Corporate Cowboy

“Am I going to be able to get a change of clothing at this hour?” he asked.

“My sister Suzy runs the western wear shop. She’s probably still hanging around the lodge, but even if she isn’t there, I can let you in.”

The closer they got to the conference center, the less apprehensive Austin became. The building she referred to as the lodge was made out of logs, giving it a very rustic look. At first glance it appeared to be long and narrow, but as she drove around the side he saw that it was actually L-shaped.

“Here we are. Welcome to the Triple J Guest House,” Kacy said as she pulled up under a large canopy. “We’ll check you in at the front desk, get your room key and then we’ll go look for Suzy to see about getting you some clothes.”

Austin nodded and followed her inside where the decor was definitely a style befitting a dude ranch. Dark paneling, thick beams and coach lanterns on the walls gave one the feeling of stepping back in time to the old west.

Kacy walked ahead of him, sliding her arms out of the slicker as she moved, thereby giving Austin a bit of a surprise. The body beneath the rubber rain coat was as near perfection as any he’d seen. She wore a long denim skirt that was unbuttoned to the knees revealing a most attractive pair of legs. But it was the leather vest that garnered his attention. It clung to her bosom in a most delectable manner and brought to his attention that despite the initial tomboy impression she had given him, she was all woman.

She hung the slicker on a wooden coat tree that had antlers for hooks, then led him to the front desk in the lobby. In keeping with the decor, a hitching post separated the guests from the employees.

“Normally there’s someone working here, but I think everyone’s in the lounge listening to Wild Bill Bordon. It’s not often we get a man of his fame here.” Slipping behind one of the posts, she unlocked a drawer and pulled out a ledger, flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for.

“You’re in number ten—a private, as you requested.” She had him sign several forms, gave him a folder containing the schedule for the upcoming week, then handed him a key.

She checked for messages in the row of wooden boxes behind her on the wall, pulling out a stack of pink slips which she handed to Austin. “Someone’s been trying to reach you. A Daphne Delattre. I guess you didn’t tell her that you’re not supposed to get phone calls here, did you?” Her delicate brow arched with a hint of impatience.

He shoved the messages into his pocket without any explanation, knowing perfectly well that she had heard his phone conversation in the truck.

“The first thing I’d like to do is get a change of clothing,” he stated in no uncertain terms.

“Suzy is probably at the campfire…or I should say in front of the fireplace. We had to move the cowboy poetry reading that should have been outside around a campfire indoors.”

“Oh, what a shame that I missed it.” He didn’t try to hide his sarcasm.

“You don’t like poetry, Mr. Bennett?”

“I’m just wondering what makes poetry cowboy poetry?”

“Why, when it’s about the life of cowboys,” she said with an engaging grin. “And tonight we have one of the best poets in the West—Wild Bill Bordon.”

A man named Wild Bill reading poetry? He had never been a fan of poetry readings when they were done by literary figures, but to listen to a cowboy reading poetry? Austin could feel his discomfort level rise.

“Wild Bill puts so much energy and emotion into his readings his poems become quite powerful,” she told him. “If you’ve never been to a cowboy poetry reading you’re in for quite a treat.”

Austin studied her face to see if she was being facetious. She wasn’t. She truly thought that some guy sitting around reciting rhymes about horses and cattle would be an engaging experience. “I’ll pass on the poetry reading,” he told her.

He saw a flicker of annoyance cross her face, but it was quickly replaced with a cajoling grin and a wagging of her finger at him. “Uh-uh-uh. That is no way to start the program, Mr. Bennett. Come on. This is a great way to get into the western theme of the conference.” She steered him down a corridor lined with portraits and landscapes, all featuring cowboys.

“You like art, Mr. Bennett?” she asked, noting his interest.

“As a matter of fact I do.” He paused in front of a painting of an elderly man wearing a buckskin jacket. The brass plate at the bottom of the frame read James Judd. “Is this your grandfather?”

“Great-grandfather. He was eighty-nine when that was done.” He would have liked to ask her who the rest of the faces were on the walls, but she again was nudging him along.

