Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) (6 page)

Ryan glared at Dorothy but did as she asked. Sophie poked her head out of the office door and watched him stomp through the living room and out the French doors overlooking the lake.

Dorothy looked down the hallway.

Sophie disappeared into the office.

“Don’t run away too quickly,” Dorothy said cheerfully. “I’ve got an idea.”

Sophie didn’t know what brainwave had hit Dorothy, but she didn’t want to be part of it. It was bad enough that Ryan’s home had been taken over by Dorothy’s team of stylists. It would be even worse if they started looking in her direction.

The click of Dorothy’s heels stopped outside the office door. Sophie kept her head bowed over the keyboard, ignoring the woman looking at her.

“How much has Ryan told you about the mess he’s in?”

Sophie stopped typing. She thought back over all of the conversations she’d had with him. He’d never once said that he was in trouble. She made the fatal mistake of looking at Dorothy.

“He hasn’t told you anything, has he?”

Sophie shook her head. “I don’t feel comfortable talking about Ryan’s life behind his back.”

“How refreshing.”

Sophie wasn’t sure whether or not Dorothy meant that as a compliment. She went back to typing the email she’d started a few minutes ago.

Dorothy walked into the room and sat in a chair opposite Sophie. Out of the corner of her eye, Sophie watched her straighten her shoulders and cross her legs.

“You know, some women would crawl over hot stones to be sitting where you are. Ryan Evans is the biggest country music superstar of the decade. He’s had more number one songs than most musicians see in a lifetime.”

Sophie kept typing. She finished the email she was writing, checked that she’d included everything that needed to be in it, and clicked Send.

When Dorothy didn’t move, she opened a new document. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she typed the elements in the periodic table and their major physical properties. She hoped she looked too busy to stop and chat about Ryan’s life.

“It wouldn’t be a bad thing, you know, being associated with a billionaire. There are worst fates in the world.”

Sophie’s fingers slipped off the keyboard. She had no idea that Ryan was a billionaire. Apart from his house, he didn’t act or dress any differently from anyone else she knew. But billionaire or not, she wasn’t getting sucked into Dorothy’s plans.

She focused on where she was up to and started typing. “I’m not interested.”

“Really? I would have thought a woman who turns up unexpectedly at a billionaire’s home would have an ulterior motive lurking somewhere.” Dorothy’s mouth curled at the edges. “But I could be wrong. It doesn’t happen often, but I’m willing to adjust my thinking if you answer one question.”

Sophie looked up. “I don’t have to answer any of your questions. I came here because I needed a job. I’m working in the office because Ryan asked me to organize his paperwork. I help Danny and Jamie when they need an extra pair of hands. There aren’t any mysterious circumstances around me being here.”

“Goodness, that’s the most I’ve heard you say since I arrived.” Dorothy leaned forward and gazed at Sophie with knowing blue eyes. “There’s always a mystery when someone turns up unexpectedly at a stranger’s home. And believe me, I’m good at unraveling mysteries.”

Dorothy stood and straightened her jacket. “Be warned, Miss. Elliott, I don’t like my clients being played for a fool. Ryan’s ex-wife is focused on destroying his career. Nothing will get in the way of me making sure that doesn’t happen.”

Sophie’s heart pounded in her chest. She hadn’t heard Ryan tell Dorothy her full name. “How did you know my last name?”

Dorothy smiled. “If I need to know something, I have enough resources to get answers very quickly. At times like this, I need to know everything about what’s happening in Ryan’s life. And you, Miss. Elliott, are a new addition I hadn’t expected. I’m sure we’ll talk again soon.” Dorothy left the office in a swirl of expensive perfume.

Sophie took a deep breath and tried to relax. If Dorothy had found out who she was, then someone else could easily do the same thing.

It was time to think about leaving.

CHAPTER THREE

Ryan followed Manuel’s instructions. He knew from past experience that the photo shoot would be over a lot quicker if he simply did as he was told. Dorothy’s three stylists were on hand throughout the whole fiasco, making sure everything suited the story Dorothy would be blasting across the entertainment world.

After half an hour of standing in the middle of his backyard, Danny came outside to watch what was going on.

“Haven’t you got work to do?” Ryan asked him as Manuel checked his light meter.

“I’ve finished for the day. I thought I’d come out here and see how a star is made.”

“Or destroyed,” Ryan muttered. He looked over Danny’s shoulder and winced. Sophie was walking toward them. “Can’t you find something for Sophie to do?”

“She’s finished for the day, too. Are you worried about her seeing a little makeup on your face?”

“It’s not makeup. It’s moisturizer.”

Manuel looked at the sky and angled Ryan’s shoulders a few degrees to the right. “Another couple of photos and we’ll be done here.”

“You mean there’s more?”

Manuel raised his camera. “Look into the distance. Relax your face. That’s it, hold that look.”

The shutter on the camera clicked continuously. Ryan tried to clear his mind, but he was too concerned about what Sophie would say when she saw him.

Manuel moved the camera from in front of his face and sighed. “This was never going to be easy. Let’s get ready for the interior shots.”

A flurry of activity erupted around them. Dorothy’s makeup people headed toward the house with their oversized bags bumping against their bodies.

Sophie looked from Manuel to Ryan. From the look on Sophie’s face, Ryan knew that something had happened.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Sophie waited until the last stylist had walked away. “I want to let you know that I’ve enjoyed working with you. I’m sorry that I can’t give you more notice, but I need to leave.”

