by Erika Kelly
“Not at all.” One side of his mouth curved up. “He’ll like upping the stakes.”
“I’m sure I don’t stand a chance in hell of winning, but I’m going to give it all I’ve got.” Because it wasn’t just about the money. No, it was about proving to her siblings she was good enough to open her own restaurant.
Every bite was magnificent, every flavor lingered so lovingly on my tongue that I didn’t want to move onto the next course
If Harry Morgenstern believed in her, why didn’t her siblings?
When she shifted in her seat, she noticed Will’s foul expression. “What’s that for?”
“What?”
She waved a hand at his face. “That.” She matched her expression to his.
He took a hand off the wheel and turned it palm-up. It was a what the fuck gesture. “Can you imagine if I had that attitude at the starting block? If I looked out at the course and thought, I don’t stand a chance of winning, but I’ll give it all I’ve got.”
Awareness locked into place. “You’d break your neck.”
“That’s right.”
“It’s all about the mental game.”
He nodded firmly.
He was right. She had to get her siblings out of her head. She was a trained chef who’d packed in a whole hell of a lot of learning and apprenticing over the course of her life.
I can totally do this. “What’s the first challenge?”
“Opening night, they’ve got five bartenders competing to make a signature cocktail for the resort, and the chefs are presenting hors d’oeuvres.” Just as he turned into the driveway and paused for the gate to open, his phone vibrated. He checked the screen and then answered with a smile. “What’s up, old man?”
Whoever he was talking to spoke a mile a minute. Will’s features went rigid. “Have you searched every room in the house? Closets, cabinets—shit, okay.”
Alarm hit her skin like a bucket of ice. “Ruby?”
But he didn’t answer her. “Call the police. Call everyone we know. We’ll do a sweep of the area. I’m almost there.” He tossed the phone into the cup holder and floored it.
“Ruby?” she said again.
“She’s gone.”
“What does that mean?” Lost in the house? Because the idea that she’d wandered off on this three hundred thousand acre ranch…was unthinkable.
“It means my fucking mother wasn’t paying attention.”
The moment the house came into sight, Delilah threw off her seatbelt. Trucks lined the driveway, pulled over haphazardly. A man in a black Polo shirt and jeans ran across the meadow.
Will hit the brakes, and they both jumped out of the truck.
Her fragile gold sandals slowed her down, so she kicked them off and ran up the asphalt in her bare feet. As she reached the house, she found Mrs. Bowie on the porch, looking pale and frightened.
“How long has she been missing?” Delilah said.
“I don’t know. Maybe half an hour.”
How could she not know? “Where’d you last see her?”
“I put her down for a nap. For God’s sake, I made sure the gate was locked.”
“Did you have the baby monitor on?”
“Of course. I didn’t hear a thing.”
Well, that couldn’t be true. Ruby always made noise.
Worry crimped the skin around the older woman’s eyes. “But there’s a pile of books on the floor. She must’ve used them to climb over it.”
If she had, she’d have tumbled down the stairs. The wedge of space between the gate and floor was too narrow for a little girl to safely land. Delilah brushed past her and hurried up the stairs. She strode down the hallway, blood pumping with determination. There was only one place Ruby wanted to be: with Will.
The woman’s heels clacked on the wood floor. “I already checked the bedrooms. That’s the first place I looked.”
“Did you check Will’s closet?”
“I checked everywhere. Under beds, in cabinets. Everywhere. She only wants Will. She doesn’t want anyone else. And she doesn’t listen.”
Delilah tuned her out, slapping Will’s door open with the palm of her hand. She made a quick scan, taking in the hastily made bed—the covers tossed back to expose navy sheets, the jeans draped over the back of a chair, and the open door to the balcony.
“Ruby?” She raced across the room and stepped out into the bright sunshine, but she didn’t see the little girl. Hands gripping the bannister, she peered below to a grassy area that surrounded a sand volleyball court. “Ruby.” Her voice carried on a warm breeze.
