The Texas CEO's Secret

by Nicole Foster

  “Still…”

  “I want to do this, Blake. I have to. And I can and I will. For the family.”

  Blake admired his sister’s courage, in fact pride for her welled in him; nonetheless, he wouldn’t stop worrying until the whole caper was over and done and she was safely back at home. “We are in desperate circumstances, I won’t kid you. We need that diamond if McCord’s is to survive.”

  “I know that. That’s why I’m willing to take whatever risk is necessary.”

  “Promise me one thing.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t embark on any of this until you clear everything with me. I want to know every detail of your plan, start to finish. I’ll do anything I can to help assure you’re safe. Got it?”

  “Always the big brother,” Paige said flippantly.

  “And don’t you forget it.”

  After they’d hung up the phone, it occurred to Blake that Paige wasn’t the only one of his siblings that he had lost touch with in the past weeks. He considered a moment then sent Penny a text message asking her to meet with him because he hadn’t seen much of her at all. He blamed that on Jason Foley.

  I’d love to but I already planned to go to the gym, she wrote back.

  Fine. I’ll meet you there. We can play a round of racquetball. I’ll reserve the court for four.

  Penny didn’t text back for several minutes. When she did, it didn’t sound promising. I was going to do a Pilates class, but I suppose I can skip it today.

  Satisfied with his arrangements, Blake arrived at the court on time and began to warm up, pounding the rubber ball with all his might into the back wall. He needed to vent a dozen frustrations over Katie, the family business, worries about Paige, Penny, the elusive Santa Magdalena Diamond, the charity ball, Charlie and his mother.

  He slammed the ball again, about ready to give up on Penny showing. But the door squeaked open and Penny ducked inside, into the white-walled echo chamber of the racquet ball court. Blake caught the ball before it ricocheted off the back wall right at her.

  “Wow, that was some serve,” she said, hunkering down lest he didn’t stop the speeding ball in time.

  “You’re late.”

  “I almost didn’t come at all.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I have the feeling the reason you asked me here wasn’t to play a game.” She took her position on the court, rocking from one foot to the other in anticipation of the serve.

  A short distance from her, Blake turned to her. “I miss my little sister, isn’t that okay?”

  “If that’s really why you asked me here, of course. It’s just not like you.”

  Avoiding the comment, Blake started the ball in play, and they volleyed some to warm up before keeping score. He knew she didn’t have a chance of beating him so he took it easy on her.

  “You’re patronizing me,” she said after winning three shots in a row.

  “Would you rather I kill the ball every time?”

  Paige shrugged, out of breath. “No. This is challenging enough.”

  They played hard, shoes squeaking across polished hardwood floors, sweat pouring over Blake’s goggles and drenching his shirt. Not realizing they’d run out of time, a pound on the door reminded them their hour was up.

  They grabbed their towels, dried off a bit and Blake congratulated Penny on a game well played.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said. “We don’t do enough of this kind of thing together, do we?”

  Looking a bit startled, Penny said, “You mean twice a year isn’t enough?”

  Outside the court Penny started to head for the ladies’ locker room but Blake’s hand on her arm stopped her. “Come sit with me in the lounge for a minute before we go, would you?”

  An apprehensive frown crossed her face, but moments later she agreed to join him. “I’ve only got a few minutes. I’m scheduled pretty tightly today.”

  As they walked toward a casual lounge area where guests could watch TV, grab a bite or a drink and chitchat, Blake decided he’d better get to the point quickly before she bolted.

  “Seems like you’re scheduled pretty tightly every weekend, too. You don’t even sleep at home much anymore.”

  Penny looked away. “I’m an adult. What I do with my time is my business.”

  Stopping her with a hand to her elbow, he turned her to face him. “Penny, you don’t know what you’re dealing with in Jason Foley. You don’t have much experience and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Thanks, but I can take care of myself. From what I hear, you’d be better off guarding your own heart instead of worrying about mine.”

