Cowboy Casanova (Rough Riders #12)(162)

“It’s about your loan. Turton, the VP, confronted me about it. He got ahold of the

paperwork and said it was bogus.”


“When?”


“Yesterday.”


“Was that why you didn’t go into work today?”


“Yes.”


“How did he find out? Not that it matters now, but I should’ve told you the real

reason I applied for the loan.”


“What?” Ainsley fought a sense of dread. “What real reason? What did you intend to

use the money for if not for furniture equipment and supplies?”


Distractedly, he said, “A down payment on Rielle’s land, actually. She was in a

financial bind. Doesn’t hold true now.”


“You lied to me? You lied on the loan application?”


His head snapped up. “Isn’t that what you meant?”


“No! I meant the loan itself was bogus, not the reason for the loan. But my God, this

makes it ten times worse!”


“Angel—”


“Don’t call me that! Don’t you understand? Turton questioned why I sent your loan

paperwork to the head office myself, instead of running it through our loan officer.

Like I was trying to hide it because we’ve been sneaking around. Then he brought up

Chase’s event. How I pushed for the bank’s sponsorship and donation, and now my

motives would be construed as dishonest, given our intimate relationship.”


“This is all bullshit, Ainsley.”


“Is it?” she shot back. “We have been sexually involved on a level that isn’t

normal…which makes me even more paranoid because what if people found out what I let

you do to me—”


“Let me do to you?” he repeated incredulously. “What the f*ck is that supposed to

mean?


“You know what that means, Bennett.” She paced and the cats scattered. “I wasn’t

thinking clearly. Dammit. I haven’t been acting responsibly since the second I donned

that stupid wig and waltzed into the Rawhide Club pretending to be someone I’m not.”


“Are you sayin’ you’re sorry we met?”


Ainsley didn’t answer that—she couldn’t. “All Turton’s accusations have a grain of

truth that once piled up makes a damn convincing argument about my poor judgment. As

bank president, I can’t have poor financial judgment.”


“This Turton guy is just tryin’ to scare you because I—”


“He has scared me. He’s already set up a phone conference with the district manager

for tomorrow. So it’s not like he’s blackmailing me. He intends to get me fired.”

She continued pacing. “I’ll have to move back to Denver. Although I’m not sure where

I’ll live or what I’ll do.”



“Ainsley. Listen to me. There’s another option.”


A hollow feeling filled her chest and belly when she looked at him. She’d dreaded

this. But she’d known it was coming. “What?”


“Would you stay if I asked you?”


“Stay where? In Sundance?”


“Yeah.”