But she’d lost count of the ways she could play solitaire with a deck of cards and try as she might, she couldn’t justify just sitting there any longer waiting for the two months to be up.
Actually, the lack of food coming to her room for the last twenty-four hours helped a lot to nudge her from the safety of the suite. She didn’t go yet. She’d lasted longer than twenty-four hours without a solid meal and she’d saved some rolls and bananas from other meals Duncan had brought her.
But she was getting nudged.
And two days later when she was out of food and bored beyond measure, she finally ventured out of the suite to find her way to the kitchen. Why had Duncan stopped bringing her food? She wasn’t stupid. Of course, Brody had to know what she was doing. But he’d stopped checking on her as well.
She’d showered every day since she’d arrived, sometimes even taking a bath in the evening. If nothing else, the house was like a vacation spot that she had imprisoned herself in. After glancing inside multiple rooms downstairs, Kate finally found the kitchen on the far end of the house. She paused at the entrance and stared around, studying the ornate simplicity of the granite counters and island in the center of the serving area. She’d never seen such a huge kitchen. What she wouldn’t give to have a house like that, or even a house that could fit in the kitchen. She wanted a house – not a trailer – and she had to hold onto her reserves and hold out against Brody. Shouldn’t be too hard, when she wasn’t seeing him.
Her stomach growled and she pressed her fist into the soft spot beneath her belly button.
Duncan emerged from the pantry, whistling. He stopped when he spotted Kate. “Kate! I’m so glad you came down.” His jowls jiggled as he turned. The man was a grandfatherly sort and Kate had come to adore him in the short time stretches she’d been able to visit with him.
“What happened? I thought you were okay with bringing me my meals?” Kate wrinkled her nose. She hated asking someone to do something so easy for her, but she had to keep her goals in her mind. Protecting herself from Brody was the only way to win. If she wasn’t around him, then she wouldn’t fall in love – or be in danger of any type of attachment.
Duncan half-shook his head, regret drawing his eyebrows together. “I can’t anymore, darlin’. Brody has instructed me not to serve you unless you’re eating with him at the specified times. I’m really sorry, but he’s my boss.” He offered an apologetic glance and moved to the stove. Another man Kate hadn’t yet met bustled inside, flipping his hand in the air. “Out of crab legs and Brody wants those tonight.” He shook his head and rounded on the sink, rinsing his fingers and wiping them on the apron.
“We have a couple hours. See if we can get them by chopper. They take the least amount of time to cook.” Duncan shook his head and returned his gaze to Kate. “I’m sorry, honey. If you want to eat, you’ll need to be at the dining table at six tonight. As you heard, we’re serving crab and whatever else is on Brody’s list.” He cast her another pitiful glance and then turned back to the kitchen.
Kate stood there, speechless for a long moment. She couldn’t eat unless it was with Brody.
Of course, she expected something like that would happen and she hadn’t truly thought she could go through the entire two months without seeing him, but she’d hoped to get through more than just under two weeks.
She slapped the counter and strode out of the kitchen. She was going to find Brody and give him a piece of her mind. He hadn’t been in the rooms she’d seen in the house which meant he was probably outside. She wasn’t sure what he would be doing outside in a tuxedo, but Kate wasn’t sure he owned any other clothes since that’s all she’d seen him in.
Walking around the house, Kate didn’t see any sign of Brody or anyone else. A helicopter rested quietly on a pad a hundred yards from the side of a huge barn that could easily house a riding rink and maybe even an arena. Approaching the doors, Kate leaned her head back to see all the way to the top where stadium–style lighting perched like a waiting bird.
She slowed down and opened the door, unsure what to expect. If looking for Brody was her main goal, she doubted he’d be in there.
Inside, the barn was quiet and comforting, like a barn of any size rather than the loud thunderous nature she had suspected might greet her.
Near the door, Kate’s car sat on a car lift, completely out of place in the clean, richness of the barn. Jeaned legs protruded from under the front attached to leather cowboy boots with scuffed soles.
