Taming His Brat
Page 23
“I just bet you would.” Cooper had a moment of sadness slide in beside her euphoria. Operation Whitehorse Ranch was going as planned, her afternoon spent on the phone securing everything from construction workers to building material, but she’d come here to confess and now she was like a scared little girl.
“You okay, my special brat?” Rex lifted his eyebrow, his expression one of raw mischief.
“I’m fine. Why?”
“Because you have a very naughty girl look on your face like you’ve done something very bad. Do you need another spanking?”
Keeping everything from him for the next few days was going to be extremely difficult. Figuring out what the hell to do with the information her father had given her was even worse. A sick feeling remained in the pit of her stomach. “No, my sexy, wonderful cowboy. I guess I’m just nervous about the job interview I have tomorrow.” And the phone interview the next day. Swallowing, she offered a coy smile.
“Job interview. You?” He rolled her over again until she was forced to straddle his waist.
“Very funny.”
Cupping her chin, he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. “I have to ask you, is the interview in town?”
“Of course it’s in town, silly.” At least she wasn’t completely lying to him. Planting her hands on his chest, she rocked forward and backward, purring as she gazed down at him.
“Why do I think you’re trying to distract me?”
“Because, cowboy, I am.” Lowering down, she darted her tongue around his lips then across the seam. “And I think you like it.”
“Like? Sugar, you keep that up and I’m going to devour you.” Issuing a low-slung growl, he ran the tips of his fingers down her spine, his index finger sliding up and down the crack of her ass.
“Oh, no, you don’t. How about a drink?” she mused.
“I could go for a drink.” As he started to move, she pushed him down.
“Nope. My turn. You just stay here.” Laughing, she tickled his nose before getting off the bed. “I hope you don’t mind if I grab a shirt to wear.”
“Help yourself.”
She’d seen the text from Zeke. She had to figure out a way to call him back. Damn it. Why was everything so complicated? With her usual flair, she threw open his closet, selecting the largest flannel shirt she could find, giggling as she slid into it.
“I think red flannel is your color.”
She fastened only two buttons, sticking out her leg as she gave him a glance over her shoulder. “You like this, big boy?” Just the sight of his hard, throbbing cock was enough to create quivers between her legs, wetness slickening her inner thighs.
“Hurry or I’ll lasso you and chain you to the bed for the night.”
Her laughter floated behind her as she left his bedroom, trying not to race to the phone. She was shaking all over as she grabbed her phone, reading the text again. He’d sent two more texts since she’d arrived. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Hurrying to the cabinet, she noisily pulled out two glasses, plopping ice into each as she dialed. “Zeke. What is going on?”
“Sorry to interrupt your evening, but this can’t wait.”
“I told you that this had to be kept secret. I’m with Rex.”
“Yeah, I get it, good ole Rex.”
“Oh, stop it. You knew when we started this that I have feelings for Rex. Don’t be an asshole.” She rubbed her eyes as he continued his banter, but the bottom line was that she had to find a way to leave Rex without raising suspicion. “Fine. Yes, I’ll make an excuse and see you in about thirty minutes.” She remained in the same position, trying to figure out what she could say to Rex.
“So, you have to go.”
Rex...
Jumping, she knocked over one of the glasses and cursed under her breath. He’d overheard her conversation. Shit! Plastering on a smile, she turned around. “Just for a little while. There’s something that came up.”
“Uh-huh. Angie? Your father?”
“Just my dad. I’m helping him work on a couple of things that are time sensitive.”
Rex didn’t walk any further into the room, but his dark eyes as they glared at her made certain she knew he’d heard everything. If she confessed now, he would interfere or worse.
“I promise I’ll be back in about an hour. Okay?” She grabbed her dress from the floor, struggling to get to the opening.
“You know what? I have a few things to do as well. Let’s just call it a night.” He didn’t wait for her answer. He simply walked into the bedroom.
And slammed the door.
