The Grumpy Boss Cowboy Billionaire

Chapter 20

Victor

I blew out a deep shuddering breath and looked at the accountant’s statement again. Unfortunately, the facts remained the same. The project was out of money.

This last round of engineering repair, fixing the damaged equipment after the fire—which, thanks to Claire's decision on which policy we purchased, wasn't covered by insurance. Hastings's plan had drained the last of our resources. The account contained enough money to pay the people presently employed for their hours worked to the end of business today.

"This is it, then." I picked up the phone and hesitated, running through any possible solutions I could muster, but came up blank. I called the staff director, asking him to gather all the employees at the termination of the day for an announcement. He complied, his voice calm and concerned, but trusting. My heart sank as I thought about what was about to happen. I glanced over at the pile of purchase orders in the accounts payable bin that Emma had set up for me.

Trudging out of my office, I walked slowly down the hall, and into the mansion kitchen, brushing my fingers over the edge of the charcuterie plate that the house chef had put together for me. I’d been living off them for the last several weeks, barely enough to keep me going but better than running on bourbon alone.

I managed to choke down several cubes of cheese and half a bottle of water before heading out of the mansion. I made my way over to the dining hall, where all of the staff was gathered. The vinyl planking floor gleamed under the tree branch chandelier lights with their micro LED bulbs, illuminating the lodge ceiling in a beautiful golden gleam—all Emma’s work. The refurbished oak tables glistened, and the stage platform at the far end of the room looked like it had always been there.

Like a condemned soul marching to the gallows, I swallowed the lump in my throat and ascended the steps, looking down at the hundred or so faces that I had gotten to know so well over the past three months. I'd let them down. I'd let myself down. Dread filled my stomach and my palms were damp as I wiped them on my pant legs. I could feel my throat tighten as I stared out over the sea of faces, their eyes wide and expectant.

After tonight, I would have nothing. Just a restored theme park that will never open because I couldn’t afford to pay anyone to work there. I would have to sell the park property just to have money to live on, because I would also no longer have a trust fund. I lost the bet. My father had been right about me all along.

That one thought made me stop and take several breaths. My father was right. This place never had a chance, not with me at the helm. I had wagered everything and lost it all. The door to the dining hall opened again and closed with a squeak as the last straggler entered for the announcement. I took a deep breath and started, addressing my audience.

“Good evening. Thank you all for being here.” I took another breath, fighting back sobs. “The past three months have been the most amazing, inspiring, and life-altering that I could have ever imagined. I never could have accomplished what we have done here at Frontier Park without each and every one of you.”

I gripped the stack of final paychecks tightly behind me when I heard someone clear their throat to my right. I glanced over and saw Emma standing there, waving me over to her. Great, I thought, now you’re hallucinating. I'd wanted so badly to look up and see her. So much so, that I'd mistakenly approached several workers from behind, only to lay a hand on an unfamiliar shoulder and be greeted by the face of someone else. I blinked a few times and glanced back over to the steps and she still stood there, gesturing for me to come over to her.

This is real... She's... She's here.

I looked back out to my gathered employees. “Please excuse me, for one moment. I’ll be right back.”

If she was going to break my heart again, I could spare them from theirs for a few minutes more. I strode over to the edge of the platform, crouching to hear her.

“I need to talk to you. In private.” She raised her eyebrows.

I gestured toward the crowd. “I’m a little busy right now.”

She touched my forearm, leaning close. “I think you will want to hear what I have to say.”

I pressed my lips together, took a deep breath, and stood, descending the stairs. Standing beside her, her familiar scent washed through my senses, the bite of tangerine from her lotion, the rose oil she touched on behind her ears, the pineapple and coconut of her shampoo. Had I not been feeling so dejected, I may have put my arms around her and never let go.

She leaned close, standing on her tiptoes. “Follow me.”

Emma led me across the room, into the prep kitchen at the back of the dining hall. It was dimly lit by the glow of the ceiling lights. Once in the kitchen, she spun and grabbed my hand, shoving a thick envelope into it.

