Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2)

by Leeanna Morgan

Ryan signed a few autographs and smiled into a dozen cameras. But it wasn’t the people on the sidewalk he was focusing on. He made sure that Sophie was safe, that the security guard was doing what he was paid to do.

  Sophie was waiting for him at the entrance to the building. The security guard stood in front of her, shielding her from most of the attention. If he’d known there were so many people here, he wouldn’t have insisted that she come with him. It was just as well she’d made it difficult for anyone to recognize her.

  She’d twisted her hair into a ponytail and added a baseball cap to her head. With dark sunglasses covering half of her face, anyone who didn’t know her very well would have overlooked her.

  Ryan scrawled his signature across a few more pieces of paper before sending the crowd an apologetic smile. He needed to find Molly, get the publicity shots Dorothy wanted, and make sure Sophie was safe.

  He walked toward the wooden doors and grabbed hold of Sophie’s hand. After the commotion outside, everyone inside the entranceway figured out who he was. It was going to take more than a few minutes to get through this area. Their security guard must have thought the same thing. He stepped in front of Ryan and pushed his way through the crowd. Guitars, boxes, and suitcases were moved out of their way as they maneuvered through the chaos.

  Ryan pulled Sophie closer to him and followed the guard into the auditorium. There must have been another two hundred people waiting inside. “How many contestants has Tess scheduled into her program?”

  “I’ve got no idea.” Sophie looked as surprised as he was. “But I do know one thing. If the judges aren’t tough, they’ll be here until Christmas trying to get through the contestants.”

  Ryan looked around the room. It was a big space, much bigger than he’d thought it would be. Chairs had been placed in long lines in front of the stage and people were slowly finding seats.

  Their security guard walked toward the back of the room. Ryan and Sophie followed him. Their unexpected appearance wasn’t the spontaneous gesture most people would have imagined. Within an hour of deciding to come here, their security guard had shown them a floor plan of the building. They’d discussed escape routes and safe places, and what to do if something happened.

  While Sophie had been getting ready, Ryan had contacted Molly. They’d worked out when and where they’d meet. Dorothy had shown him the photographer’s website. As well as seeing what she looked like, he’d taken a few minutes to study her images. Molly was a talented artist. Her photographs were more than recreations of what she saw. They told a story, created a world within a world at the click of a button.

  As they got closer to the audiovisual room, Ryan studied the woman standing beside Tess. Molly’s short, dark hair and elfin features were as stunning as her photographs. But it was her height that made her stand out from the crowd. If she’d stood beside anyone except Tess, she would have towered over them.

  He smiled at the Irish photographer. “Hi, Molly. I’m Ryan and this is Sophie.”

  Molly’s green gaze rested on Sophie before returning to him. “It’s a pleasure meeting you both. It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing for Pastor Steven.”

  Ryan felt uneasy about accepting her thanks. Molly didn’t know about his publicist’s plan, or his reluctance to be here today. “Sophie and Tess came up with the idea.”

  “They did a grand job of getting you here.” Molly adjusted the strap of her camera and smiled at him. “I know how much it means to have somewhere safe and warm to go to when times are tough. Pastor Steven does wonderful work.”

  Sophie took her sunglasses off and handed Molly a sheet of paper. “This is from Dorothy. It’s a list of the photos she wants you to take. She said to give her a call if you’ve got any questions.”

  Molly glanced at the list and handed it to Tess. “I’ll ask my assistant to keep us on track.”

  Tess shook her head. “I might have to delegate to Sophie. Our team of volunteers are processing all of the registrations as quickly as they can, but it’s a lot of work.”

  The door to the audiovisual room opened and a man stuck his head around the doorframe. “All ready to go, Tess.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Tess sighed. “I didn’t think I was going to have a sound system for the stage.” Her cell phone beeped and she looked at the text that appeared on her screen. She handed Sophie the list. “There’s a problem at one of the registration desks. The other judges are waiting at the front of the room. If you’d like to wait here, I’ll introduce you to them as soon as I get back.”

  Ryan looked around the room. With the amount of activity happening around them, Tess wouldn’t be getting back to them soon. “We can introduce ourselves to the other judges. If you need help, let us know.”

  Tess hurried across the room and Sophie looked at the list in her hands. “We might as well get started. We need photos with the contestants. I brought a notebook with me. I’ll write everyone’s names on a list so that we spell everyone’s name correctly.”

  Ryan was beginning to appreciate Sophie’s practical mind. From the smile on Molly’s face, so was she.

  “I’ll follow you,” Molly said. “If I do my job properly, you won’t even know I’m here.”

  Ryan glanced at the security guard then back at Sophie. He’d spent more time on his parcel of land than in town. Most of the people in the room were strangers to him, and that was a problem. Without knowing who lived in Bozeman, it was hard to identify anyone who could be a potential threat to Sophie’s safety.

  “It’s okay,” she whispered from beside him. “You don’t need to look at everyone like they’re undercover assassins. We’ve got a security guard with us.”

  Sophie was putting a lot of confidence in the man shadowing her.

  She nudged his arm. “Smile. People are staring at us.”

