Her Cowboy's Caress (Taken by Cowboys: Part 1) A Billionaire Western Romance Page 2

  “Feel free to call, any time of day or night,” he said. “Good night.”

  There was a soft click as the line went dead.

  “Good night,” she said into the silent phone.

  For a moment she remained at the counter, staring transfixed at the phone in her hand. Beyond her line of focus was the bright-covered brochure, open to a picture of smiling faces around a campfire.

  “Come on, Scampers,” she said, giving herself a shake and picking up the cat. It had to be the vodka. “Let’s go to bed.”

  As she wandered into her room, she tried hard to leave the conversation behind. It had been a simple one, so why was it echoing in her mind? Who was the voice on the other end of the line, and why was it having this effect on her?

  Chapter 2

  The day had arrived. As she waited in the long, winding security line full of impatient passengers at JFK Airport, she felt her heart palpitate. She squeezed the handle of her suitcase to steady herself.

  The previous two weeks had been a whirlwind. The day after she’d had the conversation with the mysterious man on the other end of the phone line, Lauren had made yet another comment about both Jess’s general incompetence and her weight.

  She had been plugging away at one of the accounts Lauren had thrown at her at the last minute the day before, when Lauren had come striding over to her desk. She was wearing a short black sheath over black tights and four-inch spike heels.

  “Still working on the Triptych account, Jess?” she asked, scorn dripping from her voice.

  “I’m almost done,” Jess muttered, clacking away at her keyboard as she sent out yet another confirmation email. She had been on the phone all morning and her voice was hoarse from all her negotiating and fast-talking with various vendors.

  “If only you could get these things done as fast as you could crush a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough,” Lauren said.

  Jess felt her face heat up. Her fingers were shaking. Slowly, she looked up. Lauren was fumbling in her bag for her pack of cigarettes a few feet away.

  “You know what, Lauren? I’ve had it up to here with you and this job,” she said. “I’m not going to be bullied by you anymore. Consider this my two weeks’ notice. I quit.”

  The look on Lauren’s face alone made it totally worth it.

  The next two weeks had been surprisingly easy. Lauren and the other girls in the office had been almost nice to her, as if Jess’s quitting made them realize how unfairly they’d treated her. That, or they were just glad to see her go. She didn’t really care which.

  Quitting had given her a heady sense of recklessness. Right after putting in her notice, she’d gone online and signed up for a month’s stay at Getaway Guest Ranch. Screw it, she thought as she filled out the form and put in her credit card number. I’ve been saying I need to get out of this city. This is my chance. The stars are finally aligned.

  Dani had been shocked to hear about Jess’s plans. “You quit your job to do what?” she’d asked that night at Lucky’s, her cosmo forgotten. “You’re going where?”

  She knew it didn’t make sense, picking up and going to Big Horn, Wyoming. It sounded more like a quarter-life crisis than a reasonable plan. Yet it didn’t feel like chance. First she’d been staying up late night after night watching Westerns, dreaming about a cowboy adventure (while hating every minute of her job at the same time). Then that brochure had come in the mail like a sign. The conversation with the mysterious man had sealed the deal. His voice had pulled her like a dragnet.

  Standing in line at security now, though, she didn’t feel quite so confident. The more she thought about it, the crazier it seemed. Leaving her job and going to spend a month in Middle-of-Nowhere, Wyoming, riding horses and singing “Home on the Range” around a campfire? What was she thinking? What would she do when she got back?

  Oh, well. She couldn’t think about that now. Her turn in line was approaching. She drained the last of her coffee and took her ID and boarding pass out of her bag. Soon she would be whisked through security, and then she would find her way to her gate, buy a magazine and a pack of gum and board the plane. Whatever lay in store after that was hers to discover.

  ***

  Nate opened the door to the office and walked in on exaggerated tiptoes, screwing up his face and shielding his eyes when Spencer looked over at him. Then Nate saw the coffee cup in front of him. He let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, wiping invisible sweat from his brow.

