Carter backed her up against the wall.

He murmured all the things they were going to do in this room, and Macy’s face flamed as hot as her body burned. The dress was an easy target for a man with roaming hands, and Carter made sure he touched every part of her. His sweet assault made her moan his name over and over, and she knew they’d never make it to the bed.

As his kisses moved down her throat she arched for him and closed her eyes to the sensual sensation.

He stopped for a moment and she slumped against him, breathless.

“Is…that…all…you…got?”

A deep, satisfied chuckle rumbled from his throat before he lifted her into the circle of his arms and carried her to the bed. “Just wait, sweet darlin’. Just wait.”

THE HIGHEST BIDDER

At this high-stakes auction house where everything is for sale, true love is priceless.

Don’t miss a single story in this new continuity from Mills & Boon® Modern™ Romance!

GILDED SECRETS by Maureen Child

EXQUISITE ACQUISITIONS by Charlene Sands

A SILKEN SEDUCTION by Yvonne Lindsay

A PRECIOUS INHERITANCE by Paula Roe

THE ROGUE’S FORTUNE by Cat Schield

GOLDEN BETRAYALS by Barbara Dunlop

About the Author

Award-winning author CHARLENE SANDS writes bold, passionate, heart-stopping heroes and always…really good men! She’s a lover of all things romantic, having married her high school sweetheart, Don. She is the proud recipient of a Readers’ Choice Award, and double recipient of a Booksellers’ Best Award, having written twenty-eight romances to date, both contemporary and historical Western. Charlene is a member of Romance Writers of America and belongs to the Orange County and Los Angeles chapters of RWA, where she volunteers as the Published Authors’ Liaison.

When not writing, she loves movie dates with her hubby, playing cards with her children, reading romance, great coffee, Pacific beaches, country music and anything chocolate. She also loves to hear from her readers. You can reach Charlene for fun stuff, contests and more at www.charlenesands.com or write to her at PO Box 4883, West Hills, CA 91308, USA. You can find her on the Harlequin Authors Blog, and on Facebook, too.

Recent titles by the same author:

 SUNSET SURRENDER

 WORTH THE RISK

 EXQUISITE REVENGE

Did you know these are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

Exquisite Acquisitions

Charlene Sands

www.millsandboon.co.uk

In memory and honor of Sandra Hyatt, a friend and fellow Desire author.

I will always remember your sweet, friendly smile and your kind heart.

Prologue

Wild River Ranch, Texas

He struck a match on his boot heel and guided the flame toward the cigarette clenched between his lips. With one long pull of breath, the tip blazed to life. Carter McCay closed his eyes as images of the fallen soldiers who’d fought alongside him flashed in his mind. He took one drag…one honorary inhalation. The ritual was agreed upon by those lucky enough to have come home, all those years ago. On the first day of every month, each one of his comrades did the same. Somewhere out there, twenty-three former marines were lighting up and remembering Afghanistan.

The subtle rush of the river pulled him out of those thoughts. He leaned a shoulder against an ancient oak and nestled into the tree’s grooved bark, watching the rhythmic, nearly perfect ripples of Wild River. The water wasn’t as wild as its namesake today, Carter mused. It was quiet and peaceful here, shaded from the hot Texas sun.

The dog plopped down at his feet and whimpered long and loud as the trail of smoke met his upturned wet nose.

Carter pushed his Stetson higher on his forehead and looked into questioning, soulful eyes. He couldn’t blame the dog for being wary of smoke. The dog saw too much, knew too much. “You followed me up here, pal.”

Carter tossed the cigarette and crushed it into the ground with his boot, then lowered to a crouch beside the golden retriever. He gave him a pat on the head. The dog sandwiched his head between his front paws and gave a big sigh.

“Yeah, I know, boy. You’ve had it tough.” Carter ruffled Rocky’s furry neck, damn glad he’d rescued the hound from his father’s place. The home where Carter had grown up wasn’t fit for a dog.

His cell phone pinged. Carter pulled his iPhone from his back pocket and gave a quick look. A text message from Roark Waverly appeared on the front screen. He hadn’t heard from his former marine buddy in months. But he wasn’t surprised that he’d leave a message today of all days. “Probably just lit one up, too,” he muttered, glad to hear from his friend. But as he read on, Roark had something entirely different to say. Something Carter had to read twice.

C. Ran into some trouble. In hiding. Get word to Ann Richardson at Waverly’s. The Gold Heart statue is not stolen. I can’t trust Waverly’s networks. R.B.

Carter frowned. What the hell what that all about?

After his tour of duty, Roark had gotten heavily involved in running around seven continents procuring valuable artifacts to sell at Waverly’s auction house based out of New York. Roark had been in some tough binds through the years, and normally the marine could take care of himself just fine. Carter had been on the receiving end of his friend’s quick thinking when they’d been on street patrol in a small settlement in Afghanistan. Roark had discovered that the car Carter was about to inspect was booby trapped. He’d shoved Carter out of the way before his hand met with the door handle, and Carter knew then that he owed Roark his life.

“C’mon, Rocky,” he said, heading toward his Jeep without a glance back. He knew his father’s dog would follow. He was as loyal as they come. “I’ve got some investigating to do.”

Two hours later, his cousin Brady knocked on his front door and Carter led him into the great room. The room meant for entertaining was one of many improvements he’d made to the house after he’d inherited Wild River Ranch from his uncle Dale. Over the years and after a little luck and a lot of hard work, Carter had turned his uncle’s small working ranch into a stellar operation that competed equally with elite Texas cattle barons.

He handed Brady a shot glass of whiskey. “Here you go, cuz.”

Brady grinned. “I know it’s five o’clock somewhere, but tell me, why are we drinking this early in the afternoon?”

“Because thanks to you, I’m heading to New York tomorrow.”

“Me? What do Brady McCay and New York have in common?”

Carter couldn’t tell him about Roark’s cryptic text message. That message wasn’t meant to be discussed, not even with someone Carter trusted. But he could tell Brady the other reason for his trip. As he’d researched the New York auction house Roark worked for, he’d found that Hollywood screen legend Tina Tarlington’s diamond rings were being auctioned off this weekend. The famed Tarlington diamond had been in the press ever since Tina Tarlington’s first marriage, decades ago. Now, there was even more buzz about all three of her diamonds since the Queen of Cinema had passed away a few months ago. Carter planned to get his hands on one of those diamonds and, at the same time, deliver Roark’s message to the CEO of Waverly’s.

“You’re the one who introduced me to Jocelyn, right?” Carter asked.

“I can’t deny that. I sure did.”

“She’s in New York right now, visiting a friend.”

His cousin’s eyebrows narrowed. “I’m not following.”

“I intend to join her there and ask her to marry me.”

Brady blinked and jerked back in surprise. “You intend to marry Jocelyn Grayson? I didn’t realize things were that serious between you two.”

“Damn straight they are. I’ve been hunting for the right engagement ring for weeks now. If all goes as planned, she’ll be my fiancée very soon.”

“You’re really in love with Jocelyn?” There was a note of disbelief in Brady’s voice.

Carter had to admit he was moving a little fast. But from the day he’d been introduced to the granddaughter of Brady’s neighbor, Carter had been smitten. Now, less than a year later, Carter was ready to make a commitment. Putting a Tarlington ring on Jocelyn’s finger would be impressive, even to an oil heiress who came from old Dallas money. She’d know, without a doubt, how much she meant to him. “She’s the one for me, Brady.”

“Well, then. Congratulations,” Brady offered.

Carter lifted his shot glass. Now that he’d made up his mind, he couldn’t wait to see Jocelyn’s expression when he proposed to her with a Tarlington diamond. “To Jocelyn.”

Brady hesitated for a second and stared into Carter’s eyes before lifting his glass, as well. “To Jocelyn.”

And after they downed the liquor, the smile Carter expected to see on his cousin’s face never really emerged.

One

Macy Tarlington never knew whether her attempt at disguise would work or not. Today, the beige scarf covering her ink-black curls and dark sunglasses hiding her violet-blue eyes seemed to do the trick. She hadn’t been followed. Thank goodness. She looked a little too much like her mother, which wasn’t overall a bad thing. Her mother had been known for her beauty, but resembling Hollywood’s beloved Queen of Cinema had drawn paparazzi to Macy like bees to honey. They believed her DNA alone gave them the right to trample on her privacy, especially during her time of mourning.

