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What he’d really like best would be for her to be both.
* * *
Halle used the lunch break to get her imagination under control. Because it was a total nightmare to even contemplate a sexual rodeo with Alastair, but contemplate she had as she’d been up close and personal with him. When his hard body had backed away from the rattler and into hers, she couldn’t help but wonder how all of that hard muscle would feel, naked under her hands.
Her unintentional vow of chastity to Bluewood was making her crazy. Maybe she needed to start dating again, once she had the ranch running at a profit, or enough of a cash flow for nicer groceries, anyway. Halle wasn’t a food snob by any means but she enjoyed sushi and other less economical treats as much as the next millennial.
“You’re worried about the rain. Is it supposed to flood?” His Adam’s apple moved under his skin as he finished the last of his bottle of sparkling water. Halle noted that he hadn’t spoken as he ate. More like wolfed down his meal—the man might be a gazillionaire but money didn’t take away his basic makeup.
He was incredibly attractive. The man was a sex swizzle stick, for God’s sake. Yet he didn’t act like a jerk, didn’t make a play for her. He treated her like a professional.
Which of course made him even more attractive. Not only for how the integrity that simmered underneath his all-business, all-the-time demeanor. He was a true gentleman in that he hadn’t flung a crude come-on at her or tried to flirt with her in a creepy way. His good manners reminded her of her father’s. Although she had to admit she’d love it if he decided to make any kind of romantic move. Client and all. She’d always enjoyed the challenge, the push and pull, the delicate balance of tension that surrounded a full flirtation. She was her father’s daughter, for sure. Chancellor Ford had never backed away from any challenge.
White-hot anger seared her heart. Her father’s life had ended horribly, in a car accident he’d had no warning was coming. He’d been murdered in cold blood by a hit-and-run driver, a woman Halle would never forgive. She had to physically shake her head to break free of the grief that threatened to swamp her.
“Halle? The rain—is it going to be that bad?” Alastair’s concern was in the lines around his mouth, the intensity of his stare. The words were about weather but the subtext was clear. Are you okay? Are you nuts or something?
Halle wrapped her waxed paper and napkin into a ball. “Worried is a strong word. I’m concerned that we’ll get caught in the downpour and get soaked. Hypothermia would be a quick end to our adventure.”
“The rattlesnake could have ended it, too. And while I still hope that I can sleep directly under the stars tonight, I’ll take you up on the spare tent if you think it’s best. But only after we get yours set up, and you convince me you’ll be safe. You’re my trusted tour guide, after all. It wouldn’t be prudent to have you hurt this early in the adventure.”
Halle’s heart warmed. It had to be a major concession for such a worldly man, even though he’d couched it as her decision, to sleep in the tent instead of under the stars directly. His manner of trying to disguise his concern for her as selfishness on his part was downright adorable. And sexy as all get-out.
“All of the riders I bring out here dream of sleeping under the stars, but I have to say that rattlesnakes and scorpions can ruin a perfectly good night’s sleep. The tent is the easiest solution. We’ll set them both up. You can see the stars best before sunup, anyhow. We’ll have our coffee with the dawn.”
Alastair laughed and with growing dread Halle realized it was a sound she could get used to. Too fast, too deep.
“I wouldn’t want to meet our friend from earlier in my bedroll. Or make you have to shoot it in the middle of the night.”
“Trust me, if there’s a snake in your bed, you’re on your own.”
“Really?” The gray-blue gaze, the relaxed mouth, the day’s rough growth of stubble. Her face heated at Alastair’s innuendo. A normal reaction, but the heat that entered farther down her belly and into her female core went too far for her sense of professionalism.
“Since neither of us wants that, let’s get going. We’ve got a couple of hours till we’re at the first night’s campsite.” She couldn’t get astride Buttercup fast enough.
“You don’t have to keep running away from me. Unlike the rattlesnakes and scorpions, I don’t bite.” He’d maneuvered Buster up next to her and Buttercup with the ease of a skilled horseman. She had to give him credit—he may not appreciate just how brutal “roughing it” could be in Texas, but he knew his way around a horse.
