Send Me a Cowboy (2 page)

She tried to push the folder back into
Jessica’s hands, but the other woman refused to take it. “I can’t
do that.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No. I can’t.” Katie was quite happy with her
position at the firm. She made a good salary for a reasonable
amount of responsibility. Jessica was more career-driven than
Katie. Katie had a job, not a career. A job she would give up in a
New York minute to become a stay-at-home wife and mother. Or not.
If she needed to work, she would happily continue to do so in order
to help support her family. It would be a struggle to juggle both,
but with a loving partner, she knew it would be possible.

A loving partner. A man who loved her.
Someone to love. That’s what Katie wanted. She sighed. That was not
in her future.

“Take the folder, Jessica.”

“No.” Her friend stood up and backed away.
“The assignment is yours, Katie. I’ll send you the details later.
Just study up on your Valen-, umm, client.”

*****

A week later Katie sat in the waiting room of
John Kinkaid’s plush office. She had an appointment with the owner
of the Triple K to discuss projected costs of the proposed guest
ranch project. She was more than a little excited to meet the man,
but she’d never admit it to Jessica. The more she’d read about John
Kinkaid, the more she’d liked him. He’d had a hard life. His
parents had died when he was sixteen and then his grandfather had
passed away four years later, leaving him and his younger brother
alone in the world with nothing but each other and a ranch which
was barely holding its own.

“Ms. Lenard?”

“Yes, that’s me.” She glanced up at the woman
calling her name and almost groaned aloud. The tiny seed of hope
that had started to grow of catching Mr. Kinkaid’s eye withered
away and died. Katie rose and tried not to compare herself to the
other woman but with little success. The woman was beautiful. Long,
curly blonde hair framed a gorgeous face with big blue eyes. She
was at least four inches taller than Katie’s five-foot-five
generous frame and, of course, didn’t sport nearly as much padding.
It seemed as if her legs made up almost half her height.

Not even one of Katie’s favorite outfits, a
mid-thigh olive green skirt with a matching jacket and a cream
colored blouse made of cashmere-like material that clung to her
abundant breasts, could make her feel better. She didn’t even have
that advantage she thought sourly, although she was pretty sure the
other woman’s large rack was courtesy of a surgeon whereas Katie
had her grandmother to thank for her curves–all of them.

Maybe she should take Mr. Harper up on his
offer to increase her responsibility. Because it looked like she’d
have no one else to depend on in her old age but herself. It was
highly unlikely that someone such as John Kinkaid would look twice
at a woman like her when there were always going to be women around
who looked like his secretary.

“Go right on in.” The woman smiled and
ushered her through a set of double oak doors.

Katie put a smile on her own face and
clutched the briefcase Jessica had loaned her. Inside it was a
fairly comprehensive draft of a business plan and a one-year cost
projection based on her preliminary research. Until she spoke to
both John and his brother concerning the specifics of the business,
there was only so much she could accomplish.

John Kinkaid sat behind a mahogany desk,
talking on the phone. She sighed. His picture—although
exceptional—hadn’t really done him justice. He was broad-shouldered
and dark-featured with a face that should be gracing the covers of
magazines, all craggy lines and planes. Beautifully masculine. Over
the last week she’d developed a huge crush on her temporary boss.
Unless there was some horrible character trait that hadn’t been
mentioned in the newspaper articles and industry reports, this was
a man she could easily lose her heart to.

She stopped in front of the desk, her heart
pounding. He didn’t say anything, just stared at her as he finished
his conversation. His dark green eyes roved boldly over her figure
and she resisted the temptation to suck in her gut. She was what
she was, extra love handles and all.

When he continued to stare, she raised her
chin. Any other woman might have taken the intense scrutiny as
interest, but not Katie. The intense man behind the big desk
apparently didn’t like her–or at least didn’t like her looks. She
felt incredibly vulnerable but didn’t let it show. Here she stood
before a tiger with no way out–both figuratively and literally. The
door was now firmly closed behind her, cutting off her escape
route. Plus, this was her job, so she couldn’t leave even if she
gave in to the instinct to turn tail and run.

