Reckless Billionaire

by Cheryl Phipps

  He laughed. She could see right through him, like his twin. “I guess I was. I’d like to go out to the East Coast to see Evan’s new business. Meet his lady, and sail with him in the bays he’s described. Water so blue it rivals the color of the sky.”

  “You miss him?”

  “More than I ever have. He wanted to come home when I had the accident, but I told him not to bother. I’m okay, and he’s flat out trying to get the businesses on the right track.”

  “Businesses?”

  “The one he part owns, and the one Knight Industries bought into.”

  She shook her head. “Are you all high achievers?”

  “We had to be. Mom’s been a driving force, but my father was hell-bent on none of us having free rides in life. Or growing up like he did.”

  Aimee laughed again, doing a twirl. “Yes, I can see that it would be difficult to live in such surroundings.”

  He looked around Sarah’s room. Really looked at it. The old furniture was polished to a rich mahogany. The bed, a four-poster, was ornately carved and each rug on the maple floor was hand-crafted. The en suite, visible through the door opposite them, was wall-to-wall marble tiles. Through the sliding glass doors, he could see the stables in the distance, and in between were immaculate lawns. It was truly an awesome place grow up and live in.

  He turned back to her. “Sometimes, living here, we forget—at least I do—how amazing it is. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve got used to it.”

  “I guess it’s only natural to do that. Before Andy commented on my dismal flat, I’d thought it was okay. Seeing it through his eyes is the complete opposite of the embarrassment that you feel.”

  “Andy told us that the area isn’t safe.”

  She shrugged. “Apparently, but it’s affordable and it’s home.”

  “Well, please think of this place as your home from today.”

  “For six months,” she said, emphatically.

  “Of course. Shall we take a walk around the estate?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Chapter Seven

  Walking with Matt proved to be a slow process. Once they were off the paths, his crutch caught at the ground.

  “Do you want to lean on me?”

  “I weigh a ton. I’ll manage.”

  He was a stubborn SOB, but she wasn’t arguing with him since she was half his size. She also relished the opportunity to have a better look at what was outside the windows of the bedroom. First stop was the stables.

  Surprised at how immaculate the place was, something else intrigued her. “The estate’s known as Knight Stables, but I thought the main business was logistics and packaging.”

  “You’ve done some homework. When my parents moved here, the house was a shambles. Mom had come from something grander. Her escape was the stables, a very modest building back then, since her true passion was the horses. Something Sarah and I share with her. When a bit of money finally came their way, Dad renamed the whole place for her.”

  “How sweet. It sounds like he was a lovely man.”

  “Lovely might not be the right word. Tough, but fair would be more accurate, and totally devoted to Mom.” He plucked a couple of carrots from a sack. “Give me your hand.”

  It wasn’t a command as such, but her hand slipped into his as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He turned it palm up, flattening her fingers, and placed a carrot on it. A delicious shiver had made its way up her arm and down her body. She was so centered on the feeling and his wonderful eyes that pulled her towards him, she wasn’t even aware of him pushing her arm towards a dappled pony.

  Before she had time to pull away, the pony took the carrot delicately with her lips. Aimee gulped, brought back to earth by that and the nuzzling that followed, unfortunately, not by Matt. “I’ve always loved the idea of horses.”

  “Would you like to ride one?”

  She took a step back. “I don’t think so. They’re a long way up, which implies a long way to fall.”

  Matt laughed. “Scared?”

  “Absolutely.” There was no point in pretending otherwise if she was going to be here for a few months. It was clear to her that Matt loved the stables. He seemed lighter of heart and as he forked hay into the hanging basket by the door awkwardly with one arm, he still looked like he belonged.

  “Lots of people who haven’t been around horses before, fear them. Come see them every day and you’ll find that one will appeal to you more than the others. When that happens, you’ll be ready to sit on her or him. If you do that long enough, before you know it, you’ll be ready to ride. I can show you how.”

  Aimee snorted with disbelief. “I’d love to come visit with them every day, but don’t expect anything from me, then you won’t be disappointed.”

  Matt put the fork down and took a step closer, his gaze burning into hers. “I don’t think anyone could be disappointed by you.”

  She blushed. “That’s because you don’t know me.”

  He handed her another carrot, breaking eye contact. “Are you always so hard on yourself?”

  “I know who I am, and what I’m capable of. I know what I’m good at, and that’s nursing. Full stop.”

  “It is possible to be good at more than one thing.”

  Without thinking about it, she rubbed the gentle mare between the ears. “Sure, for some people. Just not me.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Matt, don’t start thinking if you sweet talk me, I’m going to be your partner in crime as far as your pursuits go. My job is to keep your feet firmly on the ground. With or without that crutch.”

  He gave her a pained look. “What the heck have I done?”

  “Sorry?”

  “I’ve employed another person who wants to crack the whip over me.”

  Aimee wanted to be serious, but Matt had a way about him that was anything but, and it was contagious.

  She smothered a smile. “I’m not into that sort of thing.”

  His eyebrows wiggled at her suggestively. “Shame.”