Whipping back around, she nearly ran into Mrs. Bowie. Move. “Excuse me.” She hurried into the closet. “Ruby? Sweetie?” She was so sure she’d hear that sweet little voice that when it didn’t come, her heart thundered. Where was she?
She hurried down the stairs to grab her phone and found a text from Will.
Anything?
She checked the time stamp. Four minutes ago. Dammit. She shot him back a text. No. You?
He responded right away. Check the backyard gate. Let me know if it’s closed. If it is, she couldn’t have gotten out that way.
Beyond the back fence lay bears, coyotes, elk, wolves…danger. Delilah spun around and dashed through the house.
Mrs. Bowie followed her across the living room. “I don’t know how she got by me. I was sitting right here.” She gestured to the couch.
Delilah flew out the back door. A wide slate terrace gave way to the enormous pool with lush plantings and waterfalls. Hedges and willows kept the stone wall surrounding the backyard hidden, but she easily found her way to the tall iron gate. She finally released a breath when she found it securely latched.
She shot Will a text. Closed.
Her phone rang as soon as she hit send. “Will?”
“We got her.”
“Where was she?” But he’d already disconnected. She hurried back into the cool house and found Mrs. Bowie in the kitchen. “They found her.”
“Oh, thank God. Where?”
Without answering, she brushed right past her to get to Ruby. The moment she hit the living room, the front door burst open and Will entered, followed by Lachlan. Ruby clung to her brother, her features flushed and sweaty.
Relief hit her in such a rush, her body flooded with adrenaline, making her shaky and weak. Blood roared in her ears with the imperative to get to that little girl. “Ruby.” She threw her arms around their backs, both of them hot and damp. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
The three of them stood in a tight circle, the only sound their harsh breathing.
Ruby had been outside. Alone.
Delilah thought of that moose her first night in town, yesterday’s bison. Three hundred thousand acres of meadow and forest. She could’ve gotten lost. She could’ve gotten hurt.
But Ruby didn’t look scared. She didn’t even look relieved. In fact, a vein throbbed in her temple, and she gave Will a fierce look. “You go way. No, no, no. Dat bad, Wheel.” And then her tone turned stern. “Wooby go wif you.”
Will looked tortured. “You went shopping with Grandma.”
Chest rising and falling too quickly, Ruby looked on the verge of tears. But not a single one spilled over. Instead, she shrieked, “Go wif you.”
Brother and sister faced off, both of them equally stubborn. Until Will’s stern façade faltered. He was torn, and Delilah wondered which way he’d fall.
Love her.
Reassure her.
“Do you see what I had to deal with?” his mom said. “First, I had to force her into a car seat. And then she threw a tantrum in the dress shop. I finally had to bring her back home. We didn’t get a thing.”
But Will ignored her, focused exclusively on his sister. “I work, Ruby. I can’t be with you all the time, but you’ve got Uncle Lachlan and Marcella and lots of other people here with you.”
Delilah noted the omission of his mom.
“No, no, no. Wooby wif Wheel.” She gave a toss of her
head to emphasize his name.
“Not all the time.” He started to set her down, but she clung to him.
Oh, come on, Will. Now is not the time to establish her “routine.”
Just hold her until she settles down.
But he pried her fingers off his arms and lowered her. When her legs refused to straighten, he looked to Lachlan, who quickly moved in.
“Come on, kid. They’re delivering the swing set today. Let’s go outside and you can tell me where you want it.”
Ruby kicked and twisted in his arms, but Lachlan wrapped his big, burly arms around her and whisked her away. An electric energy filled the space she left behind.
Will’s chin tipped down, hands on his hips. Delilah should go. Leave mother and son to talk it out, but the silence, the crackling tension, locked her in place.
After a moment, he looked to the staircase with a thoughtful expression. “How’d she get over that gate without falling head over ass?”
“I have no idea. I was right there.” Mrs. Bowie pointed to the couch. “She couldn’t have gotten past me.”
The look he gave his mom would have sent a sane person to her knees. “But she did.”