Tina Tarlington might have been world famous and her fans might have believed they knew everything about her, from her award-winning movie roles and her three doomed marriages to her celebrity status, but they hadn’t really known her. Not the way Macy had.

Walking into New York’s opulent Madison Avenue auction house made her twitch with anxiety. She bumped shoulders with her good friend, Avery Cullen, as they approached the Waverly salesroom. Avery was the least likely sort of American heiress, very unassuming and certainly not a spoiled cliché. “Sorry if I’m crowding you,” she whispered. “I can’t seem to help it.”

Avery’s warm smile reassured her as she took Macy’s arm. Her friend’s steady touch soothed her jumpy nerves. “I don’t mind, Macy. That’s why I’m here, for support.”

With eyes well hidden beneath sunglasses, Macy was free to dart glances all around, scoping out the large, elegantly appointed room where Tina Tarlington’s prized possessions would be auctioned off. Beautifully tufted, rounded high-back chairs were lined up in a dozen rows, split in the center by an aisle. The surrounding walls were easy-on-the-eye tones of beiges and light peach. Wide white wainscoting centered the walls and wrapped around the perimeter of the room. Multifaceted crystal chandeliers twinkled and provided abundant light overhead.

“I can’t thank you enough for enduring this with me.” Avery had made a quick trip from her home in London to be with her today.

“I know how hard this is for you.”

“Hard and necessary, unfortunately. Having my mother’s things on display like this gives me a stomachache. Oh, I am so not looking forward to this.”

Avery gave Macy’s hand a squeeze as they pressed farther into the room. “Those two seats on the aisle in the back are ours,” Macy whispered. “I made arrangements beforehand for us.”

And as they headed to those seats, Macy noticed that every other chair in the room was taken. Even in death, Tina Tarlington drew large crowds.

An attendant came by immediately to hand them a catalogue listing the items being auctioned off, and after a brief conversation Macy nodded her thanks to the woman standing at the head of the room. Ann Richardson, the CEO of Waverly’s, who had secured the estate sale from Macy, gave her a silent greeting in return before turning to shake hands with the patrons in the front row. It was important to Ms. Richardson that the Tarlington auction go off without a hitch. Waverly’s stood to make a hefty commission.

Macy opened the catalogue and flipped through the pages, noting item after item from her mother’s estate. The descriptions were listed as lot numbers along with an estimate as to their value. The first item stopped her cold as memories flooded in and tears formed in her eyes.

On Macy’s tenth birthday, just as the celebration was about to begin, Tina had rushed into the Magic Castle Mansion, an exclusive club showcasing musicians from around the world, dressed as Eleanor Neal, the role which had garnered her an Academy Award nomination. She’d come straight from the set, the shoot going longer than anticipated. Macy hadn’t cared that her mother was late for her party or that she’d come in her professional makeup and wardrobe. She’d flown into her mother’s arms and hugged her so tight that Tina laughed until her mascara had run down her face. It was magic and one of the best birthdays of Macy’s life.

Now, the pink silk and sequin dress her mother had worn that day was described as “Worn by Tina Tarlington in the acclaimed film Quest for Vengeance, 1996.”

Her mother’s entire life seemed to have been whittled down to one-sentence blurbs and numbers. The ache in Macy’s stomach intensified.

Discreetly, she closed the catalogue booklet and took a deep breath. She couldn’t fall apart. Not now. She had to go through with this auction. She gave herself a little pep talk, reciting in her head all the practical reasons why selling her mother’s treasures and jewels were necessary.

As she surveyed the room, people-watching, waiting for the auction to begin, she found the distraction she needed in a Stetson-wearing hunk of a man sitting across the aisle from her and one row up. His head was down, concentrating on the catalogue. The cowboy wore a crisp white shirt underneath a stylish Western suit coat that accentuated the solid breadth of his shoulders. The glint of silver from his bolo tie twinkled under the chandeliers. His profile was strong, grooved with a razor-sharp cheekbone and an angular jaw. He swung his head around and glanced at her for a split second, as if he suspected her of watching him. She panicked for an instant and held her breath. Luckily, he hadn’t lingered but went on to scan the rest of the room.

But oh my! When he’d turned, she’d gotten the full impact of his gaze and found him even more appealing than she’d originally thought. A crazy jolt of warmth surged through her body. The powerful sensation was new to Macy.

Butterflies replaced the turmoil in her stomach.

How strange.

She continued to grab eyefuls, shifting her gaze away occasionally to avoid being caught. She was grateful for her little disguise. It provided her freedom to peruse something more exciting than the auction.

The cowboy glanced over the seated bidders and up toward the podium time and again. He appeared anxious and impatient for the auction to begin.

A minute later, Ann Richardson took the podium with a welcome to everyone at the auction. After a cordial greeting, the CEO turned the microphone over to the auctioneer and he stepped up to the podium. The auction began and Macy watched as, one by one, bidders raised their paddles when the first gown was offered up.

Dear, sweet Avery sat vigilantly beside her, a pillar of quiet strength. When the auctioneer’s hammer fell, finalizing the winning bid, Avery squeezed her hand and whispered into her ear. “Just remember, your mother would want you to do this.”

Macy nodded and slid her eyes closed briefly. It was true. Her mother had loved her possessions, and heaven knew, she had not been good with money. But her mother had made a point of always making sure Macy had known that she, not her profession or her jewels, was the most important, most beloved thing in her life. Misguided as her mother’s life might have been, Macy knew she’d been loved. When her father, Clyde Tarlington, had died ten years ago, Tina might have given up, but she’d shown Macy what it was to be a survivor. To press on, even under adversity.

Once again, Macy glanced at her handsome cowboy, sitting patiently across the aisle. He’d taken off his hat, out of consideration to the people seated behind him, she presumed, as soon as the bidding had begun. His dark blond hair was well-groomed, thick and curling at the edge of his collar. The Stetson rested on his outstretched leg and Macy reeled in her wayward thoughts, thinking if she could only trade places with that hat.

The corners of her lips lifted at the idea. And Macy’s foolish heart skipped a beat.

His face was becoming familiar to her. He was a good diversion, a distraction that she couldn’t seem to shake. She was drawn to him, and she couldn’t figure out why. She lived in Hollywood, where gorgeous men were a dime a dozen. She’d acted in small movie roles opposite men more beautiful than any female starlet.

No, it wasn’t his looks that drew her to him. It was something else. He held himself with an air of confidence that belied his obvious discomfort seated in a venerable New York auction house.

She liked that about him.

For all she knew, he’d be more comfortable bidding on longhorn steers.

She liked that about him, too.

Another mental chuckle emerged. She had to stop fantasizing about him. Macy returned her attention to the auction, grateful to the cowboy for giving her something thrilling to admire while her mother’s life was being bartered away.

Soon the diamond rings would be up for sale.

Macy cringed and slithered down in her seat. She actually felt sorry for the people who wound up with them.

Three diamond rings. Three doomed marriages.

“The rings are cursed,” she whispered to Avery.

Her friend nodded ever so slightly. “Then you should be glad to get rid of them.”

Oh, she was. She was extremely glad. Those rings represented pain and heartache to anyone in their possession. The love surrounding those rings would never survive. Her mother’s three failed marriages were testimony enough. Each one Of her marriages had been horrific in their own way, and Macy had begun thinking of the diamond rings as the Love Curse Diamonds. Of course, it wasn’t a good idea to tell that to the press. She needed the money too badly to risk lowering their value. But there were stories behind those diamonds and, unfortunately, Macy knew them all too well.

The bidding was to begin on the three-carat diamond that Clyde Tarlington had given to her mother. The setting was unique, a one of a kind. The nearly perfect gem had been placed in such a way that it formed a T with surrounding smaller diamonds nestled beside it to finish forming the letter. It was by far the most exquisite ring of the trio.

Avery nudged her shoulder and Macy, deep in thought, slid her friend a sideways glance. “Take a look.” She gestured across the aisle. “That gorgeous cowboy you’ve been eyeing all afternoon is getting ready. I bet he bids on the Tarlington diamond.”

Carter wanted that Tarlington diamond so bad he could taste it. He’d spend a small fortune on it, if it boiled down to that. He groaned with impatience.

