Send Me a Cowboy (3 page)

The younger Kinkaid was not as rude as his
brother had been the previous day. He took her hand and shook it
warmly. “You’re the woman who’s going to make my dream come
true?”

Katie’s soft heart melted. She wasn’t sure
how she could help him with his apparent quest for Marcia, but she
was certainly willing to give it a shot if it meant freeing John
from the woman’s clutches.

Catty much?
she asked herself.

She smiled, liking the younger version of
John Kinkaid immensely. “I’m not sure about that, but I’m certainly
going to give your business endeavor the old college try.”

“If you’re through flirting with my
accountant, James, I suggest we go.”

Katie jumped as John’s voice sounded from his
office door. She’d been so busy dreaming up ways to separate him
from his secretary, she hadn’t heard the door open.

It was only after he’d spoken that she
realized James was still holding her hand. She started to pull it
away but he tightened his hold, his eyes twinkling at the look of
confusion on her face.

“But John, she’s such a beautiful
accountant.”

Katie was immediately aware of Marcia’s rabid
look of jealousy and John’s frozen countenance. James winked before
letting go of her hand.

“Let’s go,” John said curtly, turning away.
“Marcia, I’ll need you to come along and take notes.”

*****

While John, James, and Katie were dressed to
ride out to the homestead on horseback, Marcia was not. She wore
another sexy little outfit Katie would have given her eye-teeth to
fit into. Katie was, however, grateful for the other woman’s
apparently spur-of-the-moment inclusion since it necessitated a
ride in a heated SUV rather than on a large, moody horse through
the cold.

She did not understand the strange atmosphere
that surrounded the brothers. Before John had entered the office,
she’d been almost positive that James had a thing for Marcia,
Marcia had a thing for John and John had a thing for Marcia. Now,
James was flirting with her a mile a minute, Marcia was sitting
quietly in the front seat and John appeared to be upset at his
brother’s behavior. Was there such a thing as a love square?

Katie and James sat side by side in the back
seat with Katie positioned behind John on the driver’s side. She
caught him glancing her way in the rearview mirror more than once.
Whenever their eyes met, his dark brows would come together in a
thunderous scowl.

“So Ms. Lenard, it’s almost Valentine’s Day.
Where is your boyfriend taking you to celebrate?” James casually
put one arm on the back of Katie’s seat making her feel caged
in.

She cleared her throat. “I, umm, don’t have a
boyfriend.”

“Now, I find that hard to believe,” James
stated.

Katie dared a glance toward the front. Her
gaze met John’s again and this time he didn’t scowl. Instead, his
stare was intense. Assessing.

Katie licked her suddenly dry lips. What
could she say? Men preferred women who looked like Marcia? Why
state the obvious?

“I’m a very discerning woman, Mr. Kinkaid.”
She gave him a fake haughty stare. He laughed as she’d hoped he
would.

But instead of letting the matter drop, he
took her hand and brought it to his lips. He lightly grazed her
knuckles before turning her hand over and pressing a harder, longer
kiss to her palm. “And I’m a discerning man, Ms. Lenard.”

“We’re here.”

The SUV jerked to a violent stop, forcing
John to release Katie’s hand as they braced themselves against the
back of their respective seats.

“Take it easy, John,” James said. “This isn’t
your old truck. This vehicle does have brakes.”

James opened his door and was out of the
vehicle before his brother could respond.

Katie reached down to pick up the notepad and
calculator which had fallen to the floor.

As she straightened, John opened her door and
reached in, taking her elbow to help her from the high seat. She
tried to exit the vehicle as gracefully as she could and, to her
immense relief, she managed not to fall at the man’s feet.

“I’m not paying you to flirt with my brother,
Ms. Lenard.”

Katie shook the hair out of her eyes. She’d
opted to wear it down this morning to go with her casual outfit.
Even though she really did have a heart-stopping crush on the man,
his blistering attitude was quickly helping her to dispense with
her rose-colored glasses. He had been relentless yesterday
afternoon and this morning, he was being, well, a jerk.

