Page 42 of Cowboy Jeopardy

Oh, what fun it was to pretend. To joke and laugh with the idiots thinking horseback riding and camping were fun. What a lark to act like one of them, all the while keeping his eye on Dani.

He kept stealing glances at the duffel bag, the one thing that looked a bit out of place. Why did she need a backpack and a duffel bag? One of them had to contain his money.

Excitement leaped at the same time as a touch of sadness. How could he keep the fun going after getting his money? Keep asking for more? Maybe, but staying here wouldn’t get his empire built. He had to go back to New York for that.

When the trail widened enough, he sidled his horse up next to Dani. “Hello. I’m Steven Langello. Do you work on the ranch or are you a guest?” He saw no reason not to give her his real name. She had no way of knowing his connection to the Roberto family. After all, his relationship with the crime princess had been very hush-hush.

She smiled. “I’m the nanny to those two rascals. Since they insisted on joining this camping trip, I had to come, too.”

“Not much of the horseback-type of gal?”

“I’m getting there. You?”

“Born and bred in St. Louis.” He did his best to drop the New York accent and add a bit of a twang. “Went to college in California. Haven’t had much of an opportunity for this outdoorsy stuff.”

“I hope you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Oh, I am.” He grinned. “Things will only get better, don’t you think?”

“If you like sleeping in a tent.” She chuckled. “And bugs. There will be bugs.”

“Got some spray in my pack. Nice talking to you.” He fell back. Side-by-side and she didn’t know he was the one who would change her life.

Chapter Seventeen

By the timethey stopped for the night beside a mountain lake, every single man in the group had spent time talking to Dani. Not that she minded the attention, what woman would? But, she had her eye on one man in particular. A man she intended to share her feelings with once the danger was past them.

As the men had spoken to her, she tried to get a feel for…something. Not one of them rubbed her the wrong way or caused the hair on her arms to stand at attention. If her radar wasn’t working, how could she see the danger coming?

“Pay attention, Dani. I can’t put the tent up myself.” Her mother handed her a pole. “Slide that through the center, then together we lift. When this is finished, I have to start cooking. If no one catches any fish, we’ll be eating burgers and fried potatoes.”

“Sorry.” Dani followed instructions until they had the two-man tent up and staked to the ground. She eyed the flimsy structure. It would be a tight fit. Dani glanced toward the lake where those who had already put up their tents were trying their luck at catching a fish. The surface of the water sparkled in the late afternoon sun. A fish jumped a few yards from shore, showing promise of a successful catch.

“It’s beautiful here,” her mom said.

“It sure is. Willy said half the lake belongs to Dylan, the other half to the state. Tomorrow night, we’ll camp on government land.” If the next stop was as gorgeous as the first, Dani didn’t care where they camped. “Boys, let me spray you before you head for the water.” She snatched Eric before he dashed past. “You’ll be eaten up by bugs if I don’t.”

“Can you hurry?” He frowned. “All the fish will be gone.”

“They will not. Hold still. You, too, Derrick.” She covered the boys with the spray, then turned the can on herself. Once she had unrolled sleeping bags in not only her tent, but also in the boys’ as well, she grabbed one of the fishing poles leaning against a tree and headed for the lake.

Dylan smiled her way. “Fish much?”

“Whenever we’d visit Misty Hollow when I was a kid. Mostly just Misty Lake, but I’ve caught a few.” She tilted her head. “I can bait my own hook and skin my own fish, although I really hate that part.”

“I’ll skin any you catch.” His grin widened. “You do realize there’s a prize for whoever catches the largest fish and another for whoever catches the most, right?”

“I did not.” She tilted her head. “It doesn’t seem fair that you’re fishing.”

“Mine don’t count.” He laughed and cast his line. “You seemed popular during the ride today.”

“Yeah, I thought the man after the money would be sure to talk to me, but then they all did. None of them gave me the heebie-jeebies.” She cast, her lure landing almost as far as his. “Maybe he isn’t here.”

“Maybe. Where’s the bag?”

“Stuffed in my sleeping bag. It’s the safest place I could think of. Since today is the deadline, he’s bound to make contact.” She glanced over her shoulder to see Buster talking to her mom. “When did he get here?”

“Just now, I guess. He had some things he wanted to finish at the ranch before joining us. I’m glad he made it. We might need him.”

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