by Krista Lakes
“Thank you, Brian,” he said. There wasn't much evidence to the office bombing to compare anything to, unfortunately. Every part of the bomb was available at a regular gas station, and they had no video footage. The cameras were blocked, so nothing usable was recorded. Carter sighed and took another sip of coffee. At this rate, he was going to need another cup soon. “Is everything still good for today? I want to show Mia the high roller experience.”
“Yes, sir,” Brian said with a nod. “The hotel security has been a pleasure to work with, yet again. I hope we managed to stay unobtrusive last night?”
Carter nodded. “I don't think she even realized you were here. Good job.”
“My pleasure, sir.” Brian stood from the table. “Is there anything else you need, sir?”
“No, thank you.”
With a curt nod, Brian turned and left the room. Carter stared into his empty coffee cup and tried not to think about his garage. He tried not to think of the flames. It wasn't so much the things that were in it, but rather the fact that it was where he thought himself the safest. He hated the feeling of vulnerability.
“Everything okay?” Mia asked, opening the door from the bedroom and peering out. “I thought I heard your security guy.”
Her hair was still messy with sleep, but she'd found the heated robes and had wrapped it around her small frame. She looked so beautiful, Carter had a hard time not staring.
“You did hear him,” Carter replied. He stood up and came over to kiss her cheek. She smiled at his touch, and it made his heart less heavy.
“What's he doing in Vegas?” Mia asked, heading toward the coffee pot with enthusiasm. Carter followed behind her to get his second cup.
“Watching out for us,” Carter explained. “We've had security the whole trip.”
Mia finished pouring her cup and looked thoughtful before nodding. “That explains the bathroom.”
“The bathroom?”
“When I went to the bathroom at the restaurant last night, I could have sworn I saw Brian duck into the kitchen. At the time, I thought I just needed to slow down on the wine, but it must have actually been him,” she replied. She took a sip of her coffee and sighed with pleasure. She took another before continuing. “Why do you need so much security? I mean, I know you're a billionaire, but it seems like a lot.”
Carter carefully finished pouring his cup before answering.
“Do you remember when I told you I was hiding out on the ranch? The reason is that there have been some serious threats on my life.” He tried to keep his voice light, like it wasn't a big deal. Still, he hated the way her face paled, and her eyes grew big with concern.
“Oh my god,” she whispered, setting down her cup. “Why would anyone want to hurt you?”
He liked that she thought him innocent and undeserving of threats.
“People blame me when something happens with their cars,” he explained. “I get quite a few death threats.”
She nodded slowly. “I understand the security then,” she said. She frowned and picked up her cup again. “Why would they blame you? You didn’t cause the accident.”
Carter shrugged. “I'm an easy face for them to blame. And they need someone to be responsible for their pain,” he replied. “Most of the time, it's not even the fault of my cars. I can't keep passengers safe when they don't wear seat belts or run into telephone poles.”
“Most of the time?” She took a small sip of coffee, her dark eyes watching him. He sighed.
“Remember that case I told you about? The one where the woman died due to a faulty airbag?” He played with the cup in his hand, staring into the dark liquid. “Her family is pressing more charges, filing more lawsuits. I would too, in their situation.”
“That's not your fault,” she assured him. “You said they put an airbag in her car that was faulty. You didn't do that.”
“It was my brand of car and my brand of airbag. It was supposed to be safe,” he said, turning away.
Carter heard the clink of her mug sitting on the granite bar. She moved to be directly in front of him, placing her hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch.
“Carter, that's not your fault.” Her dark eyes were serious. For a moment, he almost believed he was completely blameless.
“Let's talk about something else,” he said, kissing her fingertips. “It's a beautiful morning, and I don't want to talk business today. We're vacationing.”
Mia grinned and snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. He tipped his head and kissed the top of her hair, smelling her sweet shampoo. How did she manage always to smell so good? It had to be some sort of magic. He kissed her head again, and she hummed with pleasure.
“You like that?” he said, his voice getting a husky quality. That noise had his thoughts going south.
“Mmm hmm,” she murmured, pressing against him. She fit into him like she was his missing piece.
“I think I know another way to make you hum,” he told her. She looked up at him with a naughty twinkle in her eye.
“I like you so much, I'll even wait on breakfast for that,” she said. “And breakfast smells good.”
He chuckled. “You must like me a lot.”
Mia grinned and stepped away from him. She winked once and then sauntered toward the bedroom. He didn't know how she managed to make a fluffy robe look sexy as hell, but somehow she did. Her hips had a magic power over him when she moved like that.
With a grin of his own, he set down his coffee cup and ran after her. Breakfast could wait.
Chapter 20
Mia
Forty-eight hours in heaven. That's what the weekend was to Mia. It was bliss. She'd never had a weekend so relaxing, revitalizing, or amazing. She hated that it was over because she never wanted it to end. She never wanted this alone time with Carter to end.
The plane started to descend as they came in for a landing. Mia had never noticed before, but the empty field behind the ranch house was actually a runway. Not having to go to the airport was definitely a perk to dating a billionaire. Mia held Carter's hand, wishing they could just stay up in the air forever. It wasn't Vegas that she was going to miss, it was having him all to herself.
