The Billionaire's Setup

by Marie Higgins

  He chuckled and kissed her on the mouth again before he stepped toward the door. “Are you going to be all right now?”

  “Yes.” She moved with him and leaned on the doorframe. “Will you tell me somethin’ honestly, though?”

  “What?”

  “Do you think the voice I heard callin’ my name could have been... a ghost?”

  He stroked her damp hair. “When you heard her calling your name, was the room cold?”

  She nodded. “I’d turned up the heater, but it didn’t work.”

  “Nicole, I don’t want to scare you but... there’s a good possibility that a ghost was in your room.”

  She inhaled sharply. He quickly took her back in his arms, calming her once again.

  “But don’t be afraid, Nicole. In fact, talk to her next time. Find out why she’s still here. Maybe you will be the very person who will help her crossover.”

  Her heart melted for his loving heart. She’d actually found a man who thought of others... and who believed in ghosts. She really hoped he wasn’t part of her dream, too. Because as much as she wanted to believe there was a man for her out there somewhere, she also wanted to believe that she would be able to help this lost spirit who wouldn’t leave her alone. One way or another, Nicole wanted to believe that she was pulled to Colorado for a reason... even if the reason was Nolan.

  TWELVE

  Nicole lay in her bed, now in a warm room, and closed her eyes to sleep. Unfortunately, sleep was not going to happen soon. There was too much on her mind. She needed to really ponder the things she and Nolan had said to each other – either out of passion or just desire – but she should examine her words to make sure it was what she truly felt. Her melting heart told her that everything that had happened was for a reason. She needed to come to this bed and breakfast, and she needed to meet Nolan.

  It’s destiny, he had told her, and she believed every word.

  Finally, her eyelids grew heavy and she closed her eyes. In her mind, Nolan was still wearing his sweatpants. He had cute bare feet, and of course his muscular chest... Sighing, she smiled.

  In her thoughts, she experienced again how she had slid her hands up his chest, and how his mouth melded with hers. She could still feel when he kissed her neck, and once again, shivers of delight danced over her. Dreaming of this man would make the night slip by faster. At least she hoped.

  But then her thoughts turned, and she was back in time with the woman who wore the blue dress. It was as if Nicole was watching a movie. The woman ascended the stairs. Her satin dress swished against her knees and her heeled shoes with the strap clicked on the wooden steps. She saw the woman’s face clearer now and she seemed very familiar.

  When she reached the second floor, a maid waited for her. The slightly younger woman seemed to have a difficult time meeting the eyes of the other woman.

  The maid wrung her hands, keeping them pressed against the white starched apron that draped over her brown dress. “I thought you wouldn’t make it in time.” Her voice shook. “You must hurry so we can clean you up and get you ready for the party tonight.”

  The woman in blue hurried into her room. Two more maids rushed through the room, pulling out undergarments from the drawers and searching through a closet for a dress. The woman in blue lifted her nose in an arrogant gesture and turned her back to the first maid.

  “Then hurry,” she snapped. “My guests cannot wait. After all, I am the guest of honor, and they are coming to see me.”

  The younger maid nodded. “Of course, Miss Victoria. As always, we’ll make you the belle of the ball, and Mr. William won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

  “Yes, I know.” Victoria sighed and flipped a blonde ringlet lock of hair.

  Once the maid had taken off Victoria’s dress, the mistress of the house sashayed to her vanity and sat. The younger maid picked up a hairbrush... a brush that looked a lot like Nicole’s. In fact, the resemblance was uncanny.

  The brush seemed to be the key to pulling Nicole from her dream. Her eyes fluttered open. The room was dark and quiet. She glanced over to the alarm clock. It was four o’clock in the morning. A bitter chill filled the room and she wrapped her blankets closer to her and turned on her side, facing the mirror in the corner of the room. Even in the shadows she detected a glow coming from the mirror. At first, Nicole figured it was a reflection of the moon through the curtains.