  “Thank god I’m safe,” he said, grabbing a mug from one of the hooks that hung over the counter and pouring himself a cup from the coffeemaker. “I know better than to try and talk to you before you’ve had your first cup of coffee.”

  Spencer gave him a wry smile. “That much hasn’t changed over the years.”

  Nate threw himself into a chair across the table from Spencer, pushing his sandy-blond hair out of his eyes. While Spencer kept his hair neatly combed back, Nate was perpetually in need of a haircut. “So what’s on tap for today?”

  Spencer pulled the clipboard closer to him and flipped the page. “After breakfast you’re leading a day ride. I’ll be taking another group out fly-fishing. Leisure activities in the afternoon, and tonight there’s the usual Friday campfire after dinner.”

  “Sounds good,” Nate said. “Sam delivered a new stock of flies and leaders in the supply shed, so make sure to grab them when you go get the rods.”

  “Will do,” Spencer responded.

  The two men sipped their coffee in companionable silence, each thinking about the day ahead. It had become a tradition for them to meet for coffee before the day began and they got swept up in the tasks of running the guest ranch. Their morning meeting was a way to keep organized and talk about any issues that had come up. It was about the only thing that kept their business on track.

  “Do you ever miss the old days, Nate?” Spencer said suddenly.

  Nate looked at him in surprise. He hardly ever heard Spencer mention their shared past. “I can’t say that I do. It feels like another life, you know? Like I was someone else back then.”

  Spencer nodded. “I know what you mean. Sometimes when we get these guests from New York, I start thinking about it again. Then I’m amazed all over again that I’m here now.” He gestured out the window, to the stunning view of the sun cresting over the Big Horn mountains and bathing the wide-open valley in fresh morning light.

  “I get that feeling, too, sometimes,” Nate said, rising to pour both Spencer and himself another cup of coffee. “Most of the city people that come here just seem so desperate to get out of there, you know? It makes me want to ask them, why do you live there if you feel so miserable?” He shrugged, and then laughed. “Then again, neither of us is really one to talk.”

  “True,” Spencer admitted.

  “Speaking of city slickers,” Nate said, “do we have any new arrivals coming in today?”

  Spencer flicked to another page on the list. “One,” he said. “From New York, in fact. Jessica Jones. Goes by Jess.”

  “She’s alone?” Nate asked.

  Spencer glanced at the paper again. “Looks like it.”

  “Let me guess,” Nate said. “Another stick-skinny city girl who’s more concerned with keeping her manicure intact than taking advantage of the great outdoors.”

  Spencer frowned. There was something familiar about the name. “I’m not sure,” he said slowly. He had a vague memory of having spoken to this Jess. He spoke to so many people on the phone that it was hard to keep track, but something about this particular conversation stuck in his mind—a feeling more than anything else. “I think this one might be different.”

  ***

  Two flights and a long car ride later, Jess had finally arrived at Big Horn. She had dropped off almost immediately after the plane took off and slept for most of the duration of the trip. She’d been even more exhausted than she’d thought, working long hours over so many months with hardly a break and then rushing to make arrangements fo
r her extended stay out of the city.

  As the car drove under the wooden archway that spelled out “Getaway Guest Ranch,” her fatigue was replaced by a sudden surge of excitement. She was really there.

  “Here we are, miss,” the driver said as they pulled up to a large wooden lodge. “This is the main building where you’ll be checking in.”

  “Thank you so much,” she said, handing him a folded wad of bills.

  He looked embarrassed. “Oh, no, miss. The ride’s already been paid for by the ranch. It’s part of the package.”

  “Oh, I see,” Jess said. She unpeeled a couple of bills from the bunch. “Well, at least take this, then.”

  The man looked like he didn’t know what to do. Jess felt nervous. Maybe this wasn’t customary practice out here like it was in the city?

  “Oh, come on. Just take it,” she said, thrusting the cash into the man’s hand. She opened the car door and jumped out, the sunlight enveloping her like a blessing. She closed her eyes and turned her face to it. Maybe it was all the vitamin D she’d been missing during her long days in the office, but it felt like her skin was drinking it in.

