***
Matthew opened the front door and waited on the porch with Sean. Anyone with half a brain wouldn’t have driven so fast if they wanted their arrival to be a surprise. The cloud of dirt behind the vehicle would have told anyone within a ten-mile radius that they were on the ranch.
As soon as he saw the SUV, Matthew started eliminating potential owners. With a rental company’s license plates, the chance of the driver being from Montana was slim to none. That left Ashley’s friends from New York or someone who wanted to stop her from publishing her story.
Sean leaned against the railing, waiting for the woman who was driving to leave the vehicle. His mouth dropped open about the same time the woman’s four-inch heels hit the ground.
Matthew crossed his arms. If that was Bonnie, Ashley’s friend, he’d eat his hat for dinner.
With her jet-black hair pulled into some kind of fancy braid and a cream skirt and jacket hugging her slim build, she looked like someone who had a lot of money.
Matthew moved closer to his brother. Sean’s expression was still stuck on gob-smacked.
The woman’s pale pink lips lifted into a smile. “I’m looking for the Gray family ranch. Is this the right place?”
Matthew walked down the stairs. “It is. Who are you?”
The woman’s smile grew wider.
Matthew frowned.
“I’m looking for Ashley Fisher. A lady in Bozeman said I could find her on the Gray ranch.”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Matthew said. “Who are you?”
The woman’s smile disappeared. “I’m Jasmine Alfredo. I’d like to speak to Ms. Fisher.”
Matthew tried to keep his surprise from showing. In the photos he’d seen of her, she looked as though she was in her fifties. But Jasmine wasn’t much older than him.
She lifted the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. “If Ms. Fisher is here, I’d appreciate seeing her. I’ve just arrived from New York City.”
Sean cleared his throat. “She’s not available at the moment. If you’d like to leave us your cell phone number, we’ll make sure she gets it when she returns.”
Jasmine’s blue eyes narrowed. “I have something important I need to discuss with her.”
“We’ll ask her to call you when she’s available.” Matthew started to walk toward her SUV. “When are you flying back to New York?”
Jasmine didn’t move. “After I’ve seen Ms. Fisher.”
“That could take a few days.”
“Then I’ll be here for a few days. Can you recommend a hotel in town?”
If Matthew hadn’t looked at Jasmine’s face, he might have been fooled by her polite question, but her eyes were as sharp as shards of glass. Jasmine Alfredo wasn’t impressed with their delay tactics.
The front door opened and Ashley stepped onto the porch.
“Are you ever going to listen to me?” Matthew growled.
Ashley stuck her hands on her hips and scowled something fierce. “Jasmine isn’t the bad guy in all of this.” She walked down the stairs and shook Jasmine’s hand. “Welcome to Montana. Excuse Matthew and Sean. They’re just trying to protect me.”
“Protect you? What happened?”
Matthew looked at Sean. His brother was still star-struck by Jasmine. He moved closer to Ashley, hoping she realized how important it was to keep quiet about the person who had been following her.
“It was nothing important,” she muttered. “Why did you come to Bozeman?”
Jasmine waved her hand in front of her face. “It’s hot. Do you think we could have this conversation inside?”
