Home on the Ranch: Colorado: Big City Cowboy / Colorado Cowboy

“I like him,” Devlin said. “He’s strong and fit, but doesn’t look like he spends all day in the gym.”

Relief burst through her, making her knees weak, but Elizabeth clamped down on the emotion. There would be time to celebrate later, once the contracts were signed, her agency’s with Devlin and his with Rory.

“That’s exactly what we were trying to portray. His strength comes from working with his hands and his back, like so many Americans.”

“Do you plan to weave that hardworking attitude into the campaign?”

“Definitely.”

Devlin jotted down notes on the iPad. “What’re the rest of your plans?”

“I thought we’d start with the Times Square billboard, since Devlin Designs has it booked for the next three months. We’d pair that with ads in the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and USA Today.”

“I understand the newspapers’ appeal, but I’m not so certain about the billboard. Sure, it’ll be seen by millions of tourists, but other than that, how will it help us appeal to middle America?”

His question momentarily threw her off stride. Her grandmother’s voice rang in her head. Is that really the decision you want to make? Have you thought this through thoroughly, Elizabeth?

Shaking herself mentally, she tuned out her grandmother. Elizabeth refused to be intimidated, when she’d prepared for this meeting until three in the morning, and this was one of the questions she’d anticipated. “I think showcasing Rory on June’s billboard is the quickest way to create a buzz while we’re finalizing magazine ads and shooting the TV commercial. When people see Rory’s picture, they’ll want to know who he is. Women will hit your website en masse to find out more about him. We’ll add a new page to the site—meet Devlin Designs’ newest model. We’ll get him tweeting, to add to the buzz. That excitement should help me book spots for him on the morning show circuit.”

Devlin tapped his pen on the table. “Plus the billboard should give us a boost to our East Coast sales.”

Elizabeth nodded, the knot between her shoulder blades loosening. What was it about Devlin that cracked her self-confidence? “The average man is going to want to look like Rory. Women will think if their man wears your jeans he’ll look like Rory. The gay man is going to want to date him. No matter what, they’re going to check out Devlin jeans. I think we’ll get an excellent return on the investment. Even though we’re targeting a different market, everything fashionwise starts here in New York.”

“Since we can’t use the ad we’d planned on for the May billboard because of that model’s scandal, let’s showcase the jeans and introduce Rory instead.”

Elizabeth stared at Devlin, momentarily stunned. A billboard took a minimum of two weeks to put together, and today was April 16.

What did this guy think? That she twitched her nose like Samantha on Bewitched, and billboards magically appeared?

“If we go with this shot—” Elizabeth pointed to the easel and Rory’s gorgeous beefcake photo “—we might be able to pull it off.”

“I like it. An outdoor scene on a billboard will clutter up the message anyway. I don’t want anything distracting from the cowboy, the slogan and the company name.” Devlin clicked his pen as he thought. “Do what you have to, within reason, to get the job done. If you think the budget needs to be revised, let me know.”

Elizabeth nodded. So much for sleeping for two days after this meeting.

“What’s this cowboy’s voice like?” Devlin asked. “Can he do the commercial work or will we need to hire a voice-over actor?”

“Rory has a pleasant voice with a slight Western drawl, which will work perfectly for the campaign.”

“Pleasant? We need more than that for our spokesman.”

“Forgive me. That was a poor choice of words. His voice is hardly average.” She couldn’t tell this Fortune 500 CEO that Rory’s voice sent ripples of excitement through her and made her lace panties damp. Or could she? “The women at the shoot commented that his voice was as good as his looks.”

“I’ve got a lot riding on this. Before I sign this cowboy and the agency contract I want to know what he sounds like.”

Warning bells clanged in Elizabeth’s head. Considering Rory’s unpredictable behavior at the photo shoot, the thought of him meeting Devlin sent dread snaking down her spine. She counted to ten.

Never let a client see uncertainty. It’s the kiss of death.

She smiled at Devlin. “Do you want to meet him in person or would a demo CD work?”

Please say the latter.

Devlin had been about to answer her when his cell phone played “I Could’ve Danced All Night.” He grabbed it out of his briefcase. “Excuse me. I have to take this.”

