Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
OLIVIA
“ Y ou’re going to live on a ranch for a week?” Abigail’s face was a mask of incredulity on my screen. “Why?”
“It’s not a whole week. Only three days, but still.” I carefully wedged another small pile of clothes into my suitcase before I glanced back at my phone. I’d propped it up against my pillows so I could Facetime with my middle sister while I packed. “Dad and the client thought it would be a good learning experience for me. “
Abi’s eyes widened. “Does this learning experience include getting to know the hot cowboy better?”
I chuckled. “No. Somehow, I don’t think they’d like that very much. They don’t even know that we’d met before.”
“That’s probably for the best. Dad would lose his ever-loving mind if he finds out you kissed a client. I still can’t believe the hot cowboy turned out to be an Anderson, though. How small is that place?”
“It’s not small at all,” I said, suddenly feeling a little defensive of my new home. I exhaled heavily through my nostrils. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just having some conflicting feelings about all this.”
“Understandably.” She looked up at me as I packed the last of my clothes and zipped up the suitcase, her expression curious. “Do you like him?”
“No,” I said immediately, but then I sighed and shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe? We had such a good time together that night and I definitely feel a connection with him, but it’s all messy and complicated, and besides, I didn’t come here for love, Abi. Far from it.”
“I’m adding London to our call,” she said after pausing for a beat. “We need her perspective here. You’re not telling me everything and I know that Todd hurt you, but that doesn’t mean that you have to avoid relationships for the rest of your life.”
“I’m not going to avoid relationships for the rest of my—” I got cut off when London’s face popped up on my screen with Abigail’s.
“What’s up, sisters?” She grinned and waggled her eyebrows at me. “Are you ready to move in with the hot cowboy yet?”
I groaned. “I’m not moving in with him. I’m moving into a guest suite on their property.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty neat that they have so many little cottages and things for guests.” She let out a dreamy sigh. “It’s so pretty out there. I mean, I’d never survive living like that, but like, maybe as a weekend home?”
Abigail laughed. “Well, before you make an offer on a ranch of your very own, tell me about the one Livvy is going to live on. What’s the cowboy like? Evidently, she feels a connection with him, but she’s conflicted.”
London shook her head at me. “Stop feeling conflicted and just go for it.” She focused on Abi. “The ranch is massive. Imagine, like, huge, sprawling fields that never end and birds singing. That kind of thing, and Charlie is going to run it all someday. Plus, he really is hot .”
As she emphasized the word, she lifted a hand to fan her face and grinned at our sister. “Ultra hot, actually. All rugged and manly. If you’ve ever thought about a full throttle cowboy, then you’ve thought about Charlie. Better yet, he only has eyes for our Liv. You should see them together. It’s so cute.”
“Cute?” I scoffed. “There’s nothing cute about it. We have completely different views on just about everything and I can guarantee that when , and not if , we clash, it’s going to be bad. Account-ending bad potentially. The dude doesn’t even let me open my own doors.”
“Why is that a problem?” Abi frowned. “All it means is that his mama raised him right. It’s not like he thinks you’re incapable of doing it. Obviously, he knows that you can use a door handle.”
“Does he?” I mused lightly. “I’m not so sure. He also seems to think that he already knows everything there is to know about me and he doesn’t like working with women.”
“That doesn’t seem right.” London swiped her tongue across her lips and drew them into her mouth. Then she gave her head a firm, curt shake. “No, I definitely don’t think that’s right. He didn’t strike me as one of those at all. He had no issues with us in that meeting and he?—”
“He told me so himself, London,” I said. “Apparently, it hasn’t worked out well for him in the past, so now he doesn’t like working with us.”
“Well, then you’re going to have to change his mind,” Abi said as if it would be the easiest thing in the world. “Something must’ve gone wrong the last time he worked with a woman, but that doesn’t make him a chauvinistic pig. It makes him scared. Those are two very different things.”
“Okay, but he’s still our client,” I reminded them. “Between that and the fact that we’re polar opposites, I think it’s pretty clear that I just need to get my head on straight and focus on the work. That’s what I came here for. It’s why I’m going to live on the ranch in the first place. There’s nothing really to be conflicted about, is there?”
London scoffed and glanced at Abi. “There she goes again.”
Abi chuckled. “Nope, because we’re not going to let her go.”
“I’m still here,” I said. “I can hear you.”
“Yeah, we know.” Abi looked me right in the eyes. “I have never heard you say that you’ve felt a real connection with a guy until now. Just be open to whatever happens when you get there and stay true to who you are. Don’t miss out on something that could be amazing just because Todd is an asshole and Dad brought you to Houston for work. You’ll still be working, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing you’re allowed to do.”
“You’re definitely allowed to do Charlie,” London said happily. “He’s way too hot not to give it a go.”
Abi and I both laughed, but our baby sister waited us out and smiled at me. “You should’ve seen yourself with him, Liv. I’ve never seen you smile so much and have so much fun immediately after meeting someone new. Stop worrying about work, and clashing, and differences and go with your gut, okay?”
