by Donna Alward
She’d totally gone off the rails. “What the hell did Nicole tell you today?”
“You’re really going to make me say it? Fine.” She strode across the room to her briefcase and took out a sheaf of papers. “Tell me how it’s a complete coincidence that the company you work for, the company who recently gave you a fat promotion, just happens to be proposing a merger with Baron Energies!”
“A merger? Between AB and Baron? Are you sure?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. Would I be this upset if I wasn’t sure?” She waggled the papers in front of him. “Read for yourself if you don’t believe me.”
He took the papers. Scanned the first few pages, but it was a bunch of legalese he would need to sit down to decipher. “I believe you,” he said, handing it back. And he did. She was right. She wouldn’t be this upset if she weren’t sure. “But, Lizzie, I don’t know anything about it.”
She snorted. “Sure. Know what I learned a long time ago? There’s no such thing as a coincidence. I just happen to get together with you. I mention...” She broke off, shook her head. Her voice was thick as she continued, “I mention how I’d like to diversify our holdings and how I keep hitting a brick wall with Dad. And then weeks later, after your nice, plush assignment, I get slammed with this using practically those exact words! That I have supported the idea of alternative energies before and now that my dad isn’t at the helm...”
She gulped in air. “It was a good exchange for you. A little information and a nice payoff. The stock dip after the accident and lost contract was bad enough. But this...I should have known better.”
She actually thought he’d fed information to Nicole and Adele. That he’d used her.
“I’m not him,” he said firmly, getting a little angry himself.
“Not who?”
Her hands were on her hips now. Despite the red-rimmed eyes, she looked amazing all fired up. Strong and determined, an avenging angel. It was just too bad she was accusing him of something he hadn’t done.
“The guy in college. The one you were engaged to who was using you for your family connections. Not everyone has an ulterior motive.”
She shook her head. “I should never have come to find you that day. I should have just left well enough alone.”
“And not tell me I have a son or daughter? Are you serious?” He paced, trying to sort out his thoughts and say what was racing through his mind without sounding like a raging lunatic, but what she was implying was really sinking in now. He’d been getting bucked off horses and having a marvelous time when she’d come in and turned his world upside down...for what? This?
He stopped and faced her. “I told you I was thinking of leaving the industry altogether.”
“Convenient.”
He frowned. “Lizzie, listen to yourself. For God’s sake. I was going from rodeo to rodeo. I was surprised as anything when I found out who you were.”
“Didn’t take you long to capitalize on it though.”
“Stop. Just stop.” He raised his voice a little and took a breath, quieting again. “I didn’t do what you’re saying I did. Why would I? I turned down that management job once before and I did it for good reasons. The only reason I took it was so that I could be closer to you and the baby. So I could provide both of you with the kind of life a man should provide for his child and his...his...”
“His what?” she asked quietly.
“I thought we were figuring that out,” he replied. “But I did think we were something.”
“A fraud,” she said blandly. “We let our families believe we had this great courtship when we didn’t. We hooked up and it was an accident. And now I have to live with the consequences forever.”
“Lizzie, I swear to you. I didn’t breathe a word about you to Nicole.” And yet as he said it, he remembered Nicole mentioning the Barons at their coffee date when she’d offered him the job. In the interest of full disclosure, he brought it up. “She asked me once if I knew the family well, but it was because of the boys and rodeo, not because of you. She doesn’t even know we’re together.”
“We’re not,” Lizzie answered.
Anger flared now. “You know what? This isn’t about me. It’s about you. It’s about being too damn scared to trust anyone to hang around. And you hide behind the Baron name as a means of escape. So what if one person used you? You kicked him to the curb. And now you use that for your excuse any time someone gets too close. Because what you’re really afraid of is being betrayed. Being pushed aside. Being...disposable. You’re afraid everyone is going to walk away just like your mom did.”
Numb silence filled the room for several moments until Lizzie took a deep breath. “You should go.”
Yes, he probably should, especially since he heard the quiver in her voice. That last bit had hurt her and he hadn’t wanted to, but what did she expect? He’d trusted her, too. He’d started to care about her and the baby so much. He’d been falling in love with her, hadn’t he? And now he knew exactly how much she’d trusted and cared for him, didn’t he? What a fool he’d been, turning his life upside down in order to do the right thing. Every single time he’d done that in his life, he made himself unhappy.
He went to her then and put his hands on her arms. She trembled beneath his touch and regret flooded through him. “I swear on our baby, I had nothing to do with the proposal from AB Windpower. I never knew it was in the works, never heard a word about it. I asked for the transfer so I could be close to you and the baby, and that’s the only reason. It’s up to you whether or not you believe me.”
He let go and retrieved the duffel she’d so helpfully packed before he’d arrived home. It weighed extra heavy as he carried it to the door. He put his hand on the knob but turned around. “Someday, Lizzie, you’re going to have to put your faith in someone. Otherwise you’ll always be alone.”
