One And Only: Emerald Lake Billionaires, Book 4

by Leeanna Morgan

  “About what?”

  Daniel clicked his tongue. “Were you even listening to me?”

  “Of course, I was. Elizabeth and Holly were right about the Crazy Love app. I did change the results.”

  “You what?”

  Blake pulled the phone away from his ear. “It gets worse. I did do it to stop Elizabeth from dating anyone else.”

  “What were you thinking?”

  Blake sighed. “I don’t know. When Elizabeth said she wanted to be part of the Crazy Love program, I panicked. What if she met someone who would be the man of her dreams?”

  “I hate to break the news to you, but that’s the whole point of the app.”

  “Which is why I lost her application then changed the results.”

  Daniel groaned. “At least Elizabeth hasn’t called any of the people she was matched with. It’s not too late to tell her the truth.”

  “I can’t. She won’t trust me again.” A prickly sensation ran along the back of Blake’s neck. He rubbed his hand along his skin, but it was still there.

  Someone cleared their throat. A female someone with blue eyes that were shooting daggers at him.

  Hiding in his pantry was out of the question.

  “Have you hung up on me?” Daniel asked.

  “No, but you might need to make room for me in your house.”

  Daniel sighed. “Elizabeth heard us, didn’t she?”

  “Not us. Me.”

  “Does she know who you’re speaking to?”

  “She can probably guess.”

  “Darn. You do realize this could be the end of my engagement?”

  Blake snorted. “I doubt it. Holly knows all your faults and still loves you.”

  “Let’s hope Elizabeth is in a forgiving mood.”

  Blake had been waiting for that for a long time. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good. Just turn up if you need somewhere to stay. You know the security code.”

  Blake left the phone on the coffee table and turned to Elizabeth. “How much did you hear?”

  “Enough to make me wonder whether you really have changed,” she said softly.

  Blake wiped his hands down his jeans. He had a lot of explaining to do.

  Elizabeth’s hands tightened on the blanket she’d wrapped around her shoulders. “Daniel can’t keep a secret to save himself.”

  “He loves you. He didn’t know I’d interfered with the results from the Crazy Love app.”

  Blake was waiting for her to say something, but she was too tired, too emotionally exhausted to be annoyed.

  “You’re not upset?” he asked.

  Elizabeth sighed. “In the grand scheme of things, who I date doesn’t seem that important. Why did you change the results?”

  “To help you find your soul mate.”

  She looked carefully at Blake. “I don’t understand. How can what you did help me find my soul mate?”

  “Because you never saw the profile of your perfect match.”

  “If I didn’t see his profile, how would I know who he was?”

  Blake’s face turned a delicate shade of crimson. “You’ve known him for a long time. It just took him fifteen years to realize he loves you.”

  “I need to sit down.”

  Blake moved along the sofa. “You can sit beside me.”

  Elizabeth chose the chair opposite him. “I might be tired, but I’m not a total pushover.”

  “I never said you were.”

  “No, but you knew how much I wanted to meet someone special. I trusted you and your app.”

  “I’m sorry for changing the results.”

  Elizabeth sighed. “Just promise me you won’t do anything like that again.”

  Blake leaned forward. “I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t do it again.”

  “Good.” Elizabeth rubbed her eyes. “Did the app really match us?”

  “It did. Our compatibility score is almost as high as Holly and Daniel’s.”

  “Really? Are you sure you didn’t use the same answers I wrote down?”

  Blake’s eyes widened. “No. I filled out the survey months ago when we were in the trial phase.”

  Elizabeth tried to think of a reason the app would have matched them. “We’ve known each other for a long time. Maybe our bad habits have rubbed off on each other.”

  “Does this mean we won’t be going on a date?”

  “At the moment I can’t imagine doing anything other than opening my clinic.”

  “Fair enough. Do you want to join me on the sofa? You look as though you could do with a hug.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears. “Are there any strings attached to your offer?”

  “No strings. I also make a mean cup of hot chocolate.”

  She walked across to Blake and curled against his side. “I’ll take the hug first.”

  Blake’s arm settled on her shoulders and pulled her close. “Is this better?”

  She looked into the fire and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Much better.”

  Chapter 15

  The next morning, Blake looked around the living room. “Have you got the lists you made?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “They’re in my bag.”

  “What about the project plan and budget?”

  “They’re in the folder I’m holding.”

  He zipped up his jacket. “I guess we’re ready to drive into town, then.”

  Elizabeth raced across to the coffee table. “You forgot these.”

  Blake took the keys out of her hand. “It’s just as well one of us can function on no sleep.”

  “Occupational hazard and not one I’m proud of.” Elizabeth followed him through to the garage.

  She’d still been awake in the small hours of the morning when he’d gone to bed. While they were eating breakfast, Elizabeth showed him what she’d been doing. He was impressed. Not only had she made lists of all the things she had to do, but she’d made copies of everything the insurance company would need.

  He opened the passenger door of his truck. “What time are you meeting Paul?”

