by Tess Oliver
“Nope.”
“That’s cool. No wonder he’s had so many wives, and I guess a thousand is probably not an exaggeration then.”
“Hell, that’s a low ball number. We’ve had naked chicks parachute into our yard looking for my dad.” He wadded up the paper from his sandwich and threw it into the open ice chest. “And speaking of our yard, I need your help with a project. It’ll be paid, of course. My dad needs me to build a barn on our property.”
“A barn? Are you getting a horse?”
“No, it’s for a cow.” He reached down to unlatch his boots. “My sister took in a cow that one of the big animal groups rescued. Lilly Belle.”
“Your sister’s name is Lilly Belle?” I leaned over to unbuckle mine as well.
With some effort he pulled off his boot. “No, her name is Finley. The cow is Lilly Belle. Apparently the cow was heading into the slaughterhouse, and she jumped the nearest fence and made a run for it.”
I laughed. “That’s fucking awesome.”
“The animal rescue people heard about her daring escape, and they took her to a—” he raised his fingers in air quotes, “safe house. Now she’s grazing on Beverly Hill’s grass and living the good life as the world’s most spoiled cow, not to be outdone by the world’s most spoiled pig. My sister is kind of eccentric.”
“I’m surprised cows are allowed in Beverly Hills.”
“Well, this cow came with some major PR, and my dad is Nicky King. He usually gets his way with things so no one put up a fight. My dad rarely says no to Finley.” He got up and started packing his gear in the giant duffle bag. “The barn comes in pieces and we need to clear the land for the foundation. Sound good?”
“Sure thing.” I put my gear in the bag. “That’s cool that you have enough property to have a barn.”
He looked over at me and laughed. “Are you kidding? We could have an entire cattle ranch back there if the city would permit it. In fact, if my sister gets her way, we just might. I think she’s got it into her pretty little head that she needs to rescue every animal from slaughter, and, knowing Finley, she just might do it. The next construction job is a week out, so I was going to start tomorrow. What do you say?”
“Definitely. I can use the extra money. I need to get out of my brother’s house as much as he needs me to get out.” I looked over at him and suddenly realized the resemblance with his famous dad. “Nicky King, goddamn. I had no idea.”
“That’s right, buddy, so don’t go getting all holy and monkish on me. You’ve never been to a party until you’ve been to a Cole King party.” He walked over to the bike. “Ever been with three girls at once?”
I thought about Dray and me running from a beach house with our shoes and shirts in hand escaping an angry boyfriend at the door and then nodded. “As a matter of fact— but it ended kind of shitty— an angry boyfriend’s fist in my stomach.”
Cole pushed the bike up the ramp and onto the back of the truck. A grin spread over his face as he stared down at me. “I knew I fucking liked you, Mason.”
CHAPTER 2
Rett
The cow pushed her broad, fuzzy nose against the palm of my hand, and I scratched the soft pink skin between the animal’s nostrils. “She sure is people friendly. After what she went through it seems like she’d be shy around us carnivorous humans.”
Cole climbed down off the Bobcat. We’d cleared a large swath of ground, and in a few more days it would be ready for the cement form. “She was really spooked when we first got her here.” Cole walked over to the cow’s pen and stroked her ear. “Finley has been hugging and cuddling her so much, now she thinks she’s a dog.”
I looked up toward the mansion. The estate was so big it would take a long hike just to get to the main house. “Are those tennis courts across the way?”
“Yeah, Fin was a really good tennis player. She showed a lot of promise—” his words trailed off, and it seemed he didn’t know how to finish his thought. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. “But she was going through some stuff and gave it up. I can take you on a tour later, if you’d like.”
On Cole’s orders, I’d come in through the side gate and bypassed the house completely. I’d felt a little insulted but it was understandable. I worked for him, after all. “That’s all right. I’m all covered with dirt and I understand completely if you don’t want me to go inside—”
“Rett, seriously, we’re not like that around here. You’re totally welcome in the house. You’re my new wingman, remember? I just needed you to help me get the Bobcat off the trailer, that’s all.”
