Wild Ride: BBW Western Romance (Under Open Skies Saga Book 2) (3 page)

“I’
m sure you were, honey
.
”

Shake it off.

“
How did you learn his moves
?”
She had the upper hand and she was going to use it.

“
I watched. A lot
.”
Was that a smirk?

“
I watch a lot of medical shows, does
n’
t mean I can perform open heart surgery
.”
That bit just a little too hard.

He stumbled, then let her go, turning to walk away.

So she did the only thing she could think of, she grabbed his arm.

“I’
m sorry. I, I did
n’
t mean to, can we do this over
?
”

Kat narrowed her eyes. This one certainly was
n’
t going to be easy to land. So she tried a different approach. Letting her body relax she switched into a more amicable version of herself.

“
I guess we can try
.
”

“
So, how did you learn my da
d’
s moves
?
”

“
I watched him, tried to copy him. He said I had natural talent
.
”

“
Sounds like him. He always knew how to speak the truth
.”
She said, her tone flattering but not completely obvious
.“I’
ve seen you ride. That kind of talent i
s…
natural
.
”

“
What about you? Where did you learn your moves
?”
Hunte
r’
s brow drew in as he tried to assess her new attitude
.“
You seem like a natural, yourself
.
”

“
I watched. A lot
.”
She grinned at him, repeating his mysterious line, her voice dipping down just a little, creating a husky tone
.“
But most of his charisma was natural. Afraid I didn't inherit that
.
”

“
We ai
n’
t in agreement there
.”
His eyes looked right though her, and it took all her willpower not to swoon.

When straightforwardness does
n’
t work, kill them with kindness. Or in her case, sex appeal.

Kat moved in closer to Hunter, her body slowing with the change from a fast paced song to a ballad. The guitar quieted and she could hear the soft saw of a fiddle. It was the kind of music she loved, complex but gentle.

Complex, like Hunter. She was
n’
t about to give up, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. His body close to hers was enough to make her lose her breath. She pushed the feelings down, reminding herself that this was business. But they would not be quenched. She could feel the distinct tingle between her legs. The characteristic twitch of her mound confirmed her arousal, making it all the harder to pay attention to anything but his musky scent and his brawny muscles.

Just breathe, girl.

She felt his hand splay out across her back, inching her yet closer to him. His warmth radiated against her as she welcomed the push, her body now against his. She could feel his ever delicious muscles. Even the bulging one in his pants.

She almost forgot to move when he touched her, lightly brushing up against her belly. Teasing her with his touch. She was
n’
t the one in control anymore, and he knew it. She could tell by the smirk on his face.

He bent down towards her, his lips just barely touching the soft skin on her ear
.“
Wha
t’
s your angle? Because I am pretty sure you have my attention
.
”

“
I do
n’
t know what you mean
.”
She knew her nose was scrunched when she asked that, but she really was confused.

“
You came to talk business, Kat. Not pleasure. But if you want to mix the two, I am sure I can oblige
.”
He reached up into her hair and threaded his fingers through her dark chestnut locks.

“
Business. I came to talk business
.
”

“
I can respect that
.”
Hunter looked her over, his eyes focusing on her, but it was
n’
t sexual, it was the opposite. He sneered at her the same way a rider would sneer at an ornery bull. She was an advisory.

“
I already pay for your services, for your facility, and your coaches. What would make me want to take you up as a sponsor
?”
Hunter asked
,“
besides flirt at me if I do
n’
t do what you want
.
”

“
Well, all those things would be provided at little or no cost to you, depending on which package you select, and the number of outside sponsors we are able to pull i
n
…
”
She had been rehearsing this speech since she first took over the business, but it was
n’
t coming out as smoothly as it had in the past. Everything about him made her confused.

“
Yes, but I would lose my agency in all of this. I wo
n’
t be able to be independent. You make the choices, you choose the rodeos. You pick the circuits
.
”

“
True, that being said we get you into more exclusive circuits, we are able to book better competitions, those with a higher pay out
.”
She had a point and she knew it. It took connections, skills, and sponsors to get into some of the more profitable shows.

