlie wanted out anyways. He was sick of hiding and so am I. Now we can be proud of what we do.”
“But advertising? I don’t know. It just sounds really risky.”
“It is, but we built that club up in less than a couple of years. It is our greatest accomplishment and even though it was not the best place, it was noted how well it started to do. It was all because of advertising and we have already took on several clients that seen what we did with the club first hand and want similar results.”
I made a face and got out of the car. I knew that Rex was doing something with the club, but I had no idea that he was going to get rid of it altogether and make another company. I hadn’t seen that part coming and now that I was here, I still had mixed emotions about being here. “Well mom is going to watch her for a little while, so let’s see what you have done with the place.”
The smile was magnanimous and it made me return it in kind. I could tell that he was excited to show me and I was excited to see something different. I hadn’t complained about his work, but I didn’t like it and I would be the first to admit quietly that this is what I wanted. I didn’t want my husband surrounded by so many beautiful women. I was still jealous, even when I tried hard not to be. I just couldn’t help it and he was just so handsome that I found it hard to focus sometimes.
I was not expecting the inside to look so nice. It was now light and airy and the name was different. Now this place was named after both of the men and there was advertising proclamation to all who walked in. It was so different and I loved it with all of my heart.
“Do you really think this is going to work?”
“It will work. I promise that it is going to be okay. I thought you had more faith in me than that.”
“I do Rex. I am just nervous. This is all so new and the more I think about it, the more I worry about everything else. With the baby now, everything seems so much more pressing. I just want us to be happy and okay.”
“Well don’t fret about it anymore. We are going to be fine. Everything is going to be just fine Sherry. I am going to take care of you and Layla. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore.”
“I don’t worry Rex.”
“Yes you do. You worry about everything, but it just makes me love you even more.”
I didn’t know what to say, but as he held me from behind, I started to feel more like myself and I started to feel like maybe he was right and everything was going to be fine.
“Well it will be good to invite mom and dad into the city without worrying about all of the questions about business. It has been trying at times and I know it must be for you and Charlie as well.
“It is, but I assure you that it will be different now.”
“I don’t want it to be too different Rex. I have never been so happy in all of my life. Surely you know what you have done to me.”
“I just want to make you happy Sherry.”
I kissed him on his lips and whimpered a little with the touch. “You do Rex, this I promise you. You make me so happy. I wish now that I had come back home sooner. Then I would have met you and this would have happened sooner.”
“I don’t know if I was ready yet. Sometimes it is all about timing and I am just glad that we finally got our timing right for once.”
I hope you enjoyed MY BEST FRIEND’S LITTLE SISTER! If you did, I would love if you could leave a review to help other readers find it.
* * *
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RODEO RANCHER
BLURB
* * *
My darkest desire.
I wanted my muscled horse trainer.
One night with him was all it took.
I was hooked and I needed more.
He gave me more pleasure than I ever thought possible.
* * *
Cecelia
* * *
Being with him was always a no go. He was a player and I didn’t want to get hurt.
But I wanted him. Really bad.
After one night together, I knew everything that I had wished for was real. This was real.
He was everything that I needed and so much more.
I wanted him to be mine, all mine, but it was impossible to keep a man like Dante. He was a womanizer and I was just another pawn for him to play with.
* * *
I felt for my boss and now I had to make her mine.
Cece was every cowboy’s wet dream in town.
I need her in the worst way.
* * *
Dante
* * *
I tried for years to seduce the boss. Cecelia was what I wanted and every other girl was just a means to an end. But not her. Cece was the end game.
I finally
got her into my arms. I knew that I only needed one night to make her mine.
All I had to do was get her screaming out my name, begging for more and I wouldn’t be able to get rid of her.
I am going to have her for life, the girl I waited for all of this time.
She was going to be mine. All mine. Every inch of that sexy body was going to be mine for the taking.
Every damn inch.
* * *
***
Chapter 37
Cecelia
“How is hiring going?”
I shrugged and made a face at my friend. It had been one of those days and the more I thought about the line of people I had to interview most of the day, it would have just made my head hurt more.
“I still haven’t found some regular hands. I am short four at the moment and I wish I could find a couple real quick. I am sick of trying to cover everything with less people than I need. It never used to be this hard to keep people. I guess the work is too hard or something.”
“I don’t know how you do it. I work as a secretary sitting on my butt all day. I get tired just watching you run around here.”
Karen took another drink of her cold coffee and I just shook my head again. I had tried before to get her to work with me on my family’s ranch, but she wasn’t going for it. There were a lot of reasons why not, even though I would pay double what she makes now. Karen just didn’t want to do this kind of work and some days I can honestly say that I don’t blame her. There were days that I didn’t even want to get up, but I loved my job, no matter how difficult it was or how sore my muscles were at the end of the day.
“I think a lot of people are on the same page Karen. You would think that I was suggesting that they eat a rat. I had a guy today that told me there was no way that one person could do everything I wanted. I think I am just going to have to give up on it all. I wish I could find more people like Dante and Carl. If I had a couple more of them, I wouldn’t have to look anymore.”
“How is Dante?”
I sighed and just shrugged a little, not wanting to have this conversation again with her. “The same as always. I don’t know why you bother worrying about him. He is bad news and a heartbreaker.”
“No he isn’t. He is just looking for one thing and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes a girl isn’t looking for a happily ever after, just a good night.”
I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore her implication. Dante was handsome, very much so, but he knew it and that was always a problem. He had hit on me a couple of times when he first started last year, but I wasn’t biting. I knew all about men like him and though Karen thought she just wanted a good night, it would be painful in the end. She would fall, like a woman always does for that type and then be crushed when he doesn’t change his ways. It’s madness.
