Billionaire Single Dad

by Claire Adams

  “Damn, did you jump right out of the shower?” he asked, grinning.

  “I sure did,” I answered with a smile.

  The waitress came to take our drink orders, but we knew what we wanted to eat, so we just ordered everything, Jack getting the meatloaf this time and me getting still getting the burger. You couldn’t go wrong with a classic.

  “How’ve you been, Em?” he asked, aiming that boyish smile at me again.

  I didn’t want to hold it in anymore. I trusted Kasey with everything, but she tended to get so dramatic. I just wanted to tell someone who wouldn’t take things further than I wanted them to go. I didn’t need tears and expletives. I just needed someone to listen.

  “Pete and I are having some problems,” I said, sighing deeply. That wasn’t really the right way to describe it, but I couldn’t come right out with exactly what I wanted to say without easing into it.

  Jack’s face clouded over, his smile dimming and dark eyes widening. “What’s going on?”

  I looked down at my nails. They were short, trimmed, and bare. “There’s another woman who works on the ranch with us. Lacey.” I met his eyes again. Just thinking about all this was getting me angry, and it was easier to feel that way in front of Jack than it was to feel like I was going to burst into tears.

  “They both told me they were like brother and sister. And, that’s how it looked to me too until the other day.” I described what I’d seen through the windshield of my car after I finished working for the day: Lacey in Pete’s arms, both of them swaying on the porch like it was the sweetest moment in the world. It burned me up just thinking about it.

  I’d trusted Pete. I let him into my life and allowed him to meet Daddy and Kasey, and he went and did something like this. I wouldn’t mind if I never saw him again. I knew that wasn’t realistic in a town the size of Round Rock — and there was no way I was letting a man run me out of my own town — but at the very least, I could steer clear of him for a few days.

  “I’m so sorry, Em,” Jack said. He reached across the table to take my hand, squeezing it. “Are you sure they’re together?”

  “That’s what it looked like from where I was sitting. They obviously have feelings for each other.” I scrunched my face up to keep my burning eyes from tearing. “There’s nothing wrong with it if they do. I just wish Pete had let me know before I got mixed up with him.”

  Before Jack could answer, the waitress came by with our drinks and let us know our food would be out shortly. I took a sip of my iced tea while Jack stirred his Coke.

  “Just because they’re friends doesn’t mean they have feelings for each other,” he said finally.

  I shrugged, not interested in arguing.

  “Remember Amy Benson?” he asked.

  I looked up at him. “The girl you were dating senior year?”

  He nodded.

  “Yeah, I remember her. She was nice, I guess. Y’all aren’t still dating are you?” I knew they’d gone off to school in Dallas together, but I hadn’t heard much from Jack since. I hadn’t thought about Amy in years.

  “No, we broke up about a year after we moved.” He grinned and waved a hand like it didn’t matter much to him. “But I bet you never knew that Amy absolutely hated your goddamned guts.”

  I frowned hard, my eyebrows pulling down sharply. “What? Why? Did I do something to her I don’t remember?” I couldn’t think why that girl would’ve hated me.

  “She didn’t like how close we were. I told her all the same things you just said Pete and Lacey told you — that we were friends and more like brother and sister after growing up together for years.”

  “Well, that was true!” Jack and I had never once had feelings for each other.

  He nodded, smiling a little, his dark eyes shining. “I know it was. And that’s what I told her, but she was jealous anyway. It really started to eat at her.”

  The waitress came by again, this time with our food, setting down Jack’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes and then my burger and fries.

  “Remember that day we drove to Austin for that concert?” he asked.

  I nodded, smiling before sticking a French fry into my mouth. That had been one hell of a day.

  “Well, when I got home that night, Amy came over and was mad as hell. She accused me of picking you over her and said she was going to break up with me if I didn’t make some hard choices right then and there.”

  He watched me for a moment, not even touching his food, which wasn’t like him. “I didn’t know what to say. I loved Amy, or I thought I did at the time. So, when she asked me to choose, I picked her. I knew you’d be there for me no matter what, but I was afraid to lose her.”

  “Goddamn, Jack, I wish you would’ve told me.” That explained a lot about why we didn’t have much to do with each other after graduation.

  “I’m only telling you now so you’ll talk to Pete about all this before you do anything else. Just get the story from his side. We never had feelings for each other and look what happened.” He stuck a fork in his meatloaf and scooped a big hunk into his mouth.

  “Yeah, I know we didn’t,” I said with a sigh. But none of that changed what I’d seen the other day with my own eyes. I didn’t know how Pete could explain that away. He loved Lacey, and I’d been a fool to think otherwise.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Pete

  Friday

  I couldn’t sit still that morning. I went out to the porch and paced, walking up one side and down the other while Riley slept on, unaware. Emma hadn’t been to the farm all week, hadn’t answered my calls, and hadn’t been anywhere around town. I didn’t know what to do. She had to be pissed at me something fierce, but I didn’t know why. Had I said or done something stupid at her daddy’s house? She’d said things had gone well when she drove me home. I didn’t understand it.