I nodded and felt stupidly relieved by his comment. “Wingman, huh? I’m better as a pilot.”
He smacked my shoulder. “Don’t push your luck. After all, I’m the son of ‘the god of rock’.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. “Shit, I forgot to charge it.” He shoved the dead phone back into his jeans. “I’ve got to call the cement company. I think we’ll be ready to pour on Tuesday. Why don’t you take a lunch break while I head up to the house.”
“Sounds good. I think I’ll stretch out under that tree over there. I’m so fucking sore from riding yesterday, I feel like I’m a hundred years old.”
“Thought you were walking kind of funny. Figured maybe you’d gotten involved in one of those foursomes last night. Be back in a few.” He headed off in the direction of the house. The cow let out a low moo as I left her standing at the side of her pen. I grabbed up my cooler and plopped down under the tree. The shade was a nice reprieve from the hot sun.
I’d taken one bite from my sandwich when the cow let out a loud, moaning sound. I looked back over my shoulder to see if Lilly Belle was all right and then nearly dropped my sandwich as something cold and moist pressed against my hand. I turned back and came face to face with a black and white pig. It was wearing a silver hoop earring. Its dark, beady eyes looked angry, and his big snout lifted up and down. He squealed and I scooted back a few inches. The pig’s fat little leg lifted and his tiny hoof pawed at the ground like an angry stallion. Behind me, the cow continued with its chorus.
“Lilly Belle,” a soft voice sang from below, and, seconds later, a petite girl appeared at the top of the small hill that looked out over the cow pen and the barn site. Her white blonde hair shimmered in the bright sunlight as she floated like a tiny ballerina over the grass toward the cow. She looked more suited for a pair of silvery wings than the black t-shirt and faded, torn jeans she had on. As small as she was, it was impossible to see anything but her as she half skipped down to the pen. Halfway to the cow she glanced around rather anxiously and spotted the pig. The animal still stood in front of me like a stout, pissed-off soldier.
The girl stopped. “I’m sorry. Is my pig bothering you? He can be really pushy when it comes to food.” She walked toward me, her slim hips swayed with each step. Round blue eyes peered out from beneath a curtain of long dark lashes and her lush bottom lip twisted as she looked down to my sandwich. “You must be Barrett. I’m Finley, Cole’s sister. Is that a ham sandwich?” she asked without stopping for a breath.
It was rare for a girl to knock me speechless, but it took me a second to answer her. It was only because she was the daughter of a rock legend, I assured myself. “Yeah, ham and cheese,” and as I answered the reason behind her question became clear. I tucked the sandwich back into its paper wrapper and smiled sheepishly at the pig.
Finley’s bracelets jangled as she stuck out her small hand. Without hesitation, I placed the sandwich on her palm. She wrapped her fingers around it and turned to leave. She glanced back over her shoulder and motioned for me to follow. Her stride was amazingly fast for her size, and I took long steps to keep up. The pig trotted obediently behind us. In the distance the cow continued to moo loudly.
“I guess I’ve made a bad first impression on your pig.” I looked back at him. His stumpy, little legs moved in perfect rhythm as we headed down the slope toward the house. “He looks pr
etty mad.”
Finley smiled over at me. She definitely had a face that could brighten even the darkest day. “If you’d found my pig nibbling on a sandwich with a mustard covered slice of human flesh between the bread, wouldn’t you be angry?”
“Don’t know if I’d be angry, but I’m pretty sure I’d be jumping that wall over there to get away from him. But I see your point.” I turned back. “Sorry, little guy. No more ham, I promise.”
We walked along a long brick path lined with rose bushes, and just as we neared an expensively decorated patio area, two large animals trotted around the corner. The estate was in the hills, and mountain lions seemed a perfectly reasonable thought. I sucked in a breath and jumped in front of the girl. “I think your pig has more than my ham sandwich to worry about. It looks like a couple of mountain lions have caught wind of him.”
She laughed. “That’s Butch and Sundance, our Irish Wolfhounds. They only look like lions from a distance.” The dogs trotted toward us as my heart rate returned to normal. The top of their giant, square heads came to the top of my thigh, and I didn’t have to bend over to pet them. “I’ve never seen dogs this big or long or tall.”