  “I told you, stop with the flirting.”

  He pretended to be shocked. “You started it, Nurse Parker.”

  She hadn’t, had she? No, he was just being Matt, the goofball. She would need her wits about her if this man was going to get the best of her care. He was trouble in a lot of senses, but she’d dealt with all sorts in her years of nursing. He wasn’t going to be easy, but he couldn’t be as bad as some of those. Could he? “Come on, show me the rest of the place.”

  They went via the sheds, and two serious-sized garages, then came out upon two tiered manicured lawns.

  “Wow. There’s more land than you could possibly imagine from the front driveway.”

  “We didn’t own it all to start with. Mom and Dad’s modest house was where the smaller garage is now. Our trucks and the business were run out of a warehouse that sat where the big house does.”

  “It’s hardly a house.”

  He laughed again. “I admit it’s impressive, but my parents worked hard to achieve all this.”

  “No family money to make things easier?”

  “Not a cent. My father’s family had none and my mother’s wanted to prove a point.”

  This was not what she’d imagined when she’d read up on the Knights and she was curious. “What point?”

  “That my mother ought to have married the man they thought she should.”

  She shook her head at the old-fashioned idea. “I bet she’s glad she didn’t take their advice.”

  “Not only didn’t she take it, but my parents eloped. A double-strike back in the day.”

  Aimee suddenly had a new appreciation for Eloise Knight. She must have been strong back then to go against her parents. It wouldn’t have been easy. “Then what?”

  “When the business took off, they put everything that didn’t go towards fixing up the house back into it. They bought more trucks. Took on more warehousing and hired good people. As each of us got older, we be
gan an apprenticeship in all aspects of Knight Industries, to find out what might appeal to each of us more.”

  “You worked in the warehouse?”

  “Of course. That’s part of the reason that I chose my role.”

  “Which is?”

  “My title is, Head of Acquisitions.”

  She grimaced. “Sounds fancy, but what does it mean?”

  “I do a lot of research on companies in trouble, mainly in America. Along with my brother, Evan, we visit the site, devise a solution then implement it.”

  She was learning a lot about Matt. The way his voice changed when he spoke of the business. It was more stilted and less passionate than when he spoke of the stables or his family. Then he exuded warmth and enthusiasm, which was enlightening.

  Joking or not, perhaps he wasn’t the mummy’s boy she’d imagined. He certainly didn’t look like one. His hair, almost black, had not been cut recently, and he needed a shave. Or was he going pirate? With his chiseled chin and Roman nose, he wouldn’t look out of place.

  His handsomeness was something, for sure, but lots of men were that. She’d only known him for a few days, yet she felt this bond with him, as if he knew her somehow, and she him. And, what she didn’t know, she was eager to find out. She wanted to help him, perhaps more than she’d wanted to help any other patient, but it was the situation that made it so. She was adding all this information together to get a handle on her patient. Nothing more.

  “You’re quiet.”

  “I was thinking that we should get you back, before you fall over.”

  “Here I was thinking that I was doing pretty good. I haven’t walked this far since the accident.”

  “Precisely my point. Come on.”

  He didn’t need any more encouragement. She was glad she’d said something, because he was shaking with the effort by the time they got back.

  Aimee was mortified. “I shouldn’t have kept you out so long. Your foot and hand are so swollen. I bet they hurt like hell.”

  “They are a bit sore, but I’m a big boy and it’s been a great distraction. Besides, I’ve had plenty worse.”

  “Still, it’s my job to look after you and I’ve failed on the first day. Sit on this chair and put your feet up on this.” She helped him into a Cape Cod chair and dragged an ottoman in front of it, just as Eloise Knight appeared.

  “Everything all right?”

  “Matt’s overdone things. It was my fault. He was showing me the grounds and I lost track of time.”

  Eloise appeared to take stock of her admission, then gave her son a once over. “I’m sure he didn’t complain, so don’t worry, dear.”

  It was great that Eloise had gotten over being annoyed with her, but she didn’t get it. “I’m his nurse, and I should have known it was too much.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. He isn’t hurt, is he?”

  “No.”

  “Then let’s be thankful for that.”

  “I am here, you know,” Matt interjected.

  “Behave, dear. Have you explained our routines here, such as meal times? Or shown Aimee around the house, so she knows where everything is?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Well, you rest up and I’ll do that. Then we can meet up for lunch.”

  Aimee watched the interchange. Eloise really did call the shots, and Matt, although not happy about it, allowed it to happen. Why was it like this, when surely, he would need to be firm and decisive in his business dealings?

  As they walked through the house and she tried to keep her amazement in check, she could feel the older woman’s eyes on her. “Is there something wrong?”

  “I’m sorry, I’m being rude. The fact is that you’re not what I was expecting.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Is that good or bad?”

  Eloise laughed. “Neither. The report Andy put together, and the way you looked after Matt in the hospital made me think of you as a saint.”

  She snorted. “I’m certainly not that.”

  “Perhaps not, dear, but you looked after your mother for a very long time, while holding down a stressful job. That’s a little saintly.”