Now she was interested. Now there was someone from her side of the economic brackets. Well, she was as close as you could get to poor without living in a cardboard box, and this guy had a job, so they weren’t really close in economics or class, but he was closer than she was to Brody.
And he was working on her car.
Kate leaned against the wall with her arms folded over her chest, watching. “You can’t fix it. I haven’t been able to find a mechanic who was able to, but thank you for trying.” She rubbed the side of her nose. No point in the man wasting his time or energies on a futile endeavor.
The legs and feet stilled under the car and then rolled out on a car dolly, revealing inch by inch the muscular form of her host.
Kate inhaled sharply. No. She had to escape to her suite. If this was Brody… He wasn’t in a tuxedo. His hair wasn’t slicked back. He had grease on his hands and dirt on the knees of his jeans. The strength of his back stretched his shirt as he moved from the dolly. Dang him and his billionaire-muscles.
Brody wiped his hands on his jeans and stood up, a lazy smile on his all-too-handsome lips. “I’m not just any mechanic, darlin’. And whoever told you this couldn’t be fixed is an idiot.” He pointed into the front of the engine where the hood was propped into the open position. “Your starter needed to be replaced which was wearing on your generator – not uncommon in the Nissan family – and you needed a solid tune-up. I’m replacing your struts because I have a feeling it’s never been done.” He winked and grabbed a rag to wipe his fingers. “Glad to see you’re feeling better.” A challenge in his eyes testified that he knew what she’d been doing.
Kate folded her arms, belligerent that he could erase her confidence so completely by standing before her in well-fitting worn jeans and a t-shirt that framed the lines of his muscles. Grease stained the creases of his hands black and a smudge on the side of his angular jaw drew Kate’s focus over and over. She couldn’t seem to look away.
His tousled hair had a slight wave and he ran his fingers through the blond strands. He turned from her, a smile on his face.
Kate was confused. He wasn’t mad at her. She should be mad at him. But they seemed to be at some sort of an impasse. This Brody she had to be careful around. His easy informality was contagious. She didn’t want to be comfortable around him. She wanted to be on edge, on guard. This Brody would take work not to like.
Brody closed the hood and pressed a button to lower the car back to the ground. He didn’t say anything and Kate suddenly felt churlish treating him how she was. He worked on her car and put money into it. She hadn’t had to beg him to help her out or had to pay him with money she didn’t have.
He slid into the driver’s side and started the car. The engine turned over smoothly and the engine ran with an almost quiet grace. Her little Sunny had never sounded like that.
Something twisted in her stomach. Dang it. Just dang it.
After a minute, he turned off the engine and slid from the car. He grabbed a cowboy hat from a hook by the lift controls and settled it on his head. Passing Kate, he handed her the car keys.
And didn’t say anything.
Kate followed him, uncomfortable and unsure what to say. Thank you seemed inadequate. She had to try to save her pride, what small shreds were left of it. “You’re going to lose. You’re not going to make me fall in love with you using the silent treatment.” Why couldn’t she just tell him thank you? Why did she have to prod him?
Brody stopped and turned to fac
e Kate slowly. He moved in close, invading Kate’s space and she moved back until her hips bumped into the wall behind her. She caught her breath as he moved closer, ducking his head to be closer to her level. “Darlin’, say thank you and go back to your room.”
Kate swallowed. “I would… but I can’t eat unless I’m with you.” He smelled of oil, man, and his cologne she remembered from the casino. Intoxicating.
The man standing so close to her wasn’t safe. She couldn’t eat with him. She was guaranteed to lose to the Brody who was close enough to touch her, to kiss her. She swallowed again, unsure what to say.
“You need to pick one – eating with me and tolerating my abhorrent company or hunger and peace.” His enigmatic blue eyes captured her and a shudder of foreboding cascaded down her spine.
She had to be extra careful around him. His abhorrent company couldn’t hide his charm or her attraction to him.
Dang, his shoulders and those cowboy jeans.
