Page 48 of Cowboy in Colorado

GODDAMMIT.

I did not.

There was no falling. Not me, not him, except me off a horse, and that’s it.

“Señorita?”

I blink, shake my head. “Yes?”

“You go to shore?”

I turn around, and see Jeremy and Tina watching me with odd expressions on their faces, and the realtor representing the property looking bored.

“Yes, sorry. Just thinking.”

We spend another hour touring the property, discussing the difficulty and expense of running plumbing and electrical, planning hut locations and outbuildings…

The decision is made, and I tell the agent a contract proposal will be on his desk in forty-eight hours. It’s already been written, as a matter of fact, but there’s no point in seeming overly eager; the property has been listed for sale for several years, so I anticipate getting a sweet deal on it.

12

“Brooklyn?” This is Tina, her head peeking through my door.

“Yeah?” I don’t look up—I’m looking at some of the paperwork on the Costa Rican deal.

“A couple of things. Your father’s secretary called and he’ll be down in ten minutes to see you. She said he would come by your office for an update…and he has twenty minutes.”

I gulp. Dad is the last thing I need right now. “Crap.”

“Is the PowerPoint ready to go?” I ask, gathering my papers.

“Mostly,” she squeaks. “There are a few tweaks still to make.”

“But the blueprints, the marketing materials, all that is in there?”

“Yes. And the glossy foldouts are pretty much ready. They’re proof copies, but it’s something in hand.”

“What are the sticking points?”

She blows a breath between clenched teeth. “We’re missing signed contracts for plumbing work, and the ferry boats we’re trying to buy are harder to find than expected, given the fairly specific parameters. We have the captains on board—” she grins at her own pun, “but they all want newer boats. And, honestly, we need to know the ferries are safe, but they can’t use just anything. The approach is fairly shallow, apparently, so the boats have to have shallow drafts, but still be able to hold a decent number of people, and have enough fuel range to make the round trip at least twice before needing to refuel…that’s the biggest hitch so far.”

“Decent, decent.” I stand up, steeling my spine. “Okay, thanks, I think I’ve got everything I need right now. You said you had a couple of things for me. What is the second thing?”

Tina looks at me and simply says, “Some guy keeps calling the office asking for you. He’s spoken to everyone from reception to your dad’s office. We don’t know who he is, or how he got your number. I just wanted you to know. He’s been very persistent, enough that I’ve alerted security, and they are keeping a close eye on anyone who tries to get past reception on the main floor.”

“Hmm, that’s a bit weird. Let’s talk more about this once my dad and I have had our meeting.”

“OK, sounds good.” Right at that moment my father steps into my office.

I go over to give him a hug and offer him a seat.

“Dad, thanks for coming down. As a matter of fact I was just putting this material together for you, so your timing is perfect.”

“Hello, my dear,” he says with a smile. “You’ve been busy, I see.”

“I’m always busy, Dad, you know that.”

He frowns. “Yes, an unfortunate habit I fear you inherited from me.”