Chapter Thirteen
“How did the interview go, sunshine?”
Angie’s voice was far too bubbly for Cooper at this point. Hell, she was ready to rip the head off a dinosaur given her nasty mood. It was Thursday afternoon and she’d called Rex several times, stopping over twice. No Rex. No return call. “Which one and who gives a fuck anyway?”
“Wowza. I see someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Everything. My life sucks.” She slumped down in the chair, trying not to pay attention to the fact that Angie’s office looked like a hurricane had blown through. There were two new bulletin boards with notes in various colors tacked all over them. The whiteboard had lines drawn through various items, scribbled writing in almost every free section of white space. She’d purposely stayed away, trying to get certain details worked out with her father, the bank, the attorneys, and her portion of the operation. She was cranky as fuck and refused to take any shit. At least she’d done one fantastic thing, even though she had a feeling Rex would be pissed at her about that as well.
“O-kay.” Angie got up from her chair, heading in Cooper’s direction. Planting her hands on the table, she leaned over. “Spill it. What’s going on?”
She hadn’t told her bestie a single thing since meeting with her father. “Nothing.”
“Right. That’s why you haven’t returned my calls? That’s why you look like shit? That’s why you are surly today?”
Narrowing her eyes, she snapped her head in Angie’s direction, trying not to laugh given her friend’s expression. “You want to know what’s wrong?”
“Yes, that’s why I asked. Geez.”
“Fine. Here’s exactly what’s wrong. I was offered the job at Marshall Advertising. I told them I had to think about it.”
She cocked her head. “Why think about it? Not enough money?”
“Actually, more than I thought, but that’s not the point.”
“Let me guess. You’re still thinking about going to New York?”
“Well, I wasn’t until a couple days ago. Yes, the company in New York is interested enough that they want me on a plane late tomorrow morning, all expenses paid and from what the recruiter told me, the firm is certain they’re going to hire me. They even have some swanky dinner they want me to go to tomorrow night. The toast of the town, so to speak.”
“Shit. I mean, that’s great. I mean kind of. Seriously, I hope you’re going to take the one in town, given the way you feel about Rex. You did tell this big New York firm no, right?” She groaned. “Shit! You’re going to the interview, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.” Rex. Rex... She wanted nothing more than for her knight in shining armor to arrive on his beautiful big steed, sweeping her off her feet and taking her to fantasy land. The sad thing was that her desires were just that—fantasy. Rex obviously wanted nothing to do with her. She hadn’t slept, had barely eaten, and had no idea what to do.
“You can’t do that. You have a life here and this operation is something you care about, let alone Rex. Jesus.” Angie half laughed. “What’s wrong? Don’t you care about Rex? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Yes, I care about Rex more that I can say. He’s special and wonderful, gritty yet warm. I adore everything about him.” Shuddering, she brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes, remembering the way Rex
used to do that. She wiggled in her seat, wanting to feel the sting from the last spanking. Sadly, even the redness had disappeared, just like their whirlwind romance.
And she was to blame.
Angie gave Cooper a chastising look. “Then what exactly is the holdup?”
“Well, hold on. I’m not finished yet.” Jerking to her feet, she folded her arms and walked toward the window, leaning against the wall. “I’m certain I lost Rex because he thinks I’m having an affair with Zeke.”
“Zeke? What?” Coughing, Angie fanned her face. “How in the hell did that happen? Zeke is a fine-looking man, but arrogant as they come. I thought you only had a glass of wine with the man.”
Oh, you bet the man was egotistical as well as holier than thou. “I did! You’re the one who had to hire him to work on Operation Who Gives a Shit and he won’t freaking leave me alone!”
“Oh. God. I hired him because he’s the best and fastest carpenter in town and he has a huge crew. I didn’t mean to... Ugh. What happened? You and Rex seem very cozy.”
“Uh-huh. Well, Rex probably thinks I’m having a wild affair and given what he overheard the other night, I have no doubt he’ll never believe me.”
