Allie’s mouth dropped open. “You own Heartland Cove? So I’m right. Miles Benjamin Ethan AKA Ethan Smith is stinking filthy rich. Good grief,” she added lamely, realizing how bad-mannered it was to bring up the topic of money.
He nodded, searching her face with a look of, what? Embarrassment? Guilt? Or hope? “Yep, you just met Dame Elizabeth Ethan Stewart, the rich widow that keeps Heartland Cove County on the map and running.”
Allie crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep her brain from exploding.
Ethan held up his hands. “But please, I’m not a billionaire!”
“Ha!” Allie scoffed. “When there’s too many million’s to count it doesn’t matter any longer.”
“Well, changing the “m” to a “b” would be pretty nice—” he broke off, aware that Allie was seething, and not laughing. He lowered his voice, aware of potential open windows. “Can we drive home and continue this chat at another time?”
Without answering, Allie got in the car and slammed the door.
The ride back to the Victorian house was silent and when they arrived, Allie piled out and slammed the car door again, stalking through the front door and then slamming it next.
“Why the charade Ethan—or Ben—or Miles? My gosh, I don’t even know if any of those are your true names!”
He stood in the entry hall staring at her. “What charade are you talking about?”
“Don’t play stupid. Taking pictures to prove to the state, or the county, or whoever about what the mayor is doing. Why don’t you donate your millions and that will save Heartland Cove from bankruptcy. You can buy the mayor out. Bribe him.”
Ethan shoved his hands into his jeans. “I’d like to keep my freedom and not go to jail? Is that a good enough reason? Plus the money isn’t mine.”
“When do you get the trust fund?” Allie couldn’t help it. She was point blank, firing questions at him.
“Thirty-five, unless Miss Ellie passes away first.”
Allie put her hands to her burning cheeks. “Oh my gosh, you’re a friggin’ billionaire! Cooking my breakfast to boot.” The last came out in a strangled laugh. Because it was funny. In a bizarre way.
Ethan smiled, his mouth quirking up so adorably Allie had this sudden, insane urge to kiss him again. Instead she clenched her fists so she could stay angry.
He shrugged. “Hey, even rich folks gotta eat.”
Allie didn’t want to be soothed. “Okay. So what’s with the house you’re gutting on the other side of town?”
He was visibly startled when she said that. “How do you know about that?”
“My friend Marla spotted you. Are you going to tell me that you are also a construction engineer?”
“Well, actually, I am. Sort of.”
“You’ve had a busy decade since high school.”
“I worked with my uncle during high school and university to pay my way through.”
“Why would you need to earn any money if you’re grandmother is indecently wealthy?” Allie couldn’t stop the sarcasm from coming out of her mouth.
She wasn’t normally sarcastic and ornery at all. Sean Carter deserting her at the altar and ruining her life had changed her. It was his fault. But Allie knew that was only an excuse. How dare Ethan make her attracted to him and get her all flustered—just before she learned he wasn’t who he said he was? How could she trust anyone?
“My grandmother’s money is not mine. She gave me this house to fix up, but it was my father’s brother who worked construction. My father wasn’t the one with the money.” He paused, his eyes turning darker than normal, the muscles in his jaw twitching. “My mother never actually inherited Grandmother Ellie’s estate. She died in a car accident long before her thirty-fifth birthday. When I was ten years old.”
Allie’s breath caught. “Oh, Ethan, I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I have no business questioning your family’s business—or anything. I can’t imagine how hard that would be to lose your mother at such a young age.”
Ethan touched her shoulder. “There’s nothing to forgive. I miss my mother, but I’ve made peace with it. I also know that I’ve been secretive about a few things. Maybe it’s time to come clean on another project of mine. The house on the far side of town in the woods.”
Allie watched a surge of emotions cross Ethan’s face, bracing herself, hoping he wasn’t going to confess to a secret wife and children.
