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And the damn phone kept ringing.
“Do you need to get that?” he asked in a husky tone.
“I should. I mean… yes, I need to.”
After easing me to the ground, he brushed hair out of my face. “Then by all means do so.”
By the time I managed to yank it out of my jeans pocket, the call had dropped. Oh, no. It was the call I’d been praying for. My fingers shaking, I dialed it quickly. “Please. Please.” I couldn’t have screwed this up.
I tingled all over when the phone was answered.
“Ms. Webster. Thank you for returning my call.” I was almost exasperated. “Does Mrs. Barker have any time for me today? Any time. I’ll be there.” I held my breath.
“Actually, you can have fifteen minutes, but you’re going to need to hurry. She’s leaving town soon.”
As she gave me the details, I glanced at my watch. Oh, no. I wouldn’t have time to change. I closed my eyes, my heart skipping several beats. “Yes. I can do that. I’ll leave now. Thank you so much.” When I ended the call, I held the phone to my head. No. No… This wasn’t the way I’d wanted a meeting to happen. There was no other recourse.
“What was that?” Montgomery asked.
I turned around to face him, noticing Joshua was walking out of the barn. “I have to leave. I mean like now. Can you drive me to the office so I can get my things?”
“I’ll take Star for you, Mr. Wolfe,” Joshua said.
Montgomery absently handed him Star’s reins, patting her one last time before turning his attention in my direction. “Of course, but you need to tell me what’s going on. Iamyour boss.”
While he said the words in jest, I wasn’t ready to admit I could be a failure until it actually happened. “Nope. It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
I gave him a naughty look. “I guess you’re going to need to get used to them.”
“You are such a brat. You will get it for that.”
I laughed, my nipples already aching at the thought of the night ahead.
I only prayed it wouldn’t be our last night together.
* * *
From what I’d read on the internet, Rosalee Barker was a formidable woman. I’d been right. While she’d only been in this particular position for a little over six months, she’d increased Costco’s sales significantly. The woman knew what she was doing. She also knew a winner.
She kept a stern look on her face as she sat across from me, the small coffee shop her choice for a location to meet. The fact I hadn’t been able to change didn’t seem to set well with her. My jeans were the most well-worn ones I owned, the slight hole in one knee certainly something that had caught her eye the moment I’d walked in. I hadn’t dared remove the ponytail from my hair. There’d been no time to grab a brush.
I’d been across the table from several influential corporations in my career, even helping with certain negotiations for large contracts. For some reason, I was more terrified by this one. With no other chains returning my calls as of yet, I had no other options to try to give the company an immediate financial boost.
What I had managed to accomplish was to present my request for a contract, along with certain incentives, without stuttering. At this moment I was able to maintain eye contact, even though her expression was stern, unforgiving.
She continued to stare at the paperwork I’d presented, as well as glancing at the few photographs I’d brought with me of the upcoming ads.
“Cheyenne Indian.”
Her two words weren’t at all what I’d expected. I’d managed to convince Montgomery to go with using his heritage and I thought the layout had turned out beautifully. However, selling in her big box chain was all about taste, customer preferences.
“Yes, ma’am. At Wolfe Wineries, we celebrate the legacy and history of America, including highlighting the gorgeous land in Napa Valley as well as the owner’s heritage. That’s important to us. Integrity. Loyalty. Honesty.”
She tapped her finger on one of the pictures. “My sister’s husband is of Native American descent. I like this, Ms. Porter. I think your offer is a solid one and the campaign should do very well for you. I will have the contract drawn up and sent to your offices as soon as I return.”
I knew I’d breathed an audible sigh of relief, almost knocking my coffee over in my exuberance to stand and shake her hand. “Thank you, Mrs. Barker. I hope we can have a long business relationship.” As we shook hands, I could feel her heated gaze and loathed the fact I could tell I was blushing. “Again, I’m sorry about my attire. I didn’t have any time to change. This was very important to me. Your business means everything to the winery.”
