Annabelle pulled in a deep breath and attempted to count backward from ten. She moved off the last step and met her father’s worried gaze.
Neil Carter stood next to the front door, his hair messed from more than just sleeping. She hadn’t expected her father to be waiting on her so early, but that’s the type of man he was. Neil may be a professional gambler, losing pretty much all he’d worked for and all he’d provided, but he loved his family. He’d been the rock when her mother passed while Annabelle and her sister had been in grade school—well, until it all became too much and he turned to gambling. But he hurt, too, and Annabelle knew he was devastated after Trish’s death only weeks ago. They both were. But for now, she could only deal with one crisis at a time.
The mourning would have to come later, at least for her...because she had to get over the betrayal first and she truly didn’t even know if that was possible.
“I do have to do this, dad.” Now was not the time to get into her arrangement with Colt, not when her ride was due any minute. “You left me no choice since we have no other way to pay.”
Her father had lost his job at the factory one county over when he couldn’t make it to work on time. He’d been embarrassed to tell her, but now that she was back, there was no way to hide anything. She needed to be aware of every ugly truth so she could make things right.
Her father raked a hand down his face and stared up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, baby girl.”
Wasn’t he always sorry after the fact? This time, though, she had to put her life on hold and dig them both out of this hell. She didn’t know what he would’ve done had she not come home.
“I can’t do this right now, Dad. Between you and Colt, I’m pretty stuck. But we’ll get through this.”
“I’ll talk to him,” her father vowed, his gaze seeking her once more. “I can make this work, Belle. I can stop gambling. I’ll get another job and help out. I know you and—”
“No.” She held up a hand, not ready for him to take this conversation in another direction or make promises he couldn’t keep. “We’re going to be fine. I’ll still do everything I’d planned to, it’s just going to be on a different timeline.”
As in, years away. The family life, the bed-and-breakfast...those plans would have to wait.
The doorbell rang and Annabelle jerked her attention to the old oak door. Her father turned, but Annabelle stepped forward to cut him off.
“I’ll get it.” Closing the space between them, she put her hand on her dad’s shoulder. “Maybe you shouldn’t be in here right now.”
“But—”
“No. You and I will talk, but not now and you’re not talking to Colt. You’ve done enough.”
Her father cringed, but she refused to feel guilty. This was a mess—a mess he’d gotten them into. Perhaps he needed a dose of reality.
Finally, her father nodded and headed toward the steps. Annabelle waited until he was gone before she pulled in a breath and opened the front door.
Colt stood on her porch with his black hat in hand, as if he were there to ask her on a date. Damn that man. As if his Southern charm and manners would make her not loathe him on sight.
But he was a sight to behold. A black T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and those well-worn jeans fit in all the right places. She’d never seen a finer cowboy. If she were to pass Colt on the street, she’d never guess him to be a billionaire rancher who swooped in and stole properties while trying to charm the panties off unsuspecting women. There was no way he didn’t have his own agenda with her family’s land, and regarding this little matter of him giving her a ride. If that wasn’t the worst use of a euphemism, she didn’t know what was.
Colt raked his eyes over her and she forced herself not to fidget. Someone like Colt probably had eye candy for every night of the week, one on each arm. No doubt leggy blondes with big hair and big boobs, hanging on his every word. They probably wore booty shorts and cowgirl boots, too.
“I see you dressed for the day.”
She’d found her oldest jeans and a simple tank. Any girl from Texas had a great pair of worn boots, so she’d thrown those on and pulled her hair into a ponytail. No makeup, no fuss. She was there to save her home, not get marks for her grooming.
Behind her, Annabelle heard the familiar sounds she’d grown to love over the past few months. Before she could turn or say a word, Colt’s gaze widened and she knew exactly what he saw.
Not that she wanted him to have any part of her personal life, but she was pleased to render him speechless for a bit. Maybe Colt Elliott could be shaken and knocked down a peg.
“And who are these pretty girls?” he asked, still keeping his eyes over her shoulder.
Annabelle smiled. “Emily and Lucy. My twins.”
* * *
Colt was rarely at a loss for words, but seeing Neil hold two mini versions of Annabelle was quite shocking. She hadn’t mentioned having a baby—or babies. Now he understood why she needed a flexible work schedule...and he felt like a complete jerk.
Twins were definitely a handful. He should know, considering his mother always said that about him and his brother Beau. Colt wondered how Annabelle thought she could work and manage two infants back at home, but—
No. He wasn’t going to get involved. Business and seduction were the only items on his agenda.
But could he still seduce her? Was she taken? There hadn’t been a ring on her finger and she’d never said anything about having a husband...not that he’d asked her any such thing.
Annabelle turned, crossed the foyer and kissed each girl on the cheek. Instantly, one of the girls reached for Annabelle, but she shook her head.
“I’ll be home soon. I love you both.”
As she came back to him, one baby started to fuss, which somehow triggered the other one to start whimpering. Annabelle kept walking until she was out the door. With his hands full of unhappy infants, Neil held on to Colt’s gaze, but Colt didn’t feel a bit guilty. That man had done some major damage to his family...damage Colt hoped Annabelle never found out about. He’d lost their home and that was bad enough. But there was more and it was certainly not Colt’s place to share.
