Corporate Cowboy. Pamela Bauer

      That comment really annoyed him. “I’m not a man who hides from anything, Ms. Judd.”

      “No?” She turned her back to him and walked over to the refrigerator. Austin watched her pull out the same plate of beef. “You could have fooled me.”

      She sat on a stool at the island counter and began to make herself a sandwich. Instead of leaving—which he knew she would interpret as him feeling guilty—he took a stool across from her and plunked his plate down with a thud.

      “Just because I don’t want to play cowboys with you doesn’t mean I’m a coward,” he stated in no uncertain terms.

      She didn’t answer, but gave him a quick glance then continued smearing salad dressing on her bread.

      Silence stretched between them until he said, “If this is how you treat your guests I’m surprised you have any sort of reputation left.”

      This time she was the one who slapped something down on the counter. A knife. It clanged and he saw a spark in her eye that made his heartbeat increase.

      “This is not a hotel, Mr. Bennett. It’s a ranch. A working ranch and guests who come here do so because they want to be a part of that work. Our job is to provide them with that opportunity, not to cater to self-indulgent, egotistical suits who have little respect for anybody else’s property but their own.”

      By the time she had finished her eyes were flashing, her cheeks red, her chest heaving. It was the heaving chest part that held Austin’s attention. There was stress on the buttons of her shirt. And it wasn’t only caused by her posture, which was one of agitation. No, that skimpy little shirt of hers was a bit too tight across the bosom. He suspected that it was a deliberate maneuver on her part. He had yet to meet a woman who didn’t use her physical attributes to get her own way.

      Yup, Ms. Kacy Judd knew exactly what she was doing when she got dressed every morning. If any of the guests were a bit reluctant to get on one of her horses, she could just mosey on over to him, press that knockout of a body next to his, stretch her arms so that those buttons were strained to the max and that little gap would allow the ever-so-tiniest of peeks at the lacy undergarment.

      He felt himself growing hard. Damn. She was so good it was working on him. He forced his eyes to her face, but it didn’t help. The curve of those cherry lips was just as tantalizing as the peek at her breasts. Maybe he should have gone for the riding lesson after all.

      The direction his thoughts were taking made him stop short. What was he thinking letting a cowgirl distract him from the issue—which was his right not to participate in the experiential learning program. For a minute he had almost been ready to concede that she had a point. He reminded himself that he was a paying guest, not a prisoner on the ranch, and he was not a man to endure insults.

      He leaned across the counter until his face was only inches from her. “You think I’m self-absorbed because I care about the success of a firm which employs thousands of people? Is that what hard work is to you, Ms. Judd? Self-absorption?”

      To his surprise, she didn’t back away, but held his gaze and even moved a bit closer to him. “Hard work? You call pencil pushing hard work, Mr. Bennett?” She chuckled sarcastically. “I doubt you’d be able to do a hard day’s physical labor if your life depended on it.”

      He knew she was baiting him. She was trying to get him to prove to her that he could handle the work at the ranch. Against his willpower, every macho nerve screamed for him to prove he could. He was ready to flex his muscles and show her that he was not an office potato but a well-conditioned, athletic, tough guy. Only he knew he wasn’t. It had been years since he had been to the gym. With the schedule he worked, there was no time for health clubs.

      “I don’t need to do your ranch work, Ms. Judd. I make money everyday using this.” He tapped his finger on his forehead.

      “You think money’s the answer to everything, don’t you?”

      “It’s the reason why you’re running this ranch as a corporate retreat center,” he shot back at her.

      He knew he had hit home with that barb. She lowered her eyes as if to compose herself.

      “We’re just trying to keep doing what we love to do,” she answered quietly.

      “You can call it anything you want, but you have the same goal as we do in Chicago. To make money. You’re entrepreneurs.”

      “We’re ranchers,” she stated firmly.

      He shrugged. “Whatever.”

      “We are,” she insisted vehemently. “This isn’t the city. We’re not conjuring up ways to make a fast buck. We want people to understand the connection between the land and life, to show them that what they do in the office has its roots back here on the prairie.”

      He rolled his eyes. “Spare me the altruism.”

      She could only shake her head. “How did you become so jaded, Mr. Bennett?”

      “I’m not jaded, Ms. Judd. I’m a realist.”

      “If that’s the case then you might want to think about the reality of what you’re doing here. Put a little more thought to the morale of your colleagues and a little less about your girlfriend back in Chicago, who by the way has been making a nuisance of herself by leaving countless messages at the switchboard.”

      Daphne’s persistence annoyed Austin, too, but he wasn’t about to let this woman know that. His frustration at not being able to make long-distance phone calls surfaced.

      “She wouldn’t have to pester your switchboard operator if your local phone company had more than one line for long distance. Do you realize how long I’ve been trying to get a connection to Chicago?”

      “Just can’t stand being away from your girlfriend, can you?” she said snidely. “What I can’t figure out is why you just didn’t bring her with you? You two lovebirds could have cuddled poolside while the rest of your employees worked their butts off building fences.”

      Gosh, he hated her tone of voice. She had to be the most irritating woman he had ever met. He was just about to retaliate with a rude comment when he realized what was happening. This woman was getting to him. Why was he even standing here arguing with her?

      He picked up his sandwich and started to walk toward the door saying, “There’s no point in discussing this subject with you. I’ll have a word with your superior.”

      “You mean my dad?”

      It was said with such a smugness Austin knew that she was thinking, Go ahead. It won’t do you any good. He turned around to look at her. “Why should it matter to you whether or not I take part in the activities?”

      She shrugged. “I told you. It doesn’t mean a thing to me. But your employees…well, maybe you should ask them how they feel. You might be surprised by what you hear.”

      He chucked sardonically. “I’ve no doubt they want me to be as miserable as they are.”

      She looked as if he had dealt her a personal blow. “Riding is not misery, Mr. Bennett. It’s the most glorious, wonderful….” she trailed off, looking a bit embarrassed by her enthusiasm.

      “I’ll tell you what. You know the way you feel about riding? That’s how I feel about the work I do.”

      “I don’t think so.”

      “And how would you know? Have you ever experienced the rush of excitement you get from finalizing a deal you know will allow your employees to enjoy the profits of their labor?”

      “No, but…”

      “Well, until you do, Ms. Judd, I suggest you not try to get me on a horse and I won’t ask you to speak at our stockholders’ meeting.” He thought he had put her in her place but good.

      As he walked out of the kitchen he heard her call out