The Billionaire's Setup

by Marie Higgins

  Bailey released a vindictive laugh. “I know, right?”

  Nicole stood, biting her tongue. She’d never approved of her cousin’s lifestyle. Who was she to judge, anyway? She’d made mistakes in her life, too. “Come on. Let’s drive into town and see if there are any stores open for you to shop at.”

  Bailey’s expression finally looked like she was awake. She jumped out of her chair and walked with Nicole to the front door. Thankfully, both of them remembered to wear something a little warmer this morning, but the cool air against Nicole’s face still made her suck in a quick breath.

  After they climbed in the car, she glanced back at the front of the building. It looked so different in the daylight, but it was definitely the manor that had been in her dreams. She wished she knew why she had dreamed of someplace she’d never been before.

  Standing beside her, Bailey groaned. “Gads, it looks worse now than it did last night. The owners definitely need to upgrade it.”

  “No, I think it’s perfect. It has that old rustic look, and it makes you feel like you’re walkin’ into the past when you step inside.”

  “Didn’t you say this place was haunted? I didn’t sleep well last night, but I definitely didn’t see a ghost.”

  “I had researched this place before comin’ here, and apparently, there was a fire around 1927. The new owners turned it into a bed and breakfast, and it was after that when ghost sightin’s started happenin’. Apparently, some of the guests reported unexplained occurrences.”

  “That’s creepy.”

  “I find it fascinatin’.” Nicole nodded.

  “Then you’re crazy, too.” Bailey sat back and scrolled through her phone. “I wonder if there are any clubs or any place to meet single guys around here.”

  “Maybe you can search on your phone and see.”

  For the next two hours, they drove around town and even entered the next city over, trying to look for stores. Although there were several, the items they sold were just not good enough for Queen Bailey.

  Nicole silently scolded her thoughts. She shouldn’t think that way about her cousin. After all, Nicole had also been a little uppity a time or two in her life, especially when it came to men. Of course, she thought she had been picky because the men demonstrated to her that her money was more important to them than she was. She didn’t think she’d ever find a man who didn’t know about the billions in her bank account.

  Perhaps that’s what made her short conversation with Nolan yesterday so memorable. He didn’t know who she was or how much money she had. If only she could find a man like him... or finding Nolan himself would be good, too.

  About ten minutes to eleven, she stopped in front of Woodland Park’s old courthouse that was connected to the jail. The few nearby buildings appeared as rundown as the one that rose higher with a huge clock-tower on the top. She and Bailey climbed out of the car and walked to the apple tree out in front. Two men wearing a tour guide tag, stood with five other people, chatting.

  Nicole found an empty park bench and sat. She took out her phone and started clearing out old pictures to make room for the ones she’d take during the tour. Bailey’s phone chimed and she answered it, walking to the other side of the grass where nobody could hear her.

  Suddenly, the clock tower started bonging out the eleventh hour. The noise startled her, and she jumped, glancing behind her at the clock. But then the screeching of tires became louder and pulled her attention back to the street as a black Cherokee Jeep came to a stop near the curb in front of the building.

  The windows were tinted, but the windshield appeared a little lighter tint. The man climbing out of the vehicle looked so much like...

  Nolan?

  Nicole’s heartbeat sped up as she watched the man climb out of his Jeep. He tossed a jacket – or it could have been a shirt – in the backseat before closing the door. As he straightened and started walking toward them, her heart leapt. It was Nolan!

  He walked right up to one of the tour guides and excitement shot through her. He was going to be part of the tour. Her day had definitely improved. Would he remember her? And would he still be the sweet man who’d helped them last night?

  FIVE

  Nolan sighed with relief that the tour hadn’t taken off without him. He’d been so involved with trying to find Nicole this morning, that he lost track of time. Trying to find her had become like a disease – the more he searched, the more desperate he became.

  “Hi,” he said to the tour guide as he stopped in front of the bald middle-aged man. “I’m Nolan Ricks. Sorry I was late.”

