by Dawn Brower
Even though Wes couldn’t see it, Dallas rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“She’s out there and she is going to turn you inside out. I’m gonna make sure I’ve got front row seats for the show.”
Yeah, he already met a woman that turned him inside out. No thanks, he would pass on a repeat experience. “Now I know you’re delusional. I’m not letting a woman run my life. Ever.”
All he could hear was laughing and decided the conversation was over. Dallas ended the call; Wes knew what he needed to do, anyway.
Chapter Two
Ginnifer sat at her desk going through her workload for the week. She had a lot to get accomplished and not enough time in the day. Her schedule didn’t allow her a lot of free time. That didn’t bother her too much because she didn’t have anyone to go home to. So work gave her something to focus on. The only person around to give her any kind of companionship was her best friend, Vitoria. If not for Tori, she probably wouldn’t leave the office or home that much. Vitoria made sure she got out and even took an occasional vacation. That didn’t include her working vacations. She took at least four of those a year to review places for the magazine she worked at. It had been Tori’s idea to schedule a yearly vacation for the two of them. Usually someplace warm with sandy beaches.
Ginnifer looked down startled when her phone began to ring. Usually her personal line didn’t ring. She had an assistant to answer phones. It must be someone important for them to have her direct line. Well only one way to find out.
She picked up her phone and answered it. “Ginnifer Zeiss, how can I help you?”
“Hi this is Emmaline Novak; I spoke to you a few weeks ago about our Cowgirl Yoga program. I wanted to confirm you would still be able to attend the first two weeks in September.”
“Hmm, let me check my calendar, the first two weeks of September you said? I do remember talking to you about attending. I thought we hadn’t nailed down a specific time.”
“That’s correct. I was getting things scheduled, and I realized we hadn’t touched base again. I hope you’re still willing to come out and review our program.”
Ginnifer checked her calendar and looked over her schedule. Darn it, that’s the two weeks of her annual vacation with Vitoria. They had planned on going to the Virgin Islands for this trip. She hadn’t ever been there and she loved beaches. Not nearly as much as Vitoria, but it held a lot of appeal. Not as much appeal as spending a couple weeks on a ranch with cowboys. Something about a man in a cowboy hat always made her sit up and take notice. She had hoped to find a sexy cowboy to ogle at her heart’s content when she visited the ranch. Perhaps there could be a way to still make it work. Vitoria could be persuaded with the right incentive. She needed to let Emma know that it might not work, though.
“Well I have those two weeks scheduled for a vacation, but I’m supposed to be going away with my best friend. We do it every year. I was afraid they would clash when you mentioned September. Is there any way I can come another time?” Ginnifer explained.
“Oh that’s too bad. I was so hoping you would be able to come then. I don’t know when I can squeeze you in again,” Emma said with a small sigh. “There’s absolutely no way you can come during those two weeks?”
Ginnifer tapped her desk with her fingers as she contemplated what she should do. She really did want to go to the ranch. She had always been slightly fascinated by cowboys and ranches. Perhaps she should lay it all on the table for her to consider. Ultimately she would prefer to still have her vacation time with Vitoria. She might be able to persuade her to go. Tori knew how much she loved to look at cowboys. Of course she would point out she could do more than stare at them. Tori liked to touch and didn’t understand why Ginnifer didn’t jump at the chance herself.
“I was really looking forward to visiting your ranch. It’d be awful to miss out on the opportunity. Are you completely booked? Maybe I can talk Tori into coming along for it. She isn’t the roughing it type, but I’m sure she would at least enjoy the yoga and all of the other activities you’ve planned.”
“Well I could put her in a cabin with you. I was going to put you in your own accommodations anyway instead of making you share as the program dictates. If she is willing to come, I could give her a discounted rate. Of course your stay is completely comped like we discussed, but I can’t afford to let your friend stay for free. I hope you understand.”
“I’ll run everything by her and get back to you by the end of the day tomorrow. She can be hard to pin down because she’s out of the office a lot, but I’ll leave a message, and she’ll get back to me. I should know something for sure when I call you back.”
