It Had to Be Fate (An It Had to Be Novel Book 3)

by Tamra Baumann

  Before Casey could answer, Meg hopped up and said, “I’ll get you all set up, Mr. Steele. Right this way. Haley, stay put, please.”

  It was rare to see Meg starstruck. They’d all grown up around celebrities. And Meg didn’t work at the hotel anymore. She ran her own lodge across the lake, so it was odd she was so eager to help.

  Casey shook her head and had another cookie. She was going to gain ten pounds if she didn’t stop all the stress eating. She still had big plans for that chocolate cake later.

  Grandma narrowed her eyes. “Meggie is up to something. She hopped up like her rear was on fire.”

  Casey nodded and mumbled around the cookie in her mouth, “Probably.”

  Meg returned and said, “Okay. Here are my wedding decisions so you can both chill out. Chocolate cake, daisies, and him.” She pointed through the window where Zane was talking on the phone before his bike ride.

  Casey said, “What do you mean, him?”

  “I love his music so I asked if he did weddings. He said not normally, but since I’m your sister he’d play my favorite song. He said he’d still be around by then.” Meg batted her eyes. “He’s so cute. And you’re so single now. Could be a great match. But what exactly happened with you and Beau Bailey?”

  “Our relationship wasn’t serious, but I thought it was monogamous until I found out he was also dating some waitress up north, so I broke up with him.”

  Grandma grunted. “That Beau was always a player. You should’ve known better, Casey.”

  Yeah, she should have.

  She’d fallen for Tomas because at first he was the most charming man she’d ever met. And the sexiest. But that had worn off quickly after the vows. Why did she always pick the wrong men?

  Dax slipped an arm around Meg’s shoulder. “Men suck. Except for Josh—he’s the best.”

  Meg laughed and gave Dax a hug. “Yeah. Josh is the best. But you have serious potential, Dax.”

  It was sweet how in love her sister was with her fiancé. Meg had found a winner there.

  Casey frowned and took another bite of her cookie. Maybe she was just attracted to the type who cheats? She probably needed to reevaluate her dating habits. But now that the boys were back, she didn’t have the time anyway. “Josh is awesome. But believe me. Nothing’s ever going to happen with me and Zane Steele.”

  “Okay.” Meg tilted her head. “But is something else wrong? You seem upset.”

  “Yes. It’s Tomas again. I’ll tell you guys later. Right now I need to have a little chat with Zane. I never agreed to that long a visit.” She hopped up and hurried out the rear door to catch Zane before he left.

  She needed him out as soon as his two-week contract was up.

  Casey hurried out the back door to catch Zane. As she approached, he looked up and smiled at her while he talked on the phone.

  How could someone that good-natured have acted out like that at the bar the evening before? And come to think of it, when she’d seen him on the news, he’d looked like he had a bit of a shiner under his right eye, but there wasn’t any trace of it. Must’ve kept ice on it all night at the police station.

  Zane said, “Kip, hang on. Casey wants to talk to me.” He lowered the phone and hitched a brow, waiting for her to explain her interruption.

  She’d normally never interrupt a guest’s call, but protecting her boys had to be the priority. And since Zane was talking to the man who’d signed the agreement earlier, she waggled her fingers for the phone. “I’d like to talk to Kip, if you don’t mind?”

  “Sure.” He handed over his phone.

  The cell phone smelled like Zane’s aftershave. Kind of woodsy and sexy. But whatever. “Hi, Kip. I think there’s been a little misunderstanding here. Our contract was only for two weeks. I have other reservations for the presidential suite next month.”

  “Our plans changed. When I tried your cell a few minutes ago and it went to your voice mail, I called your dad. He said you’d work it out. Zane needs to stay under wraps for eight weeks.”

  Eight weeks? Damn her father for not checking with her first. All the man saw was dollar signs. “Kip, while I appreciate that you and my father are old friends, I’m in charge of bookings and—”

  “Casey, I’ve been sending business your way for years. I’d hate to have to find somewhere new for my clients to spend all that money.”

  She couldn’t lose Kip’s business. He was one of their biggest clients. But her father should’ve checked with her first.