“I’m sorry to give you the impression that I’m avoiding you. I’m used to leading a dozen folks at a time, many beginner riders. They usually like to be together with someone they know, to keep their conversation easy. Even when I take out single guests, I’m not used to making more than small talk on the trail.”
“Our conversation can be easy. And I’ll follow you wherever you want to go.”
Zing. Her attraction to him lit up like a Christmas tree. The way it made her body feel was like a special gift. She knew her face was flushed and hoped he couldn’t see her hardened nipples under her shirt. Because as much as she loved Christmas and the live tree she continued to cut down, drag in and set up each year in Bluewood Ranch’s modest living room, she didn’t need her sexual desires on full display in front of a business client.
“You don’t strike me as the easy-talking type, Alastair. You don’t run a successful business like Clyde Whiskey without being very exacting.”
“True, but that’s work. Which I can’t seem to get away from these days.” He lifted his hat and let the breeze lift his short locks before replacing it. “It’s never done, never secure. Not in the age of HFT.”
“HFT?”
“High-frequency trading. Have you thought of investing your profits from the ranch into the market, when you’re ready?” He was so sincere, so earnest in his concern for her financial well-being.
Halle couldn’t have stopped the laugh if she’d wanted to. “I’m lucky to be able to invest in groceries at the end of a month.”
Alastair’s eyes filled with compassion. “Getting a business up and running is difficult, but continuing to successfully run one year after year can prove just as challenging, if not more so. We’re two of a kind, Halle Ford. I suspect we both have a passion for our businesses, and that’s why we do what we do. All the sacrifice. Tell me about your business, Halle.”
To her surprise, she did.
* * *
Alastair kept his eyes on Halle the entire time she confided in him. He was so touched, so damn honored that she trusted him enough to tell him what she’d been through. His concern over her welfare spiked as he listened. Halle spoke as if the tragic death of her father, which she clearly blamed a dead woman named Livia Colton for, had happened in another family, not hers. She was too detached. He wondered if she’d properly processed the ordeal, and worried for her when she did, when it would all hit her. He hoped he’d be around to help her through it, as ridiculous as it seemed on paper, since they’d known one another for such a short time. Alastair got Halle’s dilemma—he knew what it meant to have to shove down pain that would otherwise choke the last gasp of joy out of him.
“I’ve gone through similar trials. We’ve almost lost our business half a dozen times over the past decade. It’s so hard at times. If it weren’t for my family and the fact that Clyde Whiskey is a family business, I’d have hung it up on more than one occasion.” As he spoke he felt tremendous relief. As if he were the one unburdening to her. Maybe he was.
She nodded.
“It’s important to me to keep Bluewood Ranch running. I know that the tourist business isn’t going to keep it alive forever, but I haven’t figured out what else I want to do, what would be financially feasible, for the ranch.” She spoke with the weight of an executive CEO, which he found admirable, since Bluewood seemed like a relatively small operation. Halle took her responsibilities seriously, her experience with larger corporate concerns evident. It was another reason she was unlike any other person he’d ever known, and why he desperately wanted to know her better. So much better. Halle did nothing halfway. She was the epitome of “go big or go home.”
“Have you thought about attracting outside investors?” He thought he’d asked it innocently enough, not mentioning Jeremy outright.
“A pity handout? Never. The big money around these parts is the Colton family and I will never take a penny from them. Even in the wrongful death of my father, I never sought restitution. The only payback would have been to put Livia Colton behind bars. Since she’s dead, it’s a moot point.”
“Understood. But Jeremy’s not a Colton.”
“No, but he’s my friend, as is Adeline. I don’t want to mix friendship and business. Not when investing in the ranch is such a risk. For the moment.” A cloud ran across the sky, putting them in shadow. Halle’s face was guarded.
“And yet you allowed Jeremy to send me here. Is there something you aren’t telling me about the risk at Bluewood?”
“No, not at all.” She let out a soft sigh as she looked at the horizon. “I always planned to take over Bluewood from my dad. Looked forward to it. I knew that someday I’d be running it.”
“But?”
“It’s happened too quickly. I’ve had to learn my way around ranching and the tourism industry while still booking clients. I never feel as if I’m one hundred percent in either role—apprentice or ranch expert.”
