Seduction, Westmoreland Style - Brenda Jackson [6]
“The decision is yours, of course, but I think it will be to your advantage, considering everything, to hire her,” Norris said behind him. “The sheikh expects that blasted horse trained and ready to race in less than two months. And the way I see it, Corey’s daughter is our best bet.”
McKinnon turned and shot a hard glare at Norris. “There has to be another way,” he said, his features severe and unyielding.
“”Then I hope you find it,” Norris replied before moving to walk out the door. He hadn’t found another way.
And that was the reason McKinnon found himself arriving by horseback on Corey’s Mountain later that same day. Seeing the spacious and sprawling ranch house, set among a stand of pine trees and beneath the beauty of a Montana sky, had bittersweet memories flooding his mind. He could recall the many summers he’d spent here as a young boy with Corey’s nephews—all eleven of them. Just how Corey managed all of them was anyone’s guess, but those summers had been some of the best of McKinnon’s life. He’d been foot loose and fancy-free, and the only thing he’d worried about was staying away from the black berries he was allergic to.
These days things were different. He had a lot to worry about. He had both a ranch and a business to run, and now it seemed the woman he’d always intended to keep at a distance would be living on his land, within a stone’s throw away…. If she accepted his job offer.
And that was the big question. After the way they’d clashed yesterday, would she even consider coming to work for him now? His contacts in the horse industry hadn’t been any help and now it came down to eating crow and doing the one thing he hadn’t wanted to do—offer Casey Westmoreland a job.
When he reached the ranch house he got off his horse and tied him to a post before glancing around, his gaze searching the wide stretch of land, scanning the fields and pastures. Corey’s land. Corey’s Mountain. McKinnon shook his head thinking it was rather sad that during those times he and Corey’s eleven nephews were spending time on this mountain, somewhere in Texas Corey had three kids he’d known nothing about—a daughter and two sons. Triplets. Being the good man that he was, Corey was trying like hell to make up for lost time.
A sound coming from somewhere in back where the stables and corral were located caught McKinnon’s ears, and before moving up the steps to the front door, he decided to check things out back. As soon as he rounded the corner a swift surge of intense desire flooded him. He recognized Casey sitting on the back of a horse, surrounded by a group of men—one he recognized as her father.
He stopped walking and stood there, leaned against the house and stared at her, remembering the first time he’d laid eyes on her. It had been here, on this very land, standing pretty close to this same spot, while attending her cousin and his good friend, Stone Westmoreland’s wedding. It just so happened that Corey, who she had met for the first time that day, was also getting married.
It had been just minutes before the wedding was to begin and he had been talking with Durango and his brothers, Jared and Spencer. He had glanced around the exact moment a group of people had parted, giving him a spacious view of what he thought had to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He’d heard about Corey’s triplets and had already met her two brothers, but that day had been the first time he had set his eyes on Casey Westmoreland.
Every male hormone within his body had gone on full alert and his libido hadn’t been the same since. He had stood there, the conversations between him and the men long-forgotten as he watched her moved around the