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My Fair Fortune
Nancy Robards Thompson
UNBUTTONING THE BRIT . . .In the business world, Brodie Fortune Hayes is known as a man of no mercy. The all-work, no-play PR consultant is sure he’ll have no trouble correcting the image problems plaguing the Cowboy Country theme park. There’s just one complication: the green-eyed beauty sitting behind the boss’s desk who makes his pulse race like a roller-coaster!Caitlyn Moore never imagined working side-by-side with Brodie after sharing a most out-of-character night of passion with him a few months before! And now, thanks to her dad's absence-by-illness, she's his boss? Brodie's bottom-line mentality is as infuriating as his blue-bedroom eyes are intoxicating–but Cait is convinced that there's a heart lurking beneath his Savile Row armor. Perhaps she can prove to him that love is the greatest Fortune of all . . .


MEET THE FORTUNES!
Fortune of the Month: Brodie Fortune Hayes
Age: 33
Vital Statistics: Six feet of maddeningly adorable British charm. He tastes of champagne and mint and … challenge.
Claim to Fame: The mastermind of Hayes Consulting, Brodie can make business troubles disappear. He is also known for stealing hearts.
Romantic prospects: “Brodie the Brit” has no interest in getting serious. Work is his mistress, the lady love of his life.
“Alden Moore hired me to fix his Cowboy Country theme park. What he neglected to mention was that he put his daughter in charge of the project. I cannot work with Caitlyn Moore! I suppose her daddy had no way of knowing what, ahem, previously transpired between us. Success in business depends on keeping a clear head and a closed heart. And Caitlyn is simply too warm, too sensitive and too … much. Between her and all my newfound Fortune relatives, I am being bombarded by good intentions. How is a man supposed to get any work done?”
The Fortunes Of Texas: Cowboy Country Lassoing hearts from across the pond!
My Fair Fortune
Nancy Robards Thompson


www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
National bestselling author NANCY ROBARDS THOMPSON holds a degree in journalism. She worked as a newspaper reporter until she realized reporting “just the facts” bored her silly. Much more content to report to her muse, Nancy loves writing women’s fiction and romance full-time. Critics have deemed her work “funny, smart and observant.” She resides in Florida with her husband and daughter.
You can reach her at
www.nancyrobardsthompson.com (http://www.nancyrobardsthompson.com) and facebook.com/nancyrobardsthompsonbooks (http://www.facebook.com/nancyrobardsthompsonbooks).
This book is dedicated to all the Fortune fans and to Susan and Marcia for making it happen.
Contents
Cover (#ucd8aa68b-5acb-5559-8250-110d3ead3712)
Introduction (#u3300634d-adcb-58e5-8c11-21a4d069274e)
Title Page (#uf62b2316-2e58-5178-8fbc-ca6b6976cb52)
About the Author (#u9f3003ff-1942-5934-85a8-4a6dd99f852b)
Dedication (#u18c67bd4-c012-55cd-aa10-802d6329ffac)
Chapter One (#ulink_4e3de10e-0fd4-5cd8-bdf3-33bd8c61e8be)
Chapter Two (#ulink_7a460ab5-a32e-51df-83e9-ab9b8558d2fe)
Chapter Three (#ulink_092f5fec-ae29-5b7e-ab6d-ea551a2ca6da)
Chapter Four (#ulink_df96f1d3-22b8-5c16-adb1-c851e2d4860d)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_21c653e1-cee6-5cba-b6d0-3dc02744365e)
February
“Brides or grooms?” the tall, handsome guy asked.
He had a British accent.
Caitlyn Moore had locked eyes with the tall hunk of gorgeousness only a moment before he’d moved across the room to stand next to her. The accent was the icing on top of an already delicious-looking bit of eye candy.
Too bad eye candy wasn’t on her diet.
“I beg your pardon?” she said.
“Are you here in support of a friend or relative of one of the brides or one of the grooms? Or, perhaps, you’re acquainted with all of them?”
When he’d said all of them, he wasn’t kidding. There were four of each—this was the soon-to-be-famous Grand Fortune wedding—and Caitlyn didn’t know a single one of them personally. From what she’d heard, the Fortunes always did everything in a big way.
“None of the above,” she said.
“So you’re a wedding crasher, then?” Twin dimples winked at her when he smiled.
“No, of course not.”
Dressed in an expensive-looking dark suit and crisp white shirt, the Brit had a cocksure James Bond air about him. He probably didn’t have to work very hard at getting women to engage. Still, Caitlyn didn’t feel like explaining that she hated weddings and wouldn’t be here unless it was absolutely necessary. She’d come in place of her parents, who had received the invitation to Horseback Hollow’s social event of the decade...in a town this small, it might even be the wedding of the century.
Tonight not one, but four Fortunes had gotten married on their parents’ sprawling ranch. They’d exchanged vows on a huge outdoor stage that had been constructed for the ceremony. She’d overheard someone talking about how the large red barn on the property had been renovated especially for tonight’s reception. The place looked like a magical wonderland lit by thousands of candles and twinkle lights. There were so many flowers she shuddered to think of the bottom line on the florist’s bill. It might even surpass the catering bill for the sumptuous-looking buffet dinner, which she was going to miss because her objective was to sign the guest book and leave. No one would miss her if she left a little early, especially since she was there on a mission that might best be described as keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.
In this case, the Fortunes—all fifty jillion of them—were the enemy.
It still baffled her that the Fortunes, who had gone to such lengths to get the locals all riled up, making everyone believe that her family’s venture, Cowboy Country USA, a Western-themed amusement park, was the root of all evil and would be the demise of Horseback Hollow, would invite her family to the wedding.
Her parents had regretted missing out, but her father had fallen ill this morning, and her mother had stayed home to care for him. Caitlyn had come to the wedding on their behalf, to represent the Moore family and Cowboy Country. She wasn’t here to glad-hand and win people over, of course. She’d simply signed the guest book Alden Moore and family, a subtle reminder that Moore Entertainment was not the enemy. On the contrary. They wanted to be the good neighbor, getting along with the residents of Horseback Hollow, every one of whom, it seemed, had been invited to the wedding.
She looked at the Brit, who wasn’t acting shy about eyeing her.
And that part of the saying that talked about keeping your friends close? Yeah. It definitely applied to this new friend.
A moment ago, she was sure her work here was done, and all she needed to do was wait for the brides and grooms to finish their first dance before she made a discreet exit; except now the hot guy with the cool accent was smiling at her like he found her utterly fascinating.
“All right, then, love,” he purred. “What is your story?”
He pinned her with the most spectacular pair of blue eyes she’d ever seen before arching his right brow a fraction of an inch in a manner that suggested he was waiting for her to elaborate. And then there was that accent. Why had she always been a sucker for an accent? It was her libido’s Achilles’ heel.
“What?” she said. “Are you the bouncer here to throw me out?”
He crossed his arms and appraised her in a less than subtle way that had her insides going all warm and melty. She needed to stop that right now. Mirroring his stance, she crossed her arms and tilted her chin up, hoping for some self-preservation, but her warm and melty insides offered no structure. Her resolve started to slowly crumble under the heat.
“If you must know,” she said. “I’m here by proxy.”
“I didn’t realize wedding invitations were transferable,” he said. “Don’t worry, I won’t land you in it, because—” he leaned in and whispered in her ear “—really, I don’t belong here, either.”
I won’t land you in it. He was so maddeningly, adorably British it was almost too much, and he was standing so close that she could smell his cologne—something that was probably expensive. Something vaguely green and woodsy—maybe sandalwood...and some cedar—and oh, so manly and delicious.