Chapter 8
Brody
Eating with Kate was like sitting in detention. Brody couldn’t be close to her because she went out of her way to move seats when he did. They finally ended up each at opposite ends of the long table. He tried talking to her but she kept her answers monosyllabic and one worded and sometimes so soft, he couldn’t hear her.
Brody couldn’t be more frustrated. A woman he was supposed to be convincing to love him was doing a good job of making him question everything about himself. Was he even lovable? Had all of those other women just been interested in him because of his money?
His frustration needed to be released and he could only work so much. Taking a ride along the perimeter of the property burned a good four hours of the day and when he returned to the barn, he was sweaty, tired, and not in the mood to deal with an attitude in a woman who most likely would win the large chunk of money and be the reason he lost everything to his brother.
Needless to say, his ride hadn’t fixed his frustration. Instead, he’d been allowed to stew and that only made his scowl etch deeper into his skin.
He yawned, pushing through the doors of the barn and then stalled, listening to the sounds of soothing urgency coming from the far back. He stepped further inside, cocking his head to the side to hear better. “Tom?” One of the stable hands rushed from the back stall, glancing back a couple times as if to see through the walls.
“Yes, sir, I’ll take her, thank you.” Tom took the horse from Brody and nodded in deference.
Brody nodded toward the stall the ranch hand had just exited. “What’s going on back there?” He wasn’t at the ranch enough to know what equine endeavors his mother undertook. Mostly, he lived in Seattle or California at one of his homes. When he was in Montana, he stayed with his mother. He’d been excited for a foaling and he hadn’t heard anything about it yet. A sinking in his chest suggested it was happening already.
Leading the horse to the cool down paddock, Tom replied, “Miss Givings is having her baby.” Tom hurried out.
Brody had wanted to be there when the horse foaled. He’d been gone to work off his anger and he’d missed it. Striding toward the stall door, Brody paused at the entrance and then blinked in wonder as he took in the scene.
Two ranch hands soothed the mare while Kate knelt at the back of the horse. She glanced up at Brody, wonder and worry erasing the disdain she’d worn like a cloak the last few meals. “They said they’ve been having problems since last night. Can you get the vet? No one can seem to get a hold of him.”
Brody nodded, in awe at her calm and seeming to know what to do. He didn’t know all of the details or even what was normal, but Kate gave him directions and he could at least do that much.
He turned to grab the truck and retrieve Doctor MacCallister in Colby. Slate wasn’t the closest veterinarian, but he was definitely the best. He’d know what to do. Brody glanced back to catch a glimpse of Kate. The image of her flushed cheeks and bright eyes was one he wouldn’t be able to erase for a long while.
~~~
The next morning, Brody hadn’t slept much. After all of the excitement the day before and the delivery of two foals – a colt and a filly – he hadn’t forced Kate to eat with him. She’d snagged a sandwich and disappeared to her suite.
Sitting at the table waiting for breakfast and for Kate to join him, Brody leaned against the armrest, lost in thought. Slate had asked Kate some questions and rather than asking her to leave like he’d asked Brody and the two ranch hands available, Slate had asked her to stay and help.
Maybe things weren’t going well at home for the doctor. Would he have time to hit on Kate while delivering two horses? Brody’s suspicions were high and he couldn’t figure out why he cared. Maybe because she was supposed to be falling for him and that would be hard to do if she was interested in a married man. Or maybe because try as Brody might, he couldn’t stop thinking about Kate and the way she smelled and looked. He wanted a chance to get to know her. Usually those feelings were fleeting about a woman, never did they grow like they’d been growing for Kate.
Brody couldn’t figure out why he was so interested. Was it the bet? Was it the challenge? All he could come up with was boredom. He was probably just bored. Most likely that was it. His pride liked that answer and made it easier to swallow the bitterness of every passing moment she wasn’t there.
He’d almost gotten himself convinced that his interest wasn’t genuine when Kate walked through the door to the dining room, refreshingly casual in her attire of jeans and a sports logo t-shirt which clung to her curves in the right places. He dark hair had been twisted back, leaving her face free to his inspection.