“Why?”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. I came to Montana to get away from some people who could hurt my family and me. Dorothy saw me a few minutes ago. She knew my last name. Apart from you, the only other person who knows my last name is Tess, the owner of Angel Wings Café.”

“I probably told Dorothy your name when I was talking about you. What’s so wrong about her knowing your name?”

Sophie looked uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that Ryan started to get worried. “What have you done?”

“I can’t tell you anything in case someone comes looking for me.”

Ryan put his hand on her arm and guided her around the side of his house. “Why would they do that?”

“I discovered something important. There are people who don’t want that information being shared. If they find me, I could be in trouble.”

Dorothy’s voice filled the early evening ear. “Ryan? Are you out here?”

He looked down at Sophie. “We won’t be too much longer. Promise me you’ll stay until Dorothy has finished.”

“Ryan?” Dorothy rounded the corner of the house. “There you are.” She looked surprised to see Sophie standing beside him. “Manuel is ready for the next set of photos. You need to get changed into different clothes.”

He looked down at Sophie.

She sighed. “I’ll stay.”

Ryan didn’t know what was going on, but it didn’t sound good. Sophie’s life sounded every bit as complicated as his, except his troubles were centered around his ex-wife. If Sophie needed help, she had to trust him enough to tell him what was going on.

But that meant staying in one place for long enough to get help. Whether Sophie wanted his help was another issue entirely.

***

Sophie dipped her paintbrush into a can of paint, careful not to load too much onto its bristles. For the first part of Ryan’s indoor photo shoot, she’d sat quietly at the side of the living room. She’d watched him bang nails into wood, use an electric drill to screw the drywall into place, and lean against the window looking toward the mountains.

She didn’t know how he’d managed to look so focused when everyone else seemed to be in a state of panic. Dorothy had circled the room, looking for anything out of place. Her team of stylists made sure the plaid shirt and old jeans they’d chosen worked well in each photo. With a tool belt strapped around his hips and a hammer in his hands, he looked like your average builder.

Except there was nothing average about Ryan Evans.

According to Sophie’s extensive Internet research, he was one of the most eligible bachelors in America. After spending time with him, she could see why most women thought he was a catch. As well as having melt-your-heart brown eyes, he was tall, dark, and way too handsome.

But that hadn’t been enough for his publicist. As Dorothy had put it, half the men she knew had more brawn than brains. She wanted to capture the elusive qualities that his ex-wife said were in short supply. And at the top of the list were sincerity and honesty.

Ryan didn’t have to work hard to give Dorothy what she wanted. It was there, in the way he looked, in each movement he made.

Fifteen minutes of watching the photo shoot was enough for Sophie. She had more important things to do. Things that could make a difference to a whole lot of people’s lives.

If she hadn’t promised to talk with him, to explain her odd behavior, she would have left. So she did the next best thing. With a clean paintbrush in her hand, she’d gone upstairs and painted a doorframe.

She could hear Manuel asking Ryan to move, to turn his head a little to the left, to lean his shoulder slightly forward.

A collective sigh rippled through the house when the photo shoot was over.

Within half an hour, Dorothy and her team had packed their equipment away and left. Sophie didn’t think it would be the last time they visited, but at least she wouldn’t be here when it happened again.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the landing. She looked around the edge of the doorframe and saw Ryan.

“Everyone’s gone. You can come downstairs if you want to.”

“I’ll be two minutes.” Sophie caught a dribble of paint as it ran down the wood. “If I don’t get this frame completely finished, Jamie will want it sanded and repainted.”

Ryan nodded but didn’t say anything.

She needed to fill the silence with words. Her mind was working overtime, worrying about what she’d say to him, what his reaction would be. She still didn’t know how much she could tell him without putting him in danger. “Was Dorothy happy with the photos?”

“As happy as Dorothy could ever be. She’ll look at the photos tonight with Manuel. In the next few hours she’ll send the ones she likes to all of her contacts. By tomorrow morning, I’ll be making headlines around the world.”

Sophie glanced at him. “Dorothy told me you’re a billionaire.”

“Dorothy talks too much.” Ryan walked across the room and picked up a drop cloth they’d left beside the window.

“She thought I’d deliberately come out here because of who you are. She didn’t believe me when I told her I was here because I needed a job.”

“Dorothy has a hard time trusting people.”

Sophie put more paint on her brush. “I want you to know that I didn’t have any idea about who you were. I’m not interested in your money or anything else.” She could feel Ryan’s gaze on her back. She glanced over her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Most people want to be my best friend when they find out how much money I’ve got. What makes you different?”

Sophie thought about his question. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’ve always thought of money as something that gives you a roof over your head and something to eat.” She looked around the room and smiled. “Your house just happens to have a huge roof. Your cheese and tomato sandwiches aren’t too bad, either.”

Ryan’s face relaxed, but he still looked worried. “Some days I feel as though I’m getting too old for the media circus that follows me. Today’s photo shoot was part of Dorothy’s plan to protect my reputation. She’s already got stage two and three worked out.”

Sophie finished painting the last piece of wood. “She must be good at what she does. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have employed her to help you.”

“Most of the time I enjoy working with her. The fact that I
need
to work with her annoys me. I’m a musician. The only thing I’ve ever wanted to do was write songs and sing. One day I’m going to step away from everything and live a normal life. But until that happens, what you saw today is a small price to pay. Are you going to tell me why you don’t want anyone knowing your last name?”

“It could be dangerous.” She put the lid on her can of paint and looked at the brush. “I need to wash this out.”

Ryan waved his hand toward the door and followed her silently down the stairs.