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  Take Me Home, Cowboy

  Copyright © 2012 by Krista Ames

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-415-7

  Cover art by Scott Carpenter

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

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  Take Me Home, Cowboy

  A Western Escape

  By

  Krista Ames

  ~DEDICATION~

  As always, thanks to my family first and foremost for giving me the constant support to do what I love to do and still be able to take care of everyone.

  I would also like to sincerely thank the editors of the Western Escape line at Decadent Publishing for encouraging me to turn this work in for the Shooting Star contest. Who would have thought I’d actually win?

  Here’s to #6, my lucky number….

  Chapter One

  “I need to buy that man an answering machine.” Furious, Ally held the receiver away from her ear, eyes closed as the phone on the other end rang continuously. “Come on, Daddy, where are you?”

  She was ready to hang up in frustration when the receiver was picked up and then—by the sound of the loud clanging on the other end—dropped.

  “Circle K,” said the deep male voice rather breathlessly.

  “Where in the world were you?”

  “Excuse me?” the husky voice asked.

  Oh crap, that’s definitely not Daddy. She’d been so surprised her call had finally been answered, she hadn’t realized there was nothing familiar about the voice at the end of the line “I’m sorry….” she cracked. Wow, where did that high-pitched squeak come from? “I’m sorry, who is this?”

  “This is the Circle K Ranch. Who’s this?”

  The man’s question held an impressive sexy drawl. Definitely not a voice she’d ever heard in New York City, and one she’d only be lucky enough to find in her dreams.

  “I’d like to speak to Jesse Kincaid, please.” She did a mental inventory of all the ranch hands but couldn’t place the voice. And he obviously didn’t recognize hers either. Must be somebody new her father had hired since the last time she’d been there.

  “Sorry, ma’am, he’s not here. What can I do for ya?”

  “When will he be available, please?”

  “Now, ma’am, I don’t guess I’m at liberty to say until I know exactly who it is I’m speaking at.”

  God, men could be so arrogant. Why did he need to know who was calling? A simple answer would suffice.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but this is Ally Kincaid. Who exactly are you?”

  “Well, well, isn’t this a nice surprise? Miss Ally Kincaid. Did your father know you’d be calling?

  She gritted her teeth in frustration. Who does this cocky, know-it-all cowboy think he is? “How soon do you expect him back? I need to talk to him today, and if you don’t mind, could you please not refer to me as ‘ma’am’? I’m not an old spinster yet. I have a name. It’s Ally if that’s not too difficult for you.”

  “Sorry to say, ma’am, but he’s out on roundup at the moment. Same place I was headed ‘til the phone jingled.”

  Ooh. What a smartass. I can’t believe Daddy would hire someone so rude. She squeezed the handset tighter. “Forget it. Just give him the message, please.”

  “Of course, ma’am. Anything for the boss’s daughter, ma’am.”

  She was so pissed off she’d turned the chair away from her desk, banging it against the window. “Listen here, cowboy—”

  “Hey there, been nice talking to you, but I gotta go. The boys’re yelling for me. I’ll tell Jesse you called, and you have yourself a good day, ma’am.”

  A click and then silence.

  “Tell me he did not hang up on me!” she screamed into the receiver.

  “Everything okay?”

  Whirling around so fast, she dropped the phone. “Dang it, Daniel, you scared me,” she shrieked. “Doesn’t anybody know how to knock in this place?”

  Her boss stood in the doorway, wearing a shocked expression. “Um sorry, Ally. I did knock. You didn’t answer, and the door was open a crack, so I came in when I heard you yelling. Is there something wrong?”

  She leaned over the side of her chair to retrieve the handset from the floor and replaced it on the cradle. “I’m sorry. I was trying to contact my dad.”

  “He’s okay, right? Do you need to go see him? You could take a few days off. You haven’t had a vacation in a while.”

  She grimaced. Lovely. Apparently Daddy isn’t the only one who thinks I need to take a vacation. She remembered his exact words on her voicemail the night before. “Ally-cat, you work too much. Come see your old man. Ain’t gonna be here forever you know.” Then he’d hung up without saying goodbye. Typical of her stubborn father.

  “Actually, I was going to mention it to you today,” she said. “I was hoping to talk to him first. I think I need to take some time off.”

  “It’s no problem. Whatever you need. You’re one of the best editors I’ve got. I don’t want to lose y…uh, we don’t want to lose you. All of us I mean, here at the firm.”

  Lose her? Ally had no intentions of leaving Blume Brothers Publishing. She’d worked too hard to make senior editor by cultivating a stable of wonderful authors who appreciated her straightforward approach. Why would she leave? She loved her job.