“My grandmother owns that old place, too. And yes, I’m gutting it and remodeling extensively. But it won’t be a private home. The house is going to be the new headquarters of the Heartland Cove County Historical Society. Of which my grandmother is president.”
Allie’s head spun. “The historical society? But I heard that was disbanded when the old president died.”
“It was never very organized and never an official entity. Just a few descendants of the original settlers meeting in their living rooms. No place to store documents, display old photos, or archive the town’s history. That’s changing. My grandmother has urged me to move forward as quickly as we can before she’s not here any longer. She has entire airtight storerooms filled with archival material and photos from the past two hundred years.”
“So is the story about the highway, the bridge, and Mayor Jefferies merely a cover for this?”
Ethan gave a true laugh then. “No, the historical society is a cover for my investigation into Mayor Jefferies mischief.”
“And being a photographer is the perfect cover for both.”
“We hope to have the house turned into a museum by the end of next summer so we’re moving fast. Grandmother’s citizen cronies meet almost daily to sift through the boxes in storage. About two hundred of them.”
“That’s a staggering task.”
“Monumental.”
There was a pause and when Allie stared into Ethan’s eyes she tried not to let her knees go weak. “Will you make me a promise?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Don’t lie to me ever again.”
“I never wanted to. I hope you know that. But when we first met you were a vagrant living in my house.” Ethan wagged an eyebrow just to goad her.
“Okay, I’ll give you that inch,” Allie conceded. “Because you admitted two hours ago at Miss Ellie’s house that you’ve been watching me for more than ten years.”
Ethan’s face turned red. “Admiring someone from afar and knowing someone personally are two very different things.”
“Maybe your opinion of me has changed for the worse. I’ve been catty and suspicious and irritable for weeks now.”
“No, my good opinion of you hasn’t changed. You’ve been under a great deal of strain. But you’re also holding up admirably given the circumstances.”
“Serving French fries to hundreds of strangers every day will do that to you.”
“See?” Ethan’s eyes penetrated her thoughts. “You’re also funny. Something you don’t recognize in yourself.”
“Don’t look at me like that,” Allie ordered. She backed away, seeing too much in his face she couldn’t cope with.
He caught her fingers with his and Allie went still, hardly daring to breathe. “You know I’m falling for you, Allie Strickland. Harder than I thought.”
“Well, you can’t. Because I’m still in love with Sean.”
Ethan winced and Allie knew she’d hurt him, but speaking the words didn’t make her feel any better. Worse, actually.
He nodded. “You tell yourself that because you’re afraid of moving forward. You were with him for so long you can’t seem to give up. But he’s not coming back. It’s been almost a month. It’s over.”
“Oh, shut up, Ethan Smith.”
The pressure on her hand intensified and Allie could hardly take a normal breath.
“You’re hanging onto his rejection like a badge of honor. You’re comfortable in your pain. And you’re afraid so you keep up the pretense in your heart.”
She made a face at him like s
he was still in third grade. “I hate you, Ethan Smith.”
He gave a sharp intake of breath. “I understand. I’m sorry for coming down so hard on you and I’ll leave you alone now.”
But Ethan didn’t storm out like she expected him to. His shoulders hunched as he opened the front door and walked back down the sidewalk to his car without another word.
“Don’t patronize me, Ethan Smith!” she shouted after him. “You’re wrong. You don’t know. I can’t trust you so just go away and don’t come back!”
He stood at the car door watching her for one final agonizing moment. Allie felt like an idiot for the things she’d just said to him. She was so immature. So grouchy and annoying.
Ethan lifted his arm in a brief wave, almost like a salute. He dropped into the driver’s seat, banged the door closed, and then roared the engine to life, peeling out of the driveway and spitting gravel.
Allie slammed the front door and marched toward the kitchen, a sob burning at her throat. “Why did you have to show up, Ethan? Why didn’t I kick you out from the very beginning?”
