by Elle James
“Then I have some catching up to do.” He rose to his feet and slipped into the bed beside her, gathering her gently into his arms.
Molly sighed. “Now, that was a proposal. I hope someday I get one so beautiful.”
“You will,” her mother said. “You will.
The door opened, and Parker Bailey entered. “Anyone need a ride back to the ranch?”
Molly rose from the chair. “Mom, you don’t need me here, do you?”
“No, sweetie. I’m sure Bastian will be here all night if I need anything. You go home and get some rest.” Her mother held up her hand.
Molly took it and leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too” her mother said. “And Parker?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he came to stand beside her bed.
“Take good care of my girl. I couldn’t stand to lose one of my children. She’s stubborn, like her father, but she’s got a heart of gold. Keep an eye on her.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Parker said. “I’ll see you back at the ranch soon.”
Bastian watched as Parker held the door for Molly, and the two left the room.
“Mom, are you trying your hand at matchmaking?” he asked, arching a brow.
“Son, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She closed her eyes and pulled the sheet up to her chin. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll say a little prayer and go to sleep. I’m sure the nurses will be in every couple of hours to make sure I’m still alive.”
Bastian shook his head. With all her boys engaged now, his mother probably wanted to know her daughter would be taken care of as well.
Hell, his mother could have died in the car crash. If his father died and his mother died, that would leave him and his siblings to take care of the ranch and Molly.
No wonder his mother wanted to see Molly happily settled. And as far as he could tell, Parker Bailey wasn’t a bad choice for his sister. The man was a bit older than her, but he wouldn’t put up with her nonsense, and at the same time, he would never hurt her.
“You’re thinking about Parker and Molly, aren’t you?” Jenna whispered.
“How’d you know?” He nuzzled her neck, one of the only places that wasn’t bruised.
“I have to admit. I worry about her, too. She needs to find someone to love that will love her as much as she loves him.”
“Do you think that could be Parker?” he asked.
“I don’t know. If it is, I don’t think she knows it yet.”
“Well, I’m not going to worry about it now. We still have to find Dad.”
“Yes, we do,” Jenna said. “Why don’t you go check and see if they were able to get anything out of Otis.”
“Are you two going to be okay without me for a few minutes?”
“We’ll be fine. I might be banged up, but I could still kick some ass if I need to.”
“I believe it.” He kissed her fingertips and slid out of the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
She smiled. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Epilogue
Jenna and Mrs. McKinnon left the hospital before noon the next day. Bastian and Angus drove them home and settled them on the porch with glasses of tea and cookies Angus’s fiancée, Bree, had baked especially for their homecoming.
Jenna chose to stand, while Mrs. McKinnon sat in one of the rocking chairs.
Earl Monson joined them on the porch and played with baby Caitlyn, making her giggle at the faces he made.
Bastian had returned to their room later the night before with news that Otis had gone into surgery to stop the internal bleeding the bullet had caused. He wouldn’t be fit to question until the following day. Sheriff Barron would fill them in on what he found after they got home.
Hank and Swede arrived at the same time as Sheriff Barron. They got out of their vehicles, shook hands and climbed the steps to the porch to greet Mrs. McKinnon.
“We spoke to Otis Ferguson today,” the sheriff said, shaking his head. “He claims he doesn’t know who is holding James hostage. He said the men always showed up wearing black ski masks, much like the Snake Dragons, but they aren’t related. He said the Snake Dragons only allowed him and Corley into their group because they hoped they could shed light on where William Reed hid the money he stole from the armored car.”
“So, we are no closer to finding my husband,” Mrs. McKinnon said.
Jenna reached for Bastian’s hand. Her heart ached for the woman and her children. Not knowing was sometimes worse than finding out a loved one had died.
“The only bright spot in this is that Otis said, despite his treatment of Mr. McKinnon, he was alive when they took him away. As long as they think he knows where the money is hidden, there’s a good chance they’ll keep him alive.”
“My sweet James,” Mrs. McKinnon said, her eyes filling with tears.
Molly stood beside her mother, holding her hand. “We’ll find him, Mom.”
“We have a little information we found in our search on the internet,” Hank said.
All gazes turned to him and Swede.
Swede nodded. “We hacked—” He shot a glance toward the sheriff. “We researched Otis Ferguson’s bank accounts and found several large sums deposited from a bank out of the Cayman islands. We traced the bank account to a corporation out of Bozeman. That’s where the trail goes cold. The corporation is several layers deep in other corporations. It’ll take more digging to find out who actually owns the corporation. But we’ll get there. It’ll just take time.”
“Which means,” Hank said, “someone in our neck of the woods wants to know where that money is bad enough to pay others to do the dirty work to find it. Moving money around like that will eventually lead us to the people who are holding Mr. McKinnon hostage. We’re close. Really close.”
“Can you pick up the pace a little?” Bastian’s mother asked.
“We’re trying.”
Jenna’s eyes narrowed. “They have to be getting desperate, knowing it could only be a matter of time before they’re found out.”
