Zack took to riding a horse like he took to money – exceptionally well.

After he and Joe and some other men pulled the car out of the mud, Joe took him and showed him the ranch. The love of his life stayed back with Gladys. Before Zack left the house this morning, Whitney whispered in his ear, reminding him of their playacting.

He chuckled. In other words, she hadn’t wanted him to let her stepfather know he was a billionaire... or running for his life. Zack would do this for her. He rather liked it here. The fall weather was upon them, and along with the crisper weather, the trees were changing colors, making the ranch a glorious canvas of reds, yellows, and burnt oranges.

As Zack rode the horse, helping Joe round up some cattle, a contented smile tugged on his mouth. He really needed to buy himself a ranch. This was the life – being one with nature... as long as he didn’t come across any bears or moose.

The sun was bright today. So where were the clouds that had covered the moon last night? He adjusted his sunglasses. Out of the corner of his eye, Joe shook his head, chuckling.

“Zack, it’s quite obvious you’re a city boy, but out here on the ranch, it’s probably best to wear a hat.” Joe tilted his black felt cowboy hat.

“Thanks, but I don’t like hats.”

Joe shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Zack’s horse walked slowly in rhythm with Joe’s animal. The stench from the cattle didn’t bother Zack as much as it had first thing this morning. He could definitely become used to this life.

“How did you meet my Whitney?” Joe asked.

“We actually met at the airport.” Zack grinned, remembering that moment. “She thought I was someone else. But we hit it off right away.”

Joe chuckled. “She’s a woman who knows what she’s after. Nothing stops her.”

“How well do you know her?” Zack wondered. All joking aside, he really wanted to know what made her tick. “I mean, I know you were married to her mother, but how well do you know her as an adult?”

The other man frowned. “Not as well as I’d like to. It took Whitney until she was twenty before she contacted me again after the divorce. We’ve kept in touch, but not closely. I’ve always thought of her as the daughter I’ve never had.”

“Did you talk to her before she became an FBI agent?”

“Yes, of course. Why?”

Sighing, Zack smiled, but it wasn’t fully. “I wonder if she really likes her job.”

Joe tugged his horse to a stop, and so Zack followed.

“What makes you think she doesn’t like it?” Joe asked.

“It’s not that I know a lot of agents, but she just doesn’t seem the type. When I first met her she looked like a woman who is trying to fit in a man’s world.” He swept his hand over his clothes. “She wasn’t feminine at all. No makeup, her hair in a ponytail, and plain business suits, ugly shoes. I’m sure you get the picture.”

Joe arched an eyebrow. “But she looks feminine now.”

“Yeah, now she does, but not when she’s at work.”

“Maybe that’s the required uniform,” Joe reasoned.

“No. There are two other women in her unit, and they don’t dress like that. I just wondered if something happened in Whitney’s life that made her... I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It’s like she doesn’t want anyone to know how pretty she is.”

“Except you.” Joe grinned.

“I think she really wants to go back to that plain woman I met at the airport.”

Joe unhooked his canteen and sipped the water. “I think she’s the way she is because of her mother. Deborah was a beautiful woman with an ego problem. She always had to be the prettiest woman wherever we went. She had to be the one all the men looked at when she entered a room.” He screwed on the lid the canteen and hooked it back on the saddle. “When Whitney reached her tenth birthday, people were starting to notice how lovely she was. She has always had the most amazing hazel eyes I’ve ever seen.”

Zack nodded. He’d thought the same thing about her.

“Anyway,” Joe removed his hat and wiped the moisture off his forehead before placing the hat back on his head, “Deborah didn’t like that her daughter was receiving more attention. Whitney has wavy hair and sparkling eyes, and at the age of ten, she was noticed for being the adorable child.”

Zack scrunched his forehead. “Her own mother was jealous?”

Joe nodded. “Yes. After Deborah divorced me and took Whitney away from the ranch, I’d heard that Deborah dressed her daughter in plain clothes and pulled her hair back in a ponytail. Deborah did everything she could so that her daughter didn’t stand out.” He sighed. “Whitney didn’t date much, but in the last five years, the guys she’d dated have been idiots. They left her feeling worthless.”

Zack’s gut twisted, and anger built inside of him. He was ashamed of his own gender at this moment. Why did men think it was okay to treat women so badly? “That just breaks my heart. She really doesn’t know that she’s pretty.”

“But all of that is over now. She has you.” Joe leaned toward him and glowered. “Don’t you dare break her heart.”

Zack’s gut twisted even harder. How could he break her heart when he didn’t own it? He just hoped she didn’t break his. “I’ll hold onto her as tight as I can.”

The conversation ended when Joe kicked his horse into a run and headed toward a cow that wandered off in the wrong direction. Zack stayed behind, watching the rest of the herd. Of course, if something were to happen, he wouldn’t know what do to anyway. But this gave him a moment to think. Now that he knew why Whitney acted the way she did, what was he going to do about it?

* * * *

THE SCENT OF HOMEMADE bread filled the kitchen, and Whitney didn’t want to leave. Gladys had talked Whitney into helping her in the kitchen this morning, and at the moment, she realized what a great decision that had been. As she rolled the kneaded dough and set it in the loaf pans, nostalgic memories returned. There were no bad memories of living at the ranch. Between Joe and Gladys, Whitney was treated like the perfect child... a child that was loved unconditionally and completely accepted. It was the years afterward that she’d like to forget about.

