The Billionaire's Setup

by Marie Higgins

  It wasn’t long before Bailey came down the stairs and took Nicole off to go shopping. The women hadn’t been gone a half hour, and yet Nolan missed Nicole already. He walked around the B&B’s lobby, looking at all the historic pictures hanging on their walls. The black and white pictures were taken when the bed and breakfast first opened – before the fire.

  Leaning closer, he examined the pictures better. The place didn’t look like a hotel, it looked like a mansion.

  “Excuse me,” Nolan asked, glancing at the woman sitting behind the front desk. “Is there a historical library or something nearby? I’d like to find out more information about this town.”

  “Oh, yes.” The woman grinned. “Let me get the address for you.”

  Within minutes he had the address in his hand and was off to do some serious research.

  WEARILY, NICOLE OPENED the door to her room and walked inside... and hesitated. She glanced around, looking in every corner. She concentrated on the temperature of the room. So far, her ghost wasn’t here.

  Sighing with relief, she closed and locked the door. She tossed her room key and the vehicle keys on the bed stand before flopping down on the mattress. Today’s excursion had worn her out completely. The whole time she was with Bailey, she’d wished to be with Nolan.

  Bailey acted dumb, and Nicole wondered if her cousin wasn’t acting at all. But this morning, Bailey had noticed a change in Nicole. She’d told Nicole that she looked happier and smiled more. Bailey had asked Nicole if she had feelings for Nolan. She couldn’t lie to her cousin. In fact, Nicole wanted the whole world to know how much she cared for the man who made her giddy... the man who made her heart soften every time she gazed into his dreamy green eyes.

  Surprisingly, Bailey hadn’t tried to talk Nicole out of feeling this way toward Nolan. She suspected it was because they still believed he was the billionaire’s grandson, and in that case, would make Nolan and Nicole a perfect match.

  Her eyelids became heavier by the second, so she curled in a blanket and set the alarm on her phone. She couldn’t miss the next tour, and especially, she couldn’t miss seeing Nolan.

  Her mind drifted to a time back in the 1920’s. The mansion that had been in her dreams before wasn’t decorated with flowers. Instead, in this dream, it was a normal household.

  Victoria marched out of a room on the first floor as a brown-haired maid shuffled behind, trying to keep up with Victoria’s brisk walk as the girl carried a silk pink dress.

  “I told you I wanted to wear the yellow dress. That is the one I needed pressed for tonight.” Victoria glared at the maid and she flipped the beaded sleeve on the gown. “Not the pink one.”

  “Forgive me, Miss Victoria. I swear I heard you say the pink dress. After all, Mr. William likes you in the pink dress, remember?”

  “Oh, Missy!” Victoria stopped and faced the maid. “You are so imprudent sometimes.” She pushed two of her fingers against the girl’s temple. “One of these days you’re going to have to use your head to think.”

  The maid’s face turned red, and Nicole could tell it was from frustration.

  “Yes, Miss Victoria.”

  “I know William likes me in any dress I wear, but tonight I want the yellow dress. So, get in there and start pressing it now!”

  “Yes. Right away, Miss Victoria.” Missy scurried up the stairs and into a room.

  Victoria moved into her mother’s office and stopped at the roll-top desk. She moved papers and envelopes around in her search.

  A young man walked up to her. His hair was as blonde as Victoria’s, and he appeared to be eighteen or nineteen years old.

  “Aren’t you a bit harsh with Missy? You criticize her too many times. In fact, you speak like that to all of your maids. I don’t think they like you very much.”

  Victoria threw the young man a glare. “Donald, it’s none of your business how I speak to my maids, and I don’t care if they like me or not. They aren’t my friends. They are servants... or have you forgotten?”

  “I’d think you would at least want their respect.”

  “I don’t need their respect.” Victoria rolled her eyes. “One of these days you’ll learn how to treat people so they cannot walk all over you. With our money, we need to be careful or many people will take advantage of us.”

  “Our money?” He laughed aloud. “It’s your money until your death. Father made sure of that when he wrote his will.”