Phone to his ear, he stepped outside the conference room.

She couldn’t believe that Micah Devlin, who chastised her when she took a call from another client with an “emergency,” had answered his phone. Obviously, he subscribed to the do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do philosophy.

“What’s up?” his surprisingly gentle voice floated in through the open door. “Can it wait? My day is full of meetings.”

While Elizabeth longed to scoot her chair to where she could actually see him as he talked on the phone, she resisted the urge. Innocently overhearing a conversation and openly eavesdropping were two different things, and she had no desire to be caught doing the latter.

“Don’t do that,” Devlin almost pleaded. “You know the doctor told you not to drive for three weeks. Please wait.” Frustration crept into his voice. “I’ll run by the pharmacy after this meeting. I’ll be there in a half an hour tops.” Again he paused. “I love you, too, Nana.”

Elizabeth hoped she’d concealed her shock when he returned to the conference table, phone in hand, the softness she’d heard in his voice only seconds ago nowhere visible in his eyes. Who would’ve thought he actually had relatives, much less one he cared about?

“Since Rory McAlister will be a company spokesperson, I want to talk to him face-to-face. I need to make sure he can have a coherent conversation.”

Elizabeth swallowed hard. Sure she knew Rory’s voice sent a women’s happy hormones into overdrive, but how would he do when a reporter tossed questions at him? How could she have forgotten that when she’d developed the campaign? Details mattered, especially to Devlin.

“I met Rory on a ranch in Colorado. He’s used to interacting with tourists. He was quite engaging with facts and local-color tidbits.” At least he’d appeared to be, from the bits and pieces of stories she’d heard, riding at the end of the line of horses.

“He’d better be able to handle interviews.”

“I assure you he will.” Elizabeth smiled. By his first interview she’d be certain he was prepared. She could make a fortune in Vegas playing high stakes poker with her bluffing skills.

“Once I’ve talked with this cowboy and am convinced he’ll suit our needs, I’ll sign him to a contract. Then I’ll sign the jeans contract with your agency. Set up the meeting for tomorrow.”

She noted he hadn’t mentioned renewing the other lines’ contracts. He probably still wanted that leverage to hold over her.

Devlin pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and punched a couple of buttons. “Ten works for me. I don’t want to see his face everywhere, by the way. When the public sees him, I want them to think of Devlin Designs.”

“I agree. I suggest you have your legal department add an exclusivity clause to the standard contract.”

“You don’t think his agent will balk?”

“He’s currently representing himself.”

Devlin smiled openly for the first time. “Then there’s no need to pay him thirty grand over the course of this campaign. What do you think we can get him for?”

Sleep deprivation had to be playing tricks with her hearing, or had rotted her brain cells, because they’d extensively discussed what to pay a spokesman, even an unknown, before she’d started her search. “I told Rory he’d make thirty thousand, as per our discussions.”

Devlin picked a piece of lint off his spotless shirt. “When we talked, we discussed a lot of options, from models to rodeo cowboys. That amount seems a little steep for an unknown with no experience.”

Elizabeth swas seated and folded her hands in front of her to keep from shaking the man silly. Glancing into his eyes, she realized the truth. He’d changed his mind about the money when he’d discovered Rory lacked an agent.

“Offer him twenty thousand,” Devlin stated.

“This puts me in an awkward position. Rory and I had a verbal agreement.”

Devlin folded his arms across his chest. His sharp gaze bore through her. “I pay your agency to negotiate with models on my behalf.”

What was it lately, with men drawing a line in the sand with her? “I’ll inform Rory of your wishes, and will do everything in my power to get him to agree to the new terms.”

“Make sure you’ve dealt with the money issue by the time we meet tomorrow.”

“I’d feel more comfortable taking a day or two to prepare before I discuss the subject with Rory.”

“I want him signed to a contract so we can move forward with this campaign.” Devlin’s icy tone and granite gaze left no room for further discussion.

“I’ll talk to him today.”

CHAPTER FIVE

ELIZABETH WALKED DOWN the hallway to Chloe’s office and suppressed the urge to bang her head against the wall.