“Excellent. I’ll look forward to hearing from you then.”
Ginnifer said good-bye and hit End on her phone. She set the phone down on her desk and picked up her to-do list. No need worrying about something she couldn’t change, there was plenty of stuff she needed to finish. She would discuss all of the possibilities with Vitoria later today. In the meantime she had some deadlines to meet before she could call it a day at the office. Ginnifer picked up her coffee and took a big drink. She could feel the warmth slide down her throat and settle in her stomach. Coffee was her favorite drink. Nothing compared to its lovely energy, and she couldn’t get through a day without it.
***
“Excuse me, Ms. Zeiss, you have a phone call.”
“Thanks, Alison,” Ginnifer said. “What is it regarding?”
“It’s Mr. Tolliver from that beach resort on the Hawaiian islands you visited three months ago.”
Ginnifer reached over and picked up the phone.
“Hello, Mr. Tolliver. How can I help you?”
“I wanted to call and thank you for the lovely review you gave us in your article. I finished reading it a moment ago. I’m glad you were able to enjoy your stay.”
“Hawaii was lovely. Thank you for inviting me out. I don’t usually get to visit beach resorts unless it’s on my own dime.”
“It must get to be expensive traveling all over the place to write articles.”
“It can be. I try to visit places that don’t have a vested interest in my visit. It makes my articles more valid. I’m always honest, though. If there is some area that can be improved, I don’t hold back, as you could tell from my article.”
“Yes. We are taking all of your suggestions to heart. We want to give all of our guests a stay worth remembering.”
“I’m glad I could help. Overall it was one of the best places I’ve ever stayed. You did a good job of meeting my needs and making me want to come again. I hope to visit again sometime in the future,” she said.
“We look forward to seeing you again. Have a wonderful day,” Mr. Tolliver said.
“You too. Good-bye, Mr. Tolliver. It was lovely hearing from you.”
Ginnifer hung up her phone and considered her options while braiding a lock of her wavy butterscotch-blonde hair out of habit. Her mind had wandered to the issue with the Cowgirl Yoga program. She really needed to talk to Tori and make a decision. Did the story mean as much to her as her relationship with her best friend? Ginnifer knew it really was more than that, though. She always wanted to visit a ranch, and this was a prime opportunity to get to scratch the experience off of her bucket list. She had to consider all angles and figure out how to make it work.
Tori was looking forward to sunny beaches and sexy men. What mattered most to her were the sexy men, especially if they were long-haired blonds. The question was how to spin it so she wanted to go on this vacation more than lounge on a beach and ogle the hot guys that could stroll by. Ginnifer wanted to get away, and if she could get her vacation free, even better. Add some possible cowboys to boot? Mmmm nothing sexier than that. Hell did it really matter? She’d approach Tori with the idea, but when push came to shove, she knew she was going to that ranch in September. It would be more fun if she could bring her best friend along for the ride, though. So she hoped Tori wouldn’t put up too much resistance to t
he idea.
As if she knew that Ginnifer had been thinking about her, Tori breezed into her office like one of New York’s fashion models, her high heels clicking on the tile floor. Her long caramel-blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun with strands spilling over her face, blue eyes sparkling with mischief, she threw her purse on Ginnifer’s desk and sat in one of the chairs nearest to her. Tori scooted the chair up closer to the desk and brought her elbows up to the desk, folding her hands under her chin.
“You will not believe the day I have had,” she proclaimed.
Ginnifer smiled at Tori before saying, “I’m sure I won’t. Your days are inherently more interesting than mine, but do tell. I’m all ears.” Ginnifer leaned her chair back in a more relaxed position, awaiting Tori to tell her the latest tidbit in the entertainment world. The stories she weaved were always interesting and full of the juiciest gossip.
“Well you remember that new client of mine? The sexy football player, that signed a two-year multimillion dollar deal with the Seattle Starlings? Well it appears he needs a little hand holding. I am going to have to fly out to Washington and deal with some issues he created in the tabloids.” She rolled her eyes. “Apparently he’s going to be a proud poppa in oh about eight months give or take a few weeks, except he swears he has never laid a hand on the baby mama.”
