by Noelle Adams
“And their strongest tie is Bryce Fontaine, I suppose,” she said rather grudgingly. Bryce was the children’s godfather, and from what Kaya had learned from friends of the family who were gathered at the house when she arrived yesterday, he was a very present figure in the children’s lives.
“Bryce is a big part of their lives,” Steven voiced her thoughts out loud. “Despite the fact that you are their aunt and only living relative, they will need him to get them through this tragedy. He has been like a second father to them ever since they were born, and now that Michael is gone, they will need him more than ever.”
Kaya tried to ignore the insinuations in Steven’s words. She needed no reminders that the children didn’t know her, that they’d never met her until yesterday. If only she’d been more congenial toward her sister, met her halfway. A few weeks ago, Lauren had invited her up to celebrate Michael’s fiftieth birthday. She’d agreed to come, and they’d promised to take care of her travel arrangements. But unable to get past her juvenile sibling resentment, she’d reneged at the last minute. If she’d come up like she’d promised, she would have seen her sister and met Michael and the kids, but she hadn’t.
“When is Bryce coming back?” she asked Steven. She was still to meet this Bryce who’d been on a skiing trip in Switzerland the day Michael and Lauren died.
“His jet could be landing anytime soon. You know what that means for Jason.” His brows drew together and his blue eyes clouded with unease. “I can’t force you to stay in Granite Falls, Kaya. I can only strongly advise that you consider sticking with your initial plans to remain here, at least for now.”
Kaya walked over to the window and stared out across the parking lot. She felt as listless as the windblown snowflakes tumbling aimlessly to the ground. Steven was right about keeping the children in a familiar environment, around familiar faces. But what was she to do? They were destitute. Returning to Florida was her only option. Even there, with three children to support, she could still end up broke like Michael and Lauren.
Kaya never anticipated that her life could spiral out of control so quickly and unexpectedly. There was only one other time in her life when she’d been this scared—the day she saw her father for the last time.
She raised a hand to her chest and closed her fingers around the locket that her father had given her when she was five years old—the one with the code to a safety deposit box. Her father had instructed her not to go to the bank until she was eighteen, and now even after five years, Kaya was still awed at the contents of that safe.
She’d had the jewel appraised, and almost fainted when she learned how much it was worth. Her father had left a letter explaining how he’d come into possession of the gem. He’d written that he wanted her to know that it wasn’t stolen. Unsure of what to do with it, Kaya had just left it alone. Had her father given Lauren a similar gem? Had Lauren sold her inheritance to purchase L’etoile du Nord, her multimillion-dollar estate? Had she squandered the rest on an extravagant lifestyle that she couldn’t maintain?
Kaya sighed as the questions surged through her mind. Steven was right again. There was so much about her sister’s life she didn’t know. What she did know was that the contents in that safe was all she had of her father’s memory, the only tangible bond she had to her ancestry. She couldn’t bear the thought of parting with it, even though it would solve her newly acquired financial problems and set her and the children up for life. But that was asking too much. It wasn’t fair that she should have to spend her inheritance on Lauren’s children. She had preserved her heirloom while Lauren had wasted hers on a big…
Kaya turned from the window as the only other solution took root in her mind. “The estate,” she said walking back over to Steven. “It’s worth millions, hopefully more than Michael and Lauren owed their creditors. If I sell the estate, I can—”
“Um, Kaya, you can’t sell that estate.”
“Why not? Don’t tell me there’s a lien against it.” That faint thread of hysteria was back in her voice. If their father had given Lauren the same kind of gem he had given her, Lauren could have paid cash for the estate. Did she mortgage it off to sustain her luxurious lifestyle?
“No. There’s no lien against it,” Steven said.
Kaya breathed a sigh of relief. “Well then, why can’t I sell it?”
“Because it didn’t belong to Michael and Lauren. It doesn’t belong to the children.”
Kaya’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean it didn’t— doesn’t belong to them? If it isn’t their estate, then whose is it?”
