Her Prada Cowboy: McCulloch County Series #1 (7 page)

“You expect me to move away from everything
and everyone in my life, and therefore ... I have one condition … or a favor,
if you please, to ask of you.”

He was silent for a long while,
gnashing his teeth.  She better not ask him to bring a lover of hers with!

“I need you to consider appointing an Architect.”

“You want me to appoint someone to get
you to head up the campaign?”

“I am only asking that you look at his
CV and portfolio.  Interview him and if you are not impressed, at least I will
know that I tried.”

“Miss Davis, I have sympathy for your
plight, but I will not appoint your lover.  It will be a conflict of interest.”

“Why do men always jump to that
conclusion?  He is my brother in law.  My sister and her family is all I have,
and they mean the world to me … I can’t … she’s my twin and they have a … four
… month old baby.  I …”

She swallowed as her throat clogged up
with emotion.

“If he does not meet you standards, I
do not expect you to appoint him, nor do I if you do not have the need for
another Architect.  All I ask is that you look at him as a candidate.”

Jarrod released the breath he has been
holding.  He could hear the emotion in her voice and he cursed himself.  He
never even considered that she was close to her family.  Hell he would give
them all jobs to get her here … even if she had ten brothers and sisters!

“I understand and I apologize for my
inconsideration.  Ask him to email his CV and portfolio to me.   I will contact
him directly.  My PA will let you know the outcome before the end of day
tomorrow.”

She phoned Sheila immediately and she
was ecstatic and so was William.  Perfecto Architects was the one Company where
his skills and modern designs would be effective.  He had heard how Jarrod
Parker personally mentored Architects with potential and he would give his arm
and leg to work for him.

“William, you have to realize you have
to get this job on your own.  I just opened the door.”

“I realize that, Nonnie.  Jarrod
Parker is not the type of man to do professional favors.  Not for anyone.”

That
much I have come to realize all too well myself!
 

Jarrod
got Chris to interview Will via Skype early the following day.  He gave him a
very quick design test and by the end of the day, his PA confirmed that Will
has been appointed as Architect at the Austin office. 

The following afternoon Shannon
informed Gregory Bart that she would head up the Campaign at Perfecto
Architects, but not the Regional office.  They agreed that she would be
appointed as second in charge.  That way she would receive adequate mentoring
to grow into the position over a period of two or three years.

Moving your whole life across the
country was a lot more involved than getting on a plane.  Shannon and her
sister owned property that needed to be sold and that was the first problem. 
The market was down and prices were at rock bottom.  Letting out would not be
an option as neither of them intended moving back.

Jarrod was becoming agitated.  It has
been four weeks since she left and he was slowly losing his mind.  He
deliberately stopped phoning her.  His own stupid desire to have her call him
and admit that she thought of him too, had backfired solidly.  Clearly she did
not feel the same way he did.

He asked his PA to get hold of Gregory
Bart and waited impatiently for the call to be put through.

“Mr. Parker, I was just about to phone
you.”

“Call me Jarrod, Gregory.  I want to
get this project off the ground and we are not movin’ alon’ as I would have
liked.  What is the cause of the delay of Miss Davis move here?”

“Selling property.  The market is very
bad in LA at the moment.  They have packet up and all her belongings are on the
way to Houston already.”

“I see.  Please keep me in the loop. 
I can’t afford to delay the launch for months.”

They talked about the project a while
longer.  Jarrod scrolled to the number of his broker on his phone and waited
for the call to go through.

“Harold, I need you to make an offer
on two properties for me in LA.”

He gave him all the details and
discussed a few other investments at the same time.

“You do know the property market in LA
is bad at the moment, Jarrod?”

“Yeah, but I have a reason for buyin’
them.  Offer them twenty percent above market value.”

“Twenty!  Are you crazy?”

“As soon as you have obtained the
property, I want you to set them up as homes for foster kids.  Get someone to
run each home from the welfare directly.  Make sure it is someone that really
cares about the children.  I want a monthly budget proposal for expenses.  Get
my accountant involved with that.  I want to see everythin’ for approval.”

“As always.  You are a good man,
Jarrod.”

Yeah, maybe … only this time, I am
driven by a blue eyed, dark haired doll face!

He went for a swim after the call,
feeling somewhat more relaxed. Yet, more upset than he cared to admit that she
has not bothered to phone him.

Rosa called him thirty minutes later
for dinner and he got out of the pool.  They had dinner on the porch next to
the pool.  He did not talk much and even Rosa gave up trying to keep a one
sided discussion on the go.

“Are ya goin’ bar hoppin’ with Noah
again tonight?”

