“Do you have any idea why she left?” he found himself asking.

“Only Amber knows the answer to that.” Hargrove shook his head in disgust. “Forget that the wedding dress arrived from Paris this week, that the caterer’s put the Kobe beef on hold, that the florist has a Holland order in limbo and that the press has been commenting on Amber’s absence. We have fifty people arriving for the wedding shower on Saturday. Her mother’s frantic with worry.”

Royce swallowed, considering for the first time the destruction Amber had left in her wake.

Hargrove’s dark eyes glittered. “I can’t wait to sit her down and ask a few questions.”

“Did you think about canceling everything?” Royce ventured. If it was him, and the bride went AWOL, as Amber had, Royce couldn’t see himself waiting around.

“Are you married, Mr. Ryder?”

Royce shook his head.

“Ever been in love?”

“Nope.”

“Well, once you get there, you’ll find yourself making allowances for the most inappropriate behavior.”

“So, you’d take her back?”

“You don’t throw this away over some prewedding jitters. Our plans have been in the works for four years. Our relationship is built on mutual goals and respect. And the foundation of my entire campaign has been built around the fresh faces of Mr. and Mrs. Hargrove Alston. If we’re lucky, she’ll be pregnant by the primaries.”

It sounded a little cold-blooded to Royce. But it also sounded as though Amber was fundamentally entwined in Hargrove’s life. And he hadn’t considered the situation from Hargrove’s perspective.

Amber herself had admitted he was a decent guy. He wasn’t malicious or abusive. He simply wasn’t as exciting as she’d hoped.

Well, hell, honey, it had been four years. When you were in it for the long haul, the thrill of romance eventually turned into the routine of everyday life.

“There’s no way you end something like this on a whim,” Hargrove finished, and Royce couldn’t deny the man’s point.

Relationships took work. They took patience and commitment. They didn’t need third party interference. An honorable man would have walked away the minute he saw her diamond ring.

And what the hell had Royce expected? Amber wouldn’t stick with him any more than she’d stuck with Hargrove. In the end, he would have been left with nothing but a broken heart and the knowledge he’d destroyed another man’s life.

Another engine sounded on the driveway. Before the blue pickup even crested the hill, Royce knew exactly who had arrived.

Ten

“You didn’t,” Amber rasped to Katie as the truck rocked to a stop behind Hargrove’s car, and the dust cleared around them.

“I really didn’t,” Katie responded, her face pale.

“Did you talk to him last night?”

“Just about business.”

“Did you tell him we were together?” Amber squinted at Hargrove, then at Royce, trying to interpret their posture.

Katie clutched the dashboard. “I hinted we were in Chicago.”

“He knew I wasn’t in Chicago. He must have tracked you here.”

“Damn it,” Katie cursed.

“You go talk to him,” said Amber.

“No way.”

“You’re the one who slept with him. Maybe he’s here for you.”

Katie frantically shook her head. “Neither of us have even mentioned it. He’s here for you.”

“He doesn’t want me.”

But Hargrove’s accusatory gaze was focused directly on Amber.

“I don’t think he knows that,” Katie offered.

This time Amber swore between clenched teeth. She grabbed the gearshift, setting up to pull it into Reverse. “I say we run for it.”

“I don’t think that’s an option,” Katie ventured, her gaze tracking Royce as he paced toward the truck.

He looked angry.

Had Hargrove been rude?

Royce reached for the handle and swung open her door. “There’s somebody here to see you.”

“I’m sorry, Royce. I didn’t expect-”

“You knew he’d come,” said Royce, hand gripping the top of the door frame. “I knew he’d come.”

Amber had fervently hoped he wouldn’t. She glanced at Katie, who sat completely still, eyes front. No help there. Finally, she took a breath and pulled the key from the ignition.

Royce stepped back out of the way, as Hargrove marched up.

“Montana?” Hargrove accused. “Honestly, Amber, could you make things any more difficult?”

Royce backed off farther, and she knew he was leaving.

“Royce, don’t-”

But he shook his head, sliding his eyes meaningfully toward Hargrove.

And he was right. They might as well get this conversation over with.

“We need to talk,” rasped Hargrove, moving in too close and pushing the truck door closed.

