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