  “Oh, Donald. Stop being a baby about it. You will get an inheritance when you turn twenty-five.”

  He snorted. “If you don’t spend it all before then.”

  She moved away from the desk and stepped in front of the mirror hanging on the wall. Smiling at her reflection, she pinched her cheeks before smoothing her palms over her styled hair. “I suppose I do look smashing in the pink dress after all.” She sighed dramatically. “I just don’t have time to wait for the yellow dress to be pressed.”

  “You’re impossible,” Donald said, shaking his head. “You may not let anyone take advantage of you, but you’re sure taking advantage of your maids.”

  “Oh, hush up. They work for our family, which means it’s their duty to serve me and make me happy.”

  “Will you order your husband around once you’re married?”

  She gasped and swung around, glaring at her brother. “Of course not. There’s no reason to order him around. He loves me, just as I love him. Nothing will change after we’re married, I assure you.”

  “I’d love to collect bets that you will show him your true colors once you’re married. So, you’d better hurry and marry him before he discovers what you’re really like.” Donald hurried out of the room and out of the front door.

  The Grandfather clock in the hallway chimed, announcing it was a quarter past the hour. But then it suddenly chimed again, making an odd chirping sound. In fact, the noise was what Nicole’s cell phone sounded like when her alarm went off.

  She snapped awake and looked at her phone. Sure enough, her alarm went off. It was two thirty. She jumped out of bed and splashed water on her face, helping her to wake up a little better. She ran the brush through her hair a few times before redoing her makeup.

  Satisfied with her appearance, she left the bathroom and moved to the door, grabbing the keys on the way. She opened the door, and suddenly, a cold chill whooshed around her. Gasping, she swung toward the room again, looking for Victoria. But there were no signs of her ancestor.

  A different feeling washed through her. Something evil lurked close by. The hairs standing at the back of her neck testified to the eeriness creeping into her.

  Victoria had thought she had been killed. Now... Nicole believed the same thing. There was something unnatural in the room, and she needed to get it out before something terrible happened to her.

  FOURTEEN

  Nolan paced impatiently near the tour bus, looking up and down the road every two seconds. He flexed his hands before shoving them in the pockets of his jacket. Moments later, he yanked his hands out and flexed them again.

  Where is she?

  Nolan had spent some quality time at the historical library this morning, and he couldn’t wait to share his excitement with Nicole about what he’d discovered. But as minutes ticked by quickly and the time reached three o’clock, his enthusiasm dropped. She was not coming.

  He stopped by a tree. Closing his eyes, he leaned his shoulder against the trunk. He’d scared her away, he just knew it. He shouldn’t have kissed her and spoke about destiny and how much he liked her. Although he hadn’t wanted to rush their relationship, things just fell into place. But now she had probably realized they were not destined to be together.

  Sighing heavily as disappointment washed over him, he pushed his fingers through his hair. Why did he think he could find a woman to fall in love with so quickly after losing Elizabeth? And yet, Nicole was very different, and Nolan liked how they had a lot in common. She fit so well in his arms and kissing her had been right. At least for
him.

  The roar of a car’s engine and squealing of tires snapped him alert as he looked at the road. Nicole pulled her vehicle into a parking stall and quickly jumped out of the car. Relief rushed through him and he chuckled at her grand entrance. That’s exactly what he’d done, too.

  Nicole and Bailey hurried toward the tour bus. He stepped away from the tree and met them at the bus. When Nicole’s gaze met his, she gave him an apologetic smile.

  “I can’t believe I’m late. I had planned on being here sooner, but I fell asleep.”

  “You are here now, so don’t worry about it.” Nolan motioned for Bailey to climb on the bus first. She grumbled indignantly and stomped up the few steps into the vehicle. As Nicole moved to follow, he grasped her hand, stopping her. She looked at him curiously and he gave her a gentle smile. “I’ve missed you.”

  Her smile widened. “And I’ve missed you.”

