Wade chuckled. “I’m with you on that one.”
They strode toward the house and immediately the video crew surrounded them and subjected them to a thorough interrogation about the locations they’d used with Adrian. Before they knew it, they were on horseback again and heading out over the hills.
Chapter Eleven
Three months later, Adrian reread the email and frowned. The Groundhog Saddle Company was highly impressed by her presentation and the money they’d paid her tipped her bank account far into the black. But, they wanted more photos. Landscape photos without any of the models and products present.
The assignment didn’t make sense. Nobody paid a small fortune to have landscape photos taken, and from an advertising perspective, including pure landscape photos in the presentation would dilute the impact of the advertisement. She wasn’t an expert in advertising, but she’d worked with enough gurus to know this was a bad idea for the company.
It was a bad idea for her as well. She’d rather not go back to where all the memories she’d tried so hard to bury would surface all over again. Since she’d left the farm, she hadn’t heard a word from either Wade or Maverick, and she supposed they’d taken her at her word that there was nothing more than sex between them. If only it were true, she wouldn’t have such a hard time getting on with her life.
No, she’d call them and plead other engagements. Since word had got out about her successful shoot for the company, the demand for her photos had increased steadily, so she wouldn’t be lying outright. There just wasn’t anything on her calendar right now.
The phone shrilled as she extended her hand to call the Groundhog Saddle Company and beg off the assignment.
“Adrian Barlow.”
A small pause, then the caller spoke. “Adrian, it’s Marie. I presume you got the e-mail about the photos?”
“Yes, I did. What’s this all about?”
Marie sighed. “Are you busy? Can I come over?”
“Sure, have you had lunch yet?”
Another pause. “No, but please don’t cook anything. Your cooking skills are atrocious and I’d rather bring us takeout.”
Adrian smiled. “Gee, thanks. You’re a real friend.”
Marie giggled. “I do what I can. See you in fifteen?”
“You already have the takeout? Shame on you for playing hooky in the middle of the week.”
“What can I say—it pays to be the boss.”
They ended the call and Adrian headed to the kitchen to put a bottle of wine on ice. Who would have thought she and Marie would become such close friends? Since the day she’d left the farm, Marie had called her every day and lately, they’d struck up a friendship built on mutual respect and trust.
For once, it was nice to have another woman to talk to—even if Marie couldn’t understand Adrian’s infatuation with the male species. At first Adrian had worried Marie would try to convince her to give a relationship between them a go, but Marie had assured her that while she still had feelings for Adrian, she wanted to see Adrian happy.
* * * *
“Stop fiddling.” Marie scowled at Maverick before she returned her attention to the road.
“You’re sure this is going to work? What if you’re wrong and she doesn’t love us? What if she doesn’t want to relocate to another continent? It’s not like it’s just around the corner.” Maverick tried to keep his knee from jumping where he sat in the passenger seat of Marie’s luxury car and failed. He felt like a teenager on his way to his first date—all because of this hair-brained scheme of Marie’s.
Wade smacked him on the shoulder from the backseat. “Would you shut up so Marie can concentrate on the road? Her driving skills are perilous at best, and I would like to get there in one piece.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not getting up close and personal with the oncoming traffic.” He wiped his palm on the leg of his jeans.
“I could turn around if you like.”
“No,” they chorused and silence fell in the car.
After three months of hell trying to secure a work visa for Adrian, he wasn’t going to give up now that they were so close. His father would probably not speak to him for another century due to all the favors he’d called in to get this done without Adrian’s knowledge, and his sisters were already mighty suspicious as to the reason he would go all out to help Wade get his girlfriend into the USA. If Adrian knew she’d been watched by the FBI for the past two months, she’d cut their nuts off, but it had been the only way the permits could be arranged.
Marie slammed on the brakes and only the safety belt prevented Maverick’s nose from flattening against the dashboard. When she spun the wheel to the left and negotiated a turn with screeching tires, Maverick bit his tongue. He’d rather walk than drive one more minute in the same car with this woman. He was brave but not stupid.