  He looked at Sophie. No one seeing her would think that her smile wasn’t genuine. But he saw the strain around her eyes, the anxiety buried inside her. Despite what she’d said earlier, she was every bit as worried as he was.

  He held onto her hand and pulled her close. If someone was going to hurt her, they’d have to go through him first.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed.

  “What I should have done as soon as we arrived.” He pulled her toward a family looking for somewhere to sit. “You’re going to mingle with me.”

  And, for the next half hour, that’s what they did.

  By the time he met the judges, it was almost time for the first contestants to perform. Tess had saved them seats at the front of the auditorium. Before he sat down, Ryan made sure the security guard sat beside Sophie. With a country singer on one side and a muscle-bound security specialist on the other, he figured she was the safest she’d been all day.

  Or so he hoped.

  ***

  The next morning, Sophie leaned out of her bedroom window and rubbed her eyes. A big, white truck was parked in the front yard and two men were moving long metal tubes into Ryan’s home. She frowned at the logo on the outside of the truck. Delivering a client’s lighting system at seven o’clock on a Saturday morning seemed a little odd.

  She froze, reread the name of the company and grabbed her cell phone. She hit speed dial and waited for their security guard to answer.

  “How can I help?” Jason asked.

  “The truck. Is it okay?”

  “Yes. Ryan changed the time he wanted the lights delivered.”

  Sophie held her hand over her heart and took a deep breath. “Why didn’t he tell me they were coming this morning?”

  “You went to bed early last night. He got a call from the company that’s providing all of the equipment for his recording studio. They’re running ahead of schedule and can start installing everything today. He needs the studio lighting installed before the sound contractors arrive.”

  Sophie walked back to the window and watched the lighting contractors. She didn’t know what was involved in setting up a recording studio, but she
did know how many lights Ryan had ordered. “Is the lighting company installing everything or just the studio lights?”

  “The whole lot.”

  “I’ll be downstairs in fifteen minutes.” Sophie locked her bedroom door, turned the shower on and grabbed the first set of clean clothes she could find. If they were installing all of the lights, the contractors would be going into nearly every room in the house.

  Within minutes, she’d had a shower and was dressed. She glanced at the bare bulb dangling from the center of her bedroom. Most of the rooms in the house were exactly the same. The lights made it possible to see at night, but they didn’t add anything special to the spaces.

  She couldn’t wait to see what the rooms would look like with the chandeliers and light fittings that Ryan had chosen.

  She rushed downstairs and headed for the kitchen. Jason meet her at the entranceway. He had a big box in his hands and a frown on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” Sophie asked.

  “Nothing you need to worry about.” He walked past her and Sophie followed him into the living room.

  “Where’s Ryan?”

  “He’s gone to collect the sound technicians from the airport. Their flight arrives in an hour.”

  Sophie was worried. The two hours they’d spent at the talent show yesterday had created more publicity than anyone had imagined. By the time they’d driven home, the social media sites that Dorothy monitored had gone crazy. Photos of Ryan and a ‘mystery woman’ had appeared everywhere.

  Jason put the box beside another one in the middle of the room.

  “I thought we’d decided that neither of us should leave the house without a security guard?”

  “I thought we had, too. Ryan decided we’d been overreacting.”

  Sophie moved out of the way as another man entered the room. “Ryan can’t change his mind. What if something happens to him at the airport? Can you call John and organize another security guard to look after him?”

  Jason shook his head. “Ryan doesn’t want anyone going with him.”

  “But this is important.”

  “Ryan is employing me to do a job. If he doesn’t want extra security with him, I can’t do anything about it.”

  Sophie knew Jason was right. There was only one thing she could do. “I’ll call Ryan and make sure he’s okay.” She left Jason and the lighting contractor in the living room and ran upstairs. If Ryan was too stubborn to look after himself, then it was up to her to make sure someone was there to help him. Even if that someone had to be her.

  ***

  From the moment Sophie had found Ryan at the airport he hadn’t looked happy. After a few heated words about being the most stubborn woman he’d ever met, he hardly spoke another word.

  Unlike Ryan’s reaction to her, the sound technicians had been very pleasant. They’d arrived at the airport on time and with the minimum of fuss. By the time they got back to Ryan’s home, installation of the lighting was well and truly underway. A huge chandelier had been placed in the entranceway, with smaller pendant lights hanging over the kitchen counter.

  A contractor was busy installing the gallery lighting along one wall. Ryan had marked where each piece of art would be hung. The lighting would be placed so that each painting or sculpture would be shown to its best advantage. By the time they were finished the house was going to look amazing.

  As soon as he’d walked in the front door, Ryan had disappeared into his recording studio with the sound technicians. The only time they’d come out of the room had been to eat lunch and refill their coffee mugs.

  The afternoon had gone so slowly that Sophie had ended up helping the lighting contractors. She’d followed them around the house with spare bulbs, the next light fitting, and a copy of the plan showing where everything had to go.

  Jason had patrolled the property, checked the following day’s schedule with Ryan, and made sure Sophie didn’t leave the house.

