Cody Read online

  She nodded and stepped out onto the doorstep with him, turning to lock the door. She didn’t always lock it, but her foreman was gone this evening as well, and she thought it would be best.

  Followings him out to his truck, she climbed into the passenger side buckling her seat belt automatically. “Have you heard anything from the body shop about my truck?”

  He put the truck in drive and nodded. “The truck is totaled. There’s nothing they can do.”

  She sighed and took a deep breath. There went the idea of paying off the ranch early. She could get a dependable second-hand truck, but it was going to wipe out most of her savings. “Well, darn. That’s going to eat up all my savings.”

  “The wreck was my fault. I shouldn’t have been messing with my radio when the light turned green. Let me get your truck.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye to gauge her reaction.

  “You can’t just buy me a truck!” How many times did she have to tell him she wouldn’t accept a truck from him?

  “Why not?” His voice was reasonable as he asked. “I saw a bracelet online I wanted to buy you last night. It was thirty-two thousand dollars. I didn’t buy it. I restrained myself, so I get to buy you something for less than that. Do you think we could find you a decent truck for under that?”

  She laughed out loud at his reasoning. “I think I’m just going to file with my insurance company. I’ll have to pay a deductible, but then I won’t feel like I’m selling myself to you.”

  He shook his head. “I’m richer than God. Let me spend some of the money my stock broker keeps multiplying over and over. I’m not using it. Please?”

  “No way.” She sat back in her seat, realizing the seat warmer was making her toasty warm. “Where are we going for dinner?”

  “A small Mexican place in Dallas.”

  She turned to him in surprise. She’d thought he might take her to Denton or even Fort Worth, but Dallas? Why drive so far? “Why? That’s a long drive for a dinner!”

  “There are a couple of reasons. Number one, I want to spend time with you, and this gives us more time together. Number two, I need to meet one of my business partners for a quick meeting. It’s going to take ten minutes, and he’s bringing a date, so it’s not just a business dinner.” At least he hoped Justin would be bringing a date. He’d forgotten to call him until he was pulling onto Amber’s property. Hopefully he’d given his friend enough time to find someone.

  She made a face. “Did you already have plans when I told you tonight was the only night that would work for me?”

  His answer was a shrug and a goofy grin. “Maybe.”

  “We could have found another night!” Why hadn’t he just told her he was busy?

  “It’s not a problem. I can work around your schedule.” He paused for a minute. “You don’t feel like going on a business trip with me this week, do you?”

  She opened her eyes wide and stared at him in shock. “This week? So you want me to cancel all my lessons for a week and just run off to who knows where?”

  “Why not? I can hire someone to do your job for the week, or you can just cancel your lessons.”

  “I need the money, Cody. I can’t just cancel the lessons.”

  He stared straight ahead watching the road. “When was the last time you took a vacation?”

  She sighed. “Just under twelve years ago.”

  “It’s time. Can you hire someone to take your place for the week? Give them a set wage of maybe fifteen an hour? Maybe one of your more experienced students?”

  She thought about that. She did have one college age girl, Tanya, who had been with her since she was ten. Tanya only kept seeing Amber so she could have help shaving some seconds off her barrel race times. Tanya had even offered to substitute for her when she needed it. “Maybe I do, but I can’t just take off with no notice.”

  He knew he was going to keep trying. Maybe Justin could help him talk her into it. He wanted to see her in a bikini on the beaches of Motu Tane. He and his friends had been once, right after they’d made their first billion. It was one of his favorite memories, and he desperately wanted to share it with Amber.

  They hit a few traffic snags once they were in Dallas and pulled into the restaurant just before seven. Justin had said he might be a few minutes late, so they went ahead and went in without him. She slid into the booth they were led to, and he slid in after her.

  They’d been seated for less than a minute and were still looking over the menu when two people approached the table. The man was tall with dark hair. He was a lot slimmer than Cody, but almost as good looking. The girl was really tall and had dirty blond hair and green eyes. Her eyes were startling they were so green.