“So you’re the one who doesn’t belong here?” she countered. “How do you know I’m not the wedding police, ready to bounce you?”
His eyes glistened as his gaze made an even bolder perusal of her body, meandering down the length of her and back up again. Her heart beat with the pulse of the music, and she reveled in this irresistible, magnetic physical awareness.
“Not in that dress, love.”
His breath held a faint hint of peppermint.
“What’s wrong with my dress?”
“Not a bloody thing.”
He flashed a smile that showcased perfect white teeth, and there were those dimples again.
Oh, God, just take me now.
A thrill the likes of which Caitlyn had never experienced skittered down her spine, waking up places that had been sleeping for far too long. This was...fun. A lot more fun than she’d dreamed she’d have tonight.
As a waiter passed by with a tray of champagne, he grabbed two flutes and handed one to her.
“Thank you.” She raised her glass to him, and he followed suit, clinking his to hers before they sipped.
She’d purchased the red dress and strappy heels on the fly this morning. Since she’d only planned on visiting her parents for a few days, she’d packed light and casual. She hadn’t brought along anything that was appropriate for an elaborate Valentine’s Day wedding. She’d been pleasantly surprised to find the flirty little dress in a boutique in Lubbock. With his eyes on her, it felt a whole lot sexier than it had when she’d tried it on and decided it would do. She hadn’t really been excited about the dress or the thought of attending the wedding of four couples she didn’t know. It had barely been a year since she’d called off her own engagement.
The only reason she’d agreed to come tonight was because it had seemed so important to her father. He’d asked her to represent the family because he thought it would be a sign of solidarity for the good folks of Horseback Hollow, or possibly considered a slight if no one from the Moore family bothered to attend. As if anyone would even notice in such a crowd.
Who knew she’d meet someone so fun to play with. Maybe she wasn’t in quite as big a hurry to leave after all. Then again, if she knew what was good for her, she’d leave right now before she gave this Brit a chance to charm her new red dress right off her.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Cait—” She always went by Caitlyn, but tonight it felt more fun to simply be Cait.
“Ah, as in Kiss Me, Kate?”
“Oh, are you a fan of musical theater?”
“Not particularly. I simply wanted to say that.” Their gazes locked. “Kiss me...Cait.”
For the life of her, she didn’t know what came over her, because the next thing she knew, she was leaning in and claiming his lips.
She didn’t even know his name, but she adored the taste of him—champagne and mint...and something else she couldn’t name, something that made her lose herself a little bit and lean in a little closer. His kiss sang through her veins, sent spirals of longing coursing through her, causing the fire deep in her most personal places to rage.
It had been a long time since she’d kissed a man. Since Eric— No, she wouldn’t think about him. Eric would not ruin this moment...or this night, which was becoming better and better with each passing second.
The sound of the bandleader inviting the wedding guests to join the happy couples on the dance floor edged out the interloping thoughts of her ex. When she pulled back, the reality of what she’d just done washed away any lingering residue of Eric.
She’d kissed a man she’d known for less than ten minutes.
And she wanted to kiss him again.
* * *
Bloody hell.
Those were the only words echoing in Brodie Fortune Hayes’s mind as he locked lips with Cait. And he meant those words in the best, most reverent way possible. Just when he thought he’d seen everything, life threw him a curvy surprise wrapped in a sexy red dress. He was obviously finding it difficult to express exactly how much he liked this shapely little package. All he knew was what had started out as a night of familial obligation was turning out to be rather mind-blowing.
Cait pulled back just enough to gaze up at him through thick, dark lashes. She had the loveliest green eyes he’d ever seen. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Brodie,” he heard himself murmur.
“Brodie the Brit,” she said. “Nice to meet you. I’m Cait from Chicago. I’d shake your hand, but...” She leaned in and dusted his lips with a featherlight kiss. Then she smiled up at him, looking rather pleased with herself.
“Charming to meet you, Cait from Chicago.”
The band shifted from an up-tempo tune into a slow, sultry number just as he decided to lean in for another taste of those lips, but Cait pulled away.
“Listen,” she said. “This has been fun, but I really should go now.”
“What? But we just got here. Well, we just got here.”
He reached out and ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “I’m quite eager to see where we’ll go next.”
She opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, hesitated then pressed her lips together, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth in a way that nearly drove him mad.
“Dance with me?” he said.
Of course, he wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to do, but he’d try his best to convince her.
“Just one dance,” he said. “If you want to go after that, I won’t argue.”
He took her hand, fully prepared to let go if she protested. But she didn’t.
As he led her onto the dance floor, he noticed his brother Oliver dancing with Shannon Singleton, the pretty brunette they’d sat with during the ceremony. Oliver seemed to be lost in the moment as he gazed into Shannon’s eyes. But when Cait sank into Brodie’s arms and he pulled her closer, his body responded, and then it was as if they were the only two people in the entire world.
They swayed to the strains of “Unforgettable” and kept dancing close through a couple of fast songs, until the band decided to mix things up with a country-rock medley, and an overzealous guest, who was dancing with a beer in his hand, tried to demonstrate his John Travolta moves and upended it on the dance floor.
“Okay, what do you say we take a break?” Brodie suggested. “How about if I get us something to drink?”
“Actually, I could use some fresh air,” Cait said. “It’s a little stuffy in here.”
With the number of people dancing and drinking in the confines of the renovated barn, it was a bit close. It was unseasonably warm for February. In fact, he’d heard his mum and aunt Jeanne Marie say it was as if spring had graced them with an early visit, which was undoubtedly fortuitous for the four couples who had said their vows.
“That sounds like a great idea,” he said. “Wait right here. I’ll get us some refreshments to go.”
He tipped the bartender fifty dollars and was rewarded with a chilled, unopened bottle of champagne and two flutes. On his way back to Cait, he plucked a long-stemmed red rose out of one of the many free-standing floral arrangements.
He took the bounty back to where he’d left her, but she wasn’t there. As he made a three-hundred-sixty-degree turn, it dawned on him that it probably hadn’t been a brilliant move to leave her alone. He hadn’t been gone that long, but if she really had wanted to leave, this would’ve presented the perfect opportunity for her to make her getaway. His gut tightened at the thought, but then he sobered. Really, if she had decided to go, it was for the best. He was set to return to London in two days. True, Cait of the magical lips had an unnerving ability to knock him void of all common sense, but really, what would they do two days from now when he boarded the plane to go home? The likelihood of him traveling to Chicago anytime soon was slim. Business was booming at his company, Hayes Consulting, the management consulting firm for which he’d sacrificed everything. It had been a struggle even to find time to come for the wedding. If truth be told, he wasn’t happy about taking time off for four cousins he barely knew. It had only been a couple of years since his mother had discovered that she was adopted and had three siblings who had so many grown children that it seemed to be necessary to marry them off in bulk. Still, it had been important to his mother that he attend this affair. She was the one woman in the world for whom he’d drop everything. Plus, it was a chance to catch up with his brother Oliver.
All the negativity drained away when he turned and saw Cait with her wrap and handbag, making her way toward him in the crowd. She was still here, and suddenly nothing else mattered.
He handed her the rose.
“This is beautiful,” she said, bringing the flower to her nose. “How romantic, sir.”
Her eyes glinted and at that moment, Brodie was sure she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever had the privilege to set eyes on.
“And what else do you have there?”
“A spot of champagne. What do you say we get out of here? There’s something I’d like to show you.”
He started to offer her his arm, but his hands were full with the two glasses and the bottle.
“I’m intrigued.” She laughed. “May I carry something?”
“I’ve got this.” He set down the bottle and tucked each of the champagne flutes into his suit coat pockets.
“Let’s try that again.” He offered her his arm.
