The Rival

by Joanne Rock

  The toaster popped near her elbow, startling her.

  “You okay?” Devon asked as he set a plate in front of her and passed her a slice of toasted golden wheat bread.

  “Sure.” She nodded too fast. “Just realized I’m cutting it close to lead my first trail ride.”

  “I’ll drive you back soon. I know we both have a lot of obligations today and tomorrow, but the day after that, you’re all mine for the launch party gala.” He took the seat beside her at the long breakfast bar, his green eyes turning a shade darker as his gaze smoldered over her.

  She went from worried to keenly aware of him in the space of a heartbeat. How did he do that?

  “I’d better start the search for a dress,” she admitted, thinking how long it had been since she’d attended a black-tie event.

  “I’m already on top of it,” he assured her, straightening to dig into the meal.

  “On top of dress shopping?” She gave a surprised laugh and nibbled at the bacon.

  “You’ll need a dress for the wedding, too, and I can’t have you bearing the cost of that when I invited you so last minute.” He tapped a screen on his phone to show her a web page for a well-known couture house. “So I messaged one of Lily’s designer friends from New York to send you some samples.”

  Lily Carrington was his good friend and the COO of Salazar Media, who’d departed Mesa Falls Ranch after falling for Devon’s brother, Marcus. Regina knew, because she’d spied on Lily and Marcus, too, in her quest to find answers about Alonzo. And despite the guilt that memory brought with it, she couldn’t quite suppress a purely feminine rush of pleasure at the idea of wearing the gorgeous clothes he showed her on his phone. It had been so long since she’d had access to those kinds of garments.

  “That’s so kind of you, but—”

  “I insist.” He leaned over to kiss the back of her hand before returning to his breakfast. “I know the ranch has you booked for too many tours the next two days to give you enough time to shop. And for what it’s worth, I appreciate your role in making this event a success.”

  She murmured her thanks before finishing her meal, trying to sort through all the feelings swelling like an incoming storm. Was she moving too fast in taking new risks? She’d been so sure she wanted to pursue this relationship with Devon, but the closer she got to him, the more she realized how devastated she was going to be if things fell apart.

  And no matter how much she tried to focus on the positives of what was happening between them, she had the weight of a lot of frustrating years riding on her back, whispering that it would never work out. Even with the launch party to look forward to—surrounded by friends in a place she’d come to care about—Regina couldn’t shake the fear that she was one step away from screwing it all up.

  Twelve

  After all the hours he’d put in the last two days, Devon was more than ready for his night with Regina. The day of the launch event, Mesa Falls Ranch looked like a scene straight out of a kids’ picture book. The holiday decorations were heavy on the greenery and red bows. Even the four-rail fences were decked with pine boughs, and white lights were strewn along the private drive that led to the main lodge.

  An event space simply called “The Barn” was a historic reproduction in turn-of-the-century style, with a giant wreath decorating the cupola. The whole building was lit with landscape lighting in addition to the Christmas lights, making it easy to photograph for the wealth of camera crews present.

  Fat snowflakes fell from the sky, giving every photo a snow globe touch. Dark draft horses in full dress tack pulled the sleighs conveying the guests from the lodge to the party venue, dropping them off on a red carpet that led through the huge double doors.

  Inside, Devon had checked and triple-checked the logistics of the social media tech. He’d done all he could to make this night a success, and he wanted the reward of time with the sexy woman who’d dominated his thoughts all week. He walked past the massive screen over the dance floor already broadcasting live video feeds from the simultaneous party events in New York and Los Angeles. Here, the focus was on traditional black tie, but in the other cities, there were ranching gurus on hand to narrate programs about sustainable ranching. They’d flown baby lambs and sheep across the country in both directions to make ranching issues more real, combining petting zoo opportunities with social media content moments.

  The intent was to drive awareness about the benefits of making ranch lands greener and establishing greater harmony with the animals—both the livestock and the native species. Marcus had brainstormed it, but Devon had executed the bulk of the events. Now, with everything running smoothly, he could focus on finding his date.

  Leaving the barn, he stalked out into the snowy night again, checking his phone for messages. There were none. He’d called Regina ten minutes ago, thinking she was just running late, but now he was concerned since they were supposed to have met half an hour ago. He hated not being able to pick her up personally, but he felt it was important to be on site before the event kicked off in case the ranch owners had any concerns. Three of them were here tonight: Weston Rivera, Gage Striker and Desmond Pierce. Two others were attending the party in Los Angeles, and one had flown to New York.

  Frustration spiked that this event had required so much of his time during a week he would have enjoyed devoting to Regina. And while he understood his brother’s wish to take time with Lily Carrington this week, Devon knew it was past time to confront Marcus about the simmering rivalry between them. He refused to let it destroy their company. He’d worked almost nonstop since starting Salazar Media, expanding the business during explosive growth in the field. What was the point of all that work—all those profits—if he couldn’t take the time to enjoy what really mattered? Maybe Marcus had already figured that out for himself.

