“Wow, I missed this,” Jake said, his voice a little winded.

  “Me, too. You and Lauren don’t ride?”

  He looked around at the open space. “Not like this,” he said. “There’s nothing here but air and sky as far as you can see. I could ride for days, go as fast as the horse would let me and not worry about anything except me and the wind.”

  Cal gazed about. The openness was one of the things that he liked about Montana. The mountains to the west were far in the distance. Huge hills banked the east, shielding the valley.

  “I know what you mean. I ride like that sometimes.” Cal suddenly laughed. “Remember when we used to ride like this on the beach near Granny’s house?”

  Jake threw his head back and let out a belly laugh. “Then she’d come running and scold us for it.”

  “She was right. Remember some of the foolish things we did that she never knew about?” Cal said.

  Again, both brothers chuckled.

  “Speaking of foolish things, I want to see some of the tricks you’ve learned,” Jake said.

  Cal looked back toward the house. Then he glanced at Piper’s ranch. She had a lesson going on and was on the far side of the barn.

  “I’m not supposed to do this without the instructor, but this is something I’ve been practicing.”

  “Just like you to show off for the teacher,” Jake grinned.

  Cal scowled at him. “I get it from you.”

  “Did you forget you’re the older brother?”

  Cal didn’t reply. Curling his fingers around the horse’s reins, he kicked his legs and took off. From a canter to a full run, he crossed the plain. Then holding on to the reins and saddle horn, he pulled his weight up, arching his leg over the horse and out of the stirrups. For a moment his boots hit the ground, causing a scattering of dirt. Using the momentum of his legs and the motion of the horse, Cal swung himself back in the saddle.

  Pleased with his performance, he let out the breath he was holding and slowed the animal to a walk, returning to where his brother waited. He stopped alongside Jake.

  And that was when he saw her.

  Cal’s heart pounded and he felt the sudden cold fear that accompanies getting caught doing something you’re not supposed to.

  Jake picked up on his gaze and looked toward the horse and rider bearing down on them with the speed of lightning.

  “I take it that’s your trainer,” he said. “From the look of fury, you’d better be prepared for one of those Granny scoldings.”

  “That’s her.” Cal knew this was going to be worse than anything his granny ever did.

  Piper’s red hair flared out behind her. She wore neither hat nor helmet. Cal was sure she’d just jumped on her horse when she saw what he was doing and hightailed it up the ridge.

  “Have you forgotten what I’d told you?” she said, pulling up next to Cal. She grabbed the reins of his horse and yanked them out of his hands. “You could have killed yourself. Not to mention harmed this animal.”

  “But I didn’t do either of those things. I got it right.”

  “Lucky for you.” Her voice was guttural and gritty. Her breath hard and audible. “This is not a trained horse. It’s got the wrong saddle and you’re not an experienced enough rider yet.”

  She glanced at Jake, her eyes piercing, yet she said nothing to him. Returning her attention to Cal, she said, “You’ve exercised him enough. Take him back to the barn and cool him down. And do it at a walk.”

  Cal felt just like he did when his grandmother reprimanded him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was showing off for my brother.” He raised a brow at Jake, who gave him no help.

  “Hello, Doctor,” she addressed him. “Sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances.” Again, with her features stern, she reprimanded Cal.

  Jake frowned. “Have we met?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve only seen pictures of you and read articles.”

  Jake looked surprised. He glanced at Cal.

  “I used to work in Hollywood. One of the producers wanted to make a movie about your life, but you refused.”

  “I remember that. Small world,” Jake said. “And Cal didn’t mean to do anything wrong. He was showing me what he’d learned. At my request,” he added.

  She focused on Cal. “He knows better. You should get the horses back.”

  Nodding at Jake, she galloped back toward her barn.

  “You didn’t say you were taking lessons from a woman as beautiful and headstrong as they come,” Jake accused.

  “She is that,” Cal agreed. Beautiful and headstrong described her perfectly.

  Jake chuckled. “Be careful, the last beautiful, headstrong woman I met, I married.”

  * * *

  PIPER WAS STILL angry with Cal when he arrived for his lesson the next morning.

  “I said I was sorry. What more can I do?” Cal followed Piper out of the barn. She led the horses they were to ride for his lesson. She was too annoyed with him to speak. “Haven’t you ever made a mistake during training?”

  She stopped so suddenly, he walked into her. Cal saw her begin to turn. It was like watching a movie where the character turns so slowly, the audience knows something terrible is about to happen. When she finally faced him, her eyes blazed hot enough to melt steel.

  “I didn’t mean that,” he apologized again, realizing that he’d crossed the line. Her being in Montana had everything to do with a mistake. Yet his words appeared to get through to her. Piper sighed and her shoulders relaxed. She took a couple of steps back.

  “I realize you wanted to show your brother what you’ve learned, but please don’t do it again.”

  Cal raised both hands defensively, palms out. “I promise,” he said.

  “Unless...” She paused. “Unless I’m there with you. And you only do what I tell you to do.”

  “I promise,” Cal said. “It wasn’t my intention to hurt the horse and I had learned...”

