Wild Ride Rancher

He steered around slower traffic, mumbling to himself. “Just get in, hear her out, say no and get back to the ranch. That’s all you have to do.”

And it was more than enough. Liam was no stranger to rich women. Hell, before he’d had money of his own, he’d come across quite a few. In Texas, you couldn’t take a step without stumbling across an oil or cattle princess. He’d even hooked up with one for a while when he was in college. Liam had believed she was different. Had thought there was a future for them somewhere down the line. Until he’d had the rug pulled out from under him. After that knock on the head and heart, Liam had learned his lesson. Wealthy, self-involved females were like Christmas ornaments. Shiny, but empty inside.

He drove into the downtown, cursing every roll of the wheel. Cities were all right for some people, but give him the empty roads of the country any day.

“Too many damn people,” he muttered, and spotted the building that would be the new Houston home of the Texas Cattleman’s Club.

They were spreading out from the original site in Royal, and there was already a driving fight for leadership of the new club. As a wealthy ranch owner himself, he’d be joining as soon as the club was up and running, but Liam wasn’t interested in being in charge of the thing. Let the old lions of Texas fight over the club like it was fresh meat.

“Nice place, though.” Even if it was in the city. He’d been to the TCC in Royal, and it was a low-slung building filled with history.

This new TCC was once a three-story boutique hotel now being rehabbed by Perry Construction. Liam had a key to the place, since as Sterling Perry’s foreman he often had to come into the city with instructions for the construction crew.

When it was finished, it’d be impressive. The third floor was bedrooms for the club president and the chairman of the board. The second floor was going to be conference rooms and offices for the TCC officers. There was still a lot of work to do on the place, but Liam knew that at least one of the suites on the top floor was finished, because Sterling had insisted on having a place for either him or other board members to stay if they had to. Sterling’s insistence on his and his friends’ comfort was no surprise.

Still, he turned his head from the club to the old, brick office building across the street. Liam checked the GPS just to make sure, but yeah. That was Chloe Hemsworth’s address. Surprised, Liam studied the building. It had a lot of years on it, but looked sturdy enough. It wasn’t what he’d pictured. He’d imagined a rich girl would want some plush, sleek, penthouse office in a modern building.

But wherever the hell she was, he had to take this meeting. Frowning, he climbed out of his truck, and tugged his hat brim down low over his eyes. The wind was still kicking, and the sudden gusts were enough to snatch a man’s hat and send it to Albuquerque. Stepping around the people hurrying along the sidewalk, Liam headed for the office where the words It’s a Party were scrawled across a wide front window in bright pink paint. Shaking his head, he opened the glass door, stepped inside and stopped dead.

This he hadn’t been prepared for.

A woman—Chloe?—was bent over, picking something up off the floor. His gaze locked on that luscious curve of behind, showcased in a short, black skirt. She glanced at him over her shoulder, sent him a bright smile and said, “Hi! Can I help you?”

Slowly, she straightened up and the view only got better. She wore a dark blue, off the shoulder blouse, and her long, light brown hair lay in loose waves that kissed those bare shoulders. She wore sky-high black heels, and her gorgeous legs were tanned. Her amber eyes were wide, her mouth still curved in a welcoming smile, and all Liam could feel was the heat swamping his body.

He’d seen pictures of her of course. Like every other wealthy woman, Chloe’s face was in the society sections of the Houston newspapers, and splashed all across the news website he checked every day. But she was even more gorgeous in person. Every inch of him felt tight and hot, and when she talked, he realized he hadn’t heard a word.

“Sorry. What?”

She stared at him, and Liam saw a flicker of the heat that still had his body at a slow burn.

“I’m Chloe Hemsworth,” she said just a little breathlessly.

That voice conjured up all sorts of interesting images in his mind, and his body responded to them instantly. She was exactly the kind of woman he avoided—and he wanted her. Bad.

Liam knew he was in deep trouble.

Two

“What happened?”

I couldn’t believe it had gone so wrong so quickly. Pacing this stupid room wasn’t helping, but I felt like a caged lion or something. Nothing I could do to change anything and besides, if you thought about it, it really wasn’t my fault at all.