  The man grinned, displaying a mouth-full of very crooked teeth. “You’re fine, sir. We usually wait a few minutes just in case we have stragglers.”

  “That’s good.”

  “If you’d like to mingle, the group over there will be in the tour.”

  “I certainly would. Thank you.”

  Slowly, he stepped toward the small group as he ran his gaze over everyone, but only one person stood out – like a beacon shining in the fog. The woman he hadn’t stopped thinking about sat on one of the benches, staring his way with wide eyes. The brown streaks in her pretty blonde hair looked darker as her locks flowed over her shoulders and down her back.

  A quick breath caught in his throat. Was this really Nicole or had he been thinking of her so much that he now pictured her face in every woman he looked at? But the way his heartbeat raced, and his legs picked up pace as he moved toward her, he knew this was not his imagination.

  She stood and waited for him to get closer, which made him hurry that much faster.

  “Nolan?”

  He chuckled. “Nicole?” He stopped in front of her, recalling again how beautiful she was. “I... can’t believe it’s you.”

  Her cheeks reddened. “Why?”

  “Because...” His mind scrambled to think of something intelligent to say. Telling her that he’d been constantly thinking of her wasn’t a good way to start out their conversation. “Well, because we just met last night. I wasn’t sure I’d see you again, and then... you’re here.” He motioned to the tour guide. “Are you part of the tour, too?”

  “Yes. This is definitely very coincidental. I’m as surprised as you are.”

  His chest swelled with happiness. He stuffed his fingers into the front pocket of his jeans and rocked back on his heels. “So, you’re a fan of ghosts too, huh?”

  She sighed, nearly losing her cute smile. “More than you know.”

  “Did you come all the way from Texas just to go to a ghost tour?”

  “It looks that way.” She shrugged. “How about you? You live in Arizona.”

  He wanted to grin wide but kept the enthusiasm growing inside him to a dull roar. He couldn’t believe she remembered where he was from. “Yes, I do.”

  “I’m actually relieved to see you again.” Her cheeks reddened.

  “You are? Is your car still having issues?”

  “No, not that.” She pointed toward the tour guide. “I’m glad I’ll have someone to talk to durin’ the week-long tour.”

  Just as he opened his mouth to ask about her cousin, Bailey stepped beside Nicole, folding her arms. “Oh, it’s you again.” She glared at Nolan.

  He clenched his jaw, wanting to give Bailey some snide remark, but decided against it. “Yes, I’m here for the tour.”

  “Okay, everyone,” the tour guide called out. “Please gather around over here so we can go over the rules.”

  “After you.” Nolan smiled at Nicole and motioned toward the middle-aged man.

  Bailey quickly linked arms with Nicole and practically pulled her ahead of Nolan. Nicole gave him an apologetic look and shrugged.

  He stood just in back of her as they faced the guide. The gentle wind blew against her. He smelled lilacs. His grandmother always had lilac bushes in her yard, and during the spring, she picked the flowers and put them in vases throughout the house. It softened his heart to know that Nicole loved that scent, too.


  As the guide talked about the old courthouse that was connected to the jail, and the heathens that had been locked up over the many years throughout history, Nolan’s mind stopped concentrating on the history lesson and focused on Nicole. She wore a wide-necked, gray cashmere sweater with her dark blue jeans... and just like yesterday, cowgirl boots were on her feet. Because of her cute Texan drawl, he knew she’d look good in just about anything.

  Soon, the group moved toward the courthouse. Nolan snapped back to reality and walked along with the group, making their way into the old jailhouse. The moment the group reached the cells, out came the cell phones as everyone started snapping selfies and other pictures. Bailey was going crazy with her cell. There was definitely a love-connection between her cell and all the selfies she took. A few times, she clicked pictures of her and Nicole. Both ladies laughed, and Nolan tried not to enjoy it too much. He was sure Nicole was a classy lady, which meant she’d have no interest in him at all once she found out about what he did for a living.

  In a quick second, Nicole spun toward him and grasped his arm, pulling him inside the cell. His heartbeat quickened.

