Wilde Horses. Jannine Gallant

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СКАЧАТЬ you say so.”

      He leaned on the fence rail, his blue eyes as bright as the sky behind him. “Who was the guy yelling at you earlier? I’ve seen him around a few times.”

      Eden tore her gaze away and laid a calming hand on the mare. The horse’s warmth soaked into her palm. “Our ranch foreman, Zane Hoffman. He was irritated because I’m going to the concert with you.”

      His brows shot up. “Is he the one who had tickets for the show last night?”

      “Yep.” She let out a sigh. “We dated for a while. Our relationship is…complicated.”

      “I guess it could be awkward not being able to walk away after a breakup.”

      She winced. “Extremely. My dad suggested I pretend to be interested in you since Zane already has it in his head we’ll be, uh…” Her cheeks heated, and she let out a breath. “…um, hooking up in Boise.” She stared down at her boots. “Anyway, Dad thinks maybe Zane will get over me and move on if I can convince him I’m involved with someone else.”

      “Namely, me.”

      She nodded then looked up to meet his gaze. “Probably a stupid idea—”

      “I don’t know. It could work.” Blake grinned. “I’m happy to help. It won’t exactly stretch my acting skills to pretend like I think you’re gorgeous and smart and hot.” His eyes darkened to indigo. “Especially hot.”

      Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as he leaned closer then slid one big hand behind her neck. Before she could think—or even breathe—he kissed her, his lips firm and warm against hers. When her knees wobbled, she gripped the rail to steady herself before he released her.

      “Why’d you do that?” Her voice came out in a gasp as she drew air into her lungs.

      “Just practicing.” He nodded, his eyes sparkling. “Yep, I’m pretty sure we can pull this off.” Reaching out, he pushed her sagging jaw upward with one finger.

      Her teeth snapped together as she gathered her scattered wits.

      “See you, Eden.”

      “Yeah, see you, Blake.” She slumped against the fence as he walked away. At her side, the mare snorted and jerked against the rope. “Sorry, girl.” She stepped away to give the horse some breathing room.

      Eden could relate. Given her druthers, she’d run, too. Because if she wasn’t careful, pretending to have a thing for Blake might not require any acting at all.

      Chapter 5

      As the Learjet lost altitude, Blake glanced over at Eden, who sat in the club chair opposite him. “So, what do you plan to do all day?”

      She turned away from the window and shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe go shopping or something then check into the hotel.”

      “You don’t sound super excited about it.”

      “I’m not a huge fan of hanging out in malls. I’d rather go for a hike, but I’m not familiar with Boise, and I don’t want to rent a car to get out of the city.” She nodded toward the thick gray clouds outside the small circle of glass as the plane bumped and shook on its descent. “Anyway, it’s supposed to rain.”

      Blake leaned back in his seat. “You can come with me if you want. The memorial won’t be much fun, but it’s a two-hour drive through some beautiful country each way. Blue Valley sits out on the prairie at the base of the mountains, and any direction you walk will have a view. The forecast is calling for sunshine there since the weather we’re having here has already moved through.”

      He wasn’t sure why he was trying so hard to convince her to go with him. He and Eden didn’t know each other very well, and they’d only talked sporadically on the short flight to Boise. Having left at dawn, he’d been half-asleep for most of the trip. But facing a long drive with nothing to do but think about what waited for him at the end was the last thing he wanted. Eden would be a welcome distraction.

      “Wouldn’t it be awkward for you to show up at the service with a stranger?”

      His stomach tightened. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the company.”

      Her blue gaze met his and held. “During the flight, you didn’t say a word about who…passed away. I figured you didn’t want to talk about it.”

      The plane engines roared as they skimmed over the tarmac and touched down in a smooth landing. He stayed quiet as the jet slowed then turned off the runway to roll toward the terminal. They stopped with a slight jerk.

      He released his seatbelt but didn’t stand. “Maybe it would help me to talk about Josie.”

      He must have looked as desperate and needy as he felt because her expression softened.

      “I’ll go with you, then.”

      A long breath slipped out. “Thanks, Eden. Let’s rent a car and hit the road. If we arrive in Blue Valley early enough, I can give you a tour of my old hometown before the memorial.” He tried for a hint of humor to lighten the mood. “All two blocks of it.”

      “I’m good with two-block-long towns.” With a nod and a smile, she released her belt and stood.

      They collected their luggage, exited the jet and hurried into the terminal then followed the flow of pedestrian traffic toward ground transportation. He kept his head down and avoided making eye contact with the people who stopped and pointed on their way to the car rental desk. After Blake filled out the form and signed two autographs, they left through the doors by baggage claim and found their vehicle, a small black convertible sports car, in the back lot.

      “Nice.”

      He glanced at her over the retractable roof of the car and smiled. “Hey, why not have fun on the drive?”

      “True.”

      After he unlocked the doors and popped the trunk with the remote, she set her overnight bag inside. Blake tossed his in beside it and slammed the lid shut. As she got in on her side, he slid onto the driver’s seat and started the engine. The low growl brought a smile to his lips.

      “We’ll put the top down once it warms up and stops sprinkling.”

      “Sounds like a plan. I’ve never ridden in a convertible before.”

      “I live on the beach in Malibu where it’s sunny most of the time. Driving with the top down is one of the perks of Southern California I really enjoy.”

      “I’ve heard about the horrendous traffic jams.” She scrunched up her nose. “You can get a tan while you sit on the freeway. I don’t know how you stand all those people crowding in on every side of you. The ranch suits me just fine.”

      He turned out of the lot and headed toward the entrance to the highway. “It takes some getting used to, especially after where I grew up.”

      “I went to college at Stanford. That was a serious cultural adjustment for me, but I didn’t have a car, and I mostly stayed on campus when I wasn’t СКАЧАТЬ