The Rival

“Not really. I went to school with a guy who lived on a Kentucky Thoroughbred farm and I spent a couple of summers with his family.” He pointed toward the woods where the deer had disappeared. “Look. The fawn wants to come back and play.”

Sure enough, the smallest of the deer hopped out into the field again, running in a circle before it darted back into the trees in a flash of white tail. She felt herself smiling along with Devon until she remembered she had to keep up her guard.

“Now that I know what a strong rider you are, I’m all the more determined to take you out on one of the trails while you’re here.” She figured a little flattery couldn’t hurt her cause. “You must want to see the full spread of the ranch while you’re preparing for the launch party?”

“I do.” He turned those pale green eyes her way, his expression serious. “As long as you’re my guide.”

Her heart pounded harder.

Only because she was circling the enemy, damn it.

She ground her teeth together. Focus.

“Deal.” She forced a smile as they rounded the last bend before the main lodge came into view. “Name a time. I actually need to put in more trail ride hours myself, familiarize myself with the place, before Mesa Falls Ranch opens to the corporate retreats at the end of the month.”

“How’s tomorrow morning?” His breath huffed a cloud in the cold air as he spoke. “I can clear my calendar and spend the day taking in the sights.”

“Excellent.” She’d have Devon all to herself. Surely she’d find out something about his father and what kind of relationship Devon had with the man who’d used Regina’s family secrets to make a fortune. “Should I meet you at your cabin?”

“I’ll come to the stables.” He nudged Nutmeg in the flank, turning her toward the lodge. “You can help me choose the right mount.”

“Of course.” She wondered if his knowledge of horses was better than hers. She’d had to exaggerate her skills a bit to land the trail guide job. “We can have the kitchen pack us a meal if you think we’ll stay out through the lunch hour.”

“Absolutely.” Devon nodded. “I had a lot on my plate when you first mentioned the idea of a trail ride, but I’ll be ready to give you my full attention tomorrow.” Slowing his horse to a halt, he let his gaze linger on Regina. “In fact, I look forward to it.”

She stared back at him for a moment too long, trying to read the undercurrent between them. Trying to ignore the pull of attraction.

“Sounds good,” she said finally, needing to stay polite. Professional. Friendly.

No matter that her feelings for him veered between suspicion and simmering awareness.

Dismounting, he turned to stride into the lodge for his meeting, leaving Regina to bring Nutmeg back to the stables. She watched him walk away, his dark boots leaving an imprint as he charged through the coating of powdery snow.

Tomorrow, he’d promised her his undivided attention. That had potential for her investigation into what the Salazar heirs knew about their father’s activities. But he’d also made it clear he was interested in her, and that complicated things considerably. For some reason she was okay deceiving him about her identity, but not okay using the attraction between them as some sort of bargaining chip.

She’d have to find a way to get the answers she needed without succumbing to the draw of the man.

And even after spending only ten minutes with Devon Salazar, she knew that wasn’t going to be easy. But failure wasn’t an option. One way or another, Regina would find out where the profits from Alonzo Salazar’s book were going. If it turned out Devon Salazar had benefited financially from the wreckage of her world?

She would use everything in her power to make sure he paid.

Two (#uf90d13ba-9eaa-54d0-b508-c588c968f231)

Regina stayed up late and awoke early, wanting to ensure she was well prepared for the outing with Devon. She had studied everything she might possibly need to know for the trail ride—weather conditions, interesting sights along the way, a refresher on the native plants and animals. She’d also spent some time rehearsing a few basic details of her cover story since she couldn’t reveal anything personal for fear of giving away her past as Georgiana.

Now she was huddled inside the barn, checking the map on her phone so she didn’t get lost during the ride, when Devon arrived.

“Morning.” The deep masculine voice warmed her insides even before she turned to see him standing under the arch of the doorway.

Snow stirred behind him in a misty white cloud as he pulled on a pair of leather gloves. From his jeans and boots to his dark sheepskin jacket, he looked ready for the outing and not at all like her idea of a Manhattan executive. Straightening, she tucked her phone in the pocket of her jacket.

“Good morning, Devon.” She forced a smile in spite of the weird mixture of nervousness and tamped-down attraction. “Are you ready to ride?”

“I’ve been eagerly anticipating this.” His green eyes lingered on her as he stepped deeper into the barn. “And I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of making a few adjustments to the lunch you ordered from the kitchen.”

He held up a sleekly packaged parcel that she hadn’t noticed he was carrying.

“Perfect.” She’d been planning to stop by the kitchen on their way out. She opened one of the saddlebags. “You can slide it in here.”

He was by her side in a few steps, the heat and warmth of him blocking the cold air blowing in through the open doors.

He smelled like pine trees and soap. A fact she wished she hadn’t noticed. He stepped back from the Appaloosa.

“I see you saddled a different mount for me today.” He patted the mare’s flank while she closed the flap on the saddlebag.

“I know you hoped for something more spirited. Your brother was partial to Evangeline,” she told him smoothly, pretending not to know anything about their enmity. “I thought maybe you’d enjoy her, too.”

Leading his horse out of the barn, he gave a humorless laugh. “Marcus and I have rarely agreed on anything, but I won’t hold that against Evangeline.”

A few moments later, they were mounted and trotting away from the barns at a good clip. Regina tipped her face up into the falling snow, enjoying the fresh air and the beauty of Big Sky Country despite the rider beside her. She found it difficult to relax around him, given her overwhelming need to learn more about his connection to his father and the book that had destroyed her life. But at least his remark about Marcus had given her a toehold into that conversation.

Her cheeks tingled with the chill of the icy snow as she began her most basic introduction to Mesa Falls Ranch, outlining the size and rough parameters of the place, skimming over the ownership, since she assumed Devon knew all about the unique group who managed the property.

“Have you met all of the owners?” Devon asked as they began the steep trek out of Bitterroot Valley.

“I haven’t.” She hadn’t really understood the point of the shared ranch venture. Most ranches were either family owned or held by a major corporation. Yet Mesa Falls was owned equally by six friends who had never made the bottom line a primary concern. “I’ve only met Weston Rivera, who spends the most time on site overseeing things.” She pointed to a break in the trees ahead. “We’ll be able to see his house from just up there.”

“I’ve been to his home. I got to meet a few of the owners at a welcome party they threw at Rivera’s place last week.” Devon appeared more relaxed than he had the day before, even though his mount was definitely more energetic.

For her part, Regina felt on edge, wanting to remain alert to any clues he might give her about his family, his business and his sources of income.

Swaying with the mustang’s movements, she debated the best way to broach those topics.

“I remember hearing about that. Your brother went, too, I think.” She knew a lot about Marcus’s movements even though she hadn’t spoken to him directly. Last week, she’d still been feeling her way around the ranch after landing the job. She’d spied on Marcus more than once.

“He did.” Devon’s answer was clipped.

“The two of you have a business together, and yet you mentioned you don’t see eye to eye on many things.” She glanced his way to gauge his expression. “Doesn’t that make working together difficult?”

“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. “Thankfully, we have offices on opposite coasts, and that helps.”

She wanted to ask a follow-up question but didn’t want to sound like she was interrogating him. So she waited.

“Do you have siblings, Regina?” he asked as they cleared a rise. The terrain leveled off slightly as the horses picked their way along the narrow trail under the shelter of the pines.

“No.” That wasn’t strictly true since she had two half siblings, her father’s kids she’d never been allowed to meet. Her birth father’s wife was highly protective of her family, resenting Regina’s late appearance in their lives. “I’ve always envied people with bigger families.”

Families that didn’t disown their children.