Corporate Cowboy

“But we need to discuss our feelings.”

Feelings were something Austin rarely discussed with anyone. And certainly not in the presence of a cowgirl.

“Daphne, please,” he pleaded, but she refused to be deterred. Fortunately, they were driving out of range of the transmission and her voice became weaker. Finally he said, “I can’t hear you, Daphne. I’m going to have to hang up and talk to you when I’m not in transit.” He said goodbye and tucked the phone back into his pocket.

A glance told him Kacy sat with a smug smile of satisfaction—as if she knew he wasn’t going to be able to get any reception on the phone and was pleased about it.

“Satisfied?” he asked churlishly, wondering what it was about the woman sitting next to him that made him want to reach across and kiss that smile right off her pretty little face.

And it was a pretty face. At least what he could see of it. Cute bow lips highlighted with just the faintest of red lipstick, a pert little nose, a dainty but determined chin. And green eyes that he swore sparkled with mischief. She didn’t have the kind of looks that made the runway models famous, but she was pretty.

Of course he couldn’t see her forehead. Maybe she had one of those apelike brows that would erase the beauty of the rest of her face. That could be why she wore the hat—to cover up a bad hairline.

He chuckled. Who was he kidding? She was cute, in a country sort of way. Not that it mattered to him. He hadn’t come to North Dakota looking for Daphne’s replacement. At the thought of the model he sighed. He should have broken it off with her weeks ago. The relationship was going nowhere. Kacy Judd must have mistaken the meaning of his sigh.

“If you need to make emergency calls, we do have phones at the ranch,” she said politely.

“Do I have to be bleeding to use one?” He couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his voice.

“We don’t want to completely isolate you, Mr. Bennett,” she continued in her annoying calm voice, “but the team approach is much more effective if there are no phone interruptions. Of course we understand that there are times when you may need to touch base with your family.”

Family? What he needed to keep in touch with was work, not family. Although in his case, the two were unfortunately connected. If there was anything positive to be said about the trip to North Dakota it was that he would get a break from people who seemed hellbent upon making his life stressful.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He really was tired. Maybe a week at a ranch wouldn’t be so bad after all. He could get some much needed rest as well as work without any interruptions. Mentally he prepared the upcoming week, assessing the pending reports, letting the sounds of the tires rotating over the pavement lull him into a state of relaxation.

How long they traveled in silence he wasn’t sure. His peace was shattered at the sound of tires squealing on pavement and a horn blaring. Austin’s eyes flew open to discover they had come to a stop only inches in front of the biggest moose he had ever seen. Actually, it might have been the only moose he had ever seen.

The creature seemed to be in no hurry to move from the highway. It was almost as if it took a wicked pleasure in blocking the road.

Kacy leaned her head on her steering wheel and let out a long gasp of air. “That was too close for comfort.”

Much too close thought Austin, watching the moose sniff the hood of the pickup, as if expecting to find dinner. It snorted, causing Austin to sit back as far as possible in the truck.

Kacy again tooted the horn, but the animal seemed oblivious to the noise.

“It’s not moving,” Austin stated inanely.

“No foolin’.”

“Why isn’t it moving?”

“Because moose don’t move for anyone or anything. They don’t have to.”

He hoped she was joking, but he could see by the caution on her face that she wasn’t. “Now what?”

“Now we wait until it moves out of our way.”

“You can’t just back up and drive around it?”

“It’s best not to try to outsmart a moose.”

“You’re pulling my leg, right?”

She shot him a sideways glance. “Messing with a moose is no joking matter, Mr. Bennett and it’s something you should remember should you find yourself face to face with one while you’re here. Bullwinkle may be sweet and lovable, but the moose out here can be mean, nasty creatures.”

As if to prove her point, the large animal nudged the front end of the truck with his rack, causing Kacy to cuss. “Damn! I hope he doesn’t dent my front end.”

Austin wasn’t so much worried about the truck as he was about the two of them inside. He wasn’t sure if humans could outrun moose.

Finally, after what seemed to Austin to be an eternity, the animal backed away from the pickup and sauntered over to the shoulder of the highway where he paused to give them another look before ambling away. Kacy put the truck in gear and her foot on the gas pedal. As they sped down the highway she hummed as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

After a few minutes, Austin asked, “Does that happen often?”

“What? Moose blocking the road? Every now and then. It’s a good thing we weren’t talking, otherwise I might not have noticed it when I did.”

Austin decided it would better not to engage her in conversation and went silent. She, however, didn’t seem to be as concerned.

“You ever see the damage a deer can do when it hits a car?” She didn’t wait for him to respond but continued on, “Well, that animal weighs about twice as much as any deer, maybe even three times. And moose have longer legs which means a higher center of gravity so they often come right through the windshield. Did you ever see that movie with Geena Davis where that deer came crashing right through the windshield? It’s not a pretty sight.”

And one Austin didn’t care to visualize. He wondered where help would come from if they were to have an accident or even break down. In the entire time they’d been driving, they hadn’t passed a single car. “Is it always this dark along this highway?”

“You’re not in Chicago, Mr. Bennett. This is North Dakota. You’re lucky we have a paved road…and that’s coming to an end before long.” Was that pleasure he heard in her voice?

Austin wasn’t sure which was worse—riding with his eyes wide open and watching for a critter to leap out of the darkness or sitting with his eyes shut and waiting for her to slam on her brakes. In the beam of the headlights he could see all sorts of flying insects and occasionally one would plop against the windshield.

What was he doing here? he asked himself, growing more restless by the minute. He wasn’t a nature lover and he certainly had no affinity for the wide open spaces. He was a city boy, born and bred, and while other people complained of the congestion and noise, he thrived on it.

“You know, you look awfully tense sitting there clutching your briefcase. You can lean back and close your eyes. I won’t run us off the road.”

Easier said than done, Austin thought. “How much farther is it?”

“We’re almost there.”

A short while later Austin realized that almost in North Dakota was not the same as almost in Chicago. Just as she predicted, the pavement gave way to a gravel road which she drove across at an alarming speed. He could hear rocks hit the underside of the pickup and was tempted to plead with her to slow down. Instead he gritted his teeth and sucked on his horehound drops.

By the time they reached the ranch the rain finally stopped. As she drove through an iron gate arched with the words “The Triple J,” Austin could see a smattering of lights in the distance.

“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.