Pursued by the Rich Rancher

by Catherine Mann

  “Mind if I come in?”

  She stepped back, opening the door wider to reveal packed suitcases by the sofa. Her vintage bag sported large stickers displaying sites from around the world. “We need to talk.”

  God, he hoped that was a good sign.

  “Let’s sit on the sofa. I have a few things to show you.”

  Her face gave nothing away as she padded silently beside him. Either she was egoing to boot him out on his butt. Or, if she somehow still had a shred of hope for their relationship, she was going to make him work for it.

  Fine. Ranchers were well versed in hard work. He was putting everything on the line tonight now that he knew exactly what he wanted.

  “Nina, I realize I royally messed things up between us. I should have been honest from the start. I let my fear for my grandmother cloud my judgment, and that’s the last thing she would want.”

  She rested a hand on his arm. “I understand—”

  No way was he giving her a chance to let him down easy or tell him she’d already called a cab. He plowed ahead, situating the box he’d brought beside him. He needed to bring out everything he had. Now.

  “I’m not sure that you do understand just how much you mean to me and how much I value the woman you are, but I’m hoping this will show you.” He reached into the box and pulled out a book. “This is from the family library. It contains the French poem I gave you on our first date.”

  He set the leather-bound edition on her coffee table.

  She traced the gold lettering on the front. “I thought you looked up the poem on the internet.”

  He would have laughed at that if he wasn’t still scared out of his mind she had one foot out the door already. “That certainly would have been faster. But the journey is well worth the effort.”

  Next, he pulled out a box of Swiss chocolates and a Violet Crumble candy bar from Australia. “These came from our gift shop, but they’re just a sampling of places I want to take you and Cody. I know you’ve given up a lot of dreams for your son, Nina, and I’d like to give them back to you. I want to ride in the Swiss Alps with you and make love under the stars. I want to take Cody to Australia and show him a whole other kind of cowboy to enjoy.”

  He meant it too. He’d stuck close to home ever since leaving the rodeo circuit, finding peace at the Hidden Gem. But he wanted to see more of the world through Nina’s eyes.

  Her hands went to her heart, but she stayed silent.

  “I also want Cody to learn to love the ranch here.”

  “He already does,” she said softly.

  “Good, but I want him to feel a part of the history of this place.” He pulled out a heavy woven blanket. “This is a Native American blanket made by one of our local artisans, quite heavy, and I thought it might be of comfort to Cody. And even if the blanket doesn’t suit him, I want this to be a symbol of how much I care for your son.”

  Tears welled in her eyes as she took the blanket from him and clasped it her chest. “Alex, you don’t need to say any more. You’ve already—”

  He touched her lips to quiet her, hoping maybe he was getting through to her. But he had a lot to make up for and he wasn’t taking any chances on screwing this up too.

  “I worked to pull this together tonight and intend to see it through because it’s important to me that you know how much you mean to me, Nina.” Deep inside the box, he withdrew a manila envelope. “This contains the proposal my investment broker just sent to yours.”

  She took the envelope and pulled out the papers, her hands trembling. She scanned the documents, then gasped. “Oh my God, Alex. Why did you offer to pay such a ridiculous amount for Cody’s stocks? I thought you said your cash flow was tied up right now?”

  “I did this because it’s the right thing to do,” he answered simply. “Cody is an amazing kid. I hope with every fiber of my being that with you as his advocate, he will have a future full of independence. But I know that’s not a given. So I did what I could to help him.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “You really did risk your inheritance by pursuing me instead of taking your grandmother’s ‘test.’ You’re not trying to buy me off?”

  As if that could even be done? He knew her better than that. This was a woman with deep values and a huge heart. “Nina, I would do just about anything for you. But this was for Cody, because that boy has come to mean a lot to me. Because I want the best for his future too.”

  A future Alex hoped he would be a part of.

  She tucked the papers back into the envelope and set them on top of the blanket. “You didn’t put your own finances at risk for this, did you?”

  “I’ll be fine. Hidden Gem will be fine. It’s a done deal.” His grandmother was ecstatic. Now he just prayed it was enough to keep Nina and Cody in his life.

  She smoothed her hand along the envelope. “I don’t know what to say to that other than thank you.”

  He rested his hand over hers. “You could say you forgive me.”

  She drew in a shaky breath. “I wish you could have been open with me from the beginning, and especially as we got to know each other, but I can understand how deeply torn you must have felt the effects of your grandmother’s illness.”

  “You’re too forgiving.” His hands slid up her arms as he started to hope this could work out after all. “I have one more thing for you in the box. Are you still interested?”

