The Rival

“You ride very well,” she observed lightly, daring a glance toward him as they followed the Bitterroot River toward the lodge. “Did you grow up around horses?”

He stared out through the snow-covered field where a few deer picked their way back into a thicket.

“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

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.

Birds squawked in the trees overhead, their movements causing more snow to rain down on them as they disturbed the branches.

“Marcus and I didn’t spend any time together growing up,” Devon explained as they left the trees behind and arrived on a plateau above the river. “Our mothers viewed one another as rivals, so Marcus and I did, too.”

“Yet you started a very successful business together.”

He looked sharply at her. “You’ve done your homework.”

Her cheeks heated; yes, she had dug through everything she could find about Salazar Media. Especially since Devon’s father had been a part owner. “You and Marcus are the first guests since I’ve been a trail guide. I figured it doesn’t hurt to know who I’m talking to.”

“I’m flattered,” he admitted. “I’m usually the one doing all the studying about new clients. I can’t remember the last time anyone tried to impress me.”

His gaze collided with hers and she felt the prickle of awareness all over her skin, even with the cold wind blowing off the mountains. Her mouth dried up as she debated how to respond. Thankfully, he had questions about their direction and the next two hours passed uneventfully enough.

She kept up a running patter about the sights, the history of the Bitterroot River, and the best spots for fly-fishing according to the locals she’d asked. They were far from the main ranch house when she spotted a creek side lean-to that one of the ranch hands had told her about. Built by one of the owners for a winter retreat, the lean-to was open on one side, with a picnic table tucked under the shelter.

“Are you ready for lunch?” she asked, shifting in the saddle to see Devon better. “There’s a good spot to make a fire by the water if you want one.”

She could see the fire ring between the lean-to and the creek, the spot sheltered from the wind.

“Sounds good.” He followed her down the snowy hill to the open hut with its bark and branch roof.

She settled the horses close to the water while Devon unpacked the food. She found a few promising sticks to build a fire, kicked away the excess snow, then got to work starting a blaze. By the time she turned around, Devon had flannel blankets on both benches, a clean linen over the table and two glasses of wine poured into stemless glasses. A centerpiece of bread, meats and cheeses was surrounded by fruit, nuts and even a small jar of honey.

With the fire snapping behind her, the flames giving the winter picnic a burnished glow, things had taken a turn for the romantic.

“Wow.” She darted her gaze to his, not sure what to say. “That definitely looks better than the turkey sandwiches I asked the staff chef to make us.”

He waved her closer. “I hope you don’t mind. But I like to combine work with pleasure whenever I can, and Montana is too beautiful not to savor.”

Her heartbeat jumped nervously as she neared him to slide onto one of the bench seats. She needed to be wary of this man’s idea of pleasure. She had too much at stake to lose focus now.

“Of course,” she tried to say in a normal tone, but her voice cracked like a twelve-year-old boy’s. She cleared her throat and tried again. “It’s a treat for me, too.”

“I’m glad.” He took the seat opposite her and waited while she removed her gloves and filled a plate for herself. “So how long have you worked here?”

She took a sip of her wine to steel herself for the inevitable questions and hoped she could change the topic fast.

“I just started last week. I’m having a hard time deciding on a career path since I finished college, so I’ve been testing out different jobs, trying to figure out what I want to do and where I’d like to live.” It was close enough to the truth.

She didn’t mention that she couldn’t properly get her life underway until she had the answers she needed about A. J. Sorensen’s book and where all the profits from it had gone.

“Really?” Devon stretched his long legs under the table, one knee bumping hers. “Where did you attend college?”

“Online.” That wasn’t true. She’d taken most of her classes on the UCLA campus—right up until her accident. “It was easier that way, since I enjoy moving around.”

“And where’s home?” he asked, dipping a corner of the fresh bread into the honey.

“My mother lives in Tahoe.” That was true. “I guess home is there.” Technically, Regina had only ever visited for a couple of days at a time.

