He reclined back with a huff. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“What was I supposed to do?” It was hard not to shout, but I managed to keep my tone down before Mike You Motherfucker came storming over. His lady friend had let him back in a couple of weeks ago. “We were broke. You say you’re applying for jobs, but I don’t know. It’s all I can do to get you to eat. You shower like once a week. I’m terrified I’ll go on one of these business trips and come home and find you dead on the couch.”
His expression turned hard. “People won’t hire a guy who’s done time for stealing.”
All my righteous anger drained out. “Of course. I know.” But did I? Other people got out of prison and got jobs, right? “Look, I thought that maybe if he and I grew close enough, he’d be understanding.”
“Eva… People like the Kings don’t want to be bothered with our drama. And this will be drama for him.”
“I think he’s falling in love with me.” Saying it hurt. Never had I thought I’d find a guy like him and that he’d fall for me just as hard.
“And you’re already in love with him. Tell him. Just fucking tell him and get it over with.” Adam picked up his controller and went back to his game. “Then two of us can feel worthless.”
I wanted to argue that it wouldn’t turn out like that. That Beckett would forgive me, but the words wouldn’t come.
Stepping out of my shoes, I shrugged off my coat. I hung it up and trudged to my bedroom, bypassing supper. My phone buzzed. Flopping down on my creaky bed, I pulled it out.
Beckett. Just say when and we’ll move Kitty and the kittens to my place. I can pay more to have the housekeeper look after her.
A hot tear streaked down my cheek. Looking around my plain box of a bedroom, my gaze landed on my suitcase. I kept it half packed. Adam didn’t think Beckett would stand with me. Why was I seeing him if I thought so too?
I sent a message back to Beckett. When we get back from Lincoln, think maybe I can stay at your place for a night or two with them?
Cringing, I stared at the screen. Would he be offended that I was willing to sleep over at his place for the cats but not just because of him? Don’t worry about supplies. I’ve got it covered.
A smile crept over my face, then died. At least when I told him about me, the cats would be safe with him. He wasn’t coldhearted enough to toss them out in the cold.
It was just me I was worried about.
Chapter 18
Beckett
It was like I was ten again. Except a sleepover with a woman who’d be naked in my bed was so much better than Willis Jepson, who used to chew on my toy cows.
The workday was ticking down. A few days ago, I’d had Rick pick up cat supplies. He’d dropped a few armloads off at the house: litter boxes, a kennel for acclimation, cat food, treats, and a list of veterinarians in the area. He’d put the carrier in my car and sent me a few links about the best way to capture strays.
On the flight to Lincoln, while Eva answered emails and sent queries my way, I read up on how best to care for stray cats and their kittens. I knew some things. The stories about Dawson hadn’t been a joke. Cats loved him. They didn’t mind me and I didn’t mind them, but Kitty would bring me closer to Eva.
When it came to Eva’s home life, I was shut out like I was standing outside Fort Knox with nothing but a lock pick. She had said her brother’s name was Adam, but none of my searches on Adam Chase turned up anything. I was worried about him. She clearly loved him and if anything happened, it’d destroy her.
My phone pinged. Someone had entered. I glanced up and did a double take. What the hell was she doing here?
One of my exes, Terra Scalia, marched up to the desk and requested to see me, a congenial, but predatory, smile on her face. Instead of making Eva dance for Terra, I went out.
Terra awarded me her TV-ready smile, the one that could be seen each night on the six o’clock news. “Beck, how nice to see you again.”
I smiled only as much as necessary. I didn’t trust her as far as she could run in her pin-thin stilettos. “Terra, what brings you by? I thought you’d be getting ready for your segment.”
She feathered her light hair out of her eyes and preened. “Didn’t you know? I’m on the morning show.”
“Congratulations.” That was as much small talk as I could take. Since discovering that she’d tried to log in to my computer, I had told her I didn’t want to see her again and let her figure the rest out.
Her smile faltered and she looked between me and Eva. “Did I read the announcement correctly?”
Eva’s pleasant work smile dimmed and her eyes said that she’d rather melt into the flooring than face Terra. Eva had been born and raised in Denver and had worked at a sports bar. I could guarantee that the evening news had been on often enough that she knew who Terra was.
“Yes, we’re engaged. Eva, meet Terra Scalia.” Terra would want me to introduce her as an anchor on the local news, but I didn’t have to make her happy anymore.
Terra stuck her hand out and smiled demurely. “So nice to meet you, Eva. I can’t believe Beck here actually thinks he can settle down.” Her laugh grated on my nerves.
I was done with her games. “What brings you to my office?”
“Could we talk in private? Business.” She winked at Eva.
That didn’t relieve me like it should. People might claim I was a workaholic, but Terra was her job. Her job came first, and she would trash anything in her way up the news and entertainment ladder. “We’re about to close, but sure, I can spare a few moments.”
I exchanged a glance with Eva before I disappeared behind the partition. She looked more curious than upset, so that was promising.
When I returned to my desk, Terra sat across from me, her lacquered lips twisted in a smile that suggested we were sharing a secret. “Your assistant? I would think that would be bad for your image.”
