Winning Over The Cowboy

After her dousing, Chase hadn’t seen any more of Landry yesterday. Probably holed up in her quarters, licking her wounds. He could only hope she was packing.

His stomach knotted in anticipation as he set his coffee mug by his computer and typed in her name.

The search quickly produced an engagement announcement. He clicked on the newspaper and saw a professional-looking color photo. Landry was all smiles, standing behind a preppy blond man, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Reginald Billings Sr. announce the engagement of their son, Kyle Reginald Billings Jr., to Ms. Landry Ann Malone.

Mr. Billings Jr. is the chief operating officer of his family-owned corporation, Data Solutions, based in Dallas. Ms. Malone is a chef at Warren Dude Ranch in Aubrey. Mr. and Mrs. Billings Jr. will reside at their newly purchased Arbor Bed-and-Breakfast in Denton.

Chase checked the date. Almost a year ago, early September. Only weeks before she came to stay at the dude ranch. Why hadn’t the wedding happened?

Mr. Billings Jr. was obviously loaded. Had Landry landed him for his money? Was that why the wedding didn’t happen? He’d figured her out and called it off? She apparently hadn’t ended up with the B and B or she wouldn’t have come here.

Chase backed out of the newspaper link, then clicked on her Facebook page. It took him a few tries to remember the password his sister had used when she set up the dude ranch’s account, but finally he was in, and Landry’s wall soon popped up.

My happily-ever-after is only 1 hour away. With a dozen smiley faces.

It was her last post—on what should have been her wedding day. Nothing since. He scrolled down.

My happily-ever-after is only 1 day away.

He continued to scroll. She’d counted the days from the time of her engagement to her wedding day. Three months—every day interspersed with photos of traditional wedding dresses, flowers, cakes and decorations. Amidst it all, an elegant ultramodern dress completely different than the others with the comment, My dress Kyle chose.

Countless pictures of simple bouquets of those purple, droopy flowers that grew on vines in trees. An elaborate bouquet: My flowers Kyle chose.

Dozens of unpretentious two-and three-layer cakes with a bride and groom on top. A fussy cake with a roses spiraled up and around six layers, topped by a bride and groom in a glittery carriage: My wedding cake Kyle chose.

Looked like Kyle hijacked the wedding. Had Landry bailed because he was too controlling?

Three months worth of days focused solely on her wedding. Nothing else. Nothing about what she’d had for dinner, or vacation pictures, or “my cat did this or that” posts. Like a giddy bride and not a gold digger.

Pressure mounted in his chest as he clicked on her photos. He’d never been such a snoop.

No photos of her fiancé. Or of them together, for that matter. The only other pictures were of rustic dude ranches. With one fancy B and B in the mix. The caption: The Arbor Bed-and-Breakfast Kyle bought.

He closed the browser, guilt churning his gut. He was basically stalking her online. But with good reason. He had to figure her out. If she was a scam artist, he needed to know. He’d had his fill of those.

But did scam artists count down the days to their happily-ever-afters? Maybe if they were trying to reel in a rich guy. And right after her wedding-that-wasn’t, she’d landed at the dude ranch. In the Rest a Spell Room.

What had she said yesterday—she’d stayed there after Ky? Kyle. After Kyle what? His sister had been tight-lipped about the circumstances. Had Landry set a plan in motion to console herself with Chase’s family legacy?

He downed the rest of his coffee, grabbed his keys and locked up. Gravel crunched under his boots as he made his way to the ranch house.

If he was honest with himself, he knew Landry couldn’t have foreseen Eden’s diving accident or that she’d be named a beneficiary. And Landry seemed genuine. He could usually get a good read on people. Wasn’t easy to pull one over on him. He’d just have to spend time with her—figure her out a piece at a time. Until the puzzle that made up Landry Malone was complete.

Might as well get to it.

* * *

Day three. What would Chase pull today in his quest to get rid of her? Maybe they could forget yesterday and start over. She drew in a deep breath and crossed the great room, ready for battle.

He sat in a wingback in the foyer, reading a horse magazine. Her steps stalled.

Seemed harmless. But she’d keep an eye on him. Just in case.

The phone rang.

“You can get it.” He didn’t move.

Of course she could. She was half owner and didn’t need his permission.

She hurried to the reservation desk, grabbed the handset. “Chasing Eden Dude Ranch. May I help you?”

“Yes.” A pleasant-sounding woman. “I’d like to book a room for a week. We’d arrive a week from today. Do you have anything available?”

“Let me check.” She scanned the calendar on the screen. “How many people?”

“Two adults, two children.”

With Chase’s scrutiny, it took all her concentration to do a mental inventory of their rooms that would suit the caller’s needs.

“We have the Roundup Room, which has a queen and a twin bunk bed. Or we have the Tarry Awhile Room with a king-size bed. That room connects to our Wild Horses Room with two twin beds.” She quoted rates on both setups. “We also have an all inclusive package with trail rides, fishing trips, camping and three meals a day.” She quoted more rates. “Or you can pay only for the activities you utilize and meals when you dine in.”

“We’re visiting family near, so we’ll probably spend most of our days and meals with them. The two rooms sound perfect, though. Can we get both of them for the whole week?”

“You can.” Landry settled at the desk. “Let’s confirm dates, and then I’ll need a name for the reservation and a credit card.”

As she entered all the information in the desktop, she glanced at Chase. Watching her.

She closed her eyes, forced her focus back to the caller. “Since you have family near, have you been to our area before, Mrs. Collins?”

“Yes.”

“We usually offer to mail a brochure of area attractions in advance.” To encourage potential guests not to change their minds, Chase had instructed. “Would you be interested in that?”

“We’ll just pick one up when we get there.”

“All right, then.” She scanned the screen, making sure she’d entered everything required. “I have all that I need. We’ll look forward to your stay, Mrs. Collins. If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thank you so much.”

She ended the call. Without missing a beat, it rang again.

“Go for it.” He flipped a magazine page.

So, did he expect her to play receptionist while he chilled out? “Chasing Eden Dude Ranch. May I help you?”

“Yes.” A contrite woman’s voice. “I’d like to cancel our reservation for next week, please. The Martin family.”