  “Come join me in prison,” she said jokingly.

  He followed and arched an eyebrow as he met her gaze. “What’s your crime?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I had stolen somethin’ of importance.” She pulled out her cell and took some pictures of the cell.

  “I’m quite sure you did. In fact,” he leaned closer, wagging his eyebrows, “you probably stole a man’s heart.”

  Nicole looked at him with wide eyes, but her expression told him that she was enjoying this particular conversation.

  “And what if I did?”

  “Then you deserve jail time.”

  She gasped dramatically, placing the back of her hand to her forehead. “Oh, you’re an awful man. You wound me.”

  “Unless...” He pulled back, tilting his head. “What did you do with the man’s heart after you’d taken it?”

  A mischievous look crossed her face as her gaze narrowed. “I’ll never tell.”

  She hooked her arm around his, pulling him closer. “Take some pictures with me.” She held out her cell phone to do some selfies of them together.

  He leaned his head closer to hers and smiled into the camera. The next picture she made a silly face, which made him act goofy, too. She laughed and elbowed him in the arm.

  “You’re funny.” Her pretty amber eyes sparkled even though the sunlight wasn’t directly hitting them.

  “You’re pretty funny, yourself.” He smiled and nodded to her phone. “Will you share those pictures with me?”

  “Of course.” She touched the screen on the phone and moved to her contact list. “What’s your number?”

  Nervously, he gave her his number, feeling like a teenager all over again. Snap out of this, Ricks!! He had no idea why he felt so tongue-tied around her.

  Once she was finished adding in his phone number, she lowered the phone and gaze around the cell again.

  A frown touched her face. “Accordin’ to our guide, criminals died in these cells and their ghosts still haunt the place.” She looked at Nolan. “Why would they want to stay in the places where they died? You’d think they’d want to crossover and go to a better place, right?”

  “They probably stay because of revenge. I suspect they want to punish those who had wronged them.”

  “True, but I’d think those people who wronged them would be dead by now.”

  He nodded. “But revenge builds up inside a person and only continues to grow until they have sought out justice. Revenge can shred a person’s soul.”

  She leaned against the steel bars. “You sound as if you know someone who is revengeful.”

  “I’ve known a few. Luckily, it all worked out in the end.”

  “No one died?” she wondered.

  “No one died, but I’m sure my friend wanted to strangle the other person for taking away three months out of his life.” Frowning, he recalled the moment he’d stopped Aaron from getting killed. “I had the chance to take someone’s life – just to save my friend – but I knew I’d never forgive myself.” He glanced at the dank walls and the soiled rock floors. “And I definitely didn’t want to be put in a place like this. So instead, I knocked the guy in the head who was trying to kill my friend.”

  “Wow,” Nicole whispered. “You’ll have to tell me about it sometime. It sounds like an interestin’ story.”

  “I will. You can count on it.”

  The tour guide led them out of the jail and back to the bus. Nolan took the seat behind Nicole and her cousin. All the way to their next stop, Bailey complained about the bus. The seats were too hard... She was squished... She couldn’t get service on her phone... The bus smelled disgusting.

  As the bus stopped in front of a diner, the guide explained that in 1912, the building used to be a dance hall until the owner’s daughter was viciously killed but the murderer was never found. The rumors had the mayor’s son killing the girl because she had broken their engagement, but that was never proven, and so her case went unsolved. The different businesses that had occupied the building over the years had reports of seeing a female ghost whose description was exactly like the dead woman.

  Nolan stepped out of the bus, hearing some of the others whispering about who could have murdered the owner’s daughter. He found the ghost stories fascinating, but so far, none of them compared to his friend’s story.

  They had a table in the back dining area reserved for those on the tour. Nolan sat next to Nicole, and Bailey plopped down in the chair on the other side of her cousin. She lifted the menu and started whining again about the greasy food.

  Nicole’s expression hardened as she leaned toward her cousin. “Then order the salad.”

