The Cowboy and the Heiress

"What do you want me to do?" Melanie McFarlane gripped the martini glass between her fingers as she watched the stunned expression on Russ Chilton's face. "I think he heard me," she made a huge effort, but Melanie managed not to raise her voice. It helped that she'd spent a lifetime keeping a tight rein on herself. That's what you had to do if you were a McFarlane, because the McFarlanes never allowed themselves the luxury of showing their feelings. "I heard her," Russ muttered. He was holding a bottle of beer. He hadn't wanted to drink it from a frosty mug; he probably thought himself too tough for such niceties. "I just wanted to make sure she hadn't gone crazy or something." More than crazy, she was increasingly desperate. Melanie took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on her martini glass, her third of the evening. She knew she shouldn't down it too quickly, as two had already exceeded her usual limit. "It's very important to me that this goes well," he explained, although he didn't think it was any of his business how important it was. It had taken all her courage to ask him for help, knowing that Russ didn't even approve of her presence at Thunder Canyon. She didn't want anyone to know that the money invested wasn't the McFarlanes', but hers alone. And she didn't know what she would do if she lost it because there was no way she was going to work at one of the McFarlane hotels again. Not anymore. "What he's saying is he wants to turn a perfectly functioning ranch into a stupid tourist trap," Russ countered. "As if there aren't enough of those around already," he added mockingly. "Hopping H will be a guest ranch," she corrected. "With your help, ranch-style activities can continue." developing. Melanie was confident that Thunder Canyon's growing popularity as a tourist destination would make such an idea a success. She knew many people willing to pay large sums of money to escape their busy lives and enjoy what they called the simple life. After all, she herself had belonged to that group of people. Although his simple life wasn't turning out to be so simple. Russ twisted his lips in a way that should have made him look less sensual. "Ranch activities," he repeated, mocking her. —. What's up, redhead? Do you think it's too rude to talk about spreading manure and castrating calves? Unfortunately, I had much more vulgar thoughts about him, all of them very dangerous. Especially for a McFarlane. I needed that man's help, not his... his...