“This is my formal offer—I want to buy into the park, for fifty-percent ownership, as an equal partner in exchange for my contribution.”

I looked down at the object in my hand. It was a battered envelope, packed full of hundred dollar bills.

She gave a nod and held her head high. “I have another fifty-grand that I can have wired to the park’s account when the banks open in the morning.”

I blinked, processing what she had just told me. “I…what?”

She met my gaze and held it. “Victor, I know how much you put into this place. After liquidating everything I have, I'm offering half of that. Enough to keep us going long enough to get through the opening month.”

My head spun. I offered the envelope back. “I can’t accept this. It’s too much…I, this is my failure…"

"But it doesn't have to be!" Her eyes lit up as she put her hands on my shoulders. "Victor, I was telling the truth when I said I believed in this place."

"But.." Tears stung my eyes, and I pinched the bridge of my nose, bowing my head to keep from falling apart in front of her. "I treated you so badly, you shouldn’t have to…”

“Victor.” I shut up as she placed her hand in mine. “I forgive you for your thinking I was the mole. You were cautious, and you were trying to be a smart businessman for the sake of everyone out there in that room. I hope you can forgive me for letting Hastings bate me into walking out."

My jaw dropped slightly as I looked back toward the open door leading to the dining area.

"I was emotional, and I let myself get manipulated."

"We were both manipulated." I let out a sharp breath and shook my head.

"You're right. We were. And..." She took a deep breath. "I hope we can figure things out and get back to an even keel because I realized that...I am in love with you.”

My head snapped up and I stared at her. She continued. “I trust you, and I trust your judgment. All I ask is if we are going to make this work, that you do the same. Talk to me if you have worries, share your burdens and victories equally.”

My chest ached and I lifted her hands, guiding them up around my neck, drawing her in for a tight hug, closing my eyes and savoring the feel of her body against the length of mine. She cupped her small hands against my cheek and touched her lips to mine, warming my mouth in a deep kiss.

She drew back and gave me a small smile. “You still haven’t said yes.”

"You realize this still doesn't guarantee the park will succeed, right?"

She smiled, eyes shining with warmth. "Nothing is a guarantee. But some things are worth taking a leap of faith for. What do you say, Mr. Sullivan?"

I laughed, feeling lighthearted for the first time in longer than I could remember. “Yes, I accept your offer.”

Leaning in, I pressed another kiss to her lips, tugging her soft body tight against me again. I traced my fingers down her arms, locking my hand in hers. “I think we have some unfinished business.”

We exited the kitchenette together, moving along the room, and up onto the stage.

I stepped up to the podium, Emma’s warm fingers twined in mine as a murmur went through the crowd. “I would like to introduce you to your new co-owner and business partner at the Frontier Park, Dr. Emma Pierce.”

She grinned at everyone and waved. “Due to the new partnership, everything for the grand opening will continue as planned. It’ll be a hard push, but with all hands on deck, I believe we can get it done!”

The faces of our employees stared at us, unblinking, until a pair of leathery hands started clapping. I recognized Notah standing in the crowd as others began clapping too. Bruce followed suit. Soon everyone was clapping, including Emma and I. We descended the steps and everyone approached us, surrounding us, congratulating and clapping us on our shoulders. I handed out the paychecks I'd printed, feeling less stressed than I had in longer than I could remember. I could completely attribute that to the small hand tangled in mine.

Two weeks later, I pulled the office door shut behind me. Adjusting my bolo tie, I stretched my legs, the leather chaps that I wore felt a touch too tight, despite the saddle soap and neatsfoot oil that they had seen nightly for the last two weeks. I headed out to the bright Arizona sunshine, sliding on my sunglasses. I headed over to the dining hall, where I found Emma, putting the final touches on the tables, and demonstrating to the wait staff how to set the tables. I sidled over behind her and wrapped my arms around her middle, touching a kiss to her neck.

“Hey Cowgirl,” I murmured in her ear. “Are you ready to go meet your adoring public?”

