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returned from lunch. Every work day since then there d been another one.
Sometimes after lunch. Sometimes waiting for her in the morning.
Just a single lily, petals like white velvet rising from the long, jade green stem.
Its perfect beauty was a counterpoint to the desk littered with cutting horse
magazines and feed reports.
Each time the flower arrived, her heart stuttered and a knot of anticipation
lodged in her throat. Maybe this would be the day he d speak, make his feelings
known.
But he never said a word, nor gave any indication that the gifts were from him.
He was a hard cowboy, not given to romantic gestures or softness of any kind, so it
made the possibility that he d made these gestures that much more special.
Now, today, finally there d been a note, printed on stiff paper, propped up
against the stem of the flower.
Come join me on the ride of your life, if you dare. I ll give you a night you ll
never forget. A car will call for you at nine o clock. If you accept this invitation,
please take the package the driver will have with him and follow the instructions
inside.
That was it. Nothing else.
And the lily. Her special flower.
She d been in a tizzy of indecision all day, deciding whether to accept the
invitation. Was the invitation from him? Was he finally making a move? God
knows she d wished for it long enough, for a sign from this cowboy who made her
heart do somersaults but hid behind an invisible wall.
She looked at her watch again, then shifted her gaze to read the note for
perhaps the hundredth time, lifting the flower to inhale the delicate fragrance.
She knew there was a possibility she could be putting herself in the hands of a
complete stranger. That frightened her a little. The unknown could be very
dangerous. Only the desperate hope that Ridge Courtland, the man who
unknowingly held her heart, was her mysterious lover prompted her to accept this
invitation.
Besides, she d already come to one decision. When she got wherever she was
going, if it wasn t him, she d simply go to Plan B. Get the hell out of there by
whatever means she could.
So she sat in her living room, in an agony of anticipation, driving herself crazy
playing What If and waiting for whatever would come.
At exactly nine o clock the doorbell rang.
When Lily opened the door she almost closed it again. A very pleasant but
nondescript man in dark jacket and cowboy hat stood on her porch. No one she d
ever seen before. In his hands, he held a large rectangular box.
For a moment she was filled with disappointment. Not at all the man she d
been hoping to see. Not the lover she longed for. But then he spoke, and she
realized he was merely the driver.
Miss Ryan?
She nodded. I m Lily Ryan.
He handed her the box. From your date for the evening. I ve been instructed to
wait for you. Then he turned and headed back to the car.
All right, then.
A folded note was taped to the top of the box.
Lily,
You have haunted my dreams for a very long time. Working, riding a horse,
doing your errands in town all the different parts of Lily invade my thoughts day
and night. Thank you for accepting my invitation tonight. You won t be sorry. I
promise. Please follow the instructions and don t be afraid. I would never, ever hurt
you.
She opened the box with hands that trembled slightly. Another note lay on top
of the tissue paper.
Please put on this dress and the earrings. No underwear. And wear your boots.
Do not be frightened when the driver blindfolds you. I repeat: I promise no harm
will come to you. You can trust me. Hurry. You don t want to be late for the ride of
your life.
Hurry? No underwear? And a blindfold? For a moment she was tempted to
send the driver on his way. But she so wanted it to be him. She trusted him. For
him she d take the chance.
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