He'd showed her Vegas as only a billionaire could. They'd eaten the most amazing food she'd ever had in her life from beef Wellington to sushi to gourmet chocolates. They'd gambled at the high roller tables with celebrities. Carter told her most of it was comped, but she didn't even want to know what their spend had been.
The best part was the time they spent up in their suite. Much of it was in the bedroom, but it wasn't all just sex. They'd talked and laughed until she was crying with joy. They'd both put their phones away and just spent time with one another.
Mia hadn't even missed her phone. Carter was amazing. He had this unique ability to take something serious and turn it into something hilarious. He was witty and kind, and he always put her first. It made for the best weekend of her life.
Now, she felt like Cinderella returning home after the ball. Except she still had her prince. That made her smile as the plane landed with a soft thump. She wasn't missing a shoe, and her prince charming knew where she lived. She was better off than Cinderella.
Carter held her hand as they exited the plane. Going down the stairs, even with no one around, still felt luxurious and elite. She felt like she should wave to the paparazzi, even though all there was around them was grass and a couple of pine trees. The air was cold, and there was a tang to it that told her snow was on the way. It was now fall in the mountains and winter was coming.
Once down the stairs, she turned her phone back on and together they walked back toward the ranch house. Her phone immediately buzzed with a message.
Kids at ranch. Can you bring them home with you?
Margie
Mia frowned as she read the message from the kids' foster mom. Today wasn't one of the kids usual work days, so she didn't know why they were here. The fact that Margie had dropped them
off but couldn't pick them up was also strange.
“The kids are here,” Mia told Carter, putting her phone away. “Did you know they were here?”
“No,” Carter said shaking his head. “Laura must have needed some extra help. I should check my phone. I turned it off.”
“I know.” Mia grinned at him. “I appreciated it too. It made this morning much more fun.”
He grabbed her hip to spin him to her and kissed her full on the mouth. It was only a taste of what happened this morning, but it heated Mia up better than a fire. If the kids weren't at the ranch, she would have gone for another round.
“Next time,” Carter promised. Apparently, he was thinking the same thing. She loved the naughty grin he gave as he released her and they walked to the barn.
“Alexander, did you find the extra curry combs?” Lily asked as they walked in.
“Yes, I put them in the stalls like you asked,” Alexander replied as he hurried past with his arms full of supplies. He smiled as Carter and Mia walked in, hurrying over to give them both a hug hello.
“Where's Laura?” Mia asked, looking around the barn. The manager was nowhere to be seen, which was odd. She was always so good about being where the kids could find her.
Lily walked over slowly. She had a clipboard and a serious look on her face.
“She called me this morning totally freaking out,” Lily explained after greeting them. “There's been an accident.”
Carter stiffened, and Mia could see him pale. He reached for his phone and quickly began fumbling with the buttons.
“Is she okay?” Mia asked, concerned. From the look on Lily's face, Mia had a bad feeling she wasn't.
“Physically, she's fine,” Lily replied. She sighed and fiddled with the clipboard. “Her parents were in an airplane crash early this morning.”
Mia's heart sunk. There was no way that the next words out of Lily's mouth were anything good. Lily looked up at her and Carter with tears in her big brown eyes.
“They didn't make it.” Lily swallowed hard and looked at the floor. “I was here helping her when she got the news.”
Mia hugged Lily to her. The girl leaned into her, sniffling but keeping strong.
“I have to go help with arrangements,” Carter said. His voice was hollow. He patted Lily on the back, obviously still in shock himself. “Thank you for being here for her.”
He gave her shoulder a squeeze and looked at Mia.
“Go,” Mia whispered. She now felt guilty about having him keep his phone off all morning. He cared for Laura, and she knew that he was worried about her. He was a good boss.
“Thank you, Lily.” Carter nodded and patted Lily's shoulder one last time before pulling out his phone and heading into the house to see what he could do to help.
“Are you okay, Lily?” Mia asked, keeping her arms around the girl until Lily let go of her. Lily nodded and wiped her eyes.
“I just feel so bad for Laura. She's got a younger brother and sister.” Lily looked over to where her brothers were busy cleaning one of the stalls. “I can't imagine having to tell them.”
Mia's heart broke. Lily and Laura had grown close these past few weeks, and Mia knew how much Lily respected and looked up to the other woman. She pulled Lily back into her for another hug. Lily didn't resist, which told Mia that the teenager needed the affection. Mia wrapped her arms around her tighter and rubbed her back. It didn't take away the pain, but it was soothing.
“Is Laura going to be okay?” Lily asked her voice a whisper into Mia's shoulder.
“Laura is strong,” Mia assured her. “It's going to be rough, but she'll get through it. You're doing a good thing helping her here.”
Lily smiled up at her and took a deep breath. She pulled away, and Mia knew that she was going to be okay, too.
“I'm glad I can help,” Lily told her. “I'm glad Alexander and Grayson can help, too. Between the three of us and the trainer, we’ll keep things running for her. She taught me most of what she does, so I can at least keep things under control. It's one less thing she has to worry about for the moment.”
