Chapter 9
OLIVIA
Lacey and I were pulling up at the ranch of our biggest client, and as soon as she turned off the main road, my heart started beating right out of my chest. No way the hot cowboy from the other night is our billion-dollar client.
There was no way that Cowboy Charlie’s last name was Anderson and yet our surroundings felt eerily familiar. I closed my eyes, but when I opened them again, I found myself staring at the exact same bunkhouse I’d spotted the other night on our way in.
Or maybe bunkhouses all look the same. There’s still a chance that this isn’t the same place. I could be getting things mixed up.
Sending up a silent prayer that I was right, I fidgeted with my fingers in my lap and did a quick mental replay of everything Dad had told me about our client so far. I didn’t remember him ever saying the name Charlie in relation to his longtime friend, Jack Anderson.
All I knew was that Jack had five sons to Dad’s three daughters. I didn’t think he had ever mentioned any of their names.
Yet I had a feeling I already knew them. Charlie. Mason. Colt. Wyatt. Cody. Shit. Please let me be getting the place mixed up. Please let there be another rancher next door who also owns a massive piece of land and has five sons.
My father would literally fire me if he was to find out that I’d had a night out with our billion-dollar client. Being his daughter wouldn’t save me from that fate.
Lacey followed the rest of our team to the barn where we’d been told all the meetings took place, and she let out two words that damned me. “No way.”
I groaned. “It’s the same place, isn’t it?”
“Definitely,” she breathed as she leaned forward and stared at the building we were parking in front of it. “I saw that ‘A’ etched onto the front of this barn when we were on our way out that morning.”
“Crap.” I covered my face with my hands and moaned into them. Exhaling heavily, I wondered just what I’d done to deserve this. “Am I a horrible person?”
“No.”
“Then why is the universe doing this to me?”
When I finally lowered my hands and looked at her again, she was smirking at me. “You might think of it as the universe doing it for you instead of to you.”
“Yeah,” I muttered and shook my head. “That’s definitely not it.”
She laughed. “Well, you said nothing happened, right? Maybe he won’t even remember you. It might not even be anything to worry about.”
A memory of that kiss and the rock-hard bulge I’d felt against my stomach flashed in my mind, and I sighed. “I told you that it wasn’t exactly nothing.”
“A kiss?” She cocked her head at me after parking next to Dad’s car. “That counts as nothing unless you’re a teenager, Liv. As soon as you turn eighteen, I don’t think anyone really remembers who they kiss anymore.”
“I would’ve been inclined to agree with you, but that was no ordinary kiss.” I slammed my back against my chair and shot a piercing glare at the roof of the car. “Why, universe? Why?”
Lacey chuckled. “Stop freaking out. You didn’t know who he was. How could you have? No one can hold that against you.”
“Oh, yes. They can and they will.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door, knowing my father would be so disappointed in me if he ever found out.
“Well, if you’re really that afraid, then just pretend that you don’t know him. Just because he remembers you doesn’t mean you have to remember him. Get your poker face ready and let’s go.”
I shook my head at her and climbed out of the car.
My dad got out of his and our team converged around us.
I still didn’t really know if it was necessary to bring so many people, but Dad had thought it would be good to show that everyone who’d ever worked on the Anderson account was happy to follow my lead.
He smiled as he waved for me to precede him. “Go on, Liv. I can’t wait to introduce you to Jack and Charlie. You’re going to love them.”
Charlie. Fuck. No way. It is him.
He walked out of the barn and came to a standstill in front of their staff with an older man beside him. My breathing stopped. Shoot. He really is an owner of the company, the eldest Anderson son that Dad was telling me about.
Fuck me sideways!
Dad had told me that Jack’s oldest son would be in the meeting, but I’d never in my wildest dreams imagined that guy would be Cowboy Charlie. Although, in retrospect, I supposed I should have suspected.
How many massive ranches can there really be within spitting distance of Houston? Well, not really spitting distance. We’d driven a bit to get out here, but it was close enough to the city to pop out for an evening at Honky Tonks, I supposed.
With my breath stalled in my lungs, I looked into Charlie’s ice blue eyes and I saw the recognition in them immediately. Contrary to Lacey’s thoughts on the matter, the guy definitely remembered me.
Damn right.
His eyes widened for just a fraction of a second. His nostrils flared before he pulled his cowboy hat down lower on his forehead. He’d made it look like he was just adjusting it, but I knew better. He was giving himself a second to process.
Or maybe I was just projecting. Maybe he really had just been adjusting his hat.
While he wasn’t looking directly at me though, I took a quick moment to check him out. Dad was walking next to me, so he wouldn’t see me doing it, and everyone else was behind us. The only person who might see was Charlie’s dad, but I was hoping he’d simply think I was sizing up his son.
Which was what I was doing. To a certain extent.
Who cares if I ogle him just a little bit while I’m sizing him up?
Just like he had the other night, Charlie was wearing jeans and a button-down shirt. The difference was that he must’ve put on his good jeans for the meeting. These were a dark wash without any holes and they clung to his muscular thighs in a way the loose, faded jeans just hadn’t done.
I’d liked the look of him in those too, but jeez. These were pretty freaking sexy, hanging from his hips and hugging his ass and thighs like that.
The button-down was a crisp white and his facial hair was neatly trimmed. He had his thumbs hooked into his pockets and his feet were spread about a foot apart. The whole picture he cut was drop dead gorgeous, a serious, no-nonsense cowboy with no time to waste and no use for city slickers like me.
