his horse. Macy watched in awe as he approached the animal and hopped on with ease.
“Come on, Belle.” He gently kicked his horse with the heels of his boots and the animal led the way, with Macy’s and Lane’s horses seeming to automatically follow in behind.
Macy wondered if Lane had caught her outburst, but she decided that he was way too distracted by terror to notice.
“So where exactly are we going?” Macy asked.
“Well, I thought you two might want to see what’s it’s like to wake up on a ranch.”
Looking around at her surroundings, Macy didn’t see anything of interest. Shrub oak and scraggly trees. As they rode on, she clutched the saddle horn tightly, never taking her eyes off the giant animal she was riding.
“There, see what I mean?” Ryland said as he stopped his horse in front of them.
“Whoa!” Macy cried out as her horse came to an abrupt stop at the edge of a steep embankment. “Whoa, horse!”
“She did ‘whoa’,” Ryland said, chuckling.
Macy shot him a sharp look. “What are we—”
“Look,” Ryland said, tipping his hat towards the horizon.
“Oh my,” Macy whispered as she turned her attention to the breathtaking sunrise casting glorious shades of orange and red over the landscape. “That’s beautiful.”
Ryland nodded and smiled. “It’s one of my favorite things about living out here. You can’t beat watching the sun rising over these rolling hills.”
Macy snatched up her camera and quickly began snapping. It really was spectacular. Aunt Suzy would love it here, she thought as a smile played across her lips. When she glanced at Ryland she caught him watching her. When her gaze caught his, he grinned that stupid grin and winked at her, leaning his arm on the saddle horn, looking positively cocky. Once again she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
“Isn’t this remarkable, Lane?” she said, looking over her shoulder.
“Yeah, it’s great.” Lane had his arms wrapped around himself and looked stiff. She wasn’t sure if Lane was freezing or terrified of the horse, or both.
Macy turned back to Ryland and shrugged, offering him a smile.
“Thank you for showing us this. I think I have some great pictures.”
“You’re welcome,” Ryland said with a small tip of his hat.
“Uh, yes,” Lane said. “This is just wonderful. Ryland, would you be open to maybe sitting down so I can ask you a few questions?”
“Maybe tonight,” Ryland said as he turned his horse around and began making his way back to down the trail. “I’ve got work to do today.”
“But, Ryland,” Lane said, kicking his horse nervously in an attempt to catch up with him. “We did fly all the way to Montana to speak with you. We were just hoping you’d had some time to meet with us—“
“I don’t.”
Lane and Macy exchanged glances. She thought that perhaps they shouldn’t push Ryland too hard, but she knew that Lane wasn’t one to be easily deterred.
“Could we just sit down for a few minutes? I just have a few things I’d like to go over.”
Ryland let out a sigh. “I do have some things I have to take care of around here this morning, but we can sit down and talk over lunch if you want.”
Lane flashed Macy a victorious grin. “Perfect.”
CHAPTER NINE
Ryland hadn’t expected the photographer to be so beautiful. Whistling at his dog, he pulled his horse to a stop to get a better look at his cattle. The truth was that his ranch hands had the morning’s work completely under control, but he just didn’t want to be around his visitors. He wasn’t comfortable having people he didn’t know at his home. This was his sanctuary, and these people from the magazine were intruders. They wanted to know why he was such a fuck-up. Why he hadn’t released any new music. The worst thing of all was that he knew they were only there to confirm what everyone already thought—that he had turned into a slobbering drunk, which must have been why his career had
“Come on, Belle.” He gently kicked his horse with the heels of his boots and the animal led the way, with Macy’s and Lane’s horses seeming to automatically follow in behind.
Macy wondered if Lane had caught her outburst, but she decided that he was way too distracted by terror to notice.
“So where exactly are we going?” Macy asked.
“Well, I thought you two might want to see what’s it’s like to wake up on a ranch.”
Looking around at her surroundings, Macy didn’t see anything of interest. Shrub oak and scraggly trees. As they rode on, she clutched the saddle horn tightly, never taking her eyes off the giant animal she was riding.
“There, see what I mean?” Ryland said as he stopped his horse in front of them.
“Whoa!” Macy cried out as her horse came to an abrupt stop at the edge of a steep embankment. “Whoa, horse!”
“She did ‘whoa’,” Ryland said, chuckling.
Macy shot him a sharp look. “What are we—”
“Look,” Ryland said, tipping his hat towards the horizon.
“Oh my,” Macy whispered as she turned her attention to the breathtaking sunrise casting glorious shades of orange and red over the landscape. “That’s beautiful.”
Ryland nodded and smiled. “It’s one of my favorite things about living out here. You can’t beat watching the sun rising over these rolling hills.”
Macy snatched up her camera and quickly began snapping. It really was spectacular. Aunt Suzy would love it here, she thought as a smile played across her lips. When she glanced at Ryland she caught him watching her. When her gaze caught his, he grinned that stupid grin and winked at her, leaning his arm on the saddle horn, looking positively cocky. Once again she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
“Isn’t this remarkable, Lane?” she said, looking over her shoulder.
“Yeah, it’s great.” Lane had his arms wrapped around himself and looked stiff. She wasn’t sure if Lane was freezing or terrified of the horse, or both.
Macy turned back to Ryland and shrugged, offering him a smile.
“Thank you for showing us this. I think I have some great pictures.”
“You’re welcome,” Ryland said with a small tip of his hat.
“Uh, yes,” Lane said. “This is just wonderful. Ryland, would you be open to maybe sitting down so I can ask you a few questions?”
“Maybe tonight,” Ryland said as he turned his horse around and began making his way back to down the trail. “I’ve got work to do today.”
“But, Ryland,” Lane said, kicking his horse nervously in an attempt to catch up with him. “We did fly all the way to Montana to speak with you. We were just hoping you’d had some time to meet with us—“
“I don’t.”
Lane and Macy exchanged glances. She thought that perhaps they shouldn’t push Ryland too hard, but she knew that Lane wasn’t one to be easily deterred.
“Could we just sit down for a few minutes? I just have a few things I’d like to go over.”
Ryland let out a sigh. “I do have some things I have to take care of around here this morning, but we can sit down and talk over lunch if you want.”
Lane flashed Macy a victorious grin. “Perfect.”
CHAPTER NINE
Ryland hadn’t expected the photographer to be so beautiful. Whistling at his dog, he pulled his horse to a stop to get a better look at his cattle. The truth was that his ranch hands had the morning’s work completely under control, but he just didn’t want to be around his visitors. He wasn’t comfortable having people he didn’t know at his home. This was his sanctuary, and these people from the magazine were intruders. They wanted to know why he was such a fuck-up. Why he hadn’t released any new music. The worst thing of all was that he knew they were only there to confirm what everyone already thought—that he had turned into a slobbering drunk, which must have been why his career had
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