Chapter 6
Abby sat at the small writing desk in her room at the B B. She heard banging in the room next to her—apparently the establishment’s second guest had arrived.
First thing that morning, Abby had applied for an Arizona fishing license and printed it out on her small portable printer. She was more excited about going fishing with Brady than she’d been about anything for what seemed like a long time.
Now she needed to focus on business. She went over her notes on her laptop for the four ranches she’d visited. Right now, Tyson Donovan’s ranch looked promising, and Brady McLeod’s equally so.
She had a fifth ranch to hit today, and then she’d stop by Brady’s place to go over fencing options with him.
Her belly warmed as she thought about seeing him again. The man set her on fire. Of course, it was purely an attraction to a sexy man, who happened to be intelligent and fun, too. But nothing beyond that.
Still, she smiled when she thought about the relatively small amount of time she’d spent with him. The way he sang was enough to curl her toes. Maybe she was a fangirl after all. He’d even signed a napkin for her for fun.
She glanced at the chair at the foot of the bed, where she’d left yesterday’s clothes when she took them off last night. He probably had a great autograph. She got up and grabbed her shirt off the chair and slipped her hand into her pocket. She caught her breath as she remembered how his fingers had skimmed the top of her breast. He hadn’t done it intentionally, at least she didn’t think so.
Her throat worked as she fought to keep her mind off of the way Brady made her feel. It was dangerous to get caught up in any man.
She took the napkin out of her pocket and dropped the shirt back on the chair. She smiled as she opened the napkin.
I’m glad you walked into my life, Abby.
Brady McLeod
Her smile broadened as she read the message. She wasn’t going to read anything into it, but truth was she didn’t want to walk back out of his life.
She blew out her breath. Friends, of course. He’d make a good lifelong friend.
Right, Abby.
The phone rang, saving her from more thoughts of Brady.
Emma popped up on her caller ID and she answered the phone with a smile. “Hey, little sis.”
“Did you check your email?” Static sounded over the line, making it hard to hear her sister. The static noises stopped. “I sent you pictures of the shoes I picked out to go with your dress along with the bow ties and cummerbunds for the ushers.”
Abby held back a groan. More wedding delights to go over.
“I’ll check right now.” She kept her tone light, not wanting to rain on her sister’s parade in any way. She slid back into the chair at her desk and clicked the mail icon. Emma’s email, with the subject line Wedding Stuff, popped up. “Here it is. Give me a sec.”
She opened the email, which was filled with pictures. “I see the men’s cummerbunds and bow ties. Those are a good match for the sugary lavender bridesmaid dresses.”
“Sugary?” Emma laughed.
“They look like they have sugar sprinkled on them.” Abby skimmed down and groaned. “I’ll kill myself in those shoes. What are they, three or four inches high?”
“Three,” Emma said. “You’ll do fine. If you can wear boots, you can wear these.”
Abby snorted. “You’re comparing stilettos to cowboy boots?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Truly, I don’t.” Abby sighed. “How about two-inch heels?”
“I couldn’t find anything as pretty.” Emma sounded like she was losing patience. “It’s only for one day, Abby. Not even the whole day.”
Might as well be, she grumbled to herself. “They are cute, Em. I just hope I don’t trip and break my neck.”
“You’ll be fine,” Emma said. “I know your shoe size, so I’ll go ahead and order them.”
“Super.” Abby tried for a bright response. “What’s going on back home?”
“Same-same.” Emma sounded a little bored. “I just wish something fun was happening.”
“You do have all those wedding preparations to work on.”
Emma sighed. “I know. I’m having an off day.”
“How’s Daddy?” Abby asked. “I talked with him yesterday and he said he was fine, but his cough sounds rough.”
“He seems weaker, since he came down with the virus, so I worry about him,” Emma said. “It’s still with him even though he’s pushing himself.”
Abby frowned. “You never worry, Em. Is he that bad?”
“He’ll come through okay, Abby.” Emma’s tone brightened. “So how is everything on your end? Did you find a cowboy who trips your trigger?”
Did she ever.
“There are a couple of sexy cowboys here,” Abby said. “One named Brady McLeod and the other is Tyson Donovan. Brady sings and last night I got to see him perform at a local bar and grill.”
“Do tell,” Emma said with enthusiasm in her voice. “Is he good-looking?”
