The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret

Chapter 7



Stunned, Skylar eyed his back as he turned to walk away. While wanting to send her away was reasonable, perfectly understandable considering everything that had happened, why had he messed with her earlier and let her believe she could stay?

It didn’t matter. She couldn’t let him kick her off the ranch. This would blow her assignment. All because of one extremely foolish move along with an even more stupid kiss.

She couldn’t fail. Not now. Her job was all that she had, and the potential for promotion would vanish if she blew this job. On top of that, her departure would only make things worse for him. The ATF would send somebody else.

She had to get him to change his mind. There was too much at stake.

“Wait!” Calling after him, she hurried to catch up. When she reached him, she was slightly winded and sounded breathy, which she hated. “The agreement was for ten days.”

His unfriendly look would have made a lesser woman cringe. Instead, Skylar simply straightened her spine and continued to look him in the eye as though daring him to renege on his promise.

“True,” he finally allowed. “But now I’m thinking that might have been a little excessive. Come on. Do you really need ten days? You’ve taken enough pictures and an entire notebook full of notes. I think I’ve already given you everything you could possibly need for your article. All you need to do is write it.”

With the ball back in her court, she desperately tried to think of an excuse. Hell, she realized with a sinking feeling it looked as if she was going to have to ramp up her game. Because he was absolutely correct. If she had been writing an article, she would have at least written the first draft by now.

Thinking fast, she swallowed. She needed to give him some other reason to keep her around. But what? Her stomach dropped at the only thing that occurred to her. Hell. Her boss might have been right. She was going to have to try harder to seduce him.

She thought of the women he usually dated, with their lithe model’s bodies and beautiful skin, and wondered if he’d even take her seriously.

Still, she had to try.

“Wait,” she called. Hurrying after him again, she snagged hold of his arm. Though he stopped, the look he gave her was still far from friendly.

With an effort, she smoothed out her expression, hoping she could manage to sound professional. “Okay, you’re right. I am almost done with the article. But something is missing.”

Still silent, he waited.

“I tried to write a first draft last night,” she rushed on, trying to think like a real writer. “But something’s missing. Some spark. While it’s true I have all the information about your horses and your breeding program, I need a bit more.”

Now she had his interest. He cocked his head, studying her. “Like what, exactly?”

Hoping she didn’t sound entirely ridiculous, she continued, “Personal flavor.”

His gaze narrowed. “Personal what?”

“You. You’re the owner, the mastermind behind the breeding program. That’s what I was looking for yesterday. Something’s missing. I’m not sure what yet. But I’ve found interviewing the owner adds depth to the piece.”

He crossed his arms. Not a good sign. “So interview me, then.”

Crap. “Not right now,” she said smoothly. “I’m still working up the questions. How about tonight? Maybe we could have a drink together before I go?”

“Tonight?” He frowned. “I was hoping you’d be out of here by this afternoon.”

Was that squeezing emotion she was feeling hurt? Surely not.

“Well, what harm could one more night be?” Laughing lightly, she pressed closer. “That’s all I need. I promise. One more night, to let me finish the interview. I’d like to have a drink with you, maybe dinner. Just the two of us.”

Tilting her head, she hoped she hadn’t overdone the huskiness she’d put in her voice.

He considered her, his expression still unreadable. But his eyes had darkened, going cobalt, pupils enlarged. His chest rose and fell and she could hear the harshness of his breathing.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Taking heart, she moved a tiny bit closer. However he might try to hide it, he was attracted.

As for herself, that tingle of heat, the way her body felt heavy and hot, well, it had to be nerves. Still, she forcibly didn’t try to throttle the wave of desire that made her nipples pebble beneath her bra.

“Please?” she asked, swallowing hard as she gazed up at him through her lashes, privately wishing she was a bit more experienced at this seduction stuff. “Just one more night?”

When he didn’t immediately respond, other than a slight hitch in his breathing, she continued pressing her advantage. “One final evening.” She practically purred the words. “Then no more of your time. I already have some of the questions written up. I can finish the rest in an hour.”