“Biggest breed in the world,” she said quickly. “My dad thought they’d make good watch dogs but turns out they are more suited to holding down the couch.” We reached a sliding glass door. She paused and looked up at me. “That was very brave of you to jump in front of me like that when you thought you saw lions.”
“Yeah, protecting you from your own dogs— I’m quite the hero.”
She laughed quietly and I followed her inside. The interior of the house was as I’d expected, ridiculously awesome. It couldn’t have looked more expensively decorated if it had been wallpapered with hundred dollar bills. Cole and his siblings lived a life that most regular people couldn’t even dream about. Everything was spotless and gleaming and sort of cold and uninviting. I followed Finley into a kitchen that was bigger than the house I’d grown up in.
“I hope peanut butter and jelly is all right. The chef is off on Sunday, and I only know how to make a few things.”
“I’m good with peanut butter and jelly.” I glanced down at the pig. “Is that all right with you, Sir?”
Finley reached into the fridge and pulled out a jar of peanut butter. “That’s Some Pig.”
“Yeah, he really is.”
Finley’s petite laugh fit perfectly with the rest of her adorableness. “No, that’s his name. It’s a long story but he watched Charlotte’s Web and now he only answers to Some Pig.”
“That was a book right?”
She opened the jar and spread a slice of bread with peanut butter. “I see you’re an avid reader just like Cole. No wonder you two became fast friends.” She looked up at me for a moment. “Something tells me you two have a lot in common. Let me guess— a different girl every week?” Her question stung, and I suddenly wanted more than anything to be able to deny it. Instead, I looked away.
“You don’t need to be ashamed. I am, after all, the daughter of a rock star . . .and Cole’s sister. My brother, Jude, was no saint either, but he’s got a girlfriend now who he’s crazy about.”
“What about Jude? I heard my name.” Cole’s brother had black hair but the same light colored eyes. While he was no match for Clutch, he looked as if he spent a lot of time lifting weights. He looked a lot tougher, and definitely less friendly, than Cole. He shot an angry, suspicious glare my way. “Who’s this?” he asked sharply as if I wasn’t standing there hearing him.
Finley rolled her eyes. “This is Barrett, the guy who came to help Cole with the barn.” She handed me the sandwich and inclined her head toward her brother. “This is Jude, the warm and charming half of the King brothers.”
I stepped forward and put out my sandwich free hand. “Friends call me Rett. Nice to meet you.”
He lifted his chin in acknowledgment but didn’t take my hand. “Nice to meet you, Barrett.” He made a cold point of not using Rett. He returned his attention to his sister. “Eden just called. She’ll be home in two hours.”
“Yep, I know,” Finley lifted her phone out of her pocket. “She called me first.” There was a teasing tone in her voice. “I’ve got a million plans for her.”
Jude shook his head. “No you don’t. She’s mine for the next two days. I haven’t seen her in two weeks.”
“Neither have I,” Finley protested. I decided it was time for me to slink back to my tree with my peanut butter and jelly.
“Wait for me, Rett,” Cole called as I reached for the sliding door. I turned around. He was just entering the kitchen.
Finley stuck a small hand in Jude’s face to stop the argument. She looked completely out of place in the stark surrounding of shiny, spotless stainless steel and glass cupboards. “I forgot to ask, Rett, did you want a glass of milk to go with that sandwich?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
Cole grabbed a Styrofoam box out of the fridge and looked at Finley. “It’s chicken, is that all right? No beef, no pork, just chicken.”
Finley sighed. “Yes, because chickens, as we all know, grow on trees.”
“You’ve banned ham and now beef from the house. Come on, Fin, Jude and I are going to starve to death.”
She laughed. “Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You’re far from starving.”
Cole shook his head and walked to the door.
“The fake soy meat is just as good tasting.” That remark shook laughter from both brothers.
Cole was still shaking his head as we stepped outside. “Now you’ve met both my siblings. I love Fin to death, but she can be really strong willed.”