  Even as the thought crossed Devon’s mind, he tried to push it aside. Because if he admitted that Regina really mattered, he would have to confront the fact that his father’s behavior had soured him on relationships. That he didn’t trust himself, considering what kind of male role model he’d had. He’d always avoided serious relationships because he didn’t want to put any woman through the hell that his father had wrought for his mother—and other women, too.

  He looked up, straining to see who the passenger was in an approaching sleigh. It wasn’t Regina. Then he scanned the crowd for her face. He didn’t see her, but as the sleigh pulled up in front of him, he glimpsed April Stephens in a dark blue gown with a high neck and long sleeves.

  “April.” He went to the sleigh to personally help her down. “Have you seen Regina?”

  April’s blond curls fell in artful ringlets around her face. Other men turned to look at her. She was a lovely woman, and yet she left him cold because the only female who captured his attention was a dark-haired beauty with quicksilver eyes and fierce determination.

  “I saw her at the spa earlier today.” April smiled as she smoothed her long skirt and rushed to the temporary canopy to protect guests from the snow. “One of her bunkmates had a couple of openings in her schedule at the pedicure station, so Regina invited me to get my toes done with her.”

  “Did she mention her plans for the evening?” He couldn’t imagine why she wasn’t here. Had she backed out?

  He’d sensed she’d been nervous about attending his mother’s wedding even after she’d agreed to be his date. At the time, he’d told himself that was only natural, since going to weddings and meeting families were traditionally big steps in a relationship and he’d catapulted them straight into both arenas when he’d invited her to his mom’s nuptials.

  “Of course.” April laughed, a dimple appearing in one cheek. “She seemed excited to go with you. She showed photos of her gown choices and let me help her choose.”

  Devon frowned.

  So if something had gone wrong with Regina, it must have been after she’d s
een April.

  “Okay,” he muttered distractedly, already straining to see if another sleigh was on the way. “Thank you, April.”

  Worried now, he was ready to ask one of the grooms about finding him a ranch utility vehicle when he saw one more sleigh headed toward the barn, horses trotting out in front.

  She had to be in that one.

  Waiting for the vehicle to arrive, he heard a commotion inside the barn—a subtle uptick in crowd noise as if they were reacting to a new band on stage. Or a speaker.

  Which was curious, only because there was no change in entertainment scheduled for twenty more minutes.

  He turned toward the barn, where one of the doors stood open despite the cold, thanks to the enormous heaters warming the space. A handful of people were moving purposefully toward the entrance as if something inside had captured their attention.

  Curiosity turned to a bad feeling that something was going wrong inside. But he forced his feet to stay rooted outside for another minute so he could check if Regina was in the last sleigh. He waited until the horses pulled under the lights, where he could make out the faces of the occupants more clearly.

  Regina wasn’t there.

  He began to feel downright dismal.

  Had she blown off their evening together? Changed her mind about going to Connecticut with him for the wedding? Confused and still worried, he couldn’t take time to hunt for her yet. Not when there was something clearly happening inside the barn.

  As he jogged toward the entrance, he realized a hush had fallen over the crowd. In fact, as he stepped into the gala venue, he saw hundreds of guests in black tie all standing still, listening to a woman at the podium near the dance floor. Devon didn’t have to crane his neck to see her; his company had installed a closed-circuit video system that was playing live footage from the three parties on a big screen.

  Thirty feet tall, in full color, actress Tabitha Barnes—Regina’s mother—had commandeered the microphone. She stared out at the crowd while she spoke, her gray eyes so like her daughter’s.

  “...and the author behind the book Hollywood Newlyweds, which ruined my life, has been unmasked at last.”

  Devon’s gut sank to his feet.

  Not just because an audience in three cities was about to know the truth that would ruin his mother’s wedding. But because he couldn’t deny how the woman had learned this secret.

  Regina had betrayed his trust in the cruelest way possible. No wonder she was nowhere to be found tonight. She’d been too busy orchestrating the revenge she’d craved for years.

  The sweet smell of balsam and cedar turned sour as he took a ragged breath. He stalked toward the control board, edging through rapt listeners to turn off Tabitha’s microphone and the overhead screen and switch the channel to any other feed.

  It didn’t take him long to attract the attention of the logistics coordinator. He gave her the “cut” sign that would kill the audio, but it didn’t really matter. Because Tabitha Barnes was already dropping her bombshell.

  “His name was Alonzo Salazar, father of the social media moguls who run Salazar Media—”

  Tabitha’s audio dropped. For a moment, there was silence, heavy and thick with the shock that could only precede an eruption. His gut twisted in anticipation a second before the burst of reaction came from the crowd. Just then, the image of the actress on the big screen switched to a feed from the Los Angeles party, where a rock star known for his philanthropy was arriving to support the party. But the damage had already been done.

  A moment later, the chamber musicians scheduled to play during the welcome hour returned to their instruments. The violins blanketed the buzz of gossip, muffling the details somewhat but not nearly enough.

  “Salazar” was the name on everyone’s lips. He heard it over and over like an audio recording on repeat as he moved through the crowd to confront Tabitha.

