by Amy Star
A petite woman with blonde hair and a sharp suit caught her eye. The woman smiled and waved Ava over. “I’m going to guess that you’re Ava Malone?”
“How did you know?”
“Lucky guess. Can I help you with your bags?”
“I’ve got it,” she said.
“Alright, then. Follow me.”
The woman led her through a side door and down a narrow hall.
“Don’t we have to go through security or something?”
“Nope,” she said. “Didn’t Eli tell you?”
“He did, but I guess I didn’t really believe him.” Ava laughed nervously. “I didn’t think he was really sending a private jet for me.”
“Eli is a man of his word,” Linda said, then she stopped and turned, the expression on her face dark and very serious. “Anything he tells you is the truth, no matter how outlandish it seems.” She held Ava’s gaze for so long that Ava’s skin began to crawl, but then the moment passed, and she smiled brightly. “Sorry. I’ve just been working for the man for so long, and he’s really just the best boss I’ve ever had. I hate to think that someone doesn’t take him for his word.”
“I didn’t mean to offend,” Ava said.
“No offense. I’m sure it’s hard to believe someone as laidback and genuine as Eli is wealthy. So many men in his position are complete jerks.”
Linda opened the door, showed her ID to someone standing nearby, then gestured toward a small jet sitting a few yards away.
“Wow,” Ava said. “I was envisioning something smaller.”
“Like a two-seater?” Linda said, her voice light and filled with humor.
“Something like that.”
“This is state of the art. Seats six people, each with a recliner style chair and a large table. There’s a galley, a shower and a full-size bathroom.”
“Wow,” Ava said again.
“If you’re that impressed with the plane, you’re going to love his house.”
“I’m sure I will,” Ava said.
She followed Linda up the stairs, taking a seat quickly. The plane was just like she’d described but better. The seats were premium leather, conforming to her every curve as she sat down and buckled herself in. A male flight attendant took her things and stowed them, then offered her a preflight drink and a menu in case she got hungry during the three-hour flight.
She opened the window and watched as they flew over the fields and the houses, until Omaha was well behind them, and they were on their way. She perused the menu, settling for a few snacks instead of a full meal, just in case. She leaned forward and reached up to push the call button, but the man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a large smile on his face.
“What can I get for you?” he asked.
“Wow, that was quick.” She looked at his nametag and smiled at him. “Mario, I’d like a few small things if that’s alright. Unless there are no substitutions.”
Mario chuckled. “You can have anything any way you want,” he said.
“Wonderful,” she said, placing her order quickly and handing him the menu. “Can I ask one more thing?”
“Of course.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to land in Alamogordo, then someone will pick you up and drive you up the mountain to his ranch in Cloudcroft.”
“New Mexico?” she mused.
“Are you surprised?”
“A little. I guess I thought he’d be from somewhere else.”
Mario laughed. “Where else?”
She shook her head. “I was thinking Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, or Denver. You know, a big city that everyone has heard of.”
“He travels to those cities regularly, but he calls New Mexico home.”
“I guess it’s silly for that to be surprising.”
“A little,” Mario said, winking at her.
He disappeared and returned with everything she’d ordered, plus a small box of delicate chocolates.
“Thank you,” Ava said. “I don’t know how I’m going to go back to flying coach after this.”
“Hopefully, you won’t have to,” he said, then disappeared again, leaving her to watch the scenery out the window and wonder what he meant.
By the time they began their descent, Ava was starting to get nervous and wishing she’d brought Zoey with her. She hadn’t seen Eli in three months, and their parting had been so emotionally charged. Of course, they’d had fun, but those moments had stuck with Ava, making their goodbye bittersweet.
It would have been more painful if we’d been together while he was living next door, she thought, trying to push away her regrets and focus on what was happening now. The conversation wasn’t going to be easy, especially since Eli didn’t seem to care about her as much as she did him.
The realization hit her the instant she thought the words. She had been scared to tell him about the baby, but she had expected him to fight a little harder. He’d agreed so easily, without a single word against her plan. She’d never imagined that he would be so quick to wash his hands of her, and that hurt. Yes, he’d asked her there to go over everything before he signed, but it made sense. He had to make sure that the documents protected him as thoroughly as they protected her and the baby. It was the smart thing to do.
Better get any thought of rekindling that spark out of your head, she admonished herself as the plane touched down and taxied down the runway. Without saying a word, Eli had made it clear that he was more than willing to stay out of her way and out of her life.
She pasted on a happy smile when they opened the door for her, and Mario carried her things down the stairs even though she insisted that she could handle it.
The tarmac was warm, but the wind was chilly, swirling around her, lifting her hair off her shoulders. There was a large pickup truck nearby. Mario went straight to the back door, putting Ava’s stuff in, then closing the door and saying something through the open window.
