Cody (6 page)

By the time they reached
the stable again, it was past time for his lesson to be over. He
unsaddled his horse and wiped him down. “I need to go home and
pack.”

“You don’t have your
assistant do that for you?”

Cody grinned. “Sometimes,
but not usually. I have him pack if I’m in the middle of twelve
things at once, but if I can take the time to do it, I do.” He
leaned down and brushed her lips with a soft kiss. “I’ll be here
around six to take you to the airport. Remember, it’s a tropical
island so pack stuff for warm weather.”

“I will.”

She watched him go before
turning back to the house. She needed to eat lunch and get
everything packed before her students arrived. Tanya would be there
at four to teach them, but she wanted to make sure to call each of
her students’ parents and let them know about the change in plans
for the week.

When Cody pulled up in
front of her house that evening, she had her suitcases sitting on
the front porch waiting to be loaded. She didn’t take much, just a
carryon and another suitcase filled with mostly shorts and tank
tops. She brought one dress in case they did something that
required her to dress up, but she really hoped that wouldn’t
happen.

She hated to have to dress
up. When she’d been a teenager, she’d love to dress in the latest
fashions and wear high heels couldn’t remember why now. She
preferred her jeans and button up shirts. If she never had to wear
a dress again, it would be too soon for her tastes.

Cody put her suitcase into
the back seat of the cab of the truck with his as she climbed into
the passenger seat. She leaned back against the seat and sighed. It
had been a hectic day getting everything organized and ready for
the trip.

“You excited?” he
asked.

She shrugged. “I’m glad
I’m going, but I’m a little nervous. It’s not like me to take off
and go on vacation with a man I’ve only known for a little over a
week.”

“It’s not like me to
propose to a woman I met ten minutes before. I think we bring out
the best in each other.”

She laughed at that. “I’m
just glad you weren’t serious about your proposal. I was starting
to question your sanity for a while there.”

He stopped at a stop sign
and gave her an intense look. “Oh, I was serious. Anytime you want
to say yes, you’re open to. I want to marry you.”

She shook her head. “You
know, sometimes it’s hard to tell when you’re joking.”

“No, it’s not. I always
have a goofy grin on my face when I’m joking. You can’t tell that
I’m joking right now, because I’m not.” He turned back to the road
and started driving. “We’re taking off from Alliance, so we’re
almost there.”

She took a deep breath,
trying to regain her composure. Why did he always say things that
threw her for a loop like that? “Why Alliance?”

He shrugged. “Steven and I
both live closer, so this is where we keep the corporate jets.
Justin has to make the drive. He lives in Dallas near the
office.”

“Why is the office in
Dallas and not Fort Worth? I’d have thought you’d want to be
closer.”

“I don’t know. Steven and
I both knew we’d almost never go into the office. I’m there once a
week or so, and Steven even less than that. Justin is there every
day, though, so we let him find the location.”

After he parked in front
of the hangar, Amber got out of the truck. “Looks like Justin
brought a limo.”

“I thought about it, but I
figured you’d clobber me after the truck thing today. I’m trying
not to throw money around too much.”

She grinned at him. “I
appreciate that. I like you just fine when you’re not throwing
money around. You don’t have to do that to impress me.”

He gave their suitcases to
the man loading the plane. “Are you excited?”

“Yeah, but I’ve never
really been anywhere like that. Are you sure it’s as wonderful as
you make it sound?”

Cody climbed onto the
plane, pulling Amber along behind him. “I told you, you’re going to
love it.” He rolled his eyes at Justin. “She’s worried she won’t
like the island.”

Justin laughed. “There’s
something wrong with you if you don’t like the island. It’s
incredible.”

“That’s what I keep
telling her!”

There were two seats
across from where Justin and Sarah had settled. Cody pointed to one
and sat in the other. Amber looked at Sarah. “He points and expects
me to just do as he commands.”

Sarah nodded. “Justin told
me on the way here that he’s keeping me like I’m a lost dog or
something.”

Amber settled into the
seat Cody had indicated for her. “These men need to be taken down a
notch.” She kicked off her boots and stretched out in the chair
wiggling her toes. She’d been up before dawn trying to get
everything organized so she could leave.

“Only one?” Sarah looked
over at Justin. “I think twenty or so would be better.”

A stewardess came from the
front of the plane. “You need to buckle up. We’re about to take
off. I’ll serve dinner once we’re in the air.”

Cody tilted his cowboy hat
back onto his head. “What are we having?”

“The same thing you always
insist on having when you fly. Salad, steak and baked potatoes.”
She walked back toward the front of the plane.

Justin smiled. “Sounds
good to me!”

Cody turned to Amber. “Did
you get everything settled at home?”

She nodded. “Tanya is
there teaching the kids now. It felt strange leaving them, but I
know her and I know she’s going to do a fabulous job. I’ve
considered hiring her several times in the past when I felt overrun
with students.”

“You should. You’d still
make money off of her work. You wouldn’t lose a thing and would
actually end up ahead.”

Amber nodded. “I need to
think about that.”

“What did you do today?”
Sarah asked Justin.

“I got all my charts and
graphs in order for the meeting.”

“On your day off?” Sarah
made a face.

“That is a day off for
him,” Cody cut in. “He’s always loved playing with numbers and
making stupid little graphs. I swear, when we were in college, we
had new little graphs shoved under our noses daily. Finally, we had
to tell him to stop wasting ink or the company would go
under.”

Sarah gave Justin a look.
“Really?”

He shrugged. “I find
charts relaxing. I know, it’s weird, but it works for
me.”

Sarah looked at Amber with
wide eyes. “Do you find charts relaxing?”

Amber shook her head.
“I’ve never found anything having to do with money relaxing.” Just
stressful.