“What are the chances he’s telling the truth?” Ginnifer asked.
“With this one I’d say the odds are in his favor. The bastard doesn’t know how to flirt and totally ignored my suggestions for a little side fun. I swear he acts like a monk. This woman’s getting a little money hungry and is trying to saddle him with her bill.”
Ginnifer sat up and looked at Tori with shock on her face as she asked, “You actually hit on him?”
“Don’t look at me like that, have you seen him? All rock-hard muscle and a face that would put a Greek god to shame. I wanted to run my hands through that unruly mahogany mane of his.” Tori shivered as she sighed. “You know I have a weakness for long hair, but no, it didn’t happen. Thankfully he doesn’t bend easily. Trust me, I gave it my all, and most men can’t resist all things Vitoria Miene.”
Ginnifer rolled her eyes at her best friend. “You did this knowing you were going to work with him? Isn’t it taboo to hit on your potential clients?” Tori was gorgeous, and she’s right, most men fawned all over her. She’s very choosy who she picks as a lover, though. It could be a little disconcerting to go out with her at times. Sometimes Ginnifer thought she should bring a stick or cane along to beat them off of her best friend, but she knew how much Tori enjoyed the attention. Having them close in on you was a little suffocating, and she had no idea how Tori managed them all.
“Well I actually tried before we signed a contract. You should know I don’t like to mix business with pleasure, besides he wasn’t biting.” After a long drawn out breath and sigh, Tori said, “I didn’t honestly think he’d take me up on the offer. It was a test to see how far he was willing to go.”
Tori continued to make herself comfortable in Ginnifer’s office, pushing the chair back into its original position and leaning against its comfortable cushions. She took one of her crimson stilettos off and began to rub the bottom of her left foot. It wasn’t easy walking around in four-inch heels all day, but Tori had a height issue. She was barely two inches above five feet. She made up the difference by wearing very high heels on a daily basis. She often told Ginnifer how lucky she was to be at least five feet five. Tori would love to be taller so that it would be easier to access the tall men she adored so much.
Ginnifer nodded her head at Tori in understanding and asked, “So when do you leave?”
Tori reached down and replaced one shoe and took off the other one to give each foot equal attention as she said, “Well that’s partly why I came by here. Not that I don’t love you, but this isn’t entirely a social call.”
Ginnifer groaned and she was almost afraid to ask, “What do you need?”
“Well could you do a nice little interview with him? Publish it in next month’s edition? He needs to give his side of the story, and I know you’ll give him a fair interview.”
The reason Tori and Ginnifer had met was because of their career choices. Tori was a successful publicist. Ginnifer worked for a prominent magazine and also did some freelance work if the magazine didn’t want to pick up one of the articles she wrote. She made a decent living writing and traveling when the story made it necessary. They met at a media conference and hit it off immediately. Because of their mutual interests and similar tastes, they had been best friends since that fateful encounter. A little tit for tat was commonplace for them, and if it was possible to help each other out, they didn’t think twice about it. That didn’t mean they didn’t make each other work for the favors they bestowed. Nothing should ever come easy, even between best friends.
Which gave Ginnifer a brilliant idea on how to get Tori to agree to change their vacation from a tropical island getaway to a ranch. “Well I’ll consider it on one condition.”
Tori looked at her with skepticism in her eyes. “That was almost too easy. Am I going to like this?”
With a shrug, Ginnifer said, “That depends. How do you feel about changing our yearly vacation plans? Instead of sunny beaches, we’re going to a ranch for horse riding and yoga.”
Tori raised her eyes at her with shock and disdain radiating from them. “You’re joking, right? That doesn’t sound very relaxing to me. That sounds like some sort of torture, not a vacation.”
Ginnifer frowned before saying, “I forgot I agreed to do a story on the ranch. I need to go out there the first two weeks of September.”
“I don’t think this is actually a fair trade. If we change our plans, you’ll owe me.”