  “Nine o’clock. I was going to drive my own truck into town.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Elizabeth frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “If Anton’s family had anything to do with the fire, you’re not safe. Sam will meet us at the clinic. She’ll take you where you need to go until we know who’s involved.”

  “But that could take days.”

  “Maybe. But for now, you don’t have a choice.”

  Elizabeth stayed where she was. “Was this your idea or my brother’s?”

  “Daniel suggested hiring Sam again. I think it’s a good idea.”

  “Did either of you even think about asking me?” From the look on Blake’s face, she guessed not.

  “I haven’t got time to argue with you. Are you coming or staying?”

  Elizabeth adjusted the shoulder strap of her bag. “I’ll come. But next time, ask me what I think.”

  Blake closed her door and walked to his side of the truck. “Do you want me to call my grandmother’s foundation and tell them what’s happened?”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “I can do it. I need to contact the other organizations who are giving us funding, too.”

  “Okay, but if you need any help, just ask.”

  Elizabeth sat silently beside him.

  As he drove closer to town, Blake glanced at her. “If it’s any consolation, Sam is looking forward to working with you again.”

  “I like her, too. But that doesn’t mean I like having a bodyguard.”

  “I thought you’d decided that accepting someone’s help wasn’t a bad thing. Or am I wrong?”

  “That was before the fire. If I’ve got any chance of opening some of the clinic before Christmas, I have to focus. Asking people for help can take twice as long as doing the work yourself.”

  “Well, while you’re working out how to conque
r the world, you need to make another note to yourself. Logan Allen, a reporter from the Chronicle, called this morning.”

  Elizabeth turned toward him. “What did he want?”

  “He’s writing a story about the fire and wants you to call him.”

  “Do you think I should?”

  Blake shrugged. “Are you asking for my advice or trying to be nice?”

  Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed.

  There was something about her flashing blue eyes that he really liked—even if she had lost her sense of humor. “Speaking to Logan might be a way of drumming up some support from the community. That’s if you want any support from the folks around here. A woman as independent as you probably doesn’t need anyone’s help.”

  He was sure he saw steam coming out her ears.

  “I’ll call him later.” She looked through the windshield at the snow-covered street. “I saw the Facebook posts about the fire. Everyone seems shocked at what happened.”

  “Bozeman isn’t a big city. When something like this happens, it strikes at the heart of the community.”

  “That sounds as though it comes from personal experience.”

  Elizabeth must have forgotten that she was annoyed with him. She actually sounded interested in what he was saying. “My grandparents had a home in Chester. It’s a village in Orange County, New York. We used to go there for Christmas. One year the youth center was broken into. All the sports equipment was stolen. The whole community came together to make sure the center had new equipment. Even though I wasn’t very old, it had a big impact on me.”

  “I’m not sure people will be as supportive of the clinic, but it would be nice to know they care.”

  Blake turned onto West Main Street. “Are you ready to see the building that has almost become world famous?”

  Elizabeth took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Elizabeth stepped out of Blake’s truck. Without the firefighters, the police officers, and the flashing lights, the clinic looked sad and forlorn. The damage to the front of the building was so severe that she could have been looking at something from a war zone.

  “The fire investigator’s already here.” Blake pointed to a vehicle parked beside a police car. “Let’s see if he’s found anything.”

  She walked toward the clinic with Blake. The dirty gray snow crunched under her feet. She’d expected more ice, more soot coating everything. “It must have snowed during the night.”

  Blake looked at the gaping hole in the clinic’s roof. “You’re right. There’s fresh snow on the rafters.”

  A police officer turned around.

  Elizabeth was surprised to see Detective McCormick here. “Hi, Joseph. I thought you’d have a late start today.”

  “I wanted to see the fire investigator while she was here. How are you doing?”

  “Okay. I made a list of the things I need to do. It was good to have something other than the fire to focus on.”

  “Lists work for me, too. Stay here. I’ll see if Carol is able to speak to you.”

  “Carol?”

  “Carol Dempsey, the fire investigator. She arrived half an hour ago.”

  Joseph lifted the police tape and walked through the charred remains of the entrance.

  Elizabeth studied the outside of the building. The blackened mess she’d seen last night was still there, but the rooms behind the entrance didn’t look as bad.

  Blake followed the direction of her gaze. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “Some of the rooms look better than I thought they would. I might not need to demolish the whole block.”

  Joseph came out of the clinic followed by a tall woman with blond hair.

  After being introduced to everyone, Carol focused on Elizabeth. “The only thing I can say at this stage is that the fire started in the front reception area. An accelerant was used, so I’m sending samples of the wooden floor to the lab. Has Joseph given you an update about the security footage?”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “No. We only arrived a few minutes ago.”

  Carol looked at Joseph. “Would you like to explain what you saw?”

  “Sure. The people leaving the building were banned from this site six months ago.”

  “What were they doing here?”

  “Probably trying to find somewhere to sleep. The shelters were full last night and it was too cold to be on the street. My guess is that they came back here and lit a fire to keep warm.”

