Page 24 of The Cowboy's Ultimatum

“I was about to say, win over. Is that what you wanted to ask me?”

“Actually, no. How do you get your hair so wavy and shiny, and why do you have it so long?”

“Accentuate your good qualities and people won’t notice the bad ones as much. And it looks like it does because I use the right products.”

“A biker who uses hair products. You’re a walking, talking, oxymoron.”

“Among other things,” he quipped with a grin.

“Now on to the serious stuff,” she said, dropping her smile. “Did you send one of your biker friends to Andy’s ranch this morning?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, my God! You admit it? How could you do something like that?”

“Hey, Erin’s my friend, and your cowboy tried to beat her up.”

“Is that what she told you? He did no such thing! I know! I was there!”

He didn’t respond, but a frown crossed his brow and she suddenly wondered if she’d said the wrong thing.

“Tell me exactly what happened, and I mean exactly,” he said sternly, leaning across the table.

“Okay. I used to think Erin was great, but I was wrong. Very wrong. I’m still trying to deal with the guilt. She’s a horrible person. She was whipping my poor mare and Andy told her to get off because Daisy looked like she was in pain. When Erin slid from the saddle he grabbed her crop, whacked her on the butt, then let her have it—verbally! He only hit her once, and she deserved it.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, Kenny, that’s it. You had no business sending a thug to the ranch,” she said angrily as the waitress arrived with his beer. “I was about to cancel this meeting but I wanted to set the record straight.”

“Well, now you have.”

“I intend to speak to Erin as well.”

“No! Leave Erin to me!”

“What does that mean?”

“Just what I said,” he replied sharply. “The subject is closed. I’ll deal with it, and you can tell your boyfriend he won’t have any more visitors.”

“Thanks, I will,” she said, softening her voice, then remained quiet as he took a drink.

“Now, Helen, it’s time to talk about why you’re here.”

“You mean this isn’t just a friendly visit?”

“It is, but there’s more. There’s a charity event at your parents estate tomorrow night.”

“It’s not an estate. It’s just a farm with a renovated home and a few guest cabins, but how do you know about the event?”

“I have a couple of friends attending, friends who prefer I not show up at their offices or their homes. And they don’t like to be seen with me in public either. It really pisses me off.”

“Friends? How can you call them friends if you don’t hang out with them?”

“Never mind. You’re going to hand them something from me, and they’ll have something for me.”

“Oh, no! No! No! No! That sounds dodgy. What are you giving them? And what will they be giving me? Let me guess. This is about drugs. I don’t want any part of it.”

“Listen to me very carefully, Helen,” he said solemnly. “These people are important to me, like Daisy is important to you. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

---