“You’ll have more time in the morning to look at these. Right now we need to find the rest of your group. Your employees will be eager to see that you’ve arrived safely. Besides, it’s where we’ll find Suzy and you do want to get a change of clothes for tomorrow, don’t you?”

She had him over a barrel. Reluctantly he allowed her to escort him to a lounge in which one entire wall was a huge rock fireplace. Several leather sofas and large overstuffed recliners provided comfortable seating while a large wagon wheel chandelier glowed overhead, giving off just enough light so that the room had a warm glow.

Everyone was silent except for the toughened old cowboy who sat on a stool in front of the fireplace reciting poetry. Although a few guests chose the leather furniture, most sat on the floor forming a semicircle around the poet. Instead of their usual business clothes all of them wore western wear.

To Austin they looked like a bunch of dimestore cowboys in their stiff jeans, yoked shirts, leather boots and straw hats. What was even more surprising was that every one of them appeared to be enjoying the verses the old man recited in a voice as raspy as sandpaper. The only other sound in the room was the crackling of the wood in the fire.

As soon as the poem came to an end, Wild Bill looked over at the newcomers and nodded. All the cowboy hats turned in Austin’s direction and suddenly Austin felt like the odd man out. Not only was his suit wet and wrinkled, it was totally out of place in this setting.

“Well, now. It looks like the head honcho has finally arrived,” the weathered-looking old man commented.

The circle opened with several guests motioning for Austin to come sit beside them. “Are you going to join us?”

“I’d like to, but I need to get something to wear. My luggage is somewhere between here and Chicago.”

A collective sigh could be heard and a blonde jumped up. She was dressed like Kacy Judd in a long denim skirt and a leather vest.

“It won’t matter. We’ve got plenty of things for you to choose from, don’t we, Kacy. You want me to open the shop?” she asked Austin, confirming his suspicion that she was indeed another one of the Judds.

“I would appreciate it.”

Kacy then introduced the woman as her sister, Suzy Judd. As she smiled at Austin, he could see the resemblance between the two. Although their coloring was quite different, they had the same green eyes and a bone structure that many women would envy.

“As you can see, most everyone’s already done some shopping,” Suzy said with a grin, waving her hand in the direction of the other guests. Then she turned to Kacy and asked, “Are you going to come along or do you want to stay and listen to Wild Bill?”

“I’ll stay here. I need to talk to Dusty anyway.” Kacy extended her hand to Austin, giving him all the polite phrases, but he could see that she was about as sincere as a con man. She couldn’t wait to pass him off to her sister. And that thought annoyed him.

He didn’t know what role Ms. Kacy Judd was going to play in his life for the next five days, but of one thing he was certain. If she thought she was going to tell him what to do and when to do it, she was sadly mistaken.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING Kacy was up bright and early. On mornings when there were no guests at the lodge she began each day with a ride. Today she would be giving riding lessons so she would wait to have the pleasure of taking out one of her own horses.

Horses were Kacy’s passion and she never grew tired of being around them. Riding was an experience that satisfied all of her senses. She could feel the wind on her face, smell the grass beneath her and hear the sounds of silence. The steady rhythm of her horse’s hooves was like music to her ear and it was what she had missed most when she had lived in the city.

Riding was like breathing—she needed to do it regularly or she was in trouble. On the North Dakota prairie she could ride without worry that she’d encounter some unsavory character around the next bend. Living in New York she had discovered what it meant to feel unsafe. The two-legged animals walking the streets were much more dangerous than the four-legged kind she encountered on the prairie.

She thought of how startled Austin Bennett had looked at the sight of the moose on the highway and smiled. His visit to North Dakota had not gotten off on a very good start. Losing his luggage, fighting with his girlfriend, getting soaked in the rain. She should have had more sympathy for him, but he was a suit. And an arrogant one at that, judging by last night. Thinking everyone in North Dakota ran around saying “yee-haw.” Daphne Delattre was welcome to him.

Kacy couldn’t help but be curious as to what kind of woman would be attracted to a man like Austin Bennett. Sure, he was good-looking, but he didn’t have a personality. That much was obvious. And no sense of humor. And he liked to tell women what to do. Go to bed? Geesh! What did he think? That he was Daphne’s father?

