King's Crown (Oil Kings Book 1)

by Marie Johnston

  “And he tried,” Kendall added.

  “Sounds like a helluva story,” Dawson drawled. “Why don’t you tell me over breakfast.”

  Chapter 17

  Kendall

  Dawson was a riot. And considerate. Gentry told him the whole story over pancakes Dawson refused to let me help make. And they were the best pancakes I’d ever tasted.

  He also assured me that Beck wouldn’t hunt me down and shoo me away from Gentry. Apparently, Beck didn’t come home often.

  I had the house to myself. Dawson and Gentry had gone out to the barn. A pickup pulled in and parked closer to one of the long barns. That must be one of the guys that worked for Dawson coming back from lunch. Hopefully not the one with the broken ankle.

  I didn’t know much about calving or what it required, but Dawson had looked haggard. There was a clear resemblance to Gentry, but he moved differently than his oldest brother. Aiden prowled like his father. Deliberate, determined strides. Dawson flowed, his movements easy and relaxed. He had a devil-may-care air about him. It might be easy to write him off as not as intelligent as Aiden, but his eyes were clear, his gaze keen. What were the other brothers like?

  I pegged Beck as similar to Aiden. Tightly controlled. As I let Gentry’s computer fire up, I drifted through the house, looking at pictures. Xander had an easy smile like Dawson.

  What would he think about me? Dawson seemed open-minded. The fact that Gentry had brought me home was enough for him. I believed Gentry when he said I was the first, but Dawson would’ve clinched it.

  Were things between Gentry and I indeed that serious? I hadn’t felt this way about Darren in the beginning. I’d been excited. Relieved mostly. I found a guy who’d stick around. He’d be my excuse to distance myself from my family. But it turned out that wasn’t what I wanted.

  I guess that wasn’t fair to him.

  But with Gentry, I just wanted to be with him. It wasn’t about what he could do for me, and on his side, it wasn’t about what I could do for him. I liked talking to him. I thought the work he did was fascinating, and I was crazy attracted to him. We were both family-centric.

  I hadn’t been this excited about a guy since…ever. And nervous. The nerves were going to kill me. My gaze kept sliding to the door. How often did Emilia stop by? She lived in Billings, but King’s Creek was only a few hours east, not far from the North Dakota border.

  If she heard I was here, would she hunt me down?

  I was closer to Williston than I’d ever be for my job. Only today, I wasn’t doing my normal job. I got to dig into Gentry’s inbox and summarize his messages and streamline his priorities. Getting this much insight into his world was a gift I didn’t take lightly. I loved marketing, but I mostly picked it because I could get jobs anywhere in the world. Only I had stayed in Billings.

  But first, I had to check on Jen and that essay. It was due on Monday, and even though she’d had weeks to write it, I doubted she’d even begun.

  I slid in front of Gentry’s computer, dialed her, and put it on speaker.

  She answered with, “I’m not done reading the book. Can you give me an hour?”

  Normally, I wouldn’t have called. I would’ve just gone over and she wouldn’t have been ready and there I’d be, probably starting laundry or something. “Here’s the thing, Jen. I had to go out of town for work.” And she was supposed to have written the essay by now.

  “What?” I could picture her in her oversized sweatshirt with her hair in a messy bun. “You never go out of town for work. You never go out of town, period.”

  My voice raised a couple of octaves. “Well, it’s a new job.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Am not.” She was over ten years younger than me, but we dissolved into the most juvenile arguments.

  “Who is he?” And she was stubborn.

  “Jen.”

  “Ken.”

  I sighed. Someone so young shouldn’t be such a good lie detector. But she’d been younger than the others when she figured out Santa was me. Mom and Dad bought some clothes that didn’t fit anyone and I sorted and wrapped them, often staying over on Christmas Eve with Darren. And I’d rush over before work in the morning to play Tooth Fairy because Mom and Dad opened the restaurant each morning and stayed through the breakfast rush before they went to the thrift store. Jen had spotted the pattern way sooner.

  “Maybe I ran off with Darren. We might be trying to reconcile.”