She accepted, and he led her out of the noisy reception.
Once they were outside, it was quiet, except for the faint sound of the party going on in the barn behind them. A few people milled about. A line of golf carts, which were there to drive the guests back to their vehicles after the festivities ended, waited at the ready several feet in front of the barn. The cart attendants sat at tables, playing cards as they waited.
Brodie and Caitlyn walked from the barn toward the pond on the east side of the property. The night was unseasonably warm for February, but despite the midfifty-degree temperatures, he thought he felt Cait shiver. She’d put her coat on over that fabulous red dress.
Still, priding himself on being a gentleman, he said, “Is it too cold out here? We can go back inside...or I’m happy to give you my jacket. You could drape it about your shoulders.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but no. Actually, the cool air feels great after being inside. With everyone dancing and all that romantic energy in there, it was a little bit warm. Besides, I wouldn’t want to take a chance on breaking one of those glasses that you worked so hard to steal for us.”
“I didn’t steal them. The bartender graciously gifted them to us. He thought we looked like such a lovely couple.”
“Oh, really?”
“That’s what he said.” Brodie winked and took a great deal of pleasure watching the color spike in her ivory cheeks.
“So you’re an honest guy?” she said. “Does that mean I can trust you to lead me out into the darkness? You’re not some deranged serial killer, are you?”
Brodie stopped, unsure for a moment if she was serious. “Well...no. Of course not.”
But really, could he blame her? They didn’t know each other.
She assessed him for what felt like an eternity.
“Where are we going?” she asked. “What is it that you wanted to show me?”
“There’s a meteor shower tonight. Out here, away from the city lights, the waning crescent moon coupled with the clear sky provides excellent viewing conditions.”
Her brows knit together, and she cocked her head to the side as if she didn’t understand.
“A meteor shower,” he repeated. “You know, shooting stars? I thought it would be...romantic.” He rocked back on his heels.
“I know what a meteor shower is.” She smiled. “What I didn’t realize was that you’re an astronomy nerd.”
The light from the tiki torches that lined the path caught the teasing sparkle in her green eyes, turning them an alluring shade of jade, and it took everything Brodie had to keep from leaning in and kissing her again.
“I’ve been accused of being a lot of things in my life, but I must say tonight is the first time anyone has called me a nerd...or a serial killer. However, if you like nerds, that’s exactly what I’ll be tonight. Just for you.”
“Just for me? What about serial killer?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Sorry, that’s not in my repertoire.”
“Good to know,” she said. “Call me crazy, but for some reason, I believe you.”
Suddenly, she looked away and pointed toward the sky. “I think I just saw one. Was that a meteor?”
“Indeed.”
“What are we waiting for?” she said. “Let’s go where we can see better.”
She grabbed his hand, and he led her toward the open field by the pond.
When they stopped, they turned their attention up to the sky.
“This is a rather slow shower,” he said. “There may only be four or five meteors per hour.”
“What should we do to entertain ourselves in the meantime?” Her voice was low and raspy. There was something in her tone that made him want to suggest all kinds of inappropriate things. She seemed to read his thoughts because she reached out and ran her thumb over his bottom lip. He was still holding the champagne bottle and the glasses when she leaned in and brushed a kiss over his lips.
“If you want to do something like this,” she said, “I wouldn’t object.”
Before he could stop himself, he caught her bottom lip between his teeth and teased it with his tongue.
“How about something like that?” he asked, his mouth a breath away from hers.
“That? Oh, yes, definitely that. And more, I hope. But first I’ll need a glass of champagne.”
He spread his jacket on the ground, and they sat down on it. He popped the cork and poured them each a glass of bubbly. They clinked glasses and settled into the silence of the first sip. He reached out and brushed a strand of long, dark hair off her shoulder.
She inhaled a quick breath and seemed suddenly shy. Even though he was dying to kiss her again...and again and again, he knew he’d be smart to slow things down until he was sure she was comfortable.
He gazed up at the sky for a moment, searching, until he found what he was looking for.
“See those three stars in a row that are close together?”
He leaned in so that she could follow where he was pointing.
She didn’t pull away.
“That’s Orion’s belt. Do you know the legend of Orion and Merope?”
She shook her head.
“Orion, the great hunter, fell in love with Merope. He made a business deal with her father. In exchange for clearing the land of all the savage beasts, Orion would have Merope’s hand in marriage, but Merope’s dad reneged and wouldn’t let Orion marry his daughter.”
“Poor Orion,” she said.
“Yes, the poor guy was stricken with such sadness. He couldn’t get the girl off his mind. He wasn’t watching where he was going and stepped on a scorpion and died.”
She slanted him a dubious glance. “It that really how the story goes? I thought there was more to it.”
“I thought you didn’t know the story,” he said.
“I wanted to hear your version,” she said, leaning into him. “I was hoping you’d make it a love story.”
“Oh, it is.” He clamped his mouth shut before he could add something stupid like this is a real-life love story, sweetheart. Love hurts.
Instead, he continued. “The gods took pity, and they immortalized him and his dogs up in the sky as constellations.”
He outlined the stars with his finger.
“They put all of the animals he hunted up there near him—like the rabbit and the bull. But they put the scorpion all the way on the opposite side of the sky so Orion would never be hurt again.”
“What about Merope? What happened to her?”
“She’s still there. She’s a star that rides the shoulders of the bull. So he can always see her.”
“You have a romantic heart,” she said.
“Funny, others have claimed I don’t have a heart.”
“Well, they were mistaken, my romantic astronomy nerd.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. Her hair smelled so good he breathed in trying to identify the fragrance...it was something floral...and sweet. The combination was intoxicating. He thought he could live happily here. Just the two of them sitting close, sipping champagne under the inky starlit sky.
He slid his arm around her shoulder, ran his hand down the length of her arm. She tilted her head up and leaned in closer, tempting him. His lips found hers, and this time the kiss wasn’t quite so gentle. She responded, her body pressing against his. The way they fit together might have brought to mind tired clichés like puzzle pieces or bugs in a rug, but he was too caught up in her to give it much thought.
All he could focus on was the feel of her...the taste of her...the all-consuming thought of what it would be like to make love to her...their bodies even closer than they were right now. Him buried deep inside her. Them moving to their own private rhythm.
He heard a sound—a low, guttural rumble—and realized he was the one making the noise. As if the force was driving him, he deepened the kiss. He couldn’t get enough of her. She tasted like the champagne they’d shared. But there was something else...something uniquely her. And it was threatening to drive him crazy.
His hands slid from her hair down her shoulders, and he closed his arms around her, pulling her closer. He memorized the feel of her as he lowered her back, onto the ground.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a brief moment of clarity. He would never force her to do anything that made her uncomfortable. “Is this...okay?”
“I’ve never been better.” She smiled up at him. “I have a feeling I’m going to be even better very soon. So please don’t stop now.”
He held her gaze for a moment, until little pinpricks of longing injected him with a need so powerful it had him seeing stars. When he reclaimed her lips, it lifted him off the ground and into the heavens of lusty bliss. When was the last time he’d wanted a woman so badly that it bordered on greed?
On need...
He unbuttoned her coat and slipped his hands inside, savoring every inch of her—her tiny waist, her sexy hips. That red dress was all that stood between him and that glorious body. He slid his hands back up her torso, around her rib cage and paused underneath her breasts, giving her one more chance to slow things down, if she wanted.
God, he hoped she wouldn’t.
When she deepened the kiss and pulled him closer, stretching one long leg out, crossing it over his, he knew she wasn’t going anywhere without him tonight.
That’s when what little control he had left shattered.