“Shoot me now and put me out of my misery. I’ve lost the will to live,” she said as she sank into the wooden chair in front of her friend’s desk. Now that the adrenaline and caffeine had worn off, exhaustion claimed her.

Chloe paled. “Do I need to update my résumé for the next round of layoffs?”

“No, but you might want to measure me for a straitjacket, because I’m going to lose my mind working with Devlin.”

“What happened?”

“I have two new problems. The first being Devlin wants to meet with Rory before he’ll sign the contract.”

“Why is that a problem? Rory’s perfect.”

“He’s a cowboy, and his mystical cowboy charm won’t work on Micah Devlin.”

“Rory will do fine.”

“I’m not so sure. When I first gave him the jeans for the shoot, he said no real man would be caught dead in them. Can you believe that?”

“Since you’re still talking about Rory in the present tense, I assume you didn’t kill him. But what did you do after he said that?”

She glared at her friend. “I’m not the Wicked Witch of the East, you know.”

“I didn’t say you were. It’s just you get a little overzealous sometimes, especially when people make mistakes in their job.”

“I very calmly and professionally pointed out the important points of being a company spokesperson.”

“I bet that went over like a lead balloon. Guys love having a woman tell them they screwed up.”

“I think he took it well, but after the jeans comment, you can see why I’m concerned about him talking with Devlin. All I need is for Rory to say something negative about the product.”

“He won’t, since you set him straight.”

“You’re just saying that because he’s good-looking. In an interview situation, he’ll have to think on his feet, and who knows what someone might ask him? What if he doesn’t stop to think before he answers, and blurts out the first thing that pops into his head?” Once Elizabeth started voicing her concerns, she couldn’t hold them back. “Sure, he’s photogenic, but I have no idea what kind of education Rory has, or whether he can hold an intelligent conversation. What if he can’t talk about anything but horses, mucking out a stall and fixing fences?”

“Whoa. Can we slow down this runaway train? Rory doesn’t need to be a Rhodes scholar to do well on the morning show circuit. He’s got a great personality and charisma. Those two things can’t be taught, and will go a long way in an interview. Plus you’ll prep him.”

When Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, Chloe held up her hand. “If you’re worried about anything else, talk to Rory. Find out about his education and background. Ask him how he feels about doing interviews.”

“Men have such fragile egos. What if he hasn’t graduated high school, and my asking about his education embarrasses him? There has to be a reason he’s a cowboy and not a white-collar businessman. He might get mad enough to quit.”

“How much sleep have you gotten this week?”

“Not much.”

“You must be dead-tired, Elizabeth. This kind of situation never flusters you. In fact, you thrive on a challenge.”

“I’m beginning to understand why sleep deprivation is so effective in breaking down prisoners of war.” Elizabeth walked to the small refrigerator in the corner of Chloe’s office, pulled out a can of Red Bull, popped the top open and took a long drink. Within seconds the caffeine bolted through her system, reviving her brain cells. “You’re right. I can do this. I can use Rory’s male ego to my advantage. I’ll tell him I need his opinion on Devlin’s concerns and the rest of the campaign.”

“Guys like that. They’re fixers.”

“While we’re talking, I can identify any weaknesses he might have in a business meeting or an interview situation.”

“Good, problem number one under control. What’s the second problem?”

Elizabeth squeezed the Red Bull can. The sound of crumpling aluminum filled the room. “Devlin has decided the money I quoted Rory, the price we discussed at length beforehand, is too much to pay. He wants me to renegotiate the deal.”

Chloe leaned back in her chair and threw her hands in the air. “You’re going down in flames.”

“What happened to playing the encouraging best friend and colleague?”

“Sorry, I can’t lie that well. No way is Rory going to take your news well. Not that I blame him. If someone quoted me one amount for a job, and then wanted to lowball me, I’d throw a fit, too.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Elizabeth resisted the urge to pick at her nail polish. “Devlin wants me to have renegotiated Rory’s contract by tomorrow’s meeting.”

“Push the meeting back.”

“I tried. Devlin refused.”

“Sure sucks to be you.”

Elizabeth grabbed a scrap of paper off the desk, wadded it up and tossed it at her friend. The shot fell short, landing in Chloe’s lap. “I don’t need you pointing out the obvious. What I need are suggestions on how to keep Rory from strangling me when I talk to him.”