  “If the fire got out of control, they should have called the fire department,” Elizabeth said. “Why didn’t they do that? It might have saved more of the building.”

  Joseph crossed his arms in front of his chest. “That will be one of the questions we’ll ask them.”

  Elizabeth looked at Blake. “Does that mean I don’t need a bodyguard?”

  “It’s better to wait until the police have found the people who lit the fire.”

  “There is good news,” Carol said. “The concrete wall between the main reception area and the rest of this block saved the building from more damage. I can’t tell you anything else until the investigation is complete.”

  “When will the report be finished?” Blake asked.

  “By Tuesday of next week. Detective McCormick will send Elizabeth and her insurance company a copy of the report.” Carol held out her hand. “It was nice meeting everyone, but I need to get back to work.”

  A truck door slammed and Elizabeth looked over her shoulder. Sam had arrived. Blake didn’t think she was grateful for Sam’s protection, but she was. What she hated was knowing she needed someone to keep her safe. It was almost as if she’d lost the ability to look after herself, to make her own decisions and her own mistakes.

  “Hi, everyone. Sorry I’m a few minutes late,” Sam said as she jogged across the parking lot.

  “You haven’t missed much,” Elizabeth said. “I’m waiting for Paul. He’s going to secure the building.”

  Sam stuck her hands in her pockets. “When was he supposed to be here?”

  Elizabeth glanced at her watch. “Five minutes ago. After I’ve seen him, I need to go to Daniel’s office.”

  “Okay. Did you leave your truck at home?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Blake said you would take me where I need to go.”

  “Sure. It makes more sense than driving two vehicles everywhere.”

  “I need to leave, too,” Blake said. “Are you still staying at Daniel’s house tonight, Elizabeth?”

  “I’m assuming I am. Unless Daniel has other ideas that he hasn’t discussed with me.” She straightened her spine, waiting for Blake to tell her that Daniel had changed his mind.

  “He hasn’t said anything to me, so I guess we’re both safe.”

  “Safe?”

  “From each other. I’ll see you tomorrow when I pick up Daniel.”

  Before Elizabeth could say goodbye, he was gone.

  Sam moved closer to Elizabeth. “Seeing the clinic like this must have been a shock. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay. It will take a lot of time and money to fix, but the back half of the clinic doesn’t look as bad as I thought.”

  “Everything seems worse at night. I know you weren’t expecting to see me again, but your brother asked if I could look after you. If you’d like a different bodyguard, I’ll understand.”

  Elizabeth frowned. “Why would I want a different bodyguard?”

  For the first time since she’d known her, Sam seemed uncertain. “I let you down. Anton should never have been able to get close to you.”

  “It wasn’t your fault he broke into the clinic.”

  “But I am responsible for the bruise on your face.”

  Elizabeth lifted her hand to her cheek. “If you don’t look too closely, you’d almost think nothing had happened.”

  Sam smiled. “Apart from being a lovely shade of yellow, you look amazing.” A truck door slammed and she turned around. “Paul’s arrived.”

&n
bsp; While they waited for Paul, Elizabeth thought about what she had to do next. It would take a superhuman effort to have some of the clinic open by Christmas. And right now, she didn’t know if she could do it.

  Five days later, Blake parked his truck outside Daniel’s office. Elizabeth was having a hard time and he was here to help.

  He’d called her a couple of times, but she hadn’t spoken to him for long. He figured she was preoccupied with the clinic. That made total sense, but what didn’t make sense was the phone call he’d received this afternoon.

  It was time to take a more direct approach. He walked into Daniel’s building as if he wasn’t worried about anything.

  Louisa, Daniel’s secretary, smiled at him. “Hi, Blake. What have you got there?”

  He opened the box he was holding and took out a wrapped slice of cake. “This is for you. Is it okay if I see Elizabeth?”

  “When you bring cake, you can do just about anything. Do you want me to let her know you’re here?”

  “Let’s make it a surprise.”

  The smile on Louisa’s face faltered. “Are you sure? She’s a bit stressed at the moment.”

  Blake sighed. If Daniel’s secretary had noticed that Elizabeth was overwhelmed, he wondered what Sam thought. “I’m sure.”

  Louisa handed him a swipe card, then rested her thumb on a thermal scanner. “The door will be unlocked. Daniel’s in his office if you want to see him.”

  “Thanks.” He pushed open the door and walked down a corridor. The first time he’d visited Daniel’s office building, he was blown away. The red-brick exterior matched most of the historic businesses in the downtown area. But inside, past the meeting rooms, it was an impressive mix of open space, cutting-edge technology, and old-school charm. Since his first visit, Daniel had remodeled the building again, creating an even better interior.

  He swiped his card, stopping in the middle of his favorite part of the building. No one, except staff, usually made it this far into the building. The large communal workspace was a kaleidoscope of color. In one corner, yellow and orange desks were clustered around a digital whiteboard. The far wall was decorated with flowcharts and 3D images they were incorporating into their latest project. He had no idea why there was a massive picture of a spider on the wall, but knowing Daniel’s team, it would be vital to what they were doing.