  And, more important, her daughter. Because he knew without a doubt where Tabitha had gotten her inside information about Alonzo, and it sickened him. He was mad as hell—and yes, hurt—to think how easily he’d been played and betrayed when he should have known better. He would find Regina and tell her exactly what he thought of this stunt and her.

  After that, he would focus on tying up his business in Montana so he could put this piece of his life—and her—behind him for good.

  * * *

  “How could you do this to me?” Regina wheeled on her mother in the hallway outside the restrooms at the back of the event space. Framed photos of the ranch’s public buildings covered the wall, and there was a black leather bench tucked into the far corner.

  Her mother had never messaged her that she was on her way to Montana. She’d simply texted Regina five minutes before her date to say that she was going to use the launch event as a way to “set the record straight” about Alonzo Salazar.

  Regina had been devastated. Hadn’t she explicitly asked her mother to keep the information confidential? Her mother had agreed. And still, Tabitha had betrayed that trust. Even as Regina had scrambled to stop her mom, she’d assumed Tabitha would attend the party in Los Angeles since that was right in her backyard—the family’s old stomping grounds.

  In a panic, Regina had called and texted her mom and her mom’s friends. Then, when she’d gotten her first inkling that Tabitha had actually flown to Montana, Regina had raced around Mesa Falls Ranch like a madwoman in heels to try to stop the train wreck before it happened. Her feet were still freezing from tromping through snow in stiletto pumps, heedless of the need to walk on the red carpets laid out for guests. Her beautiful shoes and gown were ruined after she’d spent all day primping for this night, eager to see the look on Devon’s face when he saw her. Instead of savoring that moment, however, she’d arrived with the hem of the plum-colored velvet sheath rigid with ice from her trek through the snow. But despite her best efforts to stop her mom, she’d failed miserably, not locating Tabitha until she was at the podium.

  When it had been too late to protect Devon.

  “How can I do this to you?” Her mother turned on her, narrowing her gaze. “Do you think you’re the only one who has been affected by this nightmare? My life was stolen from me, too.”

  Tabitha paced the narrow hall in a floor-length emerald dress that was a size too small, a couture gown from a long-ago film premiere that Regina had once paraded around in as a child. Her mother’s breasts swelled over the bodice, her now softer physique straining the side zipper. Poor dress choice aside, she was still incredibly beautiful on the outside.

  On the inside? Clearly, she still wrestled with dark demons.

  Regina could see that now with the perspective of time and distance. Funny how much she’d gained of both those things in her brief stay at Mesa Falls Ranch. Especially since she’d met Devon. She understood now that her mother’s lies had hurt them both immeasurably. Not just recently, in breaking the promise to keep the information about Alonzo confidential. The pattern of lies was more deeply rooted, dating all the way back to Tabitha’s decision to pass off another man’s child as her own. Alonzo Salazar had done a great wrong in revealing a story that wasn’t his to tell. But he’d been able to tell the tale because of Tabitha’s decision to live a lie in the first place.

  “Mom, I thought we were going to try to rebuild a relationship.” She thought back to that phone call when she’d shared the information about Alonzo with her mother. She’d really thought it was a turning point for them, an opportunity to share the hurt and move past it. “But that requires trust, and after what you just did, I don’t—”

  “You’re a surprising person to tout the merits of trust.” The masculine voice behind her was familiar, but the tone bore an iciness she’d never heard.

  “Devon, I’m so sorry.” She turned toward him, knowing this was her fault. Hating that she’d hurt him.

  Desperate to fix it.


  And yet the remote expression on his face gave her pause as he stared her down. Dressed in a custom-fitted tuxedo with a sprig of holly pinned to one lapel, he looked achingly handsome. But the coldness in his gaze sent a chill curling through her. Behind him, two burly ranch hands dressed in tuxes and cowboy boots stood at attention.

  “Ms. Barnes.” Devon’s gaze flicked past Regina, landing on her mother. “There are still reporters out front. If you’d like more media attention tonight, I suggest you seek it outside the barn to avoid being escorted from this private event.”

  Her mother gave a harrumph of disapproval as she brushed past them both. Regina noticed how the ranch hands followed in her wake, no doubt tasked with ensuring she didn’t return to the building. Not that Regina could blame Devon for that. Her empathy with her mother ended tonight. She felt only guilt that she hadn’t stopped her.

  “I had no idea she would show up here—” she began before Devon cut her off.

  “We can speak more privately back here.” He pointed down the hall, toward a small cloakroom located near a back entrance.

  She noticed he didn’t touch her as they moved together toward the coat check, and that made her tense with worry. A quick glance into the main area of the barn showed the gala proceeding normally, although a few heads turned their way as they walked past. She overheard “Salazar” spoken behind someone’s hand. She could see the way Devon’s movements—already brittle—tensed even more.

  Dread for what her mother had done multiplied.

  Devon spoke in quiet tones to the young woman working the station, and she stepped aside to let him pass behind her into the coatroom. Regina followed him, stepping behind three rows of coatracks to see an assortment of folded tables, chairs and catering carts. The buffer of the coats filtered the noise from the party, making the space feel private. The scent of pine from the log construction permeated the room.