Marry Me for Real, Cowboy - Valerie Comer Page 0,19

the end of that.

Part of him knew Riley was not like Chantelle, but neither was Mom. The situation was quite different. Declan had done the pursuing, as far as Adam remembered, but once Mom got the security she wanted, she’d shut her husband out. Never mind that she shouldn’t have married him to begin with. She’d said her vows. Adam had been there. He’d heard every word, along with five other scrub-faced boys sitting in a row wearing brand new boots and jeans and matching light blue snap-front shirts.

Women were always after something. Riley was after ten grand. He’d do well to remember that was all she wanted and not be taken in by those kisses he put on for the family. And, maybe, because he liked them.

Possibly he should do that less often. Keep it to the public moments like Riley’d asked. Because the lines in the sand were clearly marked. He and Riley had a business agreement and nothing more.

He’d only known her for two days. He barely knew anything about her other than she’d been running from something and needed cash.

She was not the kind of woman he’d marry someday before he was forty. He and Riley argued too much, but the kissing nearly made up for it.

Riley’s sharp intake of breath yanked him back to the present.

He swung to see what had traumatized her, but her eyes were soft and wide as she stared ahead. “Look,” she whispered.

A whitetail buck with a six-point rack watched from across the clearing. Jupiter tossed his head, and the deer took off, leaping over a fallen log and disappearing into the thicker bushes along the creek.

Reflexively, he reached for his rifle, but of course he didn’t have it with him. Didn’t have a hunting permit, either. Too many years away from Montana. Too out of sync with the seasons.

His mouth watered for venison chops doused with a thick layer of sautéed onions and mushrooms. Good eating.

“Are you a hunter?” Riley’s eyebrows tipped upward.

“Uh... yeah?” He studied her face but couldn’t figure her angle. “Don’t tell me you watched Bambi too many times when you were a kid and bought into the Hollywood agenda.”

“Montana born and bred. My gram used to make a mean venison stew. From deer she shot herself.”

Whew. “You had me there for a minute. Do you hunt?”

“Haven’t yet, but I’d be game to try. A big boy like that one, though... seems like he should run free.”

“I know what you mean. You have to respect the land and not take more than you need. Obviously, we have plenty of beef, and sometimes we raise a few hogs or meat birds, but wild meat is a major bonus. Blake is an exceptional hunter, but a crew the size of the Cavanagh clan has a big appetite.”

Riley chuckled. “I’ve noticed.” Her face was cast in shadow, and the last vestiges of sunbeams slipped off her reddish-blond curls. She sure was pretty.

Adam stopped himself from sidling closer and stretching to kiss her. He’d have no excuse out here. He kind of wished he didn’t need one, but yeah. He didn’t have the best track record with women, and women didn’t have the best track record with him, either. Best to try to get out of this with both of them as unscathed as possible.

“Time to head back.” His voice was gruffer than intended. He turned Jupiter and nudged him into a trot. Ladybug’s hoofbeats were right behind him.

Chapter Eight

“Who’re you?”

Riley whirled at the sound of a female voice out in the stable. A woman about her own age stood just outside the stall she’d been cleaning, studying her with eyebrows raised.

“My name’s Riley—”

“So… you’re the girl my brother told me about.”

Her brother? Riley’s brain scrambled then cleared. This was Scotty’s sister. The mother of Travis’s child.

“The one who enchanted Adam.” The woman advanced a couple of steps, flicking long dark hair over her shoulder.

“Enchanted?” The incredulous word burst out along with a laugh. Oh, no. Better the woman thought that was entirely true. “I mean, we’re madly in love, of course...” Wow, that didn’t sound convincing at all.

“Can I see the ring Adam gave you?”

Riley held up her leather work gloves. “It’s in my cabin. It’s so big, it doesn’t fit inside these. I wouldn’t want to catch it on anything.” Mostly because it would be worthless as a pawn item if the ring were missing its diamond or had bent prongs.

The woman crossed her arms. “I bet you don’t