“Mine. L’etoile du Nord belongs to me,” came a rumbling voice behind her.
Kaya spun around, her heart flying to her throat when her eyes collided with the powerful bronze body of the man standing on a pair of legs that would make a Viking proud.
Bryce Fontaine, New England’s business mogul—CEO and president of Fontaine Enterprises—in the flesh.
He was far more handsome than his pictures portrayed, she thought, staring in admiration as he bent his snow-dusted head to get his large frame through the door.
The ample shoulders, stretching beneath a dark-green sweater, the sharp chin, and generous mouth all spoke of power and resolute strength. The man possessed a captivating presence and an air of authority that made you stop and take note when he entered a room. She was taking note—a lot of notes.
If Kaya had to sum Bryce Fontaine up in one word, it would be “intimidating”.
A tingling sensation generated in Kaya’s belly and traveled south to her thighs, and then to her knees, making them go weak. She slumped against the edge of the desk and tried to bring her escalated breathing under control.
Steven walked over and met him near the door. Even Steven—who was about six feet, two inches tall—had to roll his head back to face the giant as they talked in low voices.
Steven had called Bryce the night of the tragedy, but a blizzard in the Alps had delayed his return. He must have flown all night, Kaya thought, taking in his stubbled chin and disheveled appearance that made him seem even more imposing.
When Kaya had enquired about the hunk in her sister’s family pictures, Libby—Steven’s fiancée, and a close friend of the family—had given her a short version of his accomplishments.
Bryce Fontaine had started out in real estate—buying up a substantial amount of land in Granite Falls and the neighboring towns, then quickly expanded to the rest of the business world. He devoured companies from glass blowing to computer software programing, and as he’d just claimed, he also owned the estate on which her sister lived.
Seemed like the man owned the entire town, she thought, recalling driving by the Youth Performing Arts Center, Granite Falls Towers, and Country Club, to name a few buildings and skyscrapers that bore his name. His signature was everywhere in Granite Falls. He’d even built an airport with a runway long enough to accommodate his private jets and those of his friends, Libby had told her.
As if sensing her scrutiny, he turned his head and pinned her with a calculating stare. Breathless seconds ticked by before he stepped around Steven and headed in her direction. A compelling energy seemed to coil within him at each step he took.
Forcing her legs to support her, Kaya pushed off the desk as he came to a stop and towered over her. His gaze was bold and penetrating. His eyes, enigmatic and unfathomable were like midnight’s deepest black. As she gazed up at him, Kaya had the dizzying sensation of falling into blackness. She’d never felt so susceptible to a man in all her life. He could reach out and take a hold of her, do anything he wanted to her this very moment, and there was not a damn thing she’d be able to do about it. Vitality zinged through her bloodstream even as her body began to shiver from an unfamiliar awareness. How could she feel this vivacious and weak at the same time? Kaya wondered, as she once again leaned on the desk for support.
If he could cause her to lose control of her motor skills by just looking at her, then God help her.
; “Bryce,” Steven said, coming to stand next to the titan, “this is Lauren’s sister, Kaya Brehna. Kaya, Bryce Fontaine.”
Bryce shook the hand the petite woman with a thick curtain of dark-brown curls tumbling off her small shoulders offered him. Such soft honey-hue skin, he thought as he gazed into her beautiful brown eyes—eyes like little Alyssa’s. Where Alyssa’s were innocent and mischievous, Kaya’s were mesmerizing, large and exotic, with tones of soft amber that seemed to speak to him from within. He could easily lose his way in those spellbinding eyes, he thought.
“It’s a pleasure, Miss Brehna,” he said, releasing her and ordering his brain to buffer the bolt of electricity charging through him. It had been ages since the touch of a woman caused his heart to pound out an erratic rhythm. He didn’t know what to make of it.
“It’s nice meeting you, too, Mr. Fontaine,” she said in a soft unsteady voice.