  It felt bizarre that this woman knew so much about her, but it was done now. Besides, she could see how much Eloise loved her family and that made a difference. “If I’m honest, going to work was a relief from watching Mom die.”

  “I can only imagine. My husband’s death was sudden, and the children were a major distraction from the loss, which I welcomed. You were all alone, weren’t you?”

  “I wanted to keep her home with me to the end, but it wasn’t possible. I’d used all the leave I had and couldn’t afford to take any unpaid. Dying is very expensive.” Tears pricked her eyes, remembering the heartache and the guilt.

  “It is.” Eloise put a hand on Aimee’s arm. “I love my children equally, but Matt is struggling more than the others with the pressure of being a Knight. I appreciate that struggle, and that he’s got to find his own way. I can’t let it be his self-destruction. Do you agree?”

  She nodded. “He’s very loyal and very angry.”

  “I know. Ben, Sarah, and Caris knew what they wanted at an early age. The twins followed the older two, and thankfully, Evan has found where he fits. Matthew still has no idea. Until he does I want to keep him safe, and I’m frightened that I can’t.”

  Aimee felt her pain, but she was scared by this level of openness. “And, you believe I can?”

  “I see how he looks at you. He hasn’t been interested in listening to anyone for a long time. I know it seems that he’s tied to my apron strings, but it’s respect and honor that makes him agree with me. Or should I say give in to, since he rarely agrees with anyone. He’s been looking for himself in all the wrong places, and Knight Stables and the horses are a haven for when it all goes wrong. If you’ve read his hospital file, you’ll know that Matthew’s done that far too many times.”

  Aimee paced the length of the sitting room which was comfortable looking despite the expensive furniture.

  “You’re paying me an awful lot of money, but it can’t buy a happy outcome if he’s not on the same page.”

  “That is the trick. All I ask is that you be his nurse and his friend, since he doesn’t have Evan the way he used to. Take care of the visible wounds, but help him if you get the chance to see that he doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone.”

  She paced the room again. She wasn’t qualified to mess in people’s minds, but Matt wasn’t just any man. He was funny and sweet and he could have a long life. How did you make someone see happiness when they felt unhappy in their own skin?

  “I guess I have a long time to work on it.”

  Eloise was relieved. “Good girl. I’ll stay out of your way, and try to keep Ben out of Matthew’s hair, which would give you free rein.”

  Aimee would have said thanks, but she wasn’t sure that she should be grateful. This was a tricky business. If Matt thought she was colluding with his mother, he wouldn’t believe anything she said.

  “I think we’ve seen everything. I work a lot from home so you’ll most often find me here in my private sitting room. Otherwise, here’s my direct line, which you can contact me on anytime. Day or night.”

  She took the card.

  “Let’s go have lunch. I’m sure Patsy will have everything ready for us.”

  A sandwich would have been enough, but when she saw the spread, her stomach made an embarrassing grumble. If this happened at every meal, she’d be the size of a house in six months.

  Perhaps the gym in the basement by the games room would come in handy.

  Chapter Eight

  For the past six weeks, they’d walked, Aimee fed the horses, took him for his check-up and drove him to where he wanted to go. She was obliging and pleasant. In fact, the highlight of his day was spending time with her. Still, Matt was bored. He was itching to be back at work, even though his time with the horses was a special part of each day that he’d sorely missed
.

  He cursed, softly. No sooner had the word sprung to mind, when the skin inside his casts began to burn and itch like crazy. Thank goodness he had an appointment to get the damned things removed today.

  Aimee looked up curiously, but was used to his grumblings. She frowned at his attempts to get far enough down the casts with his fingers to get some relief, and merely placed a card on the table. “How come you still live here?”

  He absently picked another one from the pile.

  “Laziness.”

  She nodded. “Don’t you want your own place?”

  “I did move out with my brother, Evan, for a year or so, and also when I was at college.”

  “You didn’t like it?”

  “It had its good points. I have been thinking about it more so lately, but it is pretty sweet here.”

  “Sweet? Yes, I daresay it is. Food and drinks available with no thought of having to shop. Washing, ironing and housework done. I could handle that.”

  “Could you?”

  “If I had to, I would suffer it.”

  Matt laughed. They had an easy camaraderie that his mother had commented on more than once, even though he refused to discuss it with her. Besides, Aimee had made it clear from day one that she wasn’t interested in being more than patient and nurse.

  He almost felt the same way. This was his home, and he’d seen how the family had handled things when the father of Sarah’s baby had moved in for a few months. Awkward and unsettling sprang to mind.

  It might be different if he had his own place. Not only regarding Aimee. If his family couldn’t stop checking up on him every five minutes, then he had no option. In truth, he should have done it years ago, but Aimee was right. When you lived in a place like this, it was hard to move on. Ben had only just done it and he was thirty. Sarah would still be here if having a baby hadn’t changed things for her.

  “Gin!” Aimee slapped her cards on the table.

  “I didn’t realize you were so competitive.”

  “That’s because your competitiveness is in all things physical, while mine is cerebral.”

  He pretended to be upset. “You think I’m dumb?”