“True,” Bastian said, his brow dipping. “Your point?”
“Otis said something that has me worried.” Jenna looked to Mrs. McKinnon and Molly. “He said that if Mr. McKinnon can’t be tortured to reveal the location of the money, they’d have to do something else to make him talk.”
“What else could they do?” Molly asked. “Torturing a person is as bad as it gets.”
Jenna shook her head slowly. “No, it’s not.”
Mrs. McKinnon’s face blanched. “You’re right.”
“What are you talking about?” Molly demanded.
Bastian’s jaw hardened. “If you can’t make a man talk by inflicting pain on him, you threaten the ones he loves, and he’ll sing like a bird.”
Jenna knew the men could take care of themselves. If James McKinnon’s kidnappers really wanted him to talk, they’d target his wife, or his daughter.
Mrs. McKinnon squeezed Molly’s hand. “We’ll have to be extra careful not to go anywhere alone,” she said. “That includes all of us.” Her gaze encompassed all of her children.
Jenna held tight to Bastian’s hand. “Trust me, I won’t let you out of my sight.”
“Good, because that was my plan all along.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently. “I don’t suppose you want to accompany me to the barn, do you?”
She smiled up at him. “I could be persuaded. I’m sure there are some animals that could use some hay.”
“We’ve taken care of all the animals for the day,” Molly said.
“We’ll just double-check and make sure none of them are hungry for hay,” Bastian said.
“Right,” Jenna said. “Hay. From the loft.”
“We really did take care of all the animals,” Parker vouched for them.
Bastian and Jenna ignored Parker and left the porch and the crowd of people standing around.
Behind them, Molly w
as explaining to Parker. “They’re not going to feed the animals.”
“They said they were,” Parker argued. “Maybe I should go help.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Molly said. “Let them do it themselves. Trust me, they know how.”
Jenna chuckled and leaned into Bastian. “Your sister has her work cut out, if Parker is the one for her.”
“I really don’t care about their love lives at this moment. I’m more concerned about ours.” He walked a little faster.
Jenna’s heart skipped several beats and pounded hard in her chest. “You know, it might be a little difficult to do much since I have staples in my ass.”
“We’ll just have to be creative.”
“Mmm,” she said, excitement pooling low in her belly. “Creative could be interesting.”
“I bet you never thought a hay loft could be this much fun.”
“I’m betting a real bed would be even better,” she suggested.
“We’ll explore that possibility tonight,” he vowed.
Jenna didn’t care where they were, as long as they were together.
The Billionaire Husband Test
Billionaire Online Dating Service BOOK #1
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author
ELLE JAMES
Chapter 1
"Don't leave love up to luck. With the help of my firm and heavily tested computer algorithms, you will have a ninety-nine point nine percent chance of finding your perfect match." The attractive young woman, wearing a soft gray business suit and standing in front of the white board, clicked a hand-held remote control. A picture of a couple embracing at sunset on a beach materialized on the white surface. "What do you think? Willing to give my program a shot?"
"I don't know." Frank Cooper Johnson sat at the conference table with the other members of the Billionaires Anonymous Club. "Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?"
"Mr. Johnson—" Leslie Lamb began.
"Call him Coop. All his friends call him that." Maxwell Smithson grinned.
“For the sake of argument, give my friend Leslie the benefit of the doubt.” Taggert Bronson rose to stand beside the presenter. "Think about it. Didn't we all make the same plans? Work hard, work smart, make our first million by thirty, start a family by thirty-five...We're all on track—only better–instead of millions, we made our billions by thirty." Tag pointed to Gage Tate. "How's that media empire going?" He nodded toward Sean O'Leary. "Your oil speculating has you sitting pretty, doesn't it, Sean? And Coop, you and I are making billions on our financial investments. Have any of you even thought about the next step in our plan? How many of you are even dating?"
Sean raised his hand. "I've been dating."
"The same girl more than once?" Tag asked.
"Using a computer to find a mate just doesn't seem right." Coop pushed back his chair and rose. "When I find the woman I want to marry, I'll do it the old-fashioned way."
Tag snorted. "And meet her at a bar?"
"Any of you have any luck lately going to a bar and not being slammed by the paparazzi?"
Gage sighed. "Though I hate to admit it, the man has a point. I can't step outside my condo without being hit by at least a dozen cameras, much less go to dinner with anyone without being bombarded."
Leslie smiled. "That’s the beauty of BODS—"
"Seriously?" Sean shook his head. "BODS?"
The woman drew herself up to her full five-foot-three inches and stared down her nose at Sean. "Billionaire Online Dating Service—BODS. It's an acronym, so sue me. As I was saying, the beauty of the system is that the communication is all done anonymously. You meet real woman, not money-grubbing, limelight-seeking gold-diggers."
Gage frowned. "They won't know that we're loaded?"
"Financial status is not one of the questions we ask on the online data collection system. I perform a background check on each entrant and the computer does the matching."
Tag spread his hands. "Don't you love it? And the match is all based on your own personality profile." He dropped his hands when none of the others spoke. "What have you got to lose?"
