Two To Wrangle (Hotel Rodeo #2)(21)

He cocked his head. “Maybe.”

Tom had believed enough in Ty to put him in the CEO seat, but he needed Monica to bring the dream to fruition. He’d vowed to do whatever it took to make that happen.

“What else has that horse taught you?” she asked.

“Humility.”

“Really?” she snorted in disbelief.

“Yeah, really. No matter how good you think you are, eventually your ass is gonna hit the dirt. It’s a mighty humbling experience when the horse sticks his nose in your face after dumping you. But you have to get up, brush yourself off, and get right back in the saddle. If you don’t do it, you’ll only lose your nerve.”

“But how can you ever trust an animal that’s thrown you?”

“There are always risks,” he said. “But if you don’t get back on the horse, you’ll always be afraid of getting the worst end of a deal, instead of enjoying the best. Who wants to live with that kind of crippling fear?”

“Some of us are braver than others, Ty.”

“I s’pose that’s true enough,” he said.

Pulling down a saddlebag, he threw it over his shoulder and then took her by the hand. Leading her beneath the lone oak tree guarding the hill, he unrolled a blanket and sprawled out, patting the space beside him. “You ready to talk now?”

“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” she asked, settling herself beside him, arms wrapped around her knees.

“No, sugar. We’ve been talking all around it.”

“It?”

“Last night.” He moved in close until his face was mere inches from hers. His voice was casual as his gaze dipped to her mouth. Now that he had her alone, he wasn’t above using any means, fair or foul, to change her mind.

“Last night?” she repeated with a visible swallow.

“Yeah. Told you I’d give you what you want as soon as you agree to come back to Vegas with me.”

“What I want?” she gave another derisive snort. “That’s an interesting spin. I don’t think I imagined that raging hard-on you had last night, Ty.”

If that’s how she wanted to play this, she was about to find out that his prior taunts were only the warm-up act. “What was it like to be on that horse with your legs spread wide?” he asked. “Empty, Monica? Do you ache to have me filling that space, to be moving inside you? Last night when you got yourself off, did you imagine my mouth and tongue licking and sucking that sweet little *? Is the thought of me doing it right now getting you all wet?”

She glared back at him but didn’t deny it. “You’re playing dirty, Ty, and I don’t understand why.”

“I’m renegotiating.”

“But why?” she demanded. “What is it you really want from me?”

“I want you to be my partner.”

“I can’t understand this obsession! Why is that rundown hotel so damned important to you?”

“Because that place saved my life, and I can’t just walk away. I know what it could be, but I don’t just want it for me. I want it for Tom. I know you can’t understand it. I doubt anybody could understand but him.”

She smiled sadly. “You’re a lot like him, aren’t you? I never realized before how much.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Sentimental. I never would have pegged you for that type. The hotel is just a business, Ty. You don’t owe it anything.”

“I owe the people a living, don’t I?”

“They’ll find other jobs,” Monica countered.

“It’s not like that. We’re family.”

“And that’s the biggest part of the problem, Ty. How can you expect to make a profit by comping half the guests? It’s a business. You need to be more objective and less emotional about it.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Ty confessed. “And that’s why I need you.”



She wished he’d quit saying that. The more she heard those words, the more tempted she was to let herself believe it.

“How can you expect me to move forward unless I know my stake is going to be secure?” Monica asked. “Any kind of joint venture with you is well beyond my comfort zone.”

“Your stake?”

“Yes.” She nodded slowly. “You’re asking me to make an investment in something that has a damned poor performance record. Why should I take that risk?” It wasn’t so much the financial as the personal investment that had her running scared. How could she trust him? She was trained to think in terms of past performance and he had a terrible track record.

“Isn’t that what a venture capitalist does?” he argued. “Takes a chance on the success of something that might look like a long shot for a chance at a massive return?”

Watchful and wary, her gaze met his. “But that’s just it. How do I know I have a chance of any return at all?”

She’d chosen every word with care. Studying his face, she could see him reading between the lines.

“I can’t give you the assurance you want, Monica. I wish I could. I’ve lived my life my way for a long time. It’s hard to change, but I have just as much to lose in this deal as you do. Probably a lot more, given that I’m the one who has the most vested.”