“There’s not a lot left to say,” she responded, pushing her windblown hair behind her ears and gathering her courage as Royce left.

It was hard for her to imagine what came after you slept with the bridesmaid, and I fell for someone else.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused?” Hargrove growled. “We’ve got a thousand people working on the wedding. Nobody knows whether to stop, go, or hold.”

“I already told you. They can stop.”

“You can’t just shut this down on a dime, Amber. We had plans. There’s the campaign, the press.”

“I’m not marrying you to get good press, Hargrove.”

He held up his hands in frustration. “This isn’t a one-shot article, Amber. We’re talking about my entire political career.”

“Yours won’t be the first high-profile wedding that was canceled.”

“And do you know what happened to the others?”

“I don’t care what happened to the others. I don’t love you, Hargrove. And you don’t love me.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Then why did you sleep with Katie?”

His jaw went taut. “That was a mistake.”

“Excuse me?” Katie squeaked from beyond the open window, reminding them both of her presence.

Hargrove’s nostrils flared.

“A mistake?” Amber scoffed. “What? Did you trip and accidentally tear off the wedding dress?”

“I don’t know what she told you.”

“I’m right here,” Katie pointed out, exiting the truck and slamming the passenger door for emphasis.

“She said you were wild with passion.”

“That’s ridiculous.” But a flush rose up his neck.

“You never tore off my dress,” said Amber.

“That was out of respect.”

Amber shook her head at Hargrove. “It was out of disinterest. Admit it.”

“I’m not here to fight with you.”

“That’s good,” said Amber as she dared a glance to where Katie was glaring daggers at him. “Because I think I’d have to take a number.”

Hargrove glanced at Katie. “Can you give us some privacy.”

“No.” She stood her ground.

“This isn’t about you.”

“The hell it isn’t.”

“I’m going to give you two some privacy,” said Amber.

Hargrove quickly reached for her arm. “Amber-”

“It’s over, Hargrove.” She backed out of his reach. “I’m truly sorry about the press and the campaign, but I can’t marry you.”

“Amber!” He looked genuinely fearful. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re doing to yourself. Talk to Katie.”

“This isn’t about Katie.”

“It should be.” Amber backed up a few more steps. “Don’t screw this up, Hargrove,” she warned.

Then she turned away, scanning the yard and finding Royce in a round pen, doing groundwork with a black horse.

Heart still pounding, stomach still cramped, she made her way to the rail and leaned over to watch.

Royce shifted his arms, and the horse sped up. Then he slowed it down, turned it and had it trotting in the opposite direction. It was near poetry, and the tension leached out of her body.

Several minutes later, he approached the animal. He stroked its neck, clipping a lead rope to its bridle then tying it to a rail. He walked through the soft dirt toward Amber.

He braced his hands on the opposite side of the fence. “You here to say goodbye?”

She drew back in surprise. “No.”

He nodded toward Hargrove. “He came a long way.”

“I told you, I’m not marrying him.”

“Why not?”

Amber peered at Royce in confusion. “What do you mean why not?” She leaned forward. “I’ve just spent the last week with you.”

He shrugged. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

She opened her mouth, struggling to form words.

“I’m new, Amber.” He stripped off a pair of leather gloves. “I seem interesting and exciting. You’re on vacation, having a fling.”

Amber’s fingertips went to her temple. “A fling?”

He calmly tucked the gloves under his arm and adjusted his Stetson. “Hargrove is willing to take you back. You should seriously consider his offer.”

Her frustration was turning to anger. “You said anybody who told me that was short-sighted and stupid.”

“Guess I was wrong.”

She shook her head, but he stayed stubbornly silent.

She clenched her jaw, then enunciated her words slowly and carefully. “I do not love Hargrove.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“I absolutely know that for sure. Because I love you, Royce.”

The words went unanswered. But she wasn’t sorry. This was no fling. He was falling for her, too. She’d bet her life on it.

No one had ever treated her the way Royce did. He was compassionate, attentive and so very sexy. And she was positive he didn’t open up with many other people the way he’d opened up with her. He’d flat out told her nobody else knew about his father. And their lovemaking was off the charts.

He scoffed out a laugh. “You don’t love me.”

She smacked her hand on the rail in frustration. “What is the matter with you? Are you afraid of Hargrove?”