behind this whole scheme.
“We should show up together and stage a confrontation,” Dex commented dryly before draining his glass.
Ty grinned. “You may have something there.” Those unnervingly familiar dark eyes twinkled with mischief now. “I say we give ’em a taste of their own medicine.”
A flash of concern found its way through the warm, Scotch-induced haze now cloaking Dex. “What do you have in mind?”
Ty motioned to the waitress and then pointed to their empty glasses once more. “I’m talking about trading places, brother. For just a little while,” he added quickly. “Just long enough to teach our families a lesson.”
Dex hesitated at first, then a smile slid across his face. “Oh, that’s good. All we have to do is bring each other up to speed on how to act and what to do.” He flared his hands and inclined his head in a gesture of nonchalance. “It’s simple on my end. You leave the business decisions to the old man. I have a secretary and a financial advisor who take care of things at the office. They’ll keep you straight on the day-to-day schedule.” He paused, considering. “If a problem does come up and you need to make a financial decision on your own, use your own discretion. You are a Montgomery.”
“Same here,” Ty assured him. “I have two adopted brothers. Between them and the ranch hands, they can handle things at the Circle C. It’ll be good for both of us. We can get to know the rest of our family.”
Dex nodded, though he was more concerned at the moment with teaching his grandfather a lesson than anything else. He noted the time. “All right, then,” he said. “We have ninety minutes before our flights leave for our respective destinations. Let’s do it.”
Ty folded his arms over his chest. “You go first. I have a feeling your folks are a lot more complicated than mine.”
Dex didn’t bother to tell him that complicated was not the word he was looking for, instead he told Ty Cooper everything he would need to know in order to play Dexter Montgomery for just a little while.
Chapter One
What the devil had he done?
Reality crashed down around Dex Montgomery as he stood in the designated pick-up area at Gallatin Field Airport in Bozeman, Montana. Ty had told him where to wait for his ride, and someone from the Cooper clan would pick him up.
Dex swallowed hard, his head aching from one Scotch too many. It was the first time in his entire life he could recall having too much to drink and a hangover all in the same afternoon. But now, as the grim reality of his actions settled around him, he knew today was not like any other he’d experienced in his thirty-two years. He doubted his life would ever be the same again.
The Gucci briefcase, Louis Vuitton garment bag, and state-of-the-art cellular phone he’d left home with just four days ago were now in the possession of a virtual stranger. A stranger who was his twin brother, who, in another hour or so, would be climbing into his limo and riding to his home to meet his family.
What the hell was he doing here?
Dex dropped the army-style duffel bag belonging to Ty Cooper to the ground. He tugged at the collar of the unstarched shirt he now wore and attempted to straighten the off-the-rack jacket. It was very obvious to Dex that his brother had absolutely no taste in clothing. The jeans were criminally worn and far too tight for comfort. The boots—Dex shook his head—had definitely seen better days. Though he doubted that even in mint condition he would have cared for the unnaturally high-arched footwear. He tried not to think about the cowboy hat perched atop his head. The urge to remove it was almost more than he could restrain.
Didn’t cowboys keep their hats on at all times?
What had possessed him to change clothes with another man, brother or not, in an airport rest room?
Temporary insanity. It was the only possible explanation. Stress had finally taken its toll. George, his valet, friend and confidant, had warned him that he was pushing too hard, working far too many hours. But Dex had refused to listen. He had to prove his worth, couldn’t risk disappointing his grandfather. He was thirty-two, for Pete’s sake. He had mountains to climb and oceans to cross. His mark to make.
He had lost his mind. Here he stood, in the middle of nowhere, when he should be dictating correspondence, crunching numbers, planning takeovers. His grandfather counted on him, trusted him unconditionally.
He couldn’t do this.
One telephone call would end this ruse here and now.
Dex grabbed the bag he’d abandoned on the ground and pivoted toward the airport entrance. This was a bad idea. Surely there would be another flight out of here sometime tonight. At the moment he really didn’t care where it was going, as long as it took him back to a more recognizable form of civilization.
“Ty!”
A vehicle screeched to a halt behind him.
“Ty! Over here!” a feminine voice shouted.
Dex froze. Ty. His transportation had arrived. Dex swore under his breath. He should just keep walking without looking back. But then he’d never know…
Slowly, his head throbbing with frustration and the lingering effects of alcohol, he turned and faced step two of his self-created nightmare.
A young woman waved from behind the wheel of an old pickup truck. “Sorry you had to wait!” she called. She leaned across the seat and opened the passenger-side door. “I didn’t know until an hour ago that I would be coming to pick you up.”
Blond hair, blue eyes—she was very young, twenty-two or three maybe. Dex frowned, searching his memory banks for the name that went with the face. Leanne. Leanne Watley. Neighbor. Family friend. The kid-sister type, Ty had said.
“I got here as fast as I could,” she hastened to add when he continued to simply stare at her. “Come on. Gran’s holding supper until I get you home. They’ve got a big celebration planned for your return.”
Somehow his feet moved. Dex wasn’t exactly sure how he managed the monumental task considering his brain felt paralyzed with uncertainty, but he took the necessary steps just the same.
He slid onto the ragged bench seat and awkwardly settled the big duffel onto his lap. He couldn’t imagine what possessed people to drive vehicles like this. There was no place to put anything. And the seat was most uncomfortable.
Leanne laughed. “You can put that in the back. It’s not raining.”
The back. “Of course.” His face heated. He wasn’t usually so inept. As he climbed out of the vehicle, Dex hoped she couldn’t see the level of disorientation afflicting him. His movements felt jerky, his ability to think nonexistent. He placed the worn bag into the bed of the truck and settled back into the passenger seat. He closed the door and offered her a strained smile. “Thank you.”
She frowned, just the slightest creasing of her smooth brow. “I guess you’re really tired. I’m sorry you had to wait for a ride.”
“Your delayed arrival was completely understandable,” he assured her. “Considering the unexpected change in my return itinerary, your reaction time was quite acceptable.”