  She stepped on the bus and Nolan followed. They moved to the back where Bailey waited. Nicole sat by her cousin and Nolan sat in the seat across from them. The tour guide gave some announcements of what was happing this afternoon and what places they would be visiting. The biggest attraction for the day would be a visit to the Stanhope Hotel. The one-hundred-year-old hotel in Colorado Springs had plenty of spirit folklore and paranormal activities. Many thriller movies had been centered around the Stanhope Hotel.

  Nicole turned and met Nolan’s gaze. She wagged her eyebrows. “That place is going to be lots of fun.”

  “What movies were about the hotel?” Bailey asked in a low voice. “I’m sure I’ve seen them.”

  Nicole pointed to her cousin’s phone. “Look it up on the internet. I’m sure it’ll tell you.”

  Bailey’s thumbs moved over her phone, faster than Nolan had seen anyone type. He met Nicole’s gaze again and winked. “How was shopping?

  “Exhaustin’,” she sighed.

  “They don’t have any decent stores here,” Bailey said over her shoulder, but her thumbs continued to whip over the phone’s keyboard. “Maybe we can find more in a different town.”

  Nicole rolled her eyes as she looked at Nolan. He chuckled to himself.

  “Did you find a library?” Nicole asked scooting her legs in the aisle more.

  Nolan copied her actions until they faced each other. “I did, and I found some information about Victoria.”

  “What did you find?” she asked with eagerness in her voice.

  “Well, Doctor Darwin Carrigan and his wife, I cannot remember her name, lived in the Hanover House, but it was a mansion back then. They had two children, a daughter, Victoria born in 1902 and a son, Donald born in 1907. The family was wealthy. Darwin was a renowned surgeon, and that was where their wealth came from.”

  “That’s amazin’.”

  She touched his hands, so he entwined their fingers together. “Darwin Carrigan died in 1920. He apparently got some type of illness from a patient and died. His wife and the children remained in the home.” He released one of her hands to pull some papers out of his jacket pocket. “I think you were related to her for sure because here is a picture of Victoria and Donald that I printed off. You resemble her quite a bit, I think.” Nolan handed Nicole the pages.

  Nicole looked at the picture and she inhaled sharply before her mouth dropped open slightly. Nolan glanced at the picture of Victoria. There were definitely similarities between the two women. Both had the same nose and even though the picture was black and white, it was easy to tell her hair was blonde just like Nicole’s. He lifted his gaze to Nicole’s hair. He really liked the brown highlights mixed with her natural color.

  “She looks a lot like me,” Nicole whispered.

  Bailey leaned over and looked over Nicole’s shoulder as her gaze dropped to the picture.

  “Oh, wow! You could be sisters,” Bailey exclaimed. She returned to her position in the seat and continued to read The Stanhope Hotel’s webpage.

  “What else did you find out?” Nicole asked Nolan.

  “Victoria was engaged to a working-class man who didn’t have much money. The article didn’t give his name. Anyway, the day of their wedding, which was held at her home, she fell down the stairs and broke her neck and died.”

  Nicole gasped and brought her hands to her mouth.

  Bailey’s head snapped toward Nolan and her eyes widened. “Did she die before or after the wedding?”

  “Before,” he answered. “Victoria was heading down the stairs on her way to walk out to the back terrace where the wedding party awaited her. The newspaper article said that she must have tripped on her gown and plunged head-first down the stairs. The fall broke her neck and she died immediately.”

  “Oh,” Nicole muttered as her face lost a little color. “That’s a terrible way to die.”

  Nolan nodded. “It is. I really can’t even imagine what her fiancé was feeling.”

  “Such a tragic story,” Nicole’s voice cracked. Her gaze dropped back to the picture as she stared at Victoria. She switched pictures and looked at Darwin Carrigan, but seconds later, she returned to Victoria’s picture. “Nolan? Do you mind if I have these?”

  “Sure, keep them. After all, she’s your distant relative.”

  Nicole carefully folded up the paper and slid it in her purse. Nolan studied her and wondered why she appeared shocked. Had it bothered her that she was staying in a hotel that had been her ancestor’s? Or was she more concerned about the surgeon’s daughter’s death?

