“Uh, you understand I’m talking about paint,” she said. “The kind that comes in gallon-size cans and gets slapped on walls and windowsills? This isn’t an art gala with wine and cheese tasting.”
“I figured that—Crockett is nice, but it isn’t an art gala sort of town. It’s all right if I go, isn’t it?”
“Er…yeah, the more the merrier. We’re all volunteers. And a reporter is coming to do a story, so I guess the publicity would help the stuff with your brother. As a matter of fact, that will probably be enough. Only it doesn’t seem like your kind of thing—it’s messy and a lot of physical work.”
He bristled the way he usually did when she suggested he wasn’t like regular people. “Trust me, it’s my thing. But I don’t understand why you aren’t having the place professionally painted with the money I donated.”
“It wasn’t supposed to look like you’d paid me to go…” Beth felt warmth creep into her face because that was exactly what he’d done. She continued hastily. “Which is why you postdated the check. I told the director about it this morning and he thinks it should be earmarked for staff positions. Besides, by getting people involved at this early stage, they might keep volunteering in the future.”
“Oh.” Kane’s brow creased thoughtfully. “That sounds sensible. How about going to lunch first? I didn’t have breakfast and I’m starving.”
Still surprised, she nodded and rolled out of the hammock. “Sure. I’ll get my shoes and meet you out front.”
Kane watched Beth walk toward the house and decided it was a good thing he hadn’t been invited inside. Her tight, sweetheart bottom was outlined by her shorts in a way that made his fingers itch. And he was also having trouble keeping his mind off how nicely her breasts had fit into his hands.
“Have a little restraint,” he mumbled, climbing to his feet.
He was almost sorry he’d suggested going to lunch. There was something seductive about swinging in a hammock all cuddled up with a sexy girl. Especially when he already knew how good that girl felt in his arms.
“Yeah, a girl,” Kane reminded himself. Beth might not agree that eleven years was much of a difference, but it was.
He had too much experience, she didn’t have any. She was a softhearted do-gooder, while he was just a hardheaded businessman with a talent for making money. Basically he was a cynic, and Beth was an idealist.
She deserved more than a burned-out workaholic.
Keep thinking that, son, and you might start to believe it.
The voice seemed to come from nowhere, but Kane knew better. It was his father’s voice. For a while after his death Kane had heard him often—a memory of the elder man’s wise counsel that replayed clear and true at crucial moments. It had gradually faded away, lost in the chaos of work and responsibility. Years had passed since Kane had heard it. Maybe the reason he was hearing it now was that Beth reminded him of better days.
His dad would have liked her.
I do, son. She’d make a fine wife.
“Whoa.” Kane took a breath and shook his head.
Remembering the things his father had said was one thing, it was quite another to hear something more immediate. But he’d been working too hard. It was no wonder his imagination was working overtime.
Still, the voice was right. His father really would have liked Beth.
Nine hours later Beth watched Kane carefully clean one paint roller after another. He’d seemed uncomfortable at first with the informal group of volunteers, but then his charm had kicked in and everyone thought he was wonderful. It was just icing on the cake when he offered to buy pizza for dinner.
“Do you always throw money at a problem before you try anything else?” she asked curiously. They were alone, everyone else having broadly winked and said they needed some time together. The reporter had already departed, his trip having earned a bigger “story” than expected.
“Money talks,” Kane said, sluicing water around the sink.
“Maybe, but community involvement is the only thing that gets a place like this going. We need volunteers and support and awareness, and no amount of money can make that happen. Sometimes it even gets in the way.”
He opened his mouth as if to protest, then went back to his washing.
Sadness crept through Beth as she realized that Kane had gotten so used to being needed for his wealth, that he’d forgotten how to be needed for himself. Maybe that was the crux of the problem with his family. They wanted something besides his money, something he’d forgotten he was already giving them.
He was a good man, one of the best she’d ever known. The end of their brief acquaintance would be more difficult now that she knew him better. And it would end, she didn’t have any doubt.
In the meantime…
Beth put her hand on Kane’s arm. “They liked you before you bought them pizza,” she said quietly. “It was nice, but not necessary.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.”
Kane clenched his jaw, but when he looked at Beth the tension flowed away. Her eyes were filled with concern. She might not trust him. She might think he was just another rich guy, but she cared about his feelings.
Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he was getting the notion that money didn’t always fix things. He’d been so determined to take care of his family after his father’s death that he’d focused all his energy on making a fortune. That way, they’d never lose the security he wanted them to have. In the process he’d lost something of himself. He didn’t know how to live anymore.
But Beth threw herself into everything with boundless enthusiasm…everything except love. If she ever let herself fall in love again it would be a heavenly gift for the lucky man.
“At least they’re eating pizza, and letting us be alone,” he murmured. “So some good came out of it. Besides, money does fix things. I’ve been able to make my mother comfortable.”
“Mmm.” Beth flicked her tongue over her lips and he groaned silently. “How often do you see her?”
“My mother? A couple times a month. More during the summer. There’s a wildflower my father used to pick for her. Nobody else seems to get the right one, so I stop whenever I see them.”