He eased her down onto his jacket, taking care that his touch wasn’t as rough and desperate as he felt. When he covered her with his body, the only thing he was aware of was how her lips and tongue were doing amazing things to his mouth. When his hand slipped under the neckline of her dress and his fingers found their way to her breast beneath her bra, she moaned, a muffled sound under his lips.
“You okay?” he said, resting his forehead on hers. “If you want, we can stop.”
* * *
She appreciated his concern. He was a gentleman, but she didn’t want to talk.
She didn’t want to stop, and she didn’t want to talk about it.
Because if they started talking, she might try to explain herself.
She was so tired of explaining herself.
It was her body. Her choice to have him... Just because she chose to make love to a virtual stranger, it didn’t make her any less of a human being. Men did it all the time...had one-night stands...even when they were engaged...with the church booked and the catering ordered...the white dress hanging in the bride-to-be’s closet and the wedding two weeks away.
But she wasn’t going to think about men like that tonight. She was going to prove to herself exactly how liberated she was. She was going to take back her power by enjoying this fine, hot guy. Her wedding favor. Actually, he was more like a gift...but not a wedding gift. She’d sent all those back after she’d thrown the ring in Eric’s face.
She needed to stop thinking about Eric. He’d already ruined her life once.
There was no room for him—especially not tonight.
To drown out the incessant chatter in her head, Caitlyn deepened their kiss. Brodie groaned and nudged her thighs apart with his knee, nesting his lower body into hers. When she felt his arousal, thick and hard against her, she grabbed his backside and pulled him even closer, just to make sure there was no doubt about exactly how okay she was with their closeness.
His murmured answer was muddled and unintelligible against her lips; he seemed to understand. His intention was clear in the way he smoothed his hand up her bare leg. When his fingers reached her upper thigh and he deftly eased her out of her panties, his actions told her everything she needed to know.
When they were naked and ready, she held on tight as he unleashed himself up on her body.
Later, when they lay spent and sated in each other’s arms, she wasn’t sure if hours or days had passed. It was as if they’d been lifted out of space and time into a world where only the two of them existed.
But no... It couldn’t have been days because it was still dark outside, and she had to go home before the sun came up. She was staying with her parents while she was here. They’d send out the National Guard if she didn’t come home. She snuggled into the warmth of him for one more luxurious moment, breathing in the scent of him...of them...before she gently wriggled out from under his protective arm.
He stirred. “Where are you going?”
“I have to go home.”
“Chicago? Tonight? Don’t do that. Stay with me. Some of the best meteors happen just before dawn.”
It was already late, but she could see her mother’s face if she came in doing the walk of shame, with the sun on her back. Caitlyn may have been twenty-nine years old and living on her own since she’d gone off to college, but when she came home to visit the folks, she was twelve years old again.
“No, I’m sorry. I really do have to go.”
As she straightened her clothes and smoothed her hair into place, she watched Brodie lying there, propped up on one elbow, watching her. He really was a beautiful man. That face...and that body. Oh, what he could do with that body. It was one of the best experiences she’d ever had. Not that she’d had that many. She’d certainly never done this before. Brodie the Brit had been nothing short of amazing. It was a shame that she’d never see him again. What had started out to be an evening of obligation had turned into a night she would never forget.
Never forget and definitely not regret.
“Will you walk me to my car?” she asked.
“Of course.” Once he’d righted himself and brushed off the dirt from his jacket, they were walking arm in arm back to the parking lot.
“I’m sorry about your coat,” she said.
“Don’t give it a second thought. In fact, I might just have it framed and hang it on my wall to remember tonight.”
The temperature had dropped a good ten degrees, and by the time they made it back around to the lot, most of the cars were gone. The courtesy golf carts and their drivers were nowhere to be found. It was that late.
As she fumbled in her purse for her keys, she checked her phone for the time.
Three forty-five in the morning.
Irrational panic ceased her. She should’ve been home hours ago.
She didn’t want to ruin everything with awkward goodbyes, but she had to get out of there.
“Brodie the Brit,” she said. They were standing maybe five inches apart. “This has been such a wonderful evening. Look, if you’re ever in Chicago...”
She realized how that sounded, a shot of needy with a chaser of desperate.
“Goodbye, Brodie.”
She kissed him one last time before she drove off.
When she did, she forced herself to not watch his fading image in her rearview mirror. Or to think about how tonight was not only her first one-night stand, it was also probably the best sex she’d ever had in her life.
The faster she drove, the louder doubt rattled behind her like a string of tin cans tied to a wedding car.
She was never going to see him again. She didn’t even know his last name.
It was best that way.
Wasn’t it?
Chapter Two (#ulink_f53c9597-2e7f-54d0-8ce2-5d373219331b)
May
Couldn’t anything be simple? Caitlyn Moore silently lamented.
Just once?
Apparently not, she affirmed as she listened to Jason Hallowell, head electrical engineer for Moore Entertainment, drone on about the problem.
“If Clark Ball leaves early, we will not get the work done in time to pass the electrical inspection. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, ma’am, that this will be the second time we’ve failed it.”
No. He didn’t need to remind her. The reality was an albatross, constantly following her. They were racing against the clock, and if they failed the inspection again, it would probably mean that they’d have to delay the Memorial Day soft opening of Moore Entertainment’s newest theme park, Cowboy Country USA.
Caitlyn would rather eat dirt than delay the opening. She had to prove to her father that she was capable. She could pull this off despite his doubts and worries.
Even more important than proving herself, this was the one thing she could do to help her father get well. He’d suffered a massive heart attack earlier in the week, and he was under strict doctors’ orders to avoid stress so that his body could heal. Caitlyn had dropped everything and flown into Lubbock from Chicago the moment she’d gotten word that he was ill. But she soon realized that sitting at his bedside wringing her hands wasn’t helping anyone. That’s when she decided the proactive approach would be to take a hold of the reins at Cowboy Country and make sure that the park opened as planned.
When her father heard of the plan, he’d balked and blustered—even through the tubes and the admonitions of nurses who sedated him when he wouldn’t calm down. So Caitlyn did what any loving daughter would do. She told her dad that she loved him, but she wasn’t coming back to see him until he promised that he could remain calm.
“Dad, I’m your best chance for making this project successful,” she’d said.
“Well, that’s not very good news,” he’d said. “You’re a beautiful girl, and I’m sure you’re good at all that animal research you do, but Caitlyn, this is the real world.”
“Dad, I’m not a girl. I’m twenty-nine years old, and I’m more than capable of handling this. I mean, everything is in place. The park is practically ready to open its doors. I can do this. You have to trust me.”
By that time the sedative was kicking in. Through heavy eyes that were threatening to close, he said, “We’ll see. Make sure you keep the appointment with Hayes Consulting. They can help you. They’re expensive and hard to land an appointment with. So whatever you do, keep that appointment. Janie will tell you when it is. And listen to this Hayes guy, Caitlyn. He knows what he’s talking about.”
With that, he drifted off to sleep. Her mother had smiled at her through watery eyes. Validation that she was doing the right thing, the only thing in her power that would allow her to take some of the pressure off her father so that he could focus on healing.
Little did she know what she was actually getting herself into. To the uninformed eye, the park may have looked like it was ready to open, but the reality was, things were a mess. As of now they hadn’t passed the necessary inspections and they didn’t have the permits needed to open their doors. If they didn’t make the grade on this latest inspection, there was no way they’d open on time.
It was little things like this episode with Clark Ball that kept threatening to set them back.
“Jason, I’m sorry. I told Clark he could leave early today. I ran into him yesterday when I was making my rounds and he asked. I believe his wife is having medical issues. He said he needed to be there for her.”