  The driver came around with her suitcase from the drunk. “Have a pleasant stay, miss,” he said, tipping his hat rather formally.

  “I’m sure I will,” Jess said out loud as she watched the car drive away.

  She stood for a minute and made a slow 380-degree circle, taking in her surroundings. Happiness welled up in her as she did. Instead of the grey high-rises of the Manhattan skyline, there were snow-capped mountain peaks. Instead of miles of pavement on tightly gridded streets and avenues, there were wide-open spaces and meandering paths. In place of the polluted East River, there was a sparkling creek. It felt like nothing short of paradise.

  She dragged her suitcase towards the lodge, grinning like a fool. She didn’t care how she looked—this felt totally right. Besides, it wasn’t like anyone was around to see her.

  She was about to ascend the steps to the porch when a voice spoke from a few feet away. “I take it you’re our new arrival.”

  Jess turned and her grin turned into a drop-jawed gape. Waling up to her, a stack of fishing rods in his arms, was the cowboy out of her fantasy. He was wearing almost the exact same outfit she had pictured—ripped jeans and a rolled-up plaid shirt—but he had on a rust-red baseball cap instead of a cowboy hat. He was well tanned and radiated a boyish energy, with sandy-blond hair falling into his cool blue eyes. Abruptly she snapped her mouth closed.

  “Jess, right?” he said. His voice carried the mildest twang.

  “That’s right,” she stammered. Her heart was pounding and her knees felt slightly weak. Holy hell, was this man a looker. He was as handsome as the male models she sometimes saw at PR events, but without any of the smugness.

  “Welcome to Getaway,” he said, his face breaking into a lazy smile. “We’re very happy to have you.”

  From the effect he was having on her, this had to be the man she’d spoken with on the phone—though she hadn’t remembered that man having any kind of an accent. But then, that had been over the phone, and the conversation had been so brief. Of course, he had to be distractingly attractive. Another distraction was all she needed.

  “You can follow me into the main lodge to check in,” he was saying. “Let me help you with your bag.”

  Jess had a sudden flashback to her dream—the one that had been interrupted at that crucial moment. Suddenly he was right next to her. She started.

  He gave her a confused, though slightly amused, look and then whisked her suitcase into both hands. She followed him up the stairs to the guest ranch, her face burning. Ice water. Buckets of ice water. Geez. She was really going to have to get herself in check.

  The man held the door open for her and she entered the lodge’s cool interior. The lobby was decorated with a Western motif and furnished with comfortable-looking wooden chairs and couches topped with red cushions. A pair of moose antlers hung over the desk in the center, behind which a smiling young woman stood.

  “Jess, this is Caroline. To call her our receptionist wouldn’t do justice to all she does here. Caroline helps us with our accounts, our supplies, and all those little odds and ends that we can never seem to keep straight. We’d be lost without her,” he said. “Caroline, this is Jess…Jessica Jones, if I’m not mistaken.” He turned to her and smiled, once again turning her knees to jelly. “Please check her in and make sure that she’s comfortable.”

  “Of course. Thank you, Nate,” the woman said. Nate—so that was his name. She hadn’t even thought to ask.

  “Dinner is served at seven p.m. I hope to see you there,” Nate said. He tipped his baseball hat at her, his lips turning up at the edges, and left the lodge.

  Caroline took Jess’s information and began checking her in on her computer. She was pretty, Jess thought—very pretty. Blonde and not unlike the thin, lithe girls in her office. Well, her old office. If you took this gal out of her breezy short-sleeve button-down blouse and put her in something black and designer, she would fit right in. She suppressed a sigh. Was there nowhere you could escape beautiful, skinny blondes?

  “Alright! All set,” Caroline said with a sunny smile. “Let me show you to your cabin.”

  Jess instantly felt a wrinkle of shame at her own thoughts. Caroline seemed genuinely nice. “Great. Thank you so much,” she said, returning her smile.

