God bless her, that smile was aimed right at him. He smiled back and tipped the rim of his Stetson. She tossed her long hair. Always a good sign.
The boys were herded off by their mom but before he could move, three more kids cornered him. He got them squared away by answering more questions and signing their ball caps. He hoped no one else wanted anything because the redhead was starting to look impatient.
“Mr. Tanner?”
The voice came from behind. No one called him that. Just Tanner. He stopped and turned. It was the woman Clay had pointed out earlier. She looked overheated in the blue suit. Her face was flushed and her cheeks damp. She held a hand up to shade her eyes from the broiling afternoon sun, though he figured the big, dark glasses would’ve done the job.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m Alexis Worthington,” she said, extending her hand. “From The Worthington Group.”
“Okay.” If that was supposed to mean something to him it missed the mark. He pulled off his glove. Her hand was small and soft.
“I called you earlier and left a message.”
He automatically touched his shirt pocket where his phone would’ve been had he remembered to bring it. “I haven’t turned my phone on yet today.”
Her arched brows rose above her glasses as if he’d committed a sin. “Actually, I left you a message last night, as well.”
“Don’t know why I didn’t get that one. I wasn’t drunk.” He glanced at the redhead and saw that she was distracted by someone or something in the direction of the arena. “Look, ma’am, I’m kind of in the middle of something,” he said and started walking again, hoping to catch the redhead’s eye.
The short brunette stayed with him. “I understand. When will you be free?”
“For what?”
“To talk.” She checked her wristwatch. “Let’s set a time.”
He got the other woman’s attention again, and smiling, she leaned a hip against a sleek silver convertible. Tanner hoped the car belonged to her. He wouldn’t mind a ride in that honey. She pushed off and straightened when he reached her, the tip of her tongue slipping out to moisten her glossy pink lips. Man, she was tall. At a good six feet, he didn’t beat her by much.
“You waiting for anyone in particular, darlin’?” He smiled, removed his hat and finger-combed his hair.
“Mr. Tanner.”
Red blinked, then frowned down at the shorter woman still nipping at his heels.
“What?” he growled. Hell, he thought he’d lost her.
“I’m trying to arrange a time for us to talk.”
“Lady, I don’t even know who you are. And you gotta stop calling me Mr. Tanner.” His father was still a fixture around the tour, and Tanner had the misfortune of running into him on occasion.
“Then I presume you go by Will?”
“No. Tanner. Just Tanner.”
The redhead let out a soft, delicate snort, and they both looked at her. Her lips started to form a pout. Much as he wasn’t fond of pouters, she had a fetching mouth.
He smiled, moved a little closer. “Would you excuse me for ten seconds, darlin’? I promise, just ten.”
“All right,” she drawled, sighing, and getting him excited when she leaned into him, her warm, sweet breath drifting along the side of his neck. “I’m Kimberly.”
“That’s a pretty name.” He fixed his gaze on the tiny dimple at the corner of her mouth.
“Hey.” The brunette pest touched his arm. “How about six?”
Dammit, she was like an irritating gnat you couldn’t get rid of. And she was crazy. “Tonight?”
“Yes.” She removed her dark glasses and squinted at her fancy gold watch. “That’s in two hours. Plenty of time to...” Her voice trailed off as she abruptly brought her chin up and turned to stare at Kimberly. “That line worked? You just met him and you’re going to— Look, I’m not judging. I’m curious.” Just as abruptly, she turned back to him, tilting her head and looking him up and down as if he were on the auction block. “Hmm, maybe this will work, after all.”
“I’m sorry,” he said to Kimberly. The blush staining her cheeks worried him. So did the way she jerked back when he touched her wrist. “I don’t know this whack job. We’ll ignore her and—”
Kimberly inhaled sharply. “Maybe another time.” She backed away, rounding the rear of the convertible and hurrying toward the arena gate.
“Nice.” Disgusted, Tanner stuck the Stetson back on his head as he watched the redhead of his dreams make tracks. “Thanks. Good job.” He turned to the brunette, hoping she’d embarrassed herself.
She was checking out his ass. “Clean you up a bit and this could work,” she murmured, then lifted her gaze and stared at him with eyes as clear and blue as the summer sky. “What?” she asked. “Her?” She cocked her head in the direction of the arena. “Oh, please, you can get laid anytime.”
He snorted. “From your lips to God’s ears.” He watched her dig inside a purse big enough to be a briefcase, then pull out a folder. “Who did you say you were?”
“Alexis Worthington.”
“Am I supposed to know you?”
“No, but you should be familiar with the company for which I work.”
For which I work. She was one of those. “And which company would that be?” This woman wasn’t from one of his sponsors. He only had two left and he knew their reps. He glanced down at her dusty conservative shoes, then swung a longing look after the redhead. But she’d already disappeared.
“The Worthington Group,” she said as if it was supposed to mean something.
“Yeah...so?”
“That doesn’t ring a bell?”