“What do you do to relax
then?”

Amber smiled. “I ride my
horse. I still live on the ranch where I grew up and I take long
rides through the countryside.” Or she would if she ever had time.
Sundays were the only days she took for herself, and she usually
spent them catching up on laundry and housework.

Sarah nodded. “I’m not
much of a horse person, but I can see that as relaxing. I’m so glad
you don’t make charts.” She said the last in a loud whisper, and
then cut her eyes over to Justin to see how he’d react.

Justin glared at Cody.
“Thanks, man. I’m glad you’ve got my back.” Amber felt like
giggling at the annoyed sound of Justin’s voice. It was obvious the
men had known each other forever and genuinely enjoyed being
together.

“Someone has to!” Cody
took Amber’s hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her palm,
sending shivers up her spine.

“I know all of your
embarrassing secrets, you know.” Justin had a look on his face that
told Amber he would be happy to share them with her anytime she
wanted to ask.

“I don’t get embarrassed.”
Cody smiled at Amber. “I’d be happy to go on a long relaxing ride
with you anytime.” He’d make sure he scheduled a massage after, but
he’d go anytime she wanted.

“What do you do to relax?”
Amber asked him.

“I cook.” He didn’t seem
to be embarrassed by the fact either, which surprised her. She saw
him as more of a country boy who thought the women should do the
cookin’.

“You cook? Like grilled
cheese sandwiches and stuff?”

“Nahh…like cordon bleu
stuff. I actually took some classes after college for fun.” He
didn’t mention that sometimes he put on his chef’s hat and apron
and cooked for the sheer joy of it. Cody often dropped off meals
for people he knew were having a hard time, just to help them out.
He did it anonymously, because he didn’t want anything out of it
because he just enjoyed cooking and helping people.

“You’ll have to cook for
me sometime.” Amber hated to cook. She would rather do just about
anything than spend time over the stove. She ended up eating a lot
of frozen meals and sandwiches as a result.

“I’d love to.” His hand
covered hers.

She looked into his eyes.
He was the warmest most affectionate man she’d ever been around.
Sometimes she wondered if he could possibly be real or if she was
dreaming him. And then he did something crazy, and she knew he was
real again.

The stewardess came then
with their meals. A table folded down out of the wall to put their
plates on.

Once they were done
eating, and the meal was cleared away, Cody pulled out a deck of
cards. “Spades anyone?”

Sarah shrugged.
“Sure.”

Amber frowned. “I guess,
but you’ll have to teach me. I’ve never played.” She hadn’t had the
whole college experience where people sat around playing cards, and
her family had never been into them. She didn’t hang around with
the other girls a lot at boarding school, because she was too busy
in the stables, so card games were pretty much beyond
her.

Cody nodded. “You’re
Justin’s partner then.”

“Why do you always stick
me with the people who have never played?” Justin glared at
Cody.

“Because I like to win, of
course.”

Amber caught on quickly,
and they played two games. Cody and Sarah won the first, but Justin
and Amber edged them out in the second. By the time they were
finished with the second game, Amber was exhausted. “Is it time to
sleep yet?”

Cody showed her how to
lean her seat back and reached over to stroke her cheek once she
was settled back. He wanted to stay up all night watching her
sleep, but he knew he needed to sleep, too. He didn’t want to miss
out on the fun on the island because he was being sappy on the
plane.

The stewardess brought
pillows and blankets and they all settled down to sleep. Amber
looked over at Cody and smiled just before she drifted off. “You’re
right. The seats are comfy.”

Chapter Five

They all woke as the
wheels touched down on the runway in Bora Bora the following
morning. By mutual agreement, they decided to have breakfast and do
some shopping before they headed to Motu Tane via the boat waiting
to take them.

It was almost noon before
they got on the boat to head to the island. Amber couldn’t believe
how excited she was. When she was growing up, her parents had taken
her on a lot of vacations to beaches, the mountains and every other
locale she could think of, but they hadn’t had the kind of money to
rent an island for a week with their friends. They’d been well-off,
or at least given the appearance of being well-off, but they hadn’t
thrown money around lavishly like these men seemed to do on a
regular basis.

She kept her eyes peeled
watching for the island to come into view. After spending a few
hours on an island the men considered not as good as Motu Tane, she
was expecting something incredible. When it finally came into view,
she wasn’t disappointed.

The boat took them
straight to a small dock right in front of a large bungalow. The
beaches were covered with white sand, and the water was an amazing
clear blue. Amber was truly in awe. She knew that places like this
existed, but she’d never dreamed she would be coming
here.

Steven and Bailey came out
to meet them on the beach. Bailey was holding her niece in her arms
as she spoke to Amber and Sarah. The three men were huddled
together speaking in low tones about twenty feet away near a copse
of palm trees.

“I’m so glad Cody and
Justin both brought dates!” Bailey told them with a grin on her
face. She was so excited she was practically bouncing up and down
on the beach in her flip flops. She was a petite blue eyed blond
who seemed genuinely happy there were other women on the island
with her.

“
Oh, no! I’m not Justin’s
date. I’m his administrative assistant.” Sarah protested quickly
not wanting the other women to get the wrong impression. “I’m Sarah
Roberts.”

“It’s nice to meet you.
I’m really not a date either. I’m the nanny.” Bailey smiled as she
shook the other woman’s hand. “I’m Bailey Borders.” She looked at
Amber. “Are you a date?”

Amber shook her head. “I’m
Cody’s riding instructor.” She still couldn’t quite believe he’d
talked her into this. “I’m Amber Cassidy.” At least she wasn’t the
only one here who wasn’t actually dating one of the men. That made
her feel better for some reason.