“No … it has been a lon’ week.  I am
goin’ to bed early.  We have to start breedin’ those mares tomorrow and I might
have to go into Houston later in the day.” 

“Ya can’t be bustin’ nuts between the
ranch and Houston every day.  It’s not good for you.  You’ve been firin’ on all
cylinders for weeks now.”

He rubbed his hand over his eyes.  It
was not work that was getting to him.  It was his absent doll face!

“How’s the old man doin’?  Have you
seen him this week?”

“Yes, they’ve been here every day, but
missed you every time.  Maybe we should invite them to grub up with us
tomorrow.”

“That is a good idea.  Let me help you
with the dishes quickly, then I want to go to bed.”

An hour later he sank down on his bed,
fresh from the shower.  He pulled his laptop closer to read his emails before
he went to bed.

There was a mail from Harold
confirming that the offers have been made and accepted.  As soon as all the
contracts were signed, they would be on their way to Houston.

He frowned when he read the next
mail.  He definitely did not need such complications in his life.  Not now.  He
had no enemies that he knew off.  Threats to his personal email, posed serious
concern.  His address was not made public and only certain people had access to
it.

He forwarded the mail to Reed at the
FBI and asked him to look into it.

His phone rang and he answered it
absentmindedly.  There was silence on the other end and he frowned, waiting.

“Hi Jay.”

His heart stopped beating and he had
to swallow a few times before he could get a word out.  He was aware that his
voice sounded deep and raspy.

“Doll face, this is the best surprise
I’ve had this whole year.  What took you so lon’ to phone?”

“I was busy.”

“Really?  A phone call that takes a
few minutes?”

“I could say the same thing.”

“Yeah, but then I am a modern man.  I
wanted to know if you needed to talk to me too.”

“That is why you stopped calling?”

“What did you think, doll face?”

“Well … Noah told me you are quite the
ladies’ man.  I assumed you have been … playing the field as he called it.  You
never denied indulging in other activities the night you went drinking with
Noah.”

I am goin’ to strangle Noah … slowly!

“Doll face … you could hardly walk for
a few days.  I promise you I did not fare much better.  I most definitely did
not have the energy or the desire to indulge.”

“Only … then?”

He smiled, his heart beating a mile a
minute.

“Well … at the moment I have a lot of build-up
energy … serious energy for that matter.  You’re headin’ this way by chance,
honey?”

Shannon shimmered with anger.  He was
not admitting anything, but he sure as the devil did not deny it either. 
Damn
you Cowboy!

“Now why would I be doing that, Muscle
Man?  There is nothing for me in Brady.  I am a city slicker.  Small towns and
I … we don’t get on well.  Anyway, I just wanted to say hi. Sleep tight,
Cowboy.”

Before he could utter another word,
she ended the call. 

Hmm, interestin’.  My doll face did
not like the possibility that I might have indulged with another woman! 

Shannon
has been at Perfecto Architects for a full week.  She was highly annoyed. 
Jarrod Parker was adamant she get there the moment she accepted the offer on
her house.  He even arranged his private jet to fly her to Houston.  Yet, she
still had to meet him.

She has been given her own office. A
massive office with a boardroom table, flat screen television, the works. 
Chris Parker, the Operations Director and the owner’s cousin, has been
assisting her with setting up a full operational department.  Shannon had a
full department to run with the project.

“Chris, you do realize that this is
not all I will be doing.  I still have a full time job with Global Media.”

“Yes, I am aware of that.  Jarrod
might want to talk to you about that in more detail though.”

“Where is the elusive Mr. Jarrod
Parker?”

“He has been busy with some other
projects.  He asked that you meet him tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?  On Saturday?”

“Yes, would that be a problem?”

“No, it is just that my sister and her
family will arrive in Austin over the weekend and … but don’t worry about it. 
I’ll get to see them as often as I want from now on.”

“Good.  He will send his chopper to
pick you up from your apartment roof, around ten.”

The chopper was right on time and the
pilot came to meet her where she stood waiting just outside the stairway door leading
onto the roof.

“Miss Davis, I am Rocco Hill.  Are you
ready?”

She nodded and he took her elbow,
leading her to the chopper.  He indicated back or front and she smilingly
nodded to the front.  They were in the air within minutes.  It was an amazing
experience. Shannon has never been in a helicopter and this was a powerful,
sleek and well equipped one.

“How long till we reach … where are we
going?”

“Not far.  We should be there in just
over forty minutes. Enjoy the view.  You should see a number of wild herds of
buffalo and horses once we’re past the city boarders.”

“You don’t have the accent.”