  The woman slid in across from Amber and introduced herself as Sarah. The two men ignored them while they decided what to eat, and Sarah asked, “How long have you and Cody been seeing each other?”

  “We’re not really seeing each other. I’m giving him riding lessons.” Even as Amber said the words, she knew they didn’t make much sense. The skeptical look on Sarah’s face told her she was right.

  “Oh, okay. Is that what you do for a living?”

  Amber nodded. “I usually only teach children, but Cody insisted.” She didn’t mention the triple pay.

  Sarah sighed. “I think the two of them have been too rich for too long. I don’t know about Cody, but Justin thinks he has the right to tell everyone around him what they’re going to do and just watch them fall in line.”

  “Sounds like Cody!” Or like Cody would be if she let him. He didn’t seem as uptight as Justin, but he was certainly a man used to getting his own way.

  “How did you two meet? Did he just call and ask for lessons one day?” Sarah put her menu on the table and gave Amber all her attention.

  Amber blushed. “I rear ended him last weekend.”

  Sarah choked back a laugh. “Really? So he hired you to teach him to ride a horse?”

  “Weird, huh?” She gave Sarah a baffled look.

  Cody put down his menu and took a sip of his iced tea. “You know, I’m sitting right here listening to you, right?” He nodded toward Sarah in greeting, but didn’t say anything to her.

  Amber gave him a confused look. “Well, it is weird. How many people insist someone who rear ends them teaches them to ride a horse?” And asks them to marry her?

  “I’m a billionaire. I’m supposed to be eccentric. Besides, it was time I bought a new pick-up. It’s not like I’m upset I got rear ended or anything.”

  Amber looked at Sarah. “He wanted to buy me a new truck too. I told him my insurance would fix my old one. Weird. Just plain weird.” The baffled look on Amber’s face reflected how Sarah had felt for the past week.

  Justin grinned at Cody. “Seems like she’s figured you out in just a week.” Justin winked at Amber.

  Cody folded his arms over his chest and glared at his friend. “Yeah? Well, how did you meet your date then?” He knew the answer would be bizarre, because Justin never met women the normal way. The last woman Justin had introduced him to had been the activities coordinator of his grandmother’s nursing home.

  Sarah shook her head. “Oh we’re not dating! I’m his executive assistant.”

  Cody looked at Justin. “What happened to the hyper-organized Candice?” Candice had been with the company since its inception. Justin wouldn’t let her go would he?

  “Maternity leave. She’s taking a year off after the baby’s born, so I needed someone.”

  “I thought she was waiting another month?”

  Justin shrugged. “She said she wanted to take off early.”

  Cody knew there must be more to the story than Justin was telling him, but he didn’t press it, because he didn’t want Justin pushing him too hard about how Amber came to be his date for the evening. They could rib each other when the women weren’t around.

  They placed their order, and Amber and Sarah chatted quietly while the two men looked at some charts. Amber surprised
herself by inviting Sarah to the ranch. She didn’t have a lot of time for friends, but there was just something about the younger woman that drew her in.

  Finally, Justin put the charts into a briefcase and Cody stretched out, dropping his arm around Amber’s shoulders. It was the first time he’d done anything like that, and it scared Amber just how natural it felt. “Are y’all done?” she asked.

  “Yeah. He likes me to look at his charts and see if I think they’re feasible before we knock Steven over the head with them.”

  Amber made a face. “Is Steven the other guy who helped start your company?”

  “Steven’s the programmer,” Justin told her. “Without Steven, Cody would be an idea man with no one to make his ideas work, and I’d be just some guy looking for a good product to sell.”

  “Yup. We owe it all to Steven.”

  Their food was served then, and they were all quieter as they ate their meals. Amber had gotten a huge plate of fajitas and was startled to see Sarah just eating a bowl of enchilada soup. “Not hungry?”

