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“Yes. They don’t go out with me or anything, especially when I’m home, but they’re on duty at the ranch.” He rubs his fingers over his forehead, and I instinctively reach out for his hand. He laces our fingers together. “Sometimes, people suck. Either I make them mad, or they’re jealous or just assholes, and they like to make threats. So, I keep the guys on hand, just in case. We’ve had a couple of false alarms, nothing crazy here.”
“Nothing crazy here,” I repeat, watching him closely. “Where has it been crazy, Ryan?”
“I don’t want to scare you off on the first date.”
I grin at him and lift his hand so I can press it to my cheek. “I’m not scared.”
“Yet,” he mutters. “Well, there was one attempt to get into my place in Manhattan. They would have succeeded if not for excellent security in the building, and since he was carrying zip ties, duct tape, chloroform, and a gun in his backpack, we’re pretty sure the intent was to kidnap me and demand a payout.”
“Jesus.” Just the thought of it has my stomach turning. “That’s horrible.”
“It’s rare. I’m not as high profile as Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, and the like. I’m not as wealthy as them, either. Yet.”
His grin is cocky and sure of himself, and it makes me smile.
“But you will be,” I guess.
“I don’t need that much wealth,” he concedes, “but that’s not what it’s about for me. Anyway, back to the security thing… I’m careful because although I’m not as high profile as those guys, there is a level of celebrity status that comes with what I do. People want a piece of it, and they’re willing to go to extremes to take it. And some people just hate me for the sake of hating me. I don’t really care about that.”
“Haters are gonna hate,” I reply with a shrug. “I’m glad that you take precautions. But I’m not you. I’m just a small business owner in small-town Montana.”
“You’re not just anything,” he says, and with his free hand, drags his fingertips down my jawline. He does that a lot, and it always sends goose bumps down my arms. “I did have one major incident happen around the holidays last year. Actually, it had been going on for a while but came to a head around the holidays. Anyway, I know this is just the first date, but I already know that I don’t want it to be the last, and I thought you should be aware. I’ll always keep you safe.”
“I know.” I want to know more about the major incident and decide to ask him about it over dinner. I smile at him, and my stomach growls. “Thanks for sharing that with me. Now, I’m hungry, Mr. Wild.”
His smile lights up the whole truck, and he starts the engine and drives us toward the ski resort.
“We’re going to Soleil Grill at the resort,” he says. “Have you been?”
“Not in a long time, but I love French food. We have most of our Iconic Women’s Collective meetings at Snow Ghost, the bar up there. It’s so beautiful. I know that a lot of locals hated when it was all built, but I think it’s gorgeous.”
“I do, too,” he replies. “I’d like to hear more about your collective.”
I grin over at him. “It’s one of my favorite subjects.”
“Over dinner, then.”
He parks the truck under the portico, and a young man rushes over to take the key fob from Ryan and passes him a ticket for the valet.
Once inside, we’re escorted to a private table with a view of the mountains that never fails to take my breath away.
“You know, I was born here,” I say, ignoring my menu altogether, “but the view never gets old.”
He follows my gaze and nods. “I agree. There’s nowhere like it in the world.”
The waitress arrives with a smile and fills our water glasses. “Hi, I’m Hillary, and I’ll be your server this evening. What would you like to drink? We have some excellent wines available.”
Ryan looks at me and raises his eyebrow. “Do you mind if I order the wine?”
“Please do.”
“We’d like the LaTour 2010 Merlot, please.”
She nods, writing it down. “Excellent choice. Do you need time with the menu, or would you like to order an appetizer? I highly recommend the puff pastry wreath with brie.”
“Oh, that sounds really good.” I grin at her. “Of course, it’s cheese, so you’re speaking my language.”
“I agree,” Ryan says. “Let’s do that, and we’ll check out the rest of the menu.”