Angie frowned, huffing under her breath. “What exactly did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything. Zeke texted then called, saying it was an emergency that he obtain my signature on some orders. Rex overheard the conversation and just assumed something else was going on. How in God’s name am I supposed to explain anything to Rex at this point? Hey, honey buns, I’m just using Zeke for his body, but completely in a different way. What? Oh, so sorry, I can’t tell you.” Cooper tried to keep the glare off her face even as her anger shifted to a boiling point. “And the worst part is, Zeke asked me out. Again! Damn this shit.”
“Whew. I see your point,” Angie muttered. “The only thing you can do is tell him the day you give him the news about the operation.”
“And just exactly what do you think he’s going to say about that? This was a stupid idea. Ridiculous. I can’t pull this off. I can’t just have contractors showing up at his house, tearing apart his world. He has to give permission.”
“You do have some good points. Maybe we were a little eager, but we have something like two hundred volunteers ready to lend a hand, donate money. I even had Stampede Stables give me one hell of a discount for some horses. Fine-looking specimens I might add. We can’t just stop this in mid-action.” She tapped her finger against her mouth.
Cooper snorted. “Then you come up with a freaking miracle. I’m fresh out of them.” She closed her eyes, wishing she’d never thought of this.
“Why don’t we develop a presentation on the day everyone is supposed to show up? Yeah, that way you can surprise him with what we’ve been doing then all the volunteers can start working.”
“Uh-huh. And what if he says something like ‘get off my property’?”
Angie huffed. “Rex wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh, come on. You bet he would, especially if I’m the one to deliver the news.”
“I don’t think he’d do that to you. Why don’t you try to talk to him?”
Cooper was exasperated. “Don’t you think I’ve already done that or tried to? I have no idea where he is. I’ve called. I stopped by. He doesn’t want to see me. Okay?”
Angie paced back and forth, stopping short. “Why did Zeke need your signature on anything? He told me he was donating materials and labor.”
Wrinkling her nose, heat slipped along her jawline. “Okay, I hired him to help with building the cabins. Yes, it was stupid, but I didn’t think he’d pester me for a damn date.”
“What? You? Since when did you get that kind of money? Your dad? You convinced your dad to invest!”
“Not exactly.”
Angie lifted a single eyebrow. “Then what exactly?”
“A very long story and a full bottle of wine is needed.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t like when you’re this secretive, girlie, but we have to figure this out.”
“Yes, we do, and I need to tell you something else, but you can’t open your mouth.”
“Cross my heart. So, you need to confess all your sins. Spill it!” Angie grinned and they both jumped when the office phone rang. “Hold on, girlfriend. Let me take this.”
“Sure.” Her mind reeling, she couldn’t figure out a way to make everything work. She also had no good way of telling Angie the news.
“Operation Whitehorse Ranch.” Angie had a smile on her face at first then gripped the edge of the desk. “I’m sorry. Will you repeat that?”
Studying her friend’s face, she could tell something was wrong. Great. They didn’t need any additional complications.
“Thank you. I have no idea what to say. Thank you so much!” Angie shook her head when she glanced at Cooper, fanning her face. “I will. Fantastic.”
“What? What is going on?”
“That was George Tyler from the bank.”
“You called him? I told you not to because I had the perfect ruse established with him.” She had difficulty swallowing.
Angie took several deep breaths as she held out her hand. “Wait. Listen to me. Mr. Tyler gave me a few great thoughts on some financing ideas, so I had to tell him what was going on.”
Angie hadn’t had to do anything. Her friend had never been able to keep her mouth shut. Cooper tried to keep her expression bland, even though she was riled. Everything was going astray, absolutely everything.
“He called to say that an anonymous person paid off the mortgage on Whitehorse Ranch. Do you believe that?” While there was excitement in her voice, there was also a big, fat question in her tone.