“Don’t worry,” she smiled around clenched
teeth. “I won’t charge you extra.”

“Damn it, Katie.” His eyes glittered down at
her and her breath hitched at the use of her given name. It was the
first time he’d used it.

Her eyes roamed his tall frame helplessly. He
looked his usual mouth-watering self this morning. The usual black
Stetson sat carelessly atop his slightly overlong hair, the ends
curling over his shirt collar. He was dressed in a dark blue
chambray shirt that emphasized the width of his shoulders. It was
tucked neatly into faded jeans that emphasized his long legs and
perfect rear. A well-worn leather belt encircled his waist, which
was thankfully not body-builder-slim. His cowboy boots added
another inch to his already impressive six-three height. Dear Lord,
Katie felt almost small standing next to him.

“What?” She’d been so lost in his powerful
aura that she’d forgotten their train of conversation.

Leaning close, he enunciated clearly, “
Do.
Not. Flirt. With. My. Brother
.” He still held her elbow and
gave it a hard squeeze.

Oh, no, he didn’t.

“Whom do you suggest I flirt with?” She took
a step forward, bringing their bodies just within touching
distance. She laid one hand on his chest, right above his nipple.
She was super glad she’d treated herself to a manicure last week.
Her nails were still flawlessly polished with a dark pink color and
she’d even managed not to break one yet.

She felt his muscles tense beneath her palm.
She wasn’t supposed to flirt with his brother. Okay. So what about
him? Her lack of sleep and his he-man attitude aggravated that part
of her that had always been too timid to take a chance. What did
she have to lose by flirting with the handsome rancher?

Since she was too short to reach his ear, she
stood on tiptoe and whispered against his jaw, “
You
, Mr.
Kinkaid?”

She allowed her lips to lightly brush the
clean-shaven skin before turning sharply on her heel and calling
out to James. She put an extra little swing in her hips as she
walked away, thinking gleefully that Jessica would be so proud of
her best friend if she could see her now.

*****

John groaned as Katie walked away, his jeans
feeling a size too small as he watched the swing of her generous
rear. What the hell was happening to him? The woman had been in his
life less than twenty-four hours, in his company for just over
five, and he was acting like a jealous jackass. And of his own
brother no less.

When he’d mentioned his brother’s idea to his
accounting manager at Collins and Collins, he hadn’t intended to
hire someone from the firm to actually write the business plan. His
corporation had plenty of MBA’s on the payroll who could help James
make a go of his venture.

Of course, that thought had flown out of his
head the minute he’d received the report on Katie Lenard. He’d
studied her biography and the few photographs that had been
enclosed. He’d been a little surprised at the level of information
that had been included. But he’d also been very intrigued. And
instantly attracted. He’d even looked her up on Facebook–something
James would have laughed himself silly over if he’d caught John
doing it. His thoughts concerning social media were well known.
He’d been further entranced by the smiling, laughing pictures her
friends had posted.

Luckily the report had given references and
John had no qualms about calling the other business owners and
asking questions. After all, he was about to turn over a
quarter-million dollar project to a woman he knew virtually nothing
about.

Except that that she was smart and sassy. And
infinitely appealing.

He should have followed his first instinct
and sent Katie Lenard right back out the door the moment she’d
stepped into his office. He’d known then, on some primitive level,
she’d be nothing but trouble.

None of the photos in the report or on
Facebook had done her justice. The woman was beautiful. And
engaging. Their meeting yesterday should have been a simple
meet-and-greet. Instead, he’d grilled her, tearing apart a very
thorough report given the little information she’d had available.
The woman knew her stuff. She was the type of employee he wanted on
his team. When Marcia had interrupted them to remind him of his
date, he’d almost told her to cancel. He’d actually entertained the
idea of asking Katie to dinner instead. He’d caught himself just in
time to avoid that pitfall. She was an employee, there to do a job,
and then move on. Getting involved with her was not a good
idea.