“Ms. Moore, ma’am, I’m very sorry if his wife is sick. Truly I am. But he’s been cutting out early at least once a week for the past three months. Besides, he may have asked you yesterday, but he asked me on Monday, and I told him he could not leave early today. He knows it’s all hands on deck this week if we are going to get the work done.”
“Are you sure there’s no other way?” she asked, immediately regretting the question.
Heavy silence hung on the other end of the line. “I wouldn’t be making this call if there was another way. I don’t have time for this. None of us do if we’re going to meet these deadlines. However, I have to say I’m disappointed that you seem to be missing the point that by asking you after I told him no, Clark has deliberately defied my authority. That’s insubordination.”
“I understand that, Jason, and no, it’s not right. I will speak to Clark. We will come to some kind of understanding. I’m sure he will be reasonable once he understands the situation.”
Again, her words were met with silence before Jason murmured a stiff, “Thank you, ma’am.”
Somehow, Jason always seemed a little disappointed when he talked to her. She could offer him a fifty percent raise, and she was certain he’d greet the news with the same stony stoicism followed by and unemotional, thank you, ma’am.
He wasn’t the only one. The crew leaders did their jobs well, but they all had a way of making Caitlyn feel as if they were simply tolerating her, as if they could see right through her bravado. Maybe she needed to give them more credit, because she wasn’t at all sure that Clark Ball would be reasonable and eager to work things out. Jason had been too polite to call her bluff.
She squared her shoulders. She was the boss. Her number one objective was to make sure Cowboy Country passed all necessary inspections so they could open the park as scheduled on Memorial Day.
“Where can I find Clark right now?” she asked.
“He’s supposed to be working on the wiring over at the Twin Rattlers Roller Coaster. I don’t mean to tell you what to do, ma’am. But if you plan on talking to him, I wouldn’t wait much longer because he says he’s leaving at noon.”
“Thanks, Jason. I’ll head over there now. I’ll let you know once I’ve talked to him.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I’d appreciate it.”
She hung up the phone and sat back in her chair for a moment. She hated being the bad guy. She really did. That’s why she preferred working in the lab, doing research and development for Moore Entertainment. She was a zoologist by training, and she’d been perfectly prepared for the low entry-level salary that came with most R&D positions, but her father had hired her just out of college. Despite his reputation for being a hard-nosed, take-no-prisoners kind of businessman, he’d brought her on board. His version of the story was that he fully intended to make her fall in love with the family business. Despite her zoology degree, he intended to put her through the Alden Moore school of business, which included several years of courses like Hard Knocks and Trial by Fire.
Her father was doggedly determined that she would fall in love with the business and someday take over.
What her dear old dad didn’t understand was that the research and study of animals wasn’t just a passing fancy. She wanted to make it her life’s work. When she graduated, she’d been hard-pressed to find a job. So when Alden offered her the job as vice president of research and development for Moore Entertainment along with a healthy salary and benefits, she’d been tempted, sure, but it was the bonus that had sealed the deal: he offered her the chance to make her dream come true. If she stayed on and helped make Cowboy Country USA a success, then there was a chance they could develop a second phase of the park, a zoo park featuring animals indigenous to Northwest Texas.
But then her father had gotten sick, and all thoughts of zoo parks and resentment for his herding her into the family business gave way to what was really important: her dad’s health.
When he’d suffered a nearly fatal heart attack, she’d stepped in to make sure her father’s dream didn’t founder while he was fighting for his life. She’d felt so helpless when she saw him lying there in that hospital bed hooked up to all those machines. This man, who’d always been larger than life and twice as fierce, was facing a challenge that might best him. Rather than sit by his bedside wringing her hands, she vowed to step up and see Cowboy Country through the way he’d want so he could focus all his energy on getting better.
Well, in a perfect world that’s what he would do, but the other side of the coin was that he had little choice but to have faith that she could pull it off. Relinquishing control would be difficult. Believing that Caitlyn was capable to lead the park through a successful opening was another matter altogether.
This was her chance to prove her worth to her father, and she intended to succeed.
She knew the longer she put off talking to Clark, the more difficult it would be. She gathered herself mentally, sat forward in her desk chair and buzzed her assistant, who was really her father’s assistant. “Janie, I’m going into the park to take care of something.”
“Ms. Moore, before you head out, I wanted to let you know that Mr. Hayes of Hayes Consulting is here to see you.”
Oh, that’s right...Hayes Consulting.
Caitlyn glanced at her watch. He was twenty minutes early. She decided to go out and greet him and then ask Janie to show him around while she put out the most recent fire. She’d only be gone thirty minutes, tops. Then she’d come back and get Mr. Hayes whatever he needed to get started with whatever it was he did to work his magic.
If she had a dime for every time her father had reinforced how important working with Hayes Consulting was to Cowboy Country, she could retire a wealthy woman. Apparently, the firm was very good at fixing the images of businesses that had managed to do something to sully their reputation. Or, as in Cowboy Country’s case, had simply gotten off to a bad start in the community.
Her father had a lot of faith that this Hayes guy could fix things. He’d underscored how expensive and difficult it was to book time with this outfit. Keeping this meeting had been one of the few mandates her father had given her.
“Please tell Mr. Hayes I’ll be right out.”
She stood and slid on her navy jacket because it was one of the few pieces of business attire that she owned that made her feel professional and pulled together. Fake it until you make it, she told herself and strode out into the reception area. All the blood drained from her head when she saw Brodie the Brit—that guy from the quadruple Fortune wedding—standing in the middle of the room.
“What in the world are you doing here?” She immediately regretted her tone and the words. Good grief. Way to finesse it, Caitlyn. Or Cait. He’d only known her as Cait. And he’d never called. So how on earth did he find her here, two and a half months later?
For a moment, he looked as surprised to see her as she felt, but then his handsome features hardened into a mask so different from the way he’d looked that night. His eyes were cold and guarded. Wait a minute, neither one of them should be cold and guarded because they were adults and they both had known what they were getting themselves into.
“Hello, Cait,” he said, offering her a hand to shake. A hand. What was it they’d said that night at the wedding? That they were way past shaking hands. And that was before they’d left the reception.
She looked at his outstretched hand but didn’t shake it. She was tempted to tell him to put that thing away, but she should’ve thought of that two and a half months ago. Now she had more important things to worry about—like an employee who was about to cost them the inspection they desperately needed to open and a costly consultant who was... Speaking of... Where was he? She glanced around the waiting room. Restroom, perhaps?
His absence was a stroke of luck. She’d have time to get rid of Brodie before the situation became sticky.
“Walk with me,” she said to him.
“I’d love to. However, I have an appointment.”
“What a coincidence. So do I. Could you please tell me why you’re here?”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “Do you work here?”
She quirked a brow at him. “You might say that. I’m not usually in this office, but my father is ill, and I’m filling in for him. Who is your appointment with?”
She watched the color drain from Brodie’s formerly tanned face. “You wouldn’t happen to be Cait Moore? Er...Caitlyn Moore?”
“The one and only.”
“Fancy that. I’m Brodie Hayes, Hayes Consulting.”
Caitlyn opened her mouth to say something and then closed it, because what was there to say? Nothing. Or at least nothing they could say out loud or discuss out here in the open, with Janie’s eyes on them, mentally recording everything they said and did.
“Can we please go into your office?” Brodie asked.
“Not right now. I have a situation I need to take care of. You can wait for me in there, though. Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll be right back. Janie, please show Mr. Hayes into my office.”
“A situation?” Brodie asked.
Caitlyn glanced at her watch. She needed to hurry; she didn’t want to end up chasing Clark Ball down in the parking lot. “Yes, a situation. So you’ll have to excuse me.”