“Do you have any staff to help out?” He’d only noticed one ranch hand tending to the barn and stables before they set out.
Halle laughed. “No, that takes time and money.” Neither of which she would have yet since her schedule was full taking people on tours like this one and pouring the revenue into repairs. “My full-time ranch hand, Charlie, hasn’t had a raise in two years. He’s loyal but he could decide today to move on and I’d have no recourse. And frankly, I wouldn’t blame him. I hire other ranch hands as needed.”
“I hear you on feeling as though you’re never doing enough. It’s part of being in business for yourself. That’s what I’ve learned, anyhow. I give you credit, Halle. You’re remarkable. I inherited a solid business and grew it. You’re taking something with a lot of challenges and turning it around. I wish I had as much courage as you.” He meant the words and could feel his heart beat with each one uttered. Halle had a way of forcing him to dig deeper, to find the best way possible to let her know how incredible she was. He’d been under his own work stress lately, but it didn’t compare to Halle’s. Except that they shared indefatigable work ethics. His work was never done, and with his current situation the anxiety of an unforeseen buyout made it so much worse. Nothing he could tell Halle, nothing he’d want anyone in Shadow Creek to know about, no matter how much he trusted them. Not yet. They’d know soon enough if he decided to not invest in tech in the Austin area. Because if he lacked the funds, he wouldn’t invest or ask others to. Alastair might be a billionaire but to him his word was worth more than any commodity, cash included.
They pulled the horses up to a wide leg that offered a breathtaking view of the countryside below and in front of them. They sat in companionable silence as they watched the sun start its descent. Streaks of peach, apricot and purple hues soared over the Texas sky. Even Buttercup and Buster were still, as if showing reverence for nature’s spectacle.
“Let’s dismount and set up camp. We’re over there, near the grove of willows.” She nodded toward their night camp. Halle’s eyes reflected the fiery shades of the beginning sunset. It didn’t escape Alastair that if they’d met anywhere else in time, or on earth, they might be together tonight in the best of ways.
But Halle had made her boundaries clear. This was solely a business excursion. He understood and in fact admired her for her professionalism. Even if it meant losing out on an opportunity to explore the undeniable attraction that arced between them. How could he consider campsite extracurriculars with Halle when his entire livelihood could be at risk?
Chapter 3
The second day and evening went as the first. They spent the morning and afternoon meandering through the Texas countryside and the evening in front of the campfire sipping the wine Halle had brought. The first night Alastair had used the single-person tent Halle gave him and stayed dry under the brief rain showers they’d endured, but the next night he’d been granted his wish and slept under the stars. Nothing but an armadillo crossed near his bedroll, for which he was grateful. He’d had a hard time falling asleep, knowing Halle was in her own tent. He heard her soft rustles in her sleeping bag as she turned, imagined how warm and soft she’d feel against his body. Did she have as hard a time as he did in not crossing the unseen line between them? The hired tour guide–client line? He admired Halle’s dedication to duty and obvious professionalism, but sincerely hoped she’d ease up and consider allowing them to fully enjoy each other’s company.
By the third morning, Alastair expected he’d wake up ready to finish the journey. Instead, as he looked at Halle packing and loading up their horses, he felt a twinge of regret.
“Where to today?”
“Does it matter?” She faced him as they stood in between the horses. “You’ve had your head in your phone all morning. Is there some international news I need to be aware of?”
“No, nothing earth-shattering. And that’s not completely true. I’ve checked in to see what I can do to help.” More like he’d wanted to check on her, make sure she was safe. Aw, hell, he’d wanted to check her out, look at her up close, see if her body, her smile, still made him hard. And then he’d distracted himself with work, so that he didn’t push her too far too soon. Even though they only had one more night and two days together. Even business, bad business—it appeared his stocks were being gobbled up again, and he had no idea by whom—wasn’t enough to take his thoughts off Halle.
Halle grunted. Even that was sexy. “Don’t ever play poker, Alastair.”
He didn’t answer her. He couldn’t. Because as she spoke, he watched her expression and her body language, and realized they’d become ingrained in his memory. It wasn’t just the close quarters or long days together. It was Halle.
