Page 26 of Billionaire Undeceived - Devon

That actually was the truth. I liked champion bred horses, and I had a lot of them in my barn.

“You’re evading the question,” she shot back. “I guess that means you aren’t going to tell me what she’s worth.”

“Nope,” I agreed as I shot her a grin. “I never reveal the results of a private negotiation.”

“Well, she’s a beautiful horse. It’s sad that your mother can’t ride as much as she used to ride.”

“It’s a limitation she accepted not long ago,” I told Reese. “But she’s taken up a lot of other hobbies to make up for it. She’s become a very avid gardener now, and she keeps busy all the time. I think she was ready to retire from painting, so that didn’t bother her much, either.”

“I adore your mother. If she ever needs help with anything, please call me. Once I’m proficient at riding, I’d be happy to ride her horse for her when she needs someone to do it.”

“The feeling is mutual,” I informed her. “Mom talks about you all the time. She said you stop by her place fairly often to check up on her and chat. I appreciate that. She loves company.”

She laughed. “I do it for my sake, too. She’s had a fascinating life. I’ve learned a lot from her. She’s an amazing cook, and I like the company, too. She’s so excited about her first grandbaby.”

It occurred to me that Reese could be homesick and possibly a little lonely. She had no one here except Hannah, Lauren, and Anna, and all of them had pretty busy lives.

“Are your parents still alive?” I asked curiously. “Siblings?”

Her happiness dimmed for just a moment and a flash of sadness crossed her expression as she nodded. “I miss them. We’ve always been close because I was an only child.”

“Can’t they come and visit?” I questioned.

There it was. That flash of fear in her eyes that I hated, and I almost regretted asking the question.

Was she currently estranged from her parents?

“They’re pretty busy right now,” she said vaguely. “But I’m hoping that can happen soon. We’ve always lived in the same city. It seems weird not to see them fairly often. They were a huge part of my life. They’ve always been my biggest supporters.”

“Did they support you coming to Montana?”

She hesitated for a moment before she answered. “Yes. They thought the change would be good for me.”

Okay, Ihadto ask the question. “Reese, is one of your old boyfriends harassing you? Is that why you needed a change?”

Her eyes widened. “Is that why you think I moved here? No, that wasn’t a factor at all. I haven’t had a serious relationship in a long time.”

I had to believe her. She’d looked so astonished at the very idea of a problem ex-boyfriend that I didn’t think she was lying.

“Have you ever gotten close to getting married?” I asked.

Hell, did I really need to knowthat?

I couldn’t figure out why I’d just asked that question, but for some damn reason I really wanted to know.

She shook her head. “Not really. I’ve never been engaged. Just a few long-term boyfriends.”

She was young, so that made sense.

“What happened with them?” I queried wanting to kick myself for asking another question that I didn’t need to know.

“They eventually dumped me,” she said matter-of-factly. “I don’t lead an exciting life, and I was boring. I was in school, and then I worked a lot. I loved to cook, and I do a lot of boring things like antique hunting and crocheting. I always pick the wrong guys. They liked to party, and I was an adult and past my college party days. I was over it, but they weren’t. I was willing to go to a club sometimes, but not every single night. So now you know why the idea of some guy being obsessed with me is laughable to me. I never broke up with any of the guys I dated. They dumpedme.”

I wasn’t sure why, but the idea of anyone dumping Reese infuriated me.

What in the hell had they been thinking?

Reese was everything a guy could want in a partner,

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