“H.O.T. Hot.” Abby thought about how incredible Brady looked last night in his Wranglers and Stetson. “Brady has a voice that rivals any country performer I’ve ever heard, and he’s gorgeous on top of that.”
“Ooh, maybe he’s the cowboy for you,” Emma said.
Abby shook her head. “I’m happily single, but I love to look. I’m going back to his ranch today because he’s ready to talk fencing.”
“That’s great,” Emma said. “Maybe you can do more than just talk about our products.”
“Nah, today’s business. But—” Abby paused dramatically. “On Saturday I’m going fishing with him and his sisters.”
“That’s awesome.” Emma paused. “You don’t go fishing with your business contacts. Something’s up.”
“Nothing’s up. Brady is just the exception to the rule.” Abby grinned. “He’s fun and intelligent on top of all of his gorgeousness.”
“Oooh, I want more, more, more.”
Abby laughed. So did she.
“It’s just fishing, sis.” Abby did her best to rein in her enthusiasm. “And his sisters will be there. He has three of them.”
“Four females against one male is a bit lopsided.”
“A bit.” Abby smiled. “I’m wondering what it will be like to meet all of them.”
“He must really like you to be inviting you to spend time with his family.”
“Get this—he also has four brothers.”
“Whoa.” Emma sounded intrigued. “Eight kids? He’s got our family beat by one. Imagine the family get-togethers if you marry.”
“I’m not even letting that thought in my head.” Abby groaned. “That would be insane. It’s going to be even worse once all of you marry.”
“Can you imagine if we had seven girls instead of four? Then you’d have six sisters planning weddings.”
“O.M.G. No.” Abby shook her head, horrified at the thought. “Just no.”
Emma sniggered.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Abby groaned. “I’m going to have nightmares about six bridesmaid gowns and six pairs of stilettos, and me flat on my face six times.”
Emma gave a wicked laugh. “My work here is done.”
“Go away.”
A loud squeak came over the line, probably the old office chair Emma was likely sitting in. “I guess I won’t talk to you tomorrow since you’ll be fishing. Have a great time. Beat his butt getting the biggest fish.”
“How’d you guess?”
Emma laughed. “Remember, I’m your sister. I know you.”
Abby signed off and set her phone on the desktop.
She put her elbow on the surface and her chin in her hand, her thoughts now fully on Brady. He was so incredibly good looking and beyond sexy. What she’d said to her sister was tame compared to the reality.
The way his coffee-brown eyes watched her and the sexy quirk of his lips made her belly burn.
She groaned and pushed her seat away from the desk. She needed to get her mind off Brady McLeod and get her butt out the door to her next potential client’s ranch.
And then she’d be seeing Brady again, and she was looking forward to that more than she wanted to admit.
Brady parked in front of the barn to unload the wet COB he’d bought at Bill Taylor’s feed store. Lady trotted from inside the barn and gave a lone bark in greeting.
“Hi, girl.” Brady climbed out and petted the dog before he opened the tailgate. He threw a bag of COB over his shoulder and started to haul it to the feed storeroom, Lady at his side.
He frowned as he thought about Clint Taylor and how the man had asked him about Haylee while Brady was paying for the feed. Brady had said she was fine and changed the subject, but Clint had brought her up again, asking if she was seeing anyone seriously. Brady had said he couldn’t say and managed to get away from the man without punching his teeth in.
He didn’t like Clint Taylor one damned bit and hoped Haylee kept her distance from him. He was bad news.
Brady turned his thoughts in a much better direction, and he smiled as he thought of Abby Buchanan. Long legs up to here, gorgeous green eyes, beautiful copper hair and a killer smile. Damn but he couldn’t wait to see her again.
Would he buy fencing from her just because he found her gorgeous and intriguing?
Brady smiled to himself. He would purchase fencing from her company if he liked what he saw about the product and the pricing. Hell, he didn’t know if he had the funds to replace all the old fencing like he needed to. He’d just have to see.
He was not going to lose his head over a dimple and long legs.
Still, he couldn’t stop thinking of her as he unloaded the truck. He dropped the last bag in the storeroom then shut his tailgate. Lady jumped onto the seat beside him, and he drove his truck to the big house and parked.