  She smiled. “Most definitely.”

  God, how crazy that he was nervous over this part when he knew with every fiber of his being it was exactly what he wanted. But then nothing had ever been this important. He reached in to pull out a dozen yellow roses.

  “I know that red roses are supposed to signify love, but we’re in Texas, and the yellow rose is our flower. I very much want you to be my Texas rose. Now. Always. Because in spite of my quiet tendency to keep to myself, I have fallen impulsively, totally in love with you, Nina Lowery.”

  The tears in her eyes spilled over and she launched into his arms, the flowers crushing between them and releasing sweet perfume.

  Her mouth met his and she kissed him once, twice and again, before pulling back. “Oh God, Alex, I love you too. Your strength, your tenderness, the way you always put others first, which makes me want to be your champion, giving back to you the way you give to so many others.”

  His heart pounded with relief and happiness. How did he get this damn lucky? “I have a plan. We can see each other every week while we work out details. If you don’t want to move I can look into opening a Hidden Gem in San Antonio.”

  She gasped. “You would do that for me?”

  “For you, absolutely.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I want what’s best for you and Cody. We can figure that out together.”

  She set aside the crushed flowers and pulled out one long-stemmed bud that had survived. “Actually my job enables me to live anywhere. So I was thinking more along the lines of a long-term rental of one of the cabins. You and I could...date.” She trailed the flower under her nose and then provocatively between her breasts. “Get to know each other better. Turn this fling into an all-out affair.”

  “Ah,” he sighed, anticipation pumping through him. “I can romance you. Win you over.”

  “You’ve already won me over. Lock, stock and barrel, I’m yours.” She traced a rosebud along the side of his face. “And you are mine.”

  * * * * *

  If you loved Alex’s romance,

  pick up the ot
her books in

  USA TODAY bestselling author

  Catherine Mann’s

  DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH series:

  Stone’s story

  ONE GOOD COWBOY

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  and

  Amie’s story

  PREGNANT BY THE COWBOY CEO

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  One

  As head administrator of the royal palace in the small, autonomous country of Bajul, Kira Darzin had grown accustomed to being summoned on a moment’s notice by the king. But as she stood in the study’s open doorway, waves of shock washed over her when her gaze came to rest on the undeniably handsome man seated near the desk.

  With his neatly trimmed near-black hair, perfectly tailored steel gray suit, and dark Italian loafers, he could have been any successful billionaire. His masculine hands resting casually on the red brocade chair’s arms, and the slight lift of his chin, gave him the appearance of an average arrogant autocrat. Yet, when Kira zeroed in on Tarek Azzmar’s dark eyes, the power in his intense stare threatened to sweep her away, as it had already done one fateful night not so long ago.

  She saw unmistakable confidence. She sensed deep secrets. She felt the pull of provocative danger. A place she had been before both with him, and with another man from her past. A place she vowed to never revisit.

  She also noticed that his somewhat regal air made it seem as if he was the one holding court in the private office that belonged to Rafiq Mehdi, the official monarch of Bajul, who was oddly absent. However, Mr. Deeb, the king’s personal assistant, stood not far away. When Deeb greeted her, his words sounded tinny to her ears as Tarek rose to his feet, revealing well over six feet of prime male.

  With effort, Kira reclaimed enough calm to pretend she had never associated with the Moroccan mogul beyond a few social gatherings. A bald-faced lie. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Azzmar,” she said through a polite and somewhat forced smile.

  “The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Darzin.”

  His emphasis on the word unearthed several images in Kira’s mind. Hot kisses. Naked bodies. One night of unbelievable passion. And six weeks since that experience, not one word from him.

  That sour thought thrust her back to the business at hand. “What might I do for you two gentlemen today?”

  Tarek presented the sexy half smile that had melted her resistance like warm chocolate from the first moment they’d met. “Perhaps Mr. Deeb should explain.”

  The balding, middle-aged assistant stepped forward and pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Actually, I am here representing His Excellency. Both he and Mr. Azzmar request your assistance.”

  She saw planning an elite soiree in her future. Lovely. “I’m sorry, but I was on my way out for an appointment when I received the message to stop by here. I didn’t bring the upcoming schedule with me. If you’ll give me a date, I’ll begin planning the event immediately.”

  “This does not involve an event,” Tarek said. “It would require your attention for ten days, perhaps even two weeks.”

  She couldn’t imagine any project that would last so long if it didn’t involve a special occasion or state dinner. “Do you mind giving me specifics?”

  “Mr. Azzmar needs a personal assistant,” Deeb began, “and King Mehdi has offered your services until a replacement can be located.”

