by Milly Taiden
When she shot a quick look at Evan, however, she found him looking back at her. His expression was inscrutable, and she had no idea now if he’d ever really meant to kiss her on the platform or if that was all in her head.
It didn’t matter, she told herself. She wasn’t here to find a husband. She was here to beat a billionaire.
*
Hell, he’d nearly kissed her. On national television, no less. After making a fool of himself diving between her and the tree. Evan trudged down the trail after Bella in the late afternoon sunshine, berating himself for his lack of focus, his stupidity in placing himself in danger, and his even bigger idiocy for letting his groin dictate his actions.
What was wrong with him? One day in Canada and he was acting like a college kid on spring break. Hmm, maybe that was it, he thought as he rounded a corner and sighed as the trail headed upward again. Maybe he was reacting to his first real bit of time off in years. He took vacations all the time, but he always had his cell phone with him and even when he rock climbed he checked in two or three times a day minimum to issue orders and make sure business was progressing smoothly in his absence. He went alone for the most part, although sometimes when he climbed he joined up with some other guys. Still, once the climb was over, he generally chose to head off on his own.
“You put the lonely in loner,” Amanda said to him once in the early days just after she’d come to work for him. “Who ever heard of a personal assistant who never sees her boss?”
She was right—he knew he took his privacy to the extreme, but having people too close to him made him claustrophobic. Amanda’s office was separate from his. He took his meetings over the phone, handled all correspondence through email and texts. He liked to keep moving—that way people couldn’t corner him and box him in.
A memory surfaced briefly—he’d been twelve years old when his mother caught him in the foyer as he tried to slip out the door, his uniform on. “No more baseball games; I’ve removed you from the team. Mommy needs you here. Daddy’s out of town again.”
He shuddered. It didn’t take a shrink to figure out why he hated attachments now. His mother’s neediness had overwhelmed him and ultimately pushed him away. Thoughts of those years when her need for constant attention kept him from joining activities, making friends—even going to school, often—left him desperate for movement. He picked up his pace.
Soon he caught up with Bella, who was decidedly limping. She sighed as he passed her, and stopped to bend down and fiddle with her shoe. He stopped, too. “Something wrong?”
“My ankle. Stupid boot is rubbing. Go ahead, I’m going to put another Band-Aid on it.”
Evan hesitated. He should go on, but really there was no rush. He wouldn’t earn extra points for making it to the campsite first and he didn’t like to leave her behind.
Even if their camera crews made a small crowd on the path.
“I can wait.”
“Fine.” She took out her first aid kit, shucked off her boot and sock and picked the Band-Aid off.
“Better put some ointment on that.” He didn’t like the red, raw look to her ankle.
She dabbed some on and applied a fresh Band-Aid. Once her boot was securely back on, she stood up and re-shouldered her pack.
“Probably another mile to go, huh?”
“Yeah.”
They plodded on in silence. Bella moved slowly, obviously in pain, and Evan kept having to stop and wait for her. Thankfully, the trail evened out, moving parallel to the ridge above them. Normally he would have covered the last mile in a matter of minutes, but he estimated it would be another half-hour at the rate Bella was traveling. Finally, he fell back and took her arm.
“I can do it,” she said.
“I know you can.” But he kept his arm in place.
Soon she gave up protesting and leaned on him heavily. He waited to feel the usual claustrophobic tightness he felt when someone got too close to him, but it didn’t come. They continued on for twenty minutes, until the path curved and a vista opened up beneath them of the Maligne River Valley. Bella gasped and they stumbled to a stop.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
He enjoyed the way she leaned against him. He could feel the rise and fall of her shoulders as she caught her breath, and her curls tickled his nose as he turned his head. He could still smell traces of her shampoo, despite the exertions of the day, and it was a clean, feminine scent that stirred animal lust within him.
He spotted a blue and white ribbon just a little farther down the trail. “Look—I think we made it.”
*
Bella plunged down the trail alongside Evan, thankful to reach the campsite at last, so when they rounded another curve at the blue and white marker and found themselves in a small clearing, empty of everything except for a pile of gear, she was brought up short.
“This is it?” she said aloud. Aware of the camera crew behind her, she tried to keep her voice from wobbling. She was hungry, tired and hurt. And the TV crew didn’t even bother to set up camp? She felt anger radiating from Evan beside her, but he only said, “I guess it’s up to us to make ourselves at home.”
He approached the pile of gear and began to sort through it. Moments later, however, he stopped, stood up and paced away, his hands in fists at his sides.
“What?” Bella forced herself to ask. She didn’t like being around angry men and Evan looked furious.
“There’s only one of everything.”
“What do you mean?” He wasn’t making sense.
“They’ve left us one tent, one sleeping bag, one pillow.”
“Are you kidding me?” She rounded on the camera crew, despite all of Madelyn’s warnings against doing such a thing. “What the hell is this? Where’s our gear?”
Paul, who hadn’t said a word to her all day, waved her away.
“No! I want to know what the hell is going on!”
“Bella, forget it—it’s part of the show.” Evan appeared behind her and led her away from the cameraman.