Brodie’s large body blocked her path, and when she looked up at him to send the you need to move message, she remembered how that body felt moving on top of her that night nearly three months ago. Heat started in her cleavage, which was modestly covered up today—as it should’ve been that night—and crept up her neck, spreading to her cheeks.
He crossed his arms. The body language was so defensive that she couldn’t help but glance up at his face, which was stone cold and lacking any hint that he might be glad to see her.
She groaned inwardly, silently admonishing herself.
Of course he wasn’t glad to see her. This wasn’t a date. This was...awkward.
For God’s sake, how was it that the one and only one-night stand she’d ever had in her life would turn up again—not because he’d been so smitten that he’d tracked her down. Oh, she could’ve handled that. But this...having him show up right now, right here. In the last place in the entire world she wanted to be reminded of her indiscretion.
“If there’s a problem, I should come with you.” His voice was all business. “You can brief me on the way.”
She bristled, but before she demanded for a second time that he go into her office and wait for her, she remembered he father saying Hayes Consulting was expensive and in demand. Even if he had arrived early, she had him for one afternoon, and she intended to get Moore Entertainment’s money’s worth.
“Okay, Brodie Hayes, if you’re willing to hit the ground running. Prepare to show me what you’ve got.”
He smirked.
Oh, God. He could take that a couple of different ways. She imagined him thinking, honey, you’ve already seen everything I’ve got. But that was inappropriate, and she wasn’t about to let him know his appearance here today was fazing her in the least.
She turned to Janie. “Mr. Hayes and I are going out into the park. I have my cell phone if you need to get in touch with me.”
Caitlyn kept walking toward the door without looking back to make sure Brodie was following her. He could keep up on his own. Plus, there was the problem that every time she looked at him, all she could think of was how he’d made love to her so thoroughly that night. There went the heat bomb, exploding in her lower parts and raising the temperature in her entire body.
Damn him.
Damn her for not having more self-control.
He was walking beside her now. She would not say another word about that night. Not on company time.
“Since I only have you for an afternoon, I’ll start bringing you up to speed with all that’s happening.”
She dared a glance at him, if for no other reason than to prove that she was a professional...and immune to those broad shoulders.
Stop it.
Stop thinking about shoulders.
He was looking at her as if she had two heads. It knocked any wayward thoughts of broad shoulders and meteor showers right out of her head.
“What do you mean you only have me for an afternoon? Alden Moore booked me for the entire month of May.”
* * *
Bloody hell.
How could he have been so stupid to not realize what he was walking into?
Brodie prided himself on never being surprised. How had he not known his client—the client he’d worked so hard to land—the client whose business could make or break the Tokyo deal—had a daughter.
He would’ve never slept with her if he’d known Cait from Chicago was even remotely related to Alden Moore, much less his daughter.
Way to get off to a rocking start.
He needed to get a hold of this situation and fast, before it blew up in his face.
He drew in a deep breath to steady himself. How was he to know Cait from the wedding was Caitlyn Moore?
They hadn’t exchanged last names. In the moment, it had seemed sexy and edgy. One night of bliss with no strings attached. Or so they’d agreed.
A few days ago, after he’d learned that Alden Moore had fallen ill and his daughter would be standing in, he’d done a cursory internet search of Caitlyn Moore, and all he’d turned up was a very private Facebook page with a profile picture of a very large dog—or maybe it was a pony?—and a dated photo with Alden Moore and a little girl who looked to be five or six. The photo looked like it was taken in the early 1990s. Nothing that would’ve cued him in to the fact that Cait from Chicago was not only Alden Moore’s daughter, but also the executive in charge at Cowboy Country.
Still, what was done was done. His only choice now was to regroup and move past this unexpected turn of events. After all, that was how he made his living, helping people spin bad into good.
“We seem to have a miscommunication here,” he said to Caitlyn as they left the office. “Your father had contracted me to work with Moore Entertainment until Cowboy Country opens successfully.”
She was speed walking slightly ahead of him.
“Wonderful,” she said. “Just wonderful.”
“Hey, will you please stop for a moment and talk to me?”
She stopped walking so fast, he nearly ran into her. When she turned, she looked him square in the eyes. It was almost as if she were looking through him.
“Look, I need to be on the other side of the park in about five minutes to deal with a personnel issue. I don’t have time to talk about what happened between us. Frankly, this isn’t the time or the place. If you’re going to be here for a month, I say we just move on and forget the Fortune wedding. Okay?”
The last thing he wanted to do was talk about them.
“That’s perfectly fine with me,” he said. “I give you my word of honor that I won’t speak of it. Actually, what I had in mind was your briefing me on this urgent personnel issue so that I understand the situation before we arrive.”
“Of course.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
As they resumed walking, past various pavilions, cowboy-themed gift shops and refreshment stands, she filled him in on Clark Ball, the employee in question.
“He deliberately defied his supervisor when he asked you for the time off,” Brodie said, wanting to make sure that he understood the situation correctly.
“That’s right.”
“Since he’s made a habit of leaving work early, has he been formally counseled about the unacceptable behavior?”
“Yes, his supervisor told me he wrote him up last week. In fact, there he is.” Caitlyn nodded toward a tall, thin guy who looked to be in his early twenties. He had his keys in his hand and his cell phone pressed against his ear.
“I’ll handle this, okay?”
He nodded, hanging back to watch her take care of the situation. As he watched her walk over to Ball, he couldn’t help but notice the way her sensible navy blue suit hugged her in all the right places. Just like the red dress that she’d worn to the wedding. Of course, her business suit was much more conservative, but still no less tempting. He pressed his lips together, as if doing that might extinguish the attraction simmering inside him. It was the same magnetic pull that had drawn him to her the night of the wedding. The same force that had drawn him away from the twin blondes he’d been talking to before he’d glimpsed her across the room and excused himself to meet her.
Of course, everything was different now. For the next month she would be his boss, for all intents and purposes. He’d advise her on how to pull the park together in every department from staffing and personnel issues to community relations.
He watched as she stood in front of Ball, who was still talking on the phone. When Caitlyn gestured that she needed to talk to Ball, the guy turned his back on her. Something that might’ve qualified as primal stirred inside him. That was no way to treat a lady. It was definitely no way to treat his superior. But Brodie swallowed the urge to step in and tell the guy to get off his phone and show her some respect.
Caitlyn was being entirely too nice. He made a mental note that they’d need to talk about that. She was probably good at her job; otherwise, Alden Moore wouldn’t have put her in charge while he was out. Despite the way she’d laid down the law with him a few moments ago, observing her now, he got a very strong sense that Caitlyn didn’t like being the bad guy—and that her employees knew it, too.
Finally, Caitlyn tapped Ball on the shoulder. He looked a little annoyed, but he put his hand over his phone and said, “Listen, I can’t talk to you now. I need to run. Remember, you told me I could leave. I’ll stop into the office tomorrow and chat. How’s that?”
“No, Clark, it’s not all right. I said you could leave if you had your supervisor’s permission.”
Clark gave an oh-well shrug. “I have to pick up my brother over in Lubbock in twenty minutes. I’ll be lucky to get there in half an hour. I still have to clock out and get to my car.”
“You haven’t clocked out and you’re on a personal call?” she asked.
“Yeah, so I’ll come in five minutes early tomorrow.” The guy rolled his eyes as he bent to place something in his toolbox.
“Clark, when you asked for the time off, you said you needed to take your wife to an appointment. Now you’re taking your brother somewhere.”
This time he ignored her as he turned to walk away.
“You don’t have my permission to leave,” Caitlyn called out after him.
