Barbara Dunlop - A Cowboy in Manhattan

“We’re completely unsuited. Our lives are a million miles apart. And yet there was this chemical thing.” Katrina stopped herself.

“I’ve experienced that chemical thing myself,” said Danielle with a self-deprecating laugh.

“You have?” Katrina hated to admit it, but her misery felt a little better with company.

“A guy named Tr-Trevor.” Danielle stabbed at her iced tea for a moment, and it looked as if she might be blushing. “He was from Texas.”

“Did you sleep with him?” Katrina instantly checked herself. “I’m sorry. That was completely inappropriate.”

“Not at all. I don’t mind. We didn’t. Oh, he tried hard enough. And he was quite a charmer. But I managed to say no.”

“Reed was the opposite,” Katrina confessed. “He tried to talk me out of it. But I wouldn’t listen, and I- Good grief, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

Danielle reached across the table and covered Katrina’s hand. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“Saturday night.”

“So, the wound is fresh.”

Katrina nodded miserably.

“Then you need someone to talk to.” Danielle glanced around. “Do they serve martinis here?”

“You know, that actually sounds tempting.”

Danielle waved to the waitress.

“I bet you’re glad you said no,” Katrina ventured in a low voice. If she hadn’t slept with Reed, maybe she wouldn’t have such a burning pain in her chest. Maybe the world wouldn’t feel as if it was crushing her with its weight. Maybe she’d be able to sleep. And maybe tears wouldn’t feel as if they were mere seconds away every moment of the day and night.

“Not necessarily,” said Danielle, her expression going soft. “I lay awake at night wondering what it would have been like.”

“Was he really great?”

“He was conceited and pig-headed and irrepressible and rash. He was also the sexiest guy I’ve ever met, and I know deep down in my soul that he’d have been an extraordinary lover.”

“Maybe you should go back to Texas.”

The waitress arrived and Danielle ordered two vodka martinis. Katrina had never tried one, but today she was game.

“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it,” said Danielle.

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?

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.

Then Caleb held his up in a toast to Reed. “Welcome to the world beyond Lyndon Valley.”

Reed couldn’t help a harsh chuckle at that. The world beyond Lyndon Valley hadn’t worked out so well for him.

“So, tell me about these new investments.”

Reed looked his brother square in the eye. The bakery, the tailor and the limo service were irrelevant. “I set up the Sasha Terrell Endowment Fund with ten million dollars.”

Caleb blinked.

“It’s for the benefit of the Liberty Ballet Company,” Reed continued.

Mandy reached over and grasped his upper arm. “For Katrina?”

“For Katrina,” Reed confirmed, reaching for his warm beer, swallowing it against his dry throat.

Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”

“I just told you what I did.”

“Reed, are you sure?” asked Mandy, sitting forward in her chair and leaning toward him. “I mean, it’s great and all. And what a wonderful tribute to your mother. But that’s a whole lot of money.”

“You slept with her?” Caleb accused.

“Back off,” said Reed.

Caleb paced across the deck. “What is the matter with you? I specifically-”

“It’s to protect her,” Reed stated.

“From you?”

“Give me a break.” Reed rocked to his feet. “She doesn’t need protection from me.”

“Then why the ten million?”

Reed was tired of having his motives questioned. “There’s a guy in New York, Quentin Foster. He’s made a lot of large donations to the ballet company, and he seems to think it gives him the right to sleep with Katrina.”

“What?” Caleb demanded.

“What?” Mandy echoed.

“That’s why I went to New York,” said Reed, owning up to at least part of the truth. “I told him to back off. Threatened to kill him, actually. But he wouldn’t listen.”

Caleb’s jaw had turned to steel. “He didn’t…”

“He’s still breathing,” said Reed. “So, no. He didn’t. He asked. She turned him down, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He’s the guy who caused her ankle accident.”

Mandy rose distractedly. “I have to call Katrina.” But she didn’t move any farther.

“The Sasha Terrell Endowment Fund will replace all of Foster’s donations,” said Reed, still looking directly at his brother. “And then some. He’s out. We’re in. And Katrina is perfectly safe.”

“Now I understand,” said Danielle.

Mandy’s shoulders slumped in relief. Then she took the two steps that brought her to Reed and she enveloped him in a hug of gratitude.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her throat obviously clogged.

Reed hugged her back. “Happy to do it.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Caleb asked.

“Didn’t need to.”

“She’s going to be my sister-in-law. And I have a lot more money than you do.”

“It’s handled,” said Reed, releasing Mandy. A couple of tears had leaked out of the corners of her eyes, but she was smiling.

Caleb cocked his head to one side. “But why not-”

“Leave it,” said Reed, glaring at his brother.

But then comprehension dawned on Caleb’s face. “I’ll be damned.”

“What part of ‘leave it’ didn’t you understand?”

“What?” Mandy looked back and forth between the brothers.

Caleb shook his head in obvious bewilderment. “How long have you been in love with Katrina?”

“You don’t have to answer that,” said Danielle.

Caleb turned to her. “What? We’re in a court of law now?”

Mandy looked to Reed, her brows knitting together. “Did I miss something?”

“She’s safe, Mandy.” He told her. “That’s all that matters.”

“But-”

He moved toward the door, wanting nothing more than to get very far away from this conversation.

“How does she feel about you?” Mandy called after him.

He paused, his respect for Mandy at war with his instinct for self-preservation. “She’s in New York City. I’m here. End of story.”

“Is she upset? Did you hurt her?”

Reed knew his answer was going to make Mandy angry. He regretted that. He regretted it a lot. But it was always going to end this way. He’d tried to tell that to Katrina, and he’d certainly known it himself. “She understands that our lives are completely separate.”

“But you slept with her anyway,” said Caleb.

“That’s still none of your business.” Reed started for the kitchen door.

Caleb put an arm out to stop him. Surprisingly, there was no anger in his tone. “A very wise man once told me that when a Jacobs woman sleeps with you, it means she loves you.”