He drew back, tilting his head to one side for a second, then obviously deciding to let her off the hook. “What do you want to know?”

“Your ranch,” she rushed on. “Tell me about your ranch.”

“We have cattle.”

A cocktail waitress set a small bowl of mixed nuts on the table and took note of their drink levels as Royce thanked her.

“How many?” asked Amber as the woman strode away.

“Around fifty thousand head.”

“That’s a lot of cows to babysit.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Horses?” she prompted, determined to keep the conversation innocuous.

“Hundreds.”

She plucked an almond from the clear bowl. “I took dressage lessons when I was eleven.”

His wide smile revealed straight, white teeth. “In Chicago?”

“Birmingham Stables.” She nibbled on the end of the nut. “I didn’t last long. I wasn’t crazy about sweat and manure.”

“You’d hate Montana.”

“Maybe not. Tell me something else about it.”

“My sister has a horse ranch up in the hills. It has huge meadows with millions of wildflowers.”

“Wildflowers are nice.” Amber was pretty sure she’d like fields of wildflowers. “What else?”

“She jumps Hanoverians.”

“Really? Is she good?”

“We expect her to make the next Olympic team.”

“I bet she loves it.” Amber tried to imagine what it would be like to be so passionate about something that you were one of the best in the world.

Royce nodded. “Ever since she was five.” The glow in his eyes showed his pride in his sister.

Amber sighed and took a second almond. “I wish I loved something.”

He considered her words for a few seconds. “Everybody loves something.”

She dared to meet his eyes and rest there. “What do you love?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Going Mach 1 in a Gulfstream. On a clear night. Over the Nevada desert.”