At the direction her thoughts were taking, she chastised herself, annoyed that he aroused the least bit of curiosity in her. Just because he had a couple of physical attributes that might make a woman’s heart beat a little faster didn’t mean she had to fantasize about the man’s love life.

Maybe some women went for the arrogant type, but she wasn’t one of them. She didn’t mind a man with a “take charge” attitude, but she didn’t need anyone telling her what to do. She pushed all thoughts of the CEO aside and prepared for the day ahead.

By the time she had showered and dressed, blue skies and sunshine alleviated her worries that they would be troubled by rain again today. Normally she would have had a quick bite of breakfast in her own kitchen, but because it was the first day of a new session at the ranch, she joined the rest of the staff for breakfast in the lodge’s dining room.

Suzy, besides running the clothing shop, acted as hostess for all meals, arranging the seating and welcoming guests as they arrived. It came as no surprise to Kacy to find that her sister’s place card was next to Austin Bennett’s. What did come as a surprise was to see the CEO in blue jeans, a shirt with pearl snaps and a pair of oxfords. Kacy had to stifle a giggle. Dress shoes with blue jeans?

When his eyes met hers, he nodded. It was the only sign that he noticed her presence. Even though he appeared to be listening to Suzy, Kacy thought he looked detached, almost bored by everything that was going on around him. The impression only increased her antagonism toward the man.

When breakfast was over, Kacy found herself face to face with him as she left the dining room. “Good morning, Mr. Bennett. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I did.”

“And is the room to your satisfaction?”

“The room is quite nice. Thank you.”

One point in our favor, Kacy thought. She looked down at his shoes and asked, “Didn’t they have boots in your size?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You have some in your luggage, is that it?”

“No.”

“Then what are you planning to wear for riding? You’ll ruin those expensive Italian leather shoes if you wear them.”

“I’m not getting on a horse, Ms. Judd.”

“Riding is part of the program, Mr. Bennett,” she explained calmly.

“That may be, but I am not riding. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Before she could say another word, he had turned and was walking down the corridor leading to the guest rooms.

She had been dismissed! Kacy could feel her blood pressure rising and she was tempted to go after him and let him know just who was running the show. But she didn’t. She simply smiled to herself.

Let him think what he wanted. There was no way some city guy in a suit was going to get the upper hand on her. He’d learn that soon enough.

BENNETT INDUSTRIES HAD enrolled fifteen employees in the program. That meant Kacy and her brothers each worked with a team of five. When it was time for the first scheduled activity—the riding lessons—Kacy only counted four people in her group.

“Who’s missing?” a man named Ed asked, shading his eyes as he glanced to the opposite corners of the corral where the rest of the participants sat on bales of hay awaiting instructions.

“It’s Mr. Bennett,” Kacy answered, looking at the slip of paper Dusty had handed her only minutes before.

“I didn’t think he’d be out here with the rest of us,” another man chipped in.

Kacy looked toward the lodge and felt a twinge of irritation which quickly escalated into a knot of anger when she saw a man walk out of the lodge and head for the pool. She didn’t need a pair of binoculars to know that it was Austin Bennett. Why had the man even bothered to come to the ranch?

Determined to stay cool with the situation, she said, “Maybe Mr. Bennett doesn’t need a riding lesson.”

“It’s more likely he doesn’t want one,” someone supplied.

Ed grinned. “Rumor has it that he wasn’t too gung ho about coming here.”

“Really?” Kacy stated innocently, knowing perfectly well Austin Bennett didn’t want to be anywhere near the ranch. “But we’re going to have so much fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows as she grinned.

“Some of us are a little shy around horses,” another guest admitted.

“There’s no need to be,” Kacy assured everyone. “Riding is an essential component of the work you will do here. And it’s fun. So, I’ll go have a little chat with Mr. Bennett. In the meantime, you can admire Harriet.” She walked over to the fence and lovingly stroked a chestnut mare tied to fence. “She’s a real sweetie. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Is everyone going to get a horse to ride?” Ed asked as she started for the pool area.