  If she told Kip no, it would serve her father right for making deals without asking the person who actually did all the work for him, but she needed her job to support her boys more than she needed to teach her dad a lesson. “Of course I’ll work this out, Kip. But as you know, we often let our clients book the entire hotel. So on those occasions . . .”

  “Zane’s easy to please. Thanks, Casey.”

  Dismissed. Just like that. Kip would never do that to her father. She was so tired of cleaning up her father’s messes. “You’re welcome, Kip. I hope we’ll see you again sometime soon. Goodbye.”

  Casey hit the “End” button and was tempted to hurl the phone into the lake before she remembered it wasn’t her phone. She tamped back her temper and then handed the cell to Zane. “Well. Looks like you’re going to be our guest for eight weeks.” Eight of the longest weeks of her life. She’d need to have a serious talk with her kids. Be sure they didn’t slip and tell their father about Zane. The boys knew they weren’t supposed to discuss any of their guests, but the guests were rarely the boys’ biggest idol.

  Zane tucked his phone into his back pocket and then threw a leg over the bike. “Is it that you just don’t like me, or is there another reason you’d rather I didn’t stay?”

  She needed to put on a professional front. Pronto. She never showed emotion in front of her guests. “No. I’m sorry. It’s just when my sister mentioned you’d still be here for her wedding—and thank you for volunteering to help—I realized I might have some logistical complications. But I’ll figure something out. If you’ll excuse me I need to have a little chat with the mayor now.”

  She started walking up the hill and Zane appeared beside her, pedaling the bike. “The mayor, who is also your father.”

  “Yes. Did Kip give you the scoop on my whole family tree or just me?”

  “Pretty much the whole family. How your older brother, Ben, is the doctor, your younger brother is the sheriff who picked me up, and your sister, Meg, runs a smaller lodge on the other side of the lake. Your grandmother has been known to shoot people, but hasn’t killed anyone . . . yet. Kip said it’s like visiting a real live Monopoly game where the Andersons own all the properties in town and rule their own little world, and their rivals, the Grants, control all the mining land that surrounds the town.”

  If Zane only knew how true that was. Her father could be a total dictator at times. And a big bully. “Yes, it is sort of like that. But I’m not sure this game has big enough stakes to keep you entertained for two months, Mr. Steele.”

  “I don’t need to be entertained. I’m just here to write some new songs. I promise I won’t be any trouble. Scout’s honor.”

  Casey laughed. “I have a very hard time picturing you as a Boy Scout.” She picked up the pace when they hit Main Street.

  He stayed right beside her, slowly pedaling. “I was an Eagle Scout, actually.”

  “Really? So did being an Eagle Scout teach you the trick to get rid of that shiner under your eye I saw on TV last night? With two boys, that’d be a good thing to know.”

  He stopped the bike and planted his feet on the pavement. Zane leaned close enough that his sinfully delicious aftershave wafted her way again. He whispered, “Can I trust you with a really big secret, Casey?” He stared deeply into her eyes.

  His were so intensely green and enticing that a woman could get lost in them. But not this woman. She leaned back a few inches. “That’s what we do in Anderson Butte—keep secrets, Mr. Steele.
All the skeletons in your closet are safe here.”

  “Good. Then it won’t shock you to learn that the reason I heal faster than most is that . . . I’m a vampire?” He cocked his brows and grinned.

  “Well, that explains a lot.” She chuckled and started walking again.

  “Wait. What do you mean?” He gently slipped his warm and very much alive hand around her elbow to stop her, sending a quick zap of awareness straight to her gut.

  She said, “Everyone knows vampires never sleep. It explains your notorious and extremely late-night arrests we’ve seen so often on the news lately.” He hadn’t let go of her elbow, so she slowly removed it from his light grasp.

  “Maybe. But there’s always two sides to every story.” He frowned and started pedaling as he fell silent beside her.

  The sudden change in his demeanor from playful to seemingly sad made her wonder what the other side of a drunk and disorderly story could possibly be. But, not her problem.

  He finally said, “I ate lunch on the plane, but I’ve been starving since I got here.”