There was an odd sort of stinging behind his eyes as he looked at her standing there, pitiful and lost. “I know you, sweetheart. That’s not the way you want to live your life.”
He opened the door and shut it behind him and then started down the hall. He was taking a chance right now. She wanted him gone—or at least she thought she did, but he walked slowly down the hall to the elevator. Any moment now she’d open the door and come after him, say she was sorry for blaming him, ask him to come back and talk it out. And he’d hold her in his arms and they’d put the pieces back together.
He got to the elevator and there was no sound. No door opening. No nothing.
And still he waited in front of the closed elevator doors, hoping.
Several minutes later he called himself the biggest fool on earth and pushed the down button.
* * *
LIZZIE WRESTLED WITH the skirt zipper once more and then gave up and reached for the tailored pants with the flat waistband and the peasant-style blouse that camouflaged her changing figure. Her wardrobe was really becoming a challenge as her shape changed but she was still too small for maternity clothes. Besides, the news was still limited to family and, of course, Emory, who would rather die than reveal Lizzie’s secret. She trusted her assistant completely.
She took her bagged lunch from the fridge and put it in her tote bag, then went out the door for the walk in the May sunshine to the train. Got on and thought about the day’s itinerary on the ride to the office. Got off the train and walked the short distance to the high-rise that housed Baron Energies.
She was going through the motions and she knew it.
After Chris had departed, she hadn’t quite known what to do with herself, so she called Maria and got her to set up a board meeting for the following day. She’d offered to drive out to the ranch to speak to her father first, but Brock had a follow-up appointment with his orthopedic surgeon in the city anyway, and Julieta had relented and agreed to bring him by.
Lizzie kne
w the moment he’d arrived because she could hear him grumbling about his wheelchair all the way down the hall. Smiling to herself, she stuck her head out of her office and saw the procession approaching—Brock, in the evil chair, Julieta, with the patience of Job pushing him along, and Maria, carrying a tray with coffee for the three of them.
“Small boardroom work for you?” Lizzie called out.
Brock looked up and a smile spread across his face. “There she is. How’re you feeling, Mama? That man of yours treating you right?”
She tried to ignore the pain that slashed through her at the well-intended words and pasted on a smile. Brock and Julieta both frowned at her tepid reaction while Lizzie noticed Maria’s mouth hanging open with surprise. “I’m feeling fine, Dad. Come on in.”
While Julieta got Brock settled, Maria put down the tray and approached Lizzie. “Sweetie, I didn’t know. I wish you’d told me.”
“I didn’t want anyone to know, Maria, but thank you.” Nerves began to bubble as she realized she would soon be telling Brock everything. “Do you think you could get me some orange juice though? I’ve been craving it all morning.” In a way it was a relief to have a few people know and not have to watch every word or action.
“Sure I can.” She slipped out and shut the door behind her.
Julieta gave Brock a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be in my office if you need me. Be good.”
He patted her hand, then gave it a squeeze. “Lizzie’ll take care of me.”
When Julieta was gone, Lizzie took the seat across from her father.
“What’s going on, Lizzie? Most of the time you try to avoid my input.”
“Sorry, Dad,” she apologized, a little embarrassed.
“Don’t be. I’m going crazy feeling useless and you’re trying to be independent. I’m not stupid.”
She sighed. “Some stuff has been going on and I should have talked to you about it before.”
His brows pulled together. “Why didn’t you?”
Guilt spiraled through her. “Because I wanted to deal with it on my own. Because I didn’t want to think about stuff happening to Baron while I was at the wheel.”
“Lizzie, what in God’s name haven’t you told me?”
Maria knocked and came back in with a bottle of orange juice and a glass for Lizzie. While Lizzie poured it, Brock helped himself to a cup of coffee. Maria left quietly, Lizzie took a fortifying drink and faced her father.
“A few weeks ago Mark Baker came to me with some information. It wasn’t anything too serious, just something to keep our eye on.”
“I know you don’t trust Mark.”
“I don’t like Mark. There’s a difference. I do, however, think he’s very good at his job. We dealt well enough together.”
Brock gave a short nod.
“It was expected that our stock would take a dip, both after the lost contract and then when you had your accident, so seeing those numbers wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was the level of activity following that dip. Not alarming, but it was something that flagged for Mark and he came to me about it. We agreed it was something we’d keep an eye on.”
Brock’s face looked concerned. “And? I take it that’s not all.”
“And that takes us to part two, which was a meeting I had yesterday.”
“I don’t think I like the sound of this.”
“I received a document by courier first thing yesterday morning, and the sender had already called to set up a meeting to follow up. It was someone from AB Windpower with a merger proposal.”
Brock’s coffee cup came down on the table, a little of the liquid sloshing over the side. “A merger? Over my dead body.”
Lizzie smiled weakly. “I knew you’d say that. And I pretty much did, as well. It seemed strange to me on a lot of levels, actually. I mean, we’ve taken a hit lately but our position isn’t that vulnerable. And it’s odd for an alternative energy company to look to join with oil, don’t you think? Nicole Bennett—that’s who I met with—said part of the reason is to strengthen their market position. We’re a publicly traded company, they’re not.”