“Oh, yes. We’ve enough horses for everyone. Even Mr. Bennett,” she said with confidence before heading toward the lodge.

Chapter Three

Most guests at the ranch used the pool area for relaxation. Not Austin Bennett. In the time it had taken Kacy to walk back from the corral he had set up a portable office on one of the round glass-topped tables in the shade of an umbrella and appeared to be hard at work.

“Mr. Bennett, what are you doing?”

He lifted his head to glance at her briefly, a pair of dark sunglasses masking his penetrating blue eyes. “I’m working, Ms. Judd.”

“You’re supposed to be part of a group riding lesson. Your team members are waiting for you.”

“I believe I already told you I’m not getting on a horse.” He kept his eyes on the computer screen, continuing to punch keys while they talked.

She felt like snatching that laptop from his hands and tossing it into the pool. Instead she took a deep breath and counted to ten. “Then you’re going to have trouble keeping up with your employees. Nearly every activity at the ranch involves riding.”

The gentle breeze sent a whiff of his aftershave in her direction, teasing her nostrils, increasing her awareness of him as a man. Not that she needed the heady scent to remind her of how masculine he was. He was one of the sexiest men she had ever encountered. It was a good thing he was a suit. Otherwise she could find herself easily distracted from the job at hand.

He stopped typing and glanced up at her. “Looks like I’ll get more work done than I expected,” he said evenly, then he smiled at her.

The smile caused her heart to skip a beat and Kacy knew she was wrong about not being distracted. “The program’s been designed for fifteen people.”

“Surely you can make it fifteen minus one.”

“No, everything’s already set up.”

“Then you’ll have to adjust to one less.”

She had heard that tone of voice often when dealing with difficult customers at the art gallery. It said, “I’m the customer and I’m always right.” Kacy could feel her patience blowing away with the wind.

“Why did you choose the Triple J for your team-building sessions if you had no intention of taking part in the program?” she asked, her hands on her hips.

“I didn’t choose it.”

So he had been strongarmed by bigger brass to attend. He didn’t want to be at the ranch and was only there because he had no other choice. Kacy should have realized that last night when he had shown so little interest in anything she said.

Well, it wasn’t the first time she had a reluctant guest at the ranch. Usually with a bit of cajoling and patience, she could get even the crankiest to join in the group activities. However, Austin Bennett didn’t appear to want to have his mind changed. He looked as if he had already decided what his morning was going to involve and it wasn’t horses.

“I know this isn’t a typical business conference setting, but experience has shown us that often the most skeptical of guests leaves as the biggest proponents of the program,” she said cheerfully.

“You’re telling me that everyone leaves here a happy cowboy?”

“Yes. I know a trip to North Dakota doesn’t sound like much of a perk, but if you’ll just give us a chance, we’ll see that you leave with a sense of accomplishment you never expected you’d find on the prairie,” she promised.

“That’s fine. You do your job with my employees and I’ll take back a group of contented employees,” he said smoothly.

She struggled to stay positive and not let him upset her. “But we want you to be content, too.”

That remark brought him to his feet. He pulled off his sunglasses and pinned her with his blue eyes. “And you think you know what makes me content, Ms. Judd?”

This time Kacy’s heart didn’t just skip a beat, it darn near turned over in her chest. There was no mistaking the look in those eyes. It was a challenge, and not just a professional one. Ever since she had met him at the airport last night there had been a tension between them. And she’d have to be as dumb as dirt not to recognize that it wasn’t solely based on his reluctance to come to the Triple J.

The fact that he could produce an wanted physical reaction in her made her lose a bit of the self-control she had always took great pride in maintaining. “I know my job, Mr. Bennett, and I know the results we achieve at the ranch. Now if you’d rather not join the rest of your employees, that’s your choice. But I do think you should remember the agreement you signed.”

That caused his brow to crease. “What agreement?”

“The one that says by enrolling in the program you agree to be a willing participant in all activities unless for medical reasons you are forced to abstain. Is there a medical reason why you can’t get on a horse, Mr. Bennett?”