“Who is Eden? They seemed to be fighting over her.”
“Eden is Finley’s best friend and Jude’s girlfriend. Poor kid. They are constantly playing tug of war with her time. She was up north visiting her family during her two week break from school.”
“That makes sense now. Finley’s really something. I don’t think Jude liked me too much though.”
“Probably thought you were in there flirting with Finley. Jude is really protective when it comes to Fin. He likes to act like a hard ass, but once you get to know him, he’s not bad.” He looked over at me. “Unless you get too close to Finley. Then he’d probably break you in two. But since there’s never any chance of you two getting together, you won’t have to worry. Finley’s not your type, and she’s definitely not for you.” His last words sounded like a cold harsh warning and nothing like the Cole I’d known these past months. It was obvious Jude was not the only brother who was overprotective of his sister, and I’d just been told, in no uncertain terms, to stay clear of her. The warning felt like a pile of rocks in my stomach. Cole was obviously letting me know that I wasn’t good enough for his sister. And while that thought bothered me plenty, the thing that really felt like a cold slap in the face was the fact that I was never going to get to know Finley King.
CHAPTER 3
Finley
I’d given Jude two hours alone with Eden, pretty darn generous as far as I was concerned. I got up from my computer chair and went downstairs. Eden’s light giggle floated out from the kitchen. Jude had her pinned against the counter as he kissed her. I walked up and tapped his shoulder hard.
He pulled out of the kiss but didn’t release her. “That’d better be one of the dogs tapping my shoulder and not my irritating sister, Finley.”
Eden laughed and winked at me over his shoulder.
Jude dropped his arms reluctantly and turned around. I held out my hands and shot him my most annoying grin. “In the flesh, and I’m not leaving until you give me an hour with Eden, who would not be here in your arms if it hadn’t been for the fact that, as you so lovingly like to point out, I’m a freak.”
Eden’s face was flushed pink from her two weeks in the mountains and the kiss. The color only added to her beauty. I grabbed her hand. “How were your parents and Sophie and Janie?” I led her out of the kitche
n.
“They were great. It’s really pretty up there, and Sophie is growing tall and beautiful.”
“Like her sister,” Jude said from the kitchen. He tossed an angry scowl my way and then reached into the fridge for a beer.
I went to the sliding door and opened it. “Where are we going?” Eden asked.
“I want you to meet Lilly Belle.” I glanced back at Jude. “I’ll have her back in an hour.”
“You’d better.”
“Lilly Belle came while I was still here, Fin. I’ve met her.”
I dragged her quickly along. “I know.”
“We’re not really going out to see the cow, are we?”
“Nope.” I stopped and hugged her. “So glad you’re back, Edie. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” As we passed the pool area, a cloud of dust loomed in the distance. “I could swear I hear a tractor or something. Oh, they’ve started Lilly’s barn. Is that what you’re going to show me?”
“You’ll see.” I held tightly to her hand as we trudged up the small hill. The sun had dropped in the sky, but the air was still warm and the fragrance of freshly plowed dirt drifted our way. After Cole had walked out with his new friend, I’d gone up to my room to read, but my mind had kept going back to Barrett. It was stupid and I’d reminded myself of that factual point a hundred times. Cole’s friends, especially friends who looked like Barrett, tended to be nothing but heartbreak and disappointment, but the little devil on my shoulder kept prodding me to go out and visit the cow. And, as with everything else in my life, I wanted Eden’s opinion on the whole thing.
Lilly Belle started crooning the second she saw me coming over the grass. Eden and I hurried down to her. “Does your dad like his new job?” I asked.
“Surprisingly, yes. It’s not his dream job of being in a rock band, but he likes to cook and the people up there are all nice. So he’s having a good time.” She laughed. “Sophie got to see her first bear. Apparently, one had gone through all the trash cans around their cabin, and my dad managed to click off some pictures. Now, of course, Sophie and Janie have been leaving a jar of honey outside on the front porch hoping to lure it back. I don’t think they realize how big a live bear really is. They keep thinking it’s going to be the size of a teddy bear.”
