Breathless, Kate burst through the kitchen doors. “Duncan, have you seen – Oh, Brody! There you are. Come on. I’m ready.” Her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed, Kate stood there as if she expected him to do something.
He could say goodbye just as easily in the kitchen as he could in the front room. The only difference was, he couldn’t watch her drive away from the kitchen.
Kate glanced at Duncan, excitement in her smile. “Thanks again for the suggestion, Duncan. I can’t wait to go.”
Brody glared over his shoulder at the soon-to-be-fired chef. Duncan’s idea? He’d encouraged Kate to leave Brody? He stewed in his silence, careful to keep his boiling rage inside. Exploding was no way to conduct oneself.
“Brody? Are you okay? I didn’t make reservations or anything. We don’t have to go.” Kate moved closer to Brody, reaching out and touching his forearm with her soft fingers.
We don’t have to go? She was leaving and taking Brody with her? A sudden loosening of the knot in his stomach allowed him to breathe normally. He dropped his arms to his sides. “What are you talking about? We’re going somewhere?”
“Yeah, silly. What’d you think I was doing? Leaving?” She laughed but her mirth died as she realized he wasn’t laughing with her. She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Brody, did you think I was leaving?”
He half-shrugged, unsure just how much he wanted to admit. Did it make him weak that he thought she was going to leave him and he didn’t want her to go? He couldn’t help the way he felt. Just like she couldn’t help her circumstances. He cleared his throat, acutely aware of Duncan’s observation skills. “The thought crossed my mind. Yes.”
Kate shook her head, chuckling. “First thing you need to learn about me is I don’t lie about important things. I won’t lie. I told you I’d stay and I’m going to.” She reached out and grabbed his hand in hers – her touch warm and engaging. “I just won a bet and now I have some cash. I wanted to celebrate and take you to dinner. It won’t be as delicious as Duncan’s cooking, but he assures me the pub has the best burgers in Clearwater County.” She offered a wide smile and a wink Duncan’s direction.
She wanted to leave with him. That last part was important. Take him to dinner. What woman had ever wanted to take him out to eat and obviously want to pay? He was thrown off-kilter and he studied her.
“I need to change.” Going out in public dressed like a cowboy wasn’t the persona he usually gave off.
Kate jerked toward him, shaking her head. She leaned up and kissed his cheek briefly, pulling back to reveal pink spots high on her cheeks. “No. I’m taking this Brody out.”
She continued differentiating him with this Brody and that Brody. He’d have to make sure and ask her what she meant. And the first chance he had, he was going to see where he could take the promise in that brief kiss.
Chapter 13
Kate
Kate slid into the driver seat of her old Sunny and grinned at Brody as he buckled his seatbelt. Tall enough his hat brushed the top of the car, Brody settled into the seat without acting like he didn’t belong.
One thing Kate loved about him already was how this Brody didn’t put on airs. She pulled onto the road and followed the long stretch to the highway and then to Taylor Falls.
“Where are we going?” Brody rested his hand on his knee and Kate tried not to stare at the strength in the angles of his fingers.
She jerked her gaze back to the road, gripping the steering wheel like she just realized she was driving. “I thought we could go in for burgers. My treat.” She glanced shyly at him, chewing on her lower lip. What was he thinking? Did he even eat hamburgers? She wasn’t sure what he liked. “Unless, of course, you don’t like hamburgers? I don’t…” She pressed her lips together. She was suddenly besieged with nerves. Maybe taking him out on a date – no, it wasn’t a date. She had to stop thinking of it like that. She’d agreed to get to know him, not to date him.
But with the pressure of earning the money behind her, Kate dropped her guard. He wasn’t trying to do anything but get to know her.
Admit it, you want it to be a date! For once, Kate didn’t want to lie to herself, but that wasn’t the point. She wanted him to like her as much as she was starting to like him. As much as he’d done for her so far, Kate was having a hard time believing he was interested in her for who she was.