  I had to get the fuck off the farm. I jumped in my truck and drove out to the Texan, just wanting to put my mind on something else. The old timers called me over to their table, and I went gratefully.

  “Hey, Petey,” Big Tom said. “Where’s that sweet girl of yours?”

  I waited for the waitress to set my mug down, fill it with coffee, and be on her way before I answered.

  “I haven’t seen much of Emma lately,” I said, looking around at all of them, just feeling so goddamned lost. “I don’t know what happened. She just stopped turning up at work and stopped taking my calls.”

  “What did you do?” Laraby asked, smiling a little as the other men chuckled.

  “I don’t think I did anything,” I replied. “Things were going great between us and then she just stopped showing up at the ranch.” I shook my head as I rubbed the back of my neck. I felt better getting some of this off my chest, even if it really wasn’t helping me figure out how to solve this Emma problem.

  “You love her though, right?” Tex asked.

  I nodded, sighing as I answered. “Yeah, I do. I just don’t know what happened.”

  “Relationships aren’t all sunshine and roses,” Big Tom said, leaning over onto his elbows on the table and staring hard at me. “You have to work at them to make them successful.”

  I took a sip of my coffee, not really wanting it, but just needing the time to think through this. When the waitress wandered over to take breakfast orders, I asked for toast and nothing else. I hadn’t been very hungry lately. Emma not being around had twisted most of the desire to do much of anything right out of me.

  “Women aren’t easy to figure out,” Laraby said. “I’m still trying with my wife, and it’s been close to fifty years.”

  The table erupted with laughter, a few of the men pounding on the table with their open hands and making our mugs of coffee jump. I couldn’t help but smile.

  “The important thing is to try,” Big Tom said. “Emma seems like a straight shooter. If she’s upset, it’s probably because you did some dumbass thing that you might not have even realized you were doing at the time.”

  I
nodded, even though I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I might have done. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out I’d done something terrible without realizing it. I just wished Emma would tell me.

  “If you love this girl, don’t let her go without a fight,” Winston piped up, and I lifted my eyebrows. He didn’t often weigh in on most matters, choosing to hold his tongue while the other men talked. When he did speak, everyone else fell quiet, even Big Tom.

  “Winston’s right,” Laraby said. “You have to find a way to talk to her.”

  “I tried calling, but she won’t answer the phone,” I said. “And, she hasn’t been to work all week.”

  “She’s got to live somewhere, son.” Big Tom stared hard at me. “Go find her and get this figured out now before it’s too late. She might tell you to leave her the hell alone, but at least you’ll know. If you don’t find out what happened, you’ll be kicking yourself for the rest of your life.”

  I knew that much was true.

  I drove back to the farm after breakfast, thinking of what I’d say when I pulled up and saw Emma’s little blue car in the driveway. But she wasn’t there. Lacey wasn’t due in, either, but at least I knew what was going on with her and that she’d be back on Monday. It was going to be another long, lonely day on the ranch. It just didn’t feel right around here without Emma.

  Instead of getting right to work, I went to the porch and sat down next to Riley.

  “I don’t know what to do, old boy,” I said. “I must have done something wrong, and now Emma won’t come to work or speak to me. What would you do in my place, Riley? Would you go after your girl even if she didn’t seem to want a damned thing to do with you anymore?”

  I looked down at the curled up shape of my scruffy old mutt, but he hadn’t even lifted his head at the sound of my voice. Sighing, I sat back in my seat to puzzle this out.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Emma

  Saturday

  I was out back with Kasey, drinking coffee while we watched Daddy walking around the barn, looking for things that needed set right. I’d come over before the sun rose to help out with the horses and a few other chores on the property. Now I was relaxing for a minute before the sunshine strengthened and the heat of the day set in. I’d told Daddy I’d help him in his garden today. Anything that kept me busy all day was good.

  “You were right,” I told Kasey, just coming right out with it because I wanted this part of the conversation over with.

  My conversation with Jack had done the opposite of ease my mind. I hadn’t been able to forget the sight of Lacey in Pete’s arms, and nothing Jack had said made me feel any better about it. I needed to hear what another woman had to say. And, Kasey was always there to listen to my problems. She knew me better than anyone, and there was no one I trusted more in this world besides Daddy. If she agreed with Jack that this wasn’t an issue, I might consider talking to Pete. If not, I’d let things lie the way they were.

  Kasey glanced over, eyes wide with surprise. She looked fifteen again, with no makeup on, her hair pulled into short pigtails, and wearing a matching pajama set. “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “What you said about Pete and Lacey having feelings for each other.” I kept my eyes on the small, solid shape of Daddy as he walked to the front of the barn and then disappeared inside. I could feel Kasey’s eyes burning into the side of my head, but not looking right into them helped.

  “I saw them together, hugging like they were in love. I don’t know why they went to so much trouble convincing me they were friends just to turn around and rub their feelings for each other in my face like that.”

  I tightened my jaw, swallowing back the tears that were burning in my eyes all of a sudden. I went from being angry to heartbroken in a span of a few seconds. I just wanted to move on with my life, but I couldn’t help how hurt I felt.

