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Zane didn’t hesitate. “I can’t rightly say. Carl makes those kind of decisions. He asked me about it recently and I told him the decision was his.”
“Carl Saks?” Her eyes rounded with what Lesley would best describe as distress. She lowered her head. “I was afraid of that.”
“Afraid?”
Candy nodded. “Carl and I seem to have a personality conflict.”
“Carl isn’t unreasonable,” Zane offered. “Perhaps you should talk to him.”
Candy shook her head adamantly. “I’d rather peel grapes than deal with that man. He’s stubborn and irrational.”
A hint of a smile eased up the good side of Zane’s mouth, “As I recall, Carl said much the same thing about you.”
Candy’s head shot up, and her eyes flashed with outrage. “Maybe I will talk with him after all. All I’m asking, Mr. Ackerman, is that you don’t make a rash decision about not giving us your business. You have a big account with us and we don’t want to lose it.”
“I hope you can work things out with Carl, then,” Zane said.
“I’ll do my best,” she muttered as she spun around and headed out the door.
As soon as the other woman was out of sight, Zane chuckled softly.
Lesley wasn’t sure what was happening, but she had a pretty good guess. Zane turned back to face her and smiled. “You know, I almost feel sorry for Carl. It looks to me that at long last he’s met his match.”
Carl wasn’t the only one, Lesley mused. If she had anything to say about it, Zane Ackerman had found his equal in her, as well.
* * *
Candy Hoffman hadn’t a clue what she was going to say to Carl. She never had been fond of crow, and knowing the man, he’d make sure she swallowed it, feathers and all. Candy wasn’t sure what had happened, but the two of them had started off on the wrong foot and it had gone steadily downhill from there. The last straw had come when he stopped off at the feed store a few days ago, asking about his order. Candy had seen to it herself only that morning and sent it out. Or so she thought. When Carl insisted it hadn’t been delivered, she swore it had been. Later she found the order in the back. She’d sent it out right away, but apparently that wasn’t good enough.
As she expected, she found Carl working in the barn, mucking stalls. Great. Just great. He was bound to be in an ugly mood.
“Hello, Carl,” she said, tucking her fingertips in her back jean pockets.
He glanced over his shoulder, saw it was her and then without a word went back to shoveling.
Candy swallowed tightly. She’d be tarred and feathered before she’d grovel to this man, but there might be a way around that.
“It seems you and I don’t see eye to eye,” she said, hoping that would suffice.
Carl said nothing.
“I’m here to mend fences. I regret the argument we had the other day about your order. I was at fault, and I apologize.”
Again he pretended not to hear her.
“What is it you want from me?” she asked, losing her limited patience.
“You’re here because you don’t want to lose this account.”
“All right,” she shouted, kicking the toe of her cowboy boot against the floorboards. “I don’t want to lose this account.”
“Let me ask you something.” He turned around and glared at her.
“All right.” She was eager to do what she could to right the wrongs committed.
“Are you a man or a woman?”
The anger that burned inside her was fierce, but she managed to hold on to it. “I don’t understand the question.”