  Nolan held back a laugh, especially when he had been thinking the same thing.

  The guide wanted each person in the group to state their name, where they were from, and why they wanted to come on a ghost tour. They started at the end of the table, and as it came to Bailey’s turn, she was on her phone, texting.

  Nicole gave her cousin a slight nudge. “It’s your turn,” she whispered.

  Sighing impatiently, Bailey lowered her phone and glared at the guide. “I’m Bailey. I’m from Texas. I don’t believe in ghosts, and I’m only here to be with my cousin.”

  Nicole released a soft irritated groan and straightened her shoulders, forcing a smile. “I’m Nicole Carrigan, and I’m from Austin, Texas. I’ve always had a fascination about ghosts and paranormal activities. I sometimes wonder if ghosts can interact with us through dreams. I’m lookin’ forward to learning more about these haunted spots.” She glanced at Nolan and winked.

  “I’m Nolan Ricks,” he told the group, “and I’m from Surprise, Arizona—”

  “SURPRISE!” Bailey blurted out rudely, and then snorted a laugh, but when nobody shared her humor, she quickly shut up.

  “As I was saying,” he continued on, ignoring Bailey, “I’ve always loved the spooky and unexplained. I worked with my best friend who was a magician. During this time, I came to wonder how – if at all possible – if ghosts could communicate with others. I know the tricks people can use to deceive others into believing there are real ghosts, but I’m curious to experience, hopefully, something that confirms my belief in the other side.”

  “Was that the man who wanted revenge?” Nicole whispered to Nolan while the next person started talking.

  “Yes.”

  “So, you could tell if somethin’ was fake then, right?” she whispered again. “I don’t want to be fooled.”

  “Then stick close to me. I’ll let you know if it’s been rigged.” He winked.

  During the meal, stories were circling around the table. One was about the early miners who were settling in Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas. The gold rush brought many people toward the mountains and they were all eager to get rich. The town boomed, but it didn’t stop the greed
y people from stealing what wasn’t theirs. Many people were murdered or died in mining accidents.

  Another story spoke of the ancient Indians who occupied this area, and how many confrontations between them and the settlers happened which ended up in wars and massacres. Many people believed that the spirits of the tribes still lingered in certain areas.

  Nolan kept glancing at Nicole. She was soaking in these stories as if her life depended on it. It pleased him to see her so interested in paranormal activities. At least he knew they had one thing in common.

  When the story telling simmered down, Nicole sighed heavily, and her shoulders relaxed. She looked at Nolan. “That’s just amazin’.”

  “Yes, it is.” He leaned closer. “They say the hotel I’m staying at is haunted. I’m curious to experience some activity.”

  Bailey pushed against Nicole to get her attention. “Didn’t you say our place was supposed to be haunted, too?”

  “Yes.” She moved her attention back to Nolan. “There are plenty of places around this area that are haunted.”

  “Well, if your place is scarier than mine, let me know and I will switch inns.” Nolan teased.

  “Same here,” she flirted back.

  He wasn’t the kind of man who invited women to his room right after meeting them, and he certainly wasn’t going to do that with Nicole. However, he didn’t want to part ways once the tour was over. It was too bad that her cousin couldn’t disappear somehow.

  Nolan bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing aloud. He’d never needed his magician friend more than now. Nolan was sure Aaron still had a few tricks up his sleeve to help with Bailey’s situation.

  SIX

  Although Nicole was learning about ghosts and why they haunt, she still hadn’t a clue what this had to do with her dreams. Her question on whether or not they could communicate with the living through dreams hadn’t been answered yet. She worried that she’d never be able to shake these dreams and that if this woman was a ghost, would she ever leave Nicole alone?

  Thankfully, though, she had a distraction... a very good-looking and charming distraction with the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. She really liked his laugh, and she nearly melted when he smiled. He was being a really good sport by ignoring Bailey’s rudeness, too. If only Nicole knew of a way to get through to her cousin, but Bailey’s thick skull wouldn’t allow anything to sink inside.