“That’s... amazing. He has no idea who?” Oh, her words sounded so contrived.
“No. That’s the craziest thing. Don’t you think?” Angie snorted, scanning Cooper up and down. “Anyway, he’s happy to give a loan based on our forecast of the dude ranch and he assures me that he’ll keep the surprise. We are going to celebrate, girl.”
“Yeah. I guess we can.” A shiver trickled down Cooper’s spine. Too many people knew what she was trying to do.
“Oh, don’t look too thrilled or anything. I think we need to go out right now and have a drink. Then you’re calling New York and telling them that you’re not interested. You hear?”
“It’s only two in the afternoon.”
“Five o’clock somewhere. Besides, I think you have a lot on your chest you need to expound on. Don’t you, girlfriend?”
She opened her mouth twice, trying to think of something to say.
The phone rang again and this time, Cooper couldn’t stand listening. She didn’t want things to turn out this way, not by a long shot.
“Oh, shit. You weren’t supposed to go there today! Zeke, what the hell do you think you’re doing? You’re at least two days early. You know what’s at stake here!” Angie almost screamed into the phone. “No, we’ll be right there.” She slammed the phone down and stormed toward the door. “Come on, girl. We have a serious issue.”
Zeke? Oh, shit. “What in God’s name is wrong now?”
“It’s Zeke. He sent his crew to Whitehorse without my authorization to begin repair work. Sounds like a fight is ready to break out. Rex is pissed.”
“Oh, shit.” No. No! This just couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not ever. “Get me to Whitehorse fast.”
* * *
“Get off my land!” Rex yelled, even though the man was standing right in front of him. He’d never laid eyes on the construction crew, nor did he care to listen to the reason they were on his father’s ranch.
“But sir, we have every right to be here,” the man said, just seconds before darting his head toward a guy exiting a souped-up Dodge Ram. “We have explicit orders.” He held out a series of papers in his shaking hand, as if a signature on a dotted line was really going to matter to Rex.
Rex wasn’t interested in anything the construction crew had to sa
y. Hell, at this point, he wasn’t interested in listening to anyone. He’d remained pissed the entire two days, trying to figure out why he’d been such a dumbass in the first place. As if someone like Cooper Dawson could actually fall for a broken-down cowboy like himself. Yeah, he’d been fooled all right and seeing the asshole swaggering away from the Ram and toward him gave him stomach acid.
Zeke Keeler.
As he lived and breathed. Was the jerkoff going to rub it in that he’d bested Rex by winning Cooper’s heart? The bastard had another think coming.
A portion of the crew continued to offload their vehicles, as if he was going to let these freaks do a damn thing on the ranch. On the side of every truck? Keeler Construction. Yeah, he’d known Zeke had his own company, had heard enough information from Denton. Zeke had certainly made a name for himself over the past few years, becoming the go-to construction company for homeowners as well as developers. Rex had heard the man was worth a pretty penny. Well, goody for him.
“Just fuckin’ stop right there!” he commanded, shouting over the group of men standing in a semi-circle.
“But Mr. Sullivan, we have orders.” The worker was obviously confused, his brow furrowed as he continued to thrust the papers forward. “Please.”
He’d heard the commotion from inside the house, clamoring outside to find out what the hell was going on. The six trucks, their elongated beds full of construction materials, the two extended trailers rolling onto the property had set his blood boiling. “I don’t give a rat’s ass who authorized whatever work you think you’re going to be doing. This is my father’s place and you’re not allowed to do a damn thing!”
“We have everything signed off. I promise you.”
Rex studied the younger man’s craggy expression before turning his attention to Zeke. “What in God’s name do you think you’re doing here?”
“Work was ordered on your property. We’re going to stabilize the barn and lay out plans for various cabins.” Zeke had a grin on his face, as if he was harboring a huge secret. Yeah, like dating Cooper.
“Get out of here, Zeke. We don’t want your kind here.”