1
CHASE
I’d been upsince dawn and had just sat down to my first real meal of the day at dinner time when my phone rang. One glance at the screen, and I knew I couldn’t ignore the call.
“Hey, Flint.” I eyed my meal, wondering if it would still be warm by the time I got to sink my teeth into a bite.
“Chase, I’m glad I caught you. Listen, I meant to call the other day, but it’s been busy around here.”
I could only imagine what Flint Silverstone considered a busy day. Maybe it involved two rounds of golf instead of one at his private country club.
“No problem. What’s up?” I wasn’t a man who kissed a lot of asses, but I needed to keep Silverstone happy. His investment in the bucking bull breeding program I was starting had come at just the right time.
“I’m sending someone your way to get a feel for the program we’re starting down there. She’s on my marketing team and—”
“I’m going to stop you right there. I’ll be happy to provide whatever info you want, but I’m not set up to entertain someone from your marketing team.” I’d be damned if he thought he could send some corporate chick with her own agenda down here to snap a few photos and follow me around. I didn’t have the time or the energy for that.
Flint chuckled. “That’s what I told her, but she wants to learn the business from the inside out. Let her see the bulls, give her a few quotes she can use in our monthly report, and send her on her way. Think you can do that?”
“No.”
“I appreciate your honesty, but I’m not really asking, if you know what I mean.”
Hell. We both knew he had my balls in a vise. All he had to do was squeeze. I never should have taken on an investor, especially one who didn’t know jack shit about ranching, rodeos, or bulls. While I’d grown up on the back of some of the rankest bulls in bull riding, Flint’s expensive cowboy boots had probably never touched a bit of dirt.
“How long do I have to play the charming host?” I was already negotiating in my mind. I’d give the city girl half a day tops before the first whiff of cow shit sent her scurrying back to town.
“I’m going to let her be the judge of that. I trust you’ve got a spare room where she can stay?”
Damn, the man must enjoy busting my ass. “What’s wrong with a hotel? There are a couple of places to choose from in Broken Bend.”
“That’s not what I have in mind.” Flint lowered his voice, like he was letting me in on a dark secret. “Whitley’s got some wild hair up her ass about moving to the country and starting some damn animal rescue or something. Her mama’s threatened to leave me if I let that happen, and I can’t afford a divorce.”
“Wait, Whitley is your…” I didn’t want to say it out loud.
“She’s my baby girl. I want you to show her what real ranching looks like. Let her get some dirt under her nails. By the time she leaves your place, I want all those big ideas wiped clean from her pretty little head. You got that, Chase?”
Dread swirled around in my gut. Entertaining one of his employees for a day or two was bad enough, but he wanted to send me his daughter?
“I can appreciate what you’re trying to do, Flint, but you’ve got the wrong guy for the job.”
“Well, figure out how to be the right guy or you’ll have to find another investor to put up the cash to buy out that bull you’ve got your eye on. What’s his name again?”
“Ballbuster.” I’d bought in on the bull when he was only two years old and bucking ten-pound dummies for practice. He’d performed well over the past two years, and I wanted to buy out the other owner’s half so I could start carting him around to some local rodeos and see if he had what it would take to join the big leagues.
“That’s right. I know you’ll do the right thing. Whitley ought to be arriving anytime. She sent me a text about an hour ago saying she was just about to Broken Bend.”
“She’s coming tonight?” My stomach clenched. I’d planned on filling my belly, then watching a few films one of my ranch hands sent me of a couple bulls he’d seen at a rodeo outside of Texarkana. Obviously, Flint didn’t give a damn about what I might have going on.
“That’s what I said. Make sure she doesn’t get into too much trouble down there, will you? I don’t want her to get hurt, just want you to change her mind about living in the country. Think you can do that for me, Chase?”
We both knew I didn’t have much of a choice.
“Yeah. My pleasure.” I forced the lie through my gritted teeth.
“Great. Thanks, partner. We’ll talk soon.” He hung up before I could respond. Didn’t matter. I couldn’t think of anything to say that didn’t start with a four-letter word.
Fuck me. The last thing I needed was some spoiled rich girl traipsing around my ranch. I stared down at my dinner. Thanks to Flint fucking Silverstone, I’d lost my appetite.