“The best you can hope for is avoiding a major scene and/or violence.”

Elizabeth laid her head on the desk. “You’re right. I’m going down in flames.” She peeked up at Chloe. “Where did you go the last time you were going to break up with a guy and you were worried he’d make a scene?”

“I’ll chalk up that comment as a stress-induced insensitivity.” Chloe tossed the wad of paper at Elizabeth, and it bounced off her head. “When I was worried Jason would make a scene when I broke up with him, I did the deed at Bar American.”

“Brilliant idea.” Elizabeth straightened. “Hope springs eternal. No one makes a scene at a restaurant, especially one of Bobby Flay’s.”

“That idea will cost two white peach margaritas from Mesa Grill.”

“Well worth the price, and speaking of Mesa Grill, I think we’ll eat there. The Southwestern food and atmosphere are more Rory’s style.” Elizabeth stood and walked across the room. “I’m off to call him. Hopefully he hasn’t eaten yet. I’ve got the making-a-scene issue under control, but how am I going to convince him to take a pay cut?”

“I have no idea. You’re on your own there.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

As she walked out of Chloe’s office, she told herself to think positive and pray, because that was her only hope—divine intervention.

* * *

ELIZABETH ARRIVED at the restaurant fifteen minutes early, in the hopes that by the time Rory showed up she’d have developed a strategy to convince him to agree to the pay reduction. As she waited, she told herself she wasn’t doing anything wrong. Rory hadn’t been signed to a contract. She acted on behalf of the client with the model. Despite all those logical reasons, the thought of renegotiating his contract left her feeling a little sleazy.

She’d think positive. Would convince him this setback wasn’t permanent. He could turn this into an opportunity to impress the client, and get a huge raise on the next contract.

Elizabeth thought for a minute. How lame was that? Unless Rory was comatose, no way would he buy it.

She glanced around the restaurant. Hanging on one wall was a picture of a cow. Another had a picture of John Wayne in classic cowboy pose and dress. The booth upholstery was a print of cowboys on horses. Rory would fit right in. The restaurant should remind him of hearth and home, and hopefully put him in a good mood.

By the time he arrived, ten minutes late, she hadn’t come up with a better option. After the maître d’ showed him to the table, Elizabeth bit her lip and resisted the urge to lecture him about the importance of promptness for business meetings.

His hair was damp, as if he’d just crawled out of the shower, and curled at the collar of his plain white shirt. With that he wore a pair of navy slacks. She smiled when she noticed he still had on his cowboy boots and the royal flush belt buckle. Cowboy GQ. Not bad. Her pulse jumped. Seeing him now made her realize what a fool Devlin was to risk losing Rory by haggling over money.

“I appreciate you meeting with me after such a long day.” She looked pointedly at her watch once he sat across from her.

“I had to eat. This way you’re picking up the tab.”

Elizabeth winced. If Rory was worrying about the cost of dinner, Chloe was right. She would go down in flames once she brought up renegotiating his salary.

For a moment she focused on the menu, not quite sure where to begin. Business meetings usually never bothered her, so why was this one making her uncomfortable? And it was more than the fact that she had to renegotiate his contract. Maybe because across the table from her sat one gorgeous man. She scoffed at the idea. She’d been alone at similar meetings before with way better-looking male models.

Gay models. Big deal.

From the red-hot glance he’d tossed her when he’d pulled off his shirt this afternoon, the man had to be straight. No gay man could look a woman in the eyes like that and nearly singe her eyebrows.

The waiter took their drink orders, pulling her away from her unsettling thoughts. Deciding her brain was fuddled enough from lack of sleep, and this was a business meeting, she stuck with water. Rory ordered a beer.

To repair any damage she’d done to their karma that afternoon, Elizabeth said, “First of all, I wanted to apologize if I offended you in any way at the shoot today. I’m afraid I may have come off a little harsh. There’s so much riding on this campaign, and it’s put me a bit on edge.”

“I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

His words, coupled with his sultry gaze, sent tremors rippling through Elizabeth. She grabbed her water glass and took a long sip, not quite sure what to make of his comment. The man either loved playing word games or was clueless about how what he said sounded to other people.