Shaking his head, Coop grumbled, "Our dignity. Participation is admitting we're hopeless at finding a date."
Leslie shook her head. "Not at all. The program gives you a better chance of finding someone who truly fits the life-style of your dreams. Tell you what. As my first customers—"
Gage shot to his feet. "Whoa, wait a minute. First?" He stared across at Tag. "I thought you said this system was proven?"
"It is…on volunteers." Tag held up his hands. "Leslie hasn't yet charged for her services. Calm down."
Coop crossed his arms, ready for the meeting to be over. "I don't relish being someone's guinea pig."
"You aren't." Leslie sucked in a deep breath and let it out. "Tell you what, how about I let you use my service free? If you find the woman of your dreams, then you pay me what you think the experience was worth."
"Can't get fairer than that." Tag grinned. "Who wants to be first to sign up?"
"I think you should be." Cooper pinned Tag with a challenging stare.
"I'm already in the system and aiming for a date next Friday." Tag's eyes narrowed. "How about it, Coop? Or are you afraid?"
Hell yeah, Cooper was afraid. What kind of loser would the computer match him up with? Then again, he wouldn't admit to any of them that the idea of dating was worse than public speaking...and he hated public speaking. That's why he worked the financial market and stayed behind the scenes. He lived on his ranch, raised his horses quietly—no fanfare and no paparazzi as long as he didn't step out on a date. So far, the arrangement had been very lucrative with no distractions. Lonely, but lucrative, about summed up his life.
"Look, Leslie is in a situation no different than we were when we started out." Tag continued, "Give her business a chance. One date. That's all she's asking."
"Fine," Cooper said. "Anything to get this meeting over with."
Leslie's face bloomed with a huge smile. "I'll take you in Tag's office, one at a time to enter your data and show you the ropes. The process won't take long and you'll have your match. You won't regret your decision. I promise."
Cooper was already regretting his agreement, and he hadn't even been matched yet.
Emma Jacob's cell phone vibrated, indicating a text message. Sitting at a stoplight, she glanced at the message and sighed.
Set an extra plate at dinner. The message was from her oldest brother, Ace. More than likely, the guest was another attempt at fixing her up with a man. For the past month, all four of her brothers had taken it upon themselves to find Emma a husband.
Great, that's all she needed, more husband candidates forced on her by the worst matchmakers ever in Jacobs family history. Granted, her four brothers meant well, but really? If she'd wanted another man in her life, she'd have gone out and chosen one herself.
Truth was she was happy just the way things were. Well, almost. She'd have been much happier if the love of her life had lived long enough for them to be married, have children and grow old together. But that hadn't been in the cards. Not once Marcus was deployed, got hit by an improvised explosion device and died before being transported back to the states.
Her throat tightened and she twisted the diamond engagement ring on her finger. For two years, she'd been mourning his death. You'd think her brothers would let it be, instead of telling her she should get back in the saddle.
Emma slipped the ring from her finger and tucked it into her wallet. Maybe removing the ring would lead her brothers to think she was ready to move on, even if she wasn't. That and her trip to Dallas and a meeting with the one friend, Leslie Lamb, she'd made in her grieving group would set her plan in motion. Emma had a special favor to ask of her friend. One she hoped would solve all her problems with her brothers.
"You want what?" Leslie leaned across her desk an hour later, tapping her pen against the notepad she'd been scribbling on.
>
"I want you to set me up on a date with a man that will completely fail to impress my brothers." Emma ticked off on her fingers. "He has to be nice looking. That fact will throw off the boys. Preferably someone who makes his living sitting behind a desk." She'd pictured a pasty computer geek, but didn't want to be that crude in front of Leslie.
"Let me get this straight. You want this date to fail?" Leslie shook her head. "I'm building a business, not tearing it down. How will that look to the guy I'm setting you up with if I match him with someone totally wrong for his preferences?"
Emma sat back, frowning. "Hmm, sorry. That's pretty narrow-minded, thinking only of myself." She chewed on her lip for a moment. "I guess I could go find some other online dating service and play Russian roulette." She sat up. "I'm sorry, Leslie, the idea was stupid. Just forget I asked. I know how hard you've worked to put together the business plan and line up investors for your dating service. I wish you lots of luck." Emma gathered her purse and stood. "I have to get back to the ranch before feeding time."
"Wait." Leslie left her chair and rounded her desk, laying a hand on Emma's arm. "Do me a favor first and fill out a form on my computer. Be honest, don't fudge the data and let's see what happens."
Already shaking her head, Emma backed toward the door. "I don't want to set you up for failure. I'm really not interested in finding love. I had it."
Leslie squeezed her arm. "I know. Thinking of loving anyone else is hard, isn't it? I know exactly where you are. I haven't even tried, yet."
"Yet. At least you might some day." Emma shook her head, pain pinching her throat. "Not me. I had the love of my life. I don't want second best."
"At least, give the system a chance to find a match that closely suits you. Give him one date, and maybe your brothers will get off your back."