  Piper stopped him with a gesture. “You’ve had a few lessons. You can ride, but you are not ready for performing trick moves alone. You could have hurt yourself, the horse and my reputation.”

  Cal hadn’t thought of that. Did he hear concern in her voice for him or for the horse? Giving himself a mental shake, he decided she was more concerned about the horse than about him. And she should be. His act had been thoughtless. Her reputation was on the line, and for all he knew, riding lessons could be her only source of income. He didn’t want to damage that.

  He also didn’t want her upset with him.

  “I apologize again. I didn’t think of all the ramifications I could cause you. I should have. It’s my business to be responsible for an entire job. I should have thought that you were in the same boat.”

  “Apology accepted,” Piper said.

  Cal blew out a breath. “Now that you’re no longer angry with me, I’ve made reservations for dinner tonight at the Emily. Would you like to join us?”

  “No,” she said quickly and succinctly.

  Piper started walking. Cal noticed that whenever she didn’t want to deal with a situation, she took off. He followed her.

  “And don’t give me that line about I have to eat. I can eat when I want to and where I want to.”

  “So what’s wrong with the Emily at seven o’clock?” he asked.

  “Nothing—”

  “Good. I’ll pick you up at six thirty.”

  “I didn’t say I’d go and stop trying to push me. I can make my own decisions.”

  “I wasn’t questioning that,” Cal said. “I enjoy your company and thought you’d like a night out.”

  “You mean a date,” she said.

  “If you want to call it that?”

  “What else would I call it?”

  “Dinner with friends. I am a friend.” He lowered his voice to both a seductive and understanding nature. “Light conversation, no judgment, relaxed atmosphere and meeting a couple of new people. My brother and his wife will be there.” Cal smiled encouragingly. “Say you’ll go.”

  She hesitated for some time. Cal held his breath. He really wanted her to go with him. Even if Jake and Lauren hadn’t been visiting, he’d still want to spend time with her. And not just when he was taking his lessons.

  “You make it so hard to say no,” she said. “I really would like to meet your brother. And his wife.” She frowned. “I mean when I’m not scathingly ticked off with you,” she said.

  Cal heard her smile even if it wasn’t on her lips.

  “Fine. It will give me a chance to try and make up for the first impression I gave him.”

  “Six thirty sharp,” he said.

  * * *

  THE EMILY’S FORMAL dining area was as different from the smaller gold and white room where Piper and Meghan had eaten lunch weeks earlier, as a sandwich shop was from a White House state dinner. That day felt like a lifetime ago now that she was here with Cal and his family. Outfitted with white tablecloths and fancy chair coverings, it was an elegant space perfect for a special meal or an important occasion. Piper had never seen the room this way before.

  Opting for the teal chiffon dress she’d worn to the Oscars two years ago was the right decision. She fluffed her skirt and switched her matching bag from one hand to the other.

  “Please come this way,” the maître d’ said, selecting several large black velvet-covered menus. Cal put his hand on her elbow. His light touch was warm. She felt a tingle where his hand made contact with her bare skin. Tonight, she wasn’t sure if he’d forgotten their conversation and his practice of keeping an arm’s length between them or if it was just natural to guide her through the room. Either way, she wished the room was miles long instead of the short trip to their table in the center of the room.

  Smiling, she took a seat. Cal hovered behind her, helping with her chair, being very attentive. Why she felt like a queen, she didn’t know. She hadn’t had a feeling like this since she was in high school and the captain of the basketball team asked her to the school dance. Clearly, Cal wanted to impress her. She wondered if he was having any of those thoughts. Did he want to impress her?

  The idea caused a strange stirring in her stomach. It wasn’t from being hungry. She could feel his nearness. His hand was warm when she sat back and it was still resting on the chair. Piper forced her eyes to remain open when the urge to close them and appreciate his kindness was as strong as ever. She was both relieved and disappointed when he sat in the chair next to her.

  “Piper, Caleb tells us you work in the movies in Hollywood,” Lauren said when they were seated and had ordered. “That sounds so exciting.”

  “It is,” she said truthfully. Yet she wondered how much of her story Cal had shared.

  “Piper is the stunt double for Elisabeth Grey,” Cal relayed.

  Piper saw both Jake’s and Lauren’s brows rise. “Really?” Jake said. “I never thought I’d like action movies, but hers I do enjoy. Now that I know you’re the person doing all that running, jumping and falling, I’ll appreciate watching them even more.”

  Piper smiled. “Was,” she said. “I was Elisabeth’s double. My friend Tamara St. John does her stunt work now.”

  “Did you ever get hurt?” Jake asked. “Some of those leaps and falls look so real.”

  “I haven’t in the past,” she said. “But accidents do happen.” She left it at that.

  Piper didn’t want to talk about herself. People looked at Hollywood as some magical playland. In truth, it was hard work and could be an unforgiving place. The finished product made it seem easy, but Piper knew better. She also knew she didn’t want to fall into a discussion that led back to the accident, as she knew it inevitably would.

  Taking control of the discussion, Piper shifted the focus to Jake. “A few years ago, I might have been working on a film involving you, Dr. Masters, as I mentioned the other day.”