Gladys wasn’t the only cook in the house, but when the ranch hands were not around, the other cooks were sent home. Today, however, there was Gladys and a middle-aged woman with blonde hair named Karen. Between the two older women being silly and cracking jokes, Whitney hadn’t laughed so much in her life. Well, at least since her mother divorced Joe.

Once the kitchen was cleaned, Gladys shooed Whitney out so that the two other women could start preparing dinner. Although she wanted to help, she decided she’d probably only get in their way.

She wandered through the house, one room at a time, recalling those wonderful years as a child. Some memories brought tears to her eyes, and others made her laugh. She finally made it upstairs to the attic. It surprised her that Joe had kept this room clean. It also surprised her that he hadn’t thrown out some of her childhood toys. Whenever her mother and Joe would get into a heated argument, Whitney would come up to the attic to stay in her make-believe world.

She moved to the dollhouse Joe had built just for her Barbies. Gingerly, she touched the roof of the house, which served as a cubby that held all the doll clothes and accessories. She glanced across the room to the corner by the window...

Whitney took a step closer and stopped. Her heart softened, and tears clouded her eyes. She’d learned to paint when she was eight years old, and by the time she was ten, she was pretty good at it. But once she and her mother left this house, her mother refused to allow Whitney to paint.

She smiled and walked to the canvas and easel. As she ran her hand over the white canvas, her mind pictured the few paintings she’d done. No wonder she’d fallen in love with the historic painters when she was in college. They shared the same love for art as she had.

The floor behind her creaked, and she jumped around. How long had Zack been here? Her heart pounded crazily, and the closer he walked toward her, the faster the rhythm accelerated.

The lighting wasn’t very good up here, but there was something in his eyes that tugged at her heart and made her throat turn dry. Why was he looking at her with so much emotion?

“Let me guess,” he said in a sweet voice that didn’t sound fake at all. “You painted when you were a little girl?”

“Yes.”

He stopped beside her and glanced at the canvas. “I think you should paint something while we’re here. It will take your mind off things.”

Whitney couldn’t take her eyes off him. He looked so much better with short hair and a trimmed beard than he had before. But it was his eyes that were hypnotizing her. Why did he gaze at her as if he really cared?

She tried to mentally shake herself awake. This must be some kind of dream. Maybe there was a chemical up here in the attic that made her mind play tricks on her.

“I... um...” And why couldn’t she think of anything to say?

He stepped closer and cupped her face with both of his hands. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Slowly, his mouth stretched into a smile. His fingers traced her lips before his thumbs brushed her chin.

“You had flour on your face,” he said.

She snapped out of the daze she’d been in and shook her head. “I was helping Gladys in the kitchen.”

He nodded and let his hands drop to his sides. “That’s what she told me. I’m glad I found you. This is a large house.” He looked around the room. “And this is the cleanest attic I’ve ever seen.”

“Yes. That’s Joe for you. Always precise.” She headed toward the stairs and he followed. “How was your day? Did you learn a lot of things about the ranch?”

“I sure did.”

He moved ahead of her quickly to open the attic door for her. Curiosity tugged on her conscience. Why was he acting so nice? There wasn’t anyone around for them to pretend with up here.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” She walked out of the attic.

“And I’ve decided, I’m going to buy me a ranch somewhere. I’ve always liked Montana. What do you think about having my ranch there?” He closed the door behind him.

“I’m sure there are lots of ranches for sale in Montana. I think you’ll like it there, but...” She stopped, facing him. “I think they have more wild animals than just bears and moose. Whatever would you do if your vehicle were stuck in the mud? Montana might actually have some of the horror movies’ villains, too.”

When he grinned, one side of his mouth lifted higher than the other. “Ha, ha. You’re very funny. But I would never drive a car on my ranch. I’d have a nice truck with large tires and four-wheel-drive. Then I’d be able to get out of any predicament.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” She nodded. “But remember one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“If you’re going to protect a woman from an unknown monster,” she arched an eyebrow, “make sure you have some kind of gun on you.” She touched his chest, lightly. “I thought it was sweet that you tried to protect me last night right before Joe showed himself. But I had already reached for my gun to protect us.”

He leaned into her, but it wasn’t until her back bumped against something solid when she realized how close she’d been to the wall. He bracketed his hands on the wall, trapping her with his body. But she wasn’t scared. If she wanted to get away, she could show him some self-defense moves. The problem was, she didn’t want to get away from him. His penetrating gaze made her wonder if he wanted to kiss her passionately.

She’d stop him, of course...

“And I appreciate that you tried to protect me,” he said in a gentle voice, “but next time, let me try and be the hero. I might not be a trained agent like you, but I’m a man who enjoys impressing a woman.”

She wanted to laugh. Really, she did. But his words were so sincere. He couldn’t possibly mean what he’d said. Why would he want to impress her? Why would any man want to do that?

But the way his gaze was locked with hers, and the steady increase of his breaths, made her wonder if he was telling the truth. The attraction between them was confusing, yet at this moment, she didn’t want to try and figure him out.

He leaned closer. She held her breath and closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss. After a few second without a kiss, she peeked at him. A smile touched his mouth as he withdrew and stepped away from her.

Without a word, he turned and headed back down the stairs toward the main level. She expelled a heavy breath as her body relaxed. What was that all about? Perhaps it was time to figure out what he wanted from her. She couldn’t go on pretending she loathed him any longer, especially when she was feeling the complete opposite.