  Sarah shook her head. “I have dinner with my family on Sundays. I just ate a couple of hours ago.”

  Amber wondered why she was going on a dinner date right after eating, but she didn’t ask. She was almost afraid of what the answer would be.

  Once they were finished eating, Cody turned to her. “You’re going on that business trip with me, right?” His voice was insistent and his eyes were making her melt again as she met his.

  Amber gave him a perplexed look. “Why would I need to go on a business trip with you?” It made no sense for her to just take off and spend a week with him. It was tempting, but she didn’t think it was a good idea at all.

  “What if I decide to ride a horse on the beach? I wouldn’t want to fall off.” He sighed heavily. “Then I’d get hurt and you’d spend the rest of your life feeling guilty that you didn’t come along, and it would be all your fault I was hurt.”

  Amber sighed. “That’s a ridiculous reason, you know.” It was ridiculous, so why did she want to go so badly?

  He nodded. “I know.” He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Will you go with me?”

  She shook her head. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea. I’d have to cancel several students, and it wouldn’t be fair to them.”

  “When was the last time you took a vacation? A real vacation. Not one where you’re trying to buy more horses or doing anything but having fun.”

  She shrugged. She’d already told him that. Why was he asking again? “I think it was before my father died.”

  “You’re going. If I have to kidnap you, you’re going. Cancel your students. You need a break.” His tone of voice brooked no argument.

  She thought about Tanya, her college-aged student, who would be more than willing to not only make a little money, but get in some practice teaching. She was an education major. She didn’t answer, but watched the banter around the table for a few minutes.

  As they left the restaurant, Sarah whispered, “So, are you going?”

  “I guess so. I don’t know why, but I’m going.” She paused. “Honestly I think it’s going to be fun. I do need a break.”

  Sarah hugged Amber. “I’m glad you’re going.”

  Amber grinned. “Me too. It’ll be easier knowing I’ll at least know someone there.”

  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night then.”

  “Guess so.”

  She got into Cody’s truck with him, inhaling deeply of the new car smell that still permeated the air. “I love the smell of new cars.”

  He nodded. “Me too. I figure when the smell wears off it’s almost time to buy a new truck.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think I’ve had a new vehicle since I turned sixteen and my parents bought me a little BMW.”

  “BMW, huh? I bought my own clunker pick-up when I was fifteen and fixed it up myself. Had it running by the time I got my license.”

  “So you weren’t always crazy rich?”

  He shook his head. “I went to college on student loans and grants like everyone else. None of us had any money until we started the company.” He paused for a minute drumming his fingers on the steering wheel before he started the truck. “So are you going with us?”

  She sighed. “Yeah, I think I am. But only if I can get Tanya to take over the other’s lessons. I can’t just abandon all my students for a week. When will we be back? And where are we going?”

  “We’ll fly in Sunday night.”

  “And we’re going where?”

  He pulled the truck onto the highway and headed back toward Corral City. “A private island in the South Pacific.”

  “Are you serious?” She stared at him in surprise.

  He nodded. “Pack for the beach.”

  “I’ll let you know in the morning if I can arrange for a substitute.” She didn’t know why she was even considering it other than the fact she desperately needed a vacation. She was glad Sarah was going to be there. She liked her, and it would make it easier to know someone other than Cody while they were there. “This needs to count for the other two dates. There’s no way you’re going to convince me that a week in the South Pacific is only one date.”

  He thought about it for a minute. “So if you’re not convinced I can be respectful of you and not try to run your life after the week, I can’t ask you out again, right?”

  “Right.”

  “That’s fair.” He reached over and took her hand in his as he drove. “I’m enjoying the riding lessons.”

  She looked at him. “I’m glad. At first I wasn’t sure if you’d keep doing it.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought maybe you’d get embarrassed that a woman had to teach you the basics.” She watched his face to see any reaction.

