Barbara Dunlop - A Cowboy in Manhattan

She made it to the privacy of her dressing room. But before the door could close behind her, Elizabeth appeared.

“Another full house,” she told Katrina, breezing inside, letting the door fall shut, taking one of the two armchairs in the compact room.

Katrina dropped down on the padded bench in front of the lighted mirror, automatically pulling the decorations from her hair.

“That’s great news.” She forced herself to smile, catching Elizabeth in the reflection.

“Have you heard from Reed today?” Elizabeth asked.

Katrina’s fingers fumbled, and she dropped a small jeweled comb. It clattered onto the table and down to the floor.

“From Reed?” she asked stupidly, as she reached down to retrieve it. Could she have misheard? Why was Elizabeth asking about Reed?

“I left a message for him this morning, but he hasn’t gotten back to me. That doesn’t seem like him.”

Katrina picked up the comb, her fingers slightly numb, mind scrambling to find some logic in Elizabeth’s words. “You left Reed a message?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Just some more paperwork we need to sign. Danielle couriered it over, but I’m not clear on some of the tax sections.”

Katrina blinked at Elizabeth. “Tax sections?” she parroted. What on earth would Elizabeth have to do with Reed’s taxes? Or what would Reed have to do with Elizabeth’s taxes? And what was Danielle doing in the middle of it?

Katrina knew she couldn’t let herself be jealous, but she simply couldn’t help it. She wanted to be the person Reed called. It wasn’t fair that it was Elizabeth and Danielle.

“Just details,” Elizabeth said brightly, coming to her feet and putting her hand on the doorknob. “If he calls, can you make sure he has my cell number?”

“Certainly.” Not that Reed would call. For a wild moment, Katrina thought of using this as an excuse to call him. But she dismissed the idea. It would be so transparent.

“So you met Danielle?” she asked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth laughed lightly. “We’ve been talking every day. Ten million dollars needs a lot of babysitting.”

“Ten million dollars?”

Elizabeth stilled. Her expression faltered. Her hand dropped from the knob, and she stared at Katrina. “You don’t know?”

Katrina didn’t answer.

“How can you not know? Have you talked to Reed?”

Katrina swallowed a lump. “Not in a few days. We, well, we left things on bad terms after the gala.”

Elizabeth sat back down in the chair, her hands going limp. “The gala? You haven’t talked to him since the gala?”

“No,” Katrina replied.

“She didn’t tell you?”

“Elizabeth?” Katrina tried to tamp down her anxiety.

“Before he left New York. Before… Reed set up an endowment named the Sasha Terrell Fund. It’s for us. It’s for Liberty. It’s ten million dollars.”

The breath whooshed out of Katrina’s body.

“His only stipulation,” Elizabeth continued, “was that we kick Quentin Foster off the board and out of the organization forever.”

“What?”

“I thought…” Elizabeth gave a helpless laugh. “I assumed. I mean, a man doesn’t do something like that for just anyone. And after his performance at the gala. Well, if a man stepped up for me the way Reed stepped up for you…”

Katrina’s hands started to shake. What had Reed done? Why had he done it?

“I was embarrassed,” she confessed in a small voice. “At the gala. I was mortified by his behavior. I told him to leave, to get out of the city. I told him to go back to his sawdust-covered honky-tonks where he could make a point with his fists.”

Elizabeth’s jaw dropped open.

Katrina’s stomach churned.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. “I, uh, guess he did this instead.”

“What was he thinking? ”

Elizabeth cocked her head sideways. “I guess he was thinking he wanted to protect you. And he didn’t appear to care what it cost him.”

Guilt washed over Katrina. Ten million dollars? He’d spent ten million dollars? “Who does that, Elizabeth? Who does something like that?”

“Apparently, cowboys from Colorado.”

“I hate Colorado.” But Katrina was blinking back tears. “Okay, I don’t exactly hate it. But I don’t want to live there.”

“Reed’s there,” Elizabeth offered softly.

“I love Reed,” Katrina admitted her worst fear out loud. “I love Reed. But my life is here.”

Elizabeth moved to the bench, tucking in beside Katrina and taking her hand.

“I need to apologize.”

Elizabeth squeezed. “I hate to ask this. It seems terribly insensitive. But is there any chance you could do it by phone?”

Katrina gave a watery laugh. “I don’t think so.”

“We’ve got sold-out performances for four more nights running.”

“I know.” Katrina wouldn’t walk out on Liberty. “Maybe Monday? Caleb, my sister’s fiancé, has a jet. Maybe I could talk to him about flying-”

The dressing-room door swung open. The two women all but jumped up as Reed’s form filled the doorway.

Katrina froze, her stomach going into a freefall.

“Hello, Katrina.” His deep voice reverberated around her, exactly as she remembered it.

She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t seem to make any words come out.

Elizabeth recovered first, coming smoothly to her feet and moving toward the door, pausing beside him. “May I talk to you later on, Reed? About the paperwork?”

His gaze never left Katrina. “Sure. I’ll call you.”

“Thanks. See you both later then.”

Reed moved in as Elizabeth moved out, and the door clicked shut behind him.

Katrina came shakily to her feet, steadying herself on the dressing table. She was still in her costume, her hair half up, half down.

All she could muster was a whisper. She swallowed. “Elizabeth just told me about the endowment.”

Reed opened his mouth, but Katrina shook her head. She moved forward and touched her fingertips to his lips to silence him.

“Why did you do it?” She blinked against the stinging in her eyes. “I mean… No, that’s not what I mean. I mean, thank you. And I’m sorry.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry.” Reed spoke around her fingertips.

She shook her head again. He had nothing to be sorry about. He’d been right all along.

“I’m sorry I threatened to kill him,” said Reed. “Okay. That’s a lie. But I’m sorry it upset you. And I honestly would have killed him if he’d come after you. But I outsmarted him instead. And Mandy and Danielle tell me that’s a more civilized solution.”

Katrina smiled through the tiny tears that leaked out the corners of her eyes. “I can’t believe you did that. Reed, you spent all your money.”

He reached for her hand, enclosing it in his, pulling her close. “Don’t cry.”

“But-”

“It’s not all of my money.”

His hand was warm and strong and secure. She moved against him, closing her eyes and absorbing the feel of his body and the scent of his skin. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too.” He held her tightly and sighed. “You feel so good.”

She fisted her hands into his shirt, voice raw. “I don’t know if I can let go of you again.”

“I know.”

“Oh, Reed,” she whispered, then drew a shuddering breath. “What are we going to do?”

“I hope we’re going to love each other.”

“How?” she sniffed.

He touched his index finger to her chin, tipping it up. His eyes were warm and rich, and his smile was soft. “I thought we’d start with real estate. Maybe a nice place in Brooklyn. Though I could be talked into Manhattan.”