Cowboy 12 Pack
Page 160
“Hey, boss, I thought the pool workers would like a refreshing cold drink.” Adriana raised her hand. “All non-alcoholic, of course.”
“Fine, but then they need to get back to work. They’ve been eating their lunches for an hour. I’m not paying them to take a siesta.”
“You got it.” Adriana’s smile was wide as she tossed her straight black hair over her shoulder and sauntered out beyond the pavilion.
Kendra shook her head and sighed before heading inside. She could tell Adriana was much happier than she’d been when Kendra met her in Storey County, Nevada, during a small poker tournament. She hadn’t planned on playing that one, but at the last minute had skipped Reno to avoid a possible awkward meeting with her ex-husband. When she decided to open a nudist resort, Adriana had come to mind immediately as someone who wouldn’t care about a bunch of naked people running around.
Striding through the large gathering room with its twelve-foot-wide stone fireplace, Kendra allowed herself a secret smile. The contractor had thought the fireplace would be too big, but even he acknowledged how awesome it looked in the great room. It had become the centerpiece of the main building.
Walking through one of the cozy dining rooms, she pushed open the batwing doors to the kitchen. The spotless, stainless steel area was the domain of her cook, Selma, who was, as usual, muttering to herself in Spanish.
Kendra opened the refrigerator and grabbed a protein shake. She hadn’t had lunch, but she didn’t have time to stop for it either. Walking over to the shiny dishwasher, she listened to the hum as it sanitized its contents then crouched and looked beneath it to be sure everything was draining properly. Two nights ago, that had not been the case. If it was having issues, she would add it to her list for the plumber tomorrow. All appeared fine, so that meant one less task for the man.
She stood, then walked to where Selma cut vegetables on the stainless steel counter. She went at the food like a lumberjack at a tree, but Kendra couldn’t fault the results. “Selma, any other plumbing problems I need to have the plumber take a look at tomorrow?”
The older woman didn’t stop slicing. “Yeah, the hand sink is clogged. There’s no fucking reason why it should be that way. I only wash my hands there. I take as good care of my kitchen here as I did of my girls in Carlin. I’m telling you, either there is a curse upon this place, or someone is messing with us.”
Selma’s brothel had been the best on Interstate 80 until, according to the ex-madam, a curse had been laid upon it. So it was no surprise this was her latest theory regarding the many hiccups they’d encountered in getting the resort ready, but Kendra honestly believed it was simply how things went these days. Faulty products, ignorant installers, cracks due to shipping, etcetera, had easily explained the hurdles she’d had to jump over. “Okay, I’ll have him look at it tomorrow. Hopefully, that will be the end of it.”
Selma grumbled something unintelligible that Kendra had a feeling wasn’t meant for her ears, so she grabbed up her shake and took a swallow as she exited the kitchen. Striding toward the front desk, she noticed Wade and Lacey getting into a golf cart. Now why did Lacey have to show him where the stables were? Couldn’t he see them for himself?
Irritation had her taking another swallow. Pushing open one of the tall tinted doors that welcomed visitors to the resort, she stepped out into the heat.
Lacey was explaining. “Don’t worry, it’s actually a rule that we keep our clothes on during our shift. Just be forewarned, Adriana does like men, so you may want to be on your guard with her.”
Wade smiled. “Good to know.”
Kendra gritted her teeth. The cowboy didn’t need a personal escort to the stables. Her bookkeeper/receptionist had a lot of work to do. “Lacey, did you show Wade his casita?”
The pretty girl started as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “Oh, I didn’t know you were here. Yes, I did. I was going to explain the stables to Wade, but I need to reconcile the bedding shipment with what we received.”
Kendra’s muscles relaxed. “Go ahead and do the shipment. I’ll point out the way. We’re shorthanded as it is and your abilities are critical to Poker Flat.”
Lacey blushed. “Okay. Thanks.”
As Lacey walked into the building, Kendra studied the cowboy. He considered her with equal interest, but it wasn’t admiration. He appeared puzzled and that gave her a certain amount of satisfaction. She never revealed her hand.
Strolling over to the cart, she took one more swallow of her shake. “Have you ever driven a golf cart?”
The brim of his hat shaded his face, but his expression was easily read. “Yes, actually. I helped my little sister with a few of her golf tournament fundraisers.”
Oh boy, this cowboy was far too good for the likes of Poker Flat. One more reason for her to stay away. “Good. Then take the path marked with the horse’s head. We made all the signs easy for guests to follow.”
He looked at the sign, putting his face in profile again. Shit, he was as handsome from the side as from the front. She had the unusual urge to nip at his jawline.
“That’s smart. I wish all vacation spots did that.”
His compliment surprised her, and she shifted her weight to her right leg, jutting out her hip. “I had to do that because our employee base isn’t large and I didn’t want to waste staff positions on golf cart drivers.”
He turned back to her and smiled. “Another smart idea.”
Completely uncomfortable with his praise and inviting smile, she ignored his comment. “In your office you should find enough to get started. Make a list of anything there you need as well as anything else for marking trails and suggestions for horses. I plan on having guests chauffeured from the garage to the resort in a wagon and I want to offer trail rides for those who are more adventurous. Remember, all guests will be nude, so if there are any special supplies we need in order to make sitting a horse comfortable, write them down too.”
