Julie Benson - Home on the Ranch - Colorado

She smiled at Devlin. “Do you want to meet him in person or would a demo CD work?”

Please say the latter .

Devlin had been about to answer her when his cell phone played “I Could’ve Danced All Night.” He grabbed it out of his briefcase. “Excuse me. I have to take this.”

Phone to his ear, he stepped outside the conference room.

She couldn’t believe that Micah Devlin, who chastised her when she took a call from another client with an “emergency,” had answered his phone. Obviously, he subscribed to the do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do philosophy.

“What’s up?” his surprisingly gentle voice floated in through the open door. “Can it wait? My day is full of meetings.”

While Elizabeth longed to scoot her chair to where she could actually see him as he talked on the phone, she resisted the urge. Innocently overhearing a conversation and openly eavesdropping were two different things, and she had no desire to be caught doing the latter.

“Don’t do that,” Devlin almost pleaded. “You know the doctor told you not to drive for three weeks. Please wait.” Frustration crept into his voice. “I’ll run by the pharmacy after this meeting. I’ll be there in a half an hour tops.” Again he paused. “I love you, too, Nana.”

Elizabeth hoped she’d concealed her shock when he returned to the conference table, phone in hand, the softness she’d heard in his voice only seconds ago nowhere visible in his eyes. Who would’ve thought he actually had relatives, much less one he cared about?

“Since Rory McAlister will be a company spokesperson, I want to talk to him face-to-face. I need to make sure he can have a coherent conversation.”

Elizabeth swallowed hard. Sure she knew Rory’s voice sent a women’s happy hormones into overdrive, but how would he do when a reporter tossed questions at him? How could she have forgotten that when she’d developed the campaign? Details mattered, especially to Devlin.

“I met Rory on a ranch in Colorado. He’s used to interacting with tourists. He was quite engaging with facts and local-color tidbits.” At least he’d appeared to be, from the bits and pieces of stories she’d heard, riding at the end of the line of horses.

“He’d better be able to handle interviews.”

“I assure you he will.” Elizabeth smiled. By his first interview she’d be certain he was prepared. She could make a fortune in Vegas playing high stakes poker with her bluffing skills.

“Once I’ve talked with this cowboy and am convinced he’ll suit our needs, I’ll sign him to a contract. Then I’ll sign the jeans contract with your agency. Set up the meeting for tomorrow.”

She noted he hadn’t mentioned renewing the other lines’ contracts. He probably still wanted that leverage to hold over her.

Devlin pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and punched a couple of buttons. “Ten works for me. I don’t want to see his face everywhere, by the way. When the public sees him, I want them to think of Devlin Designs.”

“I agree. I suggest you have your legal department add an exclusivity clause to the standard contract.”

“You don’t think his agent will balk?”

“He’s currently representing himself.”

Devlin smiled openly for the first time. “Then there’s no need to pay him thirty grand over the course of this campaign. What do you think we can get him for?”

Sleep deprivation had to be playing tricks with her hearing, or had rotted her brain cells, because they’d extensively discussed what to pay a spokesman, even an unknown, before she’d started her search. “I told Rory he’d make thirty thousand, as per our discussions.”

Devlin picked a piece of lint off his spotless shirt. “When we talked, we discussed a lot of options, from models to rodeo cowboys. That amount seems a little steep for an unknown with no experience.”

Elizabeth swas seated and folded her hands in front of her to keep from shaking the man silly. Glancing into his eyes, she realized the truth. He’d changed his mind about the money when he’d discovered Rory lacked an agent.

“Offer him twenty thousand,” Devlin stated.

“This puts me in an awkward position. Rory and I had a verbal agreement.”

Devlin folded his arms across his chest. His sharp gaze bore through her. “I pay your agency to negotiate with models on my behalf.”

What was it lately, with men drawing a line in the sand with her? “I’ll inform Rory of your wishes, and will do everything in my power to get him to agree to the new terms.”

“Make sure you’ve dealt with the money issue by the time we meet tomorrow.”

“I’d feel more comfortable taking a day or two to prepare before I discuss the subject with Rory.”

“I want him signed to a contract so we can move forward with this campaign.” Devlin’s icy tone and granite gaze left no room for further discussion.

“I’ll talk to him today.”

ELIZABETH WALKED DOWN the hallway to Chloe’s office and suppressed the urge to bang her head against the wall.

“Shoot me now and put me out of my misery. I’ve lost the will to live,” she said as she sank into the wooden chair in front of her friend’s desk. Now that the adrenaline and caffeine had worn off, exhaustion claimed her.

Chloe paled. “Do I need to update my résumé for the next round of layoffs?”

“No, but you might want to measure me for a straitjacket, because I’m going to lose my mind working with Devlin.”

“What happened?”

“I have two new problems. The first being Devlin wants to meet with Rory before he’ll sign the contract.”

“Why is that a problem? Rory’s perfect.”

“He’s a cowboy, and his mystical cowboy charm won’t work on Micah Devlin.”

“Rory will do fine.”

“I’m not so sure. When I first gave him the jeans for the shoot, he said no real man would be caught dead in them. Can you believe that?”

“Since you’re still talking about Rory in the present tense, I assume you didn’t kill him. But what did you do after he said that?”

She glared at her friend. “I’m not the Wicked Witch of the East, you know.”

“I didn’t say you were. It’s just you get a little overzealous sometimes, especially when people make mistakes in their job.”

“I very calmly and professionally pointed out the important points of being a company spokesperson.”

“I bet that went over like a lead balloon. Guys love having a woman tell them they screwed up.”

“I think he took it well, but after the jeans comment, you can see why I’m concerned about him talking with Devlin. All I need is for Rory to say something negative about the product.”

“He won’t, since you set him straight.”

“You’re just saying that because he’s good-looking. In an interview situation, he’ll have to think on his feet, and who knows what someone might ask him? What if he doesn’t stop to think before he answers, and blurts out the first thing that pops into his head?” Once Elizabeth started voicing her concerns, she couldn’t hold them back. “Sure, he’s photogenic, but I have no idea what kind of education Rory has, or whether he can hold an intelligent conversation. What if he can’t talk about anything but horses, mucking out a stall and fixing fences?”

“Whoa. Can we slow down this runaway train? Rory doesn’t need to be a Rhodes scholar to do well on the morning show circuit. He’s got a great personality and charisma. Those two things can’t be taught, and will go a long way in an interview. Plus you’ll prep him.”

When Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, Chloe held up her hand. “If you’re worried about anything else, talk to Rory. Find out about his education and background. Ask him how he feels about doing interviews.”