by Jaci Burton
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Sabrina sat at the table next to Jenna. "No, he wasn't exactly overjoyed at the idea, but I didn't really give him a say so in the matter. I wanted her, so I bought her."
"Good for you." Jenna beamed. "Never let a man tell you what to do.
God knows I never have."
Laughing, Sabrina nodded. "I've done that already, and won't ever do it again."
Ex-husband a control freak?"
It was always difficult to talk about Mark without feeling stupid. Now that Sabrina had left him, it embarrassed her to admit she had allowed him to run her life for so long.
"You could say that," Sabrina said.
Jenna placed her hand on Sabrina's arm. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry and you don't have to talk about him if you don't want to.
I'm just too nosy for my own good sometimes."
She looked up at Jenna and smiled ruefully. "I don't mind, really.
Sometimes I just feel stupid when I have to explain how I let the man abuse me for so many years." Sabrina relayed the same story as she had earlier to Kyle, from her first meeting with Mark through her decision to leave and divorce him.
Jenna's faint smile held compassion as she squeezed Sabrina's hand.
"I'm glad you left him. You're much too intelligent a woman to have put up with that for long."
Sabrina nodded, grateful to have a friend to confide in. "I feel like I wasted so much time, though. I stayed with him much longer than I should have."
Jenna sat back in the chair. "Give yourself some credit Sabrina.
Many women live with abuse their entire lives and never get away. You're one of the smart ones."
She'd never thought of that before. Had always thought she was stupid for enduring it as long as she had, but Jenna was right. She had
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left him, by her choice and of her own free will. And now she had a chance at a new life--a chance to do what she'd always wanted to do.
"Thank you, Jenna. I feel better."
Jenna's eyes sparkled. "I'm glad."
Kyle opened the back door and came in, Brady following close behind. From the angry look on Brady's face, Kyle must have told him about their run-in with Dent.
Brady opened the refrigerator and grabbed two cold beers, throwing one to Kyle across the kitchen, then looked in Sabrina's direction.
"Sabrina? A cold one?"
A cold beer. Not a martini or a cosmopolitan. Nothing fussy, not like Mark used to make her drink. Only cheap trash drink beer, Sabrina. "I'd love one."
"What's up with you two? A horse kick you or did the truck die again?" Jenna grinned at her two brothers.
"You didn't tell her?" Kyle looked at Sabrina as he popped the top on his beer then leaned over and opened hers.
She shook her head. "No I didn't. I didn't think it was my place to tell her."
"Tell me what?" Jenna looked between Kyle and Sabrina, confusion furrowing her brow.
"Kyle and Sabrina met up with Jackson and Amanda at the Dreamwater Grocery," Brady said.
"And?"
Kyle shrugged. "Same old thing. He said he was going to take the ranch."
"Well that shouldn't surprise you. He always says that."
"This time it was different."
Jenna and Brady looked at each other. Brady asked the question.
"How different?"
"I don't know. More sure of himself I guess. Like he had a plan."
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Jenna halted her potato peeling. "That's a scary thought. Jackson Dent with a plan."
"Exactly. He's up to something."
"So what do you want to do?" Brady trailed his finger over the top of his beer can and looked over at his brother.
"I have an idea, but we need to vote on it."
Sabrina took that as her cue to leave. She rose from the table and excused herself, but Kyle reached out and gently grabbed her arm.
"Where are you going?"
"I...this is a family meeting. I didn't want to intrude."
"Sit down," he said. "You're an investor, your money is at stake here as much as ours. Besides, we can use an extra head for ideas."
He had asked her to stay. To join in, to participate. A rush of excitement swept through her at the feeling of belonging. "All right," she said and returned to her seat.
"Now, here's my idea. Sabrina's investment gave us the needed capital to pay the past due mortgage payments and buy additional stock.
But we won't realize a profit until late fall."
"That's when you sell the cattle?" Sabrina had an understanding of how a cattle ranch worked, but wanted to make sure she was clear on when the money came in.
Kyle nodded. "Right. But this is April, and if Dent has something up his sleeve, you can bet we won't be able to outsmart him without additional money."
"I have more money I could invest," Sabrina added.
Kyle's gaze turned sharply in her direction. "Absolutely not. You've invested enough as it is. I don't want any more of your money."
Sabrina took a deep breath to argue, but something in the look Jenna gave silenced her.
"So where do we get additional money?" Brady asked.
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Kyle stood and grabbed another beer from the refrigerator. Leaning against the kitchen counter, he said, "Weekend ropings."
Jenna and Brady's eyes lit up at Kyle's suggestion.
"Really? Oh Kyle that would be wonderful." Jenna looked excited as a child. "We haven't had ropings around here since before you entered professional rodeo."
Brady nodded in agreement. "About damn time you brought those back. I've been wanting to do that for years now."
"I hate to show my ignorance here, but what exactly does that mean?" She knew what roping meant--it was a rodeo term. But how did one happen on a ranch?
"Calf roping. You invite wranglers from around the area to participate on the weekends. Then you lease your own cattle and horses to the ropers, and bring in some extra cash."
