Destiny Wears Spurs (20 page)

“God, you’re beautiful.” His insides smoldered, fiery and intense as passion fueled him once again. Leaning down, he kissed her brow. She laid her fingertips on his lips, and he kissed them.

“Monica? Where are you? We need to finish our talk, finish hashing out the details of the campaign,” came a voice from outside the barn.

“Because sleeping with the client is all the ammunition he needs to make me look bad in my father’s eyes. Then my father will never believe that Wendell is up to no good. I have to stop him.”

“Wendell, what are you doing here?” Monica marched over to his side and tried to act like everything was normal, like her world hadn’t just completely changed.

“What am I doing here? What are
you
doing here?” He looked over her shoulder. “Where’s Mr. Rafferty?”

“I don’t know. It wasn’t my turn to watch him. I was just checking on a calf I’m bottle feeding.” She started walking toward her cabin, a slight smile pulling at her lips, thinking about Cody hiking up those jeans with nothing but his cowboy boots on.

Wendell stared at the barn, hesitated, and then turned to catch up to her. She breathed a sigh of relief. When he drew alongside her, he said, “He cut in on us then stormed off. What did you do to piss him off?”

“Maybe you pissed him off.”

“Having a lover’s quarrel?”

“Like you’d know anything about love.”
Slimebucket.

“He doesn’t like your slogans, does he?”

She sucked in a breath but continued moving down the path. No way would she admit that to the man who had destroyed her dreams and intended to bring down something her father had worked his whole life to achieve.

“Of course when my father finds out what you’ve been up to.” She took her index finger and slid it across her neck, but unfortunately for her, Wendell had a point. She would have to be more careful how she acted and talked to Cody. She’d have to watch Wendell like a hawk. At least she knew what he was up to. He couldn’t take a chance that she might actually pull this off. “I’m not going to let you get away with this.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mocked her.

She stopped at her cabin, and he continued on to the one next to hers. Unbelievable.

“Sweet dreams, darling. Call if you need me. Remember, I’m a light sleeper. I hear
everything
.”

“Why hasn’t he called me?” Monica paced around her cabin that evening, stewing. She should have been working on her presentation for the ad campaign, but she couldn’t get Cody off her mind. Nat had called, yelling because Monica had had her cell off, then Nat warned her about Wendell. Too little, too late.

But just because Nat hadn’t been able to get a hold of her earlier didn’t mean Cody could have called the cabin phone or come banging on her door if he’d really wanted to. Darn it, Monica had expected at least a call, if not a little dessert.

She’d finally gotten rid of Wendell, thanks to Cassie asking for his help with a party she was hosting at the lodge. No surprise Wendell said yes. Cassie was hot.

So where the heck was Cody? Monica dropped down onto the bed. Maybe one night with her was enough, and he was blowing her off. So much for the ‘while you’re here, you’re mine’ lecture. If one night with her was enough, well, to hell with him. She had better things to do than mope over him, like outfox Wendell and come up with a better slogan before Cody traded her in.

Faced with too much work to waste time socializing over dinner, she picked up the phone and ordered room service. And she wasn’t up to seeing Wendell’s smirking face, knowing she was failing miserably. When someone knocked a half hour later, she answered the door in pajamas and slippers.

“A Triple R pizza with everything?” the delivery boy asked.

“That’s me. Gotta have everything,” she snapped, still having a hard time putting Cody out of her mind. “All or nothing for this little filly.”

Monica shook her head. Men. They were never satisfied unless you gave them everything you had.
And where does that get you, Mo, my dear? Alone and lonely.
There was a lesson to be learned here. Never trust a single one of them. Disgusted with herself, she shrugged off her self-pity and took a huge bite of gooey pizza. The phone’s shrill ring pierced the air.

“Hewwow?” She dropped her slice back in the box and took a quick gulp of soda. “Excuse me. Hello?”

“Monica?”

Clutching the phone, she closed her eyes in relief and leaned back. “Yes? Who’s this?” Like she didn’t know, but she wouldn’t let him off the hook so easy.

“It’s Cody.” He sounded annoyed, his deep voice a low sexy rumble in her ear. Lord, nothing had ever sounded better. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything,” he continued.

“Why would you think I needed anything? I’ve had a
wonderful
day,” she lied, trying to sound cheerful.