“Sorry,” he called back, not even turning around. “I’ll make up the time. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
Brodie had let her have a go at it; clearly it was time to step in and help her.
“Mr. Ball,” he said. “I think what Ms. Moore is trying to say is if you leave, don’t come back. Because you will no longer have a job here.”
Chapter Three (#ulink_fd064509-5883-5778-a53a-8085e6985d7f)
“How dare you put words in my mouth?” Caitlyn said through gritted teeth once they were out of earshot of Clark and others who might overhear.
“I’m sorry you took it that way,” Brodie said. But he didn’t look one bit sorry. “Obviously, your softer approach wasn’t getting through to him.”
“Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by softer approach?” The sun was high in the sky, and she felt heat prickle the back of her neck. “Just because I didn’t steamroll right over him doesn’t mean I wasn’t effectively handling the situation. You butted in.”
“The guy was walking out the door, and you were letting him.”
“I was handling it.” She purposely lowered her voice. “Look, we are not going to talk about this here. Meet me in my office.”
She turned and walked away without him, but he managed to catch up with her. They walked in stony silence as they made their way down Cowboy Country’s Main Street, past the Foaming Barrel Root Beer Stand and Gus’s General Store, to the rough-hewn wooden gate that separated the nineteenth-century cowboy town from the stark, modern Moore Entertainment executive offices.
Of course, after Brodie’s sudden-death ultimatum, Clark had sullenly taken himself back to the job site. Brodie should’ve stayed out of it and let her do her job, rather than jumping in with both feet and a sledgehammer. She hadn’t even had a chance to brief him on...anything. He didn’t know what was going on or that she was completely capable of turning that situation around. She would’ve helped Clark see the light. He would’ve done the right thing in the end. She had faith in him
Apparently, Hayes Consulting was good enough to inspire her father to contract them for a month...an entire month. However, the Brodie Hayes of Hayes Consulting was not Brodie the Brit.
Was this man really the same guy who’d swept her off her feet? Because aside from his good looks and that maddeningly delicious British accent, the guy who’d presented himself today didn’t resemble Brodie the Brit at all.
This guy...
Ugggh...
This guy was cocky and smug, not at all like anyone she’d allow to seduce her. She would never hire this guy, much less spend the better part of the night in a field, watching meteor showers and letting him put his hands all over her body...and putting her hands all over his.
The memory made her shudder...and, much to her dismay, not in a bad way. She needed to stop that right now.
She didn’t slant him a glance.
From a purely objective, woman’s point of view, Brodie Hayes was a handsome man, there was no debating that. But why did he have to be so disagreeable? He certainly seemed to take pleasure in pushing her buttons. Caitlyn knew his type: all flash and no substance.
A womanizer, no doubt.
But she couldn’t blame him for the Valentine’s Day love and dash. That was on her as much as it was on him.
* * *
Quickening her step as she approached the office, she reached out and opened the door herself, holding it for Brodie and gesturing for him to step inside first. She was no expert at office posturing and body language, but holding the door for him felt like she was putting herself back in the position of power.
Exactly where she needed to be now that everything had changed so drastically.
“Hello, Janie, we’re back,” she said. “Please hold calls. Oh, unless it’s about my father. We’re awaiting word on the latest round of tests.”
Of course, her mother would probably call Caitlyn’s cell with any updates, but she just wanted to be clear...just in case.
When Caitlyn turned around to head back into her office, Brodie was staring at her with that same impassive mask he’d donned the moment they’d figured out who was who and the mess they’d created thanks to that night.
Who was this icy stoic sitting across from her? If Brodie Hayes had acted like this, she would’ve left that wedding when she should’ve.
“Heavy-handed threats are no way to inspire people and build a team,” Caitlyn said. “Even if the team needs some refining, they are all Cowboy Country has right now. Electricians aren’t exactly standing around in herds. Bottom line is, that’s not how we operate here. Do you understand?”
He sat back in his chair, staring down at his hands, which were steepled at chest level. For a moment she thought he might apologize.
“It wasn’t an easy decision for your father to hire Hayes Consulting. Alden Moore is extremely good at what he does. He’s the amusement-park king. Hiring me for Cowboy Country was him admitting he may have been in a little over his head. Your dad is damn good at what he does, but this park is a departure from his wheelhouse. When your father hired me, one of the first things he asked me was, ‘Hayes, are you afraid to fire people?’ I assured him I wasn’t.”
“So what? You decided to walk in here and prove yourself first thing, even before I could bring you up to speed on how things work around here?”
“I didn’t need to be briefed to see what that guy was about,” Brodie said. “Your father has already given me my marching orders. Did he not brief you? I thought you were his second-in-command.”
No, she was not his second-in-command. That would’ve been Bob Page. Bob had left unexpectedly after suffering critical injuries in a horseback riding accident. This happened about a week before her father’s heart attack. Based on the catastrophes of Cowboy Country’s number one and number two honchos, if Caitlyn didn’t know better, she might’ve worried that this project was cursed.
She was too much of a realist for that, and she was dead set on proving to her dad that she could deliver.
“I actually work out of the research offices in Chicago.”
She paused to see if he’d make any Cait from Chicago cracks.
He didn’t.
She may or may not have been a little disappointed. Her rational side was relieved, but her traitorous heart, the place where she stored the snow globe memory of that night, still held out hope for some wayward spark to leap out, revealing the dashing romantic she’d met that night in February.
It didn’t.
“I transferred to Horseback Hollow to take the reins while my dad is recovering.”
“Yet, you don’t have a copy of the briefing your dad gave me.” He held up the papers.
He was so smug. She didn’t know what she wanted more: to smack that smirk off him or to walk up and kiss him to see if he could still turn her inside out.
“That’s easy to fix.”
Caitlyn pressed the intercom that connected her to her assistant.
“Janie, please come in here. I need you to make some copies for me.”
Five minutes later, the woman was standing in front of Caitlyn with the papers.
She scanned them quickly, reading on the first page that Alden had, in fact, instructed Brodie to “slice and dice,” as Alden had put it.
Slice and dice.
Get rid of anyone who didn’t do the job past expectations.
She looked up. “This is how my father works. However, since he’s not here, and I’m the Moore Entertainment executive in charge, you’re reporting to me now. And I’m telling you, we will be making some adjustments to this plan, because it doesn’t work for me. The first rule is, you don’t fire anyone until you talk to me. Do you understand me?”
“Every single employee on this team needs to be all in. One hundred percent. If not, we won’t meet our goal.”
“I agree,” Caitlyn said. “That also goes for the two of us working as a team and not against each other. Do you think we can do that?”
He was quiet for a moment. Their gazes were locked, but he seemed to be looking right through her.
“Of course,” he said. “What’s done is done. Let’s put everything behind us and move forward.”
For a moment she wasn’t sure if he was talking about the Clark Ball incident or their Fortune wedding after-party. She certainly wasn’t going to ask or let him think he could intimidate her with innuendo.
“Why don’t we go walk the park? It’s the best way for me to bring you up to speed. Then we can come back and figure out how we need to revise that plan, while making sure we open on time.”
* * *
Brodie considered himself a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. However, when it came to business, he had one hard, fast rule: do not sleep with the clients.
It complicated matters.
He was living the reality of that truth today, and it was throwing him off his game.
He’d been blissfully unaware the night he’d met Caitlyn and had given himself over to the lure of their attraction. How could he resist? How could he have known that their worlds would collide in the most jarring way? In the years since he’d been in business, he’d never found himself in a situation like this.
