Rodeo Rancher

by Lauren Wood

  Keenan smiled and touched his wife’s arm. There was a gentleness that I don’t think I even possessed. He loved her. I could tell from the silly little grin on his face. He loved her a lot and while others may have thought it was cute and romantic, I just didn’t want it to be me. I hoped I never smiled like such an idiot in my life. What fun would that be? One woman for the rest of my life? It sounded boring if I really thought about it.

  Going to the bar, I tried to wash down all of the feelings that I was having and tried not to get too worked up over it. I felt like something was missing and there were times when I thought maybe it was a partner to share my life and wealth with, but now I was sure that it was something else I was lacking.

  “You haven’t said too much tonight Chris and now you look so serious. What is on your mind?”

  I turned to see Ashlyn standing next to me at the bar. She was ordering another glass of wine and peering up at me with those soulful blue eyes.

  “Not much. Have you seen Keenan over there?”

  Ashlyn smiled and shook her head. “He is a mess, isn’t it?” She said the same things that I was saying in my head, but her tone was different and if I didn’t know any better, she thought that it was a good thing. I didn’t see it that way.

  “Yes he is, so why are you smiling about it like that?”

  “What, can I not be happy for a friend?”

  “I thought you two were more than friends?”

  “No more than me and you. Keenan was looking for something else and he found it in Gemma. She is a real sweet girl. Have you talked to her?”

  I had no intentions on talking to the vixen that had turned Keenan to mush. I was afraid that it was some kind of voodoo and I would be as helpless as he was. I couldn’t risk it. “No, but I know her father.”

  “Gemma is so different than Ronald. You should say hi. She is a real nice girl and it changed Keenan around. Look how happy he is?”

  I could see the man smiling from here. “Yeah I see him. I don’t think that they will be together that long. We will see. No one stays happy like that for long. It isn’t real.”

  Ashlyn called me a scrooge and maybe she was right. I just wasn’t that type of guy. I didn’t think Keenan was either, so maybe that was why I found it so hard to stomach.

  “I will take him out this weekend and see how he acts away from his little wife.”

  Ashlyn just shook her head and told me that I was going to find ‘the one’ one day and things would be different.

  “God, I hope not.”

  ***

  Everyone I talked to today, it was all I heard, love and ‘the one’. I wasn’t looking for anyone in particular, but the tall blond from across the room caught my eye. She had a smile on her face that told me she was ‘the one’ for the night. I brought her home with me. It was something that I shouldn’t have done, but now I was stuck with a woman that was close to being teary-eyed for me not wanting her to stay.

  “Was there something that I did wrong?”

  “No Lisa, it isn’t like that at all.”

  “My name is Leslie, not Lisa!”

  The tears turned to anger rather quickly. I was surprised that I had gotten that close to her real name. I had known her a couple of hours and in my defense, almost none of that was talking.

  “I am sorry Leslie. I will have my driver take you home or wherever you want to go.”

  She looked crushed and I was just feeling aggravated about the whole thing. It was fun while it lasted, but it was time for her to go. That didn’t seem that hard to understand.

  “I will get a cab. You rich guys are all alike!”

  There were so many things that came to mind when she said that. I could have asked her why she was with us rich guys if we were all the same, but I knew that it had a lot more to do with the fact that we had money. We could see women like her coming a mile away.

  At the benefit she was dressed rather slutty and then the eyes she gave me when she came up to me in the bar. I was on her radar as soon as I got there. I supposed that Lisa, or Leslie, knew who I was right off the bat. I wasn’t going to feel bad for not falling in love. I wasn’t supposed to.

  “At least let me call for you.”

  She put her hand up like she was disgusted with me. “Really, don’t bother. I will just leave.”

  I agreed, but I still walked her down the stairs so that I could make sure she didn’t take something on her way out. As she looked back at me, I smiled at her and told myself that I was going to have to stop doing this. A hotel was just as easy and then they didn’t know where I lived. I had a feeling that Leslie was going to be a problem. I don’t know why, but as she was leaving, something told me that I was going to have to keep an eye on her.

  I shut the door and told Fred to make sure that Leslie left the premise. I called her a cab, just to make sure that she didn’t try to say that they wouldn’t come. I left nothing to chance and this was one of those nights.

  “Did you get a live one Sir?”

  Fred chuckled as I gave him a dirty look.

  “They tend to get mad when you can’t remember their names.”

  Fred just shook his head and looked out the window at the woman we were talking about. I couldn’t believe that she was still on the stairs, but it was a long way down the mountain if you were on foot. My driver could have already been halfway to her house if she wasn’t so stubborn.

  “I will keep an eye on her Sir. You should get some rest. It is already three.”

  The time meant nothing. I never slept anyways, but I agreed with him and went in the direction of my bedroom. I was thinking about the night and no longer about the blonde pouting on my front steps. It was going to be a while before she left, but I trusted Fred to make sure everything went well. He had been with me for years and this wasn’t the first time that he had to get rid of someone for me. I doubted that it would be the last.

