Page 5 of River Legacy (Powder River #5)

The man was an arrogant jerk, no doubt about it, but Ryder wasn’t going to get into it with him. This wasn’t his rodeo, and this wasn’t his bull. He rose, planning not to say a word, just leave, but Claude stepped in front of him.

“I knew it wouldn’t take long, but this time Wen broke all of his earlier records getting rid of the worst of the ones his daughter had dragged home like the alley cat she is,” Claude said.

“Wish I hadn’t missed it. Bet it was nasty.

” He laughed. “Wendell Forester would never let his precious daughter marry a cowboy, especially one like you who can’t afford a haircut or a new pair of boots. ”

Thinking the man had run out of sarcastic remarks, Ryder again tried to step past him because Claude was looking for a fight and he wasn’t going to oblige him.

Unfortunately, Claude refused to move, and Victoria had slipped from the booth, shooting to her feet to confront the man.

They were attracting an audience from the bar.

“You owe my fiancé an apology,” Victoria demanded, shooting fire from those green eyes as she looked from Claude to Ryder. Claude got the icy stare, Ryder got the and-you-would-leave-me-with-this-jackass? look.

Before he could move, she’d turned back to her father’s handpicked son-in-law, grabbed her drink and thrown the contents in Claude’s face.

Ryder swore under his breath, resigned that he wasn’t getting out of here without a fight.

He had really wanted to leave without slugging Claude and having to spend the night in jail.

He could feel the other patrons all looking in their direction as well as the waitstaff.

Everyone seemed to tense as if waiting with alarm to see what happened next.

Claude was sputtering furiously and trying to save his expensive suit with the bar napkin Wendell had left on the table as he now stood between Ryder and Victoria, still blocking the rancher’s exit.

“You’re no more her fiancé than I am,” Claude said raising his voice.

“Count yourself lucky that you’re not really marrying this bit—”

Victoria slapped Claude with a roundhouse smack that reverberated through the bar. The man looked ready to hit her back until tears filled her eyes and she covered her face with her hands, her body racking with silent sobs.

Still determined that this wasn’t going to turn into a knock-down, drag-out bar brawl, Ryder realized Victoria was right.

He couldn’t just walk away now and leave her with this man.

“Vicky, I think it’s time to get out of here,” he said and reached around Claude for her hand.

As she grabbed his, she pulled him away from Claude, who looked furious.

“Tell your boss thanks for the dinner invitation and the room, but I’m going to pass. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Moving past him, the two of them headed for the nearest exit. Neither said anything until they were outside on the sidewalk. The moment the doors closed behind them, Victoria burst into laughter, making him realize that she hadn’t been crying at all. “That was wonderful. Did you see Claude’s face?”

Ryder had already been mentally kicking himself. He’d let that arrogant fool get to him—just as he’d let this woman catch him up in her drama. He couldn’t keep doing this, not even to piss off Claude.

Nor did Victoria need saving, he realized as he looked at her. She’d handled things just fine back in the bar. It was time for him to go back to the ranch and put this all behind him. “Look, Victoria—”

“ Vicky ,” she said, grinning at him. “I like it. It’s more... intimate.”

“You and I aren’t... intimate. We’re total strangers.

That back there—” He waved toward the bar and shook his head, unable to even explain what that had been or why he’d done what he had.

If it had happened in the bar in Powder Crossing, he would have put Claude on his ass and everyone would have cheered as they threw him out in the street.

“This whole thing has gotten out of hand,” Ryder said, surprised how much he still wanted to punch Claude.

He’d known that if he’d had to spend another second with the man talking about this woman like that.

.. But he couldn’t leave her in there with him.

Which made him question how he could leave her to face both her father and Claude now.

He saw her look back toward the hotel bar.

She had a determined expression on her face that he recognized even from the short period of time their paths had crossed.

“Don’t try to talk me into staying here,” he said with a shake of his head.

“I don’t understand you or your father. Earlier I told him off, and he invited me to dinner.

Neither of you seem to understand the word no . ”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have put you in this situation. I’m sorry. I was desperate, but you can see why.”

He sighed. “As it turned out, you made it possible for me to talk to your father face-to-face. I appreciate that. But this game has to end now.” She nodded. “I need to get back to the ranch where, as crazy as things often are, they seem normal right now.”