  “Ooh, so what I’m hearing is that you don’t think people will approve. Now I gotta know who he is.”

  “How do you— Never mind. If you think you know all this, you can figure out the essay.”

  “I get real people,” she said dryly. “I don’t get fictional women written by some guy hundreds of years ago.”

  “It was like a hundred and fifty years ago.”

  “We should make Darren wear a red A.”

  I started laughing. It was both easier and harder to keep helping my family out as they got older. They were turning into fun people. “I’m still in Montana. Happy?”

  “Nope. Where?”

  She was sharp. If I told her where, she’d guess. But then I did work for the company. “King’s Creek.”

  Her gasp echoed through the house. I pulled up Gentry’s endless inbox, cringing that she was going to guess at any moment. There was no good reason not to tell her. But I didn’t.

  Gentry’s family would know before the day was done. We hadn’t decided to officially go public. We’d just decided not to hide and let everyone figure it out, then deal with the fallout later. It wasn’t stated in so many words, but understood. I’d made it to King’s Creek. How many hurdles did I have to face in one day?

  “King’s Creek,” she screeched. “That’s where the oil Kings are from.”

  “King Oil. My new employer.”

  “Doesn’t one of them work there? Which one, Kendall?”

  “Gentry King runs the company with his oldest son.” I went for it. My cheeks burned. “The son is married.”

  “No way, you went straight to the top. Nice.”

  I told her what happened. The story poured out and I realized that I’d been doing nothing but work and serving my siblings. I’d gone through my divorce alone even though my brothers and sisters constantly checked in—and told me that Darren was a bad idea in the first place.

  But my only other option had been to move back home. Then I’d be sister-mom.

  “Aw, Kendall. That’s really sweet. Hold on, let me look up a picture of him.”

  I waited, my stomach twisting. Why was my family’s opinion of Gentry so important? I never cared that they thought Darren was a dud.

  “Well,” she said. “He’s younger than Dad.”

  “Jen.”

  “What? You go from that hold-my-beer guy after Darren to the King CEO? I’m impressed.”

  I poured sarcasm into my “Thanks.”

  “No, really. He’s… Wow. He has four kids. Kendall. Ohmigosh, they’re your age.”

  “Yup. Look, can you not tell anyone? It’s really new and we want to gradually come out since we work together.”

  “Like any of my friends would care. Mom and Dad would have to be home for me to tell them. But, I mean, he’s a lot older than you. What if he doesn’t want kids? All his are grown.”

  “It’s new, Jen.” We had so many things to get past that kids weren’t even on the radar and I had my own feelings about them. “You got it out of me, okay? Now go read your book and call me later if the essay trips you up.”

  “Got it.”

  She disconnected. Awareness prickled over my back. I closed my eyes. Who heard the conversation?

  I opened them and looked toward a hallway that I hadn’t been down. But since it was on the same side of the house as the garage, there must be another entrance.

  Gentry was leaning against the wall, his expression grim. His hand was hooked in a loop of his jeans and his bulky coat did nothing to hide how in shape he
was. “I came to warn you that Aiden’s coming to help this weekend. He’s bringing Kate. They’ll be here in a little bit.”

  “Okay.” If things went south, I wouldn’t really see Aiden that much at the office. Gentry’s troubled gaze stayed on me. “What’s wrong?”

  He pressed his lips together. “What your sister said.” Walking to me, his gait was changed with his boots, exaggerated the cowboy swagger that was usually subtle in his shiny shoes. He pulled out the chair to my right and took a seat. “She’s not wrong about me and kids. Once it was clear that I wasn’t looking to settle down and that if I did, the woman would most likely be my age and over the family raising part of her life, I got a vasectomy. I know this thing between you and I just started, but you should know. And I wouldn’t blame you if you moved on.”

  Oh. This thing between us did just start, but I’d been craving it my whole adult life. A stable guy. A partner. Not another responsibility. “Gentry, I don’t want to have kids.”