  Just as she started to close her eyes, there was a movement in the mirror. Nicole snapped her eyes open and stared. A woman’s face was looking right at her.

  Gasping, Nicole sat up in her bed and quickly flipped on the light sitting on the night stand. Through the dim light, she could see the woman in the blue dress sitting at the table by the mirror. Her yellow ringlet hair hung to her shoulders, and she held a brush – Nicole’s brush.

  Victoria. The woman wearing the blue dress was called Victoria in Nicole’s dream. Could this be Victoria Carrigan?

  The vulnerability on the woman’s expression tugged at Nicole’s heart.

  “Please... help me,” Victoria whispered.

  The invisible claws of fear grasped at Nicole’s throat, threatening to choke the very life right out of her. She could even feel the blood leaving her face. Her fingers wrapped around the blankets as she struggled to take a breath. Should she scream? But Victoria didn’t look mean. Instead, she appeared just as afraid as the defenseless emotion filling Nicole.

  “Wh-who are you? Wh-what are you doin’ in my room?” Nicole’s voice shook.

  “Nicole, don’t be afraid,” the woman spoke softly.

  “How do you know my name?”

  “I’ve been watching you,” Victoria said. “I know you can help me.”

  “No, no,” Nicole shook her head and closed her eyes, mentally willing the ghost to disappear. “I don’t believe in ghosts, I don’t believe in ghosts,” she repeated softly.

  The woman chuckled. “I’m not that Tinkerbell fairy from Peter Pan. You cannot make me go away by saying you don’t believe.”

  Nicole opened her eyes and looked at the other woman suspiciously. “Are y-you Victoria Carrigan?”

  “Yes. And you, Nicole, are my great, great, great niece.”

  “Niece? No, I’m dreamin’ again. That’s the only logical explanation.” Nicole turned off her light and, gathering the blankets around her again, squeezed her eyes closed. After about ten seconds she took a peek toward the table. The light next to the bed flickered, and then it turned on by itself.

  “I need your help,” Victoria said again. “I shouldn’t have died.”

  “People die all the time.” Nicole’s gut twisted. “It was your time.”

  “I was killed!” Victoria’s voice rose a bit and she stood up.

  Nicole jumped. Tears burned her eyes, and she blinked to keep them from falling. “I’m sorry that you were killed, but I didn’t do it.”

  Victoria chuckled. “I know you didn’t do it. You hadn’t been born yet.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “I want you to find out who killed me.” Victoria wandered in front of Nicole’s bed. “My memory is not good right now. I don’t remember much. I remember getting ready for my wedding. I remember walking to the stairs, and... I think someone pushed me.”

  “You’ve... been in my dreams,” Nicole blurted out. “Why?”

  “I’m glad. I think you’re dreaming about me to help me discover the killer. Keep dreaming and maybe you will be able to see what happened. This was my home and this,” Victoria motioned her hands around the room, “was where I slept. My bathing chamber was over there,” she pointed toward Bailey’s room. “And on that side,” she pointed toward Nolan’s room, “was where my many closets of gowns were located.”

  She walked to the window and gazed out, frowning. “My love calls for me, but I cannot get to him.” Her voice cracked. “William was his name, and he was the most handsome man in Colorado.” She peered over her shoulder at Nicole. “Help me, plea
se. I beg of you.”

  Victoria stepped toward the wall and vanished.

  How long Nicole sat in bed shaking, she didn’t know. Although it seemed like a dream, none of her dreams had made her quake so much. She felt cold as ice even though the blankets surrounded her.

  This was no dream. This was as real as Nolan was. Victoria – her great, great, great aunt – needed help.

  Slowly, the fear left her, but then confusion was the emotion filling her. Nolan tried to tell her that ghosts were real. She must believe him, so then why did she still doubt? How could she help Victoria when it was so difficult for Nicole to wrap her mind around the fact that she’d actually carried on a conversation with a ghost?

