“That’s them.” He hefted the boxes and moved into the house. “Come on. I’ll show you where you’re going to work.”
Frankie’s mouth fell open as she stared at his butt…um…his back…as he disappeared into the house.
But he didn’t even notice her stunned reaction. He was already gone!
“Where are you going?” she called into the house as she stood uncertainly at the base of the stairs.
No response. Her curiosity burned white-hot. She was fascinated on a dark and dangerous level. A level that she knew deep in her heart she should deny. And yet, she stepped up onto the first step. Then the second. By the time she reached the front door, the man was out of sight.
“Where did you go?” she called out, expecting her words to echo because of the size of this massive house. Good grief, her whole apartment would fit in this foyer! What did one person need all this space for? Did he entertain a lot?
No, that wasn’t it. The man rarely entertained, which was one of the reasons why there were no photographs of the man.
Frankie really hated being surprised. It was probably one of the reasons why she was such a good private investigator. She investigated diligently online before she ventured out into the world. Granted, it was often necessary to talk to people in order to find leads. But she’d found that doing in depth research was a much better way to tackle her cases. If the general population had any idea how much information was available online about their personal lives, they would be horrified.
“Where did you go?” she yelled again, looking around but refusing to be impressed by the stonework in the house. Even though it was lovely. But she was not impressed. The house wasn’t beautiful, it was…ostentatious, she affirmed even as her hand slid along a gorgeous wood table that looked handmade. There was an intricate wood design inlaid along the top and…well, it was impressive.
“I’m in here,” Kade’s deep voice came from the right.
She let her hand linger a moment longer on the table even as her head turned to look in the direction of his voice.
Stepping into the office or library or…whatever rich people called a room like this…she took in the tall bookshelves lined with books both old and new.
“You can work in here. Do you need a computer?” he asked.
She could easily see herself curled up in one of those big, leather chairs, reading a book or snuggling with…she stopped that thought when her gaze moved towards the big guy standing in the middle of the room. She wasn’t the snuggling kind! So, why did the idea of snuggling with Kade seem so tempting?
Shaking her head, Frankie moved deeper into the room. This place would be much easier to work in than her tiny, cramped hotel room. Sighing with resignation, she accepted that she’d work here instead of leaving immediately. “No. I have a computer. I just need the Wi-Fi password.”
He sort of smiled, but his eyes told a different story. He was trying to figure her out. She mentally chuckled, thinking, Good luck! I can’t even figure me out!
“This will work.” She nodded at the boxes. “What’s inside?”
His large hand rested heavily on the first box. “She left these behind at the hotel. I’ve looked through them. It’s mostly just news articles.”
“About what?”
He grimaced slightly. “Me, mostly. But there are a couple other articles, which makes me wonder what she was doing here and why exactly she wanted to find me. It’s pretty diverse stuff. Taken apart, it looks like she was trying to track me down. But with the other stuff included, she might have had a more sinister goal in mind.”
The idea of a woman attempting anything sinister towards Kade made Frankie feel…well, she could feel her blood pressure start to rise! “Why would she be trying to track you down?”
He snorted. “You have no idea how many women show up at one of my offices demanding to see me, swearing to the security guards that I’ve fathered their children or I’ve committed myself to them. Others actually have marriage licenses as proof that I’m their husband.” He shook his head. “I’m amazed at what these women will come up with in order to try to get at my money.”
“Poor baby,” she replied with sarcastic amusement, unaware of the humor sparkling in her eyes. “Women throwing themselves at you, offering their bodies for sexcapades, and poor little you, out here all by your lonesome, trying to hide.”
He moved closer, once again towering over her just as he’d done yesterday. “You and I both know that if one woman in particular is offering sex, I’d happily take her up on it.”
Frankie swallowed, stunned for a moment as her heart skipped a beat at the thought of having sex with Kade. She dragged her thoughts back to reality. “I wasn’t offering sex that night back in Dallas.”
He chuckled. “Lie to yourself all you want. But we both know that had you looked back, we would have ended up in bed that night.”
She opened her mouth to argue the point, but the words wouldn’t come.
“Exactly,” he said, approval in those silver eyes. “But that will happen later. Right now, you need to find this woman. So, have at it. The Wi-Fi code is on the desk.”
With that, he left the office/library/rich-person’s-spare-room area, leaving Frankie to stare at his butt…uh…back.
Walking over to the boxes, she sifted through the papers within. Kade was right. There were a ton of articles, some cut from newspapers, others printed from internet news sites. And still more from magazines.
Then she came across ledgers filled with scribbled notes. She didn’t understand what the notes meant. There were columns of numbers to one side with what looked to be coded explanations of the entries. Without being consciously aware, Frankie drifted around the desk and sat down, absorbed by the articles. She’d already read many of them during her research over the past few weeks. They were what brought her here to this ranch. Obviously, this woman had done the same thing, followed the same trail of cyber breadcrumbs.
But there were other articles, which she hadn’t read, and Frankie devoured them, unaware of the passing of time.