I didn’t respond, but she nodded at me anyway and said her goodbyes. I checked the time as she hung up and realized that I needed to get going too. Picking up my phone, I blew a kiss at Abi and wiggled my fingers in a wave.
“I need to get out there,” I said. “They’re expecting me on the ranch in an hour.”
“Good luck.” She smiled and blew a kiss in return. “I miss you guys. Have fun, okay? Seriously, Liv. Loosen up and try to enjoy the time you’ve got on the ranch, and if the hot cowboy kisses you again, for the love of God, don’t push him away and preach to him about working together.”
She winked and hung up before I could respond. I chuckled through a groan as I picked up my suitcase. While I was trying to travel light, I had my laptop bag, a vanity bag, my purse, and the suitcase, and I nearly fell over a few times on my way out to my car.
Mulling over my sisters’ advice and opinions, I made the drive out of the city. At the very least, I would try to keep an open mind about him. I wouldn’t take London’s advice about going after him, though. I would never act so unprofessionally, but I was also going to try to keep things civil during our interactions and not let myself be bothered about the things he said and did that I disagreed with.
Despite our differences of opinion, we had to work together from here on out. It wouldn’t only be for the next quarter or this one campaign either. Walker Marketing had been working with the Andersons for years, and hopefully, we would keep doing so for many more to come.
That meant that Charlie and I were stuck with each other. We needed to figure out how to put our differences aside. Sadly, we would probably also have to keep our hands to ourselves. But one thing at a time.
First things first, I needed to impress upon him that I was capable of handling their account without changing things up too much. While I absolutely intended on ushering in a new age at the firm, it wasn’t like I was going to break the place down in some kind of crusade to make it my own.
I mean, this is my dad’s legacy we’re talking about.
When I arrived at the ranch, Wyatt was waiting for me. He had a big grin on his face and he was holding his long hair back with one hand as he waved toward a spot where I could park with the other. I stopped where he’d told me to, then climbed out and smiled at him.
“Howdy!” I called, feeling a little insecure about the greeting, but so many people had greeted me that way since I’d been in Texas that it felt like the right thing to say.
“How’re you doing, Liv?” He pulled me into a quick and friendly hug before walking around to the trunk of my car. “Well, are you going to pop it? I’m the welcoming committee, which means I’m also acting as your bell boy today too.”
I chuckled. “I can handle my things myself, but thanks.”
Wyatt’s eyes widened and he shook his head slowly from one side to the other. “I’m sure you can, but my mother would have my balls.” He flushed beet red. “She’d also have them for saying that in front of a lady. Do you mind keeping it between us?”
I laughed and pretended to zip my lips. “I’m a vault, Wyatt. How are you?”
“Better now that you’re here.” His blue eyes, so similar to his brother’s but just not the same, sparkled with mirth. He nodded at the trunk again. “Pop it open already. Let’s get this show on the road.”
I hit the button on my key fob and walked to the back of the car to join him, but he stubbornly refused to let me take anything and seemed thrilled about being the pack mule as he showed me to Charlie’s house.
I frowned. “What are we doing here?”
“The guest suite you’re staying in is upstairs,” he explained over his shoulder. “Charlie lives downstairs, but the second story operates as a guest house when we need it.”
“What about the other rooms and suites across the property?” I asked, trying not to sound as panicked as I was.
Wyatt chuckled. “Dad wants you feeling like part of the family. Besides, some of those suites are cottages that are pretty remote. We figured you might prefer this.”
As soon as he said it, I shut up. He flirted lightly with me as he led me up the stairs to the porch. “If you need anything , I’m available,” he said. “All hours of the day and night.”
I laughed through the sudden nerves of knowing I was staying in Charlie’s house. “Thanks, but I’m think I’m good to go.”
Wyatt sighed. “It’s because of Charlie, isn’t it?”
“Nah. It’s because I’m only here for three days and I doubt I’m going to need anything at night. Something tells me the fresh air around here is going to knock me right out.”
He grinned. “I meant?—”
“I know what you meant, but I’m still fine. Thank you.”
He shrugged after placing my things neatly on the bed.
I walked him to the door and waved goodbye. “Thanks for carrying all that stuff for me. I owe you.”
He tossed me a cheeky wink over his shoulder. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
As he strode away, he broke into a half-jog that made me wonder what he was in such a rush to get back to. Once he’d disappeared, I stayed in the open doorway, looking out the window at the ranch I was temporarily calling home.
It was absolutely beautiful out there, but it was nothing like what I was used to. There was more open space just on this one ranch than I’d ever seen before. Coming from the city, I was accustomed to being surrounded by skyscrapers, shopping centers, restaurants, bars, and traffic.
This was going to be a whole new experience for me. As uncertain as I was about living in such close proximity to Charlie, I couldn’t say I minded the view I would have while trying to figure things out with him.
As if my thoughts had summoned the man himself, he appeared from around the corner and strode up to my door.
“Welcome to Anderson Ranch,” he said, that deep, sexy voice of his sending a shiver through me. “Do you need anything?”
Yes, you.