  Part of her wanted to tell someone. Bailey? Heaven’s, no! Her cousin would commit Nicole to a mental ward and throw away the key. But what if her shareholders found out she talked to ghosts? They would definitely lose their trust in her and pull out of her company. She might be a billionaire now, but her world could collapse around her quickly if the wrong people discovered her obsession with one particular ghost.

  But what about Nolan? She felt he would believe her, and yet she worried that he would also think she was crazy. Talking to ghosts was not something that happened every day – and it definitely didn’t happen to people she knew.

  Groaning, she rubbed her throbbing forehead. Why couldn’t she totally trust Nolan? Was it because he continued to keep his real identity a secret from her? After all, he was the one who’d said she was his destiny.

  She would tell him as soon as he told her the truth of his real identity.

  THIRTEEN

  Nolan tapped his fingers on the table impatiently as he glanced at his phone for the time every two minutes. Being up and dressed at the first stream of sunlight into his bedroom window didn’t mean he was anxious to see Nicole again. Did it? But here he sat, at one of the tables in the dining room as Hanover House’s staff prepared the buffet table for breakfast, waiting for Nicole to come down for breakfast. He really hoped she was a morning person, or he’d be sitting here for several hours.

  He had sent her a text, but she hadn’t answered yet. Of course, it had only been ten minutes since he’d sent the message asking if she wanted to meet him for breakfast. But darn it all, he was eager to see her lovely face and hear her angelic southern accent that made him grin like a kid on Christmas day.

  Sighing, he glanced at the window. It was rather unnerving to think that he’d not acted this way when he first met Elizabeth. He hadn’t been anxious to see her every minute of every day, which now he realized, was a good thing. Last night he’d dreamed of Nicole... dreamed of her on his arm as he introduced her to the Powers’ family... dreamed of her as they stood in front of a minister repeating their vows... and he dreamed of her as the mother of their five boys and two girls.

  He chuckled to himself and moved to the buffet table and filled his plate with delicious-smelling food. He grabbed an orange juice and returned to the table. He really shouldn’t imagine Nicole in his life like that. Thankfully, he hadn’t started naming their kids yet. But in all seriousness, he really didn’t know her well at all. It didn’t matter that they had already shared their first kiss that had sent him to the moon and back. It didn’t matter that he’d never sighed with happiness so much, or even smiled as if he’d never felt the emotion before. He really needed to get to know her better.

  “Good mornin’.”

  Nicole’s sweet voice pulled him out of his daydream and he quickly pushed away from the table and stood. She looked so pretty in her rose-colored sweater shirt and gray skin-tight jeans. Her hair hung over her shoulders, curling slightly at the ends. Although her eyes were slightly puffy – evidence of not getting a lot of sleep – she was still the prettiest woman he’d ever seen.

  “Good morning, Nicole.” He grasped her hands, smiling. “I wasn’t sure if you woke up early or not.”

  “Generally, I do, but last night I woke up at four o’clock after having the strangest dream.”

  He stroked her warm cheek. “You could have stayed in bed. I would have understood.”

  “No. My body was ready to get out of bed, even if my mind wasn’t.”

  “Do you want me to get you a plate of food?”

  Shaking her head, she brushed her hands through the air. “No. You sit, and I’ll be right back.” She turned, but then suddenly stopped. In a flash, she spun around and rose up to kiss him on the mouth. Pulling away, she grinned. “Now that is a proper good-mornin’ greetin’.”

  His heart skipped joyfully. “Actually,” he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as he lowered his mouth to her. “This is a proper greeting.”

  The kiss was brief, and it wasn’t as passionate as last night’s kiss had been, but the way her tender mouth moved against his lips – and the way her fingers lifted to his hair and stroked softly – made him breathless.

  He ended the kiss and stepped back, grinning. Her smile appeared more relaxed, and her eyes gazed into his dreamily. Oh, yes! That was the perfect way to greet her in the morning... or in the afternoon... or really, whenever he felt like it.