The stately woman sitting next to him, her nose in the air, reacted to the sound he made with a high and mighty puff. Then her gaze shifted to the felt hat sitting on his lap. She gave him another sniff of disapproval.

Well, hell. He’d offended her.

Because he was in a good mood, being nearly engaged and all, he sent her a smile of apology.

The woman gripped her purse with thin wiry fingers and inched away from him without returning his smile. She didn’t bother to disguise her feelings. He didn’t fit in. She didn’t approve of him being here.

He couldn’t fault her for that thinking. He didn’t fit in here. He didn’t like crowds, tight spaces or the irritating roar of New York traffic. But he had two darn good reasons for attending the auction.

The engagement ring he was determined to buy and the friend he was determined to help.

Both were important and could be life altering.

An article he’d read in the New York Times this morning about possible collusion between Waverly’s and their rival auction house, Rothchild’s, flashed into his mind. the piece had put the Waverly establishment in a bad light.

Doubt as to whether he should sink any money into the auction at all had crossed his mind and old survival instincts had clicked in. Carter was known for making sound financial decisions, and if it were anyone else, he would’ve walked away from the auction. But his friend Roark was a straight shooter. If Roark trusted Ann Richardson and Waverly’s, that was good enough for Carter. It was as simple as that.

The CEO sat up front but off to the side, overseeing the auction. He’d kept a keen eye on her since the auction began and wouldn’t let her out of his sight. He couldn’t get near her before, but he wasn’t leaving until he’d delivered the message from Roark.

Before the auction began, Ann Richardson had given a tidy welcome speech to the patrons, reminding them about Waverly’s honest and reputable dealings for over one hundred and fifty years. Her way of dispelling the rumors tarnishing today’s auction. Anticipation stirred in his gut, and the reality of what he was about to do struck him. After thirty-one years of bachelorhood, he was ready to propose marriage and settle down with a woman.

Finally, the auctioneer announced the famous gem. “The Tarlington emerald-cut diamond ring is three carats in weight, with VS1 clarity and D color with six surrounding baquette diamonds weighing a total of one point four carats. We’ll start the bidding at fifty thousand dollars.”

Carter raised his paddle and made the first bid.

Three other paddles went up after his.

And by the time he lifted his paddle again, the bid had increased to seventy thousand dollars. The room got extremely quiet. Only the slight rustle of clothes and an intermittent cough echoed in the large room. As far as he could tell, there were four bidders, and all of them were actively bidding as the price of the Tarlington diamond doubled.

He lifted his paddle again.

Two of the other bidders dropped off and Carter found himself in a one-on-one duel.

It was between him and someone he couldn’t quite make out from a row closer to the front of the room. The mysterious bidder wasn’t giving up.

When the bid doubled again, Carter retired his paddle. It was clear that his opponent had unlimited means and wanted that diamond ring no matter the cost. Carter had too much business sense to pay more than twice what the darn thing was actually worth. He’d already overbid. When the hammer fell and the bid was won, he lifted up a fraction from his chair and craned his neck to find out who had outbid him. A young woman wearing an austere business suit and a satisfied smile had nodded to the auctioneer.

Carter frowned. He hated losing.

The next diamond presented was a ring of less iconic value than the Tarlington diamond, but with two nearly perfect carats of dazzle in a platinum setting, given to the legendary star by her third husband, Joseph Madigan. Carter wouldn’t be outbid again.

“Going once. Going twice. Fair warning, this lot is about to be sold.” A second ticked by in silence. Then the gavel hit the podium. “Sold!”

Satisfaction curled in Carter’s belly. The diamond ring was his. He’d flown across the continent for an engagement ring to impress Jocelyn, and tomorrow night he’d be dishing it up on a silver platter.

Once the auction concluded, Carter made fast work of securing the diamond ring, along with the certificate of sale. He caught Ann Richardson as she was leaving the salesroom. “Ms. Richardson?”

The tall willowy blonde turned and surprised Carter at how young she appeared up close. She blinked. “Yes?”

“Pardon me, ma’am. But I need to speak to you privately.”

“Is there a problem with the sale? You won the bid on a stunning ring.”

“No, I’m happy with the ring.”

“I’m glad. I hope it brings you enjoyment.” She eyed him carefully.

“It will.” Carter smiled. “I plan on proposing marriage to my girl tomorrow.”

The caution in her expression softened. “Oh, well, congratulations, Mr.?”

“Carter McCay.”

She put out her hand and Carter gave a light shake. “I have no connection to the press, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Her eyes widened. Then a guilty smile emerged as if she’d been caught red-handed. “I won’t deny it crossed my mind,” she muttered with a sigh. She glanced around, noting the patrons filing out of the room. She lowered her voice. “They can be brutal.”

Carter nodded. “Is there someplace we can talk privately? It’s about Roark Black.”

Ann’s perfect brows lifted as if that was the last thing she’d expected to hear. Concern mixed with curiosity, and she immediately began walking toward a private exit. “Follow me.”

Her shiny black heels tapped across a stone hallway. Carter fell in step beside her, and it wasn’t long before she ducked into a small office marked Private. She waited until he entered before closing the door. The room was windowless and dark. She flipped a switch and overhead fluorescents brought light into the office. She leaned against a large glass desk and folded her arms. “What about Roark? Is he all right?”

“I hope so. He’s a friend. We go way back. I met him while on duty in Afghanistan. A couple days ago, I got a text from him with your name on it.”

“My name?” She leaned toward him, surprised. She pushed shoulder-length hair behind her ears and took a breath. “Where’s the message?”

Carter pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times until the cryptic message appeared. He moved beside her and handed her the phone. She stood there for a second, reading the passage a few times. “He says he doesn’t trust anyone with this information but me. And he’s in hiding somewhere.” She looked into his eyes. “What’s he gotten himself into?”

“I have no idea. He mentioned a statue. Do you know what that’s about?”

She nodded slowly, rereading the message. “It’s the Gold Heart statue. There are only three in existence. He might have stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have.” Ann turned to him again. “He could be in real danger.”

Carter held her stare a moment. “He could be.”

Troubled, she sighed quietly and handed back the phone. “He’s a good man.”

Carter nodded. “Listen, I know Roark. He’s gotten himself into some really tight spots before, and he’s always gotten out.”

Her voice was a mere whisper. “Are you telling me not to worry?”

Carter was concerned his friend was in trouble, but he couldn’t do a damn thing about it until he heard from him again. “No sense in worrying. I have faith in him. Roark knows what he’s doing. But whatever it is, he sure as hell wanted me to get this message to you without going through the normal channels. He’s not sure who he can trust.”

“I understand. Thank you for going through the trouble. Will you promise to let me know if you hear anything more from him?”

“I can do that,” Carter said.

“Thank you.” She walked him to the door. “And congratulations on your engagement. I think any woman would love to have a Tarlington ring on her finger.”

Carter grinned. “That’s the plan.”

She gave him a full-out dimple-inducing smile, and Carter figured she didn’t offer those up too often. “I think your soon-to-be fiancée is a lucky woman.”

Carter thanked her and left Waverly’s with a diamond ring in his pocket and a hum in his heart. He’d accomplished his two goals today.

Tomorrow his life would change forever.

Pajama-clad, Macy stared at her reflection in the hotel mirror, the phone to her ear and her legs stretched out on the massive bed. She never liked reserving a room with a king bed. With her slight frame, too much of the mattress went to waste. But then, getting two doubles made her feel lonely, as if there was someone missing who should be sleeping in the other bed. Macy had offered to share her hotel room with Avery, but her friend had booked with a smaller, more secluded hotel. Macy had respected her privacy.

“Are you still thinking about that cowboy from the auction today?” Avery asked.

She smiled into the phone. The cowboy? Now, he would take up a good portion of her bed and nothing would go to waste. “Guilty as charged. But you can’t blame me, can you? My love life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If I only had one-tenth of the lovers MovieMash.com claimed I had, it would be a miracle. I haven’t been on a date for eight months. That qualifies me for that new reality show, Dating Dilemma.”

“Oh, Macy. It only means you’ve been dealing with your mother’s illness and grieving. You’ll know when the time is right.”

Avery, too, had recently lost a parent, a father she’d hardly known, so she could relate to the heartache Macy felt. Avery had been such a dear friend when Tina died. They’d shared the bond of loss together.

