Tempted by the Broken Cowboy (Wrangler Creek: The BAD BOYS of Iron Stallion Ranch #2)

1. QUINN

QUINN

“He did what?!” I screech as the solid glass paperweight drops from my hand and rolls to the corner of the room.

I stare at my big brother, Rhett, wondering if he’s teasing me to get a rise out of me or if he’s serious about the bomb he just dropped on me.

“Rhett, I’m going to need you to repeat what you just said,” I demand in a stern tone, getting to my feet.

“Dad just scrapped the free school lunch program. I thought you should hear it from me first. I’m so sorry, Quinn. I know this was a passion project of yours. Maybe you—“

I hold up my hand to stop him from saying anything else. “Where is the old man?”

He sighs, looking hesitant to tell me, but realizes that either way, I will find him, so he chokes out our father’s location. “In his study.”

Without another word, I brush past him as I leave my office, taking the stairs two at a time. I don’t bother knocking as I barge in—I am a woman on a mission.

The man in question is seated behind the mahogany desk that I’ve always thought was too big for this office, glasses perched on his nose, reading a newspaper with a steaming coffee mug next to him.

He doesn’t even look up from whatever he is reading, as if he were expecting me.

“Daddy, how could you?!” I ask in an accusing tone.

Painfully slow, he sets the newspaper down. His glasses come off next as he picks up the coffee mug, the same pair of blue eyes I have lifting to meet mine. He gives me a pointed look, refusing to say anything. I quickly realize my mistake, so I correct myself.

“Mr. Mayor,” I grit out sarcastically before proceeding. “I’ve been informed that the free school lunch program has been scrapped, and I’d like an explanation.”

“Simple. Not enough money in the budget.” He answers too calmly for my liking.

“But yesterday, you approved the budget for a new golf course,” I exclaim.

“It’s for the community,” he insists.

I can’t help the scoff that makes its way past my lips. “Oh, please. This is Texas—we play football and have rodeo in our blood. We don’t need a damn golf course. But the free school lunch program is essential. It’s been feeding hundreds of schoolchildren.”

The Wrangler Creek free school lunch program for all public schools is something I fought for months to get approved, and now, after just a year, it’s been scrapped?! Not on my watch.

His face turns grim, and I realize he’s done with me. “Miss Atwood, do I need to remind you who the Mayor is between us?”

He always throws that at me when I call him out on his bullshit.

“You are,” I sigh, wishing he’d step down already so I can run for mayor and bring actual change to this town.

“Exactly, so my word is final.”

“But—“

“If you want me to approve your proposal, you know what you need to do. Which is?” he questions.

My head bows in defeat. “Raise half the amount myself,” I mumble.

“Exactly. Now please tell me how much of the fifty million dollars you’ve managed to raise?” he asks, even though he already knows the answer.

“None, but I’m working on it,” I defend.

Six months ago, I wrote a detailed proposal for a development project I have in mind for Wrangler Creek and brought it before my father, the mayor. He was averse to it at first, but after I talked him into it, he agreed to fund it as long as I was able to raise half the amount.

“Then keep working on it.” He waves me off dismissively. “This matter is closed. Let’s discuss the rest when you have the discussed amount.” He picks up his newspaper once again, indicating this conversation is over.

With drooping shoulders, I exit his office, the fire I barged in with extinguished.

The Atwoods have been running Wrangler Creek for generations, and it’s always been men with all the power.

This never sat right with me, so I took it upon myself to make sure I had a seat at that table.

I studied hard—I have three bachelor’s degrees to show for it, a master’s, and I’m working toward my PhD at only twenty-six.

When I earned my political science and public administration degree, my father offered me a position on the city council, and I was thrilled.

I thought I was finally going to achieve all my dreams of building Wrangler Creek to its full potential.

Then he approved my first project, the free school lunch program, and I was over the moon.

I decided to think bigger and draft a proposal for a mega project cutting across all boards: agriculture, education, manufacturing and construction, finance, healthcare, and tourism.

He laughed it off at first. Wrangler Creek has never had such a huge development plan before, until he realized I was serious.

He agreed to finance it as long as I came up with half the money.

No problem—I could do that, and I had the perfect investors in mind: the Morgans, the richest family in Wrangler Creek.

One problem, though: the Morgans like to keep their business private, are averse to outsiders, and have been blocking all my attempts at a meeting.

And now I’m running out of time because if I don’t get this project approved in time for the next fiscal year at the budgeting meeting in ten weeks, I will have to wait another year before I can bring it up again.

While sulking and feeling sorry for myself, wondering how I’m going to land that meeting with the Morgans, I bump into Landon, our family’s second-born, on the stairs.

“Yeah, dude, I’m so excited. I’ll see you later.” He concludes the call he’s on with a big smile on his face.

“What’s got you so excited?” I inquire when he lifts his hand to give me a high-five.

He picks me up, making me shriek as he twirls me around. “I’m going to Vegas,” he announces, bursting with excitement.

“Put me down, Landon. And what are you going to Vegas for? Do you have a competition?”

Landon is a professional bareback rider, so he’s always away from home for competitions. He sets me down and shakes his head. “It’s for leisure this time. Zane’s bachelor party.”

My eyes widen in curiosity. “Zane Morgan?”

Zane Morgan is the eldest of the Morgan siblings, who’s engaged to Ava Noa, a world-famous pop artist. Their love story has attracted national and global attention since Ava is beloved all over the world, but they have managed to keep it all very secret due to how private the Morgans are.

“The very one,” Landon affirms.

“Isn’t the wedding in a month? Why are they having the bachelor party so early, or is that a norm nowadays?” I prod further.

“It is, but the bride, Ava, has a performance in Vegas, so they decided to combine the bachelor and bachelorette parties,” he explains.