Brady looked down the length of his home, pleased to call such a beautiful place his own. It was all the more beautiful because he’d worked his ass off to be able to afford it. He’d been lucky the old man had put the place up for sale and had given him a good price, one that was more than fair.
“Come on, girl.” Brady rubbed her shaggy head before leaving the truck with her jumping down behind him.
He headed into the house to get a drink of water. Lady slurped from her bowl as he drained his glass.
“Knock, knock.” Haylee’s voice came from the back porch before she opened the door and popped her head in. “I see I caught you lollygagging.”
Brady glanced at Lady. “What happened to my early warning detection system?”
The dog woofed.
“She loves me too much to give me away.” Haylee knelt beside the dog and stroked her. “We’re best of friends, aren’t we girl.”
Lady licked Haylee’s cheek and she laughed as she got to her feet. “Jill wanted to bring her boyfriend, Carl, along tomorrow, but I told her siblings only.”
Brady winced. “I missed the memo. I invited a gal named Abby Buchanan to go with us.”
“Oh, really?” Haylee perked up. “You’ve met someone?”
He shrugged. “She’s a fencing rep I’m looking to buy product from. We got to talking fishing, so I invited her.”
Haylee put her hands on her hips and eyed her brother. “There is no way in hell you’d invite a woman to go fishing with us if she was a mere salesperson. You like her.”
He pushed his hat up and scratched his scalp before tugging the Stetson back over his eyes. “Abby’s fun and intelligent—I like being around her. But it’s not more than that.”
“Uh-huh.” Haylee clearly didn’t believe him. “A couple of days ago you told me you’re not interested in meeting women, and here you are inviting someone you just met on a family fishing trip.”
It wouldn’t do any good to argue with his sister, and truth be told she was right. “Do you mind her going?”
Haylee cocked her head and studied him. “It’s been a year since you’ve looked twice at a woman. So, do you think I’m going to make a fuss when you’ve finally found someone you’re interested in? Hell, no.”
Brady leaned back against the counter. “I guess you’ll need to tell Jill that Carl can go.”
Haylee brushed that away with a motion of her hand. “I can’t stand Carl. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know anything about anyone named Abby coming along.”
Brady folded his arms across his chest. “Jill’s not going to be happy.”
“She’ll get over it.” Haylee blew out her breath. “I stopped by to get your opinion on some new artwork I’ve done for my Etsy shop.”
“I’d love to see.”
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened up her photo album. She handed the cell to Brady. “Swipe right.”
Brady did and studied each miniature oil painting. “These are great, Hales.” He continued going through the photos before he looked up at her again. “How much are you charging?”
She told him. “It’s a competitive price with what’s out there in the online store.”
“I’d bet your work outshines the competition.” He handed the phone back to her. “It doesn’t seem like you’re charging nearly enough for the quality of your art.”
“Every little bit helps.” Haylee shrugged. “I don’t want to be in hospitality forever. I want to be a painter full-time.”
“Your art is some of the best I’ve seen.” He smiled at her. “You won’t have to be in hospitality long.”
“From your lips.” Haylee scratched Lady behind her ears. “It can’t be too soon.”
Lady’s ears perked and she drew away from Haylee and gave a single bark.
“Someone must be here.” Brady went to the window by the kitchen nook and peered through the window. “Looks like Abby’s Ford.”
“I get to meet her early.” She grinned at Brady when he glanced at her. “I’ll check her out and make sure she’s suitable for you.”
Brady gave her a mock frown. “Be on your best behavior, Haylee.”
She laughed. “What’s the fun in that?”
He shook his head and smiled. “Hold on and I’ll fetch her.” He opened the back door and Lady bolted out ahead of him. She didn’t bark and when he rounded the corner, he saw the dog greeting Abby with enthusiasm.
Brady hesitated mid-step as he watched the beautiful woman smile at Lady and say something to her. Sunlight glinted on her copper hair that hung in a long braid over her shoulder.
She straightened and turned her smile on him. He found his breath and strode toward her.
“Hi, Brady.” She came toward him and stopped a couple of feet before he met up to her. She carried a leather bag over one arm, and she patted it. “I’m ready.”
“Good timing,” he said. “I just got home not long ago.”
“Great.” She glanced at Haylee’s fire engine-red truck. “Do you have company? I can come back.”
He shook his head. “Just my kid sister. Come on in and meet her.”