  He shrugged. “Honestly? I was really embarrassed that first day when I couldn’t get up on the horse right away. I’ve been okay since then.” He squeezed the hand he held in his. “You’re an amazing rider. I know you said you rode when you were a kid. Did you do a lot of showing horses?”

  “Yeah. I did showing and barrel racing.”

  “Barrel racing? Really? Were you any good?”

  “Yeah, I was one of the best. My boarding school was big into the equestrian sports and I was the best at my school. I wanted to go on to do some racing at area rodeos, but my father was against it. He thought I should find a husband instead.”

  “Someone he chose?”

  “How’d you guess?” Amber laughed as she pushed her long hair out of her eyes. “My father was a good man. He really was. He just didn’t think women were capable of thinking for themselves. He wanted me to marry a man he approved of so I could have a nice stable life.” She paused for a moment. “I guess I ended up with a stable life.” She watched him out of the corner of her eye to see if he understood her joke.

  He groaned. “Bad pun!” He couldn’t help but laugh. “I want you to know that I do think women are capable of thinking for themselves. My mom raised my brother and me after my dad died when I was twelve. She did an amazing job.”

  She thought about that for a moment. Maybe he did have a different perspective than her father if he’d been raised by a woman alone. “It was just you and your brother?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is he older or younger?”

  “Three years younger. He’s my assistant.”

  She shook her head. “Why do you need an assistant?”

  “He actually does a lot. He does personal stuff for me like schedules appointments, but he also takes care of my part of the business. Jonathan schedules times for me to meet up with different coaches. Buys my tickets for all the games I need to attend to sit with the owners and talk to them. He arranges for the plane to be ready and a pilot to be there when I need to fly. I tend to be really busy for about a month as each season starts and can’t keep track of when I’ve even eaten. He takes care of everything.”

  “How long has he worked for you?” />
  “He started working for me as soon as I graduated from college and started traveling so much. He wanted to drop out, but Mom was freaking out that he’d ‘never amount to anything’, so I offered him a job. I wouldn’t have kept him on so long if he hadn’t done such a great job.”

  “Does Steven have an assistant? That’s the other partner’s name, right?” She knew she’d heard it at dinner, but couldn’t remember for certain.

  “Not really, but Steven doesn’t really go anywhere. He stays home and works all the time. He makes an appearance at the office when Justin threatens him, but otherwise he really prefers his home office.” He grinned for a minute. “He does have a housekeeper, though. She’s amazing.”

  “Blond and twenty with a perfect figure?” She could just see the three men drooling over the housekeeper.

  Cody laughed. “She was his mother’s best friend and half-raised him. We all think of her as a mother, and she calls us her ‘boys’.”

  “What about your mom? What does she do now? You haven’t sucked her into the business?”

  He shook his head. “She died of breast cancer a year ago.”

  “I’m so sorry.” It sounded like he’d been really close to his mom, and she hated it that he’d lost her.

  “Thanks. I miss her every day.” He pulled into her driveway and put the truck in park. “Will you let me know when I come for my riding lesson if you can come with us?”

  She nodded. “What time will we leave if I can?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll have to check. It’ll be in the evening so we can sleep on the plane, though.”

  She wrinkled her nose. She hated sleeping on planes. “Doesn’t sound very comfortable.”

  “We’ll take our private jet, and each chair reclines into a bed. It’s very comfortable, and I’m super picky.”

  “Private jet? Spoiled are we?”

  He nodded. “I’d be more spoiled if you’d let me kiss you goodnight.” He took the hand he still held and pulled her toward him, but realized she was still buckled. He reached over to unbuckle her. “Well?”

  “What would you do if I said no?”

  “Cry.”

  Amber laughed. “I might say no just so I can see that.” She scooted toward him on the seat and leaned against him raising her lips to his. She meant to just brush her lips with his, but his hand slipped under her hair at the nape of her neck and he deepened the kiss, tracing her lips with his tongue.