The Texas Cattleman’s Club was visible from here and I couldn’t keep staring at it. The rain started and I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened. He was all alone in there. Did he still care? Should I have cared? No. I should have left. But I didn’t.

This all started years ago, and what happened today was just a part of it all. So really, they set it all in motion way back when. Today was just another link in a long, ugly chain.

I did what I had to. Now, I wanted my stomach to stop spinning and my brain to stop racing. Nothing could change it, and I’m not sure I would change it even if I could. I came this far, there was no going back, and really...didn’t they have it coming after all I’d suffered?

Was it fair that only I was affected by those decisions made so long ago? Was it fair that I’d been forgotten and my pain buried? None of this was my fault.

None of it.

* * *

The cowboy was tall and broad shouldered, and had sun-streaked brown hair that lay just over his collar. His blue eyes were as clear as a Texas lake, and filled with the same mystery of what lay beneath the surface. He was staring at her with a steady fascination that kindled awareness and something more inside her.

He wore the Texas cowboy uniform of faded jeans, scuffed brown boots and a long-sleeved white shirt, rolled back to the elbows, displaying deeply tanned, strong forearms. He had a tight grip on his dust-colored Stetson, and just standing there, he seemed to take up all the room in her small office.

Breathing was harder than it should have been, and Chloe made a deliberate effort to drag air into her lungs. Instant attraction roared to life inside her, but Chloe dialed it down. He was probably there to arrange a party for his girlfriend. Or wife. Still, there was something about him that was almost overwhelming. She had been born and raised in Texas, so she was no stranger to the “western man.” But this one had such a compelling aura it was hard to be unaffected.

Silently, sternly, she told herself to dial it down.

“You’re Chloe, right?” His gaze swept her up and down before settling on her eyes. “I’m Liam Morrow. Sterling Perry sent me.”

Stunned, Chloe stared at him for only a moment longer. She’d been expecting some gruff, older guy, with a comfortable belly. She’d never considered that the foreman of a ranch the size of the Perry place could be so young and...hot.

“Oh, well, hi. Thanks for coming,” she said, recognizing that she was starting to burble. She took a breath. Okay, he wasn’t there to book a party, but that didn’t mean he was single. “You want some coffee? Water? That’s about it on the refreshment front, I’m afraid. But there’s a diner just down the street. We could go there and—”

He held up one hand and, as if she’d been trained, she closed her mouth and stopped talking. Well, that was irritating.

“I’m not here for snacks,” he said. “Sterling wants me to hear you out. So if you want to tell me your ideas, show me your plans, we can get through this meeting and I can get back to the ranch.”

Okay, hot didn’t excuse rude. “Wow,” she said. “Thank you for your complete attention.”

His beautiful blue eyes rolled. “Fine. Sorry. I’m here to listen, and that’s what I’m going to do. When we’re finished, I’ll let Sterling know if I think it’ll work on the ranch or not.”

“Okay.” Chloe could tell from his body language and his expression that he’d already made up his mind to say no. So it would be up to her to convince him. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time Chloe had had to fight for what she wanted.

She walked to her desk, one she’d taken from her old room at her parents’ house, and picked up a file folder. “Sterling actually told me that the decision would be yours because you know the ranch so well. I’m just hoping you’ll actually give me a chance and not dismiss the idea out of hand.”

He sighed, set his hat, crown down, on a tabletop, then folded his arms across his chest. He stood, feet braced apart as if ready for a fight and the move was so inherently sexy, she felt a fire kindle deep inside. Why she was reacting like this, Chloe had no idea. Maybe she just hadn’t been dating enough. Maybe this out of the blue wild attraction signaled that she should be getting out more and spending less time on her business.

But her burgeoning company was really all she was interested in these days. Chloe had worked really hard for a long time to break away from her parents’ expectations and plans for her life. She’d had other dreams that had dissolved under their scrutiny, but she was fighting for this one.

“I gave my word to hear you out. That’s why I’m here.”