“I am not from Texas.  I hail from
Europe.  I was down and under.  I could not find a job and Mr. Parker gave me a
chance four years ago.  I have not looked back once.”

“Don’t you miss Europe or your
family?”

“I have no family there, therefore
there are no strings that make me long for Europe per se.  I am happy here.  I
met my wife here, we’ve been married for three years and we have a two year old
son.”

“I’m glad he gave you a chance then.”

“People say he is ruthless and maybe
in business he is, but he is a very good man.  The type you don’t come across
very often.”

They fell silent after that and
Shannon enjoyed the view.  Jay’s estimation the day they met about her sense of
direction was not too far off.  At this moment, she had no idea in which
direction they were going.  For all she knew, they could be on their way back
to LA!

She noticed an airstrip and what was
clearly a private ‘airport’ ahead of them.  She realized they must be at Jarrod
Parkers’ ranch.  There was a silver luxury SUV parked in front of the hangar
and Shannon’s heartbeat increased.  She sincerely hoped Jarrod Parker and her hit
it off well.  If she uprooted her whole life and it did not work out, she was
going to be mighty peeved off!

Rocco ran around the chopper and
opened the door for her.  She jumped down and he laughed when her hair was
immediately caught in the down thrush of the blades.  He turned and indicated she
should walk backwards.  That way the wind would not affect her too much. It
worked and she laughed feeling silly walking backwards.

Rocco turned and his smile widened.

“Hi Jarrod.  Package delivered in one
piece.  What time should I collect her again?”

“Not to worry, Rocco.  I will … hey
stop that … Doll face!”

“Jarrod Parker!  You … you … bastard! 
I will kill you … come back here, you coward!”

“Miss Davis stop!  You can’t attack …
hey … those heels look dangerous!”

“Then stay out of the way.   Move
Rocco!  Stop hiding behind your staff, you … you good for nothing …”

Jarrod physically moved Rocco out of
the way, when Shannon lunged at him with her one spiky heeled shoe above her
head.  He held his hands up in a defeated motion, but she was not moved.  She
kept going and he realized the intent in her eyes were real.  She was about to
clobber him over the head with those damn spikes!

He ducked and caught her in his arms
from behind and lifted her in the air.  He forgot she was still wearing one of
those damn spikes and she kicked him on the shin.  He howled and nearly dropped
her on her ass.   She teetered on one high heel to catch her fall and turned to
glare at him, hobbling on one leg, clutching his abused shin in the other.  If
she was not so angry, it would have been funny.

“Hells bells woman!  That was damn
painful!  I am sure I have a bloody hole in my leg.”

“The next hole will be in the center
of your useless head!”

Rocco stood gaping at the two in front
of him, before a broad smile spread over his face.  Clearly Miss Davis had due
cause for her anger. He cleared his throat and both pairs of eyes scowled at
him.

“I … er … think I better be going
then.”

“Good!  I can’t get away from here
soon enough!”

“You are not goin’ anywhere!  Thank
you Rocco.”

He nodded and jogged towards the
chopper, ignoring Shannon shouting at him to wait for her.

“I told you, you are not goin’
anywhere.  Now … doll face … enough.  You do not really want to hurt me.”

“No … you are right!  I want to
incinerate you!  Then I would not stand the chance of ever bumping into you
again!”

“Now I know you are lyin’.  Come on
doll face, admit it.  You missed me.”

“When pigs can fly!  I am leaving!”

“Really?  How exactly?”

“I have two legs!  I’ll walk!  Or
better yet!  I’ll phone Noah to come and fetch me.”

“You have Noah’s number on your
phone?”

“It is none of your business!”

She spun around and started walking
alongside the hangar towards the road at the back.

“Come back here, doll face.  We have
to talk.”

“I have absolutely nothing to say to
you.  Except that I quit!  I will not work a day longer at your stupid
Company!”

“Really?   Are you ready to be jobless
then?”

She halted abruptly and spun around to
glower at him.

“Are you threatening to get me fired?”

He shrugged his shoulders.  She narrowed
her eyes on his arrogant stance with his hands on his hips, his long hair
hanging loose over his shoulders.  He looked absolutely scrumptious.

“The contract is depended on you
headin’ up the campaign.  If you walk away … it goes to another company.  Do
you really think Gregory Bart is goin’ to repay you with a continued job?”

“You wouldn’t …”

“And then there is the little matter
of William, your brother in law.”

“This is blatant blackmail!”

“Call it what you want.  I told you we
are not done yet, doll face … not by a lon’ shot!”

“And this was the only way you could
think off to get me here?  Why did you not just ask?”

