Page 71 of Parading the Cowboy Billionaire (Bluegrass Ranch 4)

He’d just put on fresh deodorant and his bright blue shirt and a dark brown checkered tie when someone knocked on his door. “Yep,” he said as an indication they could come in. He expected to see Ginny or Mariah, as the knock had been light and feminine.

Instead, a woman he’d never seen before stood there, her long, blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders in precise ways. Cayden stopped fiddling with his belt and adopted his professional demeanor. “Can I help you? The gates for the race don’t open until eleven.”

“We’re not here for the race,” she said, her voice quiet but her face fierce. “Well, we are, but not until later. We’re aware of what time the gates open.” She stepped into his office slightly. “I’m Sydney Terfel, Miss Wendy’s assistant. She’s asked me to bring her here to speak with you.” She glanced around, and Cayden was suddenly embarrassed by the blanket on the couch and the state of his desk. He’d laid everything out again last night, and he, Lawrence, Mariah, and Ginny had tried to find any holes that could cause a leak and sink the ship.

They hadn’t been able to find any, and he hadn’t cleaned up before joining everyone for dinner in the conference room.

“Is now a good time?” Sydney asked, almost adopting a British accent.

“Sure, okay,” Cayden said, though his heart was actually trying to flee from his body. “Let me clean up a little.”

“I have to return to the car to get her,” Sydney said with a smile. “She’s not a fast walker, either, so you should have a few minutes.”

“Great.” He reached for the plans he’d spent hours preparing and stacked them neatly while Sydney glided from the room. “Yikes,” he said under his breath. How she could work alongside Wendy Winters every day was a mystery to him. Cayden had only met the woman a few times, and she was utterly terrifying.

His hands stuck to the papers as he tried to shove them in the file folder. Sweat ran down the side of his face as he folded the blanket and shoved it in the coat closet. He paused and looked out the window, taking a moment to wipe his face and take a breath.

Ginny had faced her mother alone. Cayden could do it too.

He wasn’t sure where Ginny was at the moment, as she’d been renting a house clear up by Jeffersonville. He was the only one who knew that, and he’d promised not to tell anyone, even Olli.

He hadn’t been there, because Ginny had been coming to Bluegrass. They lounged on the couch in the living room at the homestead, and Duke had taken control of the kitchen since Blaine’s departure. He put out good food too, and Cayden had just started to think about how and when he should propose to Ginny.

Turning back to his desk, a keen sense of calmness and peace descended on him. It didn’t matter if his office wasn’t spotless. He worked here every day. He’d seen Ginny’s office, and she definitely had papers and piles and products everywhere.

He picked up the clipboard he and Lawrence had put together for today’s event, and he flipped to the blue tab which listed all of their top tier guests. He reminded himself that he dealt with rich people every day of the week. Heck,hewas a rich person; he could handle Wendy Winters.

He heard footsteps coming down the hall, and he set down the clipboard and walked toward the doorway, remembering his not-quite-finished belt buckle. He quickly put that piece in place before stepping into the hallway.

Sydney had her arm laced through Wendy’s, and they shuffled down the hallway together. She looked like half the woman she’d been at the New Year’s Eve party, and Cayden had the urge to hurry across the distance between them and support Wendy on her left side.

He did just that, saying, “Good morning, ma’am,” as he approached. Wendy looked at him with those same powerful eyes Ginny had, but hers were more black than dark blue. She carried more emotion there than Ginny normally did as well, and Cayden could only imagine what she’d experienced in her life to put those feelings there.

She didn’t say good morning back, but she did allow him to hook his hand through her elbow. “Ginny says your suite is beautiful,” he said, not quite sure where the words had come from. “She showed me all the pictures. I hope I can see it someday.”

He looked at Sydney, who simply stared at him as if he’d turned a bright shade of purple and needed immediate medical attention. Her eyes widened and she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

Cayden didn’t care. Ginny had already lost Sweet Rose. Wendy had come to him. He wasn’t going to apologize for loving her daughter, and he wasn’t going to back down from it either.

“Here you go, ma’am,” he said, leading her straight to the chair in front of his desk.

“You can go, Sydney,” Wendy said as she settled into the chair. She put her oversized purse on her lap as Sydney left the room, pulling the door closed behind her and everything.

Cayden took in the situation for a moment and then he sat behind his desk. He put his forearms flat on it and folded his hands. “What brings you to Bluegrass this morning?”

Wendy looked at him with those dark, deep, dangerous eyes. He had the urge to clear his throat and shift in his seat, but he did neither. He’d sat at this desk and had difficult conversations before, with men and women who meant more to him than Wendy Winters did.

“I would like to speak to my daughter,” she said. “No one knows where she is except for you. So I came to see you.”

Cayden smiled at her in such a way that said he’d really like to help, but…

“I’m afraid I can’t help you,” he said.

“You don’t know where she is?”

“At the moment? No. She’ll be at the Smash today, though, and Sydney said you would be too. I’m sure you can talk to her then.”

“Is she living here?”

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