“I’d love to.” Abby fell into step beside Brady as they headed to the back door. A flutter went through her belly at meeting a member of his family.
Which was ridiculous. She was much too old to be nervous about meeting a guy’s family. Especially when she wasn’t even dating the man.
He held the door open and followed her inside. “After you.”
A young blonde strode up to Abby, long curls swinging at her waist. A brilliant smile curved her lips, and she held out her hand. “Hi, Abby. I’m Haylee.”
Abby took her hand and smiled. “I guess I’m going fishing with you tomorrow.”
“I just heard.” Haylee flashed a glance of amusement at her brother before looking back to Abby. “We’ll have some fun ganging up on the only man on the trip.”
“Poor guy.” Abby tossed a grin at him as she and Haylee let their hands draw apart. “And I intend to kick his butt.” She turned back to Haylee. “We have a little bet.”
Haylee slipped her hands into her back pockets. “I’m dying to hear what it is.”
“Abby’s a little cocky about her fishing skills.” Brady moved closer. “I’m going to put her in her place.”
“The pot’s calling the kettle black.” Haylee snorted with laughter and turned to Abby. “Brady reminds everyone on every fishing expedition that he holds the record for biggest fish caught.” She glanced back to her brother. “That’s only because he gets lucky.”
He chuckled. “It’s luck if it only happens once or twice. It’s skill when it happens every trip.”
Haylee rolled her eyes. “Luck.”
Brady grinned. “Skill.”
Abby had to rein in her laughter. “That’s okay, Haylee. I’ll knock him off his throne.”
“See that you do.” Haylee smiled. “We’ll all be rooting for you.”
Brady’s phone rang and he pulled it out of the holster at his belt and glanced at the screen. He glanced from Haylee to Abby. “Give me a sec. I need to take this.”
“No worries,” Abby said.
He smiled before he turned away and brought his phone to his ear.
“Have a seat.” Haylee slid onto a bench seat at the table in the kitchen nook.
Abby took the one across from her. She let the strap of her leather case slide down her shoulder as she set the case on the bench beside her. “Do you and your sisters mind if I tag along tomorrow?”
Haylee waved that away. “It’ll be a blast.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice like she didn’t want Brady to hear. “He’s never brought anyone on one of our trips before. That tells me he must think you’re pretty special.”
Heat filled Abby’s chest at the thought that she might mean something to Brady, but she pushed that aside. “We just hit it off. He went to the ranch of one of our company’s clients for a referral. He saw a photo of me with a friend when we were kids and had gone fishing.” She smiled. “Apparently Elmer shared with Brady that I’m competitive, and our newfound rivalry grew from there.”
“That’s all and well.” The smooth skin at the corners of Haylee’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “But he wouldn’t have invited you if he wasn’t interested in getting to know you.” She cocked her head to the side. “Brady hasn’t been interested in a single woman since his ex left him at the altar a year ago.”
Abby’s eyes widened. “That’s awful. She actually left him standing in the church the day of the wedding?”
“Yep.” Haylee gave a sharp nod. “The music for the bridesmaids had started, and she told me she was leaving for the airport to go to Austria to be with a man she met on the Internet.” Haylee scowled. “I was one of her bridesmaids and I had to run up the aisle to tell Brady.” She sighed. “He was crushed.”
Abby held her hand to her heart. “How horrible. How could anyone be so callous and cruel?”
Haylee shook her head. “So, you can imagine why he hasn’t seen fit to date anyone in this past year.” She pointed to Abby. “And then there’s you.”
Abby leaned back and held her hands up. “Whoa there. I like Brady, but it’s just fishing.”
Haylee smirked. “I know interest when I see it.” She glanced at Brady, who was holstering his phone.
She turned back to Abby, a broad smile on her gorgeous face as she spoke loud enough to carry across the room. “I am so looking forward to you kicking Brady’s arrogant record-holding butt.”
“No problem.” Abby grinned at Brady. “He’s met his match.”
Haylee patted her hand on the table. “I’m counting on it.”
For a moment, Abby wondered if Haylee was talking about more than about a fishing record.
She slid out of the seat. “Gotta run, Brady. See you bright and early.”
“Be at the lake by five a.m.,” he said to her retreating backside. “We want to beat the crowds.”