Not half a minute later, the doorbell rang. “Now what?” She stomped back through the hall and threw the front door open again, ready to chew out Ethan for not leaving like he promised.
“Hello, Allie,” Sean said, a smile breaking across his face, like a cat that had finally caught the elusive mouse.
Allie felt every last bit of her strength leave. “Sean! What are you doing here—”
“It took me awhile, but I tracked you down. Oh, Allie, I’ve missed you so much. You won’t believe what a crazy month it’s been.”
Rooted to the floor, Allie tried to take in the fact that the man she’d been about to marry had been searching for her. He was here, right now, standing in front of her like an apparition.
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she sagged against the door frame as her legs turned to jelly.
Just as she was about to crumple to the floor, Sean stepped forward and caught her against his chest.
His arm muscles flexed and tightened, and then he picked her up and walked across the threshold like a groom with his bride.
Chapter 15
Sean carried Allie into the front parlor, maneuvering around the furniture. Slowly, he lowered Allie onto the settee with its velvet cushions and scrolled woodwork, holding her in his lap.
While his familiar arms were comforting, they were also curiously foreign. After nearly a month apart, it was as is if he’d returned as a ghost from her dreams. Almost a stranger in little ways. Allie noticed the scent of a new aftershave cologne and wasn’t sure she liked it.
“What—where—How did you—?” Allie tried to speak but she was incoherent as though waking up from a coma. She had a thousand questions churning in her mind for so many weeks, and now nothing would come out.
Before she could form a sane sentence, Sean was bending over her, slipping his fingers through her hair, and then his mouth came down on hers and he was kissing her.
Surprisingly, her own lips softened, and she was kissing him back.
Allie had dreamed about this moment—Sean returning to rescue her from her mental anguish that she couldn’t stop herself from giving into him.
She’d missed him, but after kissing Ethan a few hours ago, his lips were almost like a stranger’s.
Sean’s kisses were intense, as if he would swallow her whole, his breath ragged as he pulled her underneath him.
She could feel his heart pounding against her chest and Allie couldn’t think straight. He was overwhelming her, making her feel wanted, but trapped. His desire was obvious, but she wondered if it was real. What an odd thought.
“I’ve missed you so much, Allie,” he murmured, forcing her lips open.
She gave in, curious as a teenager being French kissed for the first time, but not sure she actually liked how hard his mouth was on hers.
“I’ve been waiting for that maintenance guy to leave,” Sean said, breathing hard as his lips traveled down her neck, going lower and lower.
Gulping in air, Allie pushed at him. “Stop for a moment. I can’t breathe. You’re overwhelming me.”
Sean just smiled while she struggled to sit up. “That’s nice to hear. Especially when you stopped answering my text messages.”
“You stopped texting me two weeks ago,” she said flatly. “But I don’t have any maintenance guy here. Who are you talking about?”
“Your landlord must own a bunch of properties if he can afford a BMW.”
Finally, Allie understood that he was referencing Ethan. “You saw him? You were waiting out there, watching the house?”
He nodded as he ran his hand down her arm and then along her waist, smiling seductively. It was a touch that used to send shivers rocketing through her, but now she was getting annoyed at the way he was taking liberties—after no communication in almost a month.
Sean had never actually called her after his wedding altar no-show. He’d never bothered to speak in person, to explain anything. She was still waiting, and here he was going after her as though they were still engaged.
“I parked across the street. Didn’t you notice my Porsche?”
“You never owned a Porsche.” Allie tried to take in the fact that he’d been watching the house. “How long have you been stalking me?”
Sean laughed, finally sitting up. Untangling her legs, Allie tried to slide off his lap, but he held her firmly, stroking her hair, trying to nibble at her ear.
It was really beginning to bother her.
“I’m your fiancé, it’s not called stalking when I wait for some plumber to leave so we can be alone. An old house like this, I’ll bet it’s got a hundred things wrong with it.”