Bryce smiled as her dark, long lashes came down to shield her eyes from his.
Steven cleared his throat, reminding Bryce that there was someone else in the room.
“I’ll leave you two alone to get acquainted while I make a phone call,” Steven said, walking into an adjoining room and closing the door.
“Take your time,” Bryce said, his gaze following Kaya’s movements as she laced and unlaced her fingers in front of her. He wondered if she was this nervous in the company of all men, or was it just him. He let his ego believe it was just him. He was so used to assertive women who let him know up front exactly what they wanted from him. It was a welcome change to encounter one who was still shy, demure, who made a man feel like a man. Protective. Male—pumped full of adrenaline in anticipation of the chase, he thought as his eyes took in the radiance of her heart-shaped face and her full, pouty, sexy lips. How he would so love to test their subtlety, feel them quiver, then open to accept him.
If he’d passed Kaya on the street, in a restaurant, or pulled up beside her at a traffic light, Bryce knew he would have given her a second look, maybe a third. He most certainly would have asked for her number.
And to think he could have had it months ago when Lauren had been telling him that she wanted him to meet her sister. He’d shut Lauren down because he hadn’t wanted to jeopardize their friendship. What if he’d met Kaya and didn’t like her? Well, that wasn’t an issue anymore. He’d met her and he liked her, too much, he realized at the stirring in his loins. But the outcome would have been the same, because when he’d had his fill of little Kaya, he would have walked away like he always did. His friendship with Lauren had meant too much to him. It still did, even though she was gone. So there was no messing with her little sister. Stand down, boy.
“So, here we are,” she said, raising her head to offer him a heart-stopping smile.
“Yes, here we are.” Dear God, he was dumbstruck. Only once in his life had Bryce ever felt this powerless to a woman.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, crossing her arms about her.
Bryce shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said to cover his enthrallment. “It’s just that you look nothing like Lauren. You’re so petite, and Lauren was—well, Lauren.” He formed a generous figure in the air with his hands. “I expected some small hint of resemblance, at least.”
“Maybe it’s because we were half-sisters,” she said, a smile lighting the soft features of her face.
“Half-sisters?” He tilted his head to one side. “Lauren told me she had a younger sister, but she never elaborated. I just assumed you had the same parents.” He frowned as he studied her. “I didn’t think you’d be this young, either.” He hadn’t thought anything of her at all, since he never expected to ever meet her. She couldn’t be much older than twenty-two or three. Lauren had to be at least ten years her senior.
His eyes appraised her petite form, dressed in a cream sweater and a knee-length skirt. Even in her black high-heel boots, the top of her head hardly made it to his chest. She looked very soft, very warm, very female—his ideal type. Lauren knew him well. A fond smile touched his lips at the memories of his friend, his sister, whom he missed so much already
“Let’s just say Eli Brehna would never have been nominated Father of the Year,” Kaya said as her fingers closed around a fist-shaped locket resting against her chest. “Neither Lauren nor I ever spoke about it.”
He wanted to ask her about the “it” she and Lauren never spoke about, but knew it was not the right time. He and Lauren had been very close, yet she’d never mentioned “it”.
Whatever secret they’d shared, Lauren had taken it to the grave with her. He wondered how much she’d told Kaya about him, about…
“I was also surprised when I saw your pictures, Mr. Fontaine.”
“Please, call me Bryce. There’s no need for formality between us.”
“Okay, then I’m Kaya.” Her lips spread on a warm smile. “As I was saying, Michael was a lot older than Lauren, so when she wrote that you were best friends, I assumed you were his age. Besides, there aren’t many thirty-something-year-old men out there who’ve built billion-dollar empires from the ground up.”
“When I want something, I just go out and get it.”
“I’m just the same way. I believe in fighting for what I want. I let nothing stand between me and my heart’s desires.”
Bryce smiled. “We have something in common already, I see.”