“It just worked out that way. How can I help you?”
Terra pursed her lips, but recovered with a wide smile. If I hadn’t dated her and been on the receiving end of her displeasure, I might’ve missed it.
“I wanted to ask how your dad was doing.”
A cold wave splashed through my veins. What the hell was she doing here asking about Dad? I set up shop in Colorado because my family’s business stayed out of the state. We had oil wells in Montana and North Dakota, and Aiden was trying to break into Texas. But Colorado was my state and blissfully free of those nosy about King Oil. I should’ve known that of all people, Terra would be the one who showed up on my doorstep wanting to know more. “He’s well. Why do you ask? You never even met him while we were dating.”
There was that brief flash of annoyance again. “Not for lack of trying, but you guarded your family almost as tightly as you guarded your business.”
I hadn’t needed to guard my family when I was with her. Up until a month ago, I’d been avoiding Montana and everything it involved.
“I heard that he’d been in the hospital, and so soon after he married that young girl. What does that mean for King Oil?”
I leveled Terra with a stare. “No comment.”
She drew back like she was offended, but I knew her better. “Beck, I heard and I was worried about you. I know your dad is the only parent you have left.”
“That’s a low blow even for you, Terra.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t using you to get a story on your company or your family.”
“The ten failed login attempts say differently.”
She blanched, and not even she could recover quickly enough. Busted. “You thought I was trying to hack your computer?”
Did she think I was stupid? That I hadn’t covered all the angles? “I can pull up the security footage if you like.”
Her mouth dropped open and a gasp squeaked out. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and I was okay letting her. This didn’t need to end ugly. “You act all holier than thou, Beck, but you’re fucking your assistant. B
ad look for a CEO, isn’t it?”
And it was going to be ugly. “Her name is Eva Chase and she’s my fiancée.” Sticking up for Eva didn’t win me any favors.
Terra rose like a vengeful swan. “You think you’re sitting at the top and the rest of us are so beneath you. You think your history is so spotless when your family rapes the earth for a buck. And then her.” She whipped her arm toward Eva’s desk. “You’re just as fallible as the rest of us and I’m going to prove it.”
I studied her. We’d dated for the typical six months before she’d started expecting more and I’d started suspecting her of more. But when I cut things off between us, she’d barely flinched. Where was this vitriol coming from? “Why me? Why now? I’m sure there are plenty of men in the world that did you wrong. Why are you here?”
She pressed her fingertips into the desktop until they turned white and leaned forward. “Because none of them can get me back into the anchor seat,” she hissed.
Getting a straight answer from Terra was like squeezing a drop of water from a rock. It just didn’t happen. But for once I believed her. “You’re not going to find anything. Perhaps you should get a promotion the old-fashioned way.” I rose and straightened my suit jacket. “By working hard and being good at your job.”
Her glare could’ve curdled milk. She stormed out, but not before shouting at Eva. “You’d better hope you never make a mistake. That sanctimonious asshole will drop you like last year’s iPhone.”
She banged out of the door. For a second I was worried she’d leave a Terra-sized crack in the glass.
Eva was staring out into the hallway, her face white like Terra was her own personal nightmare. The tormented look was perplexing.
I crossed to her. “Are you all right?”
She blinked and cleared her throat. “That was eventful.”
“That’s Terra.” I swept my gaze over Eva once more. One hand was closed tightly around her phone and the other was clenched against her thigh. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Admittedly shaken up. I don’t look forward to my name being splashed about like I’m tabloid fodder. What about you? What was she here for?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t hear her shouting.” I took a deep breath and cut my gaze toward the door. Terra wouldn’t come storming back…would she? “She’d heard Dad was in the hospital.”
“But not why?”
I nodded. “It’s nothing more than a rumor. He might be charming, but when it comes to confidentiality, he’s a pit bull. No one at the hospital would’ve talked.” I shrugged because what else could I do? “But we can’t stop the rest of the town from speculating.”
“Does she have a grudge against you? Did things end badly?” She shook her head and waved off her question. “Never mind, it’s none of my business. It’s not like I’m gonna bring up Irving and how I found another girl’s underwear in his glove box.”
“One, I want to hear the story. Two, of course it’s your business. She marched in here and yelled at you as much as she did at me.” It was after closing time and we had to get her cat, but I perched on the edge of the desk like I had on her first day. We’d come so far since then. “It didn’t, and as bad as it could’ve. She tried to get into my work computer, and after I found out, I broke things off. Told her I wasn’t interested in seeing her anymore. She was hurt but she didn’t pursue me.”
“You didn’t tell her why?”
“I thought she’d figure it out, but apparently she didn’t. When I told her today that I knew what she’d done, she still tried to backpedal out of it. But since my last name is in the title of two successful companies, she sees me as an easy path to getting her anchor spot back.”
“I guess that morning show wasn’t quite the promotion she made it sound.” Eva didn’t sound spiteful. She wasn’t championing Terra like she did Bristol, but she didn’t look sympathetic toward her either.
