Page 13 of River Legacy
She was too much like her father to call him to rescue her. Why not let her stay there long enough to appreciate not just her privileged life but maybe Claude Duvall?
As they waited for their breakfast orders to be served, Wen spent the time on his phone. Claude found himself watching the two bodyguards. They both looked miserable, as if they hated their jobs as much as he did. It made him wonder why they didn’t quit. Wen must be paying them a whole lot, given that they were both pilots as well as trained bodyguards. One of them even worked on Wen’s private plane as a jet mechanic. The boss liked to cover his bets in case his usual pilot fell ill.
Why put up with Wendell Forester? There had to be more money working as pilots or even jetmechanics. Or was it the allure of flying around the world, staying in the best hotels and eating on the billionaire’s dime that was the draw? Claude realized that he had been doing just that and enjoying it. At one time, he’d thought it wasn’t such a bad gig.
The difference was he wasn’t expected to risk his life to save Wen should someone try to kill him. Which was good, he thought with a hidden smile. He’d never riskhisneck for the man.
He wondered absently who’d been sending the death threats he knew his boss had been getting. Wen liked to act like they didn’t bother him, but Claude had seen him after one arrived. But why just threaten? Do it and get it over with, he thought.
Then again, Claude was looking for anything that would save him from being forced to go to the Stafford Ranch after the evil Forester princess.
Brand suggested his brother show Victoria around the ranch. “I can handle the work that needs to be done today,” he said, letting Ryder know he would owe him big-time. “Saddle up Susie for her and go for a ride.”
“Susie?” she asked as they finished breakfast and got ready for the day ahead. “She sounds sweet. I’d love to ride her.”
“Thanks for suggesting that, Brand,” Ryder said, knowing he was never going to live this down. Nor was he ever going to forget how much his brother was enjoying his discomfort.
Since Victoria was dressed for riding, they headedout to the stable where he saddled Susie and his own horse. Taking the reins, he walked Victoria through the basics of horseback riding even as he told himself this was a terrible idea. If he got her killed, Wendell Forester would end up owning this ranch.
“I think I’ve got the knack of it,” she said after his instruction. With that, she stepped to the horse, swung up into the saddle and reached for the reins he was holding.
“You’ve done this before,” he said, nodding to himself.
She grinned. “I learned to ride at the boarding school I attended.”
“Of course you did. Do you have any other surprises for me?”
Her grin broadened. “I should hope so.” She took the reins he handed her and gave him a look that told him he was in for a long weekend. This was a game to her, something she could tell her friends about when she went back to her real life. He told himself that he could get through the weekend. At least he hoped so, but only if she quit flirting with him. That was what she was doing, wasn’t it?
Ryder swore under his breath. He wasn’t good at games, especially with the opposite sex. He knew horses better than women. Worse, he’d never met one like Victoria Forester.
They rode out across the ranch. The feel of the horse beneath him, the sunshine and the smell of summer in the Powder River basin made him forget everything as he rode. His earlier annoyance withVictoria quickly evaporated too as he noticed what a good rider she was.
He pointed out things that might interest her as they went. His mood got better as she showed an appreciation for the country from the river bottom to the mountains and the badlands in between.
It was one of those Montana summer days that made people fall in the love with the state. Puffy white clouds floated in a sea of deep blue above the treetops. The air smelled fresh and clean, just cool enough this beautiful morning to make the ride even more enjoyable. He loved mornings like this.
But today he couldn’t help being distracted by the woman with him. She seemed so different here, her face flushed, her eyes bright. He had to keep reminding himself that she was the same woman he’d seen in the photograph of her coming out of a nightclub after clubbing with friends.
He also had to remind himself that she was Wendell Forester’s daughter. The man’s princess. He watched her take in the view for a few moments before he asked, “Why does your father want to buy my ranch so badly?”
Vicky seemed surprised by the question. “I have no idea. But when he sees something he wants, he buys it.”
“There are a lot of ranches in Montana, a lot of them larger and considered much prettier, with rivers more famous than the Powder. What is it about this ranch that makes a man like him want it so badly when he can afford to buy anything?” It was aquestion he’d asked himself many times as Forester had become more relentless in his attempts to purchase the Stafford Ranch.
“I honestly don’t know,” she said. “There must be something about this place in particular that makes it worth owning. He doesn’t just collect things unless they have a financial value to him.”
“Such as?”
“He recently bought several ranches in North Dakota because they had oil on them.”
“We have coalbed methane.”
“Did he send a geologist out here?”
“Not that I know of.” It dawned on him that a man like Forester didn’t have to send anyone. “We have a local geologist, Alfred “Tick” Whitaker, who works for the gas company. He has already surveyed the ranch when my brother CJ hired the CH4company to drill for methane. Tick would know what is here.”
“There you have it,” Victoria said. “The geologist must have found something that would be of interest to my father.” She seemed entranced by the wide-open spaces. “I love the way the river winds through the valley,” she said as they stopped on a hill to admire the view.