A light shone in Kyle's eyes, something Sabrina hadn't seen since she'd been at the Rocking M. It was like a sudden interest sparked within him, an enthusiasm that hadn't been present before.
"And if it all goes well, I think we should have a rodeo this summer.
Lease the horses and cattle and get the Rocking M on the rodeo circuit list."
"A rodeo? That would be great. I'd love it." Jenna was beaming.
"I think it's a good idea. I'm all for it," Brady seconded.
A rodeo. Jolts of excitement thrilled through Sabrina's body. To be a part of a rodeo event was more than she expected. "I have a question or two," Sabrina said.
"Go ahead." Kyle sat down at the table and turned his chair to face her.
"How much money do weekend ropings bring in? And don't you have to pay the ropers some kind of prize money? How much do you charge for leasing cattle and horses? Are the rates different for each one? Do the rates vary depending on the quality of the animal? And what about other
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ways to make money? Do you offer food and drink to the ropers? Do their families come along with them? Surely they get hungry, or are they allowed to bring their own food? Just how big an event is this?"
Kyle, Jenna and Brady all looked at Sabrina and then at each other and smiled.
"She's got a sharp head for business," Brady said as he smiled at her.
"Sure does," Jenna added. "We can use your help Sabrina, if you're game."
She wasn't sure what she said, but apparently it was something good. "Well of course, I'd love to help any way I can."
Kyle folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in the chair, smiling at Sabrina. His sharp gaze was open and inviting. "Any other questions?"
"Probably, but at the moment I just had those few."
He laughed then. "A few huh? I'd hate
to see what your long list looks like."
She smiled. "Sorry, I was always told I asked too many questions."
"Whoever told you that was wrong. Only an intelligent person asks questions. And you have some great ideas. Why don't you draw up a list and we'll go over them after dinner?"
As Sabrina cleaned up for dinner, she thought about today's events.
She was thrilled at Kyle's compliment and excited to be a part of planning an event for the ranch. Each day the Rocking M was feeling more like home to her. She even started to think of the Morgans as family. Jenna and Brady were almost like having a brother and sister.
Kyle was different, though. She didn't have sisterly feelings for him.
No, she definitely didn't think of Kyle as a brother. He had almost kissed her in the middle of the grocery store today. She couldn't help but regret
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their interruption. Admittedly she wanted to have his lips on hers, wanted to taste him, touch him, lean into him and see where it led.
And those were dangerous feelings for someone embarking on the road to independence. Soon she'd leave the Morgan Ranch to start a life of her own. Feelings for Kyle would only get in the way. Besides, he probably already had a girlfriend in Emma Stevens, and she'd never get in the middle of that.
But oh, how she wanted him to kiss her.
Kyle dried his hands and looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. What a day it had been. First the trip to the vet's office and then Emma's weird suggestion that he had feelings for Sabrina.
But when he'd denied any sort of involvement, Emma had called him a liar and told him to look in the mirror and face the truth.
Now how could Emma see something like that in the short time she had been around them today? He'd known Emma her whole life, ever since she was a kid, hanging around the Rocking M and riding the horses, playing with Jenna and annoying Brady until he pulled her pigtails and sent her crying to Kyle's mother.
Emma was like another little sister, the same age as Jenna. And she was just as big a busybody as Jenna. And just as damned observant as his sister, too.
Sexual attraction to Sabrina? Yeah, he'd admit that. But feelings? No.
No feelings.
There was that almost-kiss at the grocery store. God he had wanted to kiss her today, more than he wanted to admit. Holding her against him, his heart pounding, her lips only inches away. Tempting. Damn tempting. If Dent hadn't interrupted them he would have swept Sabrina in his arms and tasted that sweet mouth like he'd been longing to do since...
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Yeah, he wanted her all right. And if Kyle read Sabrina's expressions and body language right, she wanted that kiss today as much as he did.
Kyle was in over his head with financial problems and Jackson Dent, and the last thing he needed was an attraction to Sabrina Daniels. He'd sworn off women after Amanda, and so far had done a damn fine job of keeping that vow. Until Sabrina showed up at the Rocking M, blowing his self-imposed sexual exile to hell.
And she might be sweet and vulnerable and cute as hell walking around with that pig, but he damn well didn't have any feelings for her.
He'd just have to shore up his intentions and make it very clear to Sabrina their relationship was strictly business. And while he was convincing her, maybe he could convince himself.
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Chapter Seven
"The ropings each weekend will bring in a good sum of money and should help us out a lot." Kyle leaned forward on one of the sofas in the family room. "But getting authorized to host a rodeo circuit event will make even more, both now and in the future."
"What about leasing part of the land?" Luke asked.
"No way," Kyle responded. "Our parents never had to lease out part of the Rocking M no matter how bad things got. And we aren't either."
Luke was silent for a moment. "Okay, then what about hunting?"
Kyle thought about it for a moment. "We could do that. If we get four or five hunters on a weekend in here, provide them a couple meals and give them access to prime game, we could bring in several thousand each weekend."
Sabrina was shocked. "You're kidding. That much money to hunt?"
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, you'd be surprised what they'd pay to hunt game like we have on the Rocking M. There are plenty of sections in the outer land portion to set up a blind and campsites. With a little bit of monitoring it could work."