“Actually—” She began to speak, but he cut her off.
“Let’s just do it, Allie,” he said suddenly, his voice turning low and rough. He pulled her close while his fingers fumbled with the buttons on her blouse.
The moment was so surreal. He had three buttons undone before Allie could figure out what to say. Instead, instinct took over. She swung out a hand and slapped him across the face. The sound of the slap bounced off the high crown-molding. “What the hell, Sean!”
Surprise swept across his face. “Hey, what’s going on?” Finally he gave Allie a sheepish expression. “Okay, I guess I deserved that. But now that it’s out of your system, let’s get married. Find the small-town justice of the peace and make it official. Why wait any longer? This month has about killed me.”
“This month has killed you?” Allie choked out. She scrambled to her feet, standing over him. “You jerk! You left me at the altar!”
“No I didn’t. I called you and told you what was happening. That we just had to have a do-over wedding day. People do it all the time.”
“You did not call me. You texted me with some stupid story. Listen to me very carefully, Sean Carter, you dense SOB. People do not do-over their wedding day—not when they’re already at the church with a hundred guests.”
“Isn’t it called renewing your vows?” His face was so perfectly innocent and stupid she wanted to slap him again.
Allie’s fingers clenched together. She thought she might break off her thumbs. “Please don’t tell me you just said that with a straight face. You’re a lawyer, are you completely dense? You deserted me on our wedding day and then you show up here weeks later like nothing’s wrong?”
“But I love you, Allie.”
She took a step backward, jerking as if he’d hit her. “Wow. You have no idea what real love is.”
“Okay, I’m a jerk lawyer. Guess it comes with the territory. But I’m the same person you’ve always known, Allie. Nothing changed. I had an emergency and we get married now. It’s not like we can’t reschedule the honeymoon trip, or send back the wedding silver if that’s what you’re feeling guilty about.”
Allie opened her mouth, but for a moment no words came out. She had no idea where to even begin. “First of
all, I’m not the one who’s guilty. Second of all, being a jerk is something you choose, it’s not something you inherit when you graduate from law school.”
Sean rose from the couch and she gazed at him defiantly, arms crossed over her chest to keep him at bay.
“I was on the case of my life, Allie. For weeks, I told you it wasn’t the right time to have a wedding.”
“Pretty hard to start over on wedding planning when we’d already paid the deposit on the church hall, and sent out the invitations!”
Sean squared his shoulders. “I suggested we could live together and do a party some other time when my case load calmed down.”
“A party?” Allie spit out. “Our wedding—our life commitment—isn’t just some Friday night party so everybody can get drunk. Your case load will never lighten. It will only get worse. Those are just asinine excuses and you know it, you’re just too selfish and insensitive to admit it.”
Sean began to speak again and Allie shoved a finger into his chest. “Don’t play stupid. You made it through law school so I think you can understand what’s going on here without playing the victim. You’ve known that I wanted a real wedding and a real honeymoon ever since we got serious three years ago.”
“We can still do it, baby,” he said putting on his quiet smooth voice. “We’ll plan the biggest, most flashy expensive wedding you’ve ever seen. I got a bonus for this case.”
“Don’t treat me like a hysterical woman, Sean. I’m not eighteen years old. You can’t bribe me with a fancy wedding—and I’m not desperate.”
He gazed down at Allie with a patronizing look. “A few weeks ago you were desperate to get me into bed.”
“On our honeymoon,” she emphasized. “Let’s say I’m coming to my senses. You do realize, Sean that you have given me no explanation for what you’ve been doing the past month. Nor have you given me any kind of real apology. You couldn’t take five minutes to call me on what was supposed to be our wedding night and let me know you weren’t dead or in jail? Even now, you can’t even get down on one knee and beg me to marry you. You merely try to seduce me—as if this past month never happened.”
The Neighbor's Secret (A Secret Billionaire Romance #1) Page 12