let her off his ranch a time or two between now and the end of her sentence. She couldn’t believe she was considering his preposterous offer. That her mouth had apparently affirmed what her mind was still battling with.
Jodie huffed. “Fine. I look forward to it.” The dead air that followed her sister’s words belied their meaning.
Nice. Riley’d gone and burned another bridge. How many did that make in the past few days? Too many to recover from. Hiding out at Adam’s ranch was sounding better and better. Men were all either slimy or demanding jerks. She’d keep her heart intact this time. She and Adam would be friends with benefits. Limited benefits. And then she’d march out with enough cash to get a new start somewhere.
First, though, she should Google the guy. She thumbed open her search app and tapped the microphone. “Adam Cavanagh.”
Huh, so that’s how it was spelled.
Riley Cavanagh has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
She shoved his bland words out of her mind as search results popped up. No way. The guy was some kind of rodeo celebrity. He’d just won an all-around championship down in Texas, and had been seen dating megastar Chantelle Devereaux? Whoa. No wonder he seemed so self-assured. He had it made.
Hmm. He was probably loaded.
Not that Riley was mercenary. Exactly. But he’d offered to pay her handsomely, whatever that was, for honest work. And she did need to lie low for a bit. She couldn’t stay with Jodie.
It wasn’t taking advantage of a guy if he made an offer and she agreed, was it? Because this beat all her other options to pieces. Basically, all he was doing was offering her a job and giving her a chance to play a role. She’d liked drama in high school.
She could pull this off and come out of it with a fresh start in front of her. Teenage girls, though. With Raul thousands of miles away, it should be okay.
Riley tightened her backpack straps, yanked open the restroom door, and marched toward the table where Adam stood, stacking several to-go containers together.
See? Nice guy. She’d still get her dinner.
He looked up at her approach, brows shooting up into the shadows of his dark cowboy hat. “And here I thought you’d abandoned me.”
“We’re going to talk. Outside.”
Humor glinted in his gorgeous eyes. “Whatever you say, honey.”
She ground her teeth as she led the way to the door. He must have already paid, since he didn’t pause at the hostess desk but reached past her to push the door open. “After you.”
The wind whipped icy pellets against her face. The outside air had definitely dropped a few degrees while they’d been inside. Well, her internal temperature had gone up in the same interval. She’d survive.
Adam led the way to a big, black truck hitched to a horse trailer at the edge of the lot. A horse whinnied, and he talked soothingly to the animal. “Not long now, Jupiter. Not long.” Then he opened the passenger door for Riley.
She crossed her arms and braced her feet. “How much?”
“How much what?”
“How much money you’re offering.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “So we’re back to that, are we?”
“Never agree to a new position without knowing what the job description and compensation are.”
“Fair enough. What do you want to get out of this?”
Riley narrowed her gaze at him. “Ten grand.”
“For three months of pretending to be my fiancée?”
“Yup.”
“I’ll throw in an engagement ring you can pawn later if you want.”
Riley blinked. He’d give her ten grand and a ring? “Seriously?”
“Sure. No one will believe me if you aren’t wearing a diamond, but it does mean we need to spend the night in town.” He held up one hand. The other still held the stack of to-go containers. “I’ll get you a hotel room at the Last Chance. I’ll bunk in the truck near Jupiter. Won’t be the first time.”
Riley studied him. What was not to like? The guy was hotter than New Mexico and seemed a gentleman. “And we buy a ring in the morning?” Maybe a few clothes, too, since she wouldn’t be raiding Jodie’s closet, after all.
He nodded. “Then head up to Rockstead Ranch, where you become my loving girlfriend.”
“But not too loving.”
Adam’s eyes twinkled. “Of course.”
She stuck out her hand. “Deal.”
Chapter Three
It wasn’t until they turned north off the highway that Riley stopped staring at the large diamond on her left hand and began paying attention to the landscape.
They bumped over a cattle