He closed the door behind him, settled his hat back on his head and turned to Annabelle. She swiped at her cheeks, as if he didn’t notice the tear tracks.
Guilt punched him in the chest.
“Where’s the truck?” she asked, obviously not wanting to address her emotions.
Fine. He wasn’t one to get in touch with his emotions, either. Just another area he realized they may be more alike than he’d care to admit. They both clearly had a love for their family and were determined to get what they wanted.
But only one of them would be the winner in the end...and he never lost.
Colt stepped off the porch, making mental notes to expand its width and put in a stone walkway when the place was officially his. He needed to stay focused on the goal. While this house had good bones and was fine for everyday living, Colt wanted it to be up to the standards of his ranch. If they were going to merge the properties and open it to the public, all homes had to be similar in upgrades.
Colt nodded toward the side of the house. “I didn’t bring my car.”
Walking ahead of him, Annabelle rounded the house and stopped. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
Colt shook his head. “She needed a walk, so we’re taking him.”
Annabelle stood next to Lightning and glared his way. “I’m not riding with you.”
Glancing around, he held his arms out, palms up. “I don’t see another horse. Do you have one?”
Her lips thinned. He knew damn well she had no animals. Her father had sold them all.
“I seriously hate you,” she murmured.
Yeah, he got that. But Colt also saw how she looked at him. She may hate his actions, but she appreciated him as a man and he was more than fine with that. Keeping things physical would assure that everything stayed simple.
When
he stepped forward to help her up, she shot him a stare that could’ve frozen hell over. He held up his hands to signal that he was backing off.
Hands on her hips, Annabelle stared at the horse as if weighing her options. She had none really.
“I’ll just drive,” she told him.
“That wasn’t part of our deal. Get on the horse.”
Her hand went to the reins. “Do you ever ask people nicely?”
“I can be very nice, Annabelle.” He stepped closer. His hand covered hers as her eyes widened. “Get on the horse or I’ll be forced to assist you like the gentleman my father raised.”
She pulled her hand from beneath his and let out a mock laugh, hoisting herself up onto the horse. “I haven’t met your brothers, but you are certainly no gentleman.”
Colt slid his foot through the stirrup and settled in right behind Annabelle. Her backside was nestled between his thighs and he was starting to question his own motives. He’d wanted this alone time. He’d purposely made this stipulation so he could use these moments to seduce her. The concept of riding the horse developed after the deal had been made.
Colt had no idea he’d lose grip on his power. He never thought she’d be the one seducing him...and she didn’t even have a clue.
The last woman he’d let have control over his emotions had left him mentally scarred and jaded. Colt pushed aside thoughts of his ex and reached around Annabelle to grab the reins. Her entire body tensed.
“Relax.” He snapped the straps lightly, sending Lightning into motion. “We’re just going next door.”
Which would take several minutes because of the expansive fields between their properties, and he had every intention of taking the scenic route.
“Why are you heading toward the back of the property?” she asked.
Strands from her ponytail blew in the breeze, tickling the side of his neck. Images of that hair spread all over him assaulted his mind. The floral scent from her shampoo or soap assaulted his senses. She shouldn’t smell like heaven, shouldn’t have the ability to affect him without saying a word.
“You’ve only seen this land from your side,” he explained. “I’m going to familiarize you with Pebblebrook.”
“I thought I was just going to be in the barns cleaning horse sh—”
“Oh, you will,” he laughed. She truly despised him, yet there was a fine line between lust and hate. He’d wear her down. “There will be times you’ll accompany me in the fields and you need to know the area. With five thousand acres, it’s easy to get turned around. But you’ll be working directly with me every day.”
Her shoulders slumped. The movement was slight, but being this close, he was attuned to every aspect of her.
“And what happens at the end?” Her voice was so low, almost defeated. “You’re just going to give the property back and play hero for saving the day?”
“I’m not a hero.” Her body rocked back and forth against his as he murmured into her ear. There was no way he was going to answer that question outright. “I do have motives, but we don’t have to talk about that right now.”
Annabelle jerked around. “I knew you weren’t doing any of this out of the kindness of your black heart.”
Facing the open fields once again, she asked, “So why this game with my father?”
“I’m not a complete bastard, Annabelle.” Though some would say otherwise. “I’m giving your father a chance to redeem himself. I don’t think he can, but everyone deserves a second chance.”
“You weren’t expecting me to come home.”
“A minor glitch, but a pleasant surprise,” he replied as he neared the fence line separating the two properties.
“This isn’t a game, Colt.” She glanced back over her shoulder, her deep green eyes piercing his. “You’re playing with our lives, my dreams.”
His father had dreams as well, and Colt was going to see them through no matter what sultry beauty stood in his way. Business first, seduction second—and nothing else mattered.
“I’m fully aware of the stakes,” he informed her. “I have a vision, too.”
“To toy with people’s lives and count your money?”
