A Cowboy in Manhattan

Katrina heaved an empathetic sigh. “But you’d end up with regrets either way.”

“Afraid so.”

“It’s not fair. It’s just not fair.” If Katrina hadn’t slept with Reed, she’d be just like Danielle, wondering what she’d missed. At least she had those few nights. At least she’d lost her virginity to a man she-

Oh, no.

The waitress set down the martinis, and Katrina grabbed one, downing a healthy swallow.

Her throat burned, and she gasped and coughed and wheezed.

“You okay?” Danielle asked, while the waitress frowned.

“Fine,” Katrina managed. The warmth of the alcohol spreading though her veins felt good. “Just fine,” she finished.

Danielle thanked the waitress, and the woman left.

“So, how does Reed feel about you?”

The question struck Katrina as odd. But then the entire conversation was odd. She shrugged. “Angry. Very, very angry.”

For some reason, the answer seemed to surprise Danielle. “You fought?”

“And how. I told him to leave New York City, and basically never to come back again.”

“Ouch.”

“It’s for the best.” Katrina nodded, ordering herself to believe it. She took another experimental sip of the martini, and it went down better this time.

“Do you think he’ll come back anyway?” Danielle asked softly.

Katrina shook her head, long and slow, lifting her glass.

“Do you think he might have fallen in love with you?”

The drink sloshed over Katrina’s hand. “What?”

Danielle shrugged. “It’s a possibility.”

“It’s preposterous,” Katrina blurted.

“He tried to talk you out of sleeping with him.”

“That’s because he’s a gentleman, a cowboy.”

“My cowboy tried to talk me into sleeping with him.”

“Yours is from Texas.”

A funny expression crossed Danielle’s face.

“Reed knew all along it would turn out badly for us if we slept together,” Katrina continued. “He’s had relationships end before. He’s had experience with ex-lovers.”

“And you haven’t?”

Katrina immediately realized what she’d given away. “Haven’t what?” She played dumb.

But Danielle was too shrewd to let it go. “Had experience with ex-lovers.”

Katrina didn’t answer, but her face heated up again.

Danielle closed her eyes for a long second. Then she opened them. “Katrina, is there any chance you’ve fallen in love with Reed?”

Katrina’s stomach turned to a block of lead. “No,” she intoned. “Never. Not a chance.” What kind of a colossal disaster would that be? She downed the rest of the martini. “But I will have another one of these.”

“You should call Mandy.”

“Why?”

“To talk to her about this.”

Katrina dismissed the notion. “I really don’t know Mandy that well.”

“She’s your sister.”

“We’re not close.”

“Well, if I had a sister, and if she was as nice as Mandy, and if I was feeling the way you are, I’d be calling her in a heartbeat.”

Katrina felt as if she were listening through cotton wool. “Say again?”

“Call Mandy, Katrina.”

“Maybe.” But what would she tell her? What could she say? That she was in way too deep with Mandy’s soon- to-be brother-in-law, and that she could never come home again?

Ten

Back home on his ranch, Reed knew he had to forget about Katrina. He had to restart his regular life and put the surreal week in New York City far behind him.

Starting right now.

But as he stared at the barbecue grill on the back deck, he couldn’t seem to rouse himself to light it. Instead, while the sun descended, he lifted the half-empty bottle of beer from the table next to him and took a desultory sip of the tepid liquid.

“The door was open,” came Danielle’s unexpected voice from the kitchen doorway.

“Always is,” Reed responded without turning.

Her high heels clicked on the deck as she made her way to him.

“I get why you did it,” she told him without preamble. “What I don’t get is why you did that.”

He set down the bottle. “You want to toss a few nouns into that sentence?”

“You’re obviously in love with Katrina.”

Reed wasn’t about to deny it. Danielle was his lawyer, after all. It wasn’t like she could tell anyone.

“That’s why you wanted to help her,” she finished.

“Go to the head of the class.”

She waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, she stepped into the silence. “But why such a huge gesture. Ten million dollars? Were you hoping to win her back?”

“Hoping to win who back?” asked Caleb from the same spot where Danielle had just appeared.

Reed twisted his head at the unexpected sound of his brother’s voice.

“Hi, Danielle,” Caleb added. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Danielle,” said Mandy as she breezed past Caleb onto the deck. Then she grinned at Reed. “You’re back.” She dropped a quick kiss on his cheek before plunking down in one of the four empty Adirondack chairs.

“So are you,” Reed responded to Mandy, hoping against hope they hadn’t overheard Danielle’s revelation. “How was Chicago?”

“Noisy. How was New York?”

“Noisier.”

She chuckled.

“Get who back?” Caleb repeated, glancing from Reed to Danielle.

Reed knew there were parts of the situation that shouldn’t stay a secret, and parts that couldn’t stay a secret. He decided now was as good a time as any to get the basics out of the way.

“Danielle helped me out with some investments while I was in New York,” he opened.

Caleb’s glance went to Danielle. “Yeah?”

She nodded.

“That’s great.” Caleb’s posture relaxed. “Anybody else need a beer?”

Mandy raised her hand.

“What the heck?” said Danielle, moving to sit next to Mandy. “I’ll take one.”

Caleb disappeared, while Reed tried to bring some order to the riot of emotions coursing through his body. He was normally cool under pressure, calm under stress. He could hold his own under physical danger and in the toughest of arguments. But his feelings toward Katrina took him to uncharted waters.

“How’s Katrina doing?” Mandy asked. “Did you see her dance?”

“I did,” Reed responded as Caleb returned, passing beers to the two women.