The Billionaire's Secret Life (Rosesson Brothers Book 4)

by Lisa Ladew

  “Left. The trailhead’s a thirty-minute walk at this pace. Then we’ll get to the hospital and get you all checked out. Still feeling okay?”

  “Except for this hole in my shoulder and the crack in my skull?”

  “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. I seriously doubt your skull is fractured.”

  Dan laughed all the way to his belly at that, pulling it as much as he could, but the laughter eased the pain. It felt good to be with someone who could make him laugh about his situation, who didn’t take his worries more seriously than he did. He may have a bullet wound, but Kate had apparently seen so many she wasn’t even fazed. He found her attitude curiously attractive.

  “Yeah, you have brothers, all right. You don’t take shit from anyone, do you?” Dan stepped to the left, his body starting to feel looser, less stiff. His shoulder still hurt like a bitch, and the headache wasn’t anything to sneeze at, but he wasn’t dead. That was something.

  “Not for years. Last time was tenth grade. Bobby Wilson thought it would be funny to grab my ass in between classes one day, but he didn’t count on my brother seeing him. I spotted Tuck coming down the hall with murder in his eyes and decided I had to handle it. So I punched Bobby in the nose, laid him out flat.”

  “No shit. I guess that did the trick?” Dan’s admiration ratcheted up another notch.

  “Pretty much. I mean, I didn’t get asked out on a date for a few weeks after that, but nobody ever grabbed my ass again. At least, not unless I wanted them to. I call that a good trade.”

  The sardonic lilt in her voice told Dan that Kate wasn’t one of those women who’d put up with poor treatment just to have a man in her life. He was willing to bet she wouldn’t pretend to be someone she wasn’t, either. Wouldn’t even know how. Another checkmark on his mental list he hadn’t realized he was making. Didn’t know his own name, but knew what he liked in a woman.

  “I agree. So how old are you now?” Even as Dan asked the question he realized he wouldn’t be able to reciprocate. He had no idea how old he was. He had no idea who he was. The thought rocked him down to his foundation. The not knowing was awful. What if he never knew again? Kate answered his question, unaware of his thoughts.

  “I’m twenty-eight. And yes, I know it’s pathetic that a twenty-eight-year-old woman lives with her family, but every time I talk about moving out my dad practically goes into cardiac- hey, are you okay?”

  Dan barely heard a word for the buzzing in his head. It was only when Kate’s hand came to rest on his back and her face came into his peripheral vision that he was able to fight through the fog to focus on her perfect Cupid’s bow lips.

  “Sit down a minute. Let’s take a break.” She guided Dan just off the path to a boulder, urging him to sit. He felt silly being thrown so off-balance by his own thoughts, but her presence made it better.

  “I don’t know how old I am.” The words were blurted out before he could think about them. “I don’t know my name, where I live, if I have family. I don’t know anything about me.”

  “Hey, it’s okay. It’ll come back.” Kate squatted in front of him and held his good hand, her eyes reflecting concern. Her other hand rested on his knee, rubbing lightly on his jeans as if she sought to soothe him. Dan forced his breath to slow, but he was far from calm.

  “How? I have no idea where to start.” Panic rose up in his throat, choking him, but he forced it down. Freaking out wouldn’t do him any good.

  Kate rose and stepped closer, pressing herself against his good side to give him an awkward sort of hug. He guessed this wasn’t standard procedure for paramedics. He was grateful for the contact, though, and leaned in slightly, smelling her clean, strawberry scent.

  “They’ll have some ideas at the hospital, places they can call. At the very least, they’ll contact the police to see if anyone’s put out a missing person’s report that matches your description. It’ll work out.” She didn’t back away, just stayed close as Dan got himself under control again.

  She stroked the hair at his temple. Her other hand still held his, and Dan found it to be a most effective anchor, keeping him grounded in the present instead of spinning off in anxiety about the future due to a past he couldn’t remember.

  After another minute of deep breaths, he felt strong enough to continue their walk to the trailhead. He lifted his head to tell Kate so and was surprised to find her looking down at him, her wide eyes much closer than he’d expected and full of compassion and concern.