“You had the hots for the cowboy. That’s a start,” Avery encouraged.

With a sigh, Macy glanced in the mirror again and shook her head at the simple yellow-and-white flowered nightgown she wore. She made a mental note to buy sexy lingerie. “That’s true.”

There was something about the cowboy that called to Macy. She’d been smitten from the moment she’d spotted him. Smit ten. Such a perfect word to describe her feelings for a mystery man who’d helped her get through a tough time today. Not that he’d ever know he’d helped her, but still, Macy had warm feelings for him that went beyond the physical.

“The poor guy,” she said quietly. “He bought the cursed diamond. I overheard him saying he was getting engaged tomorrow.”

“How did you hear that?”

“I have eagle ears, remember? Just as we were walking out of the auction, I heard him tell Ms. Richardson why he bought the ring. I was crushed.”

Avery giggled. She thought Macy was kidding, and why wouldn’t she? Any normal person wouldn’t develop strong feelings for a man she’d just laid eyes on. But Macy couldn’t really share the truth, that as soon as the cowboy announced he was getting engaged, her heart sank and her stomach clenched. The disappointment overwhelmed her. It had hurt Macy to think that her fantasy cowboy was already taken, and now hours later she still couldn’t wrap her head around it. “He hasn’t proposed yet and his marriage is already doomed.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” her friend said. “Wouldn’t you like to think it’s not the diamond rings but really some odd quirk of nature, an imbalance of romance or simply a weird coincidence that those three marriages ended with heartbreak?”

“I don’t know, Av. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s not the rings. Maybe I just don’t believe in love anymore. I mean, my mother and all of her close friends have had their hearts broken from love affairs. You know how much my mother loved my father. When he died in that crash, she’d been so angry with him for leaving her alone.”

Clyde Tarlington had been a talented actor in his own right and a loving father to Macy, but gambling and liquor were his true loves. He’d been addicted to both. When he won big, he’d buy rounds of drinks for everyone, and unfortunately one night ten years ago, his big win meant losing the most important gamble of his life. He’d gotten behind the wheel of his car and plowed the front end of his Lamborghini into a tree just three blocks away from their home. His blood alcohol level had been double the legal limit. That night, his luck had run out.

“I know that was heartbreaking for her,” Avery said.

“But she picked herself up and married husband number two and then husband number three. And you know how well those marriages worked out.” Macy’s throat tightened with remorse. “That cowboy bought loser number three’s ring.”

Avery’s voice softened. “Macy, are you going to be okay? I can come over.”

“No, don’t be silly. It’s after midnight. I’m fine,” she fibbed.

Macy had financial woes that made her dizzy with dismay. Avery knew most of it, so there was no sense rehashing her legal problems. She was being sued for refusing to back down on her principles. And now she was paying the consequences, literally, with her mother’s estate. She had an appointment with her New York attorney tomorrow that she wasn’t looking forward to. “I appreciate you being my rock today. I leaned on you and you came through.” She faked a yawn and made it noisy enough for Avery to hear. “I’m pooped. I’m going to climb into this big bed and get some sleep.”

“Okay…if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. I’ll see you for dinner tomorrow before your flight. Have a good night.”

“Same to you, Macy. Sleep tight.”

“I intend to,” she fibbed again.

She wouldn’t get much sleep. Her troubles would follow her into the night.

Carter sat across the table from Jocelyn in a cozy corner in the Russian Tea Room, the muscles around his lips pulling tight. He stared at her with unblinking eyes. The setting, the diamond, everything was perfect. Except her answer. “No?”

“That’s right,” she whispered. “No, I won’t marry you.”

With a shake of his head, he leaned back in his seat in disbelief.

Jocelyn flipped her blond hair to one side, a habit he’d noticed her doing when she was annoyed. The long strands fell over the thin strap of her glimmering gold dress. Her full lips, glossed in cherry red, formed a pout. Then she sighed dramatically, as if the weight of the world was crushing her shoulders. “I thought you knew this thing between us wasn’t serious.”

He kept his tone level. “How was I to know that?”

“We’ve never spoken of the future,” she said. Her eyes flashed to the opened velvet box he’d laid near the edge of the table. “Not in specific terms.”

Carter’s voice elevated. “You mean, when we were lying in bed at night and you’d say how much you wanted a family one day. Three kids, exactly. And when you said you wanted a second home in the Hamptons, those were just random ramblings?”

He had trouble believing her rejection and searched his memory for clues. How had he missed her signals? He thought they wanted the same things in life.

She ignored the question, speaking in a tight voice, “We haven’t known each other long, Carter.”

“A year isn’t long enough?”

“Not with you living in Wild River and me living in Dallas. We haven’t seen that much of each other.”

Raw, ego-deflating pain gutted his insides. The flat-out rejection worked a number on his pride and made him look at Jocelyn in a new light. One that wasn’t flattering. A steady tick began to eat away at his jaw.

“The ring is a stunner, really.” The diamond that would never see her finger sparkled against incandescent candlelight. “But I can’t accept it.” She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t love you.”

In one fell swoop, he gripped the plush black ring box and clicked it shut before shoving it into his pocket. He didn’t want to look at the damn thing anymore. “Can’t be clearer than that.”

“Well, I’m…sorry.”

She didn’t sound all that sorry.

“Hell, your apology fixes everything. I suppose you want to be friends now?”

His ego was taking a big hit, but his heart hurt, too. He’d wrapped his future dreams around spending his life with Jocelyn. How had he gone so wrong? He’d known Jocelyn was a high-maintenance woman, but he figured he could make her happy. Now, he felt like a sap.

Her chin angled up, and when she spoke it was as if she were speaking to a dog that should obey. “Don’t be mad, Carter.”

Was she kidding? Anger was only one of the emotions torpedoing his belly. “Don’t tell me how to feel, Jocelyn. Even you’ve got to realize this is a blow to me.”

“You had it wrong. You made a lot of assumptions about our relationship.”

“I made…” Carter kept his anger contained. He spoke quietly, through clenched teeth. “You tempted me into a relationship, in case you’re forgetting. From the first day we met, you were all over me. Remember the Wild River County Fair? You brushed your body up against mine so many times, I needed a dunk in the river to cool myself off. You came after me, as I recall. And we’ve been together ever since. So excuse me if I’m pissed off. Excuse me if I don’t understand.”

And what about all those nights she’d screamed his name and told him he was the best lover she’d ever had? Or the midnight rides they’d take on horseback at the ranch? Or the way she clung to his arm whenever they were out in public, as if he was the most important person in her life? Was it all an act?

“You don’t understand. I wasn’t after you.”

“Like hell you weren’t.”

“You really don’t get it. I thought I was transparent. Clear as glass.” She rose from the table, clutching her small beaded purse. She shot him an unflinching gaze. “I’m in love with Brady. I was trying to make him jealous.” She gestured with a swipe of her hand. “All of this was for Brady’s sake.”

Carter sank back into his seat, his eyebrows denting his forehead. He hadn’t seen this coming. “My cousin?”

Carter had met Jocelyn one day when she was visiting her grandmother, Brady’s neighbor. She’d come by Brady’s place and the three of them, Brady, Carter and Jocelyn, had driven out to the county fair.

He stood abruptly and towered over her, pinning her with a glare. A bitter taste formed in his mouth. “So all this time, you were trying to make Brady jealous? How’s that working out for you?”

She stiffened and her gaze narrowed to two eye-lined slits. “Shut up.”

She made a move to pass by him, to escape his wrath, but he wasn’t through with her yet. He took hold of her arm, garnering her full attention. “You played me for a fool.”

She straightened her stance, holding her head high, like a member of royalty. “You are a fool. You’re a dumb stupid hick who let me string him along.”

His teeth ground together and his words came out low, from deep in his gut. “I’ll make sure to tell Brady you said that. Being as we’re related, that means he’s a dumb stupid hick, too. He was right about you. Yeah, the dumb stupid hick doesn’t think too highly of you. And this time, I’m not disagreeing.”

She flinched. His victory was small consolation, and while he knew better than to speak that way to a woman, he couldn’t stop himself because her indiscretion had been much worse.

He released her at the same moment she yanked her arm free. “Leave.”