He chuckled. “I never signed such an agreement.”

“You wouldn’t be here right now if you hadn’t. Want me to get your registration form from the office?” she asked, giving him a smile that said “I got you on this one.”

He took a step closer to her. “Maybe I did sign your form. So?”

So she didn’t have him. They both knew the contract was done more in good faith than anything else. Again there was that same challenging look in his eyes, the one that sent a shiver of excitement down Kacy’s spine. She forced herself to remember she was representing the Triple J, that the only reason she was standing next to this man was because of her work.

“Being a successful executive, you know that the success of any program depends on the cooperation of the individuals involved. What we do is to create original, out-of-the-ordinary experiences that bring people together. The key is to work together as a group or you defeat the purpose of being here.”

She could see by the expression on her face that she hadn’t convinced him. She tried another approach. “Mr. Bennett, you’re obviously a hard-working, dedicated man. You wouldn’t have brought all of this with you if you weren’t.” She waved her arm over his makeshift workplace. “All I’m asking is that you put that dedication and hard work to use here at the ranch. These are your employees. Some of them weren’t exactly crazy about coming here, but they’re all here and they’re giving the program a chance to succeed.”

He didn’t speak for several moments, but looked toward the corral, where the other team members sat on bales of hay waiting to begin their lessons. Seeing the direction of his gaze she said, “The Triple J doesn’t force its guests to do anything they don’t want to do, but I really do encourage you to give the program a try.”

“And if I don’t?”

“You’re not cheating me, Mr. Bennett. Just them.”

“I’d hardly call not riding a horse cheating my employees. I’m sure they can play cowboys just fine without me,” he said dryly.

“There’s a little bit more to this program than playing cowboys. It’s about building better people skills and judging by the way you’ve behaved ever since you arrived, I’d say you could use a little help in that direction.” The moment she said the words, she regretted them. What she didn’t need to do was insult a guest.

Only Austin Bennett wasn’t insulted. “And just how do you plan to help me with my people skills?” he asked with a bit of amusement in his eyes.

Before she could answer his cell phone rang.

“If you’ll excuse me, this is an important call,” he said as he reached for the pocket-sized phone.

Once again he was dismissing her. Kacy could have cheerfully given him a swift kick with her boot. Fortunately, sanity prevailed and instead of saying more things she’d regret, she swallowed back all the nasty things she wanted to say and told him, “Very well, Mr. Bennett. However, if you change your mind about the riding lessons, you know where to find us.”

Fortunately, the walk back to the corral dissolved her anger. And within a few minutes of doing what she loved best—working with the horses—she forgot all about her encounter with their difficult guest.

As soon as everyone had learned how to saddle a horse, Kacy demonstrated the basics of mounting and dismounting. None of her students had ever ridden, which actually made it easier for her, since there were no bad habits to correct. They were all eager to learn which made her realize how different the session would have been had Austin Bennett been a part of the group. His very presence would have created tension, since she couldn’t get within five feet of the guy without having every nerve in her body aware of him.

As soon as the riding lessons were over, the three teams became one large group with Kacy’s brothers in charge. The first team-building assignment was fence building. As everyone worked together digging post holes and setting timbers in place, Kacy thought about the man back at the pool. Not only was he missing the pleasure of riding, but the physical exertion of working together with his employees.

Even if he hadn’t wanted to be a part of the program, Kacy could hardly believe that he would write off its merits without so much as even giving it a try. Without participating in even one activity he had decided it wasn’t worthy of his attention.

By lunchtime she was feeling less than charitable toward the man and she sensed that his employees weren’t exactly thrilled that they were dusty and sore while he looked as cool as a cucumber. Not that it mattered to Austin. He said little at lunch and Kacy wondered if his thoughts weren’t on the mysterious Daphne, whom Suzy informed her had called at least half a dozen times that morning.

For the afternoon session the group was to be divided in two groups. One half would ride fence, checking for downed wire. The other would ride to a neighboring ranch where they would learn to sheer sheep. As soon as lunch was finished, Kacy approached the CEO.