Page 2 of River Legacy
“Your text didn’t give me much choice,” she said as she stepped back. “But here I am!”
“Good,” he said distractedly and turned to motion behind him. “You remember Claude Duvall.” He indicated the thirtysomething man also in a suit who’d come halfway down the stairs behind him.
Ryder heard her whisper “Oh no” as her hand on his arm tensed at the sight of the man.
“I thought the two of you needed more time together,” her father continued. “And with business in Montana this weekend—”
“There’s someone I want youto meet, Daddy,” Victoria interrupted him as she pulled Ryder closer to her. She squeezed his arm as she said, “He’s a cowboy.”
“A cowboy?” Forester repeated, then settled his gaze on Ryder. “I’m sorry, but if this is about a job on one of my ranches, you need to talk to Personnel.”
Ryder noticed that the two bodyguards were now watching him closely.
“Daddy, he’s myfiancé,” Victoria Forester cried with a laugh as her fingers gripped Ryder even tighter and she looked from her father to her pretend fiancé pointedly, then back. “He already has ajob.” Ryder started to speak, but didn’t get a chanceas she rushed on. “You said yourself it was time for me to settle down. Who better than with a cowboy, since you’re buying up ranches all over Montana?”
“Yourfiancé?” her father repeated, eyes narrowing as he took in Ryder.
“RyderStafford,” Ryder said and stuck out this free right hand, even as he told himself he should clear up this nonsense before it went any further.
Wendell shook his hand slowly. Ryder had seen his gaze widen as the name registered. “Stafford, from the Stafford Ranch over on the Powder River?”
“That’s the one,” Ryder said, ready to addThe one you’ve been trying to buy by throwing money and veiled threats at me, even though I’ve told your people repeatedly that the ranch isn’t for sale.
One of the suited bodyguards interrupted to announce that their car had arrived to take them to the hotel.
“You heard the man,” Forester said, his booming voice sounding more cheerful than he looked. “Why don’t we move this to the Northern Hotel where we can have more privacy to discuss these matters. Where are you staying, Mr. Stafford? I am most anxious to talk to you.”
He hadn’t been anxious to talk to Ryder in the months before. That was why Ryder had come to the airport today planning to ambush him and finally make a few things clear to the man. He figured the confrontation would be short before Forester had his heavies run him off.
Which would have been fine as long as Ryder got to tell the man what he thought of him. Then he planned to climb into his pickup and get out of Billings, putting this problem behind him.
What he hadn’t anticipated was for his plan to go so awry, he thought as he looked over at Victoria, still holding his arm as if she never intended to let it go. He’d figured before this moment that the best he was going to get was a few minutes to tell Forester off. This was more than he could have hoped for. He couldn’t leave here until this man realized he’d better back off. Stafford Ranch wasn’t for sale.
But now Victoria, for whatever her reasoning, had gotten him a sit-down with the man he’d come to straighten out Montana-style. Ryder had to admit he was getting a lot more than he would have on his own with so much security around. The two bodyguards would have escorted him off the premises before he’d gotten a word out. So he told himself he should be grateful for her ridiculous ruse.
“I also stay at the Northern when I’m in town,” Ryder said. Which was true. He just hardly ever came to Billings, much preferring the ranch. “I look forward to sitting down with you.”
“Then, we’ll see you there,” Forester said. “Unless you need a ride.”
“Thanks, but I drove my own rig.”
The man nodded, seeming to take this in stride. Something told Ryder that Forester would be having a word with his daughter on the way to the hotel, though.
As if on cue, Victoria said, “I’ll ride with my fiancé.”
“Ride with us, sweetheart,” Forester said, his insistent tone making it clear that it wasn’t a request. “I hardly ever get to spend any time with you. I’m sure you’re with your... cowboy all the time, and Claude came all this way to see you.”
Ryder could see how badly Victoria wanted to get him alone to try to dig him in deeper with this scheme of hers. “See you soon, then,” she said to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before whispering, “You won’t regret this.”
He wasn’t so sure about that. Butshewould, he thought as he watched her walk reluctantly toward the waiting large SUV that would take her, her father, his two bodyguards and Claude Duvall, the man Wendell Forester was apparently trying to set her up with, all to the hotel.
Even from a distance, he could see that Claude was furious. Clearly, he’d thought he would be leaving here this weekend engaged to his boss’s daughter. From Victoria Forester’s reaction to the man, Ryder doubted that was going to happen now.
Ryder figured the ride to the hotel would be especially uncomfortable for her. What had she been thinking?What had he?He should have spoken up, straightened this out at once. Her impromptu deception might have inadvertently gotten him what he’d wanted—a chance to have Wendell Forester’s undivided attention—but he couldn’t let it go on.
As he walked to his Stafford Ranch pickup, hepulled out his phone and thumbed in the name Victoria Forester into his search bar. The first article that came up readPrincess to a Fortune. Ultra-rich daddy demands handpicked best for only daughter. Insiders say Daddy’s rushing wild child “Victoria” toward the altar.
The story was accompanied by a photograph of her holding up a hand in front of her face as photographers caught her coming out of a New York City nightclub. Looking more than a little tipsy, she wore a silver dress that hugged her body like a glove. Everything about her saidspoiled-rottenandwealthy. The cutline readIs there anyone special enough for Daddy’s princess, Victoria?