Her mother had left Hollywood as soon as she could after the scandal broke, but Regina had remained in Los Angeles with her grandmother to finish high school. At the time, she couldn’t imagine living without her friends, but one by one her friends had all fallen away after the scandal. Even Terri, her best friend, had eventually disappeared from her life when Terri’s parents realized how dangerous it was for two teenage girls trying to flee tabloid reporters on their own.

Regina understood—especially after the late-night car wreck while trying to shake the paparazzi had almost killed her during her undergraduate years. But understanding why her friends had vanished didn’t make those years any less painful. She nibbled a square of smoked gouda and hoped she could change the subject soon.

“Well, I’m glad our paths crossed,” Devon said, lifting his glass. “Here’s to finding new friends in unexpected places.”

She felt her chest constrict, hating the lies but knowing she had no choice if she wanted to discover the truth about his father’s finances.

“To new friends.” Raising her glass, she clinked it gently against his.

Their eyes met as they drank. She glanced away fast, but not before she felt an undeniable spark between them. The thought he’d put into the meal, the curiosity he’d shown about her personally, the way he looked at her—all of it added up to frank male interest that would have been flattering if it hadn’t been so dangerous to her mission.

“What about you?” She reached for another topic of conversation to steer things away from herself. Away from the slow simmer of awareness in her veins. “Where’s home for you?”

“New York. I bought a place on Central Park West when I heard about a potential vacancy and jumped on it before the apartment went on the market.” Crunching into an apple slice, he pointed to a low-flying hawk circling nearby. “My family is in Connecticut. Except, of course, for Marcus out in Los Angeles.”

She tracked the bird while she thought about how to steer the conversation to find out more about his father. The hawk flew for long moments without flapping its wings, angling through the air in a graceful, soaring flight.

“Do you travel to a lot of different places for work?” She needed to be subtler than she’d been earlier. She might have admitted she’d read up on his family, but she didn’t want him to know how much.

“I was in India last week, meeting with an international client, but that’s rare.” He removed a sheaf of paperwork from his jacket and laid it on the table. She recognized a map of Mesa Falls Ranch with a few of the buildings marked on it. “Montana is new for me, too, and I appreciate the tour today.” He spun the map around so she could see it better, then pointed to a few pen markings. “I want to make sure we hit these places.”

She recognized two of the owners’ homes as well as a peak with renowned views of the valley. But her eye was drawn to the papers that had been behind the map—the ones now partially covered by his forearm. The top sheet appeared to be contact information for someone—part of a phone number and an email address that looked like it ended “…tigations.com.”

Mitigations? Litigations? Investigations?

“Of course.” Her brain worked double time to come up with other words even as she forced herself to make eye contact with him. “No problem.”

Crazy though it might seem, she couldn’t shake the feeling the information was related to his father’s estate. Or the book. Or something that might shed light on her quest. But how to steal a peek at it?

“Excellent.” He started to slide the map back into his stack, then paused. “Did you need this for reference?”

Her gaze flicked back to the sheaf on the table, where she caught the word “April.” Or was it a name?

“Sure.” She reached for the map, trying not to stare at the place where his elbow hid whatever came after “April.”

“That would be great.”

He hesitated before passing it to her. “Are you okay?”

She forced her attention back to his green eyes. “Of course. Why?”

Tucking the map into her jacket pocket, she watched him fold his documents and return them to his coat.

“You just seem a little distracted.” He studied her, and for a moment she feared he could see right through her. But then he clinked his glass to hers again. “Drink up, Regina. We should probably pack our things so we have time to see the rest of the ranch.”

Nodding, she finished her meal and wondered how to see those papers before they disappeared for good. One way or another, she needed a plan to separate Devon from his jacket as soon as possible.

Something seemed off about the lovely Mesa Falls Ranch trail guide.

Devon couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was, though. After they returned their mounts to the stables shortly before sunset, Regina had invited him to brush down the horses with her, one of many little things that struck him as odd. He didn’t mind taking care of an animal he’d ridden all day—that was far from the point. Mesa Falls Ranch was positioning itself as a high-end corporate retreat, secondary to its main ranching mission. They had plenty of ranch hands to oversee the stables. If anything, they had too much help in the weeks before the launch party. So certainly, Regina didn’t need his help.