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. I’ve got some loyal clients, and I do have some things in the works, so I’ll take my laptop with me. It’ll be a working vacation.”

  “Do you know how long you’ll need to be gone?”

  Did she detect a note of sadness in his voice, or disappointment maybe? Nah, she was rattled after her crazy conversation with the rude ranch hand. And Daniel was being w
ishy-washy, nothing new these days.

  “I really don’t know how long this will take. Like I said, I’ll have my laptop, so you can email if you need anything. I’ll also have my cell, but last time the reception wasn’t good in the country, so that’s iffy at best.”

  “When do you have to leave?”

  “I’m going to see if Sandy can get me a flight out this afternoon.” The sweet blonde was more than just her personal secretary; she’d also become a good friend over the years.

  “Oh….”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

  “Oh, no. I was hoping maybe I could take you to dinner before you go, but it’s okay.”

  What the heck? Why did he want to take her to dinner?

  “I’m sorry, but I really need to get back home as soon as I can. Did you need me to handle something before I leave?”

  “Nothing work related. I, uh…wanted to spend some time with you. You know, like we talked about before?”

  Ally pressed her palm to her forehead. Oh good Lord, why is this happening to me? “We’ve talked about this several times. I’m not ready to date anybody right now. I’m flattered. But I need to focus on my dad. Anything else would only be a distraction.”

  At least she had been honest. She wasn’t ready for another relationship, not after the last disaster. And dating the boss? Was that really a smart thing to do anyway? Yes, he was handsome—dirty blond hair, gorgeous blue eyes, fairly tall, and mostly sweet. Unfortunately, he didn’t do it for her, didn’t give her those deep lustful feelings—not like the sexy voice from the ranch.

  Knock it off, woman. The guy was a jerk. You don’t need a man like him either.

  “Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to work. Have a safe trip and check in with me, okay?” Her boss looked like a lost puppy dog, being shooed away but afraid to leave.

  Ally’s stomach churned with disgust. Getting up from her chair, she followed him to the door. “Thanks, Daniel. Email me if you need anything. I’ll check in, in a couple days.”

  She clutched the handle, ready to shut it behind him, hoping he’d take the hint and actually go through the doorway. To seal the deal, she called out to her secretary. “Sandy, can you come into my office for a minute?”

  “Sure, Ms. Kincaid.” She walked in and sat in the guest seat in front of the desk.

  Ally closed the door after Daniel, slumped into her leather chair, and closed her eyes briefly.

  “Ally, is there something I can do for you?” Her secretary paused. “Tell me he’s not pursuing you again.”

  “How do you always know what’s going on with me before I tell you?”

  Her friend laughed and shrugged. “I’m good.”

  Ally definitely needed Sandy’s bit of sanity right now.

  “We’re friends, hon. I spend more time with you than I do my husband. I think I know you better than I know myself most days. All right, spill. What happened in here with Daniel?”

  Ally took in a deep breath and sighed. “He must have been walking by my office, or stalking me. Anyway, he heard me finishing a phone call and walked in. I was trying to reach my dad. He left me a strange voicemail last night, but when I called, he wasn’t there. I feel the need to go see him. It was something in his voice, I guess. Besides, it’s been two years since Mamma passed away. I haven’t been back since the funeral.”

  “So, where does the big boss man fit into that scenario, besides nowhere?”

  She chuckled. “He walked in on the tail end of me screaming when some arrogant ass cowboy hung up on me. I told Daniel I needed to take some time off to go back home. He acted all hurt and said he’d wanted to take me to dinner tonight! Tell me, why am I a magnet for unwanted affection from creepy stalker men?”

  Sandy smirked. “Lucky I guess.”

  “Oh, very funny. I need a vacation, and I need to get out of here today.”

  “Let me handle everything. I’ll have you on a flight to Wyoming before dinner.”

  “Thank you so much. You’re a life saver.” Ally relaxed back in her cushy leather chair, running her fingers through her hair while her secretary shut the door quietly behind her before returning to her own desk.

  Chapter Two

  “Hey, muchacho, you gonna catch up?”

  From the back of the line, Matt Gentry glanced up and shielded his eyes from the sun. One of his ranch hands sat turned around in his saddle, looking at him. “I’m fine right where I am, Rodriguez. Somebody needs to keep an eye on you troublemakers.”

  Most times, he hung back a little and listened. They all thought he couldn’t understand when they rattled on in Spanish. He kind of liked that advantage, so he’d never admitted he was fluent.