I had to fight the flush that wanted to creep onto my cheeks at the thought, so I bit my lips and shook my head. “No, I’m alright for now. Thank you.”
I moved back into the bedroom.
Charlie lingered at the threshold.
I frowned. “Are you going to come in?”
Those ice blues followed me, but he didn’t move an inch. “Nope. A gentleman doesn’t invite himself into a lady’s bedroom.”
“Does the invitation have to be in writing? You’re welcome to come in. Obviously. It’s your property.”
“Unfortunately, the rules state that the invitation does have to be in writing. Embossed. All fancy like. It also requires a ten-day cooling-off period.”
A snort of laughter escaped me as I turned to face him, my head cocking and my arms coming up to fold over my chest. “Well, would you look at that? Your sense of humor is back.”
“It never went anywhere.”
“Oh, so it was just hiding the other day when you told me you didn’t want to work with me?”
It might’ve been my imagination, but I swore I saw a flicker of regret in his eyes as he shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“That might be true, but I know you didn’t want me to come spend time on the ranch.”
His gaze was unwavering on mine. “It’s nothing personal. I just prefer to keep things traditional, is all.”
I looked back at him and realized I didn’t really know what he meant by that, but I also realized it didn’t matter. If I wanted to earn his trust me in my professional capacity, I couldn’t start off by questioning his values or his beliefs.
“I can respect that,” I said quietly. “I also want you to know that I understand what the ranch and the privacy of your family means to you. Being from a family that is relatively well known in some circles myself, I get that.”
“You’re here because you’ve got a job to do,” he said slowly, those eyes still holding mine with such an intensity that I found it impossible to avert my gaze. “ I get that , but forgive me if I don’t believe that my family’s privacy is going to be a priority for you when you’re coming up with your pitches to our fathers.”
I bit my lip and refused to let the insult take control of my temper. Abigail had made a fair point earlier. What Charlie had said did make it seem like there was some fear involved from his side about us working together, which meant that going off on him was the worst thing I could do.
I had to keep calm and try to make him understand that I was here to help. “All I want is to push your brand further and to help you expand your reach. Contrary to what you might think of us city folk, I’m not here to obliterate your family’s privacy or exploit your way of life simply to further my career, Charlie. I can assure you that I will always treat you, your family, and the ranch with the utmost respect and I won’t push things on you that you don’t want.”
As he looked into my eyes, he was quiet for a moment before he nodded. “Dinner is in an hour at the main house. I’ll see you there.”
Turning on his heels, he strode away from my room and I sighed, my head shaking. I decided to unpack to give myself something to do other than chasing after him. I so badly wanted to know what he was thinking after that speech I’d just given, but I supposed I would just have to wait and see what happened at dinner.
Raking both of my hands through my hair, I looked around my bedroom, noticing the same rustic charm and sweet touches that I had the other morning. This room had an adjoining bathroom and it was larger than the one I’d stayed in last time, but all the furniture was made of some kind of heavy-looking wood as well, and there was another crocheted runner with a small vase of fresh flowers on the dresser.
The bedding was a crisp white, which seemed like a risky move on a ranch, but whoever washed this stuff seemed to be amazing at keeping it as white as it’d been when it was new. Or maybe it was new.
I had no idea, but it sure looked beautifully clean and inviting. Especially against the backdrop of the picturesque views outside.
I hung my clothes in the charming, antique wardrobe and folded some things into the dresser. As I did, I chewed on my lip and contemplated how crazy the difference was between my life and his. This was what Charlie had known growing up.
The wide-open spaces and fresh air, the rustle of leaves and the birdsong drifting in from outside. It smelled like the outdoors even inside my bedroom, the scent of grass, wood, and well, a little bit of cow poo too.
It was nothing like my life had been in the city, and while I supposed it wasn’t an insurmountable difference, one of us would have to adapt to a completely different lifestyle if we ever were to get together.
I wished I could stop thinking about that kind of thing, but I just couldn’t. Charlie had been constantly at the back of my mind ever since we’d met, and no matter how many times I’d told myself to focus on my work, I just couldn’t shake the thoughts of him.
I didn’t know what it was about him that had gotten under my skin, but I hadn’t been joking when I’d told my sisters that I felt connected to him. It was almost like he was somehow tethered to me. I couldn’t explain it, but he made my heart race and my knees weak, and trying to forget about him was as impossible as deliberately trying to forget my own name.
A useless endeavor.
Can I be this close to him for a few days and not act on the attraction I feel, despite the fact that he can be a total hardass? We shall see.
I needed to, though. I couldn’t get handsy with a client—and this was our biggest one. It just crossed way too many lines between business and personal, and I knew how ugly that could get. While I’d come here determined to keep an open mind, I suddenly realized that was probably the worst idea Abigail and London had ever had.
My mind—and my legs, for that matter—had to remain completely closed to Charlie. Whatever this connection was between us had to be left alone to fizz out and die. That was the only way to protect the professional relationship between our respective businesses. Considering that both our fathers’ legacies were on the line, that was the only thing that really mattered.