“That’s baloney! What are we supposed to do, flip a coin for it?” She rounded on Paul again, but Evan caught her arm.
“Yes, that’s exactly what they want us to do—fight over it.” He held her there until his words sunk in.
Of course. She let her shoulders slump as she pictured Madelyn’s smug grin. A grown man and woman fighting over limited gear made for great television. “So, what do we do?”
“We could share it.” He sounded as enthusiastic about the prospect as she felt. But what other choice did they have? The day was still warm now, but no matter where you were, nighttime in the mountains meant cool temperatures, and the change from hot day to cool night would most likely bring a heavy dew and soak anyone sleeping outdoors.
“Fine. What did they give us?”
It didn’t take them long to pitch the tent, unroll the single, thin sleeping mat and place it inside. They agreed not to unroll the sleeping bag until it was time for bed.
“We’ll just unzip it and use it as a cover,” Bella pronounced.
“Sure,” Evan agreed.
Next they unpacked their dinner. Bella had finished all her food except her banana earlier in the afternoon and she was pretty sure Evan was low on grub, too, so she was pleased to see their portions were slightly more generous this evening.
“Oooh—smoked salmon,” she said, lifting up the package. “And cream cheese and crackers.”
“That must be the appetizer,” Evan said. “We’ve got some stew here, too.”
“We’ll need a fire for that.”
“They actually provided us some wood and matches.”
“Really?” Bella’s anger over the single tent began to slide away. A hot meal would do her a world of good. Evan worked on getting the fire started while she undid the packages and poured the stew into a small, cast-iron pot she found in the pile of gear. They shared the salmon while the stew heated, then dug into the main course. Sitting on the ground, leaning against
an outcropping of rock, she ate her fill while watching the fire flicker and dance. She could have used a hot bath right about now, but overall she felt good.
Except for her ankle. She’d better change the Band-Aid again.
Before she could move toward her pack, however, there was a commotion down the trail and Jake appeared, leading a small band of crew members.
“Bella, Evan, congratulations on surviving your first day.” A crew member scuttled forward and set up a tripod next to him. It held a placard inscribed with both their names. Dots of Velcro were placed next to them. Evan stood up and slowly she did the same. Soon crew members ringed them to film the day’s wrap-up.
Jake spoke in his plummy announcer voice. “Your first day consisted of an eight mile hike and two challenges. You both did very well, but Evan—you did better overall. You had a strong start with the archery competition, scoring four out of five possible points. Well done.” He bowed his head to Evan and Evan answered with a nod. “Bella, you seem like a newcomer to archery. Am I right?”
“Yes.” Thanks for pointing that out, she thought.
“But with a few tips from your adversary,” he nodded to Evan again, “you did all right. Three points out of five.” He stuck a card to each set of Velcro dots—one emblazoned with a four next to Evan’s name and a three next to hers. “Your next challenge was even harder. You needed to overcome your fear of heights and use skill and accuracy to win the zip line beanbag challenge. Both of you found this somewhat difficult. Evan, again, you went after this contest with a fair bit of skill and scored your first four baskets. Bella here, however, helped you miss your fifth. That makes eight points in all for you today, Evan.” He turned to Bella. “I believe you’re scared of heights?”
“Sort of,” she said. “But not too much.”
“You got off to a shaky start,” he agreed, “but you did seem to get the hang of it. You made three shots, as well. That’s six points to you in all. So far the contest is quite close! Rest tonight. You’ve earned it. We’ll meet back here at eight tomorrow morning for day two of Can You Beat a Billionaire?”
He waited a beat and made a slicing motion with his hand. Immediately the cameras shut down and the crew backed off. Madelyn stepped forward, startling Bella, who hadn’t seen the woman arrive. She found herself glancing down at Madelyn’s feet. Nope, no stilettos this time. Madelyn wore a pair of top-grade hiking boots, however, that probably set her back several hundred dollars. Bella wished she had a pair like that.
“The crew’s campground is a quarter mile up the path,” Madelyn said in her usual clipped tones. “You are forbidden to enter it. Your campground will be observed and filmed at all times during the night, including a remotely operated camera within your tent which we will switch on once you are changed for sleeping. You will want to observe a certain amount of modesty—in other words, sleeping in the nude is out.
“Bella—Adrienne, here, will look at your ankle. We’ll get that fixed up and give you an insert for your boots that should help. The audience wants competition, not cripples. Good-night to both of you. See you bright and early tomorrow morning.” Madelyn turned, trailed as always by Ellis, who flashed them both a smile and a thumb’s-up, and headed down the path.
Bella allowed herself to be ministered to and she and Evan took turns in the tent changing into more comfortable clothes. It was still fairly early in the evening, however, and the sun remained above the horizon.
“What time do you think it will set?” she asked Evan as they lounged near the campfire. The crew had faded away down the path, except for a single cameraman and assistant.
Evan considered the sky. “Eight, eight thirty maybe?”
“I’m not sure I can stay awake that long.”
“There’s no rule says you have to.”