  “It’s the fresh mountain air. You can order food at the hotel whenever you’d like, but the diner across the park specializes in vampire fare—rare steaks, blood oranges.”

  “Cute.” He chuckled as he shook his head. “It’s hard to enjoy an uninterrupted meal these days. Kinda takes the fun out of it.”

  “Some of the most famous people in the world have enjoyed an uninterrupted meal at my aunt Gloria’s diner. Everyone knows you’re here and not to bother you. I enjoy watching the lack of attention mess with the heads of some of the more spoiled celebrities.” She turned and walked up the stone steps to Town Hall’s front doors. “See you, Count Chocula.”

  Zane called out, “I forgot about that cereal. Can I add that to my preference list?”

  Casey stopped and glanced over her shoulder to see if the guy was serious. He wouldn’t be the first famous guest with the eating habits of a kid. When she recalled how that used to drive Tomas nuts, it made her smile. He would have a field day with Zane and his lack of preferences.

  The way Zane stood there with his brows raised and head slightly angled wasn’t only annoyingly endearing but also showed that he was serious. “It’s already in the pantry. But I only allow my kids to eat that on Saturday mornings as a treat. Behave while you’re here and maybe I’ll talk the boys into sharing with you.”

  After Casey disappeared into the Town Hall, Zane let his smile fully bloom. She actually had a sense of humor when she wasn’t busy trying so hard not to like him.

  He’d gotten her to smile again, so maybe he’d made a little more progress.

  Lying about the black eye hadn’t felt great, but her brother was the sheriff, and as Jack had pointed out, what he and Nick had done wasn’t entirely legal, despite his good intentions. He’d never want to put Casey in a bad position by knowing the truth.

  He turned the bike toward the diner, curious to see for himself if he could actually eat a meal before it turned cold while he signed autographs.

  Zane pedaled across the square, trying to remember the last time he’d had diner food. He’d love a good BLT. Or maybe a chocolate shake. Man, that sounded good. He was so tired of all the healthy crap his personal chef made for him, albeit at his own request, because it was hard to stay in shape on the road, but why not live a little while on vacation?

  Pretending to be on vacation was the only way he could think about his time in Anderson Butte without getting pissed at his brother again.

  Not sure what to do with the bike, he leaned it against the side of Good Eats and Better Treats so he could keep an eye on it through the big windows. Time to test out the “no one will tell the media he was here” theory.

  A bell tinkled above his head as he entered the diner. The red vinyl booths all had mini-jukeboxes that controlled the bigger one in the corner, which was crooning a popular country tune. The black-and-white tile floor shone as brightly as the stainless steel behind the counter. It was like walking onto a movie set from the 1950s. Kind of cool.

  People eating glanced up at him, but then quickly went back to their business. Casey had been right. They acted like he was no big deal. He’d almost forgotten how great that felt.

  He took a seat on a stool at the counter as he waited for an older waitress to finish up with another customer. She wore a pink bowling shirt and had some crazy teased-up hair. While he waited, Zane twirled around on his stool to see if the bike was still there and noticed Casey’s son Ty sitting in a booth with two older boys. They were drinking half-empty milkshakes and huddled around a piece of paper in the middle of the table.

  The waitress said, “Hiya, Mr. Steele.”

  When he spun back around, she smiled and held out a plastic-coated menu. Her shirt had “Gloria” stitched across her chest. Must be Casey’s aunt who owned the place. Yep. Monopoly.

  “Hi. Nice to meet you, Gloria.” He stuck out his hand and was rewarded with a bone-crunching shake. No doubt Gloria ran a tight ship. “So what’s good?”

  “Everything’s good. Take your pick.”

  He checked on the bike one more time and then scanned the menu. As he tried to make up his mind Gloria said, “Someone chasing you?”

  He looked up from the menu. “Excuse me?”

  “You keep looking out the window. Just wondered what’s so interesting out there.”

  “Oh, it’s the bike. I was just keeping an eye on it. Don’t want anyone to swipe it and make Casey any more upset with me.”

