Cowboy Kisses

SWEET DREAMS 205

COWBOY KISSES

DIANE MICHELE CRAWFORD

Synopsis:

Kenzie Sullivan never dreamed she’d be spending the summer at the Lucky R Ranch instead of hanging out with her friends at the country club pool. But in order to keep her beloved horse, Kenzie must work hard at the ranch to pay for his board.

When fellow ranch hand Steve Calvert bets Kenzie that she won’t last more than a week, she doesn’t hesitate to take the bet. Though Steve’s attitude drives her crazy, Kenzie is determined to show him that she’s a capable cowgirl. But soon she finds herself falling in love with her rival. Can a country club girl ever win a stubborn cowboy’s heart?

CHAPTER ONE

Kenzie Sullivan adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of her nose and gazed at the swimmers in the bright blue pool of the Silver Hills Country Club before she closed her eyes.
“
Don't you just love the smell of chlorine and suntan lotion?
”
she asked drowsily.

From the lounge chair next to hers, Kenzie’s best friend, Jeanette Anderson, gave a series of fake coughs.
“
Sounds like a toxic combination!
”

Kenzie laughed.
“
I hope it's not, because we'll be breathing it every day of summer vacation.
”

“
Every single day?
”
a pleasant masculine voice asked.

Opening one eye, Kenzie saw Brad
Morgan, Jeanette's latest love i
nterest, making himself comfortable on the end of Jeanette’s chair. Kenzie thought they made a great couple. Tall, good-looking Brad towered over petite, dark-haired Jeanette, who in Kenzie’s opinion looked like a teen model.

Jeanette smiled.
“
We're planning a summer of total leisure. Nothing but swimming, tennis, and horseback riding here at the club. Right, Kenzie?
”

Kenzie nodded in agreement as a shadow blocked her sun—a muscular, deeply tanned shadow named Paul Ferguson.

“
I thought blondes stayed out of the sun,
”
Paul teased, pulling a chair next to Kenzie's lounge.
“
Something about freckles multiplying
...
”

“
I
never leave home without this,
”
Kenzie said, holding up a bottle of lotion.
“
Sunscreen to the fiftieth power.
”

Paul flashed Kenzie a dazzling grin.
“
If you and Jeanette aren't busy next Monday, how about going waterskiing?
”

“
A bunch of us are going to Frasier Lake,
”
Brad put in.
“
Paul’s dad is
l
etting us take his boat.
”

“
Sounds like fun,
”
Kenzie said. She loved waterskiing, and being with Paul would make the day even more fun.

“
We'll bring some sandwiches and drinks,
”
Jeanette offered.

“
We were hoping you'd say that,
”
Brad said, looking at his watch.
“
Come on, Paul. The tennis court's ours until two o'clock.
”

“
When I'm done slaughteri
ng this guy on the tennis court,
I'll give you a blow-by-blow account,
”
Paul told Kenzie as he stood up.

“
Put your money where your mou
th is, Fer
guson,
”
Brad kidded.
“
A friendly bet—the loser buys the Cokes.
”

“
Deal,
”
Paul agreed, winking at Kenzie as he shook Brad’s hand.
“
We'll be back later.
”

As the girls watched the guys weave a path through th
e sunbathers toward the courts,
Jeanette flopped back into her lounge chair, sighing.
“
This is already the most fantastic summer we've ever had, Kenzie.
”

Kenzie smiled.
“
And we’ve only been out of school a week!
”

She was surprised a few minutes later to see her mother coming toward them.

“
Hi, Mrs. Sullivan,
”
Jeanette said.

Kenzie took off her sunglasses.
“
Hi, Mom. Is your Junior League meeting finished already? They usually go on forever.
”

Mrs. Sullivan shook her head, frowning slightly.
“
Your father's phone call interrupted the meeting. He wants us to come home as soon as possible. He'll meet us there.
”

“
Is something wrong?
”
Kenzie asked, sud
denly apprehensive. Her father was seldom home during the day. As founder and co-owner of Sullivan Electronics, he worked long hours. He’d been working even harder since the death of his business partner, George Williams, two months earlier from a heart attack.

“
Dad's fine
,
”
Mrs. Sullivan assured her.
“
He said he'd explain everything when we get home. Have you seen Adam?
”

“
Did you check the weight room?
”
Kenzie asked, stuffing her beach towel into her tote bag. Her eighteen-year-old brother spent most of his time building muscles or playing racquetball.

“
No,
”
Mrs. Sullivan answered.
“
I’ll have him paged and we’ll meet you at the car.
”

Kenzie suddenly remembered Brad and Paul. From the look on Jeanette’s face, she was thinking about them, too.
“
Can’t Jeanette give me a ride home after a while, Mom?
”
she ven
tured.
“
Dad didn’t say
my
coming home was a matter of life or death, did he?
”

“
We’ll meet you at the car,
”
Mrs. Sullivan repeated, walking quickly away.