The expression on his face told Chloe that he meant what he said, and that was good enough for her. He looked resigned, but she’d take it. If he was fair, then he would realize what a good idea she was proposing. And with his support, Sterling Perry would agree to give her the land she needed on his ranch to make this particular dream come true.

“That’s great.” She waved him to a chair, and he looked at it skeptically. It was a delicate, cane-backed chair with a small seat and narrow, hand-turned legs.

“Maybe I’ll stand,” he mused.

“The chairs are stronger than they look,” she assured him. Then, as if to prove it, she said, “When I was a kid, my friends and I used to stand on them to get out onto the roof so we could climb down the oak outside the house.”

Both eyebrows went up. Admiration? Disbelief? Who could tell?

“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head, “what were you, twelve? It’s not going to hold me, so I’ll stand.”

She shrugged, because really, what else could she do? Once her business started bringing in steady cash, she’d buy more furniture. Right now, that wasn’t high on her list of priorities. “Your choice. Now, what I wanted to talk to you about was—”

“A little girls’ camp set up on the Perry Ranch.”

Chloe stopped, tipped her head to one side and studied him briefly. “So Sterling told you about it.”

“Enough to know it’s a bad idea,” he said.

Chloe took a deep breath and bit back her first, instinctive response. She’d hoped that he would come into this with an open mind, but that hope was now crushed. Arguing with the man wouldn’t get her what she wanted. What she had to do was show him her plans and convince him that he was wrong. So she smiled, though it cost her.

“Not exactly prepared to give me a fair hearing, are you?”

He frowned. “I’m here. I’m listening. Convince me.”

His features were closed, his eyes shuttered, but he had a point. He was there, and she had this chance to show him what she could do. Chloe was used to having to fight for what she wanted, so today was no different. If she could stand up to her father and go against all of his many plans for her life, then she could certainly handle this.

“Okay, why don’t I show you my ideas, and then we can talk about it.”

He gave her a brief, almost regal, nod. “That’s why I’m here.”

But would he really listen? She’d have to take her chances and be damned convincing.

“Okay, that’s great.” She feigned bright confidence, then motioned for him to come around her desk. Once there, she opened up the file on her computer.

She got a quick thrill when she saw the title, the name of her soon-to-be-camp, Girls Can Do Anything. The man behind her snorted.

Chloe sent him a quick, hard look. Gorgeous or not, she didn’t like the attitude. “Do you disagree with my website design or the theme?”

If anything, his frown deepened. “I just think it’s crazy to have to tell a kid they can do anything.”

“Really? Even today, girls aren’t given the kind of opportunity that boys are.”

He snorted. “Please.”

Irritated, she snapped, “Are girls told they can be ranch hands? Raise and breed horses? Herd cattle?”

With a patient sigh, he asked, “Well...they’re not told they can’t, are they?”

“Some are,” she countered, remembering how her father had shattered her own dream of working a ranch, breeding horses. “And can I just say, you’re not exactly displaying to me how objective you’re going to be.”

He shrugged, but she could see she’d hit her target.

“Sorry.” He didn’t look sorry, but okay.

“Thank you.”

“Okay, show me what you’ve got.”

Chloe took a deep breath and probably shouldn’t have because he smelled really good. Not to mention that standing this close to him was making her body hum and her blood burn. Plus he was so tall. And broad shouldered. And—Keep your mind on business, she warned herself silently. But it wasn’t her mind that was veering out of orbit.

It was her body responding to the man, and there was no way to stop it. Chloe had never experienced anything like this. Attraction? Sure. Lust? Of course. But this bone-deep burning was something new, and she was finding it hard to breathe without shattering—or worse yet, climaxing—just thinking about him touching her. Oh, boy.

“Problem?” he asked, and his voice sounded like a whisper in the darkness.

She swallowed hard. Seriously, Chloe? “Nope. No problem.” She looked up at him and wondered if he’d moved even closer to her. How was she supposed to concentrate?

“Are you doing that on purpose?”

A knowing gleam shone briefly in his eyes. “Doing what?”

“Looming.”

“I don’t loom. I stand.”