  Then I started thinking about Keenan and wondering why I was so against meeting his wife. Was I really that worried about finding what it was in her that was lacking in all of the women that I met? I knew that my choices were not the best, but I wasn’t looking for a wife. I was just looking to have some fun. Life was too short for anything else.

  Sleep finally caught up to me and I didn’t dream about anything. When I woke up the next day, Fred filled me in on how long Leslie hung around and that she did try to come back in, but the cab I called arrived and she finally left an hour later.

  I was ready for another day, no longer thinking about the what-ifs. It was a waste of time. I was happy with how life was going so why was I looking for something to be wrong? Life was good. I needed to remember that and not let Keenan and his antics changed that.

  Chapter 2

  Stacy

  “Thanks Ashlyn for setting up that interview. I didn’t think I was ever going to find something else this summer for work. I need to get some hours in and working for Keenan as his assistant will be perfect.”

  Ashlyn waved her niece off. “I told my sister that I would make it happen. Keenan is easy to work with and he does what I want him to.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about him before?”

  Ashlyn smiled at me like I didn’t have a clue. “Well because last time you asked, I wouldn’t have let you be alone with Keenan. He wasn’t a very good man around young girls like you.”

  I was a little shocked that she was saying this, after she got me a job working for him and traveling around with him alone.

  “What?”

  “Oh, he is nothing like he used to be. He got married and turned everything around, so now I wouldn’t worry about him. I wouldn’t have mentioned him if I thought there was anything to worry about. He is so in love with his wife that I doubt he will even look your way and you are gorgeous.”

  I smiled at her. She always had a way of making me feel better in pretty much any situation. “Thanks Auntie.”

  She grimaced at the title. “Remember, when we are in pub
lic just call me Ashlyn.”

  “Does it make you feel old?” I giggled because she wasn’t old at all. Her and my mom was just many years apart and that made her an aunt very young.

  “A little and I just don’t like the idea of being old enough to have a daughter your age. How old are you now?”

  “Twenty one.”

  “What I wouldn’t give to be your age again. I would have done so many things differently.”

  “Like what?” Her life was perfect and glamorous. I don’t know why she would want it to be any different than it was. I wish I had her life.

  “I would have taken more chances.”

  I found that hard to believe because from what I heard, Aunt Ashlyn had taken all kinds of risks in her life. She had a faraway look in her eyes that I wanted to ask her about, but it was time to go back in as the rain started again.

  “So when do you start?”

  “Tomorrow. Keenan has a weekend meeting/conference thing that he is going to in Jamaica. Can you believe that I get to go there and they are going to pay me?”

  “Sounds like a good deal. You will have a blast, just remember don’t have too much fun.”

  “Aunt Ashlyn, you know that I don’t drink.”

  “Still?” She had a look that told me that I should tell her I drink so she doesn’t think I am such a lost cause.

  “Yes still. Never did like it. Makes me feel weird, but I have drank a few times.”

  “I would have thought that in college you would have changed that.”

  “No, it got even worse in college. Everyone is drunk and it seems like it is just better to be sober to drive everyone around then to have fun. It never seems like that much fun to me. Guys in college are idiots.”

  Ashlyn just shook her head at me. “I wish I was as responsible as you are. Life would have been easier and I wouldn’t have gotten into near as much trouble as I did.”

  I went into the house with her and helped go through her closet. She was cleaning it out to donate a lot of it, but I found myself going home with a couple of bags full of clothes. I had a feeling that is why she asked me over for help. She wanted to see how the job interview went that she set up, but also to give me some clothes for work. They were a little racy for my taste, but I knew that she knew her stuff when it came to fashion. I was going to be surrounded by a while new caliber of people and I at least wanted to look like I belonged, even if I didn’t.

  ***

  “Good to see you here on time Stacy. We have a full day ahead of us and tardiness can really mess up the whole day. It has been a while since I have been to one of these meetings and I am going to need all the time I can get to do some research and get up to date on what is going on. I have been out of it for a while.” Keenan said.

  “Oh, did you have an illness?”

  “No, I got married and I stepped back from business for a while. An old friend of mine convinced me that I needed to get back on the horse before I forgot how to ride.”

  I just sort of nodded my head, not sure what to say. Keenan wasn’t at all what I had pictured in my head. He was so less strict and uptight about everything than I’d imagined. A man of his means, it was surprising that he hadn’t let it all go to his head. I was afraid that he was going to be snobby, but he seemed pretty down to earth. My aunt had always spoken highly of him. He was handsome, though not really my type, if I was into married men.

  “Well we are off then if you have everything. This is going to be a three day business trip, so are you sure that you have enough for all of those days?”

  I shrugged and told him that I had plenty. He looked at my small suitcase and didn’t seem to really believe me. I learned long ago to downsize and only bring what was needed. He actually had two suitcases brought out for him, but I didn’t make a mention of that. I didn’t think it would be conducive to a working relationship, so I just smiled to myself and got on the plane with my one carry on.