I felt her grin against my cheek, and she turned in my arms. She touched her lips to mine, wrapping her arms around my neck as I touched another kiss to her lips before releasing her, glancing up at all the female staff surrounding us, eyes starry and fond. She and I laughed as she straightened to standing, fingers twining together. We headed over to the main gates where a huge crowd was gathered. We jogged up the stairs to the stage, where the large red ribbon was strung across the wooden sign arch.

“How is everyone doing today!” Her voice rang out loud and confident.

A cheer went up through the audience.

“This park renovation was a group effort. We’ve had so many hurdles to overcome, and we managed to get to this day without any casualties…save for a few nights of sleep, and a bedroom wall completely covered in holes from pushpins.” Emma laughed, glancing over at me with a knowing look.

"Without further adieu..." I stepped up to the mic, gripping the giant scissors, which she also put her hands on, and together we snipped the ribbon. “Welcome to Cactus Creek Frontier Park!”

Everyone applauded as the crowd began to file in, happy faces bright and smiling. I glanced down at my business partner, only to see her watching me. “Did you know that I love you?”

She grinned at me, leaning up to press a kiss upon my lips, fingers cupping my cheek. She drew back, still smiling. “I did know that, actually. But it’s still nice to hear it. Did you know that I love you?”

In lieu of a response, I scooped her up in my arms and pressed a kiss to her mouth. A river of eager customers flowed through the admission gates as employees verified their tickets. Lines formed in front of the rides and attraction and in what seemed like minutes, the entire park was in full swing. In the chaos, we descended the steps from the dais and headed into our park to oversee operations, walking along the dirt path, waving a hand at Notah, who stood at the gate of the paddock, helping guests mount up on their horses for trail rides. Several of the cowboy actors walked and rode past us, tipping their hats as they came by.

Screams of terror and delight came from groups of people as they were exiting the mining tunnel from the mine shaft ride. To our left, a group of visitors were screaming as the Augmented Reality game unfolded on their phone screens in one of the fields.

We moved to where the food trucks sat parked in neat lines, rows of people waiting for food twenty and thirty people deep. Moving further, we reached the concert stage, where the first band had begun their performance. My brother Jax, along with his wife and son, approached us, a huge smile plastered on his face.

“You must be Emma.” He clasped her hand in a firm shake.

“Jackson, right?” She smiled, pointing with her free hand.

He tipped his head towards the woman beside him. “Only she gets to call me that.”.

“Hey, big Brother.” He turned his green eyes to look at me, delight filling his face as he gave me a warm hug.

Stepping back, he gestured around him. “This place is amazing.”

Emma beamed as Sydney approached her, the two of them falling into easy conversation as Jax clapped me on the shoulder.

“It’s good to finally see you happy, man.”

I nodded, overwhelmed as I took everything in. “It’s good to finally be happy.”

We said goodbye to my brother, his wife, and their son, leaving them to finish unpacking and getting setup for the concert tonight. We continued to walk the park all afternoon, sitting in on some of the demonstrations, including the atlatl hunt, and the Native music infusion band. Towards sunset, Emma convinced me to go back to the house where we enjoyed a shower and a nap, before returning to the park for the evening festivities.

After having a delicious Navajo fusion meal in the dining hall, we made our way out to the concert stage, where another band played the opening for Jax. When Jax’s name was called, the audience burst into screams and applause. Emma snuggled into my side from our vantage point, at the back of the venue, in the elevated seats.

“Is it everything you dreamed?” She smiled up at me.

I held her close to my side. “And more.”

She laid her head on my shoulder and let out a long sigh. “I wish it could be like this forever, Victor.”

"Nah..." I kissed her cheek and hugged her close. “Change is just part of life. But I can promise you one thing. I'll do my best to make every day count. And if these past few months are any indication. I'll always love you a little more tomorrow than I did yesterday.”

"So sentimental, Sherrif." She tapped on the gold star on my chest.

"You have a problem with it, Darlin'?"

"Not a one." She leaned up and kissed me on the cheek. "And I'd better warn you, that silver tongue of yours... I'm planning on putting it to work later."

"Promises, promises, Dr. Pierce," I winked and kissed her soundly.