As he finished the call, she took time to
study the office, avoiding his penetrating scrutiny. The darkly
paneled walls were lined with plaques, framed ribbons, and pictures
of males posing with various bulls. Some of the men were dressed in
business suits, while others wore chaps and boots. These were
apparently happy, satisfied customers of the Triple K. She smiled.
Nothing like a proud father showing off his children. Or
grandchildren she mused remembering the gestation period for a cow
was just under nine months. Plenty of time to have produced several
generations of cattle since the start of Mr. Kinkaid’s breeding
program.

She turned when the call ended.

“Sit down.” He didn’t do her the courtesy of
standing or even shaking her hand. Maybe her fantasy about him
being a real old-west-type cowboy was a little off after all. He
opened a folder on his desk and she could see it was a report from
Collins and Collins. She frowned when she saw several pictures of
herself, along with what appeared to be a short list of her
personal statistics and attributes. From what she could see it read
more like a dating profile than a staff profile.

Oh, heck no, Jessica had not done that, had
she?

Her best friend was so dead.

He flipped through the papers, studying each
one intently before moving on to next.

He looked up as he closed the folder. “So
tell me, Ms. Lenard, why should I turn my grandparent’s home into a
guest ranch?”

Katie didn’t hesitate. “Because you love your
brother.”

That certainly got a reaction. “Excuse
me?”

Katie’s nerves eased a little. This was her
area of expertise. “Most small businesses fail within the first
year. I’ve calculated–without knowing the exact condition of the
homestead or the amenities you wish to offer, mind you–that the
initial investment will probably exceed a quarter-of-a-million
dollars. It is my understanding that you want to open a guest ranch
of the same caliber as your other endeavors, hence the high price
tag. That large of an investment will not be recouped all at once
and probably not for at least three years if the business is even
marginally successful.”

“You sound doubtful that it will be.” He
leaned back, his fingers steepled under his chin.

She returned his stare. “Facts and figures
don’t lie.”

“And?”

“You’re a smart business man, Mr. Kinkaid; I
don’t think given the choice, you’d invest in this type of
business. It would take too long to recoup your initial
investment.” She leaned forward, holding his gaze.

“But?”

“But I do think you’ll invest that much money
and that much time in your brother.”

A flicker of something akin to a smile curled
his lips. “My brother is rich in his own right Ms. Lenard.”

“Then why doesn’t he use his own money? Why
are you bankrolling his dream?”

“Why indeed.”

They continued to look at each other, Katie
growing more and more nervous with each moment. But she intuitively
knew if she blinked, she’d somehow lose more than the staring
contest they seemed to be having.

He glanced down at the folder on his desk,
breaking the electric contact. “I hope you’ve come prepared to
work, because I want that recoupment time cut in half.”

*****

Katie rose the next morning wondering if she
should send a hit man after Jessica or wait and do the dirty deed
herself when she got out of this mess. Last night John Kinkaid had
raked her over the coals. He’d pushed her to her limits and
demanded facts and figures she’d been hard pressed to provide.
After three grueling hours, he’d taken the report–a report she’d
more than once pointed out had already been approved by her
boss–and torn it into tiny pieces in front of her. He’d informed
her that while she was working on his account, he was the boss. No
one else. He’d stopped only when his secretary had reminded him of
his dinner reservation in the city.

After she’d driven the hour and a half home,
she’d spent the rest of the night researching and rewriting.
Although she had very little sleep, she now had an almost brand new
report to show the irritating man.

Eating a quick breakfast of cereal and orange
juice, Katie dressed in blue jeans, an oversized sweatshirt and a
pair of running shoes. She had no boots and wouldn’t have felt
inclined to wear them if she had. She could just imagine the
sarcastic remarks the man would have made if she’d tried to look
like some rodeo groupie. Attempting to impress the man was over.
He’d rarely even looked her way during the time they’d spent
working on the business plan nor had he made one personal comment
despite her efforts, at first, to form a connection.