Wade cleared his throat. “Marie, could you slow down just a little, please?”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “If Adrian watches from her window she’ll see I’m not alone if I drive too slow. Besides, she’d know something’s up if I suddenly start driving like a senior citizen.” She turned into the underground garage and zipped into a parking space.
Maverick released the safety belt and nearly fell out of the car. If it wouldn’t have been too melodramatic, he would have kissed the asphalt out of gratitude that he’d survived the trip. As it was, his legs had a hard time supporting his weight without buckling. On the other side of the car, Wade placed his palms on the roof and closed his eyes.
“Okay, remember to listen for the words
bareback cowboys
followed by the song. I’ll try to turn it on loud enough, but it will be up to you guys to strut your stuff.”
Wade rounded the car and glared at Marie. “You’re sure this is going to work? It feels tacky to me. She’s going to think we’ve lost our marbles prancing around in town like this.”
Marie giggled. “You just see to it that you’re dressed as we discussed.” She opened the boot. “Get to it, you don’t have a lot of time.”
Maverick peered over his shoulder. At least the parking garage was empty. He sure as hell wouldn’t want to be arrested for indecent exposure. When the doors of the lift closed behind Marie, they’d done most of their dressing and Wade slammed the boot shut. He handed Maverick an ankle-length jacket.
“We’re going to look silly wearing these in the heat.” Despite his complaint, Wade pulled the coat on then plopped his Stetson on his head. “Let’s go.”
Beads of sweat formed on Maverick’s brow and it had less to do with the temperature and more with him feeling as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. “If Marie takes us for a ride, I’ll kill her. I don’t care who her daddy is.”
“We’ll fight for the honor,” Wade grumbled while they waited for the lift to arrive. The muscle in his lower jaw worked overtime and Maverick swore he could hear Wade’s teeth grinding together.
“If she just wants one of us…”
Wade glared at him. “We’ve been through this. It wouldn’t change our friendship.” He lifted his hand in a gesture of helplessness. “Then may the best man win.”
“Right.” The bell announcing the arrival of the claustrophobic enclosure sounded and the acid in Maverick’s stomach erupted. The bile boiled over and burned the back of his throat. Heaven help him, but this was the one time he prayed he would emerge the winner. The lift started crawling upwards and Maverick leaned against the wall. He was so not ready for this.
The door to her apartment swung open and Adrian waited for the inevitable scolding to come. When the door banged shut, she turned.
“Damn, Adrian, how many times must we go over this? One day you’re going to get yourself killed by leaving the door unlocked like that.” Marie slid the large paper bag onto the counter and glanced around the room.
“I could hear you coming several blocks away. One day you’re going to take out that pillar in the garage with your reckless driving.”
Marie threw her hands in the air. “All right, so we’re quits.” She plopped onto one of the couches. “Aren’t we having some wine today?”
“You know, for a senior executive, you have appalling manners.” Adrian softened her words with a smile and fished two glasses from a cupboard before putting the bucket with the bottle on the coffee table, pouring them each a glass. “I thought you were hungry?”
“Thanks.” Marie drained half the contents in one go.
“You’re not driving home today are you?”
“No, Mom, I’ll stay over if you stop nagging.”
Adrian sat opposite Marie and sipped on her wine. “Good. Now what’s on your mind? Something has your G-sting strung around your ears, so out with it.”
Marie gulped some more wine and refilled her glass. “How’d you feel about an assignment in the US?”
“Come on, this can’t be what has you all tied up? You know I don’t care what location I work in. As long as I can take good pictures, I’m happy. I just don’t want to return to the farm again.”
Marie nodded. “The farm job was a stupid idea and I told the manager he was wasting money.”
“So it’s off?”
“Yes. But we’re opening a branch in Texas and we want you to head our advertising department.”
Adrian’s jaw dropped. What was Marie thinking? She knew nothing about managing an advertising business. Her fear of screwing up again outweighed the instant excitement at the possibility of finding Maverick and Wade. “I think you’ve already had too much wine. Since when does a photographer know anything about being an executive? Do you really want to ruin your company?”
