The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret by Karen Whiddon Read Free Book Online

José didn’t sound convinced. “He’s the one who’s been carrying messages back and forth between us and Diego Rodriguez.”
    Matt swore. “If he’s been caught, we’ll have to start all over.”
    “True.” Looking glum, José turned away. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find out something.”
    “Please do that.”
    After José left, Matt continued staring down at the little camper trailer where he’d put Skylar. The approaching sunset bathed the sky in a rosy-orange glow.
    A moment later, the door opened and the black-and-white dog bounded out, nearly pulling Skylar after.
    He noted she’d changed not only her high-heeled shoes, but she’d exchanged the dress for a pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt. Even from this distance, she still looked hauntingly lovely. Every nerve ending in his body came alive as he watched her.
    Weird. While he wasn’t sure why he reacted so strongly to her, the fact that he did intrigued him enough to make him want to explore the connection more deeply.
    In the pasture, Skylar raised her arm and threw a red ball. Her dog joyously bounded after it, returning a moment later to drop it at Skylar’s feet.
    Matt grinned. There was nothing on earth like the happiness of a dog with one of its favorite toys. And when Skylar laughed, the musical sound carrying on the light breeze, he realized her uncomplicated joy equaled that of her pet’s.
    Taking another drink of wine, he debated joining her. He liked dogs, and even though he hadn’t allowed himself another one since his beloved Rottweiler was killed in the massacre, he wasn’t averse to spending time with hers.
    He frowned. Usually he wasn’t in the habit of lying to himself. He’d enjoy the dog, true. But it was the woman who fascinated him. It wasn’t her beauty—hell, ever since he’d won the lottery and become a multimillionaire, he had his pick of gorgeous women.
    Maybe, he mused, it could very well be the challenge of getting past her defenses that drew him to her. Either way, it had been a long time since he’d been attracted to any woman for any reason other than the occasional consensual sexual encounter.
    Before he had time to reconsider, he moved across the patio and headed down the sloping lawn toward her.
    The dog—Talia, he remembered—saw him first and came bounding across the grass to greet him. With one joyous bark and a series of acrobatic spins, the black-and-white fur ball launched into an elaborate greeting. He could swear the border collie wore a silly canine grin the entire time.
    Skylar not so much. Expression wary, she eyed him with the same enthusiasm one might give a rattlesnake coiled in the grass. Her earlier carefree expression had been replaced by guarded curiosity.
    Though he felt a twinge of remorse, he pretended not to notice.
    “Mind if I join you?” he asked, aware she most probably did.
    “No problem,” she replied, her smooth voice and pleasant expression giving away the lie, though he doubted she realized how transparent she was.
    Though he’d originally intended to discuss his horses, giving credence to his pretense of believing her cover story, as he watched her with her dog, he chose silence instead.
    After she realized he didn’t intend to chat, she went back to playing with her pet, though she never completely relaxed.
    Watching her, he tried to analyze why Skylar continued to fascinate him. She was pretty, though not his type. As a rule, he favored tall, leggy blondes rather than curvy redheads. Even ones who exuded an unconscious sex appeal, as she did.
    No, he decided, it wasn’t just physical. It had to be her inner vulnerability that fascinated him. He’d noticed the shattered expression flash across her face as she took in his home, his life. He’d seen the pain—from what?—that she’d tried so earnestly to hide.
    In that, they were very much alike. He, too, had known his share of pain, of loss. He couldn’t help but wonder what life events had wounded her. She