“You pick wildflowers for your mother?”
Kane shrugged. “It’s nothing.”
Beth smiled sweetly. “I’ll bet those wildflowers mean more to her than any fancy appliance or furniture you’ve gotten for her. And you don’t even know how special it is.”
He rubbed a small fleck of paint from her chin. “They’re just wildflowers, Beth. I pick them alongside the road.”
“Jeez, you’re so stubborn. Tell me, do you know her favorite color? And how about Shannon? What does she like?”
It was like a test and Kane couldn’t see the importance of it. But he played along, because even if it didn’t make sense, he liked the way he felt when Beth’s eyes were warm and seemed to admire him.
“Mom’s favorite color is periwinkle-blue. Shannon prefers green. She’s big into classical music and anything French. She’s also crazy about sweets with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. But I don’t understand why you’re asking. Those are little things.”
A small, sad laugh came from Beth and she shook her head. “Sometimes the little things matter the most. Curt and I were going to be married, but he couldn’t have told you my favorite color, or even what month I was born in. To be honest, I felt invisible when he was excited about something. He didn’t mean to make me feel that way, but he did.”
“You’re not invisible, Beth.”
“I know, and I know he loved me. But I used to wish he could remember some of those little things. You see, nobody ever has, and it would have been nice. That’s all.”
God…Kane felt the foundations of his world sway.
How could anyone make Beth feel invisible? She would have been a precious child, and she was an even more extraordinary woman. Whether she accepted it or not
, she had so much love to give the right man.
“I shouldn’t tell you this, but I’ve hardly slept for the past two nights because of you,” he murmured. “And that hasn’t happened because of a woman since I was sixteen with uncontrolled hormones.”
“I don’t believe you were ever uncontrolled.”
“You saw it Saturday night. Caution, good sense, all my father’s words about how to treat a lady went flying out the window. Kissing you is as close to heaven as I’ve ever come.”
Their gazes were locked as he lowered his mouth onto hers. It was sweet, so sweet, a temptation beyond words. Without a second thought he gathered her closer.
He shouldn’t be doing it.
The only thing he had to offer was an affair, and Beth wasn’t cut out for affairs. But it was so good, holding her, tasting the depths of her mouth. He was on the edge of losing control again when a light flashed brightly.
“What the…?”
“Great shot. Thanks,” said the reporter they had met earlier, right before dashing out the door as if the hounds of hell were at his heels.
“Damn.” Kane would have chased after him, but Beth caught his arm and shook her head.
“You’ll just make it worse. Besides, that’s probably all your brother needed—a great publicity shot. They’ll be able to speculate about it for days.”
“I didn’t kiss you for publicity,” Kane snapped. “I kissed you because you’re a damned desirable woman and that’s what I wanted to do.”
“Oh.”
Beth wasn’t sure what to think. She didn’t know how far Kane would go, or what he’d say, to take care of his family. They meant everything to him.
It was one of the reasons she admired him.
Chapter Seven
Kane walked into his executive assistant’s office early the following morning and gave her a repressive look. She was a smart lady and a hard worker, but she didn’t have any business grinning like that.
“So, I took a day off,” he muttered defensively. “I’ve got a life, or didn’t you know it?”
“That’ll be a surprise to everyone in the Western Hemisphere.”
He gave her a fierce look, then spoiled it by grinning himself. “Okay, let’s say my priorities have been a little off. I’m checking into an attitude readjustment clinic today.”
“Sure, you are.”
Libby’s open disbelief didn’t bother him. He’d heard so many pointed comments about his lack of a life that most of it just rolled off like water from a duck’s back…all except the things Beth said. Why he cared what a skinny little innocent from Crockett had to say, he didn’t know. He did know that skinny little innocent had the ability to make him hotter than he ever remembered feeling in his life.
Actually there was nothing skinny about the way Beth fit into his arms. Her breasts had satisfied him more than all the overblown women he’d ever dated, and she was smart, kind, funny and a damned good kisser.
But still an innocent. And still too young.
A sigh came from Kane’s chest that seemed dredged from the bottom of his soul. He couldn’t marry her; she deserved a full-time husband. He couldn’t have an affair with her; once upon a time his dad would have taken a stick to him for even thinking about it. There were certain rules of behavior for real men, and it had nothing to do with what he did or didn’t eat.
So if marriage and an affair were impossible, that left friendship. He just had to convince his body to accept friendship. Problem was, his body kept remembering kisses in the dark, and his ears kept hearing the eager little sounds Beth made when he caressed her slim body.
Jeez.
“By the way,” Kane said, walking toward his adjoining office door. “I’m leaving in an hour. I want you to clear my schedule for the next two weeks. I’m taking some more time off.”
Libby’s mouth formed the words oh my God, but she seemed temporarily robbed of speech.
“Got that?” he asked. It was nice to make at least one woman speechless. He’d certainly never managed with his sisters or mother. The O’Rourke women were a hardy lot with angelic smiles and short-fuse tempers. In that respect, Beth was just like his family.