Several times over the next few hours, Frankie wondered why she was here. Why didn’t she just leave? Head back to Seattle or do this in her hotel room? Every instinct warned her that Kade Wilson violated her “safe to date” rules. She’d established those rules for an excellent reason.
And yet, she continued to sit here in his office-library, sifting through papers and articles, trying to decipher this confusing journal and justifying her presence here by telling herself that she wasn’t hoping to date him. She was simply doing a job. Just a regular job that she would have happily done for any other client. This job was better than some of her others because she wasn’t capturing images of a cheating spouse!
But deep down inside, Frankie knew that something strange happened to her when Kade Wilson was around. She didn’t fully understand it. And yet, she was intrigued. Curious. And her curiosity always won out over self-preservation.
“Is she still up there?” Owen, Kade’s ranch foreman, asked. They were standing beside the corral, watching as Billy, another ranch hand, worked with a new foal. She was a pretty little thing, enjoying her time prancing around the corral, her tail flicking as she experimented. Unfortunately, there was something wrong with the filly’s legs and Billy was helping her with the gait, ensuring that the foal’s legs worked properly before being released out into the pastures.
“Yep,” Kade replied, squinting his eyes. It might look to others as if he were watching the foal, evaluating the little lady’s legs. But in reality, he was wondering what Frankie was doing. According to Bessie, his housekeeper, Frankie hadn’t left the library all day. Bessie had brought Frankie some lunch, but she’d barely nibbled half of the sandwich.
What was it about Frankie Windward that so fascinated him? Kade wasn’t sure, but he knew that she’d definitely gotten under his skin. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind for the past six months. So, when she’d shown up i
n his barn yesterday, it was as if God had been laughing at his plight.
Now, he wasn’t so sure. The way she’d looked at him, the lack of an argument when he’d claimed they would have had sex six months ago if she hadn’t left…there was something going on with her. And he suspected he’d have to figure it out if he wanted any sort of future with the lovely private investigator.
And perhaps that was the biggest question. Did he want more than a simple affair with her? Frankie was so completely different from the type of woman he normally took to bed. He usually preferred the cool and sophisticated types. The ones that maintained their own privacy and were willing to protect his as well. The kind of women who understood that anything that happened between them was short term. Either of them could walk away at any point, no questions asked and no hurt feelings.
He doubted that would be the case with Frankie. On either side of the relationship.
So, what the hell was he doing? He could hire anyone to find the woman who had been in town last month, snooping around. Hell, he’d been about to send the boxes off to his lawyer’s office and demand that his staff take care of it.
Why was it now so important that Frankie uncover the mystery?
“She’s cute,” Owen commented.
Coming from anyone else, Kade might have decked the guy. Even coming from Owen, Kade had to remind himself that his foreman was deeply in love with his wife of twenty-five years with four kids and three small grandkids. Kade also had to remind himself that Owen was his friend and not in competition for Frankie’s affections.
But it still took a moment to remind himself of those little details. And another few seconds to unclench his fingers from the split-pole fencing.
“Yes.” That one word seemed to encompass so much more than acknowledgment of Frankie’s looks.
“A red-head?” Owen asked, smiling and shaking his head.
“Yep.” Again, the word had a whole lot more meaning that just acceptance of her hair color.
There was another long silence as they contemplated. Then Owen sighed and pushed away. “Gonna have a load of calves next month,” he commented mildly. “Better go check the fence line.”
And with that, their conversation ended, although more than mere words had been conveyed. That was what Kade liked about Owen. The man understood more than what was said. He grasped the full spectrum of human interaction. Nothing needed to be spelled out for him.
And yet, it was also something Kade hated. As a man who preferred his privacy, Kade didn’t like Owen’s knowing glances.
So instead of turning to follow Owen, to help him with the fence inspection, he went back towards the house. Frankie probably needed his help more than Owen did. Hell, Owen could run this entire ranch without Kade’s assistance and sometimes, he did just that. Owen’s expertise allowed Kade to come and go when his other businesses around the country required his attention.
Stepping into the room, Kade paused, watching Frankie for a long moment. She had taken her boots off and had turned in the big leather chair so her legs were draped over one side. He was surprised to see that her socks weren’t plain. Nope, they had kittens on them! They were such a surprise that he narrowed his eyes, sure that his eyes were playing tricks on him. But no, even upon closer inspection, they were blue with pink and grey kittens. Interesting!
She looked like a teenager perusing social media, except she was holding several newspaper clippings instead of a cell phone, and there was an aura about her, a sense of confidence and sophistication that no teenager could ever hope to achieve.
Also, she wasn’t as engrossed in the article as he’d assumed since she turned to look at him. That’s when he noticed the glasses. Small reading glasses that she whipped off as soon as she realized he was there.
“What have you discovered?” he asked, moving deeper into the room and lowering himself into one of the leather chairs set up at angles in front of the desk.
Frankie sat upright in her seat, stuffing her feet back into her black boots. “Um….” What had she discovered? Other than that the man sitting in front of her was pretty freaking amazing? Okay, probably not pertinent, she reminded herself.
“Well, I’ve found several articles that talk about what a wealthy man you are.”
