Pamela Bauer - Corporate Cowboy

“I don’t care about your past, Austin,” Kacy told him, putting her hands once more on his chest. “I’m not a woman who plays it safe. I’m not going to let you play it safe, either.”

“That sounds like a threat,” Austin said, his breath a bit uneven.

“Think of it as a promise.” The look in his eyes sent a shiver of delightful anticipation through her. “And, I warn you, I always keep my promises.”

Dear Reader,

February is a month made for romance, and here at Mills & Boon American Romance we invite you to be our Valentine!

Every month, we bring you four reasons to celebrate romance, and beloved author Muriel Jensen has reasons of her own—Four Reasons for Fatherhood, to be precise. Join former workaholic Aaron Bradley as he learns about parenthood—and love—from four feisty youngsters and one determined lady in the finale to our exciting miniseries THE DADDY CLUB.

Some men just have a way with women, and our next two heroes are no exception. In Pamela Bauer’s Corporate Cowboy, when Austin Bennett hits his head and loses his memory, Kacy Judd better watch out—because her formerly arrogant boss is suddenly the most irresistible man in town! And in Married by Midnight by Mollie Molay, Maxwell Taylor has more charm than even he suspects—he goes to a wedding one day, and wakes up married the next!

And if you’re wondering HOW TO MARRY…The World’s Best Dad, look no farther than Valerie Taylor’s heartwarming tale. Julie Miles may not follow her own advice, but she’s got gorgeous Ben Harbison’s attention anyway!

We hope you enjoy every romantic minute of our four wonderful stories.

Warm wishes,

Melissa Jeglinski

Associate Senior Editor

Corporate Cowboy

Pamela Bauer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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For two people who are very dear to me, Kathy and Bill Greising

And to Lois Greiman, a special thanks for answering my questions

PAMELA BAUERwas born and raised in Minnesota where you need a sense of humor if you’re going to survive winter. That’s why she writes romantic comedies set in the Midwest with heroes who know how to warm a woman’s heart…and toes. She has received awards from Affaire de Coeur and Romantic Times Magazine and her books have appeared on the Waldenbooks romance bestseller list. She currently makes her home in Minnesota where she lives with her husband who is her real-life hero, her two adult children and a Bichon-poo who thinks he’s human. When she’s not writing, she enjoys watching foreign films, going to the theater and fishing.

668—THE PICK-UP MAN

718—MAIL ORDER COWBOY

803—SAVING CHRISTMAS

814—CORPORATE COWBOY

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

“Uh-oh. You weren’t able to convince them, were you?”

Austin Bennett breezed past his secretary, ignoring the stack of messages she held in her outstretched hand. “Six to one in favor of the dude ranch.”

“Oh, my,” Jean trailed after him, distress adding more lines to her already creased face. “I thought at least Henry…” she trailed off.

Austin groaned as he sank into his leather chair. No, not even his father had been on his side. Not that Austin had expected paternal support on this—or any other—issue. He had learned long ago that if he was going to make it in the family business it wouldn’t be because his father had made it easy for him. Quite the opposite. Even after ten years working for Bennett Industries, Austin had never lost the feeling that he needed to prove himself to his father.

And lately Austin felt like a lone salmon swimming upstream. Even employees he had handpicked had suddenly became his father’s advocates and his adversaries.

Austin shouldn’t have expected anything different. Getting along with others had never been easy for him. According to his mother, the very first time he had crawled into a group of toddlers at the day-care center he had created a fuss. The results of grabbing a squeaking rubber hammer from a ten-month-old pacifist were all it took for him for him to realize the world didn’t always look favorably upon those who went after what they wanted in life.

And Austin did go after what he wanted, often with a relentless determination he had learned from his father. It was why the two of them had always been at odds. They were two of a kind and because his father had started in an entry-level position in the furniture manufacturing firm, Austin too—even with an MBA in management—had to work his way up the ranks. With a man like Henry Bennett at the helm, it had been an uphill battle. But he’d made it. He may have stepped on a few toes along the way, but he had done what was necessary to be a success.

There was no shortage of profits for the company or its employees. What Austin lacked in people skills he made up for in acumen. And if his employees grumbled about the long hours and demanding work schedule, they never complained when he handed them their paychecks.

Even his father was the first to admit that Austin had a talent for making money. His diversifying the family firm had increased profits enormously, allowing them to expand. Now instead of one plant in suburban Chicago there were five, scattered about the Midwest. Employees of Bennett Industries not only received good wages and benefits, but profit sharing in a company that was rapidly becoming one of the most successful firms in the country. Yet despite the monetary rewards, the turnover rate was high—so high that the board of directors had come up with a solution to the problem. A management seminar designed to teach Bennett employees cutting-edge team-building techniques.

Austin had argued long and hard against the idea when it had been originally proposed and he still lobbied against it. At today’s board meeting when he had been overruled in his objections to the plan, he had announced that he wouldn’t be able to attend the seminar. His father had told him, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t optional.

Austin swiveled his chair until he was facing the plate glass windows, looking out across the Chicago skyline. It didn’t matter that he had the title of CEO. His father still ran Bennett Industries.

“It’s a foolish idea,” he mumbled.

“It might not be as bad you think,” Jean consoled him in her motherly way.

“I understand the psychology of sending employees on a trip to get away from the office, but why would anyone turn down a chance to sip cocktails in the Cayman Islands to play cowboy on the prairies of North Dakota?” he pondered as he stared at the city. “The prairie!” he repeated in disbelief. He twirled around so that he was once again facing her. “Have you ever been to North Dakota, Jean?”