She did. She walked away, and Carter didn’t bother to watch her exit. He headed for the bar, unnerved and feeling like hell. He needed to soak his sorrows with a double shot of whiskey. Jocelyn wasn’t the woman he thought she was. She’d been using him all along. Yeah, but he had to admit, she had him good and fooled.

No woman would ever fool him again, and after his liquor arrived, Carter downed the drink in celebration of escaping the hangman’s noose.

Thirty minutes later and fortified with the best whiskey money could buy, Carter stepped out of the restaurant and was hit with a blast of humid August night air. It was the only thing about New York that reminded him of Texas—cloistering humidity. The heat crept up his collar and made him sweat.

All of a sudden a crowd emerged, swarming a woman who was trying to enter the restaurant. Bulbs flashed, the rush of footsteps sounded on pavement, shouted questions flew through the air. More than a dozen paparazzi crammed her as she made a feeble attempt to push her way out. Her shoulder was bumped once, twice. She swiveled right, then left, trying to break away. Questions were leveled at her like grenades. When her eyes met his, in that brief moment, Carter saw a caged animal struggling to get free. She was trapped.

Recognition struck him smack between the eyes. She was the woman he’d glimpsed at the auction yesterday.

Someone yanked at the scarf hiding her jet-black hair. Long, luxurious curls spilled down her shoulder, and she reached behind her head to put the scarf back in place. Carter had seen enough. He muscled his way through the crowd, giving a few well-placed shoves himself to get to her. When he finally faced her, he gripped both her hands in his, firm but gentle. She gazed at him with desperate, deep lavender-blue eyes. Carter had no time to dwell on her beautiful face. He blocked a cameraman’s shot with his body, and the Stetson riding low on his forehead lent another measure of concealment. Use everything in your arsenal, he’d learned in the marines.

He leaned in real close. “I can get you out of here. But you have to trust me.”

Two

Fraught with panic, Macy faced the man from the auction, certain she was hallucinating. It couldn’t be him. She’d dreamed about him last night, and this morning, when she should have forgotten all about him, he’d still marched into her thoughts during quiet moments.

Shouted barbs, flashbulbs snapping and body heat from tabloid junkies brought her back to the here and now.

“Got yourself a cowboy,” shouted a photographer from the back of the pack.

“Are you doing nude scenes with him, Macy?” another asked.

The vultures chuckled.

It angered her that they called her by her first name, as if they were her friends, when the question itself was rude enough to warrant enemy status. Tina knew how to handle the paparazzi. Macy did not. And she paid the price for not being as charming as her famous mother had been.

Her heart pounding, her body abused and her head clouded with uncertainty, Macy glanced down to find her tightly wound fists encased in strong, protective hands. When she gazed up into the cowboy’s eyes, he reassured her with a nod. His words had been like velvet to her ears.

Trust me.

She did.

Someone bumped her from behind, and the cowboy’s gaze grew fierce, giving the photographer ample warning. “Back off.”

Then he met her stare again. “You coming?” His voice was a little more insistent this time.

Macy didn’t have to think twice. She was out of options. The crowd herding her had become more curious now that the cowboy had intervened on her behalf, peppering her with questions as to who he was.

She honestly didn’t know.

But she was about to find out.

She nodded, and he gave her a fast smile. “Let’s go.”

The cowboy’s grip was steady on her hand as they took off at a run. Mentally she cursed the Paciotti pumps slowing her down. She struggled to keep pace with his strides.

“Don’t look back,” he ordered. He guided her down an alleyway, dodging garbage cans. She ran on the pads of her feet to keep from stumbling on three-inch heels. her scarf flew off her head, clinging on by the knot at her throat. The material whipped at her shoulders. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her nerves rattled as the cowboy led her away from the tabloid hounds dogging her.

The sound of labored breaths and footsteps shuffling from behind dropped off a little at a time as they hurried along the narrow alley. It wasn’t a herd following them anymore, just several hangers-on. Those few were persistent, and the cowboy tightened his hold on her hand when they reached the end of the alley. He took half a second to glance both ways on the side street before gesturing to the right. “There.”

She followed him, running quickly to a shiny black Lincoln Town Car. “Get in and we’ll be off.” She glanced behind her to see four photographers snapping pictures at the base of the alleyway.

Her savior opened the back door for her, surprising the chauffeur, who was eating a burrito in the front seat. She climbed inside and slid over. He joined her a second later. “Give it some gas, Larry. And be quick.”

“Yes, sir.” The chauffeur tossed his food down and fumbled for a second, obviously caught off guard. Then the engine revved to life. Before the paparazzi got within twenty feet, they had pulled out, Larry driving as fast as traffic allowed.

“Wow.” Macy leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. The past twenty minutes were a blur. One second she was on her way to meet Avery for dinner, and the next she was being pursued by overly zealous tabloid maniacs.

She tried to slow her breathing, but then there was the Stetson-wearing cowboy to think about. From the moment she’d laid eyes on him, he’d thrown her off balance.

She turned to face him and caught a whiff of his musky cologne. The scent was a turn-on in its own right, but on him, now that was really something. She’d already put him in white knight status; he didn’t need any more help. “I don’t usually accept rides from strangers,” she offered, clearing the air.

He chuckled and deep twin dimples appeared, softening the sharp planes of his face. Okay, this was just not funny anymore.

“But you made an exception for me?”

“I knew I could trust you. I saw you yesterday at the, uh, the auction. I was there, too.”

He gave her an appraising stare. “I know.”

“You know me?”

“No, can’t say that I do. But I noticed you. You were trying your best not to look conspicuous. Guess the designer sunglasses and scarf gave you away. It’s kind of hard not to notice a beautiful woman covering herself all up. Not that I blame you for trying to disguise yourself.” He gestured with a tilt of his head to the direction they’d just come from. “Does that happen to you often?”

He thought she was beautiful, even under the disguise. “Lately, yes…unfortunately.”

They were traveling down the street, and Macy had no idea where they were headed. All she saw behind him through the window was a flash of streetlights and neon signs.

He took care with removing his hat and laid it between them. He continued to watch her. Normally she’d squirm under the heat of a stranger’s stare, but oddly all she felt was excitement, as if she was living out her fantasy. She still couldn’t believe she was in his car, driving toward who knows what.

Then she reined in those thoughts. He was engaged. Or going to be soon. Her fantasy was over. “I’m Macy Tarlington.”

His eyes flickered with recognition. “Tarlington?”

His recognition wasn’t aimed at her. He didn’t know who she was. It was the Tarlington name that turned heads in every civilized country around the world. Apparently, the cowboy had never seen any of the work Macy had done on film. She wasn’t a star by any rights, but most people in the know would recognize her on the street. “My mother was Tina Tarlington.”

“I’ll be damned.” He shot her a charming smile then put out his hand. The large capable hand she’d already held. “Carter McCay. I’m from Wild River, Texas.”

Of course, he was a Texan. With that charming accent, where else could he be from? “Hollyweird, California.”

His lips quirked up and they sat staring at each other, their hands entwined in a slow shake.

Macy would’ve lost her footing if she’d been standing from the way he watched her. “I want to thank you. I don’t know how I would’ve gotten away from them if you weren’t there.”

He finally released her hand, and she was momentarily at a loss. “Appeared that way to me, too.”

“You saved me,” she said, still awestruck.

“You needed saving.”

Macy held in a sigh. His fiancée was a lucky woman. “Are you in the habit of saving women, or am I the only one?”

“I’m not in the business of saving anyone anymore.”

“Meaning you once were?”

“Once, a long time ago.” The city lights reflected in his eyes as his gaze shifted out the window. “I was a marine.”

“Ah, that explains your call to duty.”

His gaze snapped back to hers.

“I mean, isn’t that wh-what you do?” Oh boy, she didn’t want to insult the man who’d saved her. She found herself fumbling with an explanation. “The first to go in when there’s a crisis.”

His lips twitched as if he found her amusing. “I’m a Texan. We don’t like seeing women being manhandled. Marine or not, any man worth his salt would have done the same. “

Macy decided she liked a man who used the phrase worth his salt. “No matter the reason, I’m appreciative.”

“Why were those bozos so dang persistent anyway?”

The dreaded question.

Macy darted a glance out the window. “I suppose they think they’re justified.”

His lips tightened. “Nothing justifies shoving a defenseless woman and sticking cameras in her face.”