Mia warmed with pride. “You are all such good kids.”
Lily rolled her eyes but smiled and blushed. She shrugged and resettled herself. “Did you have fun on your weekend away? Margie said Carter took you someplace.”
Lily grinned. “He took me to Las Vegas. It was amazing.”
“Vegas? Nice,” Lily said. Her eyes narrowed. “So, are you two a thing now? Please tell me you married him there.”
Mia laughed. “I did not marry him.” Though, she thought of his offer and felt butterflies. “But, you want to know if we're dating?”
“Yeah.” Lily nodded. “Are you?”
“I think so,” Mia told her, thinking back to the weekend. They'd never officially discussed it, but there was no way after the weekend they'd just shared that they weren't some sort of couple.
Lily grinned. “Good. He's good for you, Mia.”
Mia looked at her surprised at her bluntness. “Thanks.”
“I'm going to get back to work,” Lily informed her, pointing to her clipboard. “Do you think we can stop and pick up some food to bring to Laura's house on the way home?”
“Definitely,” Mia promised.
“Thanks,” Lily said with a grin and then turned and started helping her brothers with the barn chores.
Mia was impressed. Lily was growing up so fast and doing a great job at it. She looked calm and collected as she checked her list and made sure that the barn and the horses were taken care of the way Laura would want. Mia had a feeling Laura would be pleased with the results. She made a mental note that Lily would need to spend more time here, as would the boys.
The idea of spending more time on the ranch made her happy. She wished it had come about differently, but she was going to take advantage of the opportunity. More time at the ranch meant more time with Carter. She looked over at Lily working one last time before pulling out her phone and looking for restaurants with takeout on their way to Laura's house.
Chapter 21
Mia
Mia sat at her desk and rolled her shoulders, trying to get the knot in the back of her neck to relax. There was still so much paperwork that needed to be done, as well as a special project from her boss she'd just been told about today. It felt like she still had hours to go, but it would never be enough.
Today had been a rough day. She'd been to court with one of her other kiddos, and it hadn't gone well. Her heart hurt with how much she wanted to help, but couldn't do to lack of resources. The kids needed and deserved so much more than she could give.
She sighed and tried not to look at her phone. She wanted to reach out and talk to someone but wasn't sure who. Carter had messaged her earlier in the day, but he was busy, and she didn't want to bother him. All of her friends were working and wouldn't be able to talk. She sighed and decided just to try to finish her work.
Mia checked her watch. Her boss needed her to stay late tonight to work on a special project. She didn't know what it was, but her boss didn't make the request often, so she was doing it. Even though it was a Friday night. If she could just get through some of the paperwork before it was project time, she'd feel better about the week.
Her phone buzzed, and Mia hoped it was Carter. She quickly reached for the phone to see it was just a message from her boss.
That project I told you about- he's here.
Mia sighed and tried not to feel discouraged, but the last thing she wanted was to work with another kid tonight. Not after her day in court. She needed a win today, and she just didn't have the energy to fail again. She wished there were more resources and options for the kids she looked after. If she could, she would adopt every single one of them so they could succeed.
So, if there was a kid that needed her help tonight, she was going to do it. She might sigh now, but this was her life's work, and even though she felt burned out today, she wasn't about to let another kid down. He'd be
here in a minute, so she focused on getting one last bit of paperwork done.
“Hi, Mia,” Carter greeted her.
Mia's head whipped up from the desk, and she grinned. This was a much-needed surprise, although poor timing. Her project would be here any second.
“Carter,” Mia greeted him warmly. She stood up from the desk and kissed him. All she wanted to do was curl up in his arms, but that wasn't in the cards today. “I'm afraid I don't have much time. My boss is sending over a project for me. But, it's so good to see you.”
Carter nodded and looked around. “So, this is where you work?”
“Yeah.” Mia followed his gaze, noting the drab gray cubicles and flickering florescent overhead lights. It wasn't exactly glamorous. “This is where I do my paperwork. I try not to have the kids in here too much.”
Carter's eyes went to the stack of paperwork on her desk. “Wow. That's a lot of paper.”
“Yeah, and this is with our new 'paperless' system. You should have seen it last year.” She sat down in her chair with a sigh. “I'm sure I've killed an entire forest.”
Carter watched her for a moment, and she wondered just how exhausted she looked. “What's wrong?” he asked.
“I wish I could do more.” Mia pointed to a stack of folders on her desk. “Every one of these kids needs something, and I wish I could do it all. I hate having to say that we don't have the funding or the personnel or the time. It kills me. It's the part of the job that I hate.”
“I'm sorry,” Carter said simply.
She sighed and ran a hand through her tangled hair. Her project would be here soon, and she needed to get some energy. She did her best to smile. “I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated. Today isn't going the way I planned.”
Carter walked around behind the desk and put his hands on her shoulders. His strong hands instantly found the knot between her shoulders, and he started massaging it out. She groaned softly at his touch, letting herself relax for just a moment. With him here, she could feel her energy slowly coming back.