Sara Orwig - The Wedding Wager - Dakota Daddy

SARA ORWIGlives in Oklahoma. She has a patient husband, who will take her on research trips anywhere from big cities to old forts. She is an avid collector of Western history books. With a master’s degree in English, Sara has written historical romance, mainstream fiction and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds, and she loves both reading and writing them.

Sara Orwig

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Cover

About the Author SARA ORWIG lives in Oklahoma. She has a patient husband, who will take her on research trips anywhere from big cities to old forts. She is an avid collector of Western history books. With a master’s degree in English, Sara has written historical romance, mainstream fiction and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds, and she loves both reading and writing them.

Title Page The Wedding Wager Sara Orwig www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dakota Daddy Dakota Daddy Sara Orwig

Dedication With love to Hannah, Rachel, Ellen, Elisabeth, Colin, Cameron and Maureen

Prologue Prologue “May the best man win!” Jared Dalton declared as the three cousins stepped out of a limousine into the bright Houston sunshine. Waiting on the tarmac were three sleek jets with each man’s logo proclaiming ownership. “One year from today, whoever’s net worth increases the most wins our bet.” Chase Bennett said, rehashing their agreement. “Yes, the deadline for our bet is the first Friday next May,” Matt Rome confirmed. “We each put five million in the pot, so whoever wins gets a fifteen-million-dollar prize.” “Right,” Jared nodded. “On top of poker winnings, Chase.” Chase grinned. “I was lucky this year. Guys, it’s been great to be together again.” “Still best friends, still bachelors—maybe forever bachelors. This weekend together is necessity,” Matt said. All three shook hands. “So long, my two best cuz,” Jared said, grinning. “If nothing else, we’ll see each other next at the family Christmas get-together,” Jared added. “Stay cool.” He boarded a white plane and sat by a window, watching his cousins’ planes taxi, one Houston-based cousin heading off to Paris, the other returning home to Wyoming. With mothers who were sisters, they had grown up close, even competing in football in college. All were wealthy and owner-CEOs of vast enterprises. Jared intended to win the bet Matt had dreamed up. It would add some spice to work, akin to the thrill of success when he’d started out. Waiting until they were airborne, Jared withdrew his BlackBerry to send out messages that would start his staff searching for possibilities for solid moneymaking deals. He mulled over current projects and realized the bet gave him an opportunity for payback. Excitement gripped him. He’d offer to buy the Sorenson ranch in Dakota. If Edlund Sorenson would sell, Jared could make money. Whether or not Edlund would sell, Jared knew he would have the satisfaction of letting an old enemy know he could buy him out. Making money was great. But best of all was revenge.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Montana Mistress

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Wyoming Wedding

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Epilogue

Copyright

Sara Orwig

With love to Hannah, Rachel, Ellen, Elisabeth, Colin, Cameron and Maureen

“May the best man win!” Jared Dalton declared as the three cousins stepped out of a limousine into the bright Houston sunshine. Waiting on the tarmac were three sleek jets with each man’s logo proclaiming ownership.

“One year from today, whoever’s net worth increases the most wins our bet.” Chase Bennett said, rehashing their agreement.

“Yes, the deadline for our bet is the first Friday next May,” Matt Rome confirmed. “We each put five million in the pot, so whoever wins gets a fifteen-million-dollar prize.”

“Right,” Jared nodded. “On top of poker winnings, Chase.”

Chase grinned. “I was lucky this year. Guys, it’s been great to be together again.”

“Still best friends, still bachelors—maybe forever bachelors. This weekend together is necessity,” Matt said.

All three shook hands. “So long, my two best cuz,” Jared said, grinning.

“If nothing else, we’ll see each other next at the family Christmas get-together,” Jared added. “Stay cool.” He boarded a white plane and sat by a window, watching his cousins’ planes taxi, one Houston-based cousin heading off to Paris, the other returning home to Wyoming. With mothers who were sisters, they had grown up close, even competing in football in college. All were wealthy and owner-CEOs of vast enterprises.

Jared intended to win the bet Matt had dreamed up. It would add some spice to work, akin to the thrill of success when he’d started out. Waiting until they were airborne, Jared withdrew his BlackBerry to send out messages that would start his staff searching for possibilities for solid moneymaking deals. He mulled over current projects and realized the bet gave him an opportunity for payback.

Excitement gripped him. He’d offer to buy the Sorenson ranch in Dakota. If Edlund Sorenson would sell, Jared could make money. Whether or not Edlund would sell, Jared knew he would have the satisfaction of letting an old enemy know he could buy him out. Making money was great. But best of all was revenge.

June

That old saying about a woman scorned was too damn true, Jared Dalton thought.

He thought back to when he’d first learned that old man Sorenson had died and that Megan had no apparent interest in keeping the family ranch. Jared assumed he could buy it easily. To his surprise, the minute Megan had learned who intended to buy the ranch, she’d withdrawn it from the market. Now he was here to get her to sell.

With a disturbing skip in his heartbeat that overrode a simmering anger, he saw Megan emerge from the Sorenson barn, carrying a saddle to the corral. She was too far away for him to see if her looks had changed. Her red shirt was as noticeable as her long-legged, sexy walk, which still revealed the years she had studied dance before she’d left for college. Her black hair was in a thick braid that lay on her back. Setting the saddle and blanket on the fence, she turned to the approaching horses to give each a treat. Within minutes she had saddled and mounted a sorrel.

The sight of her brought back too many hurtful memories. Vengeance was sweet. He just wished her father had lived to be part of the intended payback.

Jared intended to encounter her out on the ranch, where she would have to talk to him. He’d spent the night in a comfortable log guesthouse on her ranch without her knowledge in order to watch for her this morning. Before dawn he had dressed in jeans, a blue Western shirt and a wide-brimmed black Stetson.

Now he went to the barn to saddle a bay to follow her without haste.

The vast, grassy land made it easy to see in all directions except along the river, where trees could hide a rider from view. He knew he could catch her when she stopped at the river to let her horse drink. Until then, he didn’t want to alert her that he was trailing behind. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a glance at gathering clouds told him rain seemed imminent.