“I don’t know how.” His mom looked defiant. “I only left the room to make myself a cup of tea. Otherwise, I was here the whole time, and she didn’t make a peep.”
Will tensed. “You shut off the monitor, didn’t you?”
Delilah had only been here a few days, but she’d never known Ruby to be quiet during nap time. She always chatted with Squawk or hummed.
Mrs. Bowie looked away.
“You were pissed at her for not cooperating in the store.” Though his tone held no emotion, the flatness sounded menacing. “You probably tossed her in bed the minute you got home. When she kept making a fuss, you shut off the monitor. Went about your business.”
“There’s a gate at the top of the stairs, all the doors down that hallway are closed, the doorknobs have safety covers...” Her tone turned belligerent. “How could she possibly get out?”
So she’d turned off the monitor and gone about her business. There’s no way a two-year-old could’ve made it out of the house if this woman had been paying attention.
“She’s just like you were,” Mrs. Bowie said. “Stubborn and difficult. And you’re just like your father. You’re not doing her any favors by catering to her every whim.”
Will’s expression hardened. “You used to tell everybody how you only had four boys because you kept hoping for a girl. Well, here she is. A girl. And she’s still not what you had in mind.”
“With a firm hand, she’ll be—”
“You’ll never get to find out what she’ll be.” With a tense jaw and rigid shoulders, he looked her hard in the eye. “It’s time for you to go.”
Without a word, his mom swept out of the room. Her heels clicked on the hardwood floor. She got halfway up the stairs when she stopped and looked down at him. “It’s a shame your brothers aren’t in town to handle this mess.”
The moment she disappeared down the hallway, Delilah said, “Not your number one fan, huh?”
He didn’t smile. “She can’t stand me.” He headed into the kitchen, and she followed.
She could see where he’d get that impression. “You’re her son. She loves you. She just doesn’t like being challenged.”
“No, she actually can’t stand me.” He watched out the window as Lachlan and Ruby, on their hands and knees, set leaves onto the surface of the pool, like colorful little boats.
His uncle put something on Ruby’s arm, and she sat back on her heels, utterly enthralled.
“Brodie’s supposed to be the seven-time world champion,” Will said. “Not me. He’s the one who’s supposed to be the Olympian.”
What? She didn’t say a word, leaving the space open for him to say more if he wanted.
He kept his gaze trained on Ruby. “My mom’s right. Ruby’s a lot like I was. A little hellion. I caused her a lot of trouble.” He sucked in a breath. “But the last straw was when my brothers and I went skiing during a supermoon.”
Oh, no. She cringed. “How old were you?”
“I was eleven. Had it all planned out. Earlier in the day we’d left our skis on the other side of the fence, so we didn’t make a sound when we snuck out. We hiked to the Bowie Pass, which is the widest. I deliberately chose the easiest, safest run, but I guess the shadows threw off his judgement.” His features pinched as though watching the reel of it in his mind. “Brodie went right off the cliff. Busted his knee pretty bad.”
“That must’ve been terrifying.” But he was all right now, wasn’t he? Callie had never mentioned an issue with Brodie.
“She already had a hard time with me, but that was it. She was done.”
“Well, not literally. It was just a scary situation. People say things they don’t mean all the time. Especially when they’re upset.”
He scrubbed his clean-shaven jaw. “After his surgery, she took my brothers with her to New York City.”
“For how long?”
“She meant it to be permanent, but if she thought raising boys in the mountains was tough, she found it ten times worse in Manhattan. When the three of them went through the ice at the Central Park Pond, that was it for her. She sent them all back here.” He glanced at her. “Mothering wasn’t really her thing.”
Pressed so close together in the mud room, aware of the clean scent of his clothes, the warmth from his skin, she understood him in a whole new light. “I’m pretty sure you just skimmed over the worst part of the story.”
For the first time, she saw the little boy that still kicked around inside him. That hint of vulnerability transformed him from a formidable champion to a guy just as wounded by life as everyone else. She wanted to get up on her toes and kiss him.