No, it’s you and Halle. He’d never felt so in tune with another person this early in a relationship before. And they weren’t in a relationship—she considered herself his tour guide. Period. She’d made that clear more than once. And he hated it. He’d finally met a woman who made him come off the hamster wheel of his business and he wanted to enjoy her more than as his trail guide. Halle was one of a kind—a skilled horsewoman, intelligent business owner and a compassionate, loyal human being. He loved how she was so dedicated to her family, as small as it’d been, and how she’d given up everything she’d worked for to honor her father’s legacy. How she accepted his legacy as her own without blinking. This was the kind of woman a man could take as a life partner. As a best friend. As a lover.
Yet he was only a client to her.
But he’d cease being a client once they were back at the ranch house tomorrow evening. Would she ever consider making an exception for him and let him take her out for dinner?
He snorted as hard as either of the horses. Dinner was the least of things he wanted from Halle. He suspected she knew it, too.
“What can I do to help you this last full day and night, Halle? I feel like I’ve been a bit of a lug, going along for the ride without doing any of the muscle work.”
“That’s what you’ve paid for. It’s not a big deal to me. I’ve done this dozens upon dozens of times. You feel more relaxed than you did when you arrived, don’t you?” Her head was cocked to the side, allowing him to see her creamy skin under the brim of her white cowboy hat. The stylish, top brand hat appeared to be her one concession to her femininity and perhaps her former corporate life. It accentuated her chestnut hair and highlighted the whiskey hue of her eyes.
“As long as I’m not looking at my stock portfolio, yes.”
She laughed and swung up onto Buttercup. God, his fingers itched to grasp her waist and spin her around, their bodies touching—
“Let’s get a move on, cowboy. We’ve got a river to ford.” Her lighthearted prompt shattered what would have become a very naughty cowboy daydream. Usually he’d think about a previous woman he’d dated when he was getting randy. Or the next one he’d ask out on a date. Alastair was an expert at fine dining, precious wine and pleasing the women he took to bed.
Halle was different. She was the kind of woman who put an end to a man’s casual dating life. Because she would be the one he’d always compare anyone else to.
* * *
Halle had to ignore the lump in her throat. Being alone with any off-limits single man she was attracted to, day and night for four days, would have been difficult. Make it a male like Alastair Buchanan and it was downright excruciating to be so near yet unable to even pretend there could be any hanky-panky. And they still had one more night to get through. Of course her hormones were humming. At least that’s what she told herself. It wasn’t that he was special. A man she could sink her teeth into, have a real relationship with.
Besides, even if he wasn’t a client, he lived the better part of five thousand miles away. She hadn’t been able to maintain a romance with a man she’d been dating in Austin once she moved to Shadow Creek, only thirty miles apart.
“Not happening,” she muttered to herself and Buttercup as they wound through a field of dead sunflowers on a narrow clay path.
“What was that?” Alastair’s brogue was lovely, even when he showed flashes of the vigilant CEO he must be to run such a lucrative business.
“I said we’re getting closer to the fun part of the day.” The low rumble they’d had in front of them for the past mile or so had turned into a loud roar. The river crossing was going to be interesting, but nothing she couldn’t manage. She navigated the narrow trail, passed through a field and onto a rise with the river in sight, where she waited for Alastair to fall in next to her.
“That looks no wider than a creek. It’s shallow, I take it?”
“Not sure, and make no mistake, this is a river. Shadow Creek River. With all the rain, it might be higher than usual. One thing about flowing water in the Western US is that it’s very deceptive. I’ve waded in my bare feet through it when I was a kid, and ridden across it on several different horses. But each time it’s different. I’ve had to turn around and come back before, when it was too deep or the current too strong.”
“Our lochs, or lakes, as you say—” he put emphasis on the vowels in “lake” and “say,” making them rhyme “—are the same. They drop off with no warning to unfathomable depths.”
“Well, you won’t see Nessie here, but we have to take our time crossing.” She hoped to relax him with the Loch Ness Monster reference. Halle wondered how much of a challenge the crossing would be but didn’t see a need to alarm him about it.
