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  He spun his horse around to face her on a more open section of the trail. His eyes were narrowed in speculation. “You think you know him?”

  “I’ve worked with him for three summers. We’ve spent a lot of time together at the ranch and on overnights.”

  Leaning a forearm on the saddle horn, he dangled the reins with a loose wrist. “Exactly how close are the two of you?”

  “Excuse me?” She stiffened in the saddle at his obvious inference, indignation revving her pulse. “You think that’s your business?”

  He shrugged, but his gaze remained laser sharp beneath the brim of his hat.

  “Mitch and I are friends, nothing more. Furthermore, there have never been any problems with him, otherwise Mark wouldn’t keep him around. He can’t be the poacher; he’d never kill animals just for sport.”

  “What about for money?”

  She shook her head. “Highlands pays well.”

  “Sometimes people get themselves in trouble. Sometimes they simply get addicted to the thrill of the kill.”

  “Mitch doesn’t even hunt! He’s a genuinely nice guy. Yes, he’s a huge flirt, but once you get past that, he’s nice. He works hard, doesn’t get into trouble, doesn’t even drink that I know of.” That was one of the reasons they’d bonded over the past couple years.

  “Did you know your nice guy has a criminal record?”

  That she did not know.

  “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Joel sat up straight and adjusted the reins. “Neither did your boss.”

  “What’d he do?”

  “That’s not for me to say.” He reined his bay around and started along the trail again. “I shouldn’t have even told you that much, but I happen to agree that with your work situation, it’s something you should’ve been aware of.”

  Paelo followed without any direction from her, but she was too busy trying to imagine Mitch’s grin on a mug shot. Even when paired with his bleak reaction to Mark calling him back earlier, it didn’t fit.

  “If he’s a suspect, why are you here with me? Why didn’t you take him in for questioning?”

  “I got what I needed when he and I met at the trailhead. For the moment, I’m satisfied with his responses.”

  “Then why are you here instead of him?” she repeated.

  “Because Mark said you guys need the trail cleared, and I can’t have a convicted felon roaming around with free access to restricted areas in the middle of my investigation.”

  Convicted felon. The words echoed in her mind, along with lying cheater. Mitch was just another example of what you see is not always what is true. She’d trusted the face he presented to the world. Just like she’d trusted Daniel, only to find out he didn’t want her, he’d only been using her to further his position in her father’s company. She’d trusted her father to back her up, and instead, he’d informed her he had no intention of letting a bad personal choice ruin his protégé’s promising career.

  Hearing herself described as a bad personal choice was a knife to the heart she’d never let her father see. He would’ve preached about staying focused and not letting emotions get in the way—like her mother had. Which her mother would tell her was exactly why the marriage didn’t last longer than ten years.

  Funny thing, she suddenly realized her father’s lack of support hurt more than Daniel’s numerous infidelities and lies. Her pride had suffered more than her heart, likely because she’d also been using him, as a way to gain her father’s approval. And it’d worked, until business got in the way, and she’d disappointed him once again.

  No, he disappointed me.

  Her gaze shifted to Joel’s broad shoulders. He reminded her of her father in his single-minded dedication to the job, yet protecting the animals was a noble cause she couldn’t condemn. The difference made her wonder, was there more to the bossy, arrogant jerk than she’d seen so far?

  Chapter 13

  She’d been awfully quiet the past couple hours. Which should’ve been fine with him, but instead, Joel wondered what was going on in that stubborn head of hers. Especially when she avoided his gaze whenever they had to stop to clear a fallen tree or loose rocks from the trail. Had she lied about her relationship with Levins and now worried about what kind of man she’d gotten herself involved with?

  His jaw tightened at the thought, and how she’d been awful quick on the defense of her nice guy. He wondered what she’d say when she found out he’d done time for dealing drugs, and armed robbery. Much as he’d wanted to tell her more, those details would be up to Levins to reveal. He’d already walked a fine line telling her the guy had a record, and only because she’d made a good point that she had a right to know who she spent the night with.

  And there it was again—were they really just friends? Unfortunately, he’d learned long ago, people lied all the time, even those closest to you. He kind of expected it at this point, though he sure hoped Brittany’s lie of omission last week was the end of her deception.

  Ignoring the distracting attraction humming in the background, he could admit his original assumptions about her being a spoiled brat were off. She definitely had no problem pulling her weight in the work department. And he kind of admired her fierce independence, even if it mostly annoyed the hell out of him.

  It was nearing four p.m. when the trail seemed to disappear in front of him. Joel brought Nobel to a halt, and he heard Brittany’s groan of dismay behind him. A rockslide had covered an entire corner of the switchbacks they’d been following to traverse the steep slope of the mountainside.

  “How much further to the campsite?” he asked as they dismounted.

  “We’re almost there. But I don’t see any way around this, so we’re going to have to move it all by hand.”

  He’d reached the same conclusion and pulled a pair of gloves from his saddle bags to help her clear the rocks. A couple times he caught her lifting more than he thought she should and quickly stepped over to relieve her of the weight. The first time, he received a frown of annoyance; the second, he glimpsed relief to go with her quiet, “Thank you.”