His smile disappeared. “Wait, you want people to ride horses while naked?”
“Of course. This is a nudist resort.”
“I’m sorry, but you can’t do that.”
She opened her mouth to tell him she could do whatever she wanted, but he kept talking.
“If a person rides naked, they will have burns not only on their legs where they brush the saddle, but also in other areas that I guarantee you they will not be happy about.”
She pondered that for a moment. Maybe that was why no other resort offered nude horseback riding, why Buddy and Ginger had longed for that experience so much. So if she could figure it out, it would make her place even more unique than it was. “I’m sure we can come up with a way around that. We’ll go over it tonight.”
He frowned and her stomach tensed. “Dinner is at six. Don’t be late. You don’t want to miss Selma’s cooking and you don’t want to make her mad at you either.”
“Why Ms. Lowe?”
“Trust me. I was late one night and I found my quesadilla riddled with hot pepper sauce so fiery it burned my mouth for two days. You’re better off not showing up at all.”
He grinned and her stomach relaxed. “Okay, I’ll be on time.”
“Good, and Wade…”
“Yes.”
“I’m not high society and I’m not married anymore, so as I said before, we can drop the Ms. Lowe.”
He bowed his head and she could have sworn he was hiding a smile, but when he looked at her, he was dead serious. “I’ll remember that, Kendra.”
Her throat closed as he spoke her name, a strong rush of heat invading her body. Nodding once, she turned around and strode back to the building, throwing her empty shake can in the trash outside before stepping into the coolness of the resort.
Damn, she liked the sound of her name on his lips. Staying away from that cowboy was going to be very, very hard.
Chapter Two
‡
WADE ADMIRED THE swing of his new boss’s hips and smirked. The blasted
woman hadn’t smiled yet, but he would make her. Not delving into why that was important to him, he climbed into the golf cart. Turning the quiet vehicle on, he slowly maneuvered it around the fountain that welcomed guests and followed the path to the stables.
When he arrived and stepped out, he couldn’t help letting out a low whistle. The stables were perfect. He’d seen new stables before, but these had been well planned and the materials were quality. His estimation of Kendra Lowe rose another notch. Whether it was her or her ability to allow her stable manager to do his work didn’t matter.
The building was painted white, which would gray with age, and there was an outside wash area that included a shower for workers. Inside were six stalls on each side along with an area for tack and an area for feed. Across from that was the wagon Kendra mentioned. Billy was right, it was a sweet reproduction that looked authentic, but with extra shocks to cushion the ride for modern passengers and their luggage. He didn’t see a stagecoach in this building. Maybe it was for show, like the waterfall by the pool, and was somewhere else on the property.
Wade strolled through the barn, his anticipation building as he envisioned horses, hay and saddles in all their assigned places. When he stepped out the back, he found a corral and farther off was additional fencing to allow the horses to graze and run. Next to the barn was another, smaller building with a large metal one attached out back.
Returning through the stables, he entered the smaller building to find it housed his office along with a bathroom, break room and a waiting area for guests. At the end of the hall, he opened another door and halted. “Holy shit.”
In the middle of a steel garage structure stood a red-lacquered stagecoach. Stepping closer, he could see it was also a reproduction, but it was stellar. He ran his hand along the frame and finally opened the door. “This had to have cost a fortune.” As he hiked himself up, the coach rocked sideways. He sat on one of the leather seats and peered through the open window to view the suspension. Large leather straps held the seating compartment above the axles. If the stagecoach had been outside, he would have thought he’d stepped back in time, but it wasn’t. His view was the metal walls of the building. After jumping down, he closed the door carefully. Without a second thought, he pulled himself up to the driver’s seat.
Maybe it was the kid in him, but the adrenaline rush of being atop such a fascinating vehicle had him itching to drive it. He chuckled as he looked about him. There were no reins to flick without horses, but there was an emergency brake and he worked it a couple times.
Where the hell did this woman’s money come from? Was that what had his predecessors leaving? Did they discover she had stolen the money or worse, was connected to a drug ring or something? He just couldn’t see her as having been born rich. Rich people did not get their hands dirty like this woman did. Had his predecessors discovered she had links to a drug cartel? Out here in the desert would be a perfect hiding spot. If Dale was linked to something like that, his fledging business would die a quick death. Concern tightened Wade’s stomach. He needed to stay focused on his investigation. That was his priority.
He certainly wasn’t going to find out anything sitting on top of a stagecoach to nowhere. He climbed down and headed for the exit. He had an obligation to fulfill to Dale and also to Kendra and playing around wasn’t going to get it done. Closing the door to the garage without a backward glance, Wade stepped into his office and set his hat on the file cabinet.
Settling into the comfortable leather chair, he flicked on the computer. More than a dozen folders popped up all clearly labeled, but there were dozens of files outside those folders. Opening one titled “Horses,” he perused the contents. There was good research already done there. Closing the folder, he scanned the others. One was titled “Misc.” Curious, he opened it. Scanned copies of receipts for what looked like trips were the first twenty. Clicking on another, he found a list of all the employees. Hmm, maybe the last stable manager wasn’t good with names as there was a description next to each.
