by Cora Seton
“Sounds like this show is really in trouble,” Evan said.
“What kind of trouble? I thought it was a popular show.” She sat down heavily when they reached the far bank, her clothes still sopping wet and uncomfortable.
“Money trouble. They’ve had to pay out too many times recently, I guess.”
“Oh.” Bella stopped twisting the fabric of her shirt to wring out the water. “So if I win…”
“If you win, the producers might give Madelyn the ax.”
She thought back to the GPS unit and all the time she’d spent wandering around the woods. Had that been Madelyn’s doing? Or was she really just lousy with directions?
“Can I win?”
He seemed to understand exactly what she meant. “I think so.”
“You think so.”
He shrugged.
Back across the pond, Ellis led a sopping Madelyn out of the water and toward the helicopter. Soon its rotors whipped up a whirlwind of dust and water as it lifted off.
“Now what?” Bella asked.
Chris answered. “On to the next challenge.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The rest of the morning’s hike was far from comfortable. Her wet clothing chafed her thighs and arms as she walked. Water oozed out of her shoes with every step. By noontime her shirt, cami, and bra were dry, but her pants remained damp and she held no hope that her feet would ever be dry again.
Still, when they paused to eat, she untied her shoes and stuffed half of her dry outer shirt into each one, hoping it would draw some of the water out of them. She peeled off her socks and draped them from nearby branches, then looked down at her pants.
“Go ahead—take ‘em off,” Evan said with a grin. “We won’t mind.”
Pursing her lips, she decided to keep them on. She sat down, stuck out her legs to catch as much as the sun as possible, and ate a sandwich.
“I hope the next challenge is a little easier,” she said.
Evan laughed. “If it isn’t, I bet they’re working hard to modify it. Like Chris said—it isn’t good television if we can’t even score a single point between us.” He lowered his voice. “How’re you doing?”
She felt a blush creep over her skin, even though he hadn’t mentioned what happened the night before. She knew he was asking after more than her physical condition. He meant how was she doing emotionally, and she liked him for that.
“Good. I think.”
“You think?”
She shrugged. “I have to win this, you know. No matter if I…” She bit off her words, realizing what she was just about to say. No matter if I’d like to lose. A glance his way told her he’d heard her loud and clear.
“Same for me, you know.” He said, taking a long drink from his water bottle. “I’m not in the habit of forcing women to marry me.”
“Really? I figured you forced at least ten women to marry you every day before lunch.”
“Then divorced them again before dinner? Yeah, billionaires do that stuff all the time.”
“What do you do?” she asked. “I mean I know what your job is, but what do you do for fun?”
She wished that two cameras weren’t recording every minute of this conversation. If only she and Evan were hiking alone, spending time together because they liked each other, not because they wanted to beat each other in some inane contest.
“I like being outdoors, so I run, hike, do a little rock climbing when I can. What about you? What’s your favorite leisure-time activity?”
“Leisure time? What’s that?” She laughed ruefully. “Actually, before the shelter got so out of control, I used to like to go dancing. I haven’t done that in a long, long time.”
“Dancing? Like at a bar?”
“Yeah—line dancing, mostly.” She glanced sidelong at Evan and caught him smirking. “What?”
“Line dancing? Does anyone do that anymore?”
“Are you kidding? It’s huge!”
“In some circles,” Evan intoned and laughed aloud.
“Jerk.” But she didn’t mind his teasing as much as she used to. Maybe only country people line danced; that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun.
“Don’t you take any nights off work?” he said. He was sitting so close she could reach out and touch him. She wondered what the camera crew would do if she took Evan’s hand.
Lots of close-ups.
“Not really. There’s too much to do.”
“You can’t live like that,” he said, turning to her. She read genuine concern in his eyes and her heart warmed.
“I don’t know what else to do.”
“Bella, you aren’t responsible for every animal in the world. You can’t be.”
“Yes, I can.” She knew he was right, but something within her refused to let that thought take hold. “I feel responsible for them all. I can’t help it.”
“Why?”
She glanced his way. “What do you mean?”
“Why should you be responsible for all the animals and not someone else? What about the rest of us? Aren’t we responsible, too?”
“Well, sure, but I…I’m more responsible.” It sounded crazy. It was crazy. But she’d never been able to shake the feeling, not after what happened to Caramel, not when she’d caused Cyclone to break his leg so he had to be put down, too. Saving animals was the only thing she did right.
“Why?”
She shook her head, wishing she’d never opened her mouth. “It’s not important.”
“Sounds pretty important to me if it’s made you responsible for every pet in Montana,” Evan said, nudging her with his shoulder.
She wished she could recapture the lighthearted feeling she’d had just a moment ago. Wished he’d do more than nudge her. She wanted to run her hand down his arm, to clasp his fingers in hers and lean in and give him a kiss. Anything to deflect this conversation from its inevitable end.
A glance told her he wasn’t going to let her change the topic. She’d tell him the simple version, the one she told everyone who asked why she became a veterinarian. Leave the rest for another time…some other time that would hopefully never come.