Since ignoring the comment provided the wisest course, Elizabeth barreled onward. “I wanted to apprise you of what transpired today in my meeting with Micah Devlin.” Start with the positives. She sucked in a deep breath and smiled. “He was very happy with your photos. He thinks you definitely have the image and the presence he’s looking for to represent his company’s jeans.”

Rory nodded, grabbed a slice of sourdough bread and slathered it with butter. “What’s our next step?”

Out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth noticed an attractive redhead with perfect teeth flashing a smile Rory’s way.

“We hope to get you on some morning shows.”

He nodded again, revealing no signs of panic in his voice or his facial expression. Good. Elizabeth relaxed her grip on her water glass.

The redhead continued to stare. A stunning blonde at the bar looked at Rory as if she wanted to skip dinner and go straight to him for dessert.

On the good-news side, he garnered exactly the reaction Elizabeth had hoped for with women. On the negative side, having them openly drooling over him set off a feeling alarmingly close to jealousy in her.

“How do you feel about doing interviews?” she asked. “Have you had any experience with that kind of situation?”

“I’ve been interviewed for the local paper a time or two.”

“Good.” That was better than nothing. Barely. “Then you’re used to having a reporter ask you questions.” Elizabeth almost stumbled over her words. What kind of tough questions could a local reporter ask? What do you think of the price of grain at the feed store? “Sometimes a reporter will put you on the spot. If you think it’ll make you more comfortable, we could do some practice interviews.”

“Whatever you say.”

Why was he being so agreeable? Nervousness tickled her spine. This couldn’t be the same man who’d refused to take off his shirt earlier today. Something was up, and from her interactions with Rory so far, she reasoned it couldn’t be good. Either that or the man had undergone a stubbornectomy since their photo shoot.

She shook herself mentally. Quit borrowing trouble.

The waiter placed a glass in front of Rory, then poured the bottled beer and asked if he could take their orders.

“The ancho chile-honey glazed salmon is superb. I highly recommend it.” She turned to the waiter. “In fact, that’s what I’ll have tonight.”

He nodded and turned to Rory.

“I’ll have the rib eye, rare, and a side of mashed potatoes.”

It figured he was a meat-and-potatoes guy. She took a drink of water and focused on her goal.

“Back to the interviews,” Elizabeth said, once the waiter departed. “When I met you in Colorado, you seemed fairly comfortable talking to people.”

“I hold my own.”

“On the guided tours you talk about your local community and its history. Are you comfortable talking about other things?”

His right eyebrow inched upward. “I’m aware of what’s going on in the world. We get cable and everything in Estes Park.”

She mentally cringed. How did she keep managing to say the wrong thing? She’d never been prone to that before. “I didn’t mean to imply you didn’t. I was wondering what topics you felt comfortable talking about in an interview.”

“I can talk about most anything. Being in the tourist industry has taught me to think on my feet. You wouldn’t believe some of the situations that come up.” Then he smiled. She almost reached into her purse for her sunglasses. “Or maybe you would, considering our first meeting.”

Her mouth went dry. His smile could make Mother Teresa sin. Elizabeth had to get that smile on film.

“The main thing to remember in interviews is to be upbeat and personable.”

“And to be positive about the client’s product. See, I can be taught.”

She laughed. The man possessed quite a sense of humor. “I forget that this is all new to you, and you’re not a professional model. I also proposed television commercials to Devlin as part of the campaign. He wants to meet you before we go further. He’s a bit of a control freak.”

“Takes one to know one.”

She bristled until she looked at him. Humor shone in his sparkling brown eyes. “I could say the same for you.”

“Sure could. That’s what made today’s photo session hard for me. Seemed like everyone was telling me what to do. I’m not used to that.”

She made a mental note to slow down and explain things to him on future shoots.

“FYI, the only one you need to listen to is me, unless the client’s present.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She liked this easygoing man a lot better than the pain-in-the-ass model from earlier in the day. Too bad she had to spoil things by bringing up salary issues.

“Devlin wants to meet you tomorrow at ten. Will that work for you?”