Truthfully, she didn’t have anything, but how long would it take to whip up some interviewer-type questions?

Eyes narrowing, he stared at her. “Fine,” he said, his voice harsh and not sounding happy about it at all. “I’ll grill us a couple of steaks or something.”

“Oh, thank you.” She stood up on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

For a moment he froze, as though her kiss had stunned him. Then his mouth twisted into what could only be described as a cross between a grimace and a smile.

“Be there at six,” he ground out.

She nodded, thinking furiously as she tried for a tremulous smile. “Just the two of us, okay? Some of these questions are kind of personal.”

“I don’t do personal,” he growled. “But yes, I’ll send José home. And I can manage a simple dinner without my household staff tonight.”

Before she could form a reply, he turned and strode off, leaving her standing there feeling inexplicably foolish and aching for something she knew she could never have.

* * *

Blood pounding in his groin, more aroused than he had a right to be, Matt called himself all kinds of an idiot as he walked away from Skylar. When she’d told the blatant lie, he’d felt a surge of anger so potent he felt as if he were drowning. As a knee-jerk reaction, he’d asked her to leave. This was done out of a sense of panic more than anything else.

Nothing was going the way he’d thought it would. He never expected them to come here and threaten him—this still made absolutely no sense to him. As far as they knew, he was just some Texan who wanted to get richer by selling them ammunition.

Yet for some reason, someone in the cartel wanted to send him a message. He still didn’t understand what they were trying to say. That things weren’t moving swiftly enough? Or had the powers that be learned of Diego Rodriguez’s plans to forge his own cartel?

Either way, something had gone wrong. If he wasn’t more careful, his meticulously laid plans would come crumbling down around him.

Despite both his and José’s assumptions that one of the cartels had set the fire as a warning not to sell the ammo to the upstarts, they hadn’t received any sort of message like they’d expected. So what was the point?

José’s contact was still off the grid, and the tension was about to drive Matt insane. Skylar in her thin Dallas Cowboys T-shirt with her perky breasts and come-hither gaze hadn’t helped. Her lush mouth begged to be kissed. Hell, he found himself growing hard every time he even so much as looked at her.

Unexpected and unwelcome. But lust he could deal with. The uncertainty of not knowing if Diego would walk into the trap Matt had so carefully set he definitely could not.

If things weren’t so close to the edge, he’d have welcomed the distraction Skylar brought. The several hours he’d spent with her, showing off his horses and watching her as she snapped photo after photo, had only made him want her more. Her tight little behind in her faded Levi’s, the cute way she bit her lip when she angled her head trying to get that perfect shot.

She got to him, but that was to be expected. He’d always had a thing for gorgeous women.

Too bad everything about her was false.

Even this. He grimaced, unable to believe she was willing to go this far.

A private dinner? Drinks? What then? Seduction? Ignoring the part of him that would be ready, willing and eager to take her up on that, instead he tried to make himself despise her. The only problem was that he knew better than most how far someone could be willing to go to gain the means to an end.

But for her, it was just a job. For him, it was his entire existence.

Still, he found himself actually curious to see how far she would go.

Slamming into the kitchen, he began rummaging in the freezer to see what he had that he could grill.

“What’s up, amigo?” José wandered over, biting into an apple.

“I just asked Skylar to leave.”

José’s dark brows rose. He took another bite, chewed and swallowed before commenting, “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“She invited herself to dinner tonight to try to talk me out of it.”

A slow grin spread over his friend’s face. “I see.”

Though one corner of his mouth twitched, Matt ordered himself not to smile back. “Alone,” he elaborated.

“Her idea or yours?”

“Hers.” Matt shook his head. “She was insistent about that.”

José laughed. “So are you going to let her persuade you?”

Growing serious, Matt shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not. I don’t need the complication right now.”

“Yes, but you sure could use a distraction.”