“
For the top three
.
”

“
You do
n’
t think you will be top three
?
”

“
Tha
t’
s not what I am saying. Yo
u…
you have a point
.”
Hunter seemed almost amused, his body relaxed visibly.

It only served to enrage her, make her more vigilant in her argument.

“
I know I do. I am trying to show you that this is the best possible solution for you
.
”

“
I do
n’
t like being told what to do
.
”

“
I do
n’
t either, but sometimes we all need it
.
”

It was an admission she was
n’
t ready to give, because it meant she would have to admit to herself that she needed to be told what to do. Hunter was all too ready to tell her what she needed, and she barely knew him. Her stubborn nature rallied against his personality, but right then, with her life, with her business it was exactly what she needed.

He paused, thought about what she said, and then let her go, leaving her in the middle of the dance floor.

“
Let me think about it. Meet me at Dusk tomorrow. We can talk about it some more
.
”

Dusk was one of the few real cowboy bars left in this town, the only other one she knew of was Boonies, but it was hours away. She would rather have driven the distance, because Dusk was
n’
t known for being particularly friendly. What kind of guy was he, if it was his establishment of choice?

She could
n’
t show fear.

“
Okay. I can do that
.”
She did
n’
t know if he heard her, because he made no acknowledgment.

He just walked away.

“
Jenny, can you get my mom on the phone
?”
Kat asked her secretary from her intercom in the office.  Her da
d’
s office. But hers now, she guessed.  She was still trying to get used to it. His leather chair engulfed her.  It even smelled like him still.

That they still had the seventies style intercom was hilarious, but once she got used to using it, it was innately practical.

She had spent most of her working hours at the office, but she never got used to the ins and outs of it. The way that it was mostly quiet, but at any point in time, a dirty, dusty man could walk through the doors to negotiate training fees, coaching, or even ask for an advance on paycheck. It amused her, while at the same time provided a much needed foil for the very serious backdrop of the office.

Hank did
n’
t even bother to ask her last night how it went with Hunter, which meant that he knew what the mostly likely outcome was, and it was
n’
t good.

“
You came to talk business, Kat. Not pleasure. But if you want to mix the two, I am sure I can oblige
.
”
 
That was what he said, it was burned into her brain, right down to his voice. His dark, sultry voice.

She knew he was going to be a hard sell, but she was determined to do it, and keep their interactions strictly business.  Even if the way he eyed her ample curves did threaten to unravel her at any moment.

She was a business woman, and she trained for this kind of life. College was all about business and finance, but the last few years of working as a clerk in a few small offices were not enough to prepare her for running a business of this magnitude.

So much for all those years as a glorified secretary.

“
Ms. Brooks, I have your mother on the line, would you like me to put the call through
?”
The question came through the intercom, and Kat nodded, before realizing that she needed to respond. It had been that kind of morning, no coffee, no breakfast, just an up and out kind of morning.

Especially after the night she had, she was left reeling.

“
Yes, please
.”
Kat picked up the phone and waited. Talking to her mother was not the most pleasant of experiences, but it needed to be done, or else her mother was going to think she was avoiding her.

And the last thing she wanted to do was set her off.

“
Darling, is that you
?”
Her mothe
r’
s voice wavered. She was probably on the second drink of the morning.

“
Mom, how are you doing
?”
Kat knew the answer to that question before she even asked it. It was silly game they played. Her mother tried to act as though she was fine, but the sobs always started before she got off the phone.
Why
. She would say. Not a question, but a wail.
Why
.

“I’
m doing okay. How is the business going? I hear you are taking it by storm
.
”

A smile started to form at the edge of her lips
.“
Hank been talking to you again
?
”

“
How did you know? That is the only person who can bring me any comfort these days. Wish you would phone as often as he does
.”
Guilt dripped off her words.

She knew that was going to come. Her father had been the brunt of her mothe
r’
s unreasonable expectations for so long that she expected nothing less than to be the one who got all that blame after he was gone.

