Sweet Stallion

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Chapter 3

  It was going to be a long day. And not an exceptionally easy one. Patrick O’Brien needed to run and he needed to get it done and out of the way before heading into the office. After his day started, he wasn’t sure when he’d get another opportunity and it had been a week since he’d last worked out. As he stepped out into the early-morning air he took a deep inhalation of oxygen. It was just minutes from daybreak and a promise of nonstop sunshine and extreme heat. The weatherman was predicting triple-digit temperatures with a zero percent chance of precipitation. It was already warm and uncomfortable and was only going to get worse. For a moment, he considered driving his car to the gym and running on the treadmill, but he needed more than that and he needed to sweat.

  He started out at a slow jog, circling his downtown neighborhood. His South Temple address was mere minutes from the City Creek Center, a retail, office and residential development spread over twenty-plus acres of prime Salt Lake City real estate. The luxury high-rise where he resided was one of the many new buildings, refurbished office towers and retail space that had brought a lively and diverse vibe to the city.

  Born and raised in Miami, he’d found his move to the state of Utah had come with some challenges. Being far from his family was lonely at times, but when the chance had come to head the Perry Group’s legal department, he hadn’t been able to let the opportunity pass him by. His association with the Perry family came through his friendship with Garrison Perry. The two had been roommates, both graduating from Brigham Young University.

  Freshman year, Patrick had been one of only a handful of minority students, and most students he met were surprised that he was there on an academic scholarship. Weary of the assumption that he must have been recruited for the basketball team, he found Garrison’s invitation to go play hoops with a group of his friends hitting him the wrong way. The two had bumped heads, hard, almost coming to blows. Both were ready to change roommates when an astute resident advisor pulled them aside and insisted they mediate their issues. Working through their personal biases had come with a challenge or two, but then, before either realized it, they’d become the best of friends. Patrick had no siblings and he and Garrison both referred to each other as brothers from another mother.

  This was going to be a big day for his best buddy. Since assuming the reins for the family business, this would be his first major project without his father’s input. Since forever, Nolan Perry had been a stern taskmaster, never quite letting go, his hands somewhere in the mix of everything going on at the Perry Group. But this time he’d sworn to stand back and let Garrison rise or fall all on his own. Determined to prove himself worthy, Garrison was set on making his father proud.

  Understanding completely, Patrick was committed to helping his friend make that happen. His thoughts suddenly flew to the exquisite woman who would be at the auction...and who wanted the land as much as Garrison did. She was going to be highly disappointed, and that thought suddenly pierced Patrick’s spirit.

  He came to an abrupt stop not far from the Starbucks on Main Street, his hands on his hips, his breathing slightly labored. Naomi Stallion was going to be disappointed. The finality of that had him off-kilter. He didn’t know how deep her pockets were, but he couldn’t imagine she could keep up with the bankroll the Perry Group had their hands on. Garrison wanted that property and Patrick didn’t imagine him holding back. His friend had a selfish streak and he didn’t like to lose.

  Patrick blew out a soft sigh. He hadn’t been able to get Naomi Stallion out of his head since meeting her. Those few minutes in her presence had him intrigued, and he wanted to know more. A Google search hadn’t turned up anything about her. No Facebook or Twitter page to follow. Nothing about her farm or her business.

  In his mind, she was like a brand-new book, waiting to be explored and devoured. Everything about her was intriguing, like a new language to be learned and appreciated, with the promise of a happy ending. She was that sweet discovery on the top shelf in the back of the bookstore and he wanted to study her, to uncover the nuances that lay between the lines.

  A woman suddenly brushed by him, bumping him slightly and pulling him from his thoughts. “Excuse me,” she said, juggling the cup of coffee in her hand. Her blue eyes shimmered, and her long auburn hair curled past her shoulders. Her expression was curious and inviting, and though there was once a time when he might have taken the bait, right then he wasn’t falling for it.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, stepping to the side and out of the way.

  She smiled, stopping in her tracks as she eyed him curiously. “Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” she said, in an attempt to draw him into conversation.

  “It is,” he responded. “Have a nice day.” And he turned abruptly and resumed his run, thoughts of Naomi Stallion chasing after him.

  * * *

  Patrick O’Brien was standing just inside the doorway of the Cushman and Wakefield offices. His imposing stature caught Naomi off guard and made her breath hitch. Although she had expected him to be there, seeing him so suddenly had her nerves frazzled, and she couldn’t begin to explain why. He wore a designer suit that fitted him like a second skin. He looked different from how he had the other day, in the gray silk jacket, white dress shirt and paisley-printed necktie. His shoulders were pulled back even straighter, pushing his broad chest forward more and complementing his narrow waist and long legs. His shoes were polished to a high sheen and his silky curls had been tamed with a fresh haircut. His stance was majestic and he commanded attention. As she looked around, she saw there wasn’t anyone in the room who wasn’t giving him his due.

  Naomi turned swiftly, hiding behind her brother’s large frame. She suddenly regretted not having gone home to change out of the denim coveralls she wore into something more feminine. The dress she’d considered still lay across the foot of her bed, matching sandals kicked beneath a chair. She brushed her hands over her cheeks, praying that there wasn’t a speck of farm dirt or dust looking like bad makeup on her face.