  He felt a sudden compulsion to kiss her, but he mentally shook it off. They barely knew each other. He couldn’t go getting attached just because she’d saved him. Still, her lips looked soft and sweet and Dan’s mouth watered to taste them.

  As if she’d woken up, Kate blinked and straightened. She cleared her throat and Dan thought he spied a hint of a blush before she turned and busied herself, calling Molly to come. After a quick rub of the dog’s head, Kate looked his way with questioning eyes. “Ready to keep going?”

  Dan pushed to his feet and sucked in a deep breath to clear his head of its slight dizziness.

  There was no other option but to keep moving.

  So he did.

  Chapter 4

  Three days later, Kate strode through the hospital doors, her stomach wobbly and unsettled, the smell of industrial grade disinfectant not helping at all. Sure as she was of her plans, there was still the chance it would all fall through and she would be left disappointed. Getting her hopes up wouldn’t do any good. She’d been to visit Dan every day, trying to lift his spirits as he waited for his wounds to heal. His body had recovered quickly, from the bumps and bruises to what did, indeed, turn out to be a simple bullet wound. A bullet fragment had been lodged against his bone, with some damage that surgery had to clean up, but the doctors expected a full and clean recovery. Unfortunately, his mind had not come around. He still had no memory of his name or any part of his life before he woke up on the forest floor.

  Meanwhile, Kate was fighting a serious case of attraction along with her sympathetic urges. She’d made a habit of bringing card games and cookies when she visited, in an effort to keep things casual. But she’d spent the bulk of the hours trying to ignore the way her stomach fluttered when the dimple in Dan’s cheek made an appearance.

  Kate knocked softly on the door of his room and stepped inside at the murmured response she heard. Dan was fully dressed, staring down at his money clip as he turned it over and over in the fingers of one hand, his other arm immobilized at his side. She’d seen him play with the clip exactly like this several times over the last seventy-two hours.

  He looked up as she closed the door behind her. “Hey, Kate. What are you doing here? I get out today, no need to sit at my bedside and wring your hands anymore.”

  She rolled her eyes in response. “Oh please, when did I ever wring my hands over you? I wasn’t even worried. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t abuse the staff. I have to work with these people on occasion, y’know.”

  Dan laughed, a tired shake of the shoulders. “So, how’d I do? Drive anyone to drink?”

  “Nope. You were a model patient. None of the nurses developed even the slightest desire to sedate you.”

  “Sedate me? That wasn’t the plan, anyway. I was hoping I could get one of them mad enough to brain me with a bedpan, maybe get me my memory back.”

  Kate shook her head and laughed with him. “If that was your plan, you gave it your best shot. Taking on the night shift versus day shift drama? That was a bold move, mister.”

  His cheeks flaming with a blush, Dan dropped his head and made a dismissive sound, his words muffled. “That was nothing but a big misunderstanding.”

  Kate shook her head in disbelief. That “misunderstanding” had affected operations at this particular hospital for going on two years now. What had started as a disagreement over charting styles had turned into a de facto standoff between two groups of nurses, with no clear resolution. Yet, according to her friend Chloe, a member of the d
aytime nursing staff, Dan had resolved it in three shifts.

  “Most people just want to be heard, ya know? Nurses know that, they’re some of the best listeners out there. They just needed someone to listen to both sides and pass the message in a way that made sense. Plus, I agreed to let Agnes give me a sponge bath. I think that clinched it.”

  Kate guffawed. Agnes was well into her sixties and grandmother of twelve. She was more likely to spank Dan for his impertinence than give him a sponge bath. That image made Kate laugh even harder, her eyes tearing up with mirth.

  When she finally calmed down, Dan was still smiling, but she could sense the restlessness behind his expression. It was time to tell him why she’d come.

  “You decided where you’re going to go yet?”

  Dan’s shoulders rolled unevenly. She caught his small wince. “Not for sure. I’ve got enough cash to get me somewhere, but nothing feels right.”

  Kate rested her hand on her belly, trying to calm the flurry of butterflies inside. “I-I’ve got an idea.”