Ava couldn’t see the man sitting in the truck, but she knew it was Eli. When he stepped out, her breath caught, and she had to resist the urge to fling herself into his arms.
He smiled when he saw her, tipping his black cowboy hat her way and going to the passenger side to open the door. She stepped on the running board to get into the massive truck, but Eli’s hands were on her waist, gently lifting her into the seat, then closing the door. She shivered and hurried to buckle herself before he got in so she could compose herself. Her skin was on fire where he’d touched her, a familiar ache building inside her.
“I sure am glad to see you,” he said, turning the truck around and driving down a long, empty stretch of highway.
“I’m happy to see you, too,” she said.
He looked across the cab at her and smiled. Her heart skipped a beat. “You must be tired,” he said. “We’ll be at the ranch in about thirty minutes, give or take.”
She nodded, not sure what to say.
“Do you need anything from town before we start up the mountain?” he pressed.
“No,” she said flatly.
He looked at her, then he pulled over, parking off the payment and turning in his seat to look at her. “Is something wrong?”
She tried to hold her tongue, but her heart got the better of her. She glared at him. “I just thought it would be harder for you, you know?”
“What would be harder?”
“Getting rid of me. Of our child,” she said, hands shaking. “I don’t know. I guess I thought you would try to talk me out of it, not invite me to hand deliver the papers so you could sign and be done with us.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Is that what you think?”
“What else am I supposed to think? If you don’t agree with any of the terms, isn’t it easier to change them here when I’m right here to approve them instead of going back and forth through our lawyers for months until it’s just right?”
“That’s not why I brought you here,” he said, his voice gentle.
“Why else would you bring me here? You didn’t even ask if we could try to make things work, or something. You just agreed. Damnit, why couldn’t you at least act like this was going to be hard for you?”
His smile slipped, and his expression hardened, but his eyes was tender as always. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t clear, and I can see I’ve hurt you. I didn’t bring you here so I could hurry up and sign away my rights. I brought you here because I have no intention of giving up my child, and I thought it would be easier to figure out what we’re going to do about this if we were together.”
Her mouth dropped open as the words sank in. “Really?” she said meekly.
“Really,” he said. “In fact, I resent that you thought leaving you wasn’t hard for me.”
“I’m so confused,” she said, running her hands through her hair.
Eli smiled. “Maybe this will help,” he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ava sat on the plush sofa, staring out the picture windows at the lush, rolling hills of Hudson Ranch. “This place is gorgeous,” she said, taking a sip of the sparkling water with a splash of ginger and lemon. “And this drink is delicious.”
He smiled at her, sitting across from her on an overstuffed chair, leaning forward with his arm resting on his knee. She took another sip, breaking eye contact and trying to calm her fluttering heart.
It wasn’t working.
“It’s the only place I’ll call home,” he said. “My property actually extends to that wooded area, over the mountain and onto the other side, but only two hundred acres are fenced in.”
“Only,” she muttered. “How many acres are there in total?”
“Almost twice that, but my land is the only way from one side of the mountain to the other unless the animals want to cross lower into the more desert-like area, which wouldn’t give them enough cover.”
“Are there a lot of animals around here? I know there aren’t a lot of people here, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of land.”
“There is, it’s just hidden by the mountain peaks. Cloudcroft is a different kind of community. We live alongside the wildlife, and we make sure that everything we do takes the impact on the animals into consideration.”
“All I saw were a few deer,” she said. “Isn’t that pretty standard, even in the city?”
“We have a little bit of everything here. Elk, deer, bobcats, I’ve heard rumors that there’s at least one mountain lion.” He looked at her and smiled. “And bears. There are quite a few bear families roaming around this mountain, actually.”
“Bears? Are they dangerous?”
He chuckled and winked at her. “Not usually.”
Something about the way he said it sent a shudder through her. “Don’t you worry about your cattle? What about the horses?”
“I have a wildlife fence around the property. It keeps the domestic animals safe from harm.” He shrugged. “Like I said, we find ways to live with the land instead of against it.”
She nodded. “I can understand why. This place is so unexpected. So green and just so breathtaking. I wasn’t expecting something like this in the middle of the desert.”
“It’s only one part of the beauty of New Mexico. That’s why I love it here.”
She swirled the last of her drink in the glass, watching the tiny pieces of ice spin round and round while she tried to find the words she was searching for. At a loss, she sighed. “I guess I never realized that you were wealthy. A traveling IT guy doesn’t seem like a very glamorous or high paying job.”
“It’s a little more complicated than that. And I own the firm, so that changes things a little.”
“You do?”
“You seem shocked.”
“If you own it, why move around and work like you do? And why not live in a fancy hotel instead of a one-story house in the suburbs?”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “You didn’t enjoy being my neighbor?”
