Rill hadn’t left Vulture’s Canyon for good. Not yet anyway.
They sat at the best table in the Forest River Restaurant. From her seat, Katie had a spectacular view of the dining terrace, landscaped grounds and, in the distance, the wild beauty of the Ohio River Valley. The colors of the trees were so bright it hurt her eyes a little to look at them. The terrace was bathed in golden sunshine and nearly filled with golfers and other diners who didn’t mind the bite of autumn in the air.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured before she took a sip of the cool, dry white wine Miles had ordered along with their lunch.
“You’re looking right where I plan to put the boat,” Miles said, nodding toward the sparkling river in the distance.
Katie glanced over at him and smiled. He’d been a pleasant enough companion for the past two hours. A little full of himself, but nice. The tour he’d given her of the surrounding countryside and then the lush grounds of the Forest River Country Club had been relaxing. Fortunately, Miles’s favorite topic of conversation was himself and his business ventures, which was just fine by Katie. She didn’t particularly want to ta
lk about herself.
Plus, it was kind of relaxing, not to be with someone who asked her a slew of questions either about her celebrity brother, Everett, or Rill, who was just as renowned in his own way.
“The gambling boat, you mean?” she asked idly, toying with the rim of her wineglass. “There isn’t a huge population around here, is there? Where will you get your customers?”
“St. Louis is only forty minutes away.” Miles tore his gaze off her circling finger on the glass and nodded toward the terrace. “Three-quarters of those men out there are from the St. Louis area. They drive up on Fridays and stay for a weekend of golf and relaxation. I hired a good portion of my employees from the St. Louis area, as well. The people around here are ignorant, for the most part. They don’t have the polish to work in this type of establishment. Once the gambling boat opens, people will come from miles away for an exciting vacation in Mother Nature’s embrace. Las Vegas can’t offer a man a view like that—”
Miles’s explanation was cut short when the waitress arrived with their food.
“Thanks, Debbie,” Miles said after she’d placed their lunch before them. He gifted Debbie with the kind of smile that had long ago lost voltage in Katie’s world, but apparently still had them buzzing in the vicinity of Vulture’s Canyon. Miles continued when Debbie walked away. “My lawyers should have the final approval from the Illinois Gaming Board for the boat by next spring, so I went ahead and started construction. See that over there?”
Katie turned in the direction where he pointed, seeing a portion of the large construction site that snaked out onto the grounds. She’d already noticed the building project next to the club when they arrived earlier. Miles had informed her it was the location of his new grand hotel.
“That’ll be where the walkway leads from the hotel directly out onto the boat. Customers won’t even know they passed from land to water,” Miles told her smugly.
“Nice,” Katie said politely before she placed a forkful of salad in her mouth.
Miles chuckled. “You don’t seem very interested, Katie.”
She took her time chewing and swallowed. “I’m not much for gambling. Not with money, anyway.”
Miles leaned forward slightly, his hazel eyes gleaming. “What do you like to take a gamble on, Katie Hughes?”
“Just the little things, like my future.”
Miles chuckled, clearly thinking she was joking. Katie didn’t mind.
“So I heard a rumor you were a tax attorney,” he prompted.
Her mouth was full, so she just nodded.
“Can I hire you to do some consulting? I could use a good tax attorney in my corner.”
She considered while she swallowed and took a sip of wine. It was a tempting offer. Her savings wouldn’t last forever. But she had other things in mind for her future—the gamble she’d referred to just now.
“I’ll pass,” she said with a friendly smile. “I don’t do the type of tax work you probably need, anyway. I might be looking for work, depending on how things work out for me in Vulture’s Canyon, but you’ll need a specialist, with all the tax issues that come from the gambling operation.”
“If you’re looking for work in this area, you’ll end up having to come to me anyway.”
She gave him an “excuse me?” look at his overconfidence. He chuckled.
“I’m just telling it like it is, not bragging. There aren’t many men in this area who could afford to pay a high-class Los Angeles attorney like you.”
“Actually, I’m thinking of getting out of the tax business.”
“You’re kidding. Why would you want to do something like that?” he asked, amused, as he reached across the table and grabbed her hand in his.
Katie found his attitude incredibly condescending. Miles Fordham didn’t know anything about her. What right did he have to be surprised at her choice of career even if she told him she planned to join the space program?