The Billionaire's Deception (The Blank Check Series Book 5)

by Jeannette Winters

  “Mabel said I’m on a two cup limit.” He handed Ethan his cup and in a low voice added, “So don’t get caught bringing it to me.”

  Ethan nodded and headed to the kitchen. When he entered he found he and Roy weren’t the only early risers. “Good morning. I wasn’t expecting to see you up so early.”

  Kollette turned to him and said, “This is actually late for me. I was just about to make some breakfast. Would you like me to make you some eggs?”

  Something didn’t fit. When he looked at her, he’d have thought she didn’t even know how to turn on a stove, never mind cook. Why was his gut so far off? “I’ll have a few, thanks.”

  Sorry Roy, you’re going to have to wait for that coffee.

  He took a seat and watched Kollette as she attempted to crack eggs. First one totally missed the bowl and he thought for sure he heard her swear under her breath. The second and third made it inside the bowl as well as several pieces of shell. With a fork she picked out some, but he didn’t believe she got them all. Ethan had a feeling he wasn’t so far off with his initial assumption. Cooking wasn’t something she did, at least not often.

  Kollette didn’t let her struggles interfere with her task. She poured the eggs into the cast iron pan and cooked them. Within minutes, they were placed on a plate and she handed it to him.

  “Bon appétit,” she said.

  He wasn’t hungry in the first place, and even less so now. There was no doubt he was about to have a crunchy breakfast. He got up and poured himself another cup of coffee, because he had a feeling he was going to need it to wash these eggs down. As he ate his, he noticed Kollette was washing the pan.

  “Aren’t you going to have any?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I think I’m going to stick to coffee.”

  I should’ve too. Taking another bite, he forced himself to finish the eggs. When he was done he went over to the sink and washed his plate and put it away.

  “That was”

  “Horrible.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” But damn close. “I was just about to go get some wood for the fireplace.”

  “Do you want some help?” Kollette asked eagerly.

  “That’s not why I told you,” he said.

  “But I’m still happy to help. Actually I’d like to if you don’t mind,” she stated.

  “It’s snowing out there. Do you have boots and a warm coat?” he asked.

  “I think I have something that might work. If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll go get them on.”

  “Okay. I’ll meet you on the porch.”

  Kollette smiled and dashed out of the kitchen. He knew it could get boring here, but he wasn’t offering her anything exciting. He figured it’d take her some time to get ready so he grabbed that coffee he’d promised Roy and headed back out into the living room. Mabel was sitting there and instantly shot him a warning look.

  “One of those cups better be for me and not Roy.”

  Ethan smiled. “Actually they are for me and Kollette. We’re going to go get the wood and I figured we might need it.” He hated lying, but Roy look relieved that he had.

  “It’s really coming down. She shouldn’t be out there in that,” Mabel said. Then she turned to her husband and said, “Roy, I can’t believe you’re sending her out there.”

  Roy’s eyes widened and he said, “I didn’t even know she was going.”

  Mabel huffed. “Well you do now.”

  Roy got up and walked over and grabbed his coat of the hook by the door. “Come on Ethan. We got wood to fetch.”

  Ethan was on his heels with the two cups of coffee in hand. Mabel said, “You might as well leave that mug here. Kollette might still want her coffee.”

  He turned around and placed both mugs on the table by the couch. “I’ll have mine when I return.” Then he headed towards the door.

  Kollette called out before the door closed. “I thought I was helping.”

  “Let the men get the wood. You can come and help me in the kitchen. I could use some fresh ideas for lunch,” Mabel said.

  Ethan turned and took a look at what Kollette was surprised by what she wearing. Mabel was right, she didn’t belong out there dressed in that. It wasn’t meant for work. He also bit his tongue. Mabel was an awesome cook, and it was Kollette who could use the help. Kollette must’ve read his mind because she glared at him. “Guess we both have our chores set out of us today,” he said.

  Kollette nodded. “Hope you have a good appetite when you get back.”

  And I hope all you do is peel the vegetables.

  “The wood ain’t gonna get itself,” Roy called from outside.

  Ethan laughed as he closed the door behind him and rushed down the stairs to join Roy. “Sorry about that I was just”

  “Trying to get out of getting the wood if you ask me.”

  “Roy, you know I’d never do that,” Ethan said. “And I can do this myself if you want to go back inside.”

  He turned and said, “Mabel will have my hide if I go back inside now. Hell, I don’t think she bought your cockamamie story about the coffee being Kollette’s either.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Been married to that woman for fifty-two years. I think I know when I’m in trouble.”

  Mabel was the sweetest woman he’d ever met. The worst she might do would be to not make dessert to go along with their lunch. And with Kollette helping, that actually might be a good thing.

  As they walked towards the wood shed Ethan kept his eye open to see what the Potters might need on his next trip. He never came empty handed. One time it was a gas generator, and years ago, it was the solar panels. Unfortunately this was a last minute escape and he hadn’t shopped. The snow was dropping an inch an hour and at this rate, they were going to be snowed in for days. They had a foot already.

  “I suppose I should shovel the path before we start moving the wood,” Ethan said.