  Gloria’s right brow spiked, then disappeared under her bangs. “First off, no one is going to touch what’s not theirs in Anderson Butte. Second, it’s not like Casey to be angry at a guest. Especially one with such a charming smile and who looks like you. You’re just her type. I’m sort of the unofficial matchmaker around here and I pay attention to these things.” She grinned widely. “So what did you do?”

  Casey’s type? Things just got a lot more interesting. “A misunderstanding is all. Any advice to get back in her good graces? And maybe even get a date?”

  “She’ll need to move at her own pace. Hard to trust when you’ve had as bad luck as she has had with cheating men. So if you’re one of those, move along. Otherwise, patience is key. And my freshly made chocolate mousse pie is the special of the day, by the way.”

  “Sold!” He laid the menu down. “Thanks for the advice. And how about I get three more pieces to share with Ty and his friends? That is if you think it’d be okay with their parents?”

  Gloria nodded and poked the pen she held into her hair. He hadn’t noticed before, but there had to be five others in there too. “I’m sure Casey and Meg wouldn’t mind a bit of indulgence on the last week of summer break. Coming right up.”

  Zane glanced at the kids again, his curiosity ignited at what they were so intensely studying. He liked hanging out with the kids and counselors at his foundation once a month or so because they were just happy to see him. They were starved for a music education and loved to learn whatever they could from the classes he taught. Kids didn’t have an agenda like the adults in his life. They didn’t ask him for cars or to pay their mortgages for them; they just wanted someone to pay attention to them for an hour, which many of their parents didn’t do.

  He’d never wanted the complication of a family like his own. His childhood had been fine for the first ten years or so. Even fun. But then everything changed. His mom had always been great, but his parents’ marriage and their family hadn’t been what it had seemed on the outside. Mom had no clue his father planned to leave her before he died. And his twin had inexplicably turned hateful and mean. He’d always loved his father and brother and it confused and hurt him when he’d finally seen their true colors, so he’d never entertained marriage and kids. It seemed way too painful. But after meeting some nice kids at his music camps, he worried he might one day regret never having a child of his own.

  But the kids from his classes seemed to be into big headphones,
cell phones, and handheld video games. That scrap of paper the boys across the diner were studying so intently must be something interesting.

  When Ty looked up and saw him he smiled. Then he said something to an older kid across the table and the other boy waved Zane over.

  He was curious what they were up to anyway, so why not? He walked over to the booth. “Hi, guys. Is this a top-secret meeting?”

  One of the two bigger kids sputtered and his eyes grew wide, earning an elbow to the ribs from the kid who’d called him over.

  “Hi, Mr. Steele. Do you want to sit with us?” The kid shot Ty a look that made him sit up and make room.

  “Thanks. But call me Zane.”

  The boy nodded. “Okay. I’m Caleb, you already met my brother, Ty, and this is our newly adopted cousin, Eric, who isn’t used to all the celebrities yet. Sorry about him. I just wanted to say thanks for the CD. It’s awesome!”

  So he was Casey’s older son. “You’re welcome. I’ll get a CD to you too, Eric, if you’d like?” Zane slid into the booth beside Ty.

  Eric was still tongue-tied so he just nodded enthusiastically and earned himself another elbow jab.

  Zane studied Casey’s kids. Caleb had her light brown, tiger-like eyes and Ty had her big smile. Both were dark-haired like her too. Eric had similar coloring and fit right in to his new family.

  Zane asked Eric, “So you’re Meg’s son? The same Meg soon to be married to Josh?”

  Eric took a big gulp from his milkshake and then squeaked out, “Uh-huh. They adopted me.”

  “I’ll see you at the wedding then. Meg asked me to sing.” Zane glanced at the paper on the table. “Is that some sort of treasure map?”

  “Yeah.” Eric finally found his voice. “Tara and I found this buried map in Town Square. Tara’s the dentist in town and our uncle Ryan’s girlfriend.” He pointed to the map. “This is the old mine shaft where barrels of Anderson Butte whiskey from Prohibition days are buried. It had a cave-in recently, but we think there must be a back way into the mine, and we’re going to look for it.”