Page 62 of Captured By the Billionaire Cowboy
“Sure,” he confirmed. “I can set up live streaming on social media and our website. You could also give some sort of introductory offer for people who sign up for a retreat during the festival.”
“This is going to be amazing.” Ciara took Davey’s hand, and he flushed with pleasure. “Thank you so much. This is the perfect way to start our horse rescue.”
“Speaking of the horse rescue, have you decided on a name?” Davey wrinkled his nose. “You need something fancier than The Horse Rescue.”
Ciara laughed. “Chelsea just asked the same thing. I’ve been so busy, I haven’t considered it. I want it to be special.”
Davey tapped his chin, then his eyes lit up. “How about we make another contest? Let people vote on it.”
The idea wasn’t half-bad. The last contest had elicited a great deal of support for the ranch, and another could do the same. “It’s possible, but what if someone suggests something ridiculous? Other people might vote for it because it’s funny, and then we’ll be stuck with an awful name like Horsie Horse-Mart.”
“Or Fancy Aardvark Horse Rescue,” Spencer joked.
“Or Greasy Avocado Horse Rescue,” Quinn added.
“Or The Great Skunk Horse Rescue,” she said.
The men stared at her. “Who would make a skunk rescue?”
“No one! Definitely not me.”Time to move on.“Anyways, a silly name would definitely be a problem.”
“Why don’t we have multiple rounds?” Frank suggested. “In the first, people submit their ideas. With all the interest in the rescue, we should get plenty of entries. When that round closes, we’ll pick our top choices and put the finalists on the website, so people can choose their favorite. We’ll get a great name, and people will feel like they have input.”
Ciara loved it. “That’s a great idea.”
“Can Fancy Aardvark be one of the top five?”
“Or Greasy Avocado?”
“The Great Skunk Rescue is growing on me.”
“No!” Ciara exclaimed. Everyone laughed.
Even Frank wore a smile. “So the big question is when do you want to do this?”
“As soon as possible,” a deep voice intoned.
Ciara pivoted, as did the others, as Rowan seemingly appeared out of nowhere. No one else blushed, however, or melted under his smoldering gaze. The others did look between the two of them with varying shades of amusement, Davey themost of all. Did they sense the mysterious connection that grew more powerful every day? The urge to go to him was nearly irresistible, yet she fought it. She didn’t want anyone getting the wrong – or right – idea.
Only Rowan came right next to her, andeveryonenoticed. He brushed her side as he leaned against the fence, casting heat through her body. “We should take advantage of the publicity from the raffle. Several horses still need families, and we can pursue more rescues if you’d like.”
Rescue more horses?Oh, yes.Better than diamonds, flowers or any other gift she could imagine. Just this morning, another urgent call to action popped up on the Internet. If someone didn’t act soon, kill buyers would swoop in and grab the neglected horses for their grisly trade. With the money from the raffle, she could do something about it. “I’d love that.”
“Talk to me before you purchase any horses. The owners who abuse animals are not generally upstanding, and transactions don’t always go as planned.” Rowan’s expression darkened. “I’ve had… heard of some issues.”
The correction didn’t fool Ciara. He meanthe’dhad some issues. Clearly, he still wasn’t comfortable sharing the good he did with others. “Not that all is settled, should we do the opening in a couple of weeks?”
Ciara stared at him. “A couple of weeks? That’s not nearly enough time.”
“You underestimate him.” Quinn patted his brother’s back. Rowan stiffened, but didn’t move away. “This man has magic.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Rowan’s voice was stiff, uncomfortable. “We should take advantage of the coverage from the contest. We also don’t want to wait too long to post the winner, or the entrants may get upset.”
Ciara turned to her uncail. “Do you think everything could be ready by then?”
“I don’t see why not.” He shrugged. “The renovations are mostly simple, like new carpeting and fixtures, which should be completed this week. Almost everything is already in place. I believe we could accommodate guests in two weeks.”
This was happening quicker than a sneaky leprechaun could snatch his pot of gold. “All right, I’ll contact the potential customers to see if anyone is ready to reserve. And if they are…” She took a deep breath. “We’ll do it.”