“Look, lady—” A pair of lanky kids ran up for autographs, stopping him from telling her to get to the point or get lost. He smiled, scrawled his name, jokingly asked them if they were bull riders. The question tickled them, like he knew it would, but mostly he wanted to drag out the conversation and annoy the proper and impatient Ms. Worthington.
“Is there someplace private we can talk?” she asked the second the kids ran off.
He spread his arms. “What’s wrong with my office?”
“Funny.” She didn’t even crack a smile, only glanced around the parking lot. “I have a rental car. We can sit in there and not be interrupted.”
“You still haven’t told me what this is about. Hey, wait a minute— I know who you are. You guys make that crunchy green alien cereal, right?”
“Not exactly our claim to fame, but yes, one of our divisions is responsible for the Out of This World brand.” She wrinkled her nose, and he hated to admit it, but she was kind of cute. “You’ll recognize the name of a former subsidiary. Sundowner Leather Accessories.”
“Oh, yeah, sure...they used to be one of my sponsors.”
“Technically, they still are.”
“I thought they went belly up.”
“No. We chose to discontinue the line.”
“Same thing.” He shrugged. “Just a more polite way of saying someone screwed up.”
She blinked, then continued to stare at him. “Where did you get your business degree, the local drugstore?”
“No kidding...you can get ’em there?” He grinned at her exasperated sigh.
Then he noticed two sweet young things standing off to the side, waiting, the taller one wearing a come-hither smile that eliminated the guesswork. Oh, yeah, maybe the night wouldn’t end up a loss. But only if he could get rid of Mary Poppins here.
“Tell you what...” He brought his attention back to the Worthington woman, again caught off guard by the color of her eyes. “Is it Alex?”
“Alexis or Lexy. Either is fine.”
“Okay, Lexy, how about I call you in a couple hours and we’ll set somet
hing up?”
“Right,” she drawled, glancing at the women. “Yeah, I’m not buying it.”
“I’m offended.” Rearing back, he gave her his best wounded expression. “You have my word.”
She let out a surprisingly unladylike snort. “Still not buying it.”
“Ma’am, a cowboy gives you his word, you can take it to the bank.”
She laughed. “You’re funny,” she said, sizing him up again, then gesturing toward the women. “Go ahead. I’d like to see you in action.”
Tanner stared at her. “You wanna what?”
“Come on, turn on the charm, give me a ten in the sex-appeal department.” She slipped her sunglasses back on and shooed him with her other hand.
“Are you nuts?” He shook his head, not sure what he’d do if she didn’t leave on her own. “That’s rhetorical, by the way, because, lady, you are certifiable.”
She smiled, her eyes now hidden behind the dark lenses. “Your fan club is starting to look bored. Better hurry.”
The rodeo had ended and people were pouring out of the arena and into the parking lot. His window of opportunity was shrinking. Though in truth, he’d lost heart for chatting up the two young ladies.
It finally dawned on him. Lexy Worthington wasn’t crazy, just manipulative. Determined. A potential pain in his ass. Better to get rid of her and be done with it. “All right, you win. What do you want?”
Her smile widened. “My rental is right over here.”
“Can’t you just spit it out?”
“I’d rather not,” she said, her gaze sweeping the swelling crowd. “This is business, and discussing it out here would be inappropriate.”
Unease itched the back of Tanner’s neck. Maybe he was in trouble. If Sundowner really wasn’t kaput he should still be wearing their logo on his shirt. He had on a belt they made and wondered if that counted.
Hell, his brother had brought the deal to him. Right after Doug had passed the bar exam, he’d negotiated the contract with a Sundowner bigwig. It hadn’t amounted to much. But Doug had been eager to show his appreciation for Tanner’s financial help so Tanner had rolled with it.
“All right,” he said. “Lead the way.”
She nodded, shifted the gigantic purse to her other hand and turned. “It’s the white sedan right over—” She made a full circle, her gaze bouncing from one white car to the next. “This is absurd.”
“Take it easy. It’s a rental. Could happen to anybody.”
“What could?”
“I’m assuming you don’t know which sedan is yours.”
She whipped off her sunglasses. “I’m wondering why so many people would buy bland white cars.”
Tanner chuckled. “You remember the make?”
“It’s domestic. I think.” She looked at the plastic encased tag attached to the key. “Here’s the plate number. Right?”
He took her wrist and turned her hand so he could see better. Her skin was really soft and she smelled awfully good. “Tell you what...let’s go to my trailer, talk, have a beer. By then the lot will have thinned out and you can take whatever car’s left.”
Narrowing her gaze, she yanked back her hand. “I’m glad you find this so amusing.”
He grinned. “No sense getting worked up over it. I have a fifth wheel sitting across the street. It’s got plenty of room.”
“First, what’s a fifth wheel? And plenty of room for what?”
“Not what that warped mind of yours seems to have conjured.” It tickled him the way her cute little nose went up in the air. “But I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”
“Oh, we already have, Mr. Tanner,” she said, suddenly all sweetness. “For the next ten days, I own your ass.”
