Fortune's Vengeful Groom

She had always known that this day would eventually come.

Mr. Phillips glanced at Eliza with a baffled expression, but when she offered no help, he turned back to his task. “Uh, sorry, sorry, indeed. The bid stands at thirty-five thousand dollars,” he emphasized. “Going once, going twice, sold to the gentleman in the back of the room!”

Just like that, Reese Parker stepped into her line of vision.

And back into her life.

After six years.

Their gazes locked from across the room. For a long moment they just stared at one another. His eyes held no warmth, his face no joy. He hardly looked like the gentle jeans-clad rodeo rider she’d met one summer in Montana.

Oh, he was as handsome as she remembered. Maybe more so now, with a chiseled jawline and dark, piercing eyes. But this man looked as though he belonged here amid South Dakota’s wealthiest patrons, dressed in a dashing ink-black Western tuxedo with lines cut to perfection. A golden nugget clasped the bola tie that lassoed his neck and settled into a single-breasted brocade vest. A black felt Stetson covered shocks of short-cropped sandy hair and, as if he needed it, snakeskin boots added flair to the whole look.

Heavens, he could have stepped off the pages of GQ.

Eliza was aware of the hush that settled onto the crowded room. But she couldn’t tear her gaze away. She simply looked at the man she had once loved.

Goose bumps erupted on her flesh.

Memories poured in, and her breath caught as myriad emotions ran havoc through her system, but the one that remained, the one she couldn’t banish, washed over her like a deluge of rain.

Anger.

Mr. Phillips took his cue then and concluded the auction, asking that the bidders make good on their bids at the reception table, while the HoneyBees made their way on stage.

Eliza was grateful for the reprieve. She broke eye contact with Reese and scurried off backstage. A gentle hand grabbed her from behind, startling her.

“Eliza, where are you running off to?”

Eliza turned around, relieved to see that it was Nicole. She blinked and couldn’t formulate an answer. The last few minutes had seemed like a dream. No, she corrected, a nightmare.

“That gorgeous guy bid a ton of money on you, Eliza.”

Eliza couldn’t fake a smile. “I know.”

“And you two couldn’t take your eyes off each other.”

“I know that, too.”

“So? Are you going to tell me who he is? You must know him. Either that or he’s flirting big-time.”

“No, trust me, he wasn’t flirting.” The very thought was absurd. She didn’t know exactly why Reese had come to Sioux Falls, but she couldn’t entertain any warm thoughts about him. He had nearly destroyed her with his betrayal. No one knew the whole truth, and she’d hoped to keep it that way for as long as possible.

“Who is he, Eliza?” Nicole pressed. “Please tell me.”

Eliza had kept her secret for six years. Her own humiliation aside, she hated to think of the damage her revelation might do to the Fortune good name.

Good Lord, but she’d been a fool in the past. If the truth got out, Eliza would lose all credibility with her numerous charitable organizations, not to mention the headlines it would cause. One scandalized romance was enough in a girl’s life. She’d managed to survive it, but this one she doubted she would ever live down.

She heaved a sigh. Keeping this from her best friend had been hardest of all. She stared into Nicole’s earnest amber eyes.

“Something’s going on, Lizzie,” Nicole whispered, using her childhood name, reminding Eliza that she and Nicole had a long history of devoted friendship. They’d been close for more than half of Eliza’s thirty-one years. Eliza had wanted to tell her countless times. She decided she’d kept her emotions bottled up long enough. Besides, if the manure were destined to hit the fan, at least she’d have an ally in Nicole.

She spoke the words she’d never said aloud to anyone in Sioux Falls, especially her family. “His name is Reese Parker and…he’s my husband.”

The South Dakota air made Eliza shiver, but she put up with the nighttime chill in order to catch her breath. She’d hurried out of the grand ballroom after speaking briefly with Nicole, finding this little hideaway terrace high atop the Fortune Seven Hotel to collect her thoughts. The magnificent view of the landscape had always helped put her at ease. But tonight it wasn’t working.

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

Reese was in Sioux Falls.

She doubted it was a coincidence that he’d shown up in her hometown.

I was passing through town so I thought I’d look up my…wife.

She shivered again.

And felt a wealth of warmth swarm her body as a man’s jacket enveloped her shoulders. She turned quickly and came face-to-face with her husband. “Reese.”

“Eliza.” He stepped away from her as if he couldn’t stand to be near her, yet he’d just seen to her comfort. The tuxedo jacket smelled of him, an erotic mix of musk and pine.

“You…look different,” she said, fumbling for words.

“I am different,” he said curtly as he removed his Stetson.

His hair was just as she remembered—thick, short and neatly groomed. How often she’d run her fingers through those locks just to muss up those perfect strands.

Eliza’s heart hammered again. Even with this awkwardness, Reese held true to his manners. But he didn’t look like a rugged rodeo rider right now, the man whose dimpled smile could send her body humming. There was nothing soft or gentle in the way he looked at her.

But he did look his fill, his gaze traveling over her body with a laziness that could be mistaken for arrogance. Suddenly Eliza was aware of the revealing gown she’d had designed especially for tonight. In keeping with the Western theme, the creamy satin gown dipped low in the front, the bodice forming her figure and cinching in at her thin waist. Shiny golden threads created an intricate pattern throughout and gilded wide lace teased her bosom and wrists. To match the golden highlights in your blond hair, Eliza, the dress designer had said.

Now, with his eyes upon her, Eliza felt exposed and vulnerable to his scrutiny. His gaze lingered on her chest, making her think back to a time when more than his eyes had devoured her.

She trembled again, and this time the night air wasn’t the cause.

“It’s not that cold, Eliza. Ice must be running through your veins.”

Eliza had almost forgotten herself. She wouldn’t let Reese get the better of her. She’d walked out on him once and she’d do it again. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled then, but not the gentle smile that softened his eyes. No, this smile was thin-lipped and hard. “We have to talk.”

Eliza began shaking her head. “No. We can’t. I have to get back inside.”

“Tomorrow, then. During the dinner you’re going to cook me.”

Eliza removed his jacket and tossed it to him. “You’re joking.”

He caught the jacket with a nonchalance that angered her. Reese had always been fast with his hands. “I seldom joke.”