  The water glass Lauren was holding stopped halfway to her mouth as she looked at her husband. “You never told me that,” she said.

  “I was approached, but I refused,” Jake said. “It was over and done with in a moment.”

  Piper knew that was an exaggeration. When a producer got his or her hooks in a story, refusal by the subject usually made them bear down harder. She knew Jake Masters had refused to see them or take their calls.

  “Before or after you met me?” Lauren asked.

  “After, if you include the fact that we met in college,” he told her. “But before you pretended to be my companion.”

  “Companion? Pretended?” Piper seized on the words. “That’s intriguing.” She looked from face to face for an explanation.

  Lauren smiled at Cal. “It’s all Caleb’s fault,” she said, putting her hand on Jake’s.

  “While I was attending a medical conference in Paris, there was a terrorist bombing and I was injured,” Jake said.

  “Critically,” Cal added.

  Piper nodded. She knew the story.

  “After seeing hundreds of doctors to no avail,” Jake embellished.

  “Caleb hired me to act as Jake’s companion,” Lauren continued. “I couldn’t tell Jake that I was a doctor. Not even that I was a children’s doctor. He’d seen too many physicians and he was angry. At all of us.”

  “I wasn’t angry,” Jake protested.

  She nodded. “All right, he was...contentious.”

  “Fed up with being probed,” Jake explained. “I just wanted to be left alone. But this insistent companion—” he stressed the word, taking the sting out with a smile “—wouldn’t let me be.”

  “Good thing, too,” Cal said.

  “I admit it,” Jake said and smiled. “She got under my skin.” Their fingers linked.

  Piper’s eyes went to Cal’s fingers. She wasn’t sure why. She thought of him brushing his hand against her back when she sat down. She wondered about that special touch between husband and wife and whether she’d ever feel it.

  “Go on, Piper. Why did you want to make a movie about Jake?” Lauren asked.

  Shaking off her thought, Piper returned her attention to the conversation and the trio of people sitting with her. “It wasn’t me. I worked for the stunt company at the time. The producers wanted to make the film and I saw the specs. They wanted to use Jake’s passion for extreme sports as a jumping-off point, then add the Paris bombing and his recovery as the plot of the story. When the refusal came and there was no chance of the project getting off the ground, everything was filed away but not forgotten. In years to come, someone may pull it out and try again.”

  Jake was shaking his head even before she finished speaking. “I’m a doctor. That’s all anyone needs to know,” he said.

  Piper understood. Autobiographies of living people could be embarrassing, especially when the magic factory put a dramatic spin on it. It was clear Jake Masters was aware that pinning his name to a contract opened his life up to scrutiny. Piper knew from experience how devastating that could be.

  The waiter arrived with their food and the subject changed to Piper’s riding lessons. It was a subject she didn’t mind talking about.

  “Do you ride?” Piper asked Lauren.

  “Not really. I was on a pony when I was about seven. And once while in college, I went riding with some friends. I still remember the muscle pain the next few days produced.”

  Piper smiled. “Like any exercise, the muscles stop protesting with continued use.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t the horse so much as my repeated contact with the ground that was the problem.”

  After the laughter died down from her comment, Piper said, “You should come over and ride with me while you’re here. I’ll make sure you stay on the horse.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Cal said.

  “I’m not sure of that,” Lauren replied with a frown.

  “I promise to take it easy on you, so the discomfort—” Piper added air quotes around the word “—won’t be too bad.”

  “All right,” Lauren said slowly, skepticism evident in her tone. “Jake likes to ride. If I learn, we could do it together. But we’re only going to be here for the weekend. Back in New York, I doubt we’ll get the chance for much riding.”

  Piper noticed a change in Lauren when she mentioned her husband. It was obvious how much in love they were. It wasn’t just the way they looked at each other, although the air between them practically spelled out l-o-v-e in large visible letters. It was how much in tune with each other they were.

  Would anyone ever love her that much? Piper wondered. If her past relationships were a barometer, it wasn’t going to happen. Then she looked at Cal, whose eyes were on her. She saw interest in them and quickly looked away.

  Her stomach fluttered. Yet she knew Cal wasn’t the one. Literally he would go east and she west. They were the twain that would never meet.

  * * *

  CAL RELAXED AS soon as the conversation began at dinner. The evening was pleasant and friendly as he’d hoped it would be. He wanted his brother and sister-in-law to like Piper. She needed friends. And he liked Piper. Liked her a lot. They talked about everything from the movies to medicine, with additional anecdotes on Cal’s involvement with certain horses and the trick riding lessons he was taking.

  The laughter was frequent and joyful. If Piper felt tense or uncomfortable, she didn’t show it. She seemed to get along with both his brother and sister-in-law.

  Cal and Jake exchanged a look that told Cal his brother thought his lessons were more about Piper than riding a horse. He wasn’t wrong. Cal couldn’t put his finger on why, but the feelings were there. Tonight, as she talked to Lauren and Jake, he came to appreciate her even more.

  “When we were riding along that ridge,” Jake began, “I noticed you’re building something huge. Are you expanding your riding school?”