  A crisp knock at the door announced the arrival of the social worker with Dan’s discharge papers. Mariah was a soft-spoken woman in her fifties who Kate knew on sight, but with whom she’d exchanged fewer than a dozen words. Kate stepped to the side as Dan signed his release papers and listened to Mariah’s instructions.

  “I got you a month’s worth of appointments with the psychologist at the mental health center. You make sure you go to those, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Dan was the picture of deference, paying close attention to all of Mariah’s words and shaking her hand before she left. He picked up his jacket with his free hand and turned his focus back on Kate.

  “So what’s your idea?” Dan folded his discharge papers and tucked them in his jeans pocket with his uninjured arm as he exited his hospital room, Kate following behind. She waited until they’d navigated the bustling hallway and she’d pressed the down button on the elevator before she spoke.

  “I have a place you can stay. You remember I told you my oldest brother had moved out? His room is empty, so I talked to my dad, explained what was going on. He said you could stay, if you also agree to work at the family restaurant where he can keep an eye on you. What do you think?”

  Her words came out all in a rush, she was so nervous. She took a calming breath as the elevator doors opened and she and Dan stepped inside. She turned and faced him as a few more bodies crowded in, pushing them into close quarters.

  Kate could feel his breath warming her forehead and itched to step closer, but there was no real need. She looked up into his warm brown eyes, almost missing the curious expression on his face because she could see little else but his gaze.

  “Your dad would accept a perfect stranger living in his house, given how we met? I’d think he’d want me as far away from you as I can get.” Kate noticed he wasn’t refusing her offer and rushed to reassure him.

  “Oh no, dad was always taking in the boys’ stray friends, too. The last one just moved out six months ago; you’ll meet him at the restaurant.” He hasn’t agreed yet, Kate, calm down some, or he’ll run the other way. “If you come, I mean.”

  Dan’s Adam’s apple was just at the level of Kate’s eyes, and she watched it bob as he swallowed hard. “Sounds like a good guy, your dad.”

  “He’s the best.” She grinned at the evidence that she might be able to convince him. Nothing seemed as important today as making sure Dan was somewhere safe and secure so that he could recover his health and memory. “Come on. You got a better offer waiting in the wings? You can leave any time you want; it’s not like I’m going to chain you to the bed.”

  She groaned internally. You are smooth as an old man’s face, girl. Now he knows exactly where your mind is. And it was there. Sudden images of Dan tied to her bed-frame, naked and at her mercy, whipped through Kate’s mind and sent a quiver to her core. She squeezed her thighs together and hoped he hadn’t noticed any of it, as the woman behind her in the close quarters shifted and bumped a shoulder into Kate’s back, making her step even closer to Dan.

  His expression was dark and intensely focused on her. The fire in his eyes had Kate contracting internal muscles to stop her rogue thoughts coming into sharper focus. She drew cool air into her lungs and reminded herself this was just a friendly arrangement. It wasn’t like she was promising the guy she’d bounce on his lap every day.

  No matter how much she wanted to.

  She tried to play it off, raising a hand airily, but dropping her eyes. “Either way, it’s fine. I’ll take you to my house, or I can drop you wherever you need to go.” The elevator dinged as it settled to the ground floor and the doors opened. Kate walked briskly through the lobby and out the doors to where her car was parked. She deliberately didn’t look behind her to see if Dan followed.

  But as she approached her ten-year-old navy blue sedan, the reflection in the metallic paint showed him just a few paces behind her. Kate smiled to herself and pressed the button on her key fob to unlock the doors.

  It was a short drive to Kate’s family home, and they spent the time chatting about her brothers, her father, and what Dan could expect while working at the family restaurant.

  “It’s a madhouse, but it can be fun. I worked there when I was younger, while I was in school. They serve a mishmash of actual Irish food and what Americans expect when they think of Ireland. So they have shepherd’s pie and beef stew and curry and chips, and most of it comes from my mom’s old recipes.”