My heart fluttered in my chest. Gosh, I have a thing for that? Who knew?
On the other hand, I had a feeling I had a thing for everything Charlie. For every possible version of him. Except, of course, that I don’t have a thing for him at all. It’s just a lingering fantasy, is all. It doesn’t mean anything.
The older man standing next to him stepped forward, drawing my attention. He was the spitting image of his son in twenty-something years, an attractive, rugged gentleman who shot my dad a warm smile that watered down just a tiny little bit when it was finally aimed at me.
“Jack,” Dad said as he shook his friend’s hand. “This is Olivia. Liv, meet Jack Anderson and his son, Charlie.”
“Good morning.” I smiled as I gave Jack a firm handshake. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Mr. Anderson. I’ve heard so many stories and I’m looking forward to working with you.”
Without giving him the opportunity to say a single word, I extended my hand toward Charlie. “Lovely to meet you as well.”
Amusement instantly flared to life in Charlie’s eyes, but he smacked his palm into mine and gripped my fingers tight. “Splendid to meet you, Olivia.”
He put obvious emphasis on my name. Then he released my hand and stepped aside for us to pass him into the barn. Jack and Dad were already locked in conversation, but Charlie stayed behind to greet the rest of our team.
The barn they used to meet in was huge. I had no idea why they would ever need to fit so many people, but it could probably take at least a hundred.
A long table was already set on one end of it, and smoke was pouring from a few different kinds of metal contraptions, the air tinted the scent of grilling meat and chicken.
It looked like they were getting ready for some kind of luncheon, and I wondered how many they were expecting and why they were having it. Another table had been set up for our meeting, and I took a seat with Dad and Jack when they sat down.
Charlie was the last person to enter the barn, and once he joined us, Dad officially opened by explaining that he was retiring and that, in time, I would be taking over.
He assured them that I would handle their account with as much care and attention as he had for all these years.
When Jack had asked all the questions he’d wanted to about my dad’s plans for the company, they turned the meeting over to Charlie.
“We’ve been thinking about what we’d like to work on with you over the next quarter, and we’ve decided that we would like for people to see what life on the ranch looks like,” he said.
“We want them to see how we make our milks, the way we care for our animals, and what our day-to-day operations are.”
As he spoke, pictures flashed though my head of what a campaign like that might look. There were so many ways in which to bring their ideas to life, and honestly, the potential got me all excited.
I smiled. “That’s a magnificent idea,” I said sincerely, hearing the excitement even in my own voice and knowing they could probably see it on my face as well. “I love that. It’s such a great way of connecting with the families that support you.”
Jack got a bit of a smug grin on his face as he nodded. “That’s exactly what we want. We want to connect with them, to show them who we are and what we do. We’d like to let them see behind the curtain and get to know the ranch for what it actually is and not just a brand.”
My heart was practically pulsating with excitement. “I love it. It’s going to be such a hit with the public.”
Jack nodded again, moving his gaze from my father to me.
“We would like one of your people to come live the ranch life for three days next week. It’ll give that person lots of insight on the business and the family that owns it, and we feel like without that experience, there’s no real way for the firm to even know what we do out here. Let alone the public.”
“Yes.” Dad nodded immediately, a wide grin on his lips. “I love that idea. Olivia will do it. She’ll come stay with you.”
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “I will?”
“Of course.” Dad gave me an indulgent look before he turned back to Jack. “As the future owner of the firm, it’s crucial that she knows you inside and out. It’ll help not only for this campaign, but for all others in the future.”
Crap.
I forced a friendly smile, but I couldn’t agree to this without at least giving him a little bit of pushback. The more time I spent with Charlie, the more likely it was that someone would find out I hadn’t only met him today—and the more likely that I would give in to the attraction I felt to him.
“London would probably be a much better fit, Dad.”
I wanted a ranch—but probably not a working one—and that sunrise had been spectacular, but actually living here, following them around through cow poop or on horseback all day? I think not.
“It’s you, darling,” Dad insisted gently.
As soon as his eyes met mine, I knew there was no getting out of this.
“The Andersons are one of our most important clients. This is an opportunity for you to truly learn everything there is to know about their business. It will be tremendously useful going forward.”
“Of course.” I glanced at Charlie, but I couldn’t tell if he was happy about this or not.
The expression on his face was odd. Too relaxed to be angry but too tight to be ecstatic. I sighed quietly, unsure about whether life on the ranch was for me.
Do they have yoga out here? Iced lattes? Doubtful.
“Excellent. It’s settled, then,” Jack said before he rose, signaling the end of the meeting, and held his hand out toward me. “We’ll see you next week, Olivia. I can’t wait to see what you come up with once you’ve been with us for a few days.”
“Thank you.” I stood and shook his hand before I left Dad and Jack to chat. Lacey and the rest of the team got up as well, but I needed a minute before I spoke to anyone.
For three days next week, I was going to be living with not-my-cowboy. I was going to need a moment or seventy to process that.
As I made to leave, Charlie appeared out of nowhere and opened the door for me. I glanced into those haunting blues and did my utmost best not to get lost in them. “I can get the door for myself.”
“Not when I’m around,” he said without skipping a beat.
I sighed. A southern gentleman and an independent city girl. Water and oil. Fire and ice. There was no way we were going to get along professionally if we differed in opinion even about things like opening a darn door.
Yeah, living together is going to be just freaking great.