“That’s a neat idea.”

“It is.”

“Have fun.”

“Oh, I plan to.”

He tugs at my hair as he walks past me, headed to his room—such typical big brother behavior. Just as I am about to head back down myself, an idea pops into my mind, and I find myself chasing after him.

“Landon, wait,” I call out and manage to catch him just before he gets into his room. “Who else will be there?”

“Everyone except their old man,” he answers, looking confused, probably wondering why I’m this curious about his trip.

“Jace Morgan?” I ask hopefully.

Jace is the second-born of the Morgan siblings and the CEO of Morgan Enterprises. His father is the owner and chairman, but the man I need is Jace, as he runs everything.

Landon flicks my forehead, making me scowl. “Everyone means everyone, Quinn.”

Yes! Perfect.

“I need a favor,” I request, unleashing my puppy dog eyes on him.

“No,” he replies without even hearing me out.

“But you didn’t even hear what it is yet.”

“I don’t need to. Whatever it is, keep me out of it.” He replies, opening his bedroom door and walking in, but I follow him inside.

“I just need you to hand him my proposal,” I plead.

“No.”

“Please, Landon.”

“I said no, Quinn.”

“Fine, then at least let me come with you. I’ll give it to him myself,” I insist.

“No! Are you crazy? Do you know how much I had to beg them to let me tag along, and now you want me to show up with my baby sister? Are you trying to get me ostracized?” He scolds, walking toward his closet to pack a bag.

“I am not a baby. Please, Landon.”

“No! And stop asking. I’m not budging on this.” He asserts, and I realize that there’s no bargaining with him.

No wonder he’s friends with the Morgans—he’s just as stubborn as they are. He was probably born into the wrong family.

“Fine, I’ll do it myself,” I grumble as I turn to leave his room.

“Good luck with that,” he yells after me just before I slam his bedroom door closed.

If Landon thinks he’s gotten the last word, then he has another thing coming. I don’t need him to bring me with him—I can just show up there myself. All I need to do is follow him.

Tailing Landon is not as hard as they make it out to be in the movies.

This boy barely checks his mirrors, so he has no idea that I’m behind him the whole time.

The meetup location ends up being the Morgan family’s private airfield.

There’s a row of private jets and helicopters in the hangars, but a white Bombardier Challenger 650 is on the runway, so I assume that’s what they’ll be using.

I park a good distance away, grab the proposal, and exit my car with a confident strut. For months, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for, so I better not waste it.

“Dude, you brought your sister?” Beckett Morgan, Landon’s best friend, exclaims, noticing me behind him.

Beck is the fourth Morgan brother and the second to last born.

He and Landon have been best friends since their junior rodeo days since they are both bareback riders.

They have the perfect bromance because they both love women, drugs, and living dangerously, though I hear Beck loves his drugs a bit too much.

He is also my sworn enemy due to an interaction between us a few years ago that didn’t end well. But I am not here for him, so he is the least of my concerns.

“Sister?” Landon asks, confused, before turning around to find me standing behind him. “Quinn, what are you doing here? I told you no.”

I grin and wave sheepishly at him. “And I heard you. I’m here for myself,” I reply, looking around for the one Morgan I’m here for.

I hear laughter coming from inside the jet, and before either of the two besties can stop me, I take off up the steps leading into the plane.

Inside, I find Zane, the groom; the youngest Morgan sibling and only daughter, Ella; and the man I am here for, Jace.

I ignore the other two and make a beeline for him.

He looks up, surprised to see me, so I quickly rush to introduce myself. “Mr. Morgan, I’m—“

“Miss Atwood, I didn’t know you’d be joining us,” he says, interrupting me.

Of course he knows who I am. That should help me, right?

“I’m not, sir. I just wanted a few minutes of your time to give you this. It’s a—“

He lifts his hand and stops me. “The fifty-million-dollar investment proposal?”

I smile enthusiastically, pleased that he’s familiar with it. “Yes, you’ve read it?”

He nods. “Yes, Miss Atwood, I’ve read all your emails. It’s quite impressive.”

I cannot hide the annoyance in my voice from his response. “Then why haven’t you gotten back to me?”

Instead of looking annoyed by my disrespect, he smiles and leans back in his seat. “Because this proposal benefits you, but it’s of no value to me or my family.”

“You’ll be investing in Wrangler Creek, and once the project starts running, you will get your money’s worth back and then some,” I insist, knowing I’ll be the one gaining more but still needing him to agree.

“Look around you, Miss Atwood. We’re not exactly lacking said money,” he gestures to all the affluence around us.

I’m not blind. I know where I am and who I’m talking to—it’s why I need him in the first place.

“I can see that, but—“

Once again, he interrupts me. “Tell you what—tonight I’m supposed to be celebrating my brother’s bachelor party. I have no room in my mind to talk shop, but if you stick around, I promise to lend you an ear over breakfast tomorrow.”

“You want me to come with you to Vegas?”

“Yes, that is if you want me to listen to your pitch. Your call, Miss Atwood. It’s an all-expenses-paid trip. You can add the word ‘business’ there if it makes you feel better.”

I look around nervously to find Landon and Beckett glaring at me.

I know I’m an intruder—they don’t need to make it so obvious—but I don’t have any other choice.

This is the only opportunity I have to discuss my proposal with Jace.

If I pass it up and they lock themselves into the ranch once more, who knows if I will ever get the chance again.

When Jace sees the resolve on my face, he points to the seat next to Ella, who waves at me with a warm smile.

“Okay, sir, thank you,” I say with a polite bow.

“Have fun,” he nods just as the seatbelt sign comes on.

I quickly find my seat and buckle in. This is all happening so fast, but if it gets Jace to listen to my plan, then so be it.

Vegas, here I come.