  Noah eyed her anxiously. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, looking past his shoulder toward the other side of the room. “Yeah. I’m fine,” she snapped, everything about her expression saying otherwise.

  Noah turned to see where she was staring, and burst out laughing. He shook his head, chuckling warmly. “Get it together, little sister. You can’t afford to fall apart now,” he said.

  “I’m fine!” she snapped again. “Just anxious for this to be over so I can get back to work.”

  Her brother nodded. “What can I do to help?”

  She lifted her eyes to his. “Pray,” she said. “Just pray.”

  * * *

  When the auction started, Naomi pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She clutched the numbered bid paddle so tightly that her hand had begun to cramp and her fingers turn white from the restricted blood flow. She shot a look in Patrick’s direction and found him eyeing her with a warm smile. She gave him a slight smile back, then shifted her eyes away. He’d tried a few times to get her attention and draw her into conversation, but she’d gone out of her way to avoid him. She didn’t need the distraction. She needed to be focused now more than ever.

  A sudden commotion at the door drew everyone’s attention. Turning to look, Naomi was shocked to see the renowned Nolan Perry and his son enter the room. Both glanced quickly about, then moved to where Patrick was standing. The trio spoke in hushed tones and then the two newcomers moved to the back of the room to hold up the wall, their arms crossed over their chests. Patrick shot another look in her direction and smiled, his expression almost consoling. Naomi felt herself bristle and then her body began to shake, her knees threatening to give out beneath her. Her brother’s strong hand pressing tightly against her shoulder was the only thing that kept her standing.

  Noah spoke, his voice controlled and even. “It’s oka
y, Naomi. You knew this was a possibility.” He gave her shoulder another light squeeze.

  Naomi nodded, tapping his hand with her own.

  The auctioneer called for everyone’s attention, announcing the start of the auction. There was a brief description of the lot up for sale and then it started. “We will open the bidding at one hundred thousand dollars,” he said.

  Naomi lifted her paddle and gave the man a slight nod.

  “I have one hundred. Do I hear one twenty-five?”

  Someone else answered the call. “One twenty-five.”

  Patrick countered. “One fifty.”

  “Two hundred thousand,” Naomi called, cutting a quick glance in his direction.

  “Two fifty,” he responded.

  Naomi took a quick breath and held it. That land had been appraised at just over one million dollars. She had no desire to see the bidding go that high, but something told her with the Perry Group in the mix she wasn’t going to have much choice. She blew the air she’d been holding past her lips and countered, “Three hundred thousand.”

  The back-and-forth intensified. By the time the bidding hit eight hundred thousand dollars, Naomi and Patrick were the only two still in the game. Garrison had moved to the other man’s side, urging him on. With each bid she countered, he glared in her direction and Naomi glared back.

  She felt her heartbeat quicken, and her chest tightened with a vengeance when Patrick bid one million dollars for the land they both wanted. He turned, contrition painting his expression as he waved his bid paddle in the air. Naomi bit down on her bottom lip as everyone waited to see what she was going to do. Her budget had been blown at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. To go any higher would mean a total reevaluation of her business plan and the productivity her current farms would have to be able to make up the difference. She calculated and recalculated the numbers in her head, with nothing adding up the way she needed it to. She suddenly wanted to cry and had to bat her lashes fervently to hold the tears at bay.

  Noah suddenly leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Bid,” he said, as he held out his cell phone for her to read the text messages on the screen.

  A series of responses had come in back-to-back, answering Noah’s message for help. Each of her siblings, and her Texas cousins, billionaires John and Mark Stallion, had pledged their support, promising to help with any shortfall if she needed it. Money wasn’t going to be a problem if she didn’t want it to be.

  “One million going once. Going twice...” The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the room.

  “One point five million!” Naomi chimed. She crossed her arms over her chest as she turned to give Patrick a look.

  The man’s eyes widened. Garrison Perry inched forward, the resulting terse exchange seeming heated. Nolan had joined the two men, eyeing her and her brother with sudden interest. His unwelcome, intense stare sent a shiver up Naomi’s spine.

  The auctioneer paused before continuing. “Going once... Going twice...”

  Garrison nudged Patrick’s arm, but the man didn’t budge, his gaze still locked on Naomi’s face. When the auctioneer cried, “Sold to the highest bidder,” and slammed his gavel on the wood podium, Patrick smiled, his grin widening into a chasm of gleaming white teeth. Beside him, Garrison threw up his hands in frustration.

  Naomi jumped up and down excitedly, then threw herself into her big brother’s arms. Noah hugged her tightly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “Congratulations!” he said. “Now you need to figure out how to pay everybody back!”

  Naomi laughed. “Don’t worry. I have a plan,” she said. “At least I think I do.”

  Patrick moved to her side, his hand extended. “Congratulations,” he said softly. “You were a formidable opponent.”