“You don’t have to pay for anything for me, Kate.” He turned, leaning against the passenger side door and watching her.
She swallowed, aware of his scrutiny and also aware that she didn’t have enough security in herself to resist him or be fine, if he rejected her. What if she fell for him, like he planned, and it was so much more painful than she was expecting when he said no? And he would. There was no doubt about that.
This Brody couldn’t be there all the time. This Brody already had a piece of her…
If the other Brody showed up…
She started to shake her head and then stopped. He wasn’t two men. There weren’t two of them to come in weird times of the day. He was the same man who put on a persona for each life. Her perception of him wasn’t dependent on his clothing, it was dependent on what she chose to see.
As long as the chance was there that the pompous Brody would come out, Kate didn’t sense there’d be a problem of her truly falling in love with him. Becoming friends? Sure, but not losing her heart. She needed to see that Brody to see if anything would change.
Kate parallel parked in front of a little dive with neon lights that warred with the evening sun. She read the name a couple times. “This is the one Duncan said was delicious. I’m sorry. It’s not very fancy.” She didn’t want to go inside. Brody would think she was another hick and cheap to boot. Embarrassment edged along her nerves and she swallowed. Her mouth was suddenly very dry.
Brody climbed from his side and rounded the car, opening the door and reaching in for Kate’s hand. As she stood hesitantly, he stared into her eyes. “I love this place. Let’s go.”
Shocked into silence that he’d already been there and found it appealing, Kate nodded and fell into step beside him.
Brody led the way to a booth against the wall, tucked into a corner. The dark atmosphere lent more intimacy to the small seating arrangement. Even with the sun still shining persistently outside, there seemed to be an ever-presence of twilight in the bar.
Kate studied the menu. She didn’t want to lift her eyes and find him looking at her. She wasn’t beautiful like the women in his world were. She didn’t have money and she wasn’t brilliant.
Her lack of attributes suddenly stared her in the face and she just wanted to go home. She had taken him too literally. She’d assumed he was interested in her, but that probably wasn’t the real case. He was most likely just being kind. He probably forfeited the bet because he wanted to get rid of her and wasn’t sure how now that he’d cut all the ties keeping her there.
A waitress approached and Kate stared at the menu. She hadn’t chosen. She didn’t know what to choose. Her chest tightened and she realized the entire evening was going to be blown up by her insecurities. What was wrong with her? She really did know how to get in her own way.
“Is it okay, if I order? I’ve been here a couple times and their onion rings are the best.” He held out his hand for her menu and she nodded. He handed the menus to the waitress and held up two fingers. “Can we get to Slammers, onions rings, and lemonade for both of us, please?” He didn’t wait for her to say anything but turned his focus back on Kate. The server walked away, leaving them alone.
“I’ll pay, too. You’re not wasting your money on me.” Brody leaned back in the vinyl booth and rested his wrist on the edge of the table. A side-grin tickled something in her chest and Kate couldn’t look away.
She cleared her throat and shook her head. “No, please. I want to. I know that technically it’s your money, but I feel like I need to do something for you.”
Brody dropped his hand to his lap an
d leaned forward. “No, it’s your money. You don’t need to do anything. I just want a chance. I’m glad you stayed.” Tenderness in his eyes lent credibility to his words.
She didn’t know how to respond to that. What could she possibly be that was worth half a million dollars? Certainly he could find any woman to fill the spot she was in. “But why me?”
“Why not you?” Brody knit his eyebrows. After studying her a drawn-out moment, he inclined his head. “Okay, if you have to have an answer. Let’s go with, you’re the first woman to roll her eyes at me.” He chuckled, his smile engaging and warm.
Kate shook her head and laughed. “No, I’m serious. Really… why me? I promise, I’m not fishing for praise. I just want to know. Maybe in the future I’ll be able to repeat it.” She winked and leaned back as the server returned with water and lemonade for both of them.
