Killing the engine, Skylar inhaled deeply. She took her time getting out and leashing Talia, mentally rehearsing her cover story for perhaps the tenth time.
Talia happily began investigating a host of interesting smells. Then, raising her head, she looked past Skylar and let out a single woof as a warning.
Registering the sound of footsteps behind her, Skylar took a deep breath. Showtime. Steeling herself, she slowly turned. Despite her hours of preparation, her first glimpse of him brought her a jolt.
As expected, he was tall, dark and boldly’devilishly’handsome. This she already knew from the photos she’d pored over. Muscular, fit and tanned. Check.
But she hadn’t been prepared for the blatant masculinity radiating from every inch of Matt Landeta’s body. Or the restless energy laced with power exuding from him as he strode toward her. The mere fact that he’d shaken her out of her inertia enough to even register such a thing shocked her.
Though she’d sort of decided to go with overawed girlishness, her defenses immediately came up. She straightened her shoulders and became an ice maiden instead.
Talia, however, had no such reservations. She greeted Matt with the same affectionate joy she bestowed on everyone. Plumed tail wagging, her entire body wiggled as he petted her.
“Nice dog. You must be Skylar,” he drawled, straightening and holding out a tanned hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
When Skylar took it, she noted the calluses, so at odds with the elegance of his long fingers. As she met his gaze, she couldn’t help but study him, her law- enforcement-trained eyes missing nothing.
He carried himself with an air of self-confidence. Though he was virile and masculine, genuine pleasure softened his stubborn, arrogant face, as if he were actually glad to see her. Despite the perfection of his granitelike features, there were touches of humor around his eyes, and his generous mouth appeared as though he were always on the verge of smiling.
Interesting. Did he truly enjoy his work so much?
“I hope you don’t mind my bringing her,” she said, really not caring what he thought. “She’s well trained and usually accompanies me on assignments. I promise she won’t be any trouble.”
“I don’t mind.” He glanced around. “I’m sure we’ll all become great friends while you’re here.”
His hair, exactly like the pictures she’d studied, was thick and black, tapering neatly to his collar. The shadow of a beard gave him an even more masculine appearance.
Damn. She shivered.
“Are you all right?” Pausing in the act of scratching behind Talia’s ears, he peered up at her with a concerned expression.
Somehow, she found her voice. “I’m fine.” Attempting a smile, she tried to figure out how in real life a person could look completely different than photographs. Hell, she was a photographer herself and knew there’d be minor incongruities, but this...this was unreal.
Despite his surface air of approachability, Matt Landeta looked tough, lean and sinewy. She could sense the danger lurking right underneath his innocuous appearance, like a wild animal biding time until it struck viciously.
Fitting, considering he was allegedly a criminal.
But worse, at least to her, despite everything she’d made herself into, she somehow found him as sexy as hell. Which felt as if she was committing the worst kind of betrayal. She felt this knowledge like the sharp stab of a knife.
Ruthlessly, she pushed all emotions away. All that was for another place, another time. Not now. She had a job to do. Luckily she’d developed nerves of steel. Keeping her expression friendly, she continued to let her gaze roam over him, exactly as any other red-blooded woman would.
“Wow,” she drawled. “You don’t look like any horse breeder I’ve ever met.”
He grinned back, the beauty in his smile making it difficult for her to keep up the flirtatious act. In fact, the longer she studied him, the more unsettled she became. Rather than making her uncomfortable, this pissed her off. Seriously.
Not good. Not good at all. Her job depended on her getting to know this man, but she couldn’t allow personal feelings to factor in.
“And you don’t look like any journalist I’ve ever met, pretty lady.” Cocking his head, eyes molten, he gazed at her as if she were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her fake smile froze on her face. Again, she had to suppress a surge of anger, which threw her off her game.
His gaze sharpened at her lack of response and he leaned closer, bringing with him the scent of coffee and the outdoors.
“Who knew Today’s Arabian Horse magazine hired such gorgeous journalists?” Even his voice, deep and as rich as chocolate, stirred unwanted desires inside her, despite the blatant B.S. he was spouting.
Damn. Somehow she managed to smile back, at the same time tugging her hand free. She decided to ignore the fact that he’d held her hand a bit longer than was normal, especially since he was well-known as a player.
She blushed on purpose as his gaze swept over her, growing more confident as she regained her focus. After all, she had years of field experience behind her. She wouldn’t falter just because this one guy had movie-star good looks and sinful bedroom eyes.
She could do this. She would do this. Nothing would destroy her 100 percent success rate. Just like with all the others, she’d get to the truth. Eventually.
After all, she could refocus. Glancing down at her dog, her son’s dog, who had taken a seat on Matt’s foot and had her eyes closed in bliss while he petted her, Skylar simply remembered the life she’d lost, and boom, she was back on track.
With that sobering thought, she straightened her spine, looked him in the eye, and let her smile widen. “Looks like you’ve got a fan there,” she said, gesturing at Talia. “I hope she isn’t bothering you.”
He shrugged, apparently not in the least bothered. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a dog person.”
She nodded. “I’m glad. Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity,” she said, managing to sound just on the edge of gushing. To distract herself, she reached down and scratched Talia just below the collar, which was her favorite spot.
A comfortable silence fell. When she finally looked up, she was surprised to find something hungry, something sharp, in his warm gaze. Perfect. As soon as she noticed, his expression changed, becoming the amused, flirtatious one from before. Ah, so she wasn’t the only one playing a role.
Interesting.
“Let me show you where you’ll be staying,” he said, the resonance of his voice still trying to pull her out of her nice, safe numbness. “Are your bags in your car?”
“Nope. Just Talia’s food and bed.” She hefted her backpack. “I travel light.”
His warm smile told her he approved. Reaching in for the dog bed and the sack of dry food, he snagged both and then straightened.
“Follow me.” Turning, he strode off, apparently trusting she could keep up. For a moment, she caught herself admiring the view’well-worn Wrangler jeans and what had to be the perfect male butt’before collecting herself and hurrying after him, Talia happily trotting along at her side.
He led her to a small camper parked under a towering tree. Surprised, she looked around. “A bit isolated, isn’t it?” she said, aware most women would be a bit apprehensive staying alone.
“No worries.” Placing a casual hand on her shoulder, he lightly squeezed. His touch felt hot, even through the thin material of her T-shirt. “This camper is where my foreman’s wife stayed while they were separated. They got back together, so now this is where I put temporary ranch hands and