She cast a look over her shoulder. “Six-thirty.” And then she opened the kitchen door and shut it behind her.
“I like your sister,” Abby said as Brady faced her.
He looked wary. “What did that imp say when I couldn’t hear her?”
“Girl talk.” Abby couldn’t help the amusement bubbling up inside her. “What is said between girls stays between girls.”
Brady groaned and dragged his hand down his face. “I’m going to regret this.”
Abby laughed. “Probably.” She hauled her case up on the table. “Is here a good place to go over everything?”
“As good as any.” He smiled and her heart stuttered. One single look was all it took to melt her.
She covered her lack of composure by focusing on her business and her products. She pulled out all of the sales sheets she needed and placed them on the table in front of her. “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for in a fence?”
He shrugged. “Something that keeps the neighbor’s cattle out and mine in, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.”
“I think one of our products will fit your needs.” She started going through each type of fencing they carried, starting with the most economical and moving up the line. She didn’t believe in being coy in sales, and she was clear and concise about pricing with each offering.
Brady listened attentively and asked great questions about each product, but she didn’t have a clear idea on what he would choose.
“We’ve started something new that you might be interested in.” Abby brought up the last sales sheet. “This is a mid-range product. I’ve saved it for last because it’s my current favorite.” She gave him a grin. “It’s like playing with a new toy.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Intriguing.”
“Now you sound like Spock.”
He laughed and she smiled. She went on. “We’ve started 3D printing a new fence line. It’s durable, impervious to weather, will stand up to hard use, and will last you damn near forever. We offer a ten-year guarantee. Considering how long we’ve been in business, you can be sure we’ll still be around if you ever have problems.”
“I am definitely intrigued now.” He took the sheet from her. “This looks like the HDPE livestock fencing that Elmer Thompson bought from your company.”
Abby nodded. “It’s similar. We’ve just rolled out this particular product. We didn’t have all of the equipment we needed to produce it until this past month. It’s a more affordable version of Elmer’s fencing, and just as good in every way.”
“All right,” Brady said. “What are we talking about in terms of cost?”
She told him the price per foot. “What is your total acreage?” She’d researched it, but she wanted him to give her the answer, too.
He told her and she brought out her calculator and determined how much it would be to cover his entire property.
“Of course, you can use the same product for the entire property, or use more than one product. Is there another you’re interested in, too? I can run those numbers for you as well.”
“I’d like pricing for the line of fixed-knot fencing you carry,” he said, and she went back to her calculator.
She gave him both sales sheets with the totals written on each. “Like I said, we can do part of your fencing in the 3D-printed line and part in fixed-knot if you’d like, too.”
He gave a slow nod. “I really like what you have to offer, and I think your prices are fair.” He looked from sheet to sheet and met her gaze. “I’ll need a couple of days to decide what I want to do. I want to talk it over with my foreman, too, and see if he has any questions I haven’t thought of. He’s good that way.”
“There’s no rush, Brady.” Abby gestured to her remaining product flyers. Do you want any of these before I put them away?”
“Nah.” He shook his head and rested the two she gave him on the table and put his hands on top of them. “This is perfect. Thank you, Abby.”
She smiled. “Thank you for letting me show you what we have.” She slid everything into her leather case and cinched the straps.
When she finished, she raised her head and met Brady’s eyes. “What time do I have to be here to get to the lake by five a.m.?”
He grinned and shook his head. “That was just me giving my kid sister a hard time. Be at my place around five and we’ll get to the lake plenty early.”
“Works for me.” She slid off the bench seat and hitched her case strap over her shoulder. “I’d better get back to the B B and get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”
Brady walked her out to her rental, and she enjoyed his presence beside her.
Lady trotted at his side and waited for Abby to give her attention before she bounded for the barn.
Brady inclined his head in Lady’s direction. “She knows it’s time for chores, which is one of her favorite parts of the day.”
“Certainly can’t say that about most people.” She pushed her braid over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow, Brady.”
“There’s a fishing rod with your name on it.”
She laughed. “I’ll bet there is.”
Moments later, she was in her car and driving away from the ranch. She wasn’t really thinking about making a sale at all. She thought about the things Haylee had told her, and about how Brady made her feel.
And she wondered if maybe if she should be telling herself stop, when all she wanted to do was go.