He waved that away, as if it weren’t pertinent. “You already knew that. What else?”
She grimaced. “I hadn’t discovered your net worth,” she replied. “My efforts were more focused on finding you personally instead of discovering how much money you’ve made and your various business interests.”
His eyes narrowed. “Is that what she was trying to figure out? Do you think she was husband hunting?”
Frankie’s lips twisted thoughtfully. “No, I don’t think so. At least, that’s not my initial impression. Yes, she wanted to know how much you’re worth, financially. But there are several other articles in here about your hobbies and various businesses as well.”
He nodded slowly. “That could mean she’s a stalker and was trying to find a way to get to me.”
“Are you always this vain?” she teased, smiling to soften her words.
He didn’t laugh. “Not at all. You’d be shocked to find out how many women learned to scuba dive after a reporter detailed my vacation in Aruba one year. Not to mention, how many of those women sent me photos of their scuba diving trips and their…uh,” he shifted uncomfortably in his chair, “…lack of appropriate scuba attire.”
“Ick!” Frankie muttered, irritated by the green monster that reared up again. “They sent you nude photos?”
Kade chuckled, leaning back in the chair and propping one foot on top of the other knee. “Yeah. It was pretty horrible.”
She rolled her eyes and picked up another article. “I also discovered that you didn’t lie to me in Dallas.”
Dark eyebrows shot upwards. “How’s that?”
“Your name.”
Kade cringed, having wondered when she’d get around to that. “Well, about that time…?”
Frankie waved her hand dismissively. “I get it,” she told him softly. “I found the articles about your mother’s passing.” Her voice was soft. “I’m so sorry. That must have been a hard time in your life.”
“She’d passed away a year before Dallas,” he replied, but his voice still held an echo of pain.
She shrugged. “I talk to my mother every Thursday. She calls just to check in and we meet for lunch whenever our schedules allow.” She eyed him carefully. “From what I read, and what I can see on your face, you and your mother had a similar relationship, didn’t you?”
His jaw clenched briefly, then he relaxed and nodded. “My mother was pretty special.”
“And died of breast cancer. There’s a gap between the articles about your financial prowess and activities during that year. From what I can deduce, you pretty much took that year off.”
He shrugged slightly. “I sorted through her belongings,” he clarified.
Frankie’s eyes softened as she nodded. He read the sympathy there. With anyone else, he would have bristled. But with Frankie, it somehow felt different. The comfort was there and…it wasn’t smothering. Or fake. Or calculated. It just…was.
“Thank you,” he finally replied, oddly touched.
She nodded, then took a deep breath and looked around at the desk. “But I think I’ve read through enough of this stuff for now. I’ll head back to the hotel and….”
“You should stay here,” he interrupted, then blinked, surprised at himself. What the hell? Stay here? Kade never allowed anyone to stay at the ranch with him. Yeah, the house might have seven guest bedrooms, and sure, they were all on the other side of the house from the master bedroom. But what the hell was he thinking? He didn’t like having anyone in his house. It felt…invasive.
And yet, he liked the idea of having Frankie here. Yeah, he could get used to the idea of Frankie living under his roof. As crazy as that sounded, he was certain that she was the kind of woman that he c
ould enjoy living with.
Frankie stared at the man. Stay here? What in the world was he thinking?!
Quickly, she shook her head, dismissing the possibility. “No. I have a room over at The Rancher’s Inn. The town is small, but the inn is nice and cozy.”
Kade chuckled, shaking his head. “You don’t know what Ms. Phoebe is like if you plan on staying with her for any length of time.”
“Ms. Phoebe? The sweet lady who showed me to my room yesterday?”
“Yes. She’s a busybody. She’ll know your entire life’s story before you fall asleep tonight.”
Frankie laughed, delighted with the idea. “Well, if your only argument is a sweet lady who wants a bit of company, then you’re out of luck.”
He chuckled. “Fine. But you’re staying for dinner. I can’t subject you to Art’s cooking.” With that, he stood up.
“Who is Art?” Frankie asked, automatically walking around the desk as if agreeing to dinner. Which she was. Sort of. Not really, but…okay, so she was starving and it was an hour’s drive into town. Whoever this mysterious Art was, she’d bet he ran the diner across the street from the Main Street Episcopal Church. That diner really should be condemned! The chili was the only thing that was safe to eat, she’d learned from the waitress. But a fire extinguisher was required, just in case. Frankie had tried the chili and hadn’t been able to speak for ten minutes. Art probably used ghost peppers to season his chili.
When her mouth had somewhat recovered from barely half a bowl of the fire-chili, Frankie had settled for cheese and crackers that she’d bought from the grocery store for dinner.
“Art is an old Army vet who came to town about ten years ago and opened the diner. He has a pension, which is the only way he survives here. Very few people dare to eat his food. Most people go in for the coffee and biscuits. And on Thursdays, he gets a delivery of donuts, which means that we all head over for coffee and donuts. But don’t eat anything else there. And if you try the chili…!”
After Hours Desire (Forsaken Sons Book 3) Page 4