“It would seem as if we do, Bryce.” Her brown eyes sparkled, and her lips quivered on an inviting smile, one that lit up her eyes this time and caused the amber hues around her irises to shimmer.
Bryce’s heart responded with a leap, ever so slight. He liked the soft sound of his name falling from her exquisite lips. Tightening his jaw, he blanketed the warm feelings it generated in him. No need to travel down troublesome paths. Paths that would lead to nowhere, and that would only leave him in a lingering state of frustration. Kaya was in Granite Falls for one reason only—her sister’s funeral. When it was over, she’d be going back to Florida, and he may never see her again. He hoped.
He turned and held the back of a chair. “Have a seat, Kaya. We may as well be comfortable while we discuss the children’s welfare.”
She nodded and sat down.
Bryce sat down in the chair facing her, his heart heavy at the thought of discussing the gruesome reason he’d left Switzerland, just hours after his jet landed. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to attack the slopes, burn off the frustrations that had driven him there in the first place. “Who’s taking care of them?” he asked Kaya, deciding it was best to just tackle the issue they’d been avoiding since he walked into the office.
“Libby,” she answered.
“Great.” He would have gone directly to the house, but when he’d called Steven and learned that Lauren’s sister would be in his office, he’d opted to meet her here. They had a lot to discuss and he’d rather not do it with the kids around. “How are they coping?”
“Alyssa’s fine, as resilient as a rubber ball,” she answered with a gentle softness in her voice. “But Anastasia has been fussy, and Jason, well—”
She started that nervous twisting of her hands again. She couldn’t be scared of a little boy. “What about Jason?” Bryce asked, fighting the urge to reach out and cover her hands with his.
“He’s in denial. He completely ignores me. Samantha Kelly, the grief counselor from their church, came by last night, but he wouldn’t talk to her. He thinks his parents went to Switzerland with you, and that you’re bringing them home.”
Bryce frowned. “Why does he think that?”
“Well, they died the same day you left for Switzerland, remember?”
“Yes, but—”
“You’ve taken the family to Europe on your jet several times, so in Jason’s mind, his parents merely took another trip with you. Samantha called it a coping mechanism, and she thinks you’re the only one who can get Jason to accept the truth.”
Bryce felt pressure building in his chest. Propping h
is elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands, groaning inwardly. If Michael and Lauren’s deaths seemed so inconceivable to him, he could only imagine what it was like for Jason losing both his parents so suddenly and tragically.
Many times he’d put smiles on the children’s faces when he’d replaced a broken toy. How could he attempt to fix their little broken hearts when he could never bring their parents home?
Fate had dealt them a crushing blow, and he would have to see them through this most frightening period of their lives. He would be there for them—night and day until… Bryce slowly raised his head and stared at Kaya. “When I walked in, you were discussing the option of selling my estate. Why?”
She blushed and glanced away briefly. “I didn’t know L’etoile du Nord belonged to you. I’m just trying to close out Michael and Lauren’s affairs as soon as possible so that the children and I can get on with our lives. As you know, Michael had no relatives and I’m the only family Lauren had.”
“And I imagine coming here for the funeral and finally meeting the children will give you some closure and a measure of peace when you return to Florida.” He paused as the door to the adjacent office opened and Steven rejoined them. “I can assure you, the children will be well cared for. I love them dearly, and I’ll raise them as if they were my own.”
“Um, Bryce,” Steven interjected. “That wouldn’t be necessary.”
“On the contrary, Steven, it’s absolutely crucial. There’s no one else to take care of them.”
Steven shot Kaya a furtive glance. “There is someone else, Bryce.”
“Who?”
“Kaya. Michael and Lauren named her legal guardian. She has full custody of the children, and she’s planning to take them to Florida after the funeral.”
Kaya watched a kaleidoscope of emotions flitter across Bryce’s face. Shock. Confusion. Hurt. Betrayal.
He staggered out of his chair and slammed a fist on the desk. “They did what?”