Since his friend had no way of knowing exactly how distracting Matt found the ATF agent, Matt went back to perusing the freezer. “I could have sworn I had a couple of T-bones,” he muttered.

“You do.” Reaching around him, José pulled out two thick steaks. “Here you go. Sounds like a really nice dinner for someone you don’t even like.”

Matt shook his head. “I didn’t say I don’t like her. I do. Sort of. But I’m worried she’s going to get in the way if and when Diego Rodriguez decides to make a move.”

“Skylar?” José smiled. “She seems clueless. If I didn’t know her background, I’d think she was new to this type of thing. I’m actually starting to like her.”

“I promise you, she’s a crack shot. And she did a hell of a job helping me get the horses out of the barn. She must be good at what she does to be sent undercover. So who knows? Her bright-eyed, innocent thing could be an act.”

“Maybe.” José shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she was playing you.”

“Me, either,” Matt agreed darkly. “And that’s partly why I asked her to leave. I don’t have time for these stupid games women play.”

“But now you’re reconsidering?” José watched him closely.

Again Matt lifted his shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “The enemy we know is better than the one we don’t. If I send her away, the ATF will send someone else. They could be more interfering.”

“Or worse, they could trump up some fake charges and raid us. Claim you were operating as a gun dealer without a license, like they did to that guy in Dallas.”

“Damn. I’d forgotten about that. I think I will allow Skylar to persuade me to let her stay.”

José sighed. “Just be careful. I know she’s muy bonita and all that, but you need to think with your head instead of your dick.”

Matt couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re just jealous because you haven’t gotten any tail lately.”

Flipping Matt the bird, José reluctantly grinned back. “How can I, bro? These days everything’s about our little operation.”

“You want a day off? Take one.” Matt gestured at the door. “But before you do, I still want you to try to get word to Diego. Again. Tell him we’re ready. The sooner we can try to get the ball rolling, the better.”

“Agreed.” José pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Let me make a few calls. I haven’t heard from my contact in a while. I need to try to reach him. We’ll talk later about me taking a day off.”

While José tended to business, Matt wandered outside. One of his trainers was working one of the show mares in the large outdoor arena. Perched on the fence, Skylar had her camera up and appeared to be taking more photos.

He wondered if, as part of her undercover persona, she really was writing a story about his Arabian horse-breeding operation. If so, he imagined her efforts would all go to waste, which was kind of sad.

Matt’s horses were one of the things he actually cared about. They ran a close third, after his quest for Diego and his friendship with José. He would love to actually see them, and his breeding program, featured in a reputable Arabian horse magazine.

Skylar swung her camera around as he approached, apparently taking a few snapshots of him. The uncomfortable feeling of her using them for a future police lineup made him wince, but he kept his expression pleasant.

“Hey, there.” Greeting her quietly, he climbed up beside her on the fence. “Sorry about earlier. It’s been a rough morning.”

She cocked her head, her expression quizzical. “No worries. Do you want me to bring anything to dinner tonight? I can run to the store and get some cheese or bread or wine. Whatever you’d like.”

Damn. She talked as if they were friends simply having a potluck or something. Or maybe neighbors—he didn’t know. One thing for was for sure—she confused the hell out of him.

“Nothing,” he said. “You don’t have to bring anything.”

Her smile faltered slightly at the harsh tone of his voice. Then, apparently still determined to appear lighthearted, she dialed up the wattage until she was practically beaming. “Okay, then.”

Jumping down from the fence, she lifted her camera and pointed it at him. After taking a couple of shots of him refusing to smile or pose, she lifted her hand in a carefree wave and took off.

Though he hated himself for doing so, he watched her until she disappeared from view.

* * *

“Well, that went well,” Skylar told herself, trying not to feel foolish as she strolled—her pace deliberately casual—toward her trailer. She’d tried to kill him with kindness, but instead of reacting the way she’d figured a typical male would, Matt had seemed to see right through her and refused to act the same way.

