Unbridled (14 page)

She entered each invoice in the stack individually, then picked them up and reviewed them against what she entered. On the third pass, he had forgotten what he was doing and watched her reaction instead.

“What is it you’re doing?”

“I’m categorizing the expenses properly. You put all the barn supplies into one lump instead of separating them by type. They should be split out that way to better track what you’re spending.” She glanced over at him. “Did you know you’ve been paying about thirty percent more for feed than you did last year?”

He was startled by the figure. “What are you talking about? We haven’t changed feed supplier or type of feed. I find it hard to believe—”

“Whether or not you believe me is irrelevant. I went back over these invoices for the last year and discovered what was happening.” She gestured to the stack, which was when he realized they were all from Hanson’s, the feed supply house.

What threw him off was that some were on blue paper, others on pink, and the top few were white. He didn’t remember them changing the color of the invoice, but they obviously had. What else had he missed?

Connor realized she was waiting for him to ask the obvious question. “What was happening?”

Her face lit up as if she’d just discovered how to turn lead into gold. Alex obviously did enjoy accounting and all it entailed. “Hanson’s supplies more than feed to the ranch. They also sell us saddle soap, some other leather conditioners and applicators, some stall cleaner, hay bags and winter stuff like bucket deicers. Each kind of supply was on a different invoice until about six months ago.”

Despite his annoyance with Alex, he was interested in what she’d found. Hanson’s did supply various types of supplies to them. They were reliable and their feed was good quality.

“Since you are being a stubborn ass, I’ll tell you what I found. When they started billing everything together on the white invoices, someone got greedy and started charging more for the same amount of feed.” She looked at him triumphantly.

Connor was impressed but skeptical. “What if the price of feed went up?”

“I checked with other suppliers online. Hanson’s is by far the highest priced, well above what they should be charging. You’re getting taken by a clever billing person at this place. I’ll have a report ready in half an hour that details the discrepancies.” She smiled and he saw just how attractive Alex was. He knew she was pretty but obviously when she was passionate about something, even accounting, her appeal went through the roof.

As long as it didn’t go through his pants again. Jesus, this was the desk they’d had their afternoon quickie on. Now they were talking about feed invoices and pretending nothing happened.

“So, Sherlock, I suppose you want to confront them about this?”

“Hell yes! Let me get everything together and we can drive there and show them we know what they’re up to. We can show them not to mess with Finley’s.” She ate the last of the muffin; then before he could stop her, she took his coffee and helped herself.

Alex made a face and handed the cup back to him. “Ugh, sugar in your coffee? What kind of cowboy are you?”

“The kind who can’t jump in the car and shake some papers at our feed supplier.” He threw the cup in the trash, unwilling to put his mouth where hers had been. It had a sexual overtone to it and he needed to keep thinking with his big head.

“Why not? Don’t you do anything fun around here?” She sat back and stretched, pushing her breasts out like she was intentionally taunting him.

Perhaps she was and, damn it to hell, it was working. His dick stirred at the sight of her pillowy tits, at the nipples he could see just slightly hard beneath the T-shirt.

“See something you like, cowboy?” She’d caught him staring, of course.

Connor decided to play it cool, just as she’d been. “Yup, sure did. That’s a mighty fine rack you got there, Alex. You must be proud.”

Shock rippled across her face, but she quickly tucked it safely away. “Why, thank you, Connor. I am proud. My tits are my best feature, don’t you think?” She leaned over the desk, affording him a view of the cleavage peeping up through the V-neck of the shirt.

His dick slapped against his zipper.

“Oh yeah, definitely.” His voice cracked so he sounded like a little kid finding a dirty magazine for the first time.

She sat back down, bouncing on the seat as she did. No doubt designed to keep his attention on those incredible breasts of hers. The woman was evil incarnate.

“So are you coming with me to Hanson’s or not?” Alex threw it out as a challenge. “According to the map website, it’s only about twenty minutes from here.”