  “Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. I’ll go and check on the horses while you take care of that.”

  Roy was still strong and healthy, but Ethan could tell he was slowing down. He was glad to be here to help out a bit, but he knew Roy needed help all the time. After shoveling for an hour, Ethan knew exactly what he was bringing Roy. A tractor with the snow shovel adaptor. Because even at thirty-one, his muscles were feeling it.

  He turned and looked back towards the cabin. The path had already been covered with fresh snow. If there was cell service here, Ethan would have the tractor delivered tomorrow because it looked like they were about to get snowed in.

  I wonder how Kollette is going to feel about that? Hope she didn’t plan on leaving any time soon.

  Kollette had no idea what had changed. She had meant it when she offered to assist Ethan. Maybe he really didn’t want her help. But if that was the case, then he should’ve said something instead of letting her think that…

  “Kollette, is something troubling you?” Mabel asked.

  She turned her attention back to Mabel and said, “Sorry. I was thinking of…”

  “Ethan?” she asked. Kollette nodded. “He’s a nice young man, don’t you think?”

  “I wouldn’t know. We just met,” she replied.

  “He’s been coming to visit with us for years now.”

  Visit. “He must like vacationing here if he keeps coming back.” Although Roy and Mabel were very accommodating, this wasn’t a place she’d come back to on her own accord.

  “Everyone has their reasons for stopping by.”

  “How long have you and your husband run the inn?” Kollette asked.

  Mabel stopped peeling the apples and said, “We don’t run an inn.”

  “Oh. I mean lodge,” she corrected.

  “We don’t run a lodge either.”

  There were so many different terms one could use. Hotel, lodge, inn, B&B and the list could go on. Potters Peak could call itself whatever they wanted. It really didn’t matter. It held some charm, but as fa
r as Kollette could tell, they weren’t utilizing its full potential. And realistically, at this point, she knew they never would. Roy and Mabel seemed happy with how things were.

  What they called it wasn’t needed for her report so she opted to change the subject. “Would you like me to finish peeling the apples so you can make the crust?”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to do it? It’s not as hard as you’d think,” Mabel said.

  “Maybe next time. How long have you and Roy lived here?” she asked.

  “Since the day we got married,” Mabel replied. Kollette chucked softly. “Did I say something funny?”

  “No. I was just thinking what this place looked like when you moved here all those years ago.”

  “There wasn’t anything here. Roy built this place himself.”

  Kollette looked around the kitchen and asked, “You mean the entire place?”

  “Yes. He did have help,” Mabel stated.

  “I bet he had an entire crew, but I’m still impressed.”

  “I wouldn’t call myself a crew.”

  “You? You’re the one who built this with Roy?” Kollette asked even more shocked.

  “His brothers came and helped with getting the roof on, but you’d be amazed what you can do when you’re tired of sleeping in a tent. But Roy knew what he wanted, and wasn’t going to let anything stop him until it was done.”

  She knew if they decided this spot was right for a new hotel, this cabin would be torn down. Before it didn’t bother her. It was just a cabin. Now it was so much more. It was Roy and Mabel’s blood, sweat and…home. “You two did an amazing job.”

  “At first we thought we’d fill this place with a dozen children. But as the years passed, we knew that wasn’t meant to be. But then one day a stranger stopped in, lost. Roy offered him a place to stay that night. That was the beginning.”

  “So that is when you decided to open your home up and invite people to stay here?” she asked.

  Mabel said, “Our home has always been open.”

  Kollette obviously wasn’t going to get any facts from either Roy or Mabel that could be useful to report back. She needed real data, like how long they were in business, the number of guests they get each year, never mind how lucrative of a business it was. She still had no idea how much this stay was going to cost her. Whatever it was, she’d pay it. This was a business trip after all.

  Part of her wanted to just come clean and tell Mabel why she was really there. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. They made her feel so welcome. It didn’t have the lodge or hotel feel. It was more like visiting with family, like staying with grandparents. Proof of that was how they weren’t shy about putting their guests to work. No place else would the guest be cutting and hauling wood, or making their own meals and doing dishes. Yet all this really just added to the experience even more.

  She was going to need to base her reporting off something other than facts. If she stopped trying so hard and just took in all that Potters Peak had to offer, maybe that would be enough for her father to make his decision. It was worth a shot, because she had a feeling, that was all she was going to get.

  “Mabel, I changed my mind,” she said.

  “About what dear?”

  “I think I’d like to learn how to make that pie crust after all.”

  Mabel smiled and said, “I knew you’d come around.”

  Somehow she believed Mabel did. Those two might live all the way out in the woods, but they had a very good sense of how to…manipulate people into doing things. If Kollette wasn’t careful, the only one sharing information was going to be Kollette, and that would put an end to this trip very quickly.

  “Okay, where do I start,” she asked.

  They spent the next few hours not just making pie, but also homemade biscuits and chili beans spiced just right. She couldn’t remember ever spending so much time in a kitchen before. But on a cold snowy day, it was perfect. Now all she could hope for was that her assistance hadn’t ruined the taste.