Was that an omen of how their dinner later would go? Heck, she hoped not.

Once she reached the camper, she opened the door and Talia nearly knocked her backward off the steps. Her enthusiastic greeting never wavered. Skylar buried her hands in her dog’s fur, cuddling her and enjoying the doggy kisses that were Talia’s way of showing affection.

“Did you miss me, girl?” Snapping on the expandable lead, Skylar took Talia out for a brief walk before taking her back inside and feeding her. While her dog ate, Skylar sat down at the small dinette table and reviewed her digital photos.

When she got to the last two—the ones she’d taken of Matt—she paused. Though he’d apparently been trying to appear stern and disinterested, she’d managed to capture a look of...longing, naked in his blue eyes.

Or maybe that was her imagination.

Dragging her hand through her hair, she groaned. This particular case had completely succeeded in messing with her mind. What she didn’t understand was why.

Even as she pondered the question, she looked again at Matt Landeta’s photo and knew.

Something about him drew her as no other man had been able to since Robbie.

As she waited for the familiar surge of guilt/anguish/anger that came as soon as she thought of her husband, she let her gaze wander back to the picture of Matt.

It took her a moment to realize she’d let her thoughts about her beloved departed husband slide back into her subconscious.

Dumbfounded, she hurriedly punched the off button on her camera. Leaving it on the table, she glanced at her watch. She had about ninety minutes to get ready. Which meant she also had ninety minutes to come up with a workable plan. Because, even though she really wanted him to permit her to stay, she knew she wouldn’t be able to bring herself to beg.

Swallowing hard, she eyed herself in the distorted trailer mirror and grimaced. She shouldn’t have to try this hard to look sexy. Other women never seemed to have to work so much at it.

Maybe it was because they were, um, having sex?

Even the quick mental rebuke managed to bring her a rush of heat. Damn, she had it bad. Worse, she didn’t know how to deal with it. She’d never mixed business with pleasure. She wasn’t about to start now.

Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths and concentrated on centering her core. This trick, taught to her by her therapist years ago, had surprisingly worked.

When she opened her eyes again, she felt better. She hadn’t brought many clothes and had two dresses to pick from.

For this, ostensibly her last night at Matt’s ranch, she chose a short halter sundress. The kaleidoscope of colors ranged from emerald-green to turquoise, and she’d been told by several of her coworkers that it set off both her hair and her eyes.

She straightened her long red hair with a flat iron and left it loose, then added blush and eye shadow to her face. Though she knew men didn’t care about jewelry, she added a slender angel pendant on a gossamer silver chain and matching earrings.

Finally, she put on her favorite pair of impossibly high heels. Luckily, they were platforms, so much easier to walk in than they looked.

Dressed and ready, she gave herself one last doubtful look in the mirror and wished she could banish the fluttering butterflies in her stomach.

Maybe she needed to look at this another way—as a job. Which was exactly what it was. She had a task to complete. After all, what was the worst that could happen? Matt could turn her down flat and send her away anyway.

Literally, she had nothing to lose.

Except maybe, she thought, swallowing hard, her self-respect.

On the way up to the main house, she tried not to think. Just put one leg in front of the other and walk, all the while attempting to appear graceful.

As she approached the back of the house, she saw Matt was already outside. Though her mouth went dry at the sight of him, she kept moving. As she got closer, she saw he’d fired up the grill.

“I’m letting it preheat,” he said, offering her an easy smile. Oddly enough, that smile did what her own stern talking-to hadn’t been able to do. Put her at ease.

Relaxing slightly, she smiled back.

“Let me pour you a glass of wine.” He had a bottle open and aerating behind him. “Is Shiraz okay?”

“Great.” Now, when she needed a silver tongue the most, she could barely articulate a thought. Of course. Even though she told herself she wasn’t planning to go through with...all of it?

Panic had her heart fluttering. It was one thing to make an objective sort of plan. It was another thing entirely to actually implement it. Especially concerning sex.