Connor didn’t want to go, to admit he’d been taken by a feed supplier simply because he had been a piss-poor accountant. He was supposed to manage every aspect of the ranch. “You’re not going to let it go, are you?”

“Absolutely not. You want me to prove my salt as an accountant, and this is a perfect example of how I will do just that.” She raised both brows and waited.

He felt his conviction to resist slipping away with every second she stared at him. “If we don’t go, you’re going to nag me, aren’t you?”

“Oh, most assuredly.” She rose with the invoices in hand. “Coming with?”

“Fine, but don’t think this means I will do what you want me to do every day.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

They walked out of the office in single file, and he could almost feel her grinning behind him. Connor was annoyed, and yet also strangely aroused by their banter. She was smart, sassy and didn’t give an inch.

He didn’t know whether to kiss her or kick her out.

 

 

Connor drove to Hanson’s in his pickup truck, saying he would run some errands while they were out. He wanted to make the trip “worthwhile,” although Alex thought saving a great deal of money on feed was worth the trip alone.

She’d felt triumphant when he accepted her evaluation of the invoices and what had happened with the price of feed. It was something any accountant would have caught and she wondered how many other invoices she’d find with price discrepancies. It gave her a sense of purpose, like she was contributing something to the ranch besides her unwanted presence.

The scenery flew by as Alex stared out the window of the truck, country music playing softly on the radio. It was almost a comfortable silence, but she was well aware of the man in the cab with her.

Connor’s scent, a combination of whatever soap he used and his own unique self, filled her nose. He was the first man to capture her attention simply by smelling good. Even if she fought with him every moment they were together, Connor had a scent she recognized at a base level; her body knew him, accepted him, even though she’d known him only a short time.

Alex knew she was in unknown territory with Connor. She had no idea where their relationship was heading, if anywhere. Of course, the fact that she actually enjoyed riding in the truck with him was an indication it was definitely going somewhere.

She pushed aside her inner wrangling and realized they had arrived at their destination.

Hanson’s was in the next town over in a huge warehouse made up to look like a barn. The chipper sign announced there was a special on feed. Alex snorted. She would just bet they had a special.

When they pulled into a parking space, he turned to her. “Now, let me do the talking, please. Don’t antagonize Martin.”

“I don’t plan on antagonizing anyone.”

“What you plan on and what happens are not the same thing.” He hopped out of the truck before she could respond.

Alex reached for the handle when it was snatched from her hands and the door opened. To her surprise, Connor stood there, holding it open for her. It had been a very long time since a gentleman held the car door for her, and now it appeared that in the cowboy country she returned to, it was status quo.

“Thank you,” she murmured as she accepted his hand in getting down from the ridiculously high pickup.

They walked together into the feed store and Alex had a niggling memory of doing it with her father. It had been a monthly routine for them, something she’d either deliberately or accidentally forgotten. She didn’t feel like dealing with that particular memory at the moment, so she pushed it aside before it could take over.

Connor walked over to the counter to a young man with carrot red hair and freckles. “Hey, Angus.”

“Connor, didn’t expect to see you today.” The kid slid a glance at Alex. “And you brought a friend.”

“This is Alex Finley. Alex, this is Angus Macgregor.”

The redhead’s brows shot up toward his hairline. “Finley?”

Connor cut off any questions before the other man could ask them. “Is Martin here? I need to talk to him.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s in the back. In his office.” Angus stared at Alex.

She, on the other hand, decided to ignore Connor’s order. Alex winked at the young man. His freckles almost exploded off his face.

Connor headed for a door behind the counter, with Alex following closely behind. Unfortunately or not, Angus was on her heels. Perhaps she shouldn’t have flirted with him.

An older blond man was on the other side of the door. He wore a pair of half-glasses and was seated at a high workbench, seemingly at work fixing a bridle. He glanced up as they entered.