Brody leaned forward, suddenly intense. “You’re different. I need different. When you do the same thing over and over and you expect different? I think that’s been quoted as the true measure of insanity.”
Kate couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. “I love that quote.”
“I figure if I want to be happy, I need to look in different places. You’re not from my world and that’s a great thing.” Something in his eyes captured her. She couldn’t look away. He reached out and claimed her hand in his.
Holding his gaze, Kate said the first thing that came to her mind. “So, betting a girl she wouldn’t fall in love with you will work? You think that’s going to make your life more fairy tale than it already is?”
Brody arched an eyebrow, the challenge thick in his eyes. “Jury’s still out.”
Laughter burst from her lips. “You already lost.” The man had gall and she liked that. Secretly. She liked it secretly. She also liked her hand in his.
“Maybe.” Brody grinned, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. “Or maybe I’m still going to win.”
Entranced by the confidence in his eyes, Kate’s senses were in overdrive. If he won, maybe she would win, too, even more than she’d already gained.
Chapter 14
Brody
The more time Brody spent with Kate, the more he felt like he was getting to know himself. Getting to know the real him – not the one who hid behind his money – but the one who enjoyed being outside, enjoyed the simpler things. He didn’t desire the excitement of gambling while Kate was at his house. For some reason, walks on the property were enough to keep his pulse racing.
A few days after their burger date, Brody settled down. He stopped expecting to turn around and find her gone. When Kate found him in the office, he wasn’t startled that she’d stayed.
“Brody, come on! Duncan set us up a picnic down by the lake.” She perched her hip on the edge of the desk and reached forward for his hand. She tugged as if she could pull him over the shiny, mahogany surface. “We can go for another swim.” She tilted her head to the side with a coquettish glint in her eye. He couldn’t say no but he would keep his distance because the more he learned of her, the more determined he was to respect her.
Or another day when she sat on the deck, absorbing the warm rays and Brody admired the way the sunlight lit up the creamy smoothness of her skin. He wanted to curl a chunk of her hair around his finger and see if it was as silky as it looked.
They picked wildflowers in the woods, walking hand in hand as they talked. In other moments, she would sit quietly in an overstuffed chair in the office reading while he worked on details for the deal he wanted Trevor to take on.
Even watching the stars when the meteor shower hit one night held more excitement for Brody than a winning streak at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
He stopped trying to buy her stuff – she didn’t want it. And as unusual as that was for him, Brody appreciated that she seemed to like him for him and not for his money or what his money could do.
There were only two weeks left to the wedding and Brody knew he was falling for her. He had to be. How else could he explain the intense need to be around her and the soothing effect she had on his nerves. She was comforting and exciting and she had no idea of her effect on him.
On their nightly walk, Brody took her hand and swung it gently between them. He hadn’t had the nerve to kiss her since she’d pecked him on the cheek. Someone he was so comfortable around still had the power to make him nervous. The juxtaposition of feelings was disorienting and heady.
Moonlight glinted off the shiny pebbled walkway and Brody pulled Kate to his side when they reached the balcony overlooking the fields. Stars appeared to hang so low in the dark sky Brody felt like he could reach out and grab one.
He lifted Kate’s fingers and held them in both of his hands. “Kate, would you go with me to my brother’s wedding? It’s in two weeks.” He wanted to ask her more, tell her more, but he needed to get past the time limit he’d already set on them. He had to make sure she was willing and interested to move past the two months.
She studied his face, drawing her eyebrows together. “Wedding? Sure.”
“It’s in Kalispell. I can fly us up in the chopper.” He didn’t know if he wanted to really go. He had to, if he wanted his share of Hart Industries, but he also didn’t want the oasis of being alone with Kate on the Hart Ranch to end either. What would happen when real life intruded upon their time together?
Kate cleared her throat and pressed her lips together. “That’s the end of the two months.” She’d been keeping track.