“Really closely.”

“Worried?”

“No.”

“Then no problem, right?”

“Right.” All she had to do was get a grip on whatever was happening to her body. Nodding, Chloe turned back to the computer. “As you can see, I made up this website—it’s not live yet, but I wanted to be able to show you exactly what I have in mind and—”

“You did the website?”

She looked at him and clearly saw the surprise in his eyes. “Yes, why?”

Frowning, he shook his head. “Nothing.”

She knew exactly what he was thinking. How could Chloe Hemsworth have done something so complicated? Something that required talent, skills. This was not new. She was used to being dismissed. Her whole life had been spent convincing people that she was more than they thought her to be. Apparently, as gorgeous as he was, Liam Morrow was no different from anyone else she’d ever known.

“Oh, it’s okay,” Chloe said. “I’m used to being underestimated.”

“What?”

“You know how people are,” she said, looking him directly in the eye. “They take one look at me and think, useless daughter of a rich man. They never actually stop to think that maybe when I went to college I learned things. That I earned my degree in business.”

Something flickered in his eyes, and she was pretty sure it was respect. Well, good. Chloe had dreams and aspirations well beyond the next charity luncheon. But why should anyone else believe in her when her own father didn’t? And why did she care what Liam Morrow thought of her anyway? A question she couldn’t answer.

“I’ve come across the same kind of thing,” he said, and his voice was a low rumble that rattled along her nerve endings.

“Really?” Chloe smiled and shook her head. “People think you’re just pretty and empty-headed?”

He grinned briefly, and that quick twist of his mouth sent a flash of heat zipping through her. Oh, probably not good. But in her own defense, she didn’t think any woman would be immune to this man.

“No,” he said with a laugh. “But most people take one look at me and see a simple cowboy.”

She thought about that for a second as she stared up into his cool, blue eyes. “Nothing about you is simple, is it?”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “I wouldn’t say so.”

“Well, same here,” Chloe told him, squaring her shoulders. “People don’t underestimate me for long.”

He gave her a slow, up and down look of approval and finally nodded. “I bet they don’t.”

Why that acknowledgment touched her, Chloe couldn’t have said. She’d known him about ten seconds, right? Why should she care what he thought of her? What he saw when he looked at her? Why did she feel like her entire body was on a slow simmer?

Oh, she didn’t want to think about any of that at the moment.

“Okay,” she said briskly, once again turning back to the computer screen. “Back to my point. The idea is to introduce young girls—I’m thinking maybe eight to sixteen years old—to ranch life.”

He frowned. “Eight’s really young.”

“Not too young to dream,” she countered quickly. She had been eight when she’d first planned a future working on a ranch. “Every little girl I’ve ever known has dreamed of owning a horse. There’s a connection there that should be nurtured.”

“A ranch can be a dangerous place,” he warned, and the frown etched into the space between his eyebrows deepened.

“I know that, I do,” she insisted. “You can’t grow up in Texas and not know that ranch life isn’t easy. But accidents can happen anywhere. You can step off a curb in Houston and get run down by a bus.”

“True, but you don’t often stroll into a herd of buses.”

“Well, I promise I won’t let any of the girls take a walk in the middle of a herd. The fact that it might be dangerous doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go for what you want,” she insisted. “As for the kids, there would be adults to supervise.

“I’m planning to have camp ‘counselors’ for lack of a better word. College kids maybe.” She paused, then went on faster, her words tumbling over each other in a fight to be said before she lost his attention. “Anyway, I was thinking we could have a few horses—of your choice—that are gentle with kids and we can show the girls how to ride. How to care for the animals and clean up after them. Taking care of animals teaches us empathy and patience and—”

“I get it,” he said, nodding.

“Okay, well, the girls can do ranch work during the days and have cookouts and campfires at night.” She clicked to the next page on her website. “This can give them the satisfaction of working, completing a task, and the opportunity to build friendships with people they might not have met otherwise. They’ll learn how to do new things, get along with others and to appreciate everything they can accomplish.”