“
Mothe
r
…
”
She started, but was quickly interrupted.

“
It is fine. I am used to being treated like this, Lord knows. When your father was alive we were left alone for so long, I almost forgot what he looked like. At the end of the season, he would come riding up, a big smile on his face as he got out of his truck, babbling about how h
e‘
won the west
,’
or some garbage. That ma
n…
I still do
n’
t know how to live without him
.
”

It always shifted, in that manner, first he was a devil and then a saint. But the truth was, he was neither. Just a man, trying to make a living, a legacy.

Even if that meant leaving his family for a few months and earning on the rodeo. Then setting up shop in a little town among the plains of Ohio while his wife opted to stay in her lake house on the Erie.

One that he bought her with his winnings.

“
Mom, the business is doing well. How is the lake
?”
Kat hated the lake. The homes were beautiful and so affordable she was able to rent one when she lived there after college, but it was
n’
t where she wanted to be. She took every opportunity she could to get back to the lodge, with her father.

He wanted her to earn her own way, those were his words, and she did that. Right up until the day he died, and left her with so much responsibility.

“
Oh, the same as ever, you know nothing changes around here. Except for the faces. Roger Kinny passed away last week. Stomach cance
r
…
”
The woman droned on and on about the various comings and goings of people in the area. Weddings, funerals, diagnoses of various ailments. She was a wealth of information about the community, people Kat did
n’
t even know very well. So she just nodded into the phone, making various noises that sounded like she was listening. Because she was a good daughter, after all.

Finally, after she had listened long enough she was able to escape, saying her good byes and putting the phone down. This time was different. It was the first time her mother did
n’
t actually cry on the phone.

Kat exhaled a long breath and leaned against her chair. She had taken in too much, and she did
n’
t even know where to begin. Most days were just whirlwinds until she could go home, signing papers, and sitting in on meetings. Occasionally she came in to the office just to be told to go home, there was nothing to do that particular day.

All this responsibility and it seemed like she did
n’
t even know what she should be doing.

She pressed the little button on the intercom.
 “
Jenny, would you mind getting me a coffee? I have a feeling it is going to be a rather long day
.
”

Dusk was
n’
t exactly her choice of a hangout. It was set out from town a little ways, just on the corner of a main road and a dirt road, making for the perfect, rural backdrop. Apparently honky-tonks used to litter the rural Ohio-Pennsylvania border, back in the seventies, but as the times changed, so did the landscape. Now, there were redneck bars, sports bars, and any memory of the old honky-tonks were few and far between.

Except for Dusk. It stood there, proud and tall, still going strong.

Kat approached the bar that was known for the rusted, old mechanical bull on the roof, complete with a metal cowboy hat attached. She knew before she entered, that it was going to be lacking any class, but then again, why did rodeo cowboys and buckle bunnies need class? The aim was to have a good time and get drunk doing it.

Dusk certainly advertised that well.

She climbed the wooden stairs to the old fashioned porch, and then opened the big swinging door into a whole different world from the quiet, serene country night just on the other side of the door.

It was
n’
t like the rodeo party. This was more. A permanent fixture. The decor, the lights, were tailored to the wild cowboy type. Bull horns, deer antlers, and horse shoes decorated the walls, along with the old kind of hardwood that you just did
n’
t see in establishments anymore. It smelled of beer and wood and dust. Just like she imagined it would when she first saw it.

This time she was
n’
t paralyzed by the partiers or the dancers. She knew exactly what she was doing. Kat walked up to the bartender.

“
Can I help you
?
’

“
You got top shelf whiskey
?”
She desperately needed a drink, and she was
n’
t going to go for something cheap.

“
Yeah
.
”

“
Double shot. You know Hunter Daniels
?
”

“
Who does
n’
t
?”
He snorted, wiping out a shot glass with his cloth before slamming it down and filling it up with her liquor of choice.

“
He here
?
”

“
Over in the corner, sulking. As usual. Alone
.”
Bartender rolled his eyes, and slapped the bar.