3
SURPRISE WASHED OVER Tanner’s face, and Lexy tried not to react. She needed to take control of the situation and not waste the lifeline Norma had thrown her. Time was important. She was operating on a tight schedule and an even tighter budget. The longer it took her to drag his butt down to Houston for the photo shoot, the more money it would cost her. Money she didn’t have. She didn’t even have a credit card with wiggle room as backup. All because of her idiotic pride.
“Well, that explains it,” he said, rubbing his shadowed jaw, his hazel eyes lit with amusement. “I saw you checking out my ass earlier. Seeing as how you think you own it, I understand why you felt the need to inspect it so closely.”
She allowed for a small smile. If he thought he could ruffle her, he was in for another surprise. She slowly circled him, making a show of ogling his broad chest and muscled forearms. For good measure, she tilted her head to the side while she studied the seat of his worn jeans. “Yes, you’ll do.”
Watching her from over his shoulder, he lifted a dark brow. “You having fun?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t call it that.” She continued all the way around while he tracked her with his interesting gold-and green-flecked eyes.
He had a strong chiseled jaw the camera would love, with or without the few days’ stubble. His brown hair was a bit long, touching the collar of his blue Western-style shirt. But it was a decent haircut and he had a great smile. It was possible she’d have to take him shopping before they showed up at the photo shoot, but by then her corporate credit card would have been issued. If not, she’d have to swallow her pride and hit up Norma for some cash. Something Lexy should’ve done in the first place.
She heard someone wolf whistle and looked up to see Tanner’s mouth tighten. A pair of cowboys were walking by and laughing, the taller of the two giving Tanner a thumbs-up.
“Okay, that’s enough,” he muttered, tugging his hat lower. “We either finish this conversation in my trailer, or we can part company right now. The latter being my preference.”
“Your trailer it is, then.” She briefly reconsidered. A crowded parking lot might be the better option. Tanner was bound to give her a hard time. Probably flat out refuse to have anything to do with the calendar or the fragrance line. Just like most of the other rodeo cowboys. But unlike them, Tanner would be in breach of his contract if he refused to play nice. Unfortunately, she had the feeling a guy like him wouldn’t care.
He started walking and she fell into step beside him. “Tell me straight up,” he said, giving her a sidelong look. “Am I in hot water with you people?”
“Not that I’m aware. Why? Did you violate the indecency clause?” Dammit, she was warm.
“No. Maybe.” He didn’t look too happy, perhaps even a bit guilty. “Explain what that means and I’ll let you know.”
Lexy hid a smile. “How about you tell me what questionable behavior is bothering you and I’ll let you know.”
He snorted. “I might be a simple cowboy but I’m not stupid.”
“I was teasing.” Good to know he was concerned about violating his agreement. She had no idea if there was a decency clause, but she saw no reason to share that with him. No sense handing him ammunition to wiggle out of his contract.
“Oh...so that’s you joking?” He mocked her with a pitying look. “You don’t cut loose much, do you?”
Ha, she could shock him in that department. Playing loose was partly why she was here, overheated and wearing a suit she hated, worried about her maxed-out credit cards and holding her breath every time the warm breeze carried a whiff of horse dung. And now she was being punished instead of sitting in a cushy corner office on the top floor.
They stopped twice for Tanner to sign autographs for kids who bombarded him with questions. The women seemed to like him, too, flashing him smiles and giving him suggestive looks that he fielded like a man accustomed to feminine attention. That was good, excellent. Lexy had seen several headshots of the men already lined up for the calendar. Tanner would have some stiff competition.
While he sign
ed, she thought about taking a couple pictures of him against the stunning background of the Rockies. The hills leading up to the snow-capped peaks were as green as emeralds and would really show off his eyes.
Before she could get out her phone, he finished with the boys and was promptly intercepted by a cowboy trying to get Tanner to join a late-night poker game. He shook his head and kept walking until they reached a trailer parked behind a late-model motor coach. In fact, all the other RVs in the park were much nicer than Tanner’s. He opened the trailer door and didn’t even flinch at the annoying creak.
“I can’t recall how I left things. So enter at your own risk,” he said, yanking off his Stetson with a sweeping gesture for her to go first.
If he was trying to scare her off he’d be disappointed. She’d spent time in too many frat houses to worry about when she’d gotten her last tetanus shot. The first step was a tad wobbly, but she ignored the hand he offered and made it inside.
The place was roomier and neater than she’d expected. Though the kitchen and living areas were small, they were well laid out with appliances, cabinets and built-in furniture. At the far back she could see part of a bed.
“Home sweet home,” Tanner said, crowding in behind her, near enough for her to feel the heat from his body. “Ever been in one of these?”
“No,” she murmured, unsure which direction to go to give him room.
“I didn’t think so.”
“What does that mean?” She turned around to look at him, finding out too late he was even closer than she’d imagined. She bumped his chest with her right breast, then made everything worse by clutching his muscled arm for support.
He took it as a cue to put a hand on her waist. “You okay?”
“Fine.” She looked into his hazel eyes, the oddest thought niggling at her. He smelled good. Even though he shouldn’t, not after having ridden a bronc. The scent was vaguely familiar, an unexpectedly wonderful combination of leather and something spicy.
Alone with You Page 3