He was right. Except for the point where she was competing to win the money she needed to keep her business afloat, she was essentially on vacation. There was nothing more she could accomplish tonight. She leaned back and gazed upon the valley spread beneath them, with its flashing silver band of water traversing through it. Up here, it was hard to focus on her problems back in Montana. Hannah and the volunteers would have all the animals fed, exercised, and back in their pens for the night. She hoped no emergencies had cropped up, or if they had that her brother had been able to handle them.
She missed the animals—their noses butting against her hands as she wandered among them, the way they were always happy to see her, no matter what. Their native optimism.
She could use some of that. Evan was proving to be a true competitor, and if she was going to win she needed to focus all her attention on her goal.
Which meant a good night’s sleep.
“I can’t keep my eyes open anymore,” she said.
“I’ll take care of the fire and be in soon. Don’t hog all the covers.”
She repressed the anxious feeling that tightened her gut at his words. “I’ll leave a corner for you.”
She visited the bushes some yards from off the path and awkwardly washed her face and brushed her teeth with some of her drinking water. Soon she was in the still-warm tent with the sleeping bag unzipped and spread lightly over her. Despite the hardness of the ground and the earliness of the hour, her eyelids were drooping closed when Evan unzipped the tent flap and stepped inside.
Instantly, she was wide-awake again.
The tent was so small he had to crawl on his hands and knees to get inside of it. She heard him rustling around before she felt the sleeping bag lift and the warm bulk of a man slip in beside her. Every nerve ending she possessed went on high alert as he wriggled closer and spread the sleeping bag back over the two of them.
“You good?” he asked.
“Uh…yeah,” she said.
“We’re set,” he called out and she frowned when she remembered that the remaining cameraman was supposed to install a small, remote camera inside the tent. She stifled a curse as the tent flap unzipped again and a man’s hand reached in and hooked something to a fabric loop in the ceiling. That must be the camera. She glared at it for a moment before pulling the sleeping bag high around her shoulders despite the heat.
The heat that was increasing moment by moment with Evan’s bulk pressed against her.
“Do you have to be so close to me?” she snapped when she couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Where am I supposed to go?” he asked, a hint of humor—strained humor—in his voice.
“Just—don’t touch me.”
He laughed and moved half an inch away from her. “How’s that?”
“Not good enough.” She moved this time, and almost immediately came up against the fabric of the side of the tent. She wriggled back and encountered Evan again. “For God’s sake, isn’t there more room on your side?”
“Not really.” This time he sounded chagrined. “Guess we’ll just have to deal with close quarters.”
She sighed heavily but lay still and closed her eyes again. It didn’t help that the sun was barely down. Evan turned, which pressed him even closer to her. She was aware of every single place their bodies touched, even if they were modestly dressed, as Jake put it. Evan was muscle all over. For a billionaire, he was actually pretty hot. She wondered if women threw themselves at him all the time and nodded to herself; of course they did. Handsome and filthy rich? What a combination.
Did he ever wonder about people’s motives? How did he protect himself from everyone who wanted to use him for their own gain? He came across as very self-contained, and she wondered if that was merely a defense mechanism he had to use to survive.
Had he always been a billionaire? Yes—Hannah showed her an article about him that said Mortimer Innovations had been in his family for generations now, so he must have grown up knowing that he could always have exactly what he wanted.
What did he want?
The question brought a rush of heat to her body that she tried unsuccessfully to squash. More than once today she’d bee
n convinced that he wanted her. Ridiculous. He must be surrounded by beautiful women all the time. She wasn’t anything special. Cute. That’s the word people used to sum her up.
She’d always been cute, from when she was a child trying to keep up with her older brother to when she’d spent her high school years competing with girls like Lacey Taylor, who wrapped all the cowboys from the nearby ranches around her little finger.
Cute and broke.
The thought depressed her and she turned to her back. Now her shoulder was pressed against Evan’s.
“I thought you’d be asleep by now,” he said, his deep voice rumbling through her and setting her senses alight.
“I thought you’d be asleep. What’s keeping you up?”
There was a long pause and just when she thought he wasn’t going to answer at all, she felt his arm move and his fingers touched hers, under the covers. They slid between her own and he squeezed her hand.
Her breath caught in her throat and she didn’t move. His thumb traced across her palm softly once, twice—a caress so small, yet so intimate it made her tingle all over. He squeezed her hand again, then let go, and she felt the loss. His admission—for that’s what it had to be—unnerved her and set her on fire all at the same time.
She fought the urge to roll over and press herself against him, all too aware of the video camera rolling just a few feet above their bodies. Besides, he was her enemy—her opponent. His goal was to force her to marry him and to tie up her time for a whole year, while she lost everything that really mattered to her.
Still, his nearness was a powerful aphrodisiac, especially to a woman who hadn’t seen any action since…well, since the last president was in office.
Close your eyes and go to sleep. Don’t even think about him, she told herself. Easy to say. Harder to do when Evan announced his presence with every breath he took. He was obviously still awake, too. Was he thinking about her?