  Once they finished clearing a safe path for the horses, they continued to the overnight camp. He noticed she moved pretty slow as she pulled herself into the saddle, but when she didn’t complain, he attributed it to the physical labor that had even his muscles protesting.

  She led the rest of the way, only stopping once they’d rounded a bend in the well-worn trail to see a camp right near a wide stand of pines. The small stream they’d crossed numerous times on the trail bisected the trees as it flowed from a clearing on the other side.

  Joel moved ahead to the crude corral the ranch had constructed. He dismounted, made a mental note that the grass inside had been grazed within the past week, then turned to remove Nobel’s tack. From the corner of his eye, he watched Brittany move to get off her horse. Once her feet touched the ground, she held tight to the saddle horn and leaned her forehead against the leather.

  Yeah, she’s hurtin’. He set his saddle aside and moved in behind her. “You okay?”

  She stiffened and pushed herself to stand straight. “Fine.”

  Her back was to him, but it sounded like she was gritting her teeth. He didn’t move away as she loosened the ties securing her saddle bags, then dragged them off her horse’s back. The moment the weight was in her hands, she let it drop with a gasp.

  Joel moved forward as she swayed. “You are not fine. What’d you do?”

  She pushed him away and swiped at her cheek. “I pulled my back.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “I can help you,” he argued. Then it dawned on him why she’d kept quiet and guilt pressed heavy on his shoulders. “You’ve got nothing to prove, you know. I’m sorry if my past assumptions made you feel like you did.”

  Her head lifted, surprise clear in her shimmering green eyes. He leaned forward, and heard her breath catch. His pulse skipped in respon
se, and he fought to keep from dropping his gaze to her mouth. Each time he’d kissed her had only lead to wanting more. If he wasn’t careful, she’d become an addiction he couldn’t resist.

  When she sidestepped, it made it easier for him to undo the cinch on her saddle. He lifted it off with one hand, then bent to grab her bags with the other. He set her things next to his by the campfire ring, dug out one of her brushes, and returned to her side.

  She held out her hand, her expression determined. “I can do it.”

  In the time it took her to take care of her horse, he’d done the same for his gelding, lit a fire, and started dinner. He looked up as she approached. “How’s your back?”

  “I took a couple ibuprofen, so it’s bearable.” Her gaze shifted from their gear he’d carried over, to the food heating in the pot above the fire. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

  “It’s only soup. No big deal.” He glanced up, then gestured to one of the benches set around the fire pit. “Just relax, it’s almost done.”

  As she took a seat, he felt her assessing gaze. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what came next.

  “Let’s talk about my background check.”

  Yep. Only a matter of time before she brought that up. “What about it?”

  “What did you learn?”

  “Enough.” Enough to intrigue him and raise even more questions as he mentally evaluated the information during their ride.

  “Such as?”

  Her voice told him she wasn’t going to let it go until she had some answers. He gave her one she’d love. “I at least had the rich part right.”

  He glanced up to see her watching him, only the response he expected never came. Instead, she sat there, eyebrows raised, waiting for more. Okay, fine, he’d play.

  “You’ve never been arrested, no outstanding warrants, no parking tickets. Never been married, no kids. Parents divorced, one sister.” He dumped the vegetable stew into two bowls and handed one over to her before settling back with his own. “You’re an Illinois resident, but you’ve worked out here every summer since high school. You graduated college with honors this spring with a double major in business and advertising. Your finances are secure and you’ve got good credit.”

  “Hm. That’s a lot of info.” Steam rose as she stirred her spoon in a circle. “Any of it make me a suspect?”

  A quick glance caught her still watching him from beneath her lashes. He gave a noncommittal shrug. She was less suspect than Mitch, but he’d rather keep her guessing. Then again, as she’d pointed out earlier, she was still here, so she should’ve guessed the answer to her question before even asking.

  “You’re employed by Lucas International Technologies. That’s your father’s company, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then what are you doing out here?”

  “Helping a friend.” She stirred some more, then added, “Figuring out what I really want to do with my life.”

  The unexpected admission seemed to surprise even her. After having just graduated with a double major that fit in perfectly with her father’s company, he could see why. She frowned down into her bowl and he tilted his head in consideration. “That what the mustang is about?”

  Her shoulders rose in a slight shrug. “Maybe. Probably.”

  “You’d have job security with your father,” he pointed out. “These days, that’s pretty hard to come by.”

  “Yeah, you’ve got a point.” One she didn’t look too happy about as she lifted her spoon.

  “But?”

  “You haven’t met my father. He has extremely high expectations, and it’s not always easy to live up to them.”

  “Yet you’re here instead of there.”

  “I am. And he wasn’t too happy about it.”

  “Because you put a friend before family?”

  “No, because I put a friend before my career. His business always comes first.” Resentment weighed her voice down, coating her words in hurt.