She glanced down at the well-worn denim
stretched across her rounded thighs. He’d said they would ride out
to the homestead so she could make preliminary notes on what needed
to be done on the building itself and the grounds surrounding
it.

Katie had never ridden, but she’d die before
admitting that fact to Mr. Know-It-All. She was sure he’d be quick
to point out how her lack of riding skills disqualified her from
continuing with the project. He’d been critical enough of her
research skills last night. Maybe she’d get lucky and James Kinkaid
would be the one to take her to the site. John had assured her that
his younger brother would be joining them today.

What she didn’t understand was, if it was
James’s project, why was John in charge?

Oh, wait, she knew the answer. The man was a
controlling jackass.

She gathered up her laptop, the new report,
and her purse. The hour-and-a-half drive passed quickly as Katie
sang aloud to oldies on the radio. It was just another facet of her
personality which kept her one step behind the world around her.
She loved old-fashioned courtesy in a man, old-fashioned value of
family, and sad country songs.

At the ranch house, she was greeted by the
same woman as the day before. She’d been introduced as Marcia
Lawson, John’s secretary.

“Hi. Come on in. Have you had breakfast?”

Despite her beautiful face and fabulous
figure, the woman really did have a nice manner Katie thought.

“Yes, I had a bowl of cereal.”

The other woman frowned. “Are you sure that
will be enough?”

Well, maybe not so nice.

Seeing the look on Katie’s face and realizing
how that had sounded, the woman immediately apologized. “That came
out all wrong. I mean, it might be later than usual when the men
stop for lunch.”

Okay, maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. “I
can do without lunch once in a while.”

“Ms. Lenard.” The pretty secretary admonished
her and she sounded so much like Jessica, Katie had to smile.
Jessica hated it when she made sarcastic comments about her weight
or eating habits.

“Please call me, Katie.”

“My name is Marcia.”

They’d made their way down the hallway and
into the ranch office. As Marcia walked around her desk, Katie
noticed a brochure on top of her desk pad. It was for a Valentine’s
Day cruise. She fingered the colorful advertisement. “This looks
like fun.” She gave the other woman a wistful smile. Maybe she
wasn’t interest in her handsome boss. “Is your boyfriend taking
you?”

Marcia blushed. “Well, I hope so. I figure if
I leave enough of them lying around, he’ll get the hint.”

Katie swallowed. That put the final nail in
the coffin of her cowboy fantasy with Mr. High-and-Mighty. Who else
was the woman hoping saw the particulars of the romantic cruise?
She painted on her best ‘I’m happy for you’ smile. “That’s nice.
Valentine’s Day is a special day for people in love.”

She remembered Jessica’s words as she’d
handed Katie the red folder two days ago. John Kinkaid was supposed
to be her Valentine. Not many men caught Katie’s attention. It was
completely unfair that this one—rich, handsome, and interested in
women of Katie’s stature and build—was apparently already taken by
his beautiful secretary. Where did that leave plus-sized Katie
Lenard? Out in the cold.

She was so tired of being left out in the
cold.

Jessica was definitely going to get an earful
about
her
research skills. Apparently Mr. John Kinkaid was
not free and he definitely liked women whose size was
not
in
double digits.

Some Cupid she was turning out to be.

“It is, isn’t it?” The woman took the
pamphlet and looked longingly at the cover.

The door opened behind them and in walked a
younger version of John Kinkaid. Katie knew immediately it was
James. He smiled at her but turned his attention immediately to
Marcia.

“What have you got there, beautiful?”

Marcia returned his smile. “Oh, just some
research.” She put the brochure casually aside. “Speaking of
research, this is Ms. Lenard from Collins and Collins.”

Katie could tell it was a real hardship for
James to tear his attention away from the smiling blonde. She
wondered if John knew his younger brother was crushing on his
girlfriend?

“Hello, Mr. Kinkaid, it’s a pleasure to meet
you.” She extended her hand.