“If you knew me better, you’d know I’m not exactly defenseless,” Macy quipped. “I was caught off guard. Usually I’m more prepared.”

“Can’t imagine living like that.”

“It’s worse now. My mother’s death put the spotlight on me.” She tried to pass off her troubles with a shrug. “I’m the center of some controversy.”

His gaze remained on her, searching, waiting. But Macy held back. Though her recent episodes had been all over entertainment news when she’d walked out on two separate productions, trying to explain them to a stranger would be awkward. Thankfully, her lawsuits related to those incidents, weren’t public knowledge yet.

She didn’t answer the question in Carter’s eyes.

“So, why the auction?” he asked. “Your mother was…”

“Broke. She wasn’t good with money and she loved beautiful things.”

His eyes widened, as if she’d told a telling tale. “You want a drink? All I have is champagne.”

The bottle of Dom was sitting in a sterling-silver bucket in the center back of the town car. He picked it up along with two crystal flutes and poured them each a glass. She accepted one and glanced out the window again, noting the city lights fading, fast becoming a distant memory.

“By the way,” she whispered, taking a sip of the bubbly. “Where are you taking me?”

Wind blew her hair off her shoulders. The cool breeze refreshed her mind and rejuvenated her body. She stood on the deck of a private yacht watching the glorious Manhattan skyline. To think, if Avery hadn’t canceled their dinner date right before she’d arrived at the restaurant, and if Macy hadn’t gotten out of her cab to walk the two blocks to her favorite sushi place, her evening would have been a lonely night of salmon sashimi and wasabi.

The term too good to be true was overrated, except when it came to Carter McCay. He’d been a perfect gentleman, offering to take her back to her hotel.

“What’s my other option?” she’d asked.

And now, she was sailing the Hudson River with her handsome cowboy. She’d had a million questions for him while in the limo, but she’d refrained from asking. She wanted to pretend for a little while longer that all was right with the world while trying to forget the mob scene that would have taken her wits if Carter hadn’t rescued her.

She was being reckless for a change, driven by her coping mechanisms not to overanalyze everything. She was going with the flow. As her mother used to do.

Carter leaned his elbows against the railing next to her. She smiled at him. The “flow” was pretty darn great from her stance. His presence made her stomach flutter, but at the same time, she felt safe with him. She trusted him. And for a girl who’d grown up with the Hollywood scene, trust didn’t come easy.

“This is nice, Carter. It’s so peaceful out on the water.”

He inhaled deep and nodded. “That was the plan.”

“But the plan wasn’t for me, of course.”

“True. Did you notice what I bought at your mother’s auction yesterday?”

“I noticed. You bought one of her diamond rings.”

“Yeah, and like a fool, I thought a Tarlington diamond would seal the deal. I proposed to my girl tonight.”

“Tonight?” Uh-oh.

He looked out to the water, focusing away from the city lights to the darkness. “Yeah. Right before I met you. She turned me down flat and pretty much made a fool out of me. Seems she was using me to get the attention of my…Of someone else.”

Was that woman nuts? “Oh wow. That’s pretty crappy.”

“Nothing pretty about it.”

“It’s so wrong.”

“Wrong,” he repeated with a nod.

“Why, it’s dreadful and appalling. Depraved.”

“Hold on,” he said, putting up a hand. A soft chuckle rose from his throat. “You’re not making me feel any better.”

Macy grinned. “But I made you smile.”

He chuckled again. “Yeah, you did.”

His gaze flowed over her, his eyes sparkling with appreciation. “Thanks.”

Carter wasn’t someone to toss away like yesterday’s garbage. Macy realized that just from being with him for this short span of time.

That damn curse. She wished she’d stopped him from bidding on the ring. She wished he hadn’t gotten hurt by the rejection. If she hadn’t needed the money for attorney fees and to pay off her mother’s debts, she would have held on to the rings so no one else would have to endure the pain and suffering those diamonds brought on. And it became obvious to her that the limousine and the private yacht, stocked with champagne and aphrodisiacs, were meant for the newly engaged couple. She should have realized it from the beginning, but being with Carter made her fuzzy-brained.

“Seriously, I’m really sorry, Carter.”

He nodded and stared into her eyes. “You wanna know something? Meeting you tonight was just the dose of reality I needed. You helped me forget how gawd awful I felt walking out of that restaurant. You may have helped me just as much as I helped you.”

“I doubt that, but it’s nice of you to say.”

“It’s true, darlin’.” Carter faced the water again and blew out a deep breath. “Man, I’m ready to get on home to Wild River. It’s no secret I don’t like the city.”

“This city in particular?”

“New York especially, but I don’t like any place where skyscrapers block the sunsets. Where you can’t walk down a street without being crammed and bumped. I like wide open spaces. And we have a lot of that in Wild River. It’s peaceful there. A man can think.”

Macy closed her eyes. “Mmm. Sounds like heaven.”

“Pretty close. What about you? Are you a big-city girl?”

“I kind of had to be. My mother and father were both actors. I grew up around glamour and glitz. But with that also came petty jealousy, vanity and overindulgence. So, no. I don’t like big cities. For me, when I go back to Los Angeles, I’ll be facing the same kind of scrutiny. Different reporters hounding me, but with the same agenda. I won’t have a moment of real privacy. I dread it already.”

“There’s no place you can go to hide out?”

Macy shook her head. She’d authorized the money from the auction to pay off her mother’s debts and to pay attorney fees to settle her lawsuits. She didn’t have the money or the means to take off to an exotic port where she wouldn’t be recognized. “Not really.”

Carter was quiet for a few minutes as the yacht rocked gently, cruising by Ellis Island. Beams of light from the Statue of Liberty glistened along the water’s surface. Carter’s musky scent traveled on the breeze. Standing so close to him, Macy felt immeasurably safe and protected. The feeling wouldn’t last. Soon, she’d have to face reality.

She sighed and let the wind whip at her face.

When she opened her eyes, Carter was staring at her, his expression determined. “Why not come to Wild River with me?”

“Wh-what?”

“You can hide out there for as long as you want. I have a big house and thousands of acres. Nobody’ll know you’re there.”

“I, uh…uh…”

“You can leave with me on the red-eye. We’ll be in Texas at breakfast and having lunch at Wild River before noon.”

It sounded like heaven, but Macy couldn’t just fly off with a stranger. Could she? She didn’t know much about him, other than he was wealthy, handsome, honorable and kind.

Oh boy. She’d just answered her own question. But could she really do this? Could she really run away from her troubles for a while? With Carter? What did she have waiting for her in L.A. anyway? She’d have to figure out her future soon, but she hadn’t been able to think of much else but getting through the auction. It had consumed her thoughts and sapped her spirit. Now she’d been offered a brief respite. “I don’t really know y—”

“Look, up until a few hours ago, I was in love with a woman and ready to be married. This is purely an offer with no strings attached. I won’t be sneaking into your room at night.”

Why not? Didn’t he find her appealing? A nervous laugh escaped. “Oh, I wasn’t thinking you would.”

His tone turned serious. “Just so you know, I’m offering you a place to stay, period. It’s up to you. Soon as we’re off this yacht, I’m making arrangements to get back to Wild River. The invitation is yours if you want to take it.”

Because that seemed to be what Carter McCay did. He saved people. And Macy had a big decision to make. Does she go home to Hollywood and face the photographers, the disruptions to her privacy and the bellyaches, or fly off with the sexy cowboy of her dreams?

Shouldn’t be such a hard decision.

But Macy wasn’t like Tina Tarlington in that respect. She didn’t usually do things by the seat of her pants.

Except this time.

Macy needed the peace.

She needed time to think.

She needed to get a handle on where her life was heading.

When it came right down to it, Macy didn’t need any more encouragement. She turned to Carter with a brave smile. “I’ll take it,” she said. “You won’t even know I’m there.”

Macy sat in first class with Carter on a plane nearly empty of passengers. She was heading to Texas, a place she’d visited a few times when she was a young girl. What she remembered about Dallas, Houston and Austin was that everyone was polite and the men were tall, friendly and wore cowboy hats. She’d been fascinated, tagging along with her mother when she’d begun a promotional tour for Striking Out for Texas, a Western film that eventually tanked. Her mother hadn’t been happy about it. The public had seen Tina Tarlington only as a sequin-gown-wearing glamour queen and that’s where they wanted to keep her. A tomboyish, ponytailed Tina with a twang wasn’t big box office. Her mother had faulted the director for the failure due to his lack of vision. Much to Macy’s dismay, she’d never made another Western.

