“You planning on sealing the deal this weekend?” She’d never been good about keeping her thoughts, or opinions, to herself. Under the stress of circumstances, she’d given up trying.
“I owe it to him to hear him out. But as I said, the numbers won’t be available until Monday, which I told Stan. I really want to understand what the hell he’s doing here.”
“If he was asked to come by the committee, I may not like it, but I can’t blame him for it.”
“I’d still like to talk to him. Find out what he’s up to. And tell him we’re married.”
“I’m sure he already knows. I’m sure everyone knows. News travels fast on the circuit.” Whoever thought men didn’t gossip likely had never worked with them.
She knew there would be a lot of speculation as to the whys and wherefores. It didn’t matter to her what people would think at the moment, but what they would think a few months from now when Ty walked away, owning almost a third of the company—or worse, having sold off the outfit—and she would be left alone, a divorced woman, and perhaps a divorced, unemployed woman. And no happily ever after as her poor, deluded grandfather had hoped.
“Regardless, it’s better to get ahead of the rumor mill. Everyone probably thinks we’re crazy and will be betting it won’t last. In six months, when we divorce, they’ll feel vindicated. In the meantime, we get to play house.” His smile broadened to a full-blown grin.
This was business, strictly business, to him. And she was just a way to pass the time. She was annoyed at how her heart squeezed at that truth. She blinked back the moisture forming in her eyes
“Any regrets about last night?” he asked, cocking his head to one side.
More than she had earlier that morning. But she didn’t believe in regrets. The marriage, last night, may have been mistakes, but she’d made those decisions. Living was moving forward, not looking back. With a shake of her head, she gave him the reassurance of a negative response.
“Me either, Mandy.”
Of course not. He had nothing to lose.
He leaned in, tucked his finger under her chin, and turned her mouth to his.
He meant to kiss her.
Heart pounding, she took an irrational step back.
He straightened, his jaw bunched.
Mandy turned and walked toward the arena with her head high, her back straight, and all the Prescott pride she could muster.
Chapter 15
Ty walked back to the holding pens, where the smell was pure manure. Cattle lowed, horses nickered, and bulls snorted their displeasure at being caged. The cattle pens and horse pens were larger because they held the herds, but the bulls usually had individual holding pens, being they weren’t the most social of animals. He looked around for Mandy, but all he saw were a few hands going about their set-up duties.
He’d had his talk with Stan. The man claimed the committee had initiated the call, and then pointed out all the things that could ruin a rodeo stock company’s reputation, urging Ty to sell immediately and naming a price Ty didn’t need an analysis to know was ridiculously low. Poor choice of tactics. Made him distrust the man even more.
Last night had been pretty damn amazing, awakening in him a lust like he’d never known before. It must have been the fact he’d been waiting ten years. That had to be the explanation for the powerful surge of emotion that had rushed through him—still rushed through him.
She’d said she had no regrets about last night, but she’d stepped back from his kiss, and there had been something in her eyes that said otherwise. It hadn’t been there last night. No, she’d been all warm and welcoming last night. It hadn’t been there early this morning either. He’d swear he’d seen a “come hither” look in her eyes, and if Harold hadn’t called, they’d have taken another tumble.
Her frostiness had begun when she’d pressed him about Stan’s interest in the company and why Stan had shown up. Her reception to the news that Stan was at the rodeo made him silently bet against a repeat performance of last night. She didn’t trust him, and the fact he was trying to play it straight with her only seemed to fuel that distrust. The prospect of selling Prescott stood between them.
So why was selling made an option? He doubted the analysis would show Prescott was in financial trouble. Was the size of the revenue stream more important than the endeavor? A week ago Ty would have said yes. But now being part of Prescott, he was no longer so sure.
Ty looked around the pens and didn’t see Mandy. He asked a young hand who had been hired on a temporary basis to fill in for Bradshaw. Ty would never have granted a crew member time off during the busy season, but that had been Mandy’s call. The newly hired young man sent Ty to the arena. Still no Mandy.