“Oh.” He grew quiet. “I didn’t see you at supper, and I thought after Friday night ... never mind.”

“Wait.” She bolted straight up in bed. “What do you mean, after Friday night?” She held her breath. Dead silence. “Please tell me you’re still there,” she whispered.

“I’m here,” he answered after a lengthy pause. “After what happened with Wendell, I thought you needed some space. Yesterday and today were
very
long days, and I ... I ... well, hell. I’m not very good with words.” The baritone of his voice fluctuated. “I missed you, plain and simple.”

“Basically, when I took Babe out for some exercise and checked on my breeding herd yesterday morning, I found one of my best cows ill. I hightailed it back to the ranch and called the vet, intending to have Cassie call you, but then I got distracted. It wasn’t until today that the cow showed signs of improvement. Sorry ‘bout that. I thought we’d have more time to, you know, get to know each other. Then I thought I’d have a chance to apologize at supper, but you weren’t there.”

“Oh, that. Well, I’ve been swamped avoiding Wendell and working on your campaign.” She paused, but he remained silent. “Well, I’d better go,” she said, disappointed. “It’s getting late, and you have to be up early, I’m sure.”

She hesitated, gripping the phone. She had to know. “I know my slogans haven’t been the best, but I’m trying. And I think you’ll like the rest of the proposal. I guess I was surprised that you asked Wendell to help.”

“Like hell I did,” Cody said, making her heart soar. “He asked all sorts of questions about you, and I told him were doing fine, but since ... well, I guess I thought maybe you might have called him.”

She believed Cody. He had no reason to lie and, other than Nat, she had no one to confide in. It couldn’t hurt to fill him in, too. At least not with Wendell loitering around the ranch. Maybe Cody could help. “Wendell is out to sabotage me. He’s afraid he’ll be out of a job if I prove he’s trying to ruin everything my father has worked so hard for.”

“I know. I don’t expect you to. I just want you to understand where I’m coming from.” Silence filled the line, so she continued, “I’ve been working all weekend, and I think you’ll really like what I’ve come up with, if Wendell would leave me alone. I never thought he’d stoop so low.” What goes around comes around. Wendell would get his in the end.

“Not that.” She giggled. “Give him the same deal you gave me. If he wants to stay, he has to work on the ranch. Then give him barn duty. It’s the perfect punishment for his deceit. God, I can’t wait to see his face when he finds out.”

“I thought you’d never ask. Hurry. But be discreet.” She hung up the phone and then picked up her discarded slice of pizza to sink her teeth in. Cold pizza wasn’t the tastiest dinner.

Cody for dessert would taste a whole lot yummier.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Monica stood in the barn doorway, watching as Wendell somehow managed to mount Snoozer. Riding a horse wasn’t part of “barn duty”, but he didn’t know that. She’d told him he had to ride Snoozer out to the corral for some exercise, and then he had to clean out her stall.

Payback was a bitch, but she was loving every minute of it. Wendell’s head bobbed in and out of the collar of his Polo shirt like a cuckoo chiming the hour in a cuckoo clock. His arms flapped at his sides as he kept tugging and yanking on the reins, and his loafers kicked into Snoozer’s sides, looking as though he was having some kind of spell.

“What in tarnation is he doing?” Jake joined Monica in the doorway, scratching his balding gray head and crinkling his weathered eyes.

“Danged if I know, but his crown jewels will be paying the piper come mornin’ if he don’t stop all that crazy gyratin’.” Hank winced, adjusting his fly as he came to a stop beside Jake. “It gives me the willies just watchin’ him.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Rusty joined them. “City slickers. They sure make for an entertaining afternoon.” He shot Monica a quick glance. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Not that long ago she might have been offended, but she was a different person now.

Wendell stopped jumping. Lifting himself slightly out of the saddle, he screwed up his face as though in agony. Not letting it stop him, he spied a rope, yanked it off the saddle, and fashioned the most bizarre loop Monica had ever seen. It didn’t look like any of the loops the cowboys made.

Gathering it to him, he hefted it into the air and swung it in three crazy ... circles wasn’t exactly the right word. She didn’t know what shape he was trying to make, but it wasn’t working for him. Throwing the rope, he yanked it back too soon and managed to ... now, how on earth did you rope yourself? Even
she
hadn’t done that.