Ginnifer shook her head as she said, “No, it’s either you go with me or I go alone. I made a promise, and it’s one I plan on keeping. This could be a good thing. Please say you’ll go, and I’ll definitely make your football player look better than a Greek god.”
“I don’t think that’s even possible.” Her voice was tinged with disbelief. “What could be better than a god?”
A knowing smile formed on Ginnifer’s face. “A sexy cowboy.”
With that, Tori grinned at Ginnifer as if it occurred to her there would be men on a ranch and the things she was capable of doing with them. Tori loved to flirt; it was by far her favorite hobby. “That’s a good point, don’t know if they’re better, though. I’ll have to play with a few to find out.”
“So are you gonna go?”
“Yeah count me in. I’ll cancel our other vacation plans. Where’s this ranch, anyway?” Tori asked as she grabbed her purse and started to rifle through it. She located her phone, opened her calendar, and updated the vacation plans to show a ranch in September. “I need to input it in my calendar.”
“Washington state, not too far from Seattle. I’ve seen some pictures on their website. It’s breathtaking. I can’t wait to see it in person.”
Tori rolled her eyes. “Only you’d be excited to visit a ranch.”
“You know how I feel about cowboys.” Ginnifer shrugged. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a long-haired blond cowboy.”
“Unlikely. Don’t they like their hair more manageable? As in too short for my tastes?” Tori winked at her. “You don’t mind that as long as they’re wearing a hat and some cowboy boots, but would you know what to do with one if you found him?”
Ginnifer laughed so hard tears started to come out of her green eyes. Trust Tori to get right to the heart of the matter. With her, the point was always how do I get this one to fall in love with me the fastest.
“Oh I hope I’d know what to do with the right one,” she told her best friend.
“Well no worries. I’ll be there to help you out if you need to sexify yourself.” Tori wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Ginnifer.
“Thanks, Tori. You truly are the bestest.”
“Don’t I know it. Washington st
ate? Maybe I can mix with a little business and pleasure on this trip too. I am sure Colt Lewis, quarterback extraordinaire, will continue to need my help after training camp and preseason are over with. I believe the first game is at home the beginning of September too, I’ll have to double check the schedule. He has to be a little shell-shocked at all of this. His first NFL season, and he gets a scandal at the top of it. This is going to be an eventful summer.”
Reaching for her desk calendar, Ginnifer asked, “When do you want to set the interview up?”
“Let me get back to you on that. I’ll need to clarify his schedule with him. I’ll call you sometime tomorrow so we can compare schedules. It’ll be easier to find something that works when I know more. And with that, I’m off.”
Tori blew a kiss at Ginnifer as she walked out of her office in much the same fashion as she entered it, with flair only she could pull off. Her purse was swinging on her shoulder and both stilettos once again on her feet, clicking as she sashayed down the hall.
Well at least that was settled. Tori and she were definitely visiting a ranch for some yoga. The only thing left to do was to make a phone call to Emmaline Novak and tell her to expect both of them in September. Maybe they would be lucky and each find a sexy cowboy on the ranch. It had been a long time since she had met a man she wanted to spend time with, let alone get naked with. She was on one hell of a dry spell lately. Maybe a vacation at a ranch was something she needed to get back in the saddle again, so to speak.
Chapter Three
Mrs. Henly left moments ago, leaving directions sitting on the counter next to the lasagna she fixed. The instructions were included so it would be baked correctly. Mrs. Henly learned the hard way that none of the Novak siblings knew a damned thing about cooking when they burned the first casserole she left. So every time she made them something to heat later, directions were neatly written and placed on the counter. She also left some fresh bread cooling on top of the oven. The scents were tantalizing and a minor distraction to Dallas’s productivity. He was sitting at the kitchen table working on the financial reports and going over what they needed for the livestock in the fall months. The sun was streaming through the kitchen window with rays so bright they bounced off of Dallas’s iced tea and created a rainbow of colors across the alabaster walls. They were appealing, but frustrating to his concentration. Perhaps he needed to take a break. The warm sunshine made him want to go to the barn and take one of the horses out for a ride. He hated paperwork, but it was a necessary evil.
