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Chapter 10
About a half hour outside Roaring Springs, Rylan left the main highway and followed increasingly remote winding roads. Bree was content to take in the beauty of the surrounding scenery. They were heading away from Colton country, leaving Pine Peak and its skiing and tourist attractions behind, and this wasn’t an area she knew well.
All around them, the aspen wore their bright green spring leaves, standing out in contrast to the darker pine forests. She glimpsed shimmering lakes and swooping waterfalls, with wildflowers beginning to peek through the remaining patches of snow on the lower ground. The views were gentler here than those of her high-altitude home. Still amazing, just less gasp-inducing.
Rylan’s focus was on the road, and Bree found her own attention straying occasionally to his handsome profile. She missed their closeness. Missed being able to touch him whenever she wanted to. Missed him teasing her and calling her “wise gal” in that half-flirty, half-affectionate way. Missed falling asleep in his arms.
As if he could sense her thoughts, his eyes flickered her way. “Did you speak to your parents?”
“Yes. After the incident at the gallery, they are relieved that I am finally taking steps to put my safety first. Although they did remind me about a gala at The Chateau tomorrow night. It’s for one of mom’s favorite charities, the Second Street Intercultural Center. The whole Colton family will be there.”
“So you have to go?” Rylan asked.
“It’s sort of expected.” She didn’t know how to explain it to him. It wasn’t just a fancy party. It was about giving something back to the Roaring Springs community. Some people were quick to criticize the Coltons for their wealth and elite lifestyle, but those people never saw how much her family did for good causes.
“We can go.” He looked away from the road briefly again, a smile lifting one corner of his mouth. “I have a tux.”
Bree turned to look out the window, picturing the scene. Little Bree on the arm of a handsome man. Wouldn’t that raise a few well-groomed eyebrows? And in a week or two, when the Colton cousins and their exclusive friends found out that Rylan had been hired to look after her?
Hey, I survived being publicly coated in chocolate. What’s one more humiliation?
“It’ll be a fun night.” Her voice reflected her lack of enthusiasm. Papadum, who was reclining on the backseat, gave a soft grunt, and Bree turned to look at him. “Sorry, no dogs allowed, but you won’t be missing anything.”
They continued driving in silence for a few more minutes before Rylan turned onto a dirt track. After bumping along for about a hundred yards, he slowed as he approached high double gates bearing the sign Mountain View Ranch. The gates opened, and Rylan drove through.
“Electronic signal.” He pointed to a small disk on his windshield.
Bree looked back to see the gates closing behind them. “Couldn’t an intruder just climb the gates, or the fence?”
“Not without triggering an alarm. And security cameras cover the whole perimeter.” He turned to smile at her. “What’s the point of devising a state-of-the-art system if you’re not going to try it out on your own home?”
The track continued beyond the gates, and Bree’s eyes widened as she took in the vista. They were in a vast hollow, with distant mountains encircling them. “I guess this place was aptly named.”
“I never get tired of waking up and seeing these views.” Rylan slowed the car and pointed as he drove. “My ranch is a little under a thousand acres. There’s parkland on one side, a Bureau of Land Management preservation area on another, then over there is wilderness. Finally, in that direction, there’s an old ranch. It’s fallen into disuse and is neglected. If I could just get my hands on that—” He shrugged. “But I can’t.”
Bree was intrigued by the comment, but she didn’t have time to ask for clarification. The track was rising, and they were approaching a house that had been built on a ridge, overlooking a small creek. It was a long, low wooden building with a wraparound porch. Behind it, the lower slopes of the mountains rose in a patchwork of different greens and browns with the clear blue sky and fluffy clouds stretching endlessly beyond.