But remembering the feel of her ample curves
against him and the sexy wiggle of her full hips had him wondering
whether he should always be good.

After all, she was his kind of woman. Nicely
rounded and deliciously curvy. Her lack of faith in her own sex
appeal was also a big draw. He’d like nothing more than to boost
her self-confidence.

Now if he could just put his brother off her
scent, maybe he could try a different tact and sweet talk her into
his bed. He frowned as he watched the two huddled together. Marcia
stood to the side, scribbling furiously in her notebook. Before
today, he could have sworn his brother was sweet on his secretary.
Now, he wasn’t so sure.

And Katie. Well, he’d put her hackles up with
his order to leave his brother alone. She was going to be a
challenge. He grinned. She reminded him of a tiny feline
confronting a much bigger opponent.

He strode past the group taking the steps to
the ranch house two at a time. “Let’s get this tour started.”

I’ve got a little kitten that needs some
special handling.

*****

Katie’s head was swimming with facts and
figures by the time the tour of the first floor was over. She took
a seat on the bottom of the wide staircase, making neat columns of
notes. John stood in the living room talking on his cell phone
while Marcia and James headed to the kitchen. Although the ranch
house wasn’t being used at the moment, it was still fully furnished
and all the utilities were connected. In fact, she’d been told
someone came in to clean once a week. She idly wondered why the new
ranch house had been built. This one was delightful. It had that
old west charm that was somehow lacking in the newer structure.

It was perfect for a guest ranch.

The downstairs already housed an
industrial-sized kitchen, a large dining room which could easily be
converted into an intimate restaurant-style setting, a spacious
open concept living room for the registration and lobby area, plus
additional rooms that could be turned into a library and conference
rooms. There would, of course, be some renovations for bathroom
facilities and maybe even an elevator. That would cost a
substantial amount of money. She tapped her pen against her mouth.
She’d have to check state regulations before mentioning it to John.
No sense making him huffy if she didn’t have to.

Because the building was so spacious, it
might cost more than she’d originally estimated. The initial outlay
would go toward renovations and additions, light refurbishing,
salaries for staff, and advertisement. She wondered if James would
allow her to continue to work with him on that. She already had
some ideas on how to showcase the house and the ranch itself. No
doubt there were spectacular vistas to be found all around the
ranch. She assumed John would allow the guests access to most of
the land. She’d have to check into that as well. If not, that could
change the whole scope of the project. She frowned as she continued
to make notes.

“Let me show you the second floor.”

She glanced up in surprise. John leaned over
her, one long leg braced on the step beside her, his arm stretched
above her, a lean hand resting on the pine banister. Her eyes were
level with the apex of his thighs.

My, oh my.

She leaned her head back, straining her neck
to look up at him. And she had to look way up. He really was a
rather large man.

He studied her face intently and Katie
silently counted to ten in an attempt to control the blush she
could feel waiting to heat her cheeks. She’d never been good at
being the center of attention.

“You have beautiful hair.” His free hand
reached out, stroking her hair from the crown to the ends before
dropping back down to his side.

Well, that was certainly unexpected. “No, I
don’t. It’s mousy.” She also wasn’t very good at accepting
compliments.

His lips curled up in a one sided smile. “A
very pretty mouse, Katie.”

The blush stole across her cheeks anyway as
her heartbeat picked up speed.

He moved back. “The bedrooms are
upstairs.”

“Okay.” She closed the notepad and tucked it
under her arm. A bedroom sounded like a fine idea.

He grinned at her eagerness and she groaned
inwardly, her embarrassment at his eloquent expression making her
want to hide her face in her hands. Instead, she cleared her throat
and asked in her most professional voice, “How many are there?”

“How many do you think we’ll need?” Again his
expression was devilish, one black brow raised questioningly. But
his voice, low and sultry, conjured up images of going with him
room to room as they attempted to quench the desire she could see
in his eyes.