  Joel wondered if the guy was that much of a jerk, or did he only have the job? Divorced, his daughter run off to Colorado to find herself…maybe the poor guy was just trying to survive. Joel knew from experience, family didn’t guarantee devotion. With his mother, money had come first and—nope, not going there.

  He focused back on Brittany to see her lips curved in a brief smile. Then she looked up and flipped the conversation on him. “Enough about me. Tell me, if I were to read a background check on you, what would I learn?”

  “My middle name.”

  “Which is…?”

  “The most exciting thing in there.”

  “Come on, you’re not going to tell me what it is?”

  “Nope.”

  Her gaze narrowed, then she shrugged. “Fine. Have you ever been married?”

  “Nope.”

  “Any kids?”

  He shook his head as he set his empty bowl aside.

  “How long have you been a ranger?”

  “Eight years.”

  “Got any parking tickets?”

  He sat back with a short laugh. “Nope.”

  “Ever been arrested?”

  After a second of hesitation, he decided to stick with the truth. “Once.”

  “For?”

  “Bar fight.”

  “Was this recently?”

  “No.” A smile tugged his lips. “I was eighteen, so I got slapped with underage drinking, too.”

  “I bet it started over a girl.”

  “That’s a bet you’d win.”

  “So, what happened? You and a buddy fight over her?”

  “Her boyfriend showed up.”

  “Ah. Busted.”

  Was that a note of disappointment in her voice? His pride didn’t like her thinking he would knowingly take part in a relationship that involved cheating. “I didn’t know she had a boyfriend.”

  Her gaze met his, her face lit by the flames between them. Understanding flashed in her eyes. “That when you started thinking all women are dishonest?”

  His smile slipped, then disappeared all together. A picture of his mother flashed in his mind, but he clamped his mouth shut and stood. He had no intention of sharing sad stories with her around the campfire. Clearly, he’d already said way too damn much.

  He indicated her bowl. “You done?”

  She handed him the empty dish without a word, her expression cautious. He pushed away a flicker of guilt and carried the dishes and pot to the stream for a good scrubbing. Just because she asked a question didn’t mean he had to answer.

  When he returned, she’d finished spreading her sleeping bag over the cushioned mat that had been rolled up on the back of her saddle.

  “No tent this time?”

  “Nope. I wanted to see the stars tonight.”

  Hm, definitely more to her than he’d originally thought.

  He watched her gingerly lower herself onto the ground. Her quickly masked grimace prompted him to reach into his own pack.

  Once his hand closed around the cool bottle of liniment, he second-guessed the wisdom of what he was about to suggest and instead set up his own sleeping arrangements. Mat, then sleeping bag, and saddle at the head to lean against until he turned in for the night.

  Darkness had fallen, deepening the nighttime chill, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as the previous weekend. It didn’t take long for the hard ground to register as he sat facing the fire, even with the cushion of his mat. After a silent sigh of resignation, he pulled out the liniment.

  “I keep this for Nobel, but it’ll work for you if you want me to rub some on your back.”

  Her gaze fixed on the bottle in his hand. His heartbeat increased tempo at the thought of her accepting his offer, and he prayed she’d refuse.

  Chapter 14

  Joel’s hands on her bare skin was a very dangerous proposition. Other than his sudden clam-up a few minutes ago, he’d been nice today. Less arrogant, more human. A guy she could easily like, which meant she shoul
dn’t even hesitate to say NO.

  Yet, the rough ride up would be just as tough on the way down. Worse if her back stiffened after a night on the hard ground. She’d be stupid to turn down any help he offered. A surge of anticipation told her she was just as stupid to accept…

  “The ibuprofen took the edge off.”

  “And the next eight hours on the ground will put it back and then some.”

  “I know.” She lifted her gaze. “I guess, if you really don’t mind?”

  He motioned for her to turn around. She eased her jacket off and turned her back to him as he kneeled on her sleeping bag.

  “Where does it hurt?” he asked.

  “My lower back, up into the middle.”

  “You’re going to need to lie down, and, um…probably take your shirt off.”

  The low timbre of his voice flipped her stomach end over end. He was right, though it didn’t calm her pulse when he helped her remove her zip-up hooded sweatshirt. Her shaky fingers unbuttoned the shirt underneath to allow him freedom to push it up. Without taking it off, she carefully maneuvered until she could stretch out on her stomach. She trusted him, but that was going to have to be good enough.

  Her heart pounded as his thigh brushed her hip. He pushed the soft flannel material up her back, and she shivered as the night air whispered over her skin. The rasp of his palms rubbing together reached her ears, then the strong scent of spearmint inundated her senses. Her shallow breaths weren’t taking in near enough oxygen to calm her racing heart, so she concentrated on extending each inhale.

  With the first brush of his warm fingers, she flinched. Cold air replaced the heat of his hands.

  “Did that hurt? I barely touched you.”

  “Your hands are cold.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  Then, even the white lie made her feel bad. “It’s fine.”

  The second touch of his hands spread the ointment from the base of her back along her jeans, up to her shoulder blades. Tingles spread along her skin as heat flooded her body.