Macy’s fascination with Texas cities had soon turned to disappointment. As a twelve-year-old, she’d expected to see horses roaming the range and longhorn steers grazing. The Texas she’d seen wasn’t anything like Carter McCay had described to her. Now, a shot of mental adrenaline brought on a round of excitement. She couldn’t wait to see the land Carter owned. She couldn’t wait to see Wild River Ranch.

He sat across the aisle from her, lounging in a big leather seat, his long legs stretched out in front of him. With his eyes closed, she could take time to really admire him. His lashes were unfairly long. Brad Pitt dark-blond hair touched his collar, unruly for a military man but perfect for a rancher. His shoulders seemed to stretch a yard wide.

Carter wore a tan shirt now, tucked into slightly worn blue jeans, leather boots and a silver belt buckle with the initials W.R. She assumed the initials were for the ranch, Wild River. Macy had seen Carter only in dress clothes, but it didn’t take her long to figure out he’d look good in anything he wore. The hat, now covering half his face in a downward tilt, was a constant. On Carter, it wasn’t a fashion accessory—it belonged on top of his head.

His eyes snapped alert, and he turned his head her way. Caught staring at him, she darted a glance to the overhead compartment, refusing to look into his eyes.

“What’s that I heard about a nude scene?”

Oh boy. Macy’s heart pumped double time. She’d hoped he hadn’t picked up on that comment from the dozens being leveled at her earlier. “It’s…nothing.”

Carter, apparently done with his little nap, turned his body to face her completely. The full force of his gaze was nothing to sneeze at. “That so? You gonna make me look it up online?”

Macy’s mouth fell open. “You’d do that?”

Carter’s eyes lit with mischief. “So, it is something.”

“Nothing I want to talk about.”

“I’m not a fan of computers, Macy. But I use them when I need to.”

“Trust me. You don’t need to know.”

His lips twisted into a frown and Macy thought about how he’d come to her rescue. How, he’d offered her a place of refuge. She supposed she owed him some sort of explanation.

“Oh, all right. I was doing a movie. It wasn’t a big role or anything, just this little independent film about five women stranded on an island together. I had this scene where…”

Carter leaned forward, his gaze sweeping over her in a way he’d never done before. As if he was just noticing her as a woman. A tremor quaked through her belly, making her extremely queasy.

“Go on,” he said, his brows lifting expectantly.

Sure, mention five females and nudity in the same breath, and suddenly men begin actually listening to women. She took a swallow. “Well, there was this one scene where I was to be bathing naked in this tropical lake and, uh…”

“And?”

“Well, you get the picture, right?”

Carter swept his gaze over her again. This time, with more heat than she’d expected from a jilted man. His hazel eyes darkened. “I’m beginning to.”

She’d wanted those words back the second she’d said them. Goodness, she wasn’t asking him to picture her naked, yet the gleam in his eyes was enough to make her faint.

She pressed on. “Well, I chickened out. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t allow millions of people to see me in my birthday suit. The studio offered a body double, but everyone would still think it was me anyway. So…” She wished she didn’t have to reveal such a humiliating experience to him. “I, uh, refused to do it. I sort of had a tantrum about it.” Lessons learned from her mother. “Finally, they rewrote the scene without the nudity. Needless to say, I made a lot of people unhappy.”

Carter leaned back in his seat and nodded, and that awkward awareness between them was gone. “You stuck to your principles.”

“I should have never agreed to it in the first place.”

“Yeah, well. Hindsight can be a bitch. We do things we’re thinking are right at the time, only to find out later how wrong we were.”

From the regret in his voice, Macy knew he was speaking about his own situation. She lowered her tone and gave him a soft smile. “I’m sorry about what happened yesterday with your—”

“Jocelyn?” He shifted his gaze to look out the window. “Yeah, I didn’t see that coming. I’m not sure what happened there, but I guarantee you I won’t let it happen again. I’ve got my guard up now.”

Macy nibbled on her lower lip. “You know, you can throw me off your property anytime you want. If you regret inviting me to stay at your place and would rather be alone, I’d understand.”

He faced her. “Don’t worry, Macy. Like I said, I’ve got ten thousand acres. You won’t get in my way. And I won’t get in yours. I don’t live with regrets. So don’t you worry your head off about me. Is it a deal?”

Macy smiled, more assured now. “It’s a deal.”

Three

The second Carter planted his boots down on Texas soil, he felt better. He’d been gone only a few days, but he was damn grateful to be back on his own land. Coming home to Wild River never got old.

Jocelyn had bruised him, and he couldn’t quite shake the feeling. He’d never asked a woman to marry him before. He’d never had the inclination. Jocelyn had reeled him in like a sucker, and just when he thought things were going great, she’d tossed him back into the water to fish for someone else.

Macy had been bruised, too. Her circumstances were different, but when he’d spotted her outside the restaurant, he’d seen a look of pain and disbelief in her eyes. He’d felt a kinship with her that, even now, he couldn’t truly define. It was the reason he’d invited her to Wild River.

He glimpsed his fifteen-room house and breathed in the earthy scent of range and cattle before he turned from the car to reach for Macy’s hand. She slid her palm into his and climbed out of her seat, as graceful as a doe, to stand beside him. “You ready for a slice of heaven?”

Those violet eyes of hers swept the Wild River vista and a little sigh escaped her lips. Carter’s chest puffed out some at her thunderstruck look. “Oh, it’s stunning, Carter.”

Carter had worked with an architect to give his home just the right mixture of down-home comfort and modern-day style. The result, much to his satisfaction, turned out to be a wood and stone structure with bay windows and skylights. Stone pilings and wrought-iron fencing surrounded the grounds. Beyond the house lay the outer buildings that made up the ranch itself, with corrals, barns and feed shacks.

“No tall skyscrapers blocking out the sunrise here.” He glanced eastward toward the orange blast of light lifting from the land in midday splendor. “Every room at the back of the house has a big window facing east. Same goes for sunsets for the rooms facing west.”

“And I bet you make sure you see the sun rise every day.”

“I’m up at the crack of dawn.”

Macy’s eyes rolled at his clichéd response. “Just like a regular cowpoke.”

He chuckled. Damn, but it felt good being home. “I’m a businessman, but I’m a rancher first. You gotta love the land and all that goes with it.”

“I’m feeling better already. I think I’m going to like it here,” she said softly, and Carter didn’t doubt it. His land had everything.

A four-legged ball of fur shot out of the barn, wagging its tail around and around like a jet propeller, and raced straight for Macy. Her face lit up. “Oh, isn’t he cute.”

“Say hi to Rocky. He sort of runs the place.”

Carter lowered down at the same time Macy did and their hands touched as they stroked the dog’s blond coat.

“Hello, Rocky,” Macy said with reverence.

“You like dogs?” he asked.

“What’s not to like? I had a dog once.” Her eyes grew distant and she sucked in a breath, shuddering. “My, uh, dad accidentally ran Queenie over. She died. It was awful.”

“That’s rough. Rocky here had a brush with death not too long ago.”

Macy kept vigilant, stroking the top of Rocky’s head and shoulders, and the darn dog was lapping it all up. “What happened?”

“There was a fire.”

“Oh no!”

“Yeah, Rocky almost didn’t make it.”

“Oh,” Macy said, intent on the dog. “Did you rescue Rocky, too?”

Carter grunted and rose to his full height. “In more ways than one.” But he wasn’t going there today. He didn’t want to ruin his good mood thinking about Riley McCay, his alcoholic father, and the dog he couldn’t care for. He turned to Henry, his foreman, who’d been giving Carter strange stares since he’d picked them up at the airport. Henry didn’t know what to make of Macy. He’d expected to see Jocelyn standing beside Carter outside the terminal gates.

His foreman retrieved Carter’s bag and Macy’s flamingo-pink suitcases from the back end of the vehicle and set them down on the ground, with a shake of his head. Carter’s lips pulled tight to keep from chuckling at his mystified foreman’s expression. “Thanks, Henry. I’ll take Macy’s bags into the house myself. Appreciate the ride.”

Henry nodded and shot a glance to Macy.