She felt her face get hot, and she ducked her head. “I’ve never missed a neighbor like I’ve missed you,” she admitted.
“You must have been scared when you realized you were pregnant.”
She shook her head. “That’s not what I’m saying. I missed you before that. Not because of that weekend, but I just really enjoyed having someone I could carry on a conversation with.”
“I’m sure there will be other neighbors.”
“Not like you,” she said.
“Maybe this will work out a little better than I’d hoped, then.”
“I don’t understand.”
Eli took in a deep breath, looking pointedly at the legal documents he’d already read twice, then back at her. “Listen. I appreciate you telling me about the pregnancy, and I admire the hell out of you for wanting to go at this alone, but that’s not why I asked you to come here.”
“I thought you said you would sign the papers if I brought them to you,” she said, starting to panic. “That was the entire deal. I’m not looking for money or anything. I just want to make sure that-”
He held up his hand, shaking his head. “I’m not worried about you wanting money. Of course, I’m going to take care of the mother of my child in any way that you need me to. You just say the word and you can have anything. But, I never said I would sign the documents. I said I would look at them. And I did.”
Her heart sank. “What’s going on here?”
“Ava. I know you have your heart in the right place, and I’m sure you’re convinced that you’re doing me a favor and taking responsibility for what happened.”
“You asked about birth control and I said I was on it.”
“You did,” he said. “But we both know that birth control can fail, even under the most ideal circumstances. This isn’t just your responsibility. I knew damn well that even with the pill, there was a real chance of you conceiving. I’m not upset with you. In fact, I’m elated.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I called you here to try and reason with you.” He gestured to the land out the windows. “This is the kind of place a child needs to grow up. Not in some city with a postage-stamp-sized yard.”
“I agree, but I have what I have, and I’m not asking you to buy me a bigger house or anything like that.”
“Maybe I’m not making myself clear.” He leaned forward, deep brown eyes boring into hers. “I’m not giving up the rights to my own flesh and blood. Ever. That’s not something I’m willing to do.”
She felt her face pale as her stomach dropped. “You’re not taking my baby away from me,” she said, her hand going to her stomach, the shock of everything overwhelming her. “I won’t let you.”
“I’ve no intention of that either. But I will fight for my rights as a father, and that includes fifty-fifty custody.”
Her mouth dropped open. “How would that even work?”
“It’s become the norm nowadays. Children need both their parents, and any child of mine will need their father in ways you can’t possibly understand.”
She stood up, setting her drink down hard on the coffee table. “I’m not going to let you threaten me.”
“I’m not threatening you. We’re having a conversation. I think it’s important for you to know that I won’t just walk away from my child, and I don’t expect you to either. A child needs its mother, and I have no intention of getting in the way of that. I’m sure you can understand that I expect the same courtesy from you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Please, sit. It’s not good for you to get riled up.”
“It’s a little late for that,” she huffed, holding her ground. “How did I miss this side of you?”
“This side of me?” he asked, clearly amused. “I’m not sure what you mean, but it appears I’m going to have to spell it out for you.” He sighed. “I was hoping that you would be more willing to consider it, but I guess your feelings for me aren’t as strong as mine are for you.”
&n
bsp; This time, she did sit down. “You have feelings for me?”
“Of course, I do. Why else would I give you my number and wait for you to call me all this time? I was hoping I would hear from you again, I just didn’t think for a minute that your first call would be trying to convince me to walk away from my own child.” He shook his head. “It hurt. I thought you knew me better than that.”
She gestured to the land and the gorgeous house. “I thought you were some lowkey computer nerd working hard to make a living,” she said. “But you have this ranch, this gorgeous house and a private jet. I feel like I don’t know you at all.”
“Two.”
“What?”
“I have two private jets.”
She scoffed. “That’s not helping. The bottom line is I didn’t know that you were rich, I had no idea where you lived, and I feel like there’s so much more you’re keeping from me.”
He shrugged. “You’re not wrong.”
“At least deny something,” she laughed.
“I am who I am. I never pretended to be someone different, at least, not with you.”
She glared at him. “Why am I here?”
“I want to try to make this work. That is, if you’re on board with the idea.”
“You mean a relationship? You lied to get me here.”
“I didn’t. I told you I would look at the documents. I looked at them, and I managed to talk myself out of being deeply offended that you think I would give away my child without a second thought. I think I handled it all well enough.”
I can’t argue with that, she thought, but still, she shook her head. “I can’t live here.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know anyone here, and I have a life in Omaha. I have a job, and friends.”
“You have a job you can do anywhere, and you have Zoey, who can also work from anywhere.”
“That isn’t any of your concern.”
“If it’s the difference between seeing my child daily and having to fly them back and forth once a week, I think I do.”