was still no sign of Reed.
The front desk had refused to give out his room number, and she didn’t want to call him, for fear he’d refuse to see her. She’d chosen a table in a back corner where she could watch both the restaurant and the front desk across the lobby without being easily seen.
She figured her last hope was to get him to come back to Lyndon Valley right away. If she did it quickly, there was a chance Caleb would still be there. If not, she was certain he’d finish packing and leave for Sao Paulo, sale or no sale. But if she could make it in time, Caleb, the stubborn fool, would be forced to have a conversation with his brother.
Just as Mandy was ordering her third cup of coffee, her patience was rewarded. She caught a glimpse of Reed’s profile, his tall, sturdy frame, striding across the lobby toward the bank of elevators. Quickly canceling her order, she tossed some money on the table and jumped up, grabbing her shoulder bag and slinging it over her blazer.
She trotted out of the restaurant, determined to catch him. A few feet away, she called out his name.
He turned and stared at her in obvious shock.
“Mandy?” He glanced around the expansive lobby. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for you.” She immediately hugged him, and he hugged her back. But her joy at finding him turned almost instantly to frustration. Drawing back, she socked him in the shoulder. “What is the matter with you?”
“Me? I’m not the one who appeared out of nowhere.”
“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”
A couple of guests gave them curious glances as they walked past, causing Reed to take Mandy’s arm and lead her toward a glass door that led to the hotel courtyard.
“Why would you worry?” he asked. “What are you doing in Helena? How on earth did you know I was here?”
They made it outside to the relative privacy of an interior courtyard with a table-dotted patio, a manicured, green lawn, towering trees and colorful, raised brick gardens.
“I didn’t know if you’d been kidnapped, shanghaied, injured, arrested or mugged.”
“Kidnapped? You’ve got to be kidding me. Like somebody’s going to hold me for ransom.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m fine. Nobody’s going to mug me, Mandy. At night, on the darkened streets?
“I can’t believe you didn’t call me.”
“I can’t believe you were worried.”
“Why didn’t you at least send me a text?”
“Because I didn’t want anyone to know where I was.”
She jabbed her thumb against her chest, voice going up. “
“You’d have told your brothers.”
“I would not.”
He gave her a look of disbelief.
Okay, maybe she would have, if they’d asked. She wasn’t the world’s best liar.
He glanced around the courtyard. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Sure,” she agreed, taking a deep breath. She’d found him. Whatever else happened, at least she’d found him.
He guided her to one of the small tables, pulling out her chair before taking the seat across from her. “You shouldn’t have come.”
Okay. Now was the time to tread carefully. She had to make Reed want to come back to the ranch and be willing to speak to Caleb. Otherwise, she’d never get him to budge.
She struggled with where to start.
“Mandy?” he prompted.
“Why Helena?” she asked, giving him a smile, intending to ease her way in, telling herself to relax and act as though everything was normal.
“Besides the fishing? It’s good ranch country, Mandy. I’ve had a job offer here.”
“Of course you’ve had a job offer. You could probably have a thousand job offers if you wanted them.”
He allowed himself a smile. “You’re such an optimist.”
“I am,” she agreed. “And I have faith in you. You’re an amazing person, Reed, a phenomenal person-”
“You know, don’t you?”
She played dumb. “Know what?”
“About the will.” He waited.
“Fine,” she conceded. “I know about the will.”
“How?”
She straightened in her chair, leaning over the round metal-framed, glass-topped table. “Can I start by saying I understand that you’re upset.”
“You can if you want. But that doesn’t tell me anything. And it only puts off whatever it is you’re dancing around here.”
“It was a mistake to leave, Reed.”
He scoffed out a laugh.
“You don’t understand what’s going-”
“How do you know about the will?”
“I want you to come back.”
“You do, do you?”
“I do.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking.”
She reached across the table for his big hand. “I know exactly what I’m asking. If you’ll just-”
“How did you find out about the will, Mandy?”
She closed her eyes for a brief second. “Fine. Caleb told me.”
Reed gave a snort of derision, pulling his hand back. “Didn’t take him long.”
“Didn’t take me long at all,” came another deep, masculine voice.
Mandy’s heart all but stopped.
She turned her head. “Caleb,” she breathed.
“Was this stunt part of some grand plan?” he asked her, not even acknowledging his brother.
Reed came to his feet.
“I found Reed,” she stated the unnecessary. “That’s what I wanted to tell you-”
“You hoped I’d follow you?” Caleb demanded.
She was confused by his statement. “Follow-”
He gave a cold laugh. “Of course you knew I’d follow you. How could I not follow you?”
“What?” she couldn’t help asking, giving a small shake of her head. If she’d wanted him to follow her, she’d have told him where she was going.
“That’s what this was all about, all along.” His blue gaze crackled into hers. “You realized you couldn’t get me to talk to him by being honest.”
What? No. Wait a minute.
Reed stepped forward. “Nobody invited you to join us.”
Mandy whirled her gaze. “Reed, no. Let him explain.”
Caleb sized up his brother. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
Reed’s voice was stone cold. “Somebody stole my ranch.”
“You didn’t stay to defend it.”
“Right. Like I’m going to hang around under those circumstances.”
“You hung in there with Wilton.”
Reed clenched his jaw down tight, and the edges of his mouth turned white. “Shut up.”
“I don’t think I will.”
Mandy was starting to panic. She stepped between the two angry men. “Reed. Listen to me. He’s giving it