She made quick notes as the brainstorming session continued. After dinner they all moved into the family room to discuss their income generating ideas.
"How about selling a portion of the hay we make, and put the cattle on feed instead?"
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"That's like robbing Peter to pay Paul," Kyle said to her. "It's a good idea if you have extraordinary hay, but not really practical. Feed costs a lot. Hay is free if you grow it, but definitely cheaper than feed to buy."
"I think your original suggestion is still the best idea, Kyle," Brady said as he propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
"Ropings will bring in the biggest crowds and the most money. And with your background in rodeo, people will come just to see you ride."
"I agree," said Jenna. "You're quite an attraction to up-and-coming rodeo competitors as well as crowds that miss seeing you ride."
Sabrina watched the interplay. It was clear Jenna and Brady had the ultimate confidence in their brother's rodeo acuity. She was touched by their loyalty. Apparently, so was Kyle, even though he looked a bit embarrassed by all the praise.
Brady threw in another thought. "Because we have Brahmans, if leasing our stock works out during the ropings and the rodeo, we could get our name out there to the professional rodeo and really make some money leasing the bulls as well as the steers."
"I agree with Brady," Jenna added. "I also like Sabrina's ideas about selling food and drink at the ropings and the rodeo. Some of the wranglers won't bring their wives or girlfriends and would have no food with them. We could make money selling our own."
Sabrina chimed in. "If we had a barbecue we could produce a volume of food and charge so much per plate. Easy enough to add side dishes like potato salad and corn on the cob."
Kyle smiled. "That works. God knows we have enough beef around here."
"We could also sell baked goods likes rolls and muffins and cakes and cookies," Jenna added. "You know I love to bake."
"And you do it so well too," Luke said. They sat close together on the loveseat, Luke absently stroking his wife's arm. Sabrina couldn't help but
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sigh at the contented looks on their faces. Truly they were a couple in love.
"How soon can we be ready for this?" Sabrina was already calculating costs in her head and couldn't wait to get on the computer and run a spreadsheet.
"Probably a couple weeks," said Kyle. "We need to get the word out.
The sooner we get started, the sooner we can promote the rodeo too."
"I'm going to a horse auction this weekend, I can start spreading the word there," Brady offered.
"I can make up flyers on the computer. Then we could ask the store merchants in town and the surrounding communities to post them in their windows." Sabrina was so glad her business skills were finally showing some usefulness.
"Oh that's good, Sabrina. I can take the flyers with me when I go to my obstetrician appointment next week." Jenna smiled as Luke rubbed her stomach.
Brady stood up and stretched. "I'll take some to Emma. She travels to the neighboring towns when she does her mobile-vet thing. She'll convince folks to post them. Actually she'll browbeat them until they do,"
he added with a grin.
Sabrina nodded. "Okay, I'll work on those right away and have a draft printed out for you to look at by tomorrow."
K K K
Later that evening Sabrina sat in
Kyle's office running numbers through the spreadsheet in the main computer. She'd already created the draft of the flyer, and was printing it for Kyle to review.
"Working late?" Kyle's deep voice startled her and she whirled around in the chair, her heart pounding.
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"I didn't hear you come in. You scared me to death." She watched as he rounded the desk and stood behind her.
His full lips turned upward. "Oh I hope not. We need you around here."
He needed her. No, they needed her. The family did. Either way, she couldn't help but smile. It was nice to feel like a part of things.
"What are you working on?" He looked over her shoulder at the numbers on the screen.
"The cost-benefit analysis we talked about earlier. As well as some preliminary profit expectations and pricing considerations for leasing the stock."
He scanned the information on the monitor. She could feel the heat of his body even though they weren't touching. His warm breath caressed the top of her head, sending shivers down her spine.
She tried to avoid looking up at him, uncertain what she'd find, or feel, if she did. "Would you like to sit here, or did you want me to print this out?" His nearness was driving her crazy. Every nerve fiber in her body was alive and wanting to gravitate toward his warmth. It was proving to be difficult to concentrate with him so close. His deep voice was more than enough distraction.
"No, I can see fine from here. Unless my looking over your shoulder bothers you."
Everything about you bothers me. Your looks, your smile, the way you smell, the way I feel when you touch me. Yeah, you bother me all right. "It doesn't bother me at all." Was that her voice wavering? Her hand trembling as she smoothed away the tendrils of hair sliding over her cheek?
For a few moments he didn't speak, just continued to lean over her while reading the spreadsheet. She tried to concentrate, but it wasn't working. Her senses were tuned to Kyle, his every breath, every move awakening desire in her.
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"May I?" he said as he indicated the computer mouse. His chest rubbed against her shoulder as he moved in closer.
Taking a shaky breath, Sabrina tried to ignore the fact that Kyle was all but laying over her back. "G...Go ahead."
"Thanks."
But before she could remove her hand from the mouse, Kyle laid his on top of hers. The jolt of electricity from the touch of his hand almost sent her shooting out of the chair. His breath blew wisps of loose hair against her cheek as he slowly maneuvered the mouse through the spreadsheets.
