A Cowboy in Disguise Read Online Free PDF

before they knew it. Only his nearness to Alexandra kept Scott from falling dead asleep.
    He wondered if she was usually able to even nap on planes, wondered if just maybe she hadn’t slept well the night before, either. Scenes from the day kept replaying themselves in his mind, and he just couldn’t seem to turn off his thoughts.
    He’d bet she rehearsed lines she’d say when she finally got to meet Rio’s executive team. At one point she probably got up and reread her own proposal, as if she hadn’t memorized it word for word long ago.
    Scott stirred before Alexandra, just as the plane started to descend. He almost wished her head had fallen against his shoulder like he always saw happen in the movies. But, she stayed politely in her seat, smiling softly even in her sleep. A long wave of hair had fallen down across her face and clung to the corner of her lips. On impulse, Scott reached across and gently pulled the strands back away from her face. Her hair felt like silk against his fingertips.
    “What are you doing?” she asked calmly with her eyes still closed.
    “I didn’t want you to eat your own hair,” he whispered. “I hear it doesn’t make for the most nutritious breakfast.”
    “Such a thoughtful gentleman.”
    She stretched with her arms high above her head, and he looked away quickly as the fabric of her shirt shifted subtly, almost seductively with the motion.
    “Ready to intimidate the competition?” he asked. What was with him anyway? If he didn’t know better, he thought he just might start blushing himself.
    “You bet.”
    He’d never been so relieved or so disappointed to get off an airplane in his life, but good news greeted them at the reception desk. Having only just arrived, their odds had already improved. It seemed one of the other firms was conspicuously absent from the gathering. Its team, having been pulled away at the last minute to Houston, had sent a meager note of apology.
    “You know what this means,” Alexandra whispered to Scott.
    “Oh, yes,” he answered. “One down, one to go. Rio will let them give a presentation for legal procurement reasons, but they’re as good as out of the running. Rio wants to be the priority, and if a company can’t give that to them, then …”
    “Exactly,” Alexandra agreed.
    The desk clerk approached them. “Excuse me,” she said. “Three gentlemen from Zellez Corporation have already arrived. They’re waiting to meet you in the lounge.”
    “That’s strange,” Alexandra told Scott. “There were only two enemy names from Zellez on the invitee list.”
    “Maybe they’re overcompensating,” he only halfway kidded.
    As they approached the lounge, all Scott and Alexandra could see at first were the backs of three men all dressed for winter, sipping coffee or hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire.
    “Watch this,” Alexandra whispered to Scott. Straightening her posture and smoothing the front of her tan slacks, she strode confidently into the lounge with Scott not missing a beat at her side.
    Two of the men rose instantly to greet her, obviously in admiration of her looks, her professional reputation, or both. She absolutely filled the room with her presence as she and Scott shook hands with the men.
    Just as quickly as the confidence had surfaced, horror replaced it in her expression. The third man set his drink down quietly and stood a step behind his companions with his thumbs tucked casually in his pockets.
    The Alexandra Hunter he knew didn’t choke under pressure. She certainly did not have attacks of shyness during introductions. Scott caught her look of panic immediately and extended his hand to the third man. “Scott Falconer, D. W. Songstram Corporation.”
    The man with the sandy blond hair reluctantly shook Scott’s hand. “Duncan Phelps, vice president of business development and marketing, Zellez .”
    Scott fought the urge to wipe his hand off on his jeans. The man was dressed in a tweed jacket and had a