  “We haven’t seen or heard from Roy or Ethan. They can’t still be outside cutting wood are they?” she asked.

  Mabel shook her head. “They know better than to come and disturb me when I’m cooking.”

  “You mean they don’t offer to help?” Kollette asked, kind of surprised.

  Mabel huffed. “If you mean helping themselves to samples, they are both good at that. See that wooden spoon over yonder?” She pointed to one hanging on the wall. Kollette nodded. “I’ve had to chase them out a time or two with it. They come in and before I know it, I forgot what I was doing and dinner didn’t taste right. Of course, I made sure they ate every last bite. We don’t waste over here.”

  “Ethan told me. He also said you’re an amazing cook. I have to agree. Your chicken stew last night was something you wish you could order at one of our…local restaurants.” She almost had said hotels. Kollette was going to need to be more careful not to slip. Mabel might look like she wasn’t paying attention, but she didn’t miss a trick.

  “Where are you from?”

  “Miami.”

  Mabel rolled her eyes. “Too much noise that you can’t even hear yourself even think down there.”

  “You’ve been?”

  “Roy and I have done some travelling. We are always happy to come back to the mountain. We’ve never found another place that we could call home.”

  So you’d never sell it. Kollette didn’t need Mabel to say the words. Her love for this place was as evident as her love for Roy. They were all tied together. There wasn’t anything to report back to her father except this wasn’t the place to expand. Potters Peak should and needed to stay as it was. Roy and Mabel’s home.

  She had prepared to stay at least a week. It was funny how when things are perfect someplace, you know right away. It just wasn’t the answer she thought she’d be leaving with. Then again, Kollette wouldn’t want it any other way.

  But this meant she really was free to head back to Miami. What point would there be in staying any longer? Although she could use a vacation, she also had plenty to do back at her own hotel. It was a cut throat environment, and even though she felt her job was secure, that didn’t mean her direct reports weren’t gunning for her job. After dinner, she’d let them know she would be leaving in the morning. But tonight, she just wanted to enjoy their company.

  “There is something special here and I’m really glad I came.”

  Mabel patted her on the hand and said, “We are too. Now why don’t we tell those boys they can come and eat before they get as ornery as a hungry grizzly bear after a long winter?”

  Guess she was about to find out if she was help or just a distraction in the kitchen too. Cooking wasn’t something she’d done much of. She hated to admit it, but growing up her father always had a cook in the house. That and a maid, and let’s not forget the nanny to watch over her. Her father was a loving man, but he was all business. That resulted in his marriage to her mother ending in divorce. Thankfully, her father would rather part with money than part with Kollette. From what she heard, her mother took a hefty settlement and was never bothered with either of them again. Kollette’s stepmother was different. She wanted to be involved in Kollette’s life. They were close, and she taught Kollette things that she couldn’t learn from her father. Unfortunately, cooking wasn’t one of them. She was even worse at it than Kollette was.

  Kollette couldn’t help but wonder what her life would’ve been like if she had someone like Mabel in it when she was growing up. She had a feeling that she wouldn’t be a hotel manager right now and she really couldn’t picture herself being anything else.

  Guess we’re all born to be what we are.

  As Ethan walked into the kitchen, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was born to be. He seemed so comfortable at the Potters, but somehow she didn’t think this was his every day type of living. Tonight when the Potters went to bed would be the perfect time to get to know him better. The problem with
her asking him questions was the fact he most likely would ask some of his own. She didn’t want him knowing the truth as to why she was here. He seemed very protective of the Potters, and for good reason too. Roy and Mabel were good people. It wouldn’t go over well if he knew she had been here to take it all away from them. He probably wouldn’t forgive her. I’m not sure I could even forgive myself.

  She’d be gone in the morning and no one would ever be the wiser. All she needed to do was to go to bed early tonight as well and she wouldn’t need to worry about a slip up.

  They all sat around the table with the satisfied, yet overfull look. Roy said, “Mabel, you really outdid yourself tonight.”

  “I can’t take all the credit. Kollette was a big help,” Mabel said.

  Kollette looked over at Ethan who appeared to be trying very hard to hold back a comment. She couldn’t blame him, not after her horrendous attempt at breakfast.

  “It’s amazing what you can do with someone showing you each step of the way.”

  “Give me a week Kollette, and I’ll have you running the kitchen here, never mind helping me,” Mabel added.

  “That might be a stretch,” Kollette chuckled. Because I’m not going to be here.

  “You’d never believe it, but Mabel could barely make coffee when we first got married. And now she’s the best cook in the county. Did she show you her blue ribbons that she won at the county fair?” Roy asked.

  “No she didn’t,” she replied.

  “Yup. Four years in a row. Then she stopped,” Roy said.

  Kollette turned to Mabel and asked, “Why did you quit?”

  “I had only done it because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. After a while, I didn’t need to prove to myself or anyone else. I just wanted to cook for Roy because that’s what really made me happy.”

  Awe. Can you two get any cuter? Kollette wished she could find someone who would look at her like Roy did Mabel. Someone that she could love like Mabel did Roy. It was something you’d see in a movie, but never think that it could really happen. Guess it does. At least for some people.