“I can’t go back into the bar or the hotel.” She shook her head, chin tilting up. “Can you imagine how delighted Claude would be to find out that you and I aren’t engaged?”

“We aren’t engaged.”

“Worse, can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to admit that while you came to my rescue in the bar like a scene out of a movie, you then left me out here on the street without my cell phone or my purse. It appears I left them both in the bar.”

“I see what you’re doing.”

She grinned. “Sorry, but I can’t give Claude that satisfaction—or my father, for that matter. All I’m asking for is a ride to the airport. I’ll get Daddy’s pilot to take me home in the jet. Without my phone, I can’t even call an Uber, let alone pay for one.”

With a curse, he knew she was right. He couldn’t just leave her out here on the street.

If he did, he wouldn’t be any better than Claude.

Also, if he was being honest with himself, he couldn’t stand giving Claude the satisfaction either.

But if he stayed, he’d end up in worse trouble.

He might punch Claude and Forester too while he was at it.

He hadn’t come to Billings to get thrown behind bars.

“Won’t the pilot call your father?” he asked.

She chewed at her lip for a moment. “You’re right... Here’s a thought.”

Ryder knew that before she said a word, he wasn’t going to like it.

She looked up at him all doe-eyed and said, “You could take me to the ranch with you—just for the rest of the weekend. I can call my bank and have them send me some funds so I can get home after I know my father and Claude are gone. After that I shouldn’t have any more trouble with either of them.”

He held up both hands and took a step back, but she rushed on, talking over his not happening reaction. “Just for the weekend,” she repeated. “I’ve never been to a real Montana ranch. I promise not to be any trouble, and after the weekend you’ll never have to see me again. I promise.”

Ryder swore under his breath, wondering how he’d gotten involved in all this.

He should never have gone along with the pretense, but once he had, he had only managed to get in deeper and deeper.

His own fault. “Here’s a thought,” he said.

“Maybe it’s time you were honest with your father about how you feel. ”

She stared at him aghast. “You saw what he’s like. He seems to listen, but then he does whatever he wants. So you really told him off? Why?”

“It’s a long story, but now my business with him is done, and I need—”

“To get back to the ranch.” She met his gaze and grinned.

“Do you think we could stop on the way to the ranch at a fast-food restaurant? I’m starving.

” She practically batted her eyelashes. “I’d offer to pay, but I wouldn’t want to insult you since you can’t be bought.

Also, as you might recall, I don’t have my purse. ”

Ryder groaned. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a lot like your father?”

“Not to my face. Nor has anyone dared call me Vicky.”

He chuckled at that, realizing it was probably true. Everyone probably handled her with kid gloves because of who her father was. “Look, it’s a long way to the ranch and a boring drive.”

“I love long, boring drives.”

Ryder could see how this was going to end. He couldn’t abandon her, and she knew it. It was only for two days, maybe less. Also it was a long boring drive, and she was better company than picking up a hitchhiker who wouldn’t smell half as good as she did.

Mostly, he figured she wouldn’t last even the weekend at the ranch, especially if he showed her a real ranch and a real cowboy—not the romantic version she was probably expecting.

After that... well, then she was on her own.

How she’d get home from his ranch, though, was another story.

The big-city girl wouldn’t be able to hop on a subway, call an Uber or hire a limo and charge it to her daddy.

Once the shine wore off her idea of ranching, her best bet would be to hitchhike back to Billings—if someone was going that way.

He told himself it wasn’t his problem. She could probably hire a helicopter to come pick her up. He didn’t doubt that one phone call, like she said, and she’d have all the money she needed at her disposal.

“Speaking of your father, shouldn’t you at least let him know where you’re going?”

“I’ll call him after I eat. I can’t do it on an empty stomach,” she said and flashed him a smile.

I’m putty in her hands , Ryder thought and mentally kicked himself.

“Come on, my pickup’s parked over here.” Usually, he valeted it, but he’d figured he might want a fast getaway if things went the way he had expected with Forester, so he’d parked on the street. “Don’t you have to get your luggage?”

She shook her head. “I can charge whatever I need to my father.”

Not in Powder Crossing , he thought with a chuckle.

This woman had no idea where they were going.

The Powder River basin in southeastern Montana was another world.

She was about to get a rude awakening, but maybe a little reality as to how working farm and ranch people lived would be good for her.

Well, she’d asked for it, he thought as they headed for his pickup.