“We had a dog when I was a kid. A lab named Caramel. I loved that dog.” For a moment, memories overtook her. “We all did,” she went on, straightening up. “My parents, my brother, Craig, and I.”
Evan packed away the remainder of his lunch slowly, giving her time to tell her story.
“When I was ten I was playing with her in back of the house. My brother was helping my father and the other men with the horses. My father needed to take a stallion to another spread to stud. They were loading him into the trailer.”
She’d relived this particular memory way too many times, but it never failed to bring tears to her eyes. “I wasn’t supposed to be there at all. I was never allowed to play out back when the men were working, but I liked the attention. I didn’t want to stay out front, away from the action. Craig was there helping. I wanted to be a part of it, too. Or at least to be close to it.”
“What happened?”
“The stallion spooked. The next thing I knew he was rearing over me. I should have been killed. Caramel barked. I probably screamed. My Dad was yelling. I don’t know what happened next. Except the stallion crashed and broke his leg. Then something hurt Caramel. She took off like she’d been hit…”
Bella broke off. Like she’d been hit. Something twinged in her subconscious. A memory she couldn’t quite access.
Like she’d been hit.
She saw her father dash between her and the stallion. The stallion twisted away in alarm, and fell with a shattering crash. Caramel barked. Her father’s face went red with fury. His lifted his arm.
Bella shook the memory away.
“I tried to go after her but a car came down the road much too fast…” she trailed off again.
“It was an accident,” Evan said.
“If I had done what I was supposed to do, she would have lived.”
Ev
an turned to face her. “That was what—twenty years ago? More? She would have died by now anyway, Bella. Accidents happen. Pets die. Horses die. You can’t stop living your own life because of it.”
“You don’t understand,” she said, knowing he truly didn’t. No one did. No one outside of her family. Because that was only the beginning of the story. “I loved her and I caused her death. I was irresponsible, and selfish, and I didn’t listen, and Caramel paid the price. Cyclone did, too. Everyone did.” Despite her best efforts tears welled up.
Evan narrowed his eyes. “That’s what they told you, didn’t they? Your family? God, I can hear them say the words—your parents and Craig all blaming you. Didn’t they take any responsibility at all?”
Bella stared at him. “But…”
“But what? I’m serious—you were ten years old. How hard would it have been for your father to scan the yard before he moved the horse to the trailer? How did the stallion get away from him, anyway?”
Bella blinked, astounded by the vehemence of his anger. “Horses are unpredictable.”
“All the more reason he should have been careful.” Evan leaned forward, his jaw tight. “And the fact that he dumped all his guilt on you sucks. Do you still see these people?”
She forgot the cameras around her and searched Evan’s face for the source of his anger. Was he really upset that her family blamed her? “No. Well… sometimes. My parents still live on the ranch. What’s left of it. So does my brother.”
“What do you mean, what’s left of it?”
Bella’s stomach twisted. “We had to sell half of it. My father had mortgaged it so he could buy Cyclone.”
“So your father mismanaged his business and blamed you when it didn’t pay off? Didn’t he insure the horse?”
“I…I don’t know. But it wasn’t his fault he lost the land.” It was mine. Just like I’m losing my business.
Evan stared at her, his eyes narrowed. “You don’t know much about business either, do you? Tell me this. Do any of them ever help you with your shelter? How much time does your brother spend there?” He got to his feet and shouldered his pack. Bella followed his example, unnerved by the way this conversation had gone. Instead of condemning her, Evan was angry that her family had blamed her at all. She knew her own guilt over the incident was excessive. Still, Evan’s reaction startled her.
“None. He hates it,” Bella said. “Craig doesn’t care for pets—he’s a livestock vet. He never got over Caramel’s death. He never forgave me for it. Anyway, he’s busy.” She followed him as he set out down the path again.
“Busier than you? Really? I find that hard to believe.”
Watching him stride ahead of her, all too aware of his broad shoulders and powerful legs, Bella considered his words.
“I guess he’s not busier; it’s just his work is more important.”
Evan stopped in his tracks and she walked right into him. He turned and caught her, and didn’t let go even when she was steady on her feet. “Bullshit,” he said. “His work isn’t more important than yours. He takes care of animals that represent people’s business. You take care of animals that people love. Your work is more important. You’re important. How come you can’t see that?”
“Because I screw everything up for people,” she said. She bit her lip in anguish. Damn it, why did she feel the need to expose every flaw to his eyes? She liked Evan, and she wanted him to like her, so why was she trying so hard to make him loathe her?
Because she was used to being loathed by those she loved.
The thought hit her like a fist to her stomach. It was true. It was absolutely true.
She was used to it.
And the people she loved did loathe her. Craig, her parents…because of what she’d done. Because of what she’d made them do.
And now she was bankrupting her business—the one thing she’d ever gotten right.
She didn’t deserve love.
Not until she beat Evan and used her millions to fix everything she’d broken.
* * * * *
When the trail they followed broadened out into a wide field an hour later, Bella stopped dead at the sight that greeted them. Evan, catching up to her, immediately saw why.