Kate claimed her seat, the one furthest from Brody and smiled tightly as she avoided his gaze. She scooted her chair in and tapped her finger on the armrest, looking everywhere but at her host.
“Good morning. I trust you slept well?” Brody had to get through her defenses. Time had already been short with two months and then shortened again with her stint in the rooms. The more walls she put up, the harder it was for him to get close.
“Yes, thank you.” Kate looked over her shoulder when Duncan walked in with two plates, setting one before Kate and then making his way down to place one in front of Brody. “Thank you, Duncan. This looks delicious.” Kate’s entire demeanor changed as she grinned warmly at the elderly chef. “The Havarti you slipped in my sandwich yesterday was amazing. Well, you know I’ve never tried it, but now that I have.” She rolled her eyes as if in ecstasy and grinned at Duncan. “I don’t know how I can go back.”
Duncan winked, set Brody’s plate down in front of him without ceremony and turned back toward Kate. “There’s a bit of something in there just for you.” Duncan whispered loudly as he passed by her to return to the kitchen. He waggled his fingers at Kate and left the room.
Kate turned back to her place and studied the dish. Her eyes widened and she grinned as she picked up her fork. Whatever Duncan had given her had delighted her enough to leave a smile on her face when she normally would return to the stoic expression she wore around Brody.
Picking up his fork, Brody glanced down the length of the formal table. “Thank you for your help yesterday with the foaling. I didn’t know you had horses.” He honestly didn’t know anything about her and that worried him. What if she didn’t really need the money? What if she was playing him? His luck, he’d found a con woman who took advantage of high rollers. Although, that likelihood wasn’t very high since he’d found her at the reservation casino. She hadn’t seemed impressed that he had found her either.
Kate lifted her gaze to his and shook her head with a startled expression. “I don’t have horses.”
Confused, Brody lowered his fork and tilted his head forward. “I’m sorry? How did you know how to handle the mare and then again when Doc MacCallister asked you to stay? He wouldn’t ask just anyone.” What was really going on in that stall when Brody had left?
Kate swallowed her bite and studied Brody before speaking. “
I was in the vet tech program at MSU a few years back. Doctor MacCallister allowed me to intern and assist a few times I was over this way. Colby has some of the best small town research facilities. It was an honor to learn there.” She fell silent again, eating with careful precision and avoiding his gaze.
Unable to focus on his food when Brody was finally getting interaction from Kate, he rested his hand with the fork on the edge of the table and leaned forward. “You’re a vet tech? That’s interesting. Must be a lot of work around here for you.”
Kate lifted pain-filled eyes his way. “No, I’m not. I was in the program, about three months from graduating when my mom hurt her back. Dad was in North Dakota working and she needed help, so I went home to be with her. They wouldn’t let me return to the program, so…” She shrugged, but her expression negated the very movement. Kate obviously cared about the lost chance.
“I’m sorry. Is your mom better?” Brody tried to deflect attention away from her pain. He didn’t want to add to her discomfort. He wanted to continue talking with her. That was the only way he stood a chance.
“No. I mean, yeah, but not completely.” She paused, as if thinking whether to continue sharing or not.
“Why not completely?” Brody prodded her. He wanted all of the information she was willing to give him. He needed anything that might help him toward claiming her heart.
A shadow crossed her features and she spoke carefully. “Dad was gone and she couldn’t work. We didn’t have any money since the market crashed and we’ve been drowning under debt since.”
“A lot of people filed bankruptcy to lessen that burden.” Brody furrowed his brow. Her matter-of-factness about the situation hid pain that flashed across her eyes.
Kate wasn’t telling him everything, but she was telling him something which was more than he was getting before. “The Matteses pay their debts.” Kate lowered her fork and leaned forward as if to close the entire twelve feet between them. She narrowed her eyes, her lips tight. “I’m not going to lose, Brody. I gave up the freedom to live for myself a long time ago.”
Brody: The Betting Billionaire (The Billionaire Cowboys of Clearwater County Book 3) Page 4