  His brows shot up and he cocked his head. “You don’t? But…”

  “But I’m a young woman of child-bearing age and I should, right? I know. Except I was tucking Brendell in when I was five and he was three. I did most of the nighttime bottles for Jen and the twins because Mom and Dad had to work in the morning and they made mistakes with the books if they didn’t get rest. I was old enough to understand how overwhelmed they were. I’ve changed more diapers than I care to remember. I’ve taken them to get their vaccinations, sat in on parent-teacher conferences, and bought them jockstraps and sports bras.”

  His expression darkened the more I talked. “That’s a lot for a kid.”

  “Gentry, I’m still doing it. I called Jen because she needs help with her homework. And you know what? I should be wrapped up in bitterness, but I’m not. They drive me crazy and I love my family. I also helped raise them and I have no regrets, but I’m ready to live my life.”

  “You might change your mind when you’re older,” he murmured.

  I let out a long exhale. “I might, but I might not. By then I’ll have nieces and nephews to dote on and you’ll have grandbabies.” His eyes warmed at the idea of grandkids. God, that was sexy too. I dreamed of the day I could spoil a kid and send it on its way home. “I want to skip the step of having kids and go right to the grandparent stage.”

  “It’s not just kids. I’m at the age where I’m thinking about my parents’ health issues and what they mean for me.”

  “And I’m a woman and have been told by media my whole life that I’m eating wrong and need to lose weight. It’s nothing new, Gentry.”

  He leaned in on his elbows and took my hands. His fingers stroked the top of my hands. “I feel like we skipped the beginning of dating and went right for the serious stuff.”

  “I feel like we’re too old for the bullshit.”

  His soft chuckle draped around me like a warm blanket. “Ironically, I have Emilia to thank for some of the best things in my life. I can’t believe she’s the reason I met you.”

  “Well, I’m in it just for the money, you know.” I squeezed his hands. I can’t believe I could joke like this with him.

  “If you were, you’d want a baby to seal the deal. Isn’t that what the movies say?”

  “Gentry King, you don’t watch movies.”

  He grinned. “Not really.” His smile faded. “But if we’re in this for long-term, we should talk. About stuff.”

  He knew everything there was about me and what I wanted for my future. “Let’s just enjoy being together and not completely pass over all the new beginning stages.”

  “I guess one heavy talk is enough for our first date.”

  “Technically, we haven’t gone on a date.”

  He leaned forward, releasing my hand to cup my chin. His scent surrounded me as we kissed. Crisp fresh air and laundry detergent. These were probably the only items he didn’t get dry cleaned.

  Releasing me he rose, and subtly adjusted himself. “Tonight. There’s a steakhouse in town that serves only King beef.”

  “It’s a date, Mr. King.”

  He started back to the hallway and gestured to the computer. “It’s the weekend. You don’t have to work. You don’t ever have to do any of my work.”

  “How am I going to get state secrets and overthrow your company if I don’t?”

  Those laugh lines I found so sexy appeared. “You’d need to target Emilia for that. You won’t find anything in Mrs. Chan’s weekly update of marketing efforts.”

  “I like this. It makes me feel like…” I chewed on my lower lip. I’d never said this out loud. “It makes me feel like I did more with my life than I really have.”

  Compassion warmed his eyes. “Kendall, you can do anything you want to.”

  “Thanks.” But I stayed in Billings to help my family and I’d do it again.

  The front door opened and we both swung our heads around to see who was entering. My heart pounded.

  Aiden held the door for a woman with soft brown hair and a pleasant smile. That must be Kate. He came in after her, speaking low. Kate nodded, but spotted us and stopped. Her smile widened.

  “Hello.”

  Aiden pulled to a stop behind her, his hand hovering behind her back. From my angle, he didn’t appear to be touching her, but the move was proprietary nonetheless. Kate’s expression was delighted, but Aiden’s you have some explaining to do look was aimed at his dad.

  This weekend was going to be interesting.

  Chapter 18

  Gentry

  “I’m taking her to Hogan’s tonight.” I rode a horse next to Dawson. My bay, King’s Gold, was steady under me. He knew the route through the pastures and as long as another horse was out with him, he wouldn’t keep veering toward the barn.