I stroked my finger down her soft cheek. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”
Her expression flickered and her brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
“My ex came in here insulting you and berating me and you’re not pissed at her.”
I couldn’t quite name her next expression, but she almost looked guilty. “I don’t condone what she did at all. I guess I just know what it’s like when you have a crazy moment and you don’t feel like there are any other options. At least she didn’t find anything.”
“There’s nothing to find.” There was so much about Eva that I still didn’t know. It was times like these that reminded me how new this relationship still was.
I held my hand out for her. “Shall we get Kitty and her five littles settled?”
She rewarded me with a smile. We locked up and went to the car, but the drive to her place was quiet. I didn’t bother trying to make conversation. My mind was preoccupied with what Terra knew, how hard she was gonna try to find out more, and whether or not Eva would get dragged into it.
At her place, she took the lead with the cats. I was just fine holding the crate and watching her lure out the mama cat with a fresh packet of tuna. She didn’t seem to care that the branches on the bush might snag her black leggings, or that her long cream coat could get smudged with dirt or worse. She gathered Kitty in her arms. The cat was not happy, but she was more interested in the tuna. We got her in the crate with fairly little drama and the rest of the packet of tuna.
I told her to stay with Kitty while I collected the five squirming kittens. “They’re all here.”
Relief crossed her face. “I’ve been so worried. We’re supposed to get snow soon and without leaves that bush isn’t much protection.”
“I’m sure she would’ve moved them somewhere else. You would’ve still seen her.”
“She knows I have the food.”
I tried not to be jealous of the cat as we drove to my house. Eva sat in the back with her and cooed and handled the kittens. When we entered the house, she carried the crate like it was a fragile vase. This part of Eva was fun to see. It was clear she hadn’t wanted to get close to the cats only to lose them to traffic and weather.
“Go ahead and leave your coat and shoes wherever. I can put them away after we get the cats settled.”
I showed her where my housekeeper Lois had set up a kennel. Eventually, they could have the room, then the whole house. I hadn’t broached the subject of how many she planned to keep.
The cats got moved and she was on her knees in front of the kennel.
“Hungry?” I asked.
“Did I smell beer cheese soup and breadsticks when we walked in?”
“With extra breadsticks.”
We ate just like the last time she’d been here. I had wanted her so much then. I always wanted her. This time we weren’t going to be interrupted.
She was mine for the night. But I couldn’t escape the feeling that even though she wore my ring on her finger, our engagement was more fake than ever.
Chapter 19
Eva
I didn’t tell him.
After the incident with Terra, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him who Adam was, and more importantly, how innocent Adam was.
Montana certainly wasn’t the place to spill my secrets. King’s Creek probably didn’t even have a taxi, much less an Uber, or a timely flight out of town when Beckett booted me on my ass.
Besides, I didn’t want to ruin the holiday. Thanksgiving had been yesterday, but we were still at Dawson’s with his dad and Kendall.
The guys were out looking at the renovations Dawson had made in one of the shops. I was in front of a crackling fire with Kendall. Talking to her was a weird cross between a nosy stepmother and a giggling best friend.
“So do you ride horses and stuff?” I asked.
“I had some friends in high school that had horses. They’d have me over for rides.”
“I’d never touched a real horse until I was here last time.”
Kendall’s laugh was unreal.
Light and delicate and it put me completely at ease. “A lot of people have never touched a horse. They need a lot of space and aren’t like keeping a cat or dog.”
I couldn’t suppress my wistful sigh. “My parents planned to take us to a trail-riding place one year, but that year never came.”
“I’m so sorry about your mom and dad.”
“It’s been ten years. I’m glad I can talk about them without getting swept under from the grief.” An occasional tidal wave still toppled me, just not every day.
“I’m so glad you came into Beck’s life. Things are going better between him and Gent.”
That should help my guilt, but it didn’t. What would happen to them if Beckett decided he was done with me? I guess it wouldn’t be my problem.
But I’d worry. Gentry was a nice guy. Charming to the point of pushy, but he meant well. He pushed because he cared and I saw the difference even if it chafed Beckett and his brothers. I saw the difference because he reminded me of my dad, always encouraging me and Adam to do the best we could despite our limited funds.
Dad had been Adam’s biggest champion. I couldn’t imagine them not speaking to each other. But Gentry couldn’t rule his boys like a boardroom.
“I hope that’s all it takes for Xander.” My heart practically stopped. Had I said that out loud?
“Right? And no worries. You’re allowed to have an opinion about Gent and his boys. You can even speak it.”
“It’s rude and intrusive.”
She leaned over the arm of the chair and whispered, “So are they.”
We dissolved into giggles. The humor died quickly. Family dynamics. Like Adam and I. Our last conversation hung heavy between us. Then two of us can feel worthless.
She put her hand on my arm. “Oh, no. Did I say something wrong?”
“No, no. Just, since we’re talking about family, I’m worried about my brother. We didn’t leave things the best between us.”
“Beckett mentioned a brother but that was it.”
I nodded, allowing my floodgate to open an inch. “He’s depressed. Severely depressed. He needs to get help. And I haven’t had the tough talk with him.”
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