“Well, don’t hold back on my account.”
She crinkled her nose. “No, I don’t think I am his type. You are more the kind of girl I see him at the bar with, then me.”
“You never know. But I am not getting into it between you two. He is a good employee and I don’t want it getting complicated. He is a wonder with the horses.”
Karen pouted for a moment and then brightened back up. “If you aren’t going to hook me up, you could at least find out if he has a girlfriend or anything.”
I could have reminded her that he didn’t date, he brought back random women to the hand house all of the time. They were always different, never introduced and never brought to the main house for dinner. It was rather clear to me what Dante was looking for. Instead of arguing, I just went with it though. She didn’t want to hear my real opinion.
“I will see what I can do. I don’t know if he is seeing anyone right now, but next time I see Dante around I will ask him.” I just didn’t want him to think that it was because of me and some interest that I had in him. I would have to be clear that I was asking for Karen.
She thanked me and had this beaming smile on her face. I didn’t get it with Dante. The man was sexy, sure, but how did he get grown women to lose their minds a little bit. It just didn’t make sense and though it was entertaining to see, I didn’t want Karen to go down the same path. She had a tender heart and didn’t need to get it broken because of some pheromone that Dante was letting off. I knew better myself than to get involved with it.
Karen left a little while later, complaining about the lack of air conditioning in the office. My father never liked A/C, so when the house was modernized, he had worried very little about upgrading the heating and cooling. Over the years I had gotten used to it and rather enjoyed the slight breeze on another hot day in Texas.
I sat back in my chair and tried to figure out what I was going to do for next week’s schedule. It was one of those weeks where I was already short, something that was normal at the Barclay’s Horse Ranch, but now there was another rodeo in town and several of the horses were going to have to be transported to the location. That meant I was going to lose Dante on the ranch, which meant chaos. He did a lot when he wasn’t a womanizer and I was going to miss him. I knew I was going to be the one that picked up the slack if I didn’t get in gear and hire someone else immediately.
“Speaking of the devil.”
“Huh?”
“I was just thinking about you. What are you doing this Friday night?”
“Seeing if you had any hires for me to train before I leave for Houston.”
“Not at the moment. You have any friends that I can hire on?”
Dante sat down on the other side of the desk and smiled at me with that boyish look. “What are you looking for?”
“Hands mainly.”
“I know a few people. I will make some calls. Those flyers didn’t work?”
I sighed and blew out a deep breath. “No, they didn’t. I wanted to go to the rodeo next weekend, but I don’t know if I am going to be able to. Hell, I don’t know what I am going to do when you are gone Dante.”
“Aww, are you going to miss me?”
He was up again and walking behind me. He was being patronizing, but I didn’t care. I knew what he was going to do next and usually I would shrug him off, but right now I needed it. Dante was always on and the charm was something that he couldn’t turn off or he just refused to. It was hard to deny what Karen and many others seen in him, but I knew him too well to ever consider him a romantic option.
But his hands were amazing and I was going to allow it. “You have a lot of tension in your neck Cece.”
I agreed but didn’t say anything. It was best just to let him work. Dante had first rubbed my shoulders after a long ride where it was killing me. I had learned then that he had magic fingers, but I also learned quickly that his tongue was too honeyed for me. I had to be careful to not get sucked into his vortex.
“Does that feel good Cece?”
“You know it does Dante.”
He bent down and moved close to my ear. “You should imagine what I could do if you would let me rub on more than just your shoulders.”
His hands were moving down my arms and I felt one of his fingers lightly touch the underside of my left boob. That pulled me from it and I shrugged off the hands that drove me crazy.
“That’s enough. I am feeling better, thank you.”
Dante grinned and leaned on the desk in front of me. “I will wear you down one day Cecelia.”
“Doubt it. You know how I feel about it. But seriously, get that wolf look off your face and tell me who it is that you know that can start immediately. They have to know a little something and be able to learn, that’s it.”
“You had a lot of people in and out of this office today.”
I just gave him a look. “I know.”
“So the bar is that low now?”
“Ever since hiring you Dante.”
He grinned again and I just shook my head. “So?”
“Well I was seeing this chick that worked at Billy’s. She doesn’t like it over there, pay is crap. She kno
ws her stuff, knows the animals, so she would be a good fit.”
“Are you still seeing here?”
“Jealous?”
I returned that grin he always had on his face with one of my own. “Not at all. Don’t let it get in the way of your work and I don’t care. But my friend wanted to know if you were seeing anyone.”
“That curvy blonde with the huge rack?”
Shaking my head, I nodded in agreement. That was Karen in a nutshell, according to a man. It was the first thing that entered the room and the part of her that everyone seemed to remember more than anything else. But it also proved my point about the depravity of the man.
“Yes, that’s the one. But I would rather you just say you are taken.”
His smile faded and he got serious.
“Why did you ask then?”
“I said I would. I don’t go back on my word. So forget Karen. What is this girls’ name you were running around with?”
“Barb.”
“Give me her number and I will give her a call. Or if you want to do it yourself, I am sure she would be happy to reward you for such good news.”
“Well do I get a reward for bringing in some help?”
Dante leaned in like he wanted a kiss, pursing his lips up.
“I will keep writing your pay checks. That is all. Besides, you are the one that is getting run ragged. I figured you would like some help around here. Get your little girlfriend in here, sounds like you owe me.”
“I am yours for the taking Cece.”
I groaned and waited for the name and number. I wasn’t going to tell Karen what he said. It really was for her own good. Dante was a mess. And frankly, I just didn’t like the idea of them two together, at all.