As much as he’d like to think the sexy trail guide was unwilling to part with his company, he didn’t think attraction factored into her request. There’d been plenty of opportunities to act on the awareness between them today—during lunch especially. But Regina had seemed distracted, her thoughts elsewhere.

He ran the brush over Evangeline’s flank, working in tandem with Regina in the quiet barn. The riding arena close to the lodge was more of a showplace than part of the working ranch—here, inexperienced riders could receive pointers about horsemanship, or try their hand at simple rodeo events in a well-monitored setting. Only a handful of horses were housed here tonight. The sweet smell of hay circulated in the cool air from a high, open window.

Evangeline whinnied as he moved the brush down her back, and he caught sight of Regina working silently at the crossties, next to him. Her dark hair caught the overhead lights, revealing a healthy shine. She’d shrugged off her jacket when they’d started working and now he did the same, draping it over the hook near hers. Even with the window open, the big animals warmed the space.

Regina caught him staring then, and for a moment the temperature spiked hotter. Her eyes darted over him before she shifted her attention back to her work. What was it about her silvery gaze that made him so damned curious about her? Maybe the odd signals he’d gotten today came down to attraction after all.

Perhaps she was simply shy. Or maybe she felt an abundance of caution since she was employed by the ranch and didn’t wish to risk a new job by fraternizing with a client. While he considered his next move, his phone rang. He’d had it turned off during their ride, so he checked the screen now just in case it was important.

The caller ID showed his mother’s photo.

“Regina, I just need five minutes, but I really should grab this.”

“Of course.” She waved him along, her smile transforming her face from pretty to breathtaking. “Take as long as you need.”

Nodding his thanks, he set down the brush and hit the button to connect the call.

“Mom?” He moved toward the barn doors, sliding one open to step outside.

“Hello, Devon.” Her voice was lowered, and he could hear what sounded like a dinner party in the background—indistinct music, soft chatter and laughter. “I just saw your note about extending your stay in Montana for the launch party. I wanted to be sure you’ll be here for the wedding.”

“Of course I will.” He thought he’d made that clear in the text he’d sent earlier, but he knew his mother was nervous about her upcoming nuptials. “Mom, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You know that.”

“Okay.” Her small laugh sounded relieved more than anything. “I thought so, but I wanted to be sure. There’s so much booked for the week before that the sooner you can be here the better.”

Devon breathed in the deep stillness of the Montana mountains, wishing he could trade places with his mother for a few days so she could enjoy the peace of this kind of setting. Then again, she wouldn’t want to travel anywhere that his father had frequented. She’d never forgiven him for not sticking around after Devon was born, and although Devon understood why, he wished—for her sake—she’d been able to put Alonzo firmly in her past a long time ago.

“I’ll be at the rehearsal dinner.” He glanced behind him at the barn door, which he’d left open a few inches. “Is there anything else going on that I should know about?”

He tried his damnedest to be an attentive son. His mother had never held it against him that he was a Salazar, the way Granddad did, even though Devon had worked hard to make sure he didn’t overtly share any of his dad’s qualities.

“Most of Bradley’s family will be in town, so Granddad wants to roll out the red carpet,” his mother explained. Bradley Stewart’s family was a force to be reckoned with in banking, a well-connected clan Devon’s grandfather would leverage at first opportunity. “There will be a welcome party, a few media interviews, that sort of thing. You’re always so good with the press, Devon. I’d love it if you could be here.”

He closed his eyes, resenting his grandfather for making this wedding about business. And he hated knowing that news of Alonzo Salazar’s salacious book could steal the spotlight from what should be the happiest day of his mother’s life.

“The launch party is only two days before the wedding.” He couldn’t leave before then. Still, guilt gnawed at him that he couldn’t be there for her when she’d given up so much for him. “But I’ll get a flight as soon as it ends.”

“Of course. I understand.” The music in the background of the call grew louder. “I’d better go now, darling. Good luck, and I’ll see you soon.”

He disconnected the call, not happy to disappoint her, but knowing that it was more important for her to have him here—though she’d never understand why.