Before anyone else could speak, Angus launched into an excited stream of words. “It’s Alex Finley. Can you believe it? We didn’t think—”

“Angus, shut your yap.” The man called Martin cut off the young man before he could finish. “Get your ass back out there and take care of customers.” He turned back to them after Angus scuttled back through the door. “Connor, what brings you by?”

“We were in town running errands and wanted to stop by,” Connor began.

Liar
.

Alex stepped forward with the invoices tucked into a manila folder. “Hi, Martin, I’m Alex Finley, the prodigal daughter returned.” She held up the folder. “I’m also an accountant and I need to talk to you about the last year’s invoices.”

Connor growled under his breath, but she ignored him.

“Ah, invoices?” Martin looked at her blankly over the top of the glasses. “I don’t do those myself, of course. My nephew, Brian, started doing the books for me oh, about two years ago.”

“Brian does the invoicing? Well, that’s great news. Where can we find him?” Alex smiled at the older man and leaned forward to give him a good view. On cue, his gaze dropped to her breasts. Men were so predictable.

“Oh, ah, his desk is over yonder.” Martin gestured to the corner of the room, behind a half wall.

“I’ll just go pay him a visit while you two have a good talk.” Alex left Connor sputtering while she went in search of Brian.

As she looked around the corner, she found a young man in his midtwenties wearing a pair of headphones and playing an online war game. She didn’t know whether Martin knew it or not, but her gut told her his nephew was dirty. Alex would bet everything she owned on it, which was all of seven hundred dollars plus change.

“What are you doing?” Connor’s hiss in her ear made her jump a foot in the air.

“Finding out who’s stealing from you.” She pushed against his bulk. “Now, let me do what you’re paying me for. Or rather what you will be paying me for.”

“I didn’t say I’d pay you.”

“Shut up, Connor.” She made her way to the desk and plucked at the headphones tucked into a pair of somewhat dirty ears.

Brian glanced up at her and his eyes widened; then a grin spread across his broad face. “Hey, there, beautiful.” Right on cue, his gaze dropped to her boobs.

“Hi, Brian. My name is Alex.”

He glanced behind her. “You here with Connor?”

“Yes, sort of. You see, I am the new accountant at Finley’s.” She smiled and held up the folder. “I have been putting all the books in order and have a few questions for you.”

Brian’s playful flirting stopped and he wouldn’t even look at the folder. “What are you talking about?”

“Brian, Brian, Brian. I’m from L.A., so don’t try any bullshit with me. My guess is you decided to save money on the paper used for the colored invoices. Then you realized you could mix supplies on the white invoices and make a dirty set of books, tacking on thirty percent, which I can say for certain went directly into your pocket.” She paused and cocked her head. “How am I doing so far?”

His face had turned a nice shade of white. Oh, she had the right guy, all right. “I—I don’t know what you’re—”

“Save it, Brian. With this paperwork in my hand, and likely a visit to another half dozen ranches, I can have you arrested and thrown in jail for embezzlement.” She glanced at the computer screen. “And they don’t have online gaming in prison.”

Brian’s face now flushed at the threat. “Wh-what do you want?”

“I want you to stop stealing from your uncle’s clients, and refund every bit of that money. If you want to continue sending one invoice, then it had better be accurate. I’ll be watching every line item on every one.” She smiled and leaned forward until she was inches away from his frightened mud brown eyes. “I’ll be watching,” she repeated.

Brian swallowed and nodded.

“Thanks, Brian.”

She stood up and faced Connor, who looked like he was ready to throttle her. “Ready to go?” Alex brushed past him, waiting for him to grab her.

He didn’t. She didn’t know whether to be disappointed or pleased.

They walked past Martin and said a polite good-bye to the confused older man. By the time they made it out to the truck, she could literally feel his annoyance. It was like an electric charge between them, a living, pulsing creature.

Connor yanked open the door and helped her in. His hand was like a block of wood, it was so tense beneath her fingers. Alex didn’t care if he was angry or not. Finley’s was being robbed and she’d just saved them quite a bit of money.