She looked up at the same time. “Yes, thank you, Henry.”

He tipped his hat to her, got in the SUV and drove off.

“I think you’ve made a friend there,” Carter said, heaving her suitcases.

“Henry?” she quizzed, looking up.

He pointed to the golden retriever. “I was talking about the dog.”

A genuine smile lifted her lips. “I think Rocky and I are going to be good friends.”

Macy rose and followed Carter toward the house, Rocky at her heels. At least his new houseguest liked dogs. Jocelyn would hoist her nose at Rocky and claim he triggered her allergies. The two hadn’t been friends.

Not that Carter was comparing the women or anything.

After Macy gushed over the interior living area of his home, which managed to puff his chest again, he walked her down the hallway, offering her one of three bedrooms. She stuck her head inside all of them and then met him back in the hallway. “Where is your bedroom?”

Well, damn. That was right to the point. If he’d been gulping whiskey, he might have spit his liquor at that one. “The last room down the hall and to the right.” His brows knit together. “Why?”

“I appreciate you letting me hide out here, but I don’t want to invade your privacy. I’ll take the one farthest from your room.”

That made sense. “Fine.”

He set her bags down in a room with a queen-size bed, white oak furniture and a bedspread with yellow and blue flowers. Macy walked over to the window. “Looks like I get the sunsets.”

Carter sidled up next to her, and her fresh scent tickled his nose and brought memories of picking peaches on summer days. He inhaled deep and long, surprised that he hadn’t noticed her scent before. Fruit-infused soap or shampoo, or whatever the hell it was, wasn’t what he’d expected from a Hollywood actress with a legendary mother. “You won’t be disappointed. They’re mighty glorious.”

Macy sighed.

Carter’s stomach grumbled, and he didn’t apologize. He had an enormous appetite. “Ready for lunch?”

She glanced at the bed, then at him. “I, uh, I’m fine right now. You go on. I’m going to rest a little.”

“Okay, you know where the kitchen is. Henry will have made up something delicious by now. Have at it, anytime you want.”

“Henry? He’s the cook?”

Carter gave her a wry smile. Hers wasn’t an unusual reaction. Henry often surprised people. “His wife, Mara, took ill this week. Turns out, Henry’s a pretty good cook. We share duties at Wild River. But Henry doesn’t do windows, or any other cleaning. Mara does that. She’ll be back tomorrow to help clean up his mess. Oh, and feel free to use the pool, the sauna or the spa, anytime you want.”

“Thank you, Carter.”

He nodded. “Dinner’s at seven. See you then.”

Carter walked down the hallway to his room and tossed his suitcase down, then hightailed it outside to speak with Henry.

He found him in the office/tack room, just outside the barn. “Need a word with you, Henry.”

“Sure, boss. But I got some news for you, too. I didn’t want to speak in front of the lady before.”

“All right, you first.”

Henry began, “The inn over by the river got broken into while you were gone. A window was smashed and doesn’t appear that there’s any other damage. Window’s already been replaced. Thought I’d tell you. It’s not the first time it’s happened though. Bucky reported someone snooping around over there, but they’d taken off by the time he’d driven up.”

Carter rubbed at his neck. He hated the thought of anyone messing with his property. He’d been trying to decide whether to refurbish the inn or tear it down.

“I met an old guy in town the other day. He was pretty sharp and looking for work. Thought maybe he’d make a good groundskeeper. You know, someone to check the property and make sure nothing’s disturbed.”

Carter mulled it over for a second. With Macy Tarlington staying at Wild River, a little extra security wouldn’t hurt. “It’s not a bad idea, Henry. Why don’t you give him an interview and get back to me.”

“Will do. Now, what can I do for you?”

“That woman I brought here today—do you recognize her?”

Henry jerked back a bit, surprised. “Should I?”

Relieved, Carter gave a shake of the head. “Maybe not. It’s good that you don’t, actually. But Mara might.”

And Carter spent the next ten minutes explaining to his foreman about Macy and how important it was to keep her identity a secret. Carter didn’t think any of the ranch hands would recognize the daughter of a Hollywood legend since Macy had kept herself under the radar until recently, but their wives and girlfriends might. It was a chance they’d have to take. For the most part, folks kept to themselves, and for as long as he could, he’d make sure Macy got some privacy on his ranch.

Macy glanced around the room that would be her sanctuary and shook her head. “You are plum crazy, girl,” she muttered, picking up Carter’s Texas drawl. “Coming to live with the tall, tan, too-good-to-be-true Texan.”

She flopped onto the bed and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her chest. She’d been lured to Wild River by her own curiosity and a brand-new sense of adventure. But while that was all true, she hadn’t been completely honest with Carter about the diamond ring he’d bought at auction, and as a result he’d become the diamond’s latest victim. She couldn’t blame him for being bitter and cautious now about relationships. Macy felt the same way. She’d seen her mother fall in love three times, and all three times had been a disaster.

She no longer believed in love or happily-ever-afters. She didn’t know too many couples who’d sustained their marriages more than a decade. And living in Hollywood, she’d known the truth about the few long-term marriages, too. It seemed that no one was happy for long. Very few of those marriages had held firm to their commitment.

Sad but true.

Giving in to fatigue, Macy relaxed back on the bed and closed her eyes. To hell with unpacking. She wasn’t going to be pragmatic now. She was taking a break from reality. No lawyers right now. No tabloids. No worry about saying the wrong thing. No one hounding her.

A sudden movement on her bed startled her, and the scent of rawhide followed. She snapped her eyes open. She’d been wrong. She was being hounded, but she didn’t mind the nuzzling. She could get used to this. “Hello, Rocky.”

The dog curled his body next to hers and laid his head down. She looked into his big caramel eyes and smiled. Carter had been right. His ranch had everything.

An hour later, refreshed from her nap, Macy showered and changed into fresh clothes, a pair of white jeans and an indigo tank top. Her hair was still wet when she drew it back into a ponytail. Five minutes in the Texas heat would dry it.

She thought better about stepping into flip-flops and opted for her Nikes. Carter had given her half an hour to pack before the car had come for her at the hotel. As it was, she’d packed only enough clothes to last her through a short stay in New York, and not too much was suitable for ranch living.

“Guess I’m going to do some shopping while I’m here,” she muttered to Rocky.

The dog wagged his tail at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t left her side since he’d plopped onto the bed. They’d enjoyed the nap together, and he’d sat outside the shower door while she was cleaning up.

Macy grinned at him. “You want to show me around after lunch?”

Another tail wag.

Macy found the kitchen easily. It wasn’t hard to miss, and it was definitely Texas-size with wood beamed ceilings, homey tiled counters and a table big enough for a small army. She rummaged through the double-door refrigerator, coming up with brisket and swiss cheese. She was too hungry to go to any more trouble than throwing a sandwich together. She slapped mustard on sourdough bread and made quick work of eating her lunch. Every so often, she’d pull off a piece of beef and toss it to Rocky.

He gobbled it without chewing.

“No doubt he’ll be your friend for life.”

She spun around so fast, her ponytail whipped her cheek. She found Carter leaning against the kitchen doorway, staring at her. He flicked his gaze over her in one sweep and then focused on Rocky, but it was enough to freeze all movement in her chest. She cleared her throat and wondered when she’d stop reacting to him this way. “Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t be feeding him this, uh—”

Carter sauntered into the kitchen. “He eats anything.” He grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and offered her one.

“No, thanks.”

“And refuses nothing. At least, I’ve never seen my father’s dog deny himself a meal of any kind.”

“Good to note.”

“Out of necessity,” he added. “He wasn’t always fed.”

“Oh.” The dog used to belong to Carter’s father. Macy connected the dots. They stood facing each other and she watched Carter’s throat work, swallowing a gulp of beer. “I’ll just clean up my mess and get out of here.”

Carter had the beer to his lips again and stopped from sipping to eye her over the bottle. “You know, we’re bound to bump into each other. You don’t have to run off. The kitchen is big enough for both of us.”

Not from where she was standing. Whenever Carter entered a room, he commanded all the space and Macy saw nothing else. “Gotcha.”

“Where are you going anyway?”

“Just exploring. I thought I’d stretch my legs and take a walk.”

He blinked and a look of concern crossed his features. “I should probably go with you the first time.” He gulped down the rest of his beer.

“You think I’ll get lost?”

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