“Would you have come if I did?”

“Well, now we will never know, will we? 
Very well, Cowboy, let’s go.  The sooner we have this ‘talk’ the sooner I can
go home.”

Jarrod could not keep the smile from
his face watching her hobble to his SUV, the one high heel still clasped in her
hand.

“And wipe that damn smirk off your
face!”

His smile turned into a husky chuckle
and then a laugh when her …
aaarrgghh
… echoed into the clear blue sky.

Shannon ignored Jarrod all the way to
the house and he thought it prudent not to push her.  She was still clutching the
spiky high heel shoe in one hand.

Rosa nearly had a heart attack when
Shannon stomped into the kitchen.

“Nonnie!  You’re back!  I knew you’d
not forget about us!  Why did you stay away so lon’’?”

“I’ve been dealing with uprooting my
whole life on the whim of a Cowboy!  That’s where I have been!”

Rosa frowned and glanced at Jarrod,
who just shrugged his shoulders. 

“Shall we go to the porch for our
talk, doll face?”

“No.  Seeing as this is a work related
meeting, we will have it in your study.”

His grin told her that was exactly
what he intended and she very nearly changed her mind.  If he thought he was
going to jump on her the moment the door closed, there was a surprise in store
for him.  She was livid and would not be swayed by his sensual and tempting
lips.

Jarrod led the way to the study and
held the door open for her.  She walked through and immediately shot across the
room, smiling at his annoyed expression.  She noticed his groping hands and
just managed to avoid them.  She gestured him to his chair and he ambled slowly
towards it and sat down.  Shannon remained standing to the side of the desk and
glowered at him.

“Well, Mr. Parker?”

He sat looking at her with a brooding
expression on his face.

“Sit down, doll face.”

“Mr. Parker, as the person I am
reporting to on this campaign, addressing me in such a manner is totally
inappropriate.”

“You are sorely tryin’ my patience,
Shannon.”

She blinked.  It was the first time he
has ever called her by her name.  Her stomach clenched as the syllables rolled sensually
from his lips.

Damn, can I do nothing properly when
it comes to this man?  Like remaining angry long enough to make him regret his
actions.

“I’m sure I don’t understand, sir. 
Chris told me you wanted to talk to me about the job.”

“Chris?  You’re already on first name
basis with him?  What else have you and Chris been up to in my absence?”

“Oh, he has been a real gentleman. He
is the type of man I could really be attracted to.  I should actually thank
you.  I have really enjoyed working so closely with him this past week.”

Had Shannon known Jarrod better, she
would have realized not to push certain buttons.  Of course, he did not realize
these specific buttons of his could be pushed and what his reaction would be. 
Well, they were both about to find out.  He was up and around the desk before
she could blink.  He yanked her up against him and glared at her.  His eyes
glittered like molten silver and they nearly obliterated her.

“Did he touch you?”

“Of course he touched me!  He ha …”

His hands tightened around her arms
and she cried out in pain.  He hardly registered and pulled her higher up his
chest.  His eyes turned darker by the minute.

“You allowed him to touch you … after
the night we had?”

Shannon swallowed.  His anger only now
registering with her.  Her feet were off the ground as he held her against his
chest.

“Who are you to judge me?  You have
been gallivanting to the local bars every other night and picking up women.”

“Says who?”

“Noah.”

“Noah … you have been talkin’ to
Noah?”

“A few … times.”

She hesitated when his face tightened
and his hands pulled her even closer.

“Jarrod, please … you’re hu …”

“You phone me once in five weeks, yet
you speak to him all the time?”

“He phoned me!”

“I should have known better than to
allow you near either of them.  Now I have to fire my cousin and beat my best
friend to a pulp.”

She gasped and stared at him with
wonder. 

Good lord!  The man was green with
jealousy and red with possessiveness!

“Now you are really utterly
ridiculous.  Noah did me a favor and he was only being friendly.”

She kicked off her shoes and they fell
to the carpet with a thump.  Jarrod did not even notice. 

“What about Chris?”

“Well, he gave me a handshake, something
we should have stuck to when we met.”

Shannon was wearing a loose fitting
knee length sundress.  She lifted and wrapped her legs around his hips as she
whispered the words against his lips.  She clamped her ankles together and
jerked his hips against her.  They both groaned when his hard, fully erect
shaft slammed against the apex between her legs

She stroked the muscled cords of his
arms until she reached his neck.  She tangled her fingers in his hair behind
his neck, grinding her pulsing heat against his throbbing shaft with hard, slow
strokes up and down its length.

“Maybe we could have this talk you
wanted later … much later?”