  “I assume,” Nicole said, lifting her head to look at Nolan, “that Darwin must be a great, great, great grandpa or somethin’. Because Victoria died before havin’ children, she’s probably my distant aunt.”

  “I have no doubt that’s what she is.” Nolan caressed her cold hand, still wishing he knew what was going through her mind right now. He wanted to ask her more, or at least encourage her to open up to him, but with Bailey so close by, he couldn’t get too personal with Nicole.

  Nolan’s heart wrenched the longer he looked at Nicole’s distraught expression. “It sure makes me wonder if that’s why the B&B advertises that the surgeon’s daughter’s ghost haunts Hanover House.”

  “She’s probably not at rest because she’s still waitin’ to marry her fiancé,” Nicole muttered softly.

  “That makes sense.” Nolan nodded.

  “Perhaps...” She paused as her gaze darted around the bus before she looked back at Nolan. “Do you think we should ask her?”

  NICOLE HELD HER BREATH. Why had she said that? Good grief, this ghost tour was definitely taking away her mind or at least her ability to think straight. Not only that, but Nolan was looking at her in a strange way. She wished she knew what he was thinking, especially since she was still leery to tell him.

  “I mean,” she said quickly, trying to find a way to retract her words, “I didn’t mean to really ask her.” Nicole chuckled. “But maybe we could ask the owner of the B&B and see if they know anymore to Victoria’s story.” Nicole never really felt stupid, but she was sure tripping over her words today. She blamed it on lack of sleep.

  “Or maybe,” Nolan whispered as he leaned closer, taking both of her hands in his, “maybe we should try looking for her ghost tonight after everyone has gone to bed. Wouldn’t that be cool if she spoke to us?”

  She stiffened. Did he know? But how could he know that Victoria had been talking to her already? “You know, that idea sounds pretty interestin’. Maybe we should talk about it later.”

  One side of his mouth lifted as he arched an eyebrow. “Over dinner, perhaps?”

  Slowly, she nodded. Her heart melted just looking at his comforting expression. “Perhaps.” She squeezed his hands. “I really appreciate you for researchin’ Victoria for me. I don’t know if I would have found the time.”

  His gaze jumped behind her toward Bailey for a moment. He leaned closer to Nicole’s ear. “You wouldn’t have found time with your cousin keeping you running.”

  Nicole chuckled as she turned her face to hi
s. They were so close now... close enough for her to kiss him. She should. Since Bailey knew how Nicole felt about him, she was sure her cousin wouldn’t say anything.

  The seriousness in his gaze made her heart leap and her throat grow dry. His dreamy green eyes were causing all sorts of havoc in her head – and in her chest. It was strange to think they’d only known each other a few days, and yet she felt so close to him.

  From behind, she felt a small push on her back, making Nicole bump her face against his. Immediately, his mouth covered hers for a gentle kiss. Her heart soared. She wasn’t sure why Bailey pushed her, but right now she didn’t care. She’d missed this incredible man when she was shopping with Bailey, and although they shouldn’t show their affections too much here on the bus, this kiss was the beginning of her making up for lost time.

  He broke the kiss and pulled away. A smile widened his mouth and his eyes glistened with emotion. The rhythm of her heart hammered faster, because she felt the way he looked.

  She withdrew and sat back on the seat. She glanced at Bailey who was still reading her cell. “Thanks,” she whispered to her cousin.

  Bailey looked at her curiously. “For what?”

  “For the little nudge.”

  Bailey shook her head. “Nudge? I didn’t nudge you.”

  Holding her breath, Nicole studied her cousin to see if the girl was teasing, but all Nicole could see was Bailey’s blank expression.

  “You didn’t just push me into Nolan?” she asked softly.

  Bailey snorted a laugh. “No. I’ve been busy reading.”

  “Oh... okay.”

  Nicole remained quiet as her cousin returned to her phone. Nicole’s mind spun in many different directions. She had felt the nudge, but if Bailey hadn’t done it, who had? As her body grew cold, another thought slammed into her mind. Had the person who had nudged her been... real? Had Victoria’s ghost somehow followed her?

  FIFTEEN