“Hold it.”Hastings frowned at Quinn.“You’ve been pretending to be me?Trading on my fame?Well, I hope you have a damned good lawyer, mister, because you have a lot more to worry about than a dented limo hood.”
Jo whirled toward him, glad to be able to focus her anger on someone besides herself.“Don’t you dare threaten him!He nearly killed himself for me, and all because you wouldn’t get off the dime!”
Hastings’ square jaw dropped.“This is my fault?”
“It certainly is.”She shook her finger in his handsome face.“Your advance man came by my ranch and was so enthusiastic he got my hopes up that you would actually use my ranch in your movie!”
Hastings adjusted his sunglasses.“Actually, I was thinking I‘d?—”
“But did you show up to close the deal?”Jo barreled on.“No, you did not.Well, you may have millions, but some of us struggle along from one payment to the next, trying to live the American dream, while our ex-husbands sabotage us at every turn.”
“But, you see, that’s why I’m?—”
“And then, when we finally find a decent guy who’s willing to go that extra mile for us, willing to risk life and very attractive limb to make our dreams come true, along comes some millionaire movie star threatening to sue the pants off him!”
“And these aren’t even my pants,” Quinn added.
Hastings propped his hands on his hips and gazed at Quinn.Then he looked at Jo.“I still don’t get it.”
Jo took a deep breath.“It’s very simple.If my banker thought Brian Hastings was staying at my place, he’d assume the movie deal was on and that at some point in the future I’d be able to make a sizable payment on my loan so he wouldn’t foreclose.”
“But then, if the movie never gets made...?”
“By this fall, especially if the price of beef goes up, I should be able to make a payment that will satisfy him.”
“I have a couple of other ideas, too, Jo.”Quinn climbed off the hood and came to stand beside her.“You don’t have to sell Clarise and Stud-muffin.Instead you should shop around for a better insurance rate, for one thing.What you’re paying is outrageous.”
She turned to him, her eyes wide.“You snooped in my books?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did.I set up a basic bookkeeping system you should have no trouble following, and in the process found some cost-saving?—”
“I can’t believe this!”Jo cringed at the thought that he’d seen the chaos of her financial affairs.“That is extremely private!”
“Dammit, Jo, it’s my area of expertise.And I thought we’d arrived at a point where I could?—”
“You think because of what happened in that tree you now have the right to invade my private financial records and make all sorts of recommendations?Well, let me tell you, Mr.Quinn Monroe, investment banker, that I?—”
“Excuse me, Jo,” Hastings said.“That is your name, right?”
“That’s my name.”Jo still glared at Quinn.
“Jo, I have a comment to make.I’m not sure what went on between you and this Hastings look-alike in the tree, but if he’s willing to give you some free financial advice as a result, I suggest you take it.I hate to tell you what I pay my accountant, but it’s worth every penny.I’m not good with numbers, and obviously, neither are you.”
Jo lifted her chin.“I’ve been managing.”
“Oh, yeah?Then what was that speech about the American dream and loan payments and sabotaging ex-husbands all about?”
“I got...carried away.”
“Okay, but it’s hard-won advice I’m passing out.And these guys hardly ever work for nothing.That tree experience must have been something else.”Hastings folded his arms and glanced across the roof of the limo.“Here comes the horse you rode in on, Monroe.”
Jo looked over to see Benny leading Hyper toward them.Then she glanced toward the arena and noticed a small contingent of people, led by Emmy Lou and Fred, coming toward them.She had to find a way to stall them until she figured out what to do.
Benny reined in his horse and stared at Quinn and Hastings.“Separated at birth,” he said in an awed voice, shaking his head.
Jo hurried to him.“Not quite.Listen, Benny, I need you to do something for me.See Emmy Lou and Fred coming over here with all those people?”
Benny nodded.