Once again, she resolved not to do anything that made her uncomfortable.

Hands trembling slightly, she accepted the glass, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He turned back toward his grill, fiddling with one of the knobs.

Even now, completely undecided and wondering what the hell she was doing here, she had to fight an overwhelming urge to move closer to him. Would it really be so bad making love with him? Should she?

Part of her answered Yes. The other, more rational part was still mired in the past and screamed Absolutely not. After all, how could she even think of such a thing when her husband and son were dead because she had asked them to go to the bank for her?

Noticing Matt eyeing her curiously, she gave herself a mental shake and took a sip of wine. Five years had passed since the murder. Five long years that she’d spent completely alone, except for her coworkers. Married to her job—first the police force and then the ATF—she’d kept herself closed off from human physical contact, especially the masculine kind. Her body ached to experience it again.

Shocked, she let out a small gasp.

“What’s wrong?” Matt asked, frowning in concern.

Tongue-tied, she blinked. “I was just thinking what a beautiful place you have here,” she said. “The house, the animals, the entire atmosphere. I know the barn fire was a bit of bad luck, but you are more fortunate than you realize. I mean, what more could you want?”

Something in his expression made her stop. She couldn’t blame him. She’d been babbling, after all.

“What more could I want?” he asked, his voice tight. “All of this—” he waved his hand “—the horses, the house, the land—are just possessions. I appreciate them, but people—family—matter a hell of a lot more.”

The vehemence with which he spoke the words touched her in a place she usually kept shielded—her heart.

Damn him. Again she reminded herself he was an alleged criminal, but as she stared up at him, aware she needed to respond but struck speechless, she realized one truth was not going to change.

She wanted him.

Hell.

She knew she could go around and around like this all night. Arguing the pros and the cons, like two opposing political candidates locked in a meaningless debate.

As though an invisible thread pulled her, she took a step closer. Clearly still waiting for her to speak, he arched a brow.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded and then said the first thing that came to mind—the truth. “You’re right. Family is important. More important than anything else—possessions, a job, whatever.”

Cocking his head, his expression turned speculative. “You speak with the voice of experience.”

Dangerous ground. Aware she had to keep her real life separate from her undercover one and therefore couldn’t speak of her experience, she managed to lift one shoulder in a casual shrug. “Not personally,” she lied. “But I’m a good observer of other people’s lives.”

He turned away, but not before she noticed the way his mouth tightened. Almost as if he knew she wasn’t telling the truth.

Since that wasn’t possible—after all, he knew nothing about her—she spoke again, focusing on banalities. “Do you grill a lot?” Slowly swiveling to face her again, he smiled. “Of course. I’m better with a grill than I am with an oven.”

“Not me.” Relieved to be back on solid ground, she smiled.

“How do you like your steak?” he asked. “I’ve got T-bones. They’re kind of big, but you can refrigerate your leftovers for later.”

“Medium rare,” she managed. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Nope.” He took a long pull of his wine. “I made a couple of salads and they’re in the fridge. I baked some potatoes in the microwave and wrapped them in foil. I’m keeping them warm on the grill while I cook the steaks. Just make yourself comfortable and try to relax.”

As he disappeared inside to get the steaks, she thought of how homey this was. In another life, she’d had cookouts in the backyard, only Robbie had stood at the grill, grinning as he made the perfect burger. There’d also been a young boy running, playing and laughing. Bryan. Her son.

Once again, she saw his amazingly long-lashed blue eyes, the freckles on his upturned nose. Throat aching, she remembered his butterfly kisses, the joyful way he’d yelled I love you, Mommy! She’d had it all back then. Everything any woman could ever want. Taken away, just like that. And she missed her family once more with a knife-sharp sense of loss.

From Matt’s words, it almost sounded as if he’d suffered a similar loss. Bringing herself up sharply, she shook her head. There she went again, trying to make him empathetic. The only thing they actually shared was this amazing chemistry. Nothing more, nothing less.