“I’m game for whatever.” The statement was bold and she thought his profile was a little stiff with arrogance.
“I know you’re a good horseman, Alastair, but you have to trust my judgment about the river. It’s not like a still loch in Scotland.”
“And you know so much about lochs?” The sun caught the flash of his grin and her gut tightened. He was so damned handsome. Too much.
“Haven’t I told you yet? I spent my junior year abroad in Glasgow. I traveled all over Scotland and the UK.” It had felt like a second home and she’d always wanted to return. But then life after college had her deep into her career, and then her father’s death, and now her life’s work at Bluewood got in the way.
“I’d love for you to see Scotland now, as an adult, without the baggage of a student budget.” His insight stilled her. It sounded as if he had a normal upbringing, not one of privilege.
“You sound as if you backpacked across Europe on a budget, too.”
“I did, in a sense. My father was very strict with my spending until I graduated and became fully employed with the company. Sure, I knew I had a fallback if I needed it, but I kept my spending to what he gave me. It taught me how to budget and where to save money.” He laughed and she loved the rolling sound. Easy and strong, like a Highland brook. “It’s crazy, I know, coming from someone like me, but I do appreciate frugality. Easy to say when I’ve never had to do without anything.” She liked how he was self-deprecating when it came to money. Alastair was in touch with how regular people lived, even though he had a billionaire’s life and all the sparkly things to go with it.
“Someday I’ll see Scotland again, and a lot of the rest of the world. For now, running Bluewood is enough for me.” She allowed herself to share his glance for a heart-stopping moment before refocusing on the river. “At the moment I’d say we’ve got a tough crossing on our hands.”
“No worries, Halle. Your word is my command.”
“Good. As I said, it’s important that you rely on my commands as we cross. I need you to stay right alongside me as we approach the water and hopefully get across without issue. Let’s see how deep it is.” When there were younger children on the tour she liked to ham it up a bit here, emphasizing how the personality of the river could change on a dime. With Alastair the last thing she wanted to do was add any drama to their time together. She had to focus on keeping any hormonal chaos she had going on to herself.
The horses’ hooves were leaving prints in the clay bank of the river, the water lapping impatiently at their powerful legs. Halle took it all in, but not before checking out Alastair’s profile. Satisfaction unfurled in her rib cage, knowing he was moved by the scenery. In this fleeting moment she knew she’d done her job. The strong breeze, the white rapids where the water raced around the bend, the quieter area farther downstream that would be too deep to cross—all played their part to showcase the spectrum of the river’s strength. “We’re going to have to cross here, where it’s still shallow enough. See that part, where it looks like it’s not moving?” She waited for him to nod. “That’s most likely a deep ditch from the current. We want to steer clear of it. The horses know what to do but we need to stay steady and confident as we guide them.”
“Yes, ma’am.” His smile was almost a smirk, but not quite. Part of her wished he’d fall off his damned high perch, but a bigger part wouldn’t ever want to put Buster at risk of rolling over or breaking a leg.
She answered his grin with her own. “Ready?”
“By your side, yes.”
Damn it, he took her breath away. She couldn’t blame it on the Scottish accent any longer. She had a major crush on her sexy billionaire cowboy. It was going to remain a secret crush.
“Let’s do it. And please put your phone away, Alastair. You don’t want to become another tourist who loses their device because of a lack of judgment.”
“Okay, you’re the river crossing expert but I’m the tech expert. My phone is in a LifeProof case and will survive any submersion in water. It also floats. And it’s quite secure in the saddle, where it’ll stay while we get our horses across safely.” He pointed at the phone nestled in the holder he’d brought with him. The contraption fit perfectly around his saddle horn, and while she admired its convenience she preferred to keep her phone in her wraparound thigh pocket when riding. Her mobile was for emergencies only out here on the trail.
Alastair didn’t move.
“Good to hear. We don’t need any distractions. Paying attention is key.” She wasn’t in the mood to fish him out of the river if he went in.
“I’ve got this, Halle. Trust me.” He patted Buster’s neck as he spoke, his focus clearly on his mount and not the phone he’d tucked back into its holder.