  All in all, it wasn’t your typical Saturday afternoon.

  “I thought you’d be out here.”

  Sophie looked up at Ryan. “Have you finished the studio?” She sat a little straighter in the sun lounger.

  “It’s going to take another three days to get everything installed. I saw the chandeliers. They look good.”

  Sophie nodded. “They were a great choice.”

  Ryan sat on a chair beside her. “The sound technicians have gone into town for the night. They’ll be back at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”

  “Have you told Jason they’re coming back?”

  “He already knows.” Ryan looked across the lake. The late afternoon sun was starting to fall behind the mountain ranges. Shadows danced across the far side of the lake, turning the water a mysterious shade of green. “Why did you follow me to the airport?”

  “I was worried about you. We’d already agreed that neither of us would leave the property without a security guard.”

  “So you drove to the airport to make sure I was okay?”

  “I didn’t drive. Jason did.”

  “You’re the one who’s in danger,” Ryan growled. “No one knew I’d be at the airport except Jason and the sound technicians. You were safer staying here.”

  Sophie picked up her coffee mug. She kept her gaze locked on the lake instead of the man beside her. “Maybe the people looking for me have given up?”

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Ryan muttered. “John sent me a report with information about the major funders of new medicines. He’s also investigated the two companies you wanted to approach. Both of them seem legitimate. They haven’t been involved in any shady business dealings or questionable decision-making. What John found the most interesting was that one of the funders was directly involved with one of the manufacturing companies.”

  “Wouldn’t that be standard practice?” Sophie asked. “It’s in a manufacturer’s best interest to help finance new drug therapies or supplements. If they aren’t able to attract new business opportunities, they won’t meet the needs of their customers.”

  “You sound like Dorothy.”

  Sophie glanced at Ryan. “Is that a compliment or not?”

  “I admire Dorothy’s determination. There’s not much she can’t do when she puts her mind to it. You have the same drive inside you.”

  Sophie thought about what Ryan had said. “I guess I had the right motivation. I don’t know what the future holds for mom, but I can help other people. Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease. I’ve found a low-cost alternative therapy. It needs to be widely available, but I can’t do that on my own.”

  Ryan sat forward. “Based on the information John was able to find, he’s made a recommendation about which manufacturer you could use. I’ve got the report in my office if you’d like to see it?”

  For the first time in months, Sophie felt excited. “I’d love to see the report.” She followed Ryan inside. “When did John send it to you?”

  “It must have arrived this afternoon while I was in the recording studio.” Ryan opened his office door and sat behind his desk. He tapped the space bar on his keyboard and scrolled through his emails. “I’ll print a copy for you. John wanted me to remind you that it’s only a recommendation. You need to read all of the information he sent through before deciding what to do.”

  Sophie turned the printer on. “Did he mention what it would cost to manufacture the supplement commercially?”

  “I imagine that’s something you’d need to discuss with the company you choose.” Ryan tapped a few more keys before Sophie heard the printer starting to work.

  When she had the report in her hand, she sat in one of the office chairs and started reading. She didn’t know how much John knew about alternative medicines or supplements, but his work was meticulous. He’d reviewed each of the pharmaceutical company’s business practices and provided a list of supplements they’d produced over the last eighteen months.

  One of the companies stood out more than the other. At first glance, John
’s recommendation seemed like the sensible way to go. But Sophie wanted time to think about it, to take a more in-depth look at what they could offer. She didn’t want a company that would manufacture the supplement at a low cost, then add a huge markup to the end users. That had never been her intention.

  She looked at her watch. “I’ll call John and thank him for what he’s done. This work is much better than I could have done on my own. If I’d started looking into these two companies, someone would have realized what I was trying to find out. If that had happened, we might have had unexpected visitors turning up at our door.

  “I’d sooner see them here than at the airport,” Ryan said dryly. “Taking you to the talent show was a mistake. I didn’t think about the publicity it would generate. Dorothy got what she wanted, but I’m not sure we did.”

  Sophie put the report down. “It doesn’t matter what the media are saying. No one recognized me and that’s the most important thing. Tess was really happy with the number of people who registered for the show. They doubled the income they thought they’d get. By the time the winner is announced, Pastor Steven’s programs will have enough funding for the next twelve months.”

  Sophie’s cell phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket and frowned. “It’s my sister. She wasn’t supposed to call me tonight.”

  “Hi, Hayley. Is mom okay?”

  “She’s fine. Someone followed us this afternoon. I think we should leave Fort Wayne.”

  “But you only got there a short while ago.”

  Ryan stood and went to sit beside Sophie. “Put the call on speaker phone.”

  Sophie pushed the speaker phone button and held the phone closer to Ryan.

  “Hayley, this is Ryan Evans. Tell me what happened.”

  Sophie heard her sister take a deep breath. “I took mom for a visit to the local library. On the way back to the nursing home, someone followed us. I tried to get their license plate number, but they kept moving behind other vehicles. A few hours later, a man came into the nursing home looking for mom. I don’t know how he found us or what he wanted, but it was enough to make me worried about our safety. I don’t know what to do next.”