  “Aw, boss, you know we ain’t no problemo. Only lookin’ to make un poco dinero. Can’t help you can’t play poker.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see who can’t play poker. I was lettin’ y’all win, bidin’ my time. Mark my words, the time to lose your dinero is comin’.” He glanced at the creek he and the men rode next to, the sun glinting on the gently moving surface. Not much farther to the grazing acres where they’d meet up with Jesse and the boys he’d taken for roundup.

  “We’ll give you another chance tonight, boss,” Rodriguez’s partner Gomez said with humor.

  “If y’all don’t stop jaw jackin’, we won’t make it back tonight to play poker. Rodriguez, you and Gomez ride on ahead and see if you can spot the others. We should be getting close.”

  “Yes sir, boss.” The two men spurred their horses into a run.

  Matt chuckled. They were pretty good guys, ornery but reliable at the same time. He had no complaints about any of them. Mostly the men were all thankful to have jobs. Only every once in a while they’d get a drifter looking for a month or two worth of work and to stir up some trouble in the meantime, but for the most part, he got along with all the ranch hands and only pulled rank when necessary. The men seemed to respect his position as foreman.

  He never liked to involve the old man in a barn scuffle unless it got serious or someone got hurt. Jesse loved his place, and no one would ever see a person work harder, from sun up to sun down and then some. Today had been no different, when he had insisted on taking a select group of men to start rounding up the cattle and their offspring, shifting them to closer pastures for the annual spring sale in Laramie.

  And because he had taken off so early, Matt had gotten stuck talking to Ally Kincaid. Why was there always a boss’ daughter? They were nothing but trouble, and this one was quite a spitfire. To hear her dad talk about her—which was all the time—she was an angel. Matt wouldn’t ever believe it after their conversation this morning. She was more like an angel with horns, too much time spent in New York City had apparently pushed the cowgirl sweetness right outta her system. However, she did have a right sultry voice with a hint of country twang she tried hard to hide. He bet she’d be a spitfire in bed, too. Shit, man, don’t go there. He needed to avoid the phone and pray she never came for a visit.

  Over the ridge, the foreman spotted Rodriguez and Gomez standing alongside his boss and the others.

  “’Bout damn time you showed up, Gentry. Where the hell you been?”

  “Hey, someone’s gotta take care of the important stuff when you disappear into the sunrise.” Matt grinned at the inside joke—the old man was normally the first outta the house even before the rooster clucked, more than likely just to piss him off most days.

  He moved to Jesse’s side for a more private conversation while the rest of the men led the horses downstream a ways to water them. “Got a call this morning from that breeder friend of yours in Cheyenne. Said he had a driver headed this way tomorrow, so he’ll deliver your Thoroughbred.”

  Jesse slapped his dusty Stetson against his thigh then wiped his brow with his shirtsleeve. “Blast it all, did you tell him we were doing roundup and we wouldn’t be there?”

  “I did, but he claimed he can’t wait ’til next week. He has a whole shipment
of cattle coming in then and won’t have anybody to spare. It’s not a big deal. I’ll stick around tomorrow ’til they get here. I don’t want any of the guys dealing with the horse anyway. From what I hear, it’s on the wild side, and we already know it’s not broke. It’ll give me some one-on-one time with him.”

  “All right, if you say so. I’ll go out in the morning, and you can meet up with us whenever you can.”

  The men were coming back with the horses, so Jesse turned to mount his chestnut mare. “Oh shit, I almost forgot. Your daughter called, too, as I was walking outta the house. Little spitfire, she is.”

  “Spitfire, hell you say! Ally-cat’s my angel girl.”

  Angel my ass. “She’d have a hard time proving it by me.”

  Jesse settled into his saddle. “What’d she say?”

  He shrugged. “She never said what she wanted. Only that she was looking for you. She sure doesn’t sound like a cowgirl much either, like she’s working hard to hide behind her New York attitude.”

  “I’ll be damned. I’m shocked she even called me back.”

  “You mean you called her?”

  “Hell yeah, I’m trying to get her to come see me. Told her I wasn’t getting any younger and she needed to visit her old daddy. She’s been in New York trying to be a city girl too damn long. She’s losing her roots.” With a laugh, the old man spurred his horse and started out around the cowhands.

  “Well shit, just what I need.” Matt shook his head, climbed up into the saddle, and followed his men once again.

  ***

  Damn, she hated to fly, avoided it whenever possible. Ally stared out the window seat she’d claimed, overlooking the left wing of the 747. Most times her job didn’t demand travel unless she had an author who needed her immediate attention. The majority of things could be handled by mail or email. A little sweet-talking and overnight accommodations was normally all it took to get them to New York.