Marie shrugged. “You run your own business, don’t you? You can do math and know when an expense is unnecessary. You know what photos work and how to portray your subjects so they stand out in a crowd.”
“True.” She sipped at the wine again, tempted to drain the contents. “It still doesn’t make me manager material.” She frowned. “Why Texas?”
“It’s where the cowboys are and cowboys need saddles.”
Logical, but it didn’t explain why they wanted
her
to go. “Okay, but don’t you export there in any case?”
Marie jumped from the chair and strode to the window. “Dammit, Adrian, do you want the job or not?”
“Why me?”
“So you can find your cowboys again for one, and secondly, I honestly believe you are the right one for the job.”
The possibilities had Adrian standing and pacing the room. “I don’t know if I want to see them again. What good can come of it? We’re still worlds apart and we can never have a normal relationship. If they forced me to choose between them, it would ruin their friendship, and I can’t live with that.” She tried unsuccessfully to slow her racing heart.
Nothing was stopping her from packing up and leaving. Besides Marie, nobody would miss her, and maybe there she could start over. Texas was a big place, and if she didn’t go looking for the men, chances were she could live there for years and not run into them.
“When do you need someone there?”
Marie turned from the window. “You’ll consider it?”
Adrian shrugged. “I need to have my mind examined, but, yes, I’m considering it.”
Marie went to the kitchen and placed her glass in the sink. “And if you run into Wade and Maverick again?”
“What are the chances?” Marie lifted her brows. “All right, I’ll humor you. I don’t know what I’ll do. They’ve probably forgotten all about the silly photographer who provided them with some sexual release for a couple of days.”
“Okay, whatever happens, the job is yours.”
“Marie, are you okay? You’re acting mighty strange.”
Marie delved into the paper bag on the cupboard. “I just want you to have the chance to finalize this matter with your bareback cowboys once and for all.” She walked to the stereo and flipped through Adrian’s CDs. Then she slipped a disc into the player and turned up the volume.
Adrian jumped as the sound of Joe Cocker flooded the room. “Damn, Marie, no need to play it so loud.” Adrian stopped her pacing and grabbed the bottle of wine. She might as well get drunk while she was being in a reckless mood. Tomorrow she’d be sober and this decision would terrify her all over again. She poured herself another glass then turned. “Marie?”
The glass slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor. Her heart rate stumbled and she blinked to clear the apparition before her eyes. The picture remained the same.
Wade and Maverick stood inside the door, wearing long overcoats in the spring heat. With their hands holding their Stetsons in place they embodied all of the fantasies she’d had since she’d left the farm. Her knees buckled and she felt for the edge of the couch.
When Joe Cocker ordered them to leave their hats on, the pair slipped the coats from their shoulders, exposing the most beautiful sight Adrian had seen in months. Their chiseled torsos glistened with perspiration and the top buttons on their jeans were undone. Adrian swallowed convulsively.
Maverick strutted forward, swaying his hips in tune to the music. His jeans rode low on his hips as he tilted them in a mock sexual dance. Lord have mercy, but she wanted to grab him and explore every inch of his exposed chest with her hands and her tongue.
Wade also danced closer and Adrian’s heart contracted. He clearly didn’t have Maverick’s sense of rhythm, and he seemed as nervous as she was, but he looked so endearingly sexy that all she wanted to do was get up and kiss his discomfort away.
Adrian shook her head. They couldn’t be real. She was imagining them in her apartment because the music caused the memories she’d tried so hard to suppress, to bubble to the surface.
“Aren’t you going to invite us in, honey?” Wade asked.
Did you have to invite an apparition in or did it enter on its own? The men seemed so real she swore she could touch them and feel their steady heartbeats under her palms.
“You’re not real,” she managed a whisper.
Maverick strutted forward, stopping only when his legs touched her knees. “Give me your hand, Adrian.”