  Kasey sighed long and low. “I tried to warn you.” But she didn’t sound like she was rubbing it in my face. I looked over at her, and her big eyes were shiny with how upset she was for me. “I’m sorry, Em. Pete’s such a nice guy. I really thought things were good between you.”

  I nodded, trying to smile a little but not quite making it. “I did, too.”

  “Are you sure it wasn’t just this Lacey putting the moves on him?”

  I shook my head. “No. He was hugging her, too. I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “Shit.” She pressed her bare lips together, keeping in whatever else she was thinking.

  I watched Daddy crossing the yard over to us. He stopped at the foot of the deck, resting one boot up on the step. He tilted his hat back so he could stare up at me from under the brim.

  “You mind running up to the feed store, Em? The horses are about out. You can take my truck.”

  “Sure, Daddy,” I said with a smile. I turned to Kasey after he walked off. “You want to come?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Hell, no!”

  We laughed together as I got up. I went through the house to get Daddy’s keys and then went out to the truck. The feed store was in the middle of town, only fifteen minutes from the house. At this time in the morning, there wouldn’t be much traffic on the road…not that there ever was.

  I took the country road into town, the window rolled down so the wind blew through my hair and the radio turned up, some twangy music coming through the speakers. I pulled into the parking lot of the feed store and went inside. Feed for big animals was in back, so I headed that way, saying good morning to the owner as I went down one of the aisles. There’d be a kid back there who would help me load the food onto a flatbed cart and take it out to Daddy’s truck. I told the kid how much I wanted and he loaded it onto the cart, telling me he’d get it outside for me while I paid.

  I turned to head to the front and froze solid.

  Lacey was walking in the door.

  Fuck.

  There was no place to go that she wouldn’t see me besides the bathroom, and that was clear across the store. She was the last person in Round Rock I wanted to speak to right now, but I’d be goddamned if I’d let her chase me into the bathroom.

  As soon as she saw me, she smiled, waved, and came over. I kept a stony look on my face, not being outwardly nasty, but not friendly either. I just wanted to get this over with so I could get the fuck out of here and away from her.

  “Hey, Emma, how’ve things been on the farm this week?” she asked, tipping her cowboy hat back on her head.

  I frowned at that, not understanding the question. “You haven’t been at the farm?”

  Now it was her turn to look confused, her blonde brows scrunching together. “No, I’ve been down in Galveston with my family all week. Pete didn’t tell you?”

  I shook my head.

  “My grandmother passed last Monday afternoon. I hadn’t even known she was sick.” Her voice was shaking. She wiped at her suddenly wet eyes. I’d never see her like this before. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you before I drove out that night. I dropped by the house to let Pete know and then got on the road.”

  That knocked all the stubborn fight out of me. And it got me thinking. “Is that why you and Pete were hugging on the porch on Monday night before I left for the day?”

  She nodded.

  “I thought…” But I couldn’t finish because I felt too much like a horse’s ass.

  Her eyes went wide as saucers as she watched me. “Wait, you didn’t think Pete was hugging me because we were getting together, did you?”

  I reddened to the roots of my hair instead of answering. What could I say? I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been. I should’ve trusted that Pete and Lacey wouldn’t lie to me for weeks just to end up getting together.

  “Oh my God, Emma, you never need to worry about that. Pete loves me, and I love him, but not that way.” She smiled, and I did, too, even if I did still feel like the biggest ass who ever lived. “He loves you that way. I’ve never seen him this happy with anyone in my life.”

&nb
sp; I had to make this right as soon as I could. I couldn’t believe I’d let an entire week go by while this festered. I needed to talk to Pete.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Pete

  Sunday

  I started on the fence at the front of the property, west of the house, first thing in the morning after getting the horses fed and watered. I hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before and just needed to keep my mind off of things. There was so much that needed doing on the farm, especially with both of the girls out just about all week. I was thankful for the diversion. Working on the fence helped, keeping me busy all the way into the afternoon.

  I looked up at the sound of a car coming up the country road, thinking it might’ve been Lacey.

  But it was Emma’s little blue sedan.

  My heart leaped in my chest. I dropped the wood and hammer at my feet and started over to the driveway, running by the time she pulled onto the property. I was just so damned happy to see her after so many days of nothing.

  She got out of her car just as I reached the top of the driveway. She smiled shyly, watching me skid to a stop and lean over onto my knees to catch my breath.

  “I came to explain,” she said, cutting her eyes away before she said the next part. “And to apologize.”

  It was easy to let her say her piece uninterrupted because I was still catching my breath from the sprint across the front of the property. I hadn’t run that much since high school.

  She kicked the dirt with her sandaled foot, and I found it hard to stop looking at her bare legs in that sundress.

  “I saw you and Lacey hugging on the porch Monday night,” she said. “And, I thought y’all must’ve had feelings for each other after all even though you both said that you didn’t. I thought the best thing for me to do was to leave.”

  “Emma, I never-”

  Her soft smile shut my mouth. “I know. Lacey told me what happened with her grandmother.”

  “You don’t have a thing to worry about between Lacey and me. We’re just good friends.”