  Surely they weren’t serious. She glanced at Tarek and, from the all-business expression on his striking face, saw he was quite serious. Regardless, she would not bend to his will and instead, mentally ran through a litany of reasons to decline, minus the most important one—she was too vulnerable when it came to his charisma. “Considering my responsibilities with my position at the palace, I’m afraid that’s impossible. Prince Zain, his wife and children will be returning in three days. And next week, Prince Adan’s sister-in-law and Sheikh Rayad will be joining them. Someone has to prepare for their arrival.”

  “We have resolved that issue,” Deeb added. “Elena has agreed to assume your responsibilities until you fulfill your duty to Mr. Azzmar.”

  She had a difficult time believing Elena, former governess and biological mother of the youngest Mehdi prince, Adan, would agree to such a thing. “She hired me as the director of the household so she could retire. It doesn’t seem fair to ask this of her.”

  Deeb scowled. “Our king gave the order and Elena still adheres to his directives.”

  Kira stifled a retort involving what the king could do with this directive. “And I have no say in this matter?”

  Before Deeb could respond, Tarek took a step forward to address the royal attaché. “Might I have a word alone with Ms. Darzin?”

  Deeb nodded. “Of course. I will return to my office should you require further assistance.”

  As soon as Deeb left out the door, closing it behind him, Kira turned to Tarek and frowned. “Would you please explain why you didn’t reject Rafiq’s request in light of what happened between us?”

  He leaned back against the desk and folded his arms across his chest. “I made the request, not the king.”

  Unbelievable. “Why would you want me as your glorified secretary with all the other candidates available among the palace staff?”

  “No secretarial work will be involved, and no other candidates intrigue me as you do.”

  Kira crossed the room to the window, putting much-needed space between them and stared a few seconds at the mountainous terrain before facing him again. “You mean no other candidates have slept with you, correct?”

  “I do not recall any measurable sleeping that night.”

  Neither did Kira, but she did remember one important fact. “True, and then you suddenly disappeared. I assumed you had moved back to Morocco.”

  “What would the logic be in that since I have recently completed my estate here in Bajul?”

  She supposed her hypothesis hadn’t made much sense. Then again, neither had letting their relationship go so far during the time when the royal family had been in the States for their cousin Rayad’s wedding to Piper Mehdi’s sister, Sunny. If she’d only been focused on her job, they wouldn’t be having this conversation.

  “I just found it odd you haven’t been around the past six weeks.” And somewhat hurtful, not that she dared admit that to him.

  “Actually, I have been traveling abroad.”

  She almost asked if the broad had a name but recognized that word probably wouldn’t be a part of his vernacular. “Backpacking in Europe?”

  That earned her a confused look. “Completing a multimillion-dollar business venture.”

  Just what he needed—more money. Kira bit back the snide comment for the time being. “Regardless, I still feel it’s wise that we not spend any more time together than necessary, particularly for two weeks. If you n
eed my help finding someone who can assist you, I’m willing to begin looking tomorrow.”

  He pushed off the desk and approached her slowly, his intense eyes trained on hers. “You would defy your king’s order?”

  If Tarek came any closer, she might agree to anything. “I’m sure he would understand if I explained why I can’t accommodate you.”

  His smile was somewhat devious and patently sensual. “You would tell him that we made love on the marble floor in my ballroom?”

  That prompted several more images that Kira forced away. “Of course not. First of all, we had sex with no love involved. Secondly, no one needs to know that I had an interlude with a palace guest unless I want to lose my job, which I don’t. I’ll simply tell the king my schedule is too full.”

  He stood in front of her then, a scant few inches between them. “Surely you do not believe Rafiq Mehdi will accept that explanation.”

  Not exactly. “All I can do is try. If he rejects my excuse, then I’ll think of something else.” A spontaneous trip to Canada to visit her parents seemed like a viable explanation.

  Tarek moved closer, reached out and tucked one side of her chin-length hair behind her ear. “Your eyes fascinate me. The dark blue color is extraordinary, yet it suits your overall beauty.”

  Here we go again. His charming tactics had sent her straight into trouble the last time, but she couldn’t force herself to move away from him. “You can stop the compliments now. You’ve already had your way with me.”

  “I wish to have my way with you again.”

  His motivation had become all too clear. “Is that what this is all about?”

  Fortunately, he dropped his hand, causing her to release the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “No. I sincerely do need an assistant I can trust. You are intelligent and personable and highly regarded by the Mehdis. However, I see no reason not to enjoy each other’s company when you come with me to my private seaside escape.”