  “You hesitated,” she said. “Why didn’t you bid? Clearly your employer is not happy right now.” She gestured toward the Perry family with her eyes. Garrison looked like he was ready to kill somebody, his father standing like a stone as his son ranted.

  Patrick tossed a look over his shoulder, then turned back to her. A moment of silence stretched between them before he answered. “You needed that land more than they did,” he said, his beautiful smile returning. “Congratulations again.”

  He turned to go, then hesitated once more. His ego had been slightly bruised before; no woman had ever dismissed him the way she had. He’d been taken aback by her aloofness, but he refused to let that deter him now. “Naomi, would you have dinner with me?” he suddenly asked.

  Behind him, Garrison called his name, his condescending tone grating on Naomi’s nerves. Patrick tossed another look over his shoulder. “I said I’d be there in a minute,” he answered, his own tone just as abrupt.

  He turned back to her. “Sorry about that. My friend can be a little rude at times. I apologize for his behavior.”

  “Your friend?”

  “Garrison Perry. We graduated from Brigham Young together.”

  Naomi nodded, and a gray cloud seemed to cross her expression as she looked from one man to the other, before her gaze settled back on Patrick.

  He continued, “So about dinner. Maybe we can get together tomorrow night, or later this week, if you’re available? I’d really like it if we could get to know each other better.”

  Her gaze skated over his face. His eyes pulled at her, with something in their depths almost beseeching. She felt her stomach do a flip and a wave of anxiety wash through her. But then she found herself nodding again, her head moving of its own volition. “I think I’d like that,” she said.

  Patrick passed her his cell phone. “If I can get your number,” he said, “I’ll call you and we can firm up our plans later.”

  Her head still moving, Naomi accessed his phone directory and pushed the add button. When her name and number had been saved to the device she passed it back to him.

  He handed her his business card. “My private number is on the back. Just so you recognize it when I call,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Naomi finally responded.

  Patrick grinned wider and then, with a wink, moved back across the room, turning his attention to the two men who stood eyeing them curiously.

  “The land you wanted and a date!” Noah exclaimed, stepping up behind her. “Sounds like today was your lucky day!”

  * * *

  “Why didn’t you counter her last bid?” Garrison snapped, the look he gave Patrick cutting.

  Patrick shook his head. “You didn’t want to go that high, remember? You specifically instructed me to go no higher than one million dollars.”

  “No, I told you I didn’t want to pay more than a million dollars, but that I didn’t want to lose that land, either.”

  “Well, it’s done now. We’ll just proceed with your plan B. This isn’t the only land in town. I think that property off the highway would be better suited for what you want to do, anyway.”

  “And do you have a plan B?” Nolan Perry suddenly interjected, moving between the two men.

  Patrick found himself feeling some kind of way as the older man looked from him and then to his son for an answer. His face flushed with color as neither answered, waiting for the other to reply.

  Nolan shook his head. “Patrick, who is that young woman you were talking to?” he suddenly asked.

  Their collective gazes followed Naomi as she exited the room, her brother following closely on her heels. Patrick replied, “Her name’s Naomi. Naomi Stallion. And that’s her brother, Noah Stallion.”

  Nolan nodded. He shot his son one last look and then turned and walked out of the room.

  * * *

  Naomi stood off to the side, a stack of paperwork and a paid receipt for the land she now owned in her hand. She was waiting patiently for Noah to come out of the men’s room when Nolan Perry suddenly appeared at
her side. She bristled, immediately feeling out of sorts at having her father close enough to reach out and touch.

  “Congratulations,” he said. “That was nice work in there.”

  Naomi didn’t answer, her mouth suddenly dry, her throat feeling as if she’d taken a punch to her gut.

  The man continued. “Do you know who I am?” he asked, as he rocked back and forth on his heels, his hands clutched together in front of him.

  Naomi took a deep breath. “Do you know who I am?” she answered.

  He turned to face her and was now standing directly in front of her. He wasn’t at all how she remembered him. He was shorter, no longer as physically fit as the man she recalled. His hair was more salt than pepper, age having clearly caught up with him. His suit was expensive and his hands well manicured. His skin was tanned, as if he spent much time on a tropical island or in a tanning booth. With his chiseled features, he reminded her of the actor George Hamilton. Money, and a great plastic surgeon, had served him well.

  “You look exactly like your mother. Just as beautiful,” Nolan stated.

  He stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to trail his fingers along her cheek. Naomi bristled and stepped back, shaking her head. Before she could respond, Noah suddenly moved between them, giving the old man his broad back. The chill in the air around them could have easily frozen hell.

  “Naomi, is everything okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m ready to leave when you are,” she said, grabbing her brother’s hand and holding on tightly.

  The two moved toward the door and made their exit, leaving Nolan behind. From where he stood on the other side of the room, Patrick noted the tense exchange. Something wasn’t quite right, and he suddenly had even more questions for Naomi that he hoped to get answers to.

  Chapter 4

  Patrick sat with his hands folded in his lap, his feet up on the desktop as Garrison rambled on and on about losing the bid at auction. Patrick knew his friend well enough to know there would be at least a dozen more auctions before he would be willing to let this one go.