“Miniature golf?” Bella said, turning to him. She’d regained her composure somewhere along the trail, and Evan had recovered his equilibrium, as well. He couldn’t say exactly why the thought of Bella’s family blaming her for their dog’s death burned him so much, or why he wanted to hunt them down and demand they apologize to her, but that’s exactly how he felt. Couldn’t they see she hadn’t gotten over the loss, or the blame they’d heaped on her? A pet’s death was traumatic to any child, but being told that she was responsible—and not letting up, even after all these years? That was unforgivable as far as he was concerned.
“I guess they really want us to score some points,” he said as he looked at the curved green tracks flanked by windmills and pyramids and replicas of the Eiffel Tower.
“We should be able to handle this,” she agreed. “It’s just—I thought they were showcasing Jasper National Park. What does this have to do with Jasper?”
“Nothing,” Evan said. “Maybe they’re just trying to shake things up.”
A crew member stepped forward and handed each of them a golf club and ball. He pointed Bella to one starting point, and Evan to another.
“These are par three courses. Sink your ball in the hole in three shots or less and you score a point, up to ten points for ten holes. The person who finishes the course first will win an extra point. Ready?”
Evan nodded and so did Bella.
“Start!”
Evan considered the course ahead of him. Despite the chance to win an extra point, speed wasn’t the goal—accuracy was. He needed to play each hole carefully and methodically, and rack up the points. He’d never been an avid golfer; he hated getting stuck on a course for hours if his partners were slow or tedious. All too often he’d found himself in a foursome with two other perfectly decent human beings—and one complete asshole.
Not his scene.
He was reasonably athletic, though, and competent in other sports that required accuracy and control. This game should be a piece of cake.
He sunk the first hole in three shots and the next hole in two. After that he faced an uphill shot, through a gap cut into a Noah’s ark, and into a hole placed near the far rim of the track. He lined up his shot, swung and took it, but the ball bounced off the side of the Noah’s ark and rolled right back down to land at his feet.
A feminine curse to his right made him smile. Bella must also be facing a tough hole. Thoughts of their time together last night invaded his mind, leaving him aching to get the day’s events finished so he could climb back into the little tent with her. He’d make her understand that her family was crazy and she was worth every bit of happiness that came into her life and more.
He took a second shot and missed again. Muttering a bad word, Evan cleared his mind of all distractions and prepared for another try.
“Woo-hoo!” Bella whooped just as he swung. He jerked around to see her dancing on an artificial green. His own ball rolled up the hill partway, hung there and rolled back down to bounce off his shoe.
“Damn it.” He picked it up and walked to the next hole.
His concentration was shot, however, by Bella’s continual shouts and laughter. She must be nailing the course the way she hopped around, pumping her fists over her head, slapping high fives with the camera crew and shaking her hips in a rather suggestive victory dance now and then.
“Quiet on the course,” he called over to her finally.
“Why? Am I distracting you?” she yelled back, dancing around again.
Um, yes. He was distracted. Obviously her successes on the course had restored her good humor. She moved to a new hole and he turned back to his own course, only to be jolted mid-swing again by another of her high-pitched victory cries. She was doing that on purpose and it was
working—he’d blown three holes now.
He got back to work and won three more, lost one, and won the final one. Six points in all and one point for finishing first.
“About time,” Bella said.
He turned with a jerk and saw that she’d been waiting for him. Forget about that last point, but how on earth had she beaten him?
And what was her score?
Before he could ask her, Jake Cramer arrived on the scene and with him a number of crew members who rushed to get ready for the day’s closing wrap-up.
Evan exchanged a glance with Bella and both of them trailed over to where Natalie had hurried over to touch Jake up. He waved her away, and she turned her attention on Evan and Bella while Jake waited for another crew member to set his microphone up. Madelyn shooed Natalie away and Jake began his traditional patter.
“Another day has come to a close on Can You Beat a Billionaire, and it’s been a tough one. Bella, what did you think of the day’s first challenge?”
As the cameras swung to face Bella, she rolled her eyes. “Um, it was impossible.”
“It did look difficult. How long do you think you managed to stay on the bridge?”
“One second?” she ventured.
“Try one-tenth of a second,” Jake said happily. He swung around to Evan. “You’ve climbed sheer rock walls, Evan. Why was the bridge so difficult?”
Was the guy a total idiot? “Because it was thin, slippery and unstable,” he said, glaring at Madelyn—cleaned up and back to her usual glowering, impeccable self—over Jake’s shoulder as she gestured to him in wide circles. What the hell did that mean? Did she want him to turn a somersault?
“It was really exciting,” Bella said, sounding anything but excited. Evan realized she’d interpreted Madelyn’s signals—step up the energy.
“Yeah. Thrilling,” he said. “That water was really…wet.”
Madelyn smacked a hand to her forehead.
“Moving on to lunchtime. Seems like you two had a real meeting of the minds over your sandwiches. What were you talking about?”
Did he really have to go along with this? Evan wondered. “We were telling each other about our childhoods.”