“Uh-huh.” He looked at the pictures of the Perry Ranch as if he were imagining a herd of girls running wild. He didn’t look happy, so Chloe started talking again. Fast.

“Like I said, there would be plenty of supervision of course—”

Liam cut her off. “And some of that supervision would have to be done by the ranch hands who already have plenty of work to do.” He shot her a wry look as if challenging her to dispute that.

Chloe took a breath and blew it out. Couldn’t he see what she was trying to do? Of course it wasn’t easy. Or simple. But how many great things were? “All right, yes, you’re right. We would need some help from the ranch hands. But surely there are a few guys there who could trade off showing the girls what ranch life is like without sending the whole outfit into bankruptcy.”

Outside, the wind was kicking up and spatters of rain began to pelt the windows, like dozens of fingers tapping, tapping, demanding to be let in. Inside, the room darkened, and Chloe leaned over to turn the desk lamp on.

Both of his eyebrows lifted at the sarcasm. “There’s a lot of liability involved here, too.”

“I realize that.” And now, her own temper was beginning to spike, and it threatened to burn as hot as her blood. He was deliberately trying to squash her before she’d even had a chance to convince him. “But parents would sign legal release documents before the camp, and the ranch would be completely covered.”

“I don’t know about that.” He shook his head, and folded his arms across his really impressive chest. If it hadn’t been a sure sign that he was closing down, shutting her out, she might have allowed herself an inner sigh of appreciation. “In my experience, you bring lawyers into anything, and it all goes to hell in a flash.”

Chloe sensed she was losing, and she couldn’t let that happen. The Perry ranch was the best place for her to try her experiment. Mostly because Sterling had been willing to let her use his land. Most ranchers weren’t open to anything that might interfere with the business. But also because she knew that ranch well, and there were a couple of female ranch hands working there too. If everything worked out there, she could start raising money to buy her own land. Of course, she’d come into her inheritance from her grandmother in five years when she turned thirty—but she didn’t want to wait. She’d already waited long enough.

“This isn’t about lawyers or liability,” she said, meeting his gaze and silently daring him to argue. “That could all be handled. It’s logistics. This is about the fact that you are simply determined to not like the idea.”

“I’m determined to see the reality while you’re looking at it all like a child’s fantasy.”

Hard to disagree, since he’d hit on the very reason she’d come up with this idea in the first place. All of her life, Chloe had been told what she couldn’t do. And she wasn’t standing for it anymore. Not from her family. Not from the hottest cowboy she’d ever seen.

“That’s because it was my fantasy as a child,” she admitted, staring at the images on the computer screen, letting herself imagine what might have been. “When I was ten years old, my father bought a ranch outside Galveston. He drove us all out there to look around, get a feel for the place.” She turned her face up to his. “I fell in love instantly. The foreman showed me the horses, let me feed them, then helped me ride for the first time in my life.” Her voice dropped, became a little dreamy, but there was nothing she could do about that. “I wanted to be a cowboy so badly. I had visions of growing up on that ranch, of having my own horse, of helping the cowboys...”

Silence followed when her voice trailed off until he quietly asked, “I’m guessing that didn’t work out for you?”

She laughed shortly and shook her head. “No. We went back home, and my father hired a construction crew to renovate the house. I was still dreaming, planning my room, naming my imaginary horse. Then he told us that once the renovations were done, he was selling the ranch at a ‘tidy profit.’”

She could still remember the disappointment, the crushing letdown she’d felt when she had learned that her father had never intended to move his family to that beautiful ranch. She’d felt betrayed, as if he’d allowed her to dream just to crush her.

“A few months later, he did sell it,” she said. “I never went back to the ranch.”

“So,” he said, “you’re trying to redo your own childhood? Is that it?”

“No,” she said softly. She wasn’t that foolish. But she was rewriting her adulthood far away from the plans of her father. “It’s just important to me to foster other little girls’ dreams. I want them to know that they can be and do anything. I know the Perry Ranch has several women working the herds—seeing that in reality would go a long way to showing the girls that anything’s possible. Why is it wrong for me to want to show young girls that their dreams can come true?”