The girls looked at each other.
“
I've never seen your mom so tense, Kenz,
”
Jeanette commented.

“
Me either. I wonder what's going on.
”
Hoping the tightness in her stomach wasn't a bad omen, Kenzie put the rest of her things in her bag.
“
Will you tell Paul I’m sorry I couldn't stick around to see who won the tennis match?
”

Jeanette nodded.
“
Since we’re going horse-back riding tomorrow
,
I’ll ask them to meet us here afterward. That’ll give them time to make up some good stories.
”

“
I
’
ll call you lat
er and fill you in on the Sulli
van family mystery,
”
Kenzie promised. Then she hurried off to join her mother and brother for the ride home.

They found Mr. Sullivan in the kitchen pour
ing himself a cup of coffee. He’d taken off his jacket and tie, and Kenzie thought he looked as rumpled and tired as his shirt.

Getting right to the point,
Adam asked,
“
What’s up,
Dad?
”

Mr. Sullivan moved silently to a chair and sat down.

“
Tim?
”
Mrs. Sullivan put her hand on her husband's shoulder, her face taut.

Mr. Sullivan sighed wearily.
“
After George died, I hired an accounting firm to audit the company books. Because his death ended our partnership,
I
wanted the figures verified as correct.
”
He raked a hand through his thick graying
hair. “
The auditors found some— discrepancies in the accounts.
”

He took a lon
g sip of coffee and continued. “
To make a long story short, Sullivan Electronics owes the government a small fortune in penalties and interest.
”

Mrs. Sullivan gasped.
“
But George kept the company books!
”

“
According to the auditors, for the last five years George had been putting tax money into a phony accou
nt that he used for his own per
sonal expenses.
”
Mr. Sullivan closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead.
“
I can’t believe that my own partner, a man I trusted, embezzled the firm's money. And to make matters worse, the auditors aren’t totally convinced that I’m innocent in this mess.
”

Kenzie stared at her father, stunned.

“
We know you'd never do anything dishonest, Dad,
”
Adam said.
“
What did Mr. Williams do with the money?
”

“
App
arently he made some bad invest
ments,
”
Mr. Sullivan answered.
“
He tried re
covering his losses with shady financial deals that fell through, deals that cost us some of our best accounts.
”

“
What does all this mean, Tim?
”
Mrs. Sulli
van's voice trembled.

He took a deep breath.
“
I can try rebuilding Sullivan Electronics and pay off the debt. Or I can declare bankruptcy and padlock the door.
”

Kenzie exclaimed,
“
But you love the com
pany, Dad! You can't give it up!
”

“
You built Sullivan Electronics on your own once, Tim,
”
Mrs. Sullivan reminded him.
“
You can do it again.
”

Mr. Sullivan smiled faintly.
“
Starting all over would be tough on all of us. What do you two think?
”
he asked Kenzie and Adam.

“
Hang in there,
”
Kenzie said promptly.

Adam nodded.
“
We'll help any way we can.
”

Their father shook his head. “
You may change your minds when you find out what you'll be sacrificing. Money will be very tight
around here. Only necessa
r
y expenses will fit into our household budget.
”

Mrs. Sullivan’s hand tightened on his shoulder.
“
Will we have to sell the house?
”

Kenzie held her breath. Move? Leave the beautiful house she'd lived in most of her life?

“
If we make some major cutbacks in other areas, we'll be okay,
”
her father answered.

Releasing her breath, Kenzie asked,
“
What other areas?
”

Unfolding a sheet of paper in front of him on the table, Mr. Sullivan said,
“
This is j
ust the beginning. For your mother and me
,
it means trading in our cars for one economy car; no credit cards and no trips. For the family, no Silver Hills Country Club membership. For Kenzie, no more stable expenses and no car of your own. Adam will have to trade in his new pick
up truck for something used and
...
”
Mr. Sullivan hesitated, his face somber.
“
I'm sorry, Adam, but we won’t be able to afford to send you away to school. You’l
l have to stay home and attend j
unior college.
”

Kenzie scarcely noticed Adam’s reaction. She was in a state of shock. She could do without the car her parents had promised when
Adam left for college. But i
f there wasn't enough
money to pay boarding costs, what would happen to
Ali Ben
, her beloved Arabian horse? Paralyzed at the thought, she couldn't speak.

“
You'll still have a summer job at the company
,
Adam,
”
her father was explaining,
“
but it'll be full-time, and for less money. During the school year, you can work part-time.
”

Adam’s protest was stopped short by the sharp look his mother gave him.

Finally Kenzie found her voice.
“
What about Ali,
Dad?
”

Her father said gently,
“
Unless you can find some way to pay the stable fees yourself, I’m afraid you'll have to sell him, honey.
”