  Dan was quiet, his leg bouncing a rapid staccato as they drove. Kate suspected he was nervous, and why wouldn’t he be? This was the first step in his new life and a big acknowledgement that he might not regain his memory, as the doctors had hinted. What an awful fate to contemplate.

  Pulling up to her father’s house, Kate noticed that all her brothers’ cars were parked out front. Dad must have decided to make a show of force at this first meeting. Kate sighed. How old would she have to get before they stopped wanting to protect her at every turn? 40? 50? 60?

  “Ok, we’re here. You ready?”

  Dan climbed out of the car and stretched lopsidedly, taking it easy on his wounded arm. “Ready as I’ll ever be. At least I can honestly say I have good intentions. After all, I don’t know enough people to have any bad intentions.” His face contracted and she thought she could read the last thought there. He hoped he had good intentions in his other life, too.

  He cast a crooked smile at Kate and waited for her to come around the car and lead the way up to the porch. Her father’s house was large, five bedrooms on three levels, with a wide front stairway. As Kate pushed through the front door and called out a greeting, she heard shuffling steps coming from the kitchen.

  “Hey, brat.” Her brother Aiden came around the corner with a bag of chips in his hand and a mischievous glint in his brown eyes. Long brown hair spilled over massive shoulders that seemed determined to escape the confines of his t-shirt. He spied Dan behind Kate and the corner of his mouth curved at once.

  “So this is the guy, huh? Finally found one so addled he’d come home with you? Hey bro, sorry about your brain. That’s some tough shit.”

  Kate felt a flush of anger move up her chest at her brother’s words, but quickly tamped it down. Aiden lived to push her buttons; she wouldn’t let him get away with it. “At least he has an excuse. You’re a loser and a straight-up dick without the excuse of a head injury. Where’s Da, douchebag?”

  Kate heard a chuckle behind her and turned to see Dan grinning wide, his head swiveling to Aiden and whatever he might say next. Stranger though he was, he looked completely unfazed by their sibling squabble. Kate wondered if he had brothers or sisters in his real life, and whether they were looking for him.

  “Is that my Katydid?” A gruff voice carried down the stairs just before her father’s feet and legs appeared. His portly torso followed, then his deeply familiar face. For most of her life, Kate’s father had been her touchstone and anchor, and she coul
dn’t have picked a better one. It was the only reason she was still at home. Because she was the glue who kept all these men from killing each other and drinking themselves to death.

  “It’s me, Da. And Dan, too. He agreed to give working at the restaurant a try until he gets his memory back and we figure out how to get him home.” Kate had been pleasantly surprised at how easily her father had agreed when she’d proposed her plan, relenting with barely a protest. He must be getting soft in his old age. “Da, this is Dan. Dan, this is my father, Angus Bandon.”

  “Sir, I just want to thank you so much for offering me a place to stay in your home. I promise I won’t take advantage.” Dan walked forward and held out his hand to Kate’s father, who shook it without hesitation, his rumbling brogue spilling out to fill the room.

  “Too fooking right you won’t. Y’see I’ve got these three strapping boys around to kick the arse of anyone who gets too bold? Not to mention a lass who can take down a man twice her size. No, I ain’t worried about you, Danny. Just you make yourself at home and we’ll get you sorted soon enough.”

  Dan pressed his lips together, smiling with a twinkle in his eyes. Kate ducked her head and grinned at the floor as he spoke. “Yes, sir. I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

  “All right, then. Aiden, you’ll show Danny to his room, please.” The way her father spoke, he made it clear that Kate wouldn’t be giving Dan the tour of his bedroom. As her brother and guest made their way downstairs, Kate walked to her father and kissed his broad nose.

  “Thanks, Da. You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Aye, I did. When my little girl who never asks for a red cent, comes to me and wants me to share my home, I’m not too much of a blockhead to sit up and take notice.” His face softened as Kate blushed. It was true, being the only girl in a crowd of boys had made her reluctant to ask for help, and her Da knew it.

  “So, you fancy him, do you?” Angus lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, the same one he’d used for years when discussing things most fathers and daughters didn’t. It had never failed to draw a confidence from Kate before, but this time felt different. She felt her torso tighten as she held her breath and answered.