Corporate Cowboy

“Uh-uh. I drive that orange pickup that’s in the front row of the parking lot.”

He glanced outside and noticed an orangish blur which he knew had to be the truck. Running even a short distance would leave him with a drenched suit. Not a pleasant thought especially since he had no change of clothes.

“I think it would be more prudent to wait a few minutes,” he advised.

“Don’t want to get your fancy suit wet, eh?” She gave him an understanding grin. “All right. You wait here. I’ll bring the truck to the door.”

“That won’t be necessary. I can walk out with you, although I don’t see why we can’t wait until it isn’t raining quite so hard.” He could feel his patience slipping away.

She shrugged. “It’s only water, but if you want to wait, that’s fine with me. I should tell you, though, that the way it’s been raining here lately, who knows when it’ll clear. And the longer we stay here, the less time you’ll have to spend with your employees when we get back.”

“I’m sure my employees can get along without me this evening,” he retorted smoothly.

“That may be true, but it is a long drive back to the ranch, Mr. Bennett, and it’s already late.” She reached for the door. “You’re the guest, I’m the driver. You wait here. I’ll get the truck.”

“I’m not having you pick me up at the door!”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not.” He unzipped his briefcase to get a section of the newspaper to use as protection from the rain.

“Is that a laptop?” Kacy asked, peering over his shoulder.

“Yes.” He pulled out the business section of the Chicago Sunday Times, aware of her eyes watching him closely.

“Now that’s a shame.”

“What is?”

“That you brought your PC in that carry-on. You could have packed a change of clothes. Most people do that—pack an extra set of clothes just in case the luggage goes astray.”

Austin wondered if she was deliberately trying to annoy him or if he was simply in a bad mood because number one, he didn’t want to be here and number two, he had just argued with Daphne. “I’m not most people and I happen to need my laptop.”

“Not at the ranch you don’t. You’re going to be unplugged while you’re there.”

“Unplugged?”

“Yes. No telephones, no faxes, no PCs. This isn’t a working vacation, Mr. Bennett. It’s a team-building workshop that requires all of your attention and concentration.”

He sighed impatiently. “Ms. Judd, I am the CEO of Bennett Industries. I have responsibilities. It would be not only foolish, but inconsiderate, for me to lose my connection with my office.”

“Well, that may be, Mr. Bennett, but I think it would be even more foolish and inconsiderate of you to waste company money—which is what you will be doing if you don’t give your one hundred percent to the program.”

“Excuse me?” Did she honestly think that running around playing cowboy was more important than running one of the country’s most successful manufacturing industries?

“This whole concept is based on teamwork. You and your fellow employees are going to have to rely on each other. You’re not their CEO while you’re here, just another member of the team. And as a member of the team you need to work hard so that the others will know that they can count on you. Your attention needs to be with them, not with a bunch of suits in Chicago.”

Austin could only stare at her in disbelief. He ran one of the most successful manufacturing companies in the country and he was being given a lecture on management by a woman wearing cowboy boots, a yellow rubber slicker and a ten-gallon hat. What had his father gotten him into?

She peeked her nose out the door, then turned back to him and said, “I think there’s a slight lull in the rainfall. We’d better leave while we can.”

If this was a lull, he shuddered to think what a downpour would be. By the time Austin reached the pickup he was soaked. His hair, his face, his hands—everything dripped with water, including his briefcase. The section of the Times that had acted as an umbrella was a soggy mess and had done little to shield him from the driving rain. Now it fell apart, clinging to his wet fingers as he tried to shake them free.

“Do you want me to put the heat on so you can dry off a bit?” she asked as she climbed in beside him.

“I’m not cold. I’m wet,” he said stiffly.

Again she shrugged. “Very well.” She stuck the key in the ignition and started up the engine. “Fasten your seat belt. Next stop the Triple J.”

As she let out the clutch, the truck lunged forward.

“Sorry. Sometimes the pedal sticks,” she explained with a sly grin which only raised Austin’s suspicions about the sincerity of her apology. “You ever been to North Dakota before Mr. Bennett?” she asked once they were out of the parking lot and on their way.

“Once.”

“And?”

“It was a long time ago.”

“Well, what did you think?”

“That there’s a lot of flat land,” he said dully.

She chuckled. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who think the two best things about North Dakota are the east and west ends of Interstate 94?”

“Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“Of course it’s a joke. Interstate 94 runs smack dab through the middle of the state from Minnesota to Montana. It implies there’s nothing in between the borders, which couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s true that much of the state is flat farmland, but if you haven’t been to the northeast corner, you’re in for a treat. There’s the Pembina Gorge which is a beautiful river valley and there’s even a ski resort. Most people…”

He quickly cut her off. “You can save yourself the bother of giving me the guided tour, Ms. Judd.”

“You don’t want to hear what your colleagues already heard?” she asked in an annoying innocent tone.

“I’m sure North Dakota has an abundance of natural wonders, but right now I’m wet, I have no change of clothing and I don’t feel up to hearing a travelogue of your state,” he snapped.

“You should have let me pick you up at the door.” She had the audacity to scold him cheerfully.

Before he could utter another word his cellular phone rang. As he pulled it out of his pocket, he heard Kacy click her tongue in admonition. He shot her a nasty look before answering the call. “Yes?”

It was Daphne, hoping to continue the phone conversation he had started at the airport.

“I can’t believe you hung up on me like that!” Her voice was so loud Austin had to wonder if Kacy didn’t hear it, too.

“This isn’t a good time for me to talk. Go to bed. I’ll call you in the morning,” he said quietly into the pocket-sized phone.

“I’m not going to let you cast me aside like some used piece of furniture,” Daphne continued to shout into the phone.

“I’m not doing that. All I’m saying is this is not a good time to talk.”