  “So what brings you to Getaway?” Caroline asked as she led Jess out of the lodge. They began walking down the path to a group of cabins several hundred yards away, nestled in pine trees at the crest of a mountain. Jess was struck anew by how beautiful the scenery was. She took a deep breath, letting the air seep into her lungs. That should clean out all the second-hand cigarette smoke and bus fumes.

  She thought about the right way to answer that question. “I needed some time away,” she said after a moment. That was the truth, plain and simple.

  Caroline nodded. “City life can get a little rough, I would imagine.”

  “I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed,” Jess admitted. “I think I really needed a getaway.”

  “Well, you’ve come to the right place!” Caroline said cheerfully.

  “Have you ever been to New York?” Jess asked.

  “Never,” Caroline answered. “It might be hard for a nature girl like me! But it does sound exciting—all those tall buildings and people everywhere.”

  Jess glanced over at Caroline, taking inventory again of her fine features and svelte physique. “I think you’d fit in better than you’d think,” she said.

  That seemed to please Caroline. As they walked, she told her about the grounds, which spanned several hundred acres and included riding trails and a stream full of mountain trout—which, she pointed out, glimmered in the distance—not to mention the spa.

  They arrived at the enclave of cabins. Jess led her to a small log cabin nestled among pine trees, a little off the main cluster of buildings. “This was the only cabin available on relatively short notice,” she said, selecting a key from a large chain and unlocking the door. “It’s a little secluded from the rest. I hope that’s alright with you.”

  Jess followed her inside. The front room of the cabin was a small but quaint living area with a loveseat, chair, coffee table, and fireplace, next to which was a stack of logs. “The bedroom is through here,” Caroline said, leading her across the living room through an open doorway that led to the bedroom. There was a double bed overlaid with a red quilt, a nightstand with a lamp, and a dresser. The wood lent the place a warm, cozy feel, so unlike anything she experienced back home. To New Yorkers, “cozy” either meant an overpriced cocktail lounge or a tiny cockroach-infested studio apartment.

  “This is perfect,” Jess said, and meant it.

  “I’m so glad you like it,” Caroline said, looking genuinely glad. Jess again felt sorry for the way she had judged her earlier. “I’ll let you get settled in. As Nate said, dinner is at seven in the din
ing lodge, which is just behind the main lodge where you checked in. There’s a schedule of planned activities every day, but you are free to spend your days however you wish. Tomorrow one of us will give you a full tour of the grounds.”

  She asked if Jess needed anything else. She said she didn’t, and thanked Caroline for her help. Caroline handed her the keys and bid her goodbye. The sense of quiet calm that descended on her little cabin was profound, especially in comparison to the city noise that she was used to. She didn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alone. And a month of unbridled freedom—she hadn’t experienced that since summer in high school. It spread itself in front of her like a blank white page.

  She had given herself a gift by coming to Getaway, and she was damn pleased about it. So what was up with the butterflies in her stomach? There’s nothing to feel nervous about, she told herself. Perhaps it was all the anxiety that had been building up in her for the past few weeks—or, hell, the past year and a half. It was bound to catch up with her someday.

  She knew she should unpack her things. She looked at her suitcase. Then she looked at the bed. She could lie down, just for a few minutes, and recover from her trip. After that, she would unpack.

  Chapter 3

  It felt like she had just lain down when her eyes fluttered open again. How long had she been sleeping for? She glanced at the clock on the nightstand: 6:45. It had been almost two hours.

  So much for lying down for a few minutes. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Then she was greeted by a loud and insistent growling: her stomach. Good thing dinner was in fifteen minutes. She hopped off the bed, still feeling a little groggy, and grabbed her handbag. She went into the bathroom, washed her hands and face, put on a touch of face powder and gave her hair a few swipes with her brush. Maybe a spritz of perfume? But no, she’d have to find it in her suitcase and she didn’t want to be late—it might be considered rude.

  She grabbed her handbag and then, thinking better of it, a sweater. She hurried out of the cabin, locking the door behind her, and headed for the lodge. The sun had all but set over the mountains, lighting up the sky around it in an impressionistic palette of pinks and oranges. She was glad she’d thought to bring a sweater—the mountain air had grown undeniably crisp.