  She giggled and turned away from him to walk to the buffet table. He sat back at the table, watching her fill her plate with food. He couldn’t tell what she wanted to eat, but it really didn’t matter. He enjoyed just watching her. Nicole Carrigan was perfect for him in every way, and he hoped they could spend the day together getting to know each other better.

  When she returned to the table, he stood back up. She sat across from him and he sat in his chair. Her gaze locked with his, and his heartbeat hammered quickly.

  “How did you sleep?” she asked before plopping a grape in her mouth.

  “Wonderfully.” He winked. “Of course, with you on my mind, how could I not have great dreams?”

  A blush grew on her cheeks. She dropped her gaze and, using her fork, cut a piece of waffle. She took a bite and met his gaze again.

  “They make the best Belgian Waffles,” she said in between chews.

  “I know. I had some yesterday.”

  She looked at his plate. “What are you eatin’?”

  “Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes are the specialty today. They are pretty darn good, too.” He stirred his fork around the whipped cream topping. “Of course, it’s even better with the cream on top.” He took a bite.

  She chuckled and pointed to her lips. “You have some cream...”

  Embarrassed, he quickly wiped it off. “I guess I shouldn’t save my food for later when I’m with company.”

  She laughed and popped another grape in her mouth before picking up another. “Do you want one?”

  “Sure.”

  Before he could reach for the fruit, she was bringing it to his mouth. He liked how dark her eyes turned when his lips touched her fingers.

  “Grapes are my favorite fruit,” she said.

  He nodded. “Mine, too.” He shrugged. “Since I work at a winery, I suppose I should like grapes, right?”

  “Yes. I’d think it would be difficult to work someplace where you can’t eat the food.”

  “Not only do I eat the food, I drink the wine.” He motioned toward the hallway. “I even have some with me.”

  “You brought your own wine here?”

  “Actually, it was shipped here and waiting for me when I arrived.” He silently thanked Aaron for being so generous. “I’d rather share it then drink it alone – as long as you don’t object.”

  “I like wine. I think I’ll take you up on your offer. What if we share some wine after we return from tonight’s tour?”

  “It’s a date.” Nolan winked and took her hand, lifting it to his mouth for a quick kiss.

  “I can’t wait,” she whispered.

  “I promise to relax you so that you’ll sleep better tonight.”

  Her body stiffened and he pulled his hand away. Her gaze dropped to her plate as she took a few more bites.

  Nolan sensed that
there was something Nicole wasn’t telling him about her dream. In fact, she’d mentioned having dreams before. He desperately wanted her to trust him enough to share her secrets.

  “Nicole, was your dream so terrible?”

  Her gaze flew up to his face. Her eyes were wide. Slowly, she nodded. “I... I think I was dreamin’ about the woman that I might be related to.”

  “Victoria Carrigan?”

  Nicole nodded.

  “Have you done any research on her yet?”

  “No. I tried to search online for information about Victoria, but this place doesn’t have great internet service. I reckon I could go to the library and look up old newspaper articles of the mid-nineteen twenties to see if she was someone of importance. After all, her headstone was larger than the others, so she might have been wealthy.”

  He touched her arm and gently caressed her skin. “That’s actually a good idea. Do you want me to go with you?”

  She released a sad sigh and looked back down at her plate. “Bailey is expectin’ me to go shoppin’ with her today. I did promise her last night.”

  Nolan didn’t know what it was about this woman that made him want to do all he could to please her, but he’d even lasso the moon and bring it to her if she asked. “I’ll tell you what. You go with your cousin and I’ll go to the library and research Victoria.”

  When she looked at him again, her eyes sparkled. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

  He squeezed her hand. “Of course.” It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her what other things he’d do for her, but he restrained himself. Their relationship was going too quickly as it was. He didn’t want to scare her away, especially since he couldn’t remember ever being this happy. If he had to take baby steps with Nicole to get her to trust him, he’d do it.

  But then... what if at the end of their haunted ghost tour she still didn’t trust him? Was he willing to throw his hope to the wind and follow her to Texas? As he stared deep into her mesmerizing amber eyes, he knew his answer would be yes!