After dealing with other peoples’ complicated matters on the job all day, every day, he did his best to keep his personal life as unencumbered and hassle-free as possible. Of course, things didn’t always go smoothly. He’d faced the occasional sticky wicket of finding it necessary to extract himself from the casual fling that clung too tightly. And there were uncomfortable cases when he was out with a beauty only to run into the previous evening’s delight. But he prided himself on being up-front with the women in his life. Those who played by his rules stuck around for the fun of it. Those who fancied a different level of commitment usually ran out of patience and moved on.
He couldn’t blame them.
In his circles, everyone knew that Brodie Fortune Hayes wasn’t interested in getting serious. Work was his mistress, his lady love. He had no reserves or residual to give of himself.
As he stepped inside the Hollows Cantina, he had to ask himself if somehow he’d been able to glimpse the future and known that Cait from Chicago would be the person to whom he’d report at Moore Entertainment, would the night of the wedding—Valentine’s Day—have taken a decidedly different turn?
His head—the place he relied on, the one voice that he always knew wouldn’t steer him wrong—trumpeted a resounding yes. But another part of him, a place that was foreign and uncomfortable, begged to differ.
Well, then, that was easy. He was going with his head. It was the only sensible thing to do. Especially since the workday wasn’t over yet.
After he and Caitlyn had wrapped the disastrous day at Cowboy Country, they’d agreed to meet for dinner at The Hollows Cantina, where they would iron out the details of their united front plan.
When he took the job, he’d known good and well that Alden Moore would be difficult to please. The man had a formidable reputation. Little did he know that working with Moore’s daughter would prove to be even more challenging!
It went deeper than the fact that they’d seen each other naked. This woman was different from anyone he’d ever worked with. She was trying to manage a group of hostile employees with warm, fuzzy Kumbaya nonsense. She didn’t seem to realize that people were walking all over her. He was willing to bet that Clark Ball wouldn’t have pulled that bit of insubordinate baloney on her father. If Caitlyn Moore would simply get down from her high horse and listen to him tonight, he just might be able to help her save Cowboy Country.
First, Caitlyn had to run an errand. For that, Brodie was grateful. Her side trip took a bit of the pressure off, since that meant they were driving separately and meeting at the restaurant. Even though their dinner most definitely was not a date, taking separate cars gave them each a little breathing room to process what had transpired...er...on the job.
As far as he was concerned, he was putting their night under the stars behind him. In his head, Cait from Chicago was a different person from Caitlyn Moore, daughter of Alden Moore, the man who could make or break his chance to land the Japanese theme park account.
Brodie was used to flying solo, especially when it came to business. The companies that hired Hayes Consulting trusted him and tended to not interfere. Most had gotten themselves into messes of one kind or another, or their public profiles needed a boost. They hired him to pull them out of the bad and into a better standing in the community.
This job wasn’t difficult.
Even if one might label the circumstances he dealt with...complicated.
He was this close to landing the Japanese account, and that would secure Hayes Consulting’s position in the Asian market. Brodie liked to joke that the Japanese account would put him one continent closer to world domination.
It was a pretty serious joke.
When he walked into the restaurant, the hostess, a woman with long, dark hair greeted him with a bright smile.
“Good evening.” Her lilting voice was bright and solicitous. “Welcome to the Hollows Cantina. How many in your party?”
“There will be two of us.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m a little early. I’ll wait in the bar until my dinner partner arrives.”
“Have you dined with us before?” she asked.
“I have, but it’s been a while. Since February.”
“I thought you looked familiar.”
Her comment gave him pause, and that’s when he realized that she was looking up at him through long, dark lashes. She was an attractive woman, no doubt, but he wasn’t even tempted to flirt with her. Flirting was one of his favorite sports. But he had enough sense to know that Horseback Hollow and London were worlds apart. The last thing he needed was to get himself into another romantic conundrum.
“I’ll just—” He pointed toward the bar area to the left of the hostess stand and started to walk away.
“There’s about a twenty-minute wait for a table,” the woman said. “What’s your name? I’ll add it to my list.”
Really? How strange, he wasn’t even tempted.
Even stranger, he was relieved when Caitlyn chose that moment to enter the restaurant.
“There you are,” Brodie said, realizing a little too late that he’d infused way more enthusiasm into his voice than he would have liked.
“Hello.” Caitlyn cocked a brow. “Did you miss me?”
And that was another thing about her. She was cheeky. She had just enough sass to keep him from labeling her a total pushover. Probably because that sass was mostly directed at him.
The woman was a delightfully aggravating dichotomy. Just when he thought he had her figured out she pulled a U-turn and took off in the opposite direction.
“There’s a bit of a wait for a table,” Brodie said. “Why don’t we have a drink in the bar in the meantime?”
As they turned to go, the hostess said, “If you want a table, I need a name.” She tapped her list with her pen.
“Fortune Hayes,” he said. “Brodie Fortune Hayes.”
Caitlyn stopped. “What? You’re a Fortune?”
Chapter Four (#ulink_361ad6be-45b5-58cb-bb40-0e99b1577616)
Never mind that she’d met Brodie at a Fortune wedding and that they’d skipped the last names and jumped right to the sex. Finding out this way that he was part of the illustrious Fortune clan felt like she’d discovered an enemy who’d infiltrated her family’s camp.
The Fortunes were vehemently opposed to Cowboy Country because they were afraid that the park would bring in too many outsiders to Horseback Hollow and ruin the idyllic small town. Since the park meant so much to her father, Caitlyn couldn’t help but take their scorn personally. Now here she was sitting at the bar with Brodie, while he perused the wine list as if the revelation of who he really was hadn’t made things strange and different and even more wrong.
“Does my father know you’re a Fortune?”
It took him a minute to look up from the leather-bound listing.
In that time, she thought about calling her dad. But then reality set in. If he didn’t know, the shock would upset him. After his heart attack, he was supposed to remain as stress-free as possible. That was the whole reason she’d moved to Horseback Hollow, to steer Cowboy Country to a successful opening.
“Of course he does.” He looked at her as if she’d suggested they order orange soda rather than the bottle of wine, which, given his upper-crust airs, was sure to be the best the restaurant had to offer. “Why does my being a Fortune bother you?”
Why did it bother her?
He’d done nothing to indicate he’d taken the job for nefarious reasons—to spy and report back...to whoever he’d report back to... Umm, okay, so that sounded far-fetched. But wait! What if he’d come on board to wreak sabotage to keep them from opening?
The moment the thought formed, it seemed equally ridiculous. After all, he had been the one who’d exercised tough love on Clark Ball, sending him back to work rather than letting him take the afternoon off. If Brodie wanted to sabotage them, he could’ve simply let the electrician walk off the job. They wouldn’t have met the deadline to fix the electrical problems, and Cowboy Country would’ve failed the inspection.
Why did it bother her?
“Because it feels like you haven’t been honest with me.”
That seemed to wipe the smug smirk right off his face.
For about two seconds.
“I haven’t been honest with you?”
She let his words hang in the air, knowing where he was going with this.
“I suppose I could say the same about you, Cait from Chicago.”
She refused to let his words faze her. Until he said, “Do you see how bloody ridiculous this is?”
She sighed. “Oh, my God. I do. As hard as we’ve tried to skirt the issue, we’re going to have to talk about what happened that night.”
“Well, I don’t know if we have to go that far.”
“Brodie, we do. Because if we talk about it—or at least acknowledge it—then we can move past it and get to work.”
“Fair enough. We had sex and it was quite wonderful, if you must know.”
She felt her face flush. “Well, I really wasn’t thinking we should editorialize, but thank you.”
Dammit, it had been good. One night of pure pleasure that would’ve been pretty darn-near close to perfect if he hadn’t reappeared in her life and reignited that longing she felt every time she looked at him...or caught him looking at her...like he was doing right now.

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