His assistant nodded shakily, reminding him of a bobble-head doll. “What should we do about…uh, anything that comes up?”
Kane only had to think for a fraction of a second. If he was going to get a real life, he’d have to let go of a few things. “Neil can handle it. He’s been aching to take over. Let him.”
Neil was one of Kane’s younger brothers—a Harvard graduate with nerves of steel when it came to delicate business negotiations. He’d worked on mergers in both Japan and Germany, so he was familiar with both the domestic and international aspects of the business.
“I’ll draft a letter of authorization for your signature,” Libby said, back to her old efficient self.
“Fine. He can use my office while I’m gone, unless you have a problem with that…?”
Her eyes flickered slightly. “No. Of course not.”
Kane hesitated at the door. Libby and Neil had gone out on a single date after she’d first started with the company, which apparently had turned into a disaster of megaproportions. Since then their relationship could only be described as hostile.
“Are you certain it’s all right?” Kane asked quietly. In many ways he thought of Libby as another sister, but she was also a valued employee and he wouldn’t upset her for the world.
She plastered a professional smile in place and nodded. “You worry too much, boss. Enjoy your time off.”
Kane thought about Beth’s peaceful home and backyard, about hammocks and paint parties, and smiled. Who could have imagined that slapping paint on walls and eating stale doughnuts would be so much fun? Or that he’d skip work to do more of the same?
God, Beth made him feel good. It had been ages since he’d slept so well. Some of it was doing something for the community, but mostly it was working side by side with her. He was uncomfortable about pretending to pursue a romance for the publicity but his brother needed him…and the way Beth made him feel was irresistible.
“I’ll enjoy it. You can be sure about that, Libby. Very sure.”
Beth leaned back in the shower and let cool water pour over her. For a woman who liked nothing better than sleeping late and who had a few days vacation, she’d been getting up awful early. Actually it was more a matter of not being able to sleep, than waking up with the sunrise.
“Why did I let him kiss me again?” she muttered, sticking her nose into the stream of water.
She’d been working in the garden and was hot, sweaty and cranky, and it was only nine in the morning. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’d taken a look at the newspaper when it was delivered. The local paper was having a field day with the latest picture, and the city newspapers would probably pick it up as well. There was nothing personal about their curiosity. The only reason they were interested in her was that they thought Kane O’Rourke was interested.
“Yeah, right,” Beth said, and felt like crying.
Kane might have a fleeting physical response to her, but it wouldn’t last. She probably wouldn’t even see him again.
Beth thumped her forehead on the cool tile wall. “Why did I kiss him?” she moaned. “I’m an idiot.”
Beneath Kane’s expensive, conservative suits was another man altogether, a man that made her heart yearn for something she’d lost once already. Which was ridiculous. Kane was a nice man and she liked him, nothing more. You were lucky to find love once, a voice reminded her, it couldn’t happen again.
The doorbell rang as she stepped from the shower and she wrapped a robe around her. Her business partner usually stopped by this time in the morning, so she hurried to the door and threw it open, only to yelp and scurry backward.
“Yikes.”
Kane grinned and held up two white paper sacks. “Coffee and apricot Danish. I thought we’d discuss our next move.”
Beth gathered the lape
ls of the robe closer to her throat and glared. “What move?”
“Our pretend romance.”
“Wasn’t last night enough?”
His gaze wandered down the silk robe clinging to her skin, lingering at small swell of her breasts. Though he’d touched her intimately during their kiss in the park and she didn’t have any reason for embarrassment, heat gathered in her cheeks.
“What was that?” he murmured.
She stomped her foot down for emphasis. “I asked if last night wasn’t enough. Have you seen the local newspaper?”
“Nope.”
“Well, take a look.” Beth hurried into the kitchen where she’d left the paper and spun around with it in her hand, only to bump into him.
He caught her arms to prevent her from falling, smiling wider as her robe opened. She shoved the paper in his face and covered herself again.
Lordy, the man was impossible. To be honest, she wasn’t terribly upset about the headline or the picture. Not that she enjoyed the notoriety, but she’d expected something like it when she agreed to a pretend romance. The whole thing would die down the next time Kane squired a woman to the opera or a symphony, or wherever he usually took his dates.
The thought was depressing, so Beth pushed a wet piece of hair from her forehead and watched as Kane read the newspaper.
“Isn’t that terrible?” she asked.
“It’s not so bad,” he said.
“Billionaire Woos Local Beauty?” Beth said, rolling her eyes. “That’s what I call wild hyperbole.”
“Not really. I am a billionaire.”
“But I’m not beautiful,” she retorted.
“I think you are.”
She twirled her finger in the international gesture that signaled he was crazy. “Then your vision needs to be checked.”
“My vision is perfect.”
Kane folded the paper and set it on the table. He thought the headline was fine—a big improvement over Wowza—though he would have preferred their latest kiss remaining private. Kissing Beth had been something he wanted to do, not a publicity stunt.
A Date With a Billionaire Page 9