He couldn’t blame her for being angry. He’d feel the same if he were in her position. But he’d never let himself get into this predicament. His land was his life. From the time he was a toddler with his first set of boots and shiny belt buckle, he knew ranching was the only future he wanted. His brothers all set out in different paths, but Colt wanted to stay right here. And yes, money was a nice byproduct of the lifestyle he loved so much.
All the Elliott boys had grown up with a rather lavish lifestyle. They were all doing what they loved, but they’d also been handed a handsome inheritance when their grandfather passed away. Still, regardless of their last name, they worked hard and played hard.
“You aren’t the only one with goals,” he stated as he steered Lighting toward his brother’s house, settled in the back of the property. “That log home back there is Nolan’s.”
She may not care about his family, but she was going to be working for him and he took his ranch very seriously. At the end of the day, regardless of the fact he wanted her physically, she would have to do the job he hired her for.
When she remained silent, he kept going. “He’s the oldest. He’ll help occasionally, but he’s a surgeon so his time is limited.”
“He sounds nice.”
Colt agreed, even though her comment was a jab at him. “I have another brother, Hayes. He’s in the army.”
“Wow. Two brothers who give back and help others, then you who steal. We haven’t even discussed your movie star brother.”
Colt swallowed. “My twin, Beau. He rarely comes home. Ranch life was never for him.”
Beau and Colt never saw eye to eye on most things, but they had a special bond. Colt loved Beau, even though he wished he would’ve stuck around. Apparently fame was more important than family.
“Sounds like they made wiser life decisions.”
Colt had developed thick skin over the years. He couldn’t be in the ranching industry and not toughen up. But he wasn’t about to sit there and have her question his integrity or his purpose.
“My grandfather built the first house on Pebblebrook, the one Hayes lives in when he’s home. Then he passed this land down to my father who ended up building the house I live in. We all work hard, Annabelle. We do what we love, we make good money, and that’s nothing to be sorry for.”
Once again, those green eyes turned to him. “No, you have plenty of other things to be sorry for.”
Perhaps he did. Maybe he was no better than her father who’d put her in this position. Colt didn’t want to expose his reasons for paying the loan. The fact she knew he had a motive was enough for now. A wise businessman never showed his entire hand from the get-go.
Annabelle hated him, that was definitely no secret. But he wasn’t backing down. Not on the land and certainly not on the woman.
Four
Annabelle absolutely loathed being on this horse with Colt. Well, her body enjoyed the ride, but that physical reaction didn’t mean a thing. So what if his body fit perfectly against hers? So what if his voice tickled her ear and sent shivers through her? She could handle that. She had bigger issues to deal with than her body’s unwanted reaction.
Colt seemed like such a normal guy in some ways. When he discussed his family there was such love, such adoration. The love and adoration she had for her own family had been shattered, broken, and she was left to pick up the shards and attempt to piece them back together.
The twins were the one bright spot in all of this chaos. They were precious, innocent, and Annabelle intended to keep them protected from the worries she faced. They would have a stable family life, maybe not the traditional family she longed for, but what was traditional these days?
Circling back to her more lustful thoughts, Annabelle couldn’t ignore the tingle each time his body rocked against hers. That br
oad, strong chest would brush her back, his muscular forearms aligning with hers. His tanned skin to her pale. They were completely opposite in every way imaginable.
Colt Elliott was a gorgeous man, there was no denying that fact. He was also arrogant, frustrating, and the bane of her existence.
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister.” Colt’s words broke through her thoughts, and he actually sounded sincere. “I know you don’t want to hear it from me, but losing a family member is hard.”
Harder when there was betrayal involved.
She didn’t want his pity or his kind words. She couldn’t afford to accept that there may be a nice bone in his body. “I’m more concerned with my father and how he will handle the loss.”
“That’s why you came back?”
Annabelle swallowed. “One of the reasons. My fiancé and I had plans, but...”
She was so not getting into this with him. She didn’t want to talk about how her entire life had blown up in her face over the past few months. The only bright spots were Emily and Lucy, and everything Annabelle did from here on out was for those sweet angels.
“I didn’t realize you were engaged.”
Pain pierced her heart, but not necessarily because she thought he’d been the one. Looking back now she realized she wasn’t in love with him so much as the idea of being in love. She wanted to be a wife and mother, come back to Stone River and open her bed-and-breakfast.
She’d always wondered about fulfilling her mother’s dream, but over the past year, she’d decided to just go for it. Yet now she was stuck in an arrangement with Colt, who, despite massive personality flaws, had more sex appeal than should be legal. Annabelle had to get her life back on track. She couldn’t handle this lack of control and uncertainty.
“My fiancé is no longer in the picture.”
Even with the bright morning sun beating down on them, she shivered. The pain, the loss, the trust she’d once had in people she loved was all too much. This topic wasn’t bearable.
“How many acres did you say you have?”
“Just over five thousand. There are three homes, mine, Nolan’s, and Hayes’s, for when he’s stateside. We have seven ponds and eight barns.”
Twin Secrets (Mills & Boon Desire) (The Rancher’s Heirs 01) Page 3