  We didn’t talk most of the short flight because he was serious about needing to read up on the latest numbers. He had been almost legendary the year before, even I knew that. So whatever marriage had done to him, had really thrown him off of his game. I hoped that he was able to get enough in before we got there because he seemed very worried.

  I had the time to read a book on my phone that I had downloaded just in case. I figured that the meetings were going to be incredibly boring. This was my line of work, stocks and bonds, but it was working experience and a little pocket money. I would much rather read a mystery novel, then here about what stocks were where. I knew there was a lot of money in it, but none of it really was that interesting to me.

  “What are you reading?”

  “The Ticking Bomb.”

  Keenan just looked at me and then smiled. “Is that a warning?”

  “No, just the title. Did you get enough of that stuff crammed into your head?” I pointed over at the mountains of paperwork that he had in front of him.

  “Not enough, but my head hurts. I didn’t realize how out of it I had become.”

  “Well we still have more time till we get there.”

  He waved it off and sat down next to me. All of the things that I had heard about him a few months ago ran through my head and I hoped that he wasn’t going to try and hit on me.

  “Let’s talk about you. I like to get to know the people that I work with. Your Ashlyn’s niece, right?”

  I nodded my head a little wary. “Yeah. She is the one that offered to talk to you. She said you would be a good line on my resume.’

  He chuckled. “Yeah that sounds like Ashlyn. I hope you will learn a thing or two as well. Are you getting into finances in school?”

  “No, I like the more creative side of business. I am getting more into marketing and advertising. My degree will just be a general MBA.”

  “Impressive for a woman so young.”

  “I have another year. That is why I can only work the summer.”

  “You won’t regret it. You will learn a lot that they won’t teach you in school.”

  We talked for a while longer and after a few minutes I didn’t worry about him anymore. He talked mainly about his wife and it was cute to see a man so in love with his wife. I knew that if I was ever going to get married, I wanted my husband to light up when he talked about me like that. Nothing else would do.

  ***

  The hotel was big and it took me a few minutes to navigate myself to the room that Keenan gave me a key for. I figure that it would be a small one close to the ground floor, but it was actually up on the top floor and it was bigger than my apartment. I had never been in such a beautiful place before and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen next. I could really get used to a life like this and I certainly was going to enjoy this for a job the rest of the summer.

  Keenan told me that the only thing I had to do was take care of mid-meeting paperwork early the next morning, but I was free to do what I wished for the rest of the night. I was in Jamaica and it was beautiful outside. All I wanted to do was get in the water before the sun went down completely.

  I checked with Keenan by calling him to make sure that he didn’t want me to get him anything on his way out, but he assured me that he was fine. I hung up feeling like he didn’t need an assistant all that much, but maybe more for show and as a favor to Ashlyn. I was determined to make myself useful tomorrow, but tonight I was just going to get some swimming in and then maybe find something local to eat. The food on the plane was good of course, but I was looking to try some of the local flavors when I was done.

  The beach wasn’t far from the hotel, really only a few hundred feet. I had a balcony off of the living area in the suite and there was a beautiful view of the water from my room. It was warm and felt as good as I imagined as I dove in head first. The salt water felt slick against my skin and I bobbed up to look at the setting sun. Yeah, I could certainly get used to this kind of job or this life. I never really worried too much about money, always havi
ng enough to get by, but there was definite perks to living on the high side of things. It certainly had good views if nothing else.

  “Hey there sexy.”

  I heard the voice right before I seen the dark man behind me. He caught me off guard, his darker skin helping him to hide a little. It must have been hard to do because he was so large. I didn’t hear him come up at all and I figure that I must have been caught up in thinking about what was around me. I should have noticed a guy like that slipping into the water next to me.

  “Hello.” What else could you say to such a comment? He was too close for comfort and I swam a little closer to the shore.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Do I know you?”

  I knew I didn’t, but I guess I was trying to help him realize that he didn’t know me so he didn’t have any right to be so close. The handsome man with the dashing smile didn’t seem to take the hint.

  “No, I don’t think I would forget a face like that.”

  The whole time he was talking, I was going closer to the beach. He’s presence was intoxicating and even though the man was devastatingly attractive up close, I didn’t want to be alone with a man like him. Not here by myself.

  “Well I don’t think I know you either, so why don’t we keep it that way.”

  He acted like I had hit him, moving back to take a blow. “Does it have to be like that baby?”

  I shook my head as I walked out of the water, no longer feeling like a swim was going to work. Wine on the balcony was sounding a lot better all of a sudden. I never was one to drink, but I needed something to settle my nerves. The man’s closeness had really messed with my senses and I suddenly needed to regroup.

  “I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten an ass like that. Come back baby.”

  I ignored the inebriated man, hoping that I wouldn’t run into someone like him again.

  Chapter 3

  Chris

  “I am glad to see you Keenan. I had one hell of a night. You should have come out with us. When did you become such an old man?”