God, that mouth. That beautiful, sexy mouth.
She seriously hated what his mother had done to him. “Your mom left you behind?”
“Yeah. My parents didn’t know, but I heard the whole conversation. I waited for them to get home from the ER so I could see how Brodie was, but when I heard them arguing I didn’t come downstairs. It was a pretty brutal fight. She threatened my dad. Said if he didn’t send me to boarding school or do something about me once and for all she was leaving. And my dad said…” The barest hint of a smile softened his features. “My dad said there was nothing wrong with me. I was a kid.” A bittersweet affection sparked in his smile. “And there wasn’t a chance he was giving me to someone else to raise. That, if she had a problem with me, it was up to her to figure out a better way to reach me. He said we don’t discard our children. We work with them until we get them on the right path.”
“What a good man.” She said it in a whisper, and she couldn’t miss the way his skin bubbled with gooseflesh. She wanted to run her fingers over the bumps. “I wish I’d met him.”
“You’d have loved him. You both have big personalities.”
Will didn’t give many compliments, so when he did…it just…it meant a lot. “So, how are you to blame for Brodie not being in the Olympics? He was, what, nine years old when he got injured?”
“Brodie was a phenom. After the injury, my dad hired a full-time coach to teach us how to use our bodies, how to move and react. If we were going to run amuck, he wanted us as safe as possible. So, as soon as Brodie finished his physical therapy, he was back on the slopes, and he was amazing. Best out of all of us.” He gave a wry grin. “And then, two months away from the Olympics, he hurt his knee again. Wasn’t even skiing. The doctor told him if anything else happened, he could do permanent damage. So he quit, and my mom never forgave me.”
Now that she understood him a little better, the lines around his eyes that crinkled with concern took on a whole new meaning. She’d mistook cockiness for worry that he was being judged. His mom had done a number on him. “That’s really terrible. I hope your dad and uncle made you understand that it’s your mom who’s messed up. Not you.”
His brows lifted in surprise. “I was a handful.”
“Good. That’s how kids are supposed to be. And if she watched you the same way she watched Ruby today, then I’m not surprised you guys didn’t have more bad accidents.”
One half of his mouth lifted. “I like that about you.”
“What?”
“You’ve got my back.” His smile widened, a tenderness softening his eyes. “You’re good people, Delilah Lua.”
Something flowed between them, something hot and magical, and her pulse raced.
But, like flipping a switch, he looked back out the window. “I don’t know what I’m doing with her.”
“Ruby?” she asked.
He nodded.
“You’re doing a great job.”
“I’m so far out of my element here. It’s tough enough raising a kid, but one who just lost her mom? Jesus. I…I don’t want to mess this up.”
“It’s not always going to be like this.”
He turned to her, eyes begging for answers.
“In time, when she feels safe, she won’t want to spend every minute with you. She’ll get bored and want to play. She’ll make friends. But, until then, maybe you could just let her have you.”
“But that’s the whole thing. She can’t have me.”
“What’re you talking about? You’re her brother. She has you forever.” He’s overthinking this.
“But I’m only in charge of her for three months. Then, my brother takes over. Three months after that, she’ll have someone else. She can’t attach to me.”
“Who should she attach to?” She hoped that didn’t sound sarcastic. She meant it seriously.
“All of us.”
“But you’re here now.” How did she get through to him? “Will, your sister needs you right now, today. You might not know what you’re doing, but I promise you’ll never go wrong by giving her the love and security she’s so desperate for.”
“Look, I’m not winging it here. I’m reading books. I’m learning how to handle the situation.”
“She’s not a situation. She’s your sister. And if she can’t get attached to you, then I don’t know what kind of woman she’s going to become. She can’t just be chauffeured from one activity to another. Taken shopping, given meals. She’s not a plant that you water daily. Do you know how lonely she’s going to be? I know it’s none of my business. I haven’t even been here a week, but I know she’s already attached to you. And it hurts to watch you push her away.”