And honestly? So had Brody. How did he feel about that? He wanted her to stay. He didn’t want to leave what they’d created there together. As the heat of the summer had beat around them, they hadn’t noticed. He’d never become so attached before. He’d never allowed himself to really care about anyone and now he was falling.
The list was endless on his firsts – waking up with a smile, excited to try new things, listening for someone’s footsteps because he’d get to see her soon. There were so many firsts and Brody wasn’t sure how to handle that.
Kate faced the fields and then turned to look at him. She bit her bottom lip, a sudden sign of nerves that drove Brody a little closer to insanity. She took a deep breath and met his gaze. “I… How do I tell you that I lost the bet? Is that okay?”
Brody drew back, studying her. “What bet?” When had she had time to enter into another bet? The only one Brody knew to still be in play was the wager he had going with Trevor. Had Kate made another bet? Maybe Trevor had gotten ahold of her and bet her something that would cost Brody everything. Brody himself hadn’t gambled since she’d arrived and he couldn’t figure out how she’d had time to do any betting on her own.
Kate’s gaze didn’t waver as she studied him. She’d lost the bet. The bet. Like their bet? She’d lost the bet with Brody? No. He’d had to forfeit. She’d already won.
Unless, of course… could Brody hope? Possibility spread over him like a blush of heat. What were the chances? What were the odds? Before Kate, that’s how Brody calculated out every moment – in odds and chances. What were the chances that she was saying what he was constantly thinking about?
Could Kate be saying that she was in love with him?
Chapter 15
Kate
Brody’s silence was deafening. The past few weeks had been heart-altering. She had the comfort and knowledge of cash in the bank and knowing that her family would be fine. Nothing was left to hold her back from getting to know Brody or satisfying the ache to see if his interest was real. She didn’t have anything left to lose and with only two weeks left until the two-month cutoff, she didn’t want to waste anymore time wishing she knew how he felt.
She’d dived into getting to know Brody, trying to see him without two different parts – just him. He hadn’t been pompous or pretentious with her and she’d fallen harder and harder for him.
And she didn’t regret it. She didn’t want his money or need it. She was a simple girl who had lived out of a car fairly recently.
Why would she need more than what she had? She could be certain her feelings were genuine and she welcomed them… but how much would they hurt, if he didn’t feel the same?
He still didn’t answer.
Kate started to shake as the reality of rejection consumed her. He’d said this would happen. He’d said she’d be left with a broken heart. She pulled her fingers from his distracting grasp and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’m just…” She shook her head, thrusting her jaw to the side. “Ignore me. I…”
“No, I… really?” Brody reached out and pulled her against his side and bent his head toward her. “I was too scared to hope.” The urgency in his tone and the grip he had on her dispelled a measure of the pain she harbored.
Her words tumbled out of her. “I know it hasn’t been long, but we’ve pretty much been on a couple dates every day. I think we’ve fit a year’s worth of dates in over the last month and I…” She was terrified to say it out loud. Once she said the three words humming through her, she wouldn’t be able to take them back. She wouldn’t be able to deny them or pretend she didn’t feel that way. It would be declared. That was as real as it got.
“You don’t need to explain how fast it’s been. The heart doesn’t have timelines, Kate. I agree… I also have to say that I couldn’t be happier. I… I think I love you, too. If that’s what you’re saying.” He chuckled, the sound deep and from his chest.
“You think?” Kate arched an eyebrow, but grinned at his choice of words. She’d die before admitting her nerves were back.
“Well, yeah. I’ve never been in love. I’ve never felt like this though either so I figure it must be the same thing.” Consternation drew his eyebrows together as he studied her.
“Felt like what?” Kate tilted her head back. Was he feeling the same dizzying euphoria she was? Like a high she’d never be able to replicate.
Brody: The Betting Billionaire (The Billionaire Cowboys of Clearwater County Book 3) Page 7