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Chapter 1
This was the promotion of a lifetime and Ellis was a shoo-in. All he had to do was get the silly owners of that dude ranch in Colt Texas to pick one of his recruits to help run the place and his boss would give him the keys to his very own kingdom.
Okay, it wasn’t a kingdom, but it sure felt like it.
Ironically, Ellis didn’t care about the money. He didn’t even care about the status. He simply wanted to be able to say he earned the throne of something despite his wealth and his background.
The company where he worked was the one someone called when they needed to find a viable partner. Calling him was the first right thing Sagebrush Dude Ranch did since opening up their business.
Ellis had looked at the property and the business details until he started dreaming about it. The place had so much untapped potential and the husband-wife team running it didn’t know how to get at it.
Lucky for them, Ellis was assigned to the case. He’d bring in a set of top contenders who not only were business savvy, but they had the money to back them up and could create a plan to put Sagebrush on the map.
This project was going to be a piece of cake.
Now, if only the limo driver would get going. Ellis leaned forward and tapped on the window that separated himself from the driver. Slowly, the tinted window lowered and the driver peered at him through the reflection of the mirror. “Can I do something for you, Mr. Cooper?”
“We were scheduled to leave three minutes ago. Was there a problem I wasn’t aware of?”
“No sir. We’re just waiting on one more passenger.”
“One more—” His stomach dropped as he watched Malory David sweep from their corporate hotel suites owned by their company in Dallas. She had with her two rolling suitcases.
“No.”
“I’m sorry sir? Is there a problem?” The driver glanced toward him once more before lurching into action and climbing out of the car. He bumbled around the back and opened the trunk.
Ellis didn’t have to listen to what was being said outside for him to know exactly what had happened. For some reason, his boss had sent Mallory to team up with him on this job. He didn’t need her help. This case was a slam dunk. Nothing could be easier than to get these cowboys to agree to what he had planned.
The door opened and Mallory froze with one foot inside the limo the second her eyes landed on him. She muttered a curse then climbed in and took a seat across from him. “What are you doing here?”
“Geoffrey didn’t tell you we were being put on this assignment together, either, did he?”
She glowered at him through narrowed eyes. “Apparently, he thinks someone needs a babysitter.”
“You’re probably right,” Ellis sneered, “last time you went out on assignment by yourself, you got the couple to walk away from a million-dollar deal.”
She shot forward in her seat. “The deal would have cost them more than that if they’d taken it and you know it.”
He shrugged and turned his attention to the tablet in his lap. “If that helps you sleep at night.”
Mallory released a growl befitting the tigress she was. With her red hair and her smokey eyes, she definitely didn’t look like someone these two people would want to do business with. They’d probably feel strong-armed into doing something they weren’t comfortable with.
But that begged the question why his boss hadn’t just sent Ellis on his own. He was good enough to do what Geoffrey trained him to do. This whole situation had gone south real quick and it only continued on that trajectory as the limo lurched forward. They had a good hour and a half in this limo together. He had gone through torturous situations before, but this one took the cake.
“I suppose Geoffrey realized that you’re not cutthroat enough to handle a deal like this, hmm?” Mallory’s snide voice filled the quiet cab and tore Ellis from his thoughts.
“Have you seen the file? These people don’t need cutthroat. They need to be handled with care by a firm hand—like children.”
Mallory snorted. “They came to us. No one comes to Geoffrey when they don’t know what they’re doing. They’ve already said they want to maintain a quality share of the company—they just need someone to take it to the next level. This baby resort is going to be the biggest thing to hit the United States since Disneyland. All we need is one investor with deep pockets. I don’t have to remind you the kind of cut our company gets when someone with money becomes interested in a company like this one. I’m talking franchises and growth like they’ve never seen.”
Ellis’s flat look must not have been big enough. “Do you ever stop talking? I know all this.”
“I’m sorry,” Melody chirped. “I thought that since you only just started that you might need a refresher.”
“I’ve been with the company for a year,” he shot back.
“Has it really been that long?” she sang sweetly.
Ellis took a deep breath and released it through pursed lips. “You shouldn’t even be here. This was supposed to be mine.”
She coughed on a laugh. “Yours? What makes you think this project should be yours. I’m the one who’s been paying my dues. I’m the one who’s going to get the promotion. If there is anyone who should be dropped off at the next truck stop, it’s you.”
Ellis leaned forward, lowering his voice to sound as menacing as he possibly could. “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been around. Don’t forget, the dinosaurs outlived their purpose, too.”
She gasped. “I am not a dinosaur.”
“Coulda’ fooled me.”
Her eyes darkened and her lips thinned. The temperature in the limo almost felt like it had dropped a few degrees.
But Ellis wasn’t about to let her know she was affecting him in any way. He straightened his tie and smirked at her. “You know what I think? I think we need to make this a little more interesting.”
He didn’t think her eyes could narrow any further, but they did. “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting a wager. Unless you’re too scared for something like that.”
Mallory folded her arms. “I’m not scared of anything.”
“Good. So Geoffrey gave us both this project and we’re both in the running for that promotion.”
“Yeah? So?”
“So…” he drawled, “what if one of us were to drop from the race?”
Mallory snorted. “You’d never do that.”
“I would under the right circumstances.” He tapped his tablet. “I have a list of top contenders as I’m sure you do, too. Whoever gets these people to pick someone on their list gets the promotion.”
Mallory settled back in her seat, understanding filling her gaze. “And the other person drops from the running.”
“Exactly,” Ellis grinned.
“How do I know I can trust you to drop out?”
“You don’t have to,” Ellis chuckled, “because you’re the one who will have to drop.”
“Funny,” she muttered. “But I know you won’t trust me, either.”
Ellis rolled his eyes. “We can both be adults here. True, it will have to be on the honor system, but I think we should be able to agree to it.” He leaned forward once more and held out his hand. “What do you say? Wanna play a game?”
She stared at his hand for a moment then lifted her green eyes to meet his. “I say, game on.”

(Prequel) Snowfall at Sagebrush
1. Mistletoe Masquerade
2, Gingerbread Hearts
3. Beneath the Christmas Star
4. Tinsel Trail
5. Crossroads at Sagebrush