He frowned at the phrase next to Kendra’s name—“big boobs.” That wasn’t right. Reading more carefully, he found a lot of derogatory comments next to the female employees. Next to Adriana’s name it read “good lay.” He quickly deleted the file. Didn’t the man realize Kendra could look at his computer files at any time?
Disturbed, Wade scanned the rest of the file titles until he came across a bunch that started with an X. Curious, he opened one. “Fucking asshole.” The file was a photo of a woman’s pussy, her legs spread wide, her fingers playing with her clit. He clicked on properties and was somewhat relieved the image was from an internet site and not taken by the former employee. To make sure, he pulled up another random X file and found another pornographic image. Again it focused on a woman’s pussy, but this one had a dark cock just starting penetration. The woman’s blue fingernails were the same as in the other photo. This picture also had a view of the woman’s breasts as well, her hardened nubs sporting dangling nipple clips. Wade quickly closed the file. Darkening all the X files, he dumped them in the trash and emptied it.
Despite his disgust that his predecessor had stored pornography on his work computer, Wade wasn’t immune to the visual stimulation, and the tightening in his jeans bothered him. He looked in the drawers of the desk and pulled out a pen and paper. Grabbing his hat, he headed for the stables. An inventory of what would be needed should cure his sudden hard-on.
He’d barely stepped into the relative cool of the barn when the buzz of a golf cart caught his attention as it crunched over the desert gravel in front of his office. Stepping outside, he found Billy sitting at the wheel and a man in uniform getting out. “Can I help you?”
The man halted and turned his footsteps toward him. As he drew closer, Wade recognized the sheriff uniform. The man stopped in front of him and held out his hand. “Good afternoon, I’m Deputy Sheriff Harper.”
Wade gave the sheriff’s hand a good shake, not missing how the man sized him up. “Is there a problem?”
Sheriff Harper touched the brim of his hat. “No, not at all. I come out here often to make sure all is okay. This is such an isolated spot and with Kendra being a lone woman, I like to be sure no one is hassling her.”
Instinct had Wade covering his reactions. No sheriff did that unless there were ulterior motives. “I haven’t met him yet, but I understand she does have a security guard. Is there reason for concern? Do you think she should hire more security?”
“My main concern is that this is a nudist resort and who knows what kind of crazies will be coming here. I’ve tried to get her to hire more guards, but she won’t hear of it. So I make sure I come out here often.” Harper tugged on his gun belt, a move not lost on Wade. “So when did you start working here? Last I knew Michael had quit.”
“Just started today. Have to say, these facilities are excellent.” He grinned widely. He could play the single-minded cowboy with the best of them. “Can’t wait to fill this barn with horses.”
“Horses. Right.”
Harper stared openly at him and he kept his wide smile in place. Let the man think he was too interested in horses to notice anything else, but Wade’s instinct told him to keep an eye on Harper.
“Well, I’d best get going.” The sheriff grinned. “I want to stop in and see how Kendra is. I know she appreciates having a man she can call on.”
Wade nodded and headed back into the barn. He felt the sheriff’s eyes on him, so he stopped in front of the wagon since it was near the entrance and wrote on his pad of paper, matching quarter horses. What’s up with Harper? Interested in Kendra? Not going to happen. Clueless. He turned to keep the man in his sight.
Billy honked the pathetic horn on the golf cart and Wade gave what he hoped was a disinterested wave, but the sheriff definitely had his interest.
*
KENDRA LOOKED UP from her computer at the knock on her office door. “Enter if you dare.”
The cowboy stepped in. “You d
id say nine.”
Her body revved at the sight of him and she glanced at the clock instead. “It’s nine already?”
Wade strode forward and took the leather wingback chair in front of her desk. His shoulders spanned it as if it were made for him. The chair swallowed everyone else, not that she should be thinking about his shoulders right now.
“You missed dinner.”
“Yes. That happens a lot. We are very close to opening and there are a thousand details to attend to. One of the perks of being the owner.” She shrugged.
“You lost out on some amazing enchiladas. Selma gave me a couple extra for a midnight snack.” He grinned.
“Selma gave you extras?” Selma never gave anyone to-go plates.
“Yup. And when I told her how much I loved cornbread, she promised to make it on Friday with her chili. You have hired a fantastic cook.”
“I know.” Selma was crankier than a javelina. What made the cowboy so special, besides his broad shoulders, chiseled face and laze-the-day-away eyes?
He leaned forward, the scent of men’s soap, just a slight whiff, filled her nostrils. “I didn’t get her in trouble, did I?”
Clean and fresh like a perfect summer day spent at a picnic in the grass. Kendra shook her head, mainly to dispel the pleasurable feeling he conjured up for her. “No, of course not. I want my employees to get along. If she gave you extra food because she likes you, that’s a good thing.” She minimized the screen she’d been working on and stood.
His gaze swept over her and she was suddenly conscious of being in the same sweaty clothes she’d been in since this afternoon. She certainly wasn’t going to apologize to an employee, although something made her want to. “Did you make that list I asked for?”