“But they could approach any number of companies if that was their main motivation.”
“I agree.” She took a deep breath. “Dad, I think I might have prompted this without even realizing it.”
“What do you mean?” He grabbed a paper napkin from the coffee tray and mopped up the spilled brew.
“I’ve mentioned before that I wouldn’t mind exploring alternative energy solutions, perhaps as a subsidiary. I swear to you, I haven’t breathed a word of that since taking over, because I wanted to keep Baron as strong as possible during the transition. At least, I haven’t said anything...publicly.”
Brock’s eyes were keen on her. “What do you mean, publicly?”
She swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I might have mentioned it a few times...in private.”
Brock was uncharacteristically quiet, which was much worse than the expected tirade.
“Dad...I said a few things to Christopher in private. I never thought anything of it until yesterday when Nicole was here. Chris works for AB Windpower, Dad, and just got a nice transfer and management position. It’s all a little too neat and tidy.”
She slumped back in her chair. She felt so stupid and...gullible. And now she felt like a disappointment in her dad’s eyes.
“Did you ask Chris about it?” Brock asked, more calmly than she expected.
“He denied it. But then he would, wouldn’t he?”
Brock sighed.
“Lizzie, darlin’, I’m not saying he did or didn’t do it. But this is the man you’re having a child with. The man who, by all reports, has basically moved into your home. Now, I don’t know all that’s gone on between the two of you, and I don’t want to. But if there’s that much feeling between you, maybe you owe him the benefit of the doubt.”
Nothing her father could have said would have surprised her more. “But if he did do it, he’s betrayed me. And you. And hurt the company...”
“Honey, he hasn’t hurt the company. It was a merger proposal, nothing more. We’re not that vulnerable.”
“But the stock... I asked Nicole if they were planning on using the back door and attempting a reverse takeover....”
He chuckled. “And she said she didn’t know anything about that. Lizzie, Mark came to me after he spoke to you. We looked at the volume and decided it’s not enough to really be concerned about. Not enough to attempt a takeover or even voting shares. Plus our stock price has started to bounce back. We both think people are taking advantage of the low price knowing it’s going to climb and show great returns. You’ve been doing a great job here.”
She wasn’t sure what to feel at this moment. Anger and frustration at Mark, who’d promised to let her talk to Brock on her own time but had gone ahead anyway, not trusting her. Relief that things were okay, and a surprising amount of pride at her father’s validating words.
“You never asked me about the stock.” She met his gaze. “Why?”
“Because you were handling it. Because I kept trying to run things from home instead of trusting you. Julieta made me see that by doing that, I was undermining your confidence and abilities. I decided to let you take the lead on this one.”
“Or you gave me enough rope to hang myself,” she added ruefully.
He laughed. “If I’d needed to step in, I would have.”
“Dad...” Unexpected tears gathered behind her eyes and clogged her throat. “I... Thank you for that.”
“Baron’s been in capable hands. It hasn’t always been easy to accept. A man likes to think that things might fall apart in his absence. It’s not a good feeling to not be needed.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. “You’
ll always be needed. You know that.”
He squeezed her hand back. “I hope so. So, what’s your next move?”
“I called a board meeting for this afternoon. Do you want to stick around for that, or are you heading home?”
He slid his hand away from hers. “It’s all yours. I have physio at one-thirty and if I ever want to get permanently out of this chair I have to do what they say. Besides, you know what you’re doing.”
The unequivocal support was surprising and it buoyed her up more than he could possibly know. “I’ll call you tonight with an update.”
“That sounds good. Now, about Christopher...”
“Dad...” She wasn’t sure she really wanted to take advice about her love life from her dad.
“Maybe you should talk to this Nicole about it. Did you get the impression that she’s a straight shooter?”
She thought back. She’d liked the other woman even if they’d been on opposite sides of the table. “Yeah, I did.”
Brock hesitated a moment, then leaned forward a little. “I know I’m your dad and I don’t usually get into this sort of stuff, but...do you love him, Lizzie?”
She felt like crying. “I did.”
But Brock shook his head. “No. If you really loved him, you couldn’t turn it off like that. It takes time to get over someone you love. And you mask the pain with anger and hate until it’s bearable.”
“Like you did with Mom?”
He gave a start at the mention of Delia. “Yes, like your mom,” he admitted, looking away for a moment. “What I’m saying is, if you love him, be sure you’re ending it for the right reasons and not because you’re afraid.”
“What would I be afraid of?” she scoffed.
“Of being left again,” he said gently. “Of not being the one in control. I’ve seen you growing up, Lizzie, whether you think I noticed or not. I see how you keep people at arm’s length, how you always try to do the right thing and take on the responsibility of the family. But when I saw you with Chris at the ranch that night, I saw a different Lizzie. There was a light in you that had been missing. Be very, very sure before you throw all that away, okay?”