  Dawson rode Beckett’s horse, Black Gold, because he liked to exercise all of them, but mostly because he needed a sanity break away from pregnant cows. Aiden was even with us. He was a workaholic, but it didn’t take much to get him to trade his car for a horse. I’d rather see him take his wife on vacation, but this was at least out of the office.

  “You’re going to get everyone talking,” Dawson warned.

  “They’ll talk anyway. And no one knows who she is here. It’s probably safer to start here than Billings.”

  Dawson peered at me from under the brim of his cowboy hat. “Start? Aren’t you two going steady, or whatever the kids call it these days?”

  Aiden was quiet on Gold Mine, looking more relaxed than I’d seen him in months, but he wasn’t missing a moment of the exchange. “Yeah, Dad. What’s going on? Last you told me you weren’t going to pursue her.”

  “It just…happened.” Thanks to my employees that I had wanted to fire but now I wanted to reward with bonuses. They’d planned it. I didn’t know if they intended to get her in trouble, or me, but it wasn’t like I could go interrogating them. “I don’t regret it. She’s different.”

  Dawson snorted. “I’ll say. She’s younger than anyone you’ve ever been with.”

  My jaw tightened. “Is that a problem?”

  “It’s weird, but I can get over it,” Aiden answered. “To Beck it will be though.”

  “You told him.”

  Aiden slid his gaze over. “Yes. And I left a message for Xander.”

  “You guys are worse than the church ladies.”

  Aiden shrugged, unrepentant. “You’ve never brought anyone home. And the storm, Grams, and the trust, and her age—it’s a big deal.”

  The reminder of Emilia was colder than the wind at my back. At least the wind had a touch of warmth and carried the promise of summer. Emilia wasn’t as optimistic. She wouldn’t like the news that I was seeing Kendall. It’d wipe out what I told her about Douglas, mostly truth or not. “No, your grams isn’t going to like it.”

  Aiden’s gaze turned speculative. “What she’s not going to like is how you’re letting her help with inner office stuff. Only family gets in the inner office.”

  “S
he should let us hire someone. Both you and I need an assistant.”

  “Take it to the board.” Aiden’s tone was flat. We had each brought the issue to the board, but Emilia had kept control for a reason.

  Dawson tsked. “Grams needs to move to Arizona and take up golfing.”

  I nodded, easing King’s Gold around a pile of snow. We didn’t need to be out this far. Dawson had the cows in the winter pastures closer to the barn, but as the sun rose higher, it beat the chill back. The space helped me think, kept me from wondering how Kendall and Kate were getting along and hoping they loved each other. Preventing me from thinking about Kendall’s declaration and wondering if she meant it.

  She was divorced. Didn’t want kids. Loved working. And she was wrapped in an adorable package that looked like she should be driving a van load of kids to soccer practice and then heading home and baking cookies.

  I’d been married to that woman. Sarah had also been industrious, smart, and ambitious. I guess I had a type.

  “I’d better head back.” Dawson angled Black Gold in an arc to swing around to the barn. The rest of our horses followed.

  “Tucker brought his daughter.” Dawson’s other employee had pulled up when I went to speak to Kendall. “I hear the girl is a real calf whisperer.”

  “She loves bottle feeding and has a good intuition about it. I’d hire her if she wasn’t only thirteen.” He grinned. “So, I set up an account. Each calf she bottle feeds, she gets a deposit. Only her parents know.”

  “And she thinks she’s working for free.” Aiden’s eyes twinkled. “A future rancher right there.”

  “Tucker said that’s her plan.” Dawson shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about putting away enough that she can buy out the Cartwright’s when she’s eighteen.”

  “We can dream, right,” Aiden said.

  I rode in silence. The Cartwright land bordering ours was my family land, cheated away from my parents in a stupid poker game when my dad was Aiden’s age. Danny was going to drink himself to death and there was no way his daughter Bristol could resurrect the mess her father had made of it. The pastures needed time and TLC, and the ranch needed all new buildings and equipment. Bristol might have all the time in the world to run the ranch, but not the money.