  Her words stung sharply but he wasn’t about to reveal any emotion in regard to Katie. Instead he merely stared at her, quelling his inner fire.

  “Really, Blake, I am sorry but I’m going to be late.” She turned on her heel, obviously feeling she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. “I have a date with Jason tonight and I need to go take a shower and start getting ready. We’ll do a rematch and have coffee or something another time. Thanks for the game.”

  Left standing in the foyer of the gym, Blake gave up the idea of sitting in the lounge in favor of a hot shower at home. Now clean, more relaxed and long overdue for a quiet evening, he went to the kitchen to rummage for dinner. The official family dinner hour had passed and with it service from the house staff. He was fine with digging in the fridge and eating in the kitchen breakfast nook, blessedly alone with his newspaper, rather than eating in the usual spot—the formal dining room with everyone hashing over family dramas.

  He’d found some leftover roast pork loin and a spicy polenta that smelled too good to be true. Fixing himself a plate and grabbing a bottle of hearty Bordeaux from the wine cooler, he nestled into a window seat to enjoy his solitude.

  No sooner than he’d taken the first sip of wine, however, Eleanor padded into the kitchen in her slippers and robe.

  Blake groaned inwardly. One night of peace and quiet around here was too much to ask. Tension immediately crawled up his spine and into his head, making it pound.

  “What are you doing sitting there eating all alone in the near dark?” she asked, setting a kettle on the stove to boil.

  “It seemed like a good idea to me,” he said flatly.

  “Well, it’s not. Not healthy to eat alone. I’ll bring my tea and sit with you.”

  Suddenly the roast pork lost its savory appeal and Blake shoved his plate aside, favoring another glass of wine instead. “Okay.”

  Eleanor prepared her tea with meticulous ritual, gracefully carrying the delicate china cup and saucer to the nook where she scooted in opposite Blake.

  She bent to sniff the aroma of her brew. “These Asian teas are so fragrant.”

  “So are these French wines.”

  Eleanor smiled, glancing at the label. “I recall that vintage.” She looked wistful. “It was the year your father and I separated.”

  Pain rose in her face, tightening her features and hollowing her eyes, making her look suddenly much older. His chest tightened and he realized that if he were ever to forgive his mother for the affair she had with Rex during that separation, he had to understand a whole lot more about her history with him.

  There’s no time like the present, he heard an inner voice urge. So, bracing himself he acted on it.

  “I think it’s time you leveled with me. All of this tension, anger and resentment aren’t good for any of us. I need to understand about you and Rex Foley. If I don’t, I can’t even begin to forgive you.”

  Eleanor gripped her tea cup in both hands, her head dropping as she stared into the steaming cup. When at last she looked up at him again, her eyes were filled with tears.

  “I fell in love with Rex when I was sixteen.” Swallowing hard, then taking a deep breath, she went on. “We planned to marry,” she said, her voice beginning to tremble. “Oh, we were absolutely inseparable for three years, it all seemed so perfect, like a dream come true.�
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  “What happened?” Blake monitored his tone carefully. This was the first time they’d ever spoken of Rex and her past with him and he felt certain it might be the last time she would ever open up. He measured his words. “If you were so in love, why didn’t you marry him?”

  “It’s all so painful,” she said. “It all went so wrong. All of our plans…” Bending to sip her tea, she tried again. “One night, after a ridiculous fight with Rex, I was upset. I wanted to punish him for something he’d done that offended me. I can’t even remember what that was now. Anyhow, I wanted to make him sorry.”

  “That sounds pretty typical for a girl that age.”

  “It was the worst mistake I ever made,” Eleanor said grimly. “That night I accepted a date with Devon.”

  Blake braced himself. The sense that that date changed the course of his mother’s life began to settle over him like a shroud.

  “Devon had pursued me for months, hoping to take me away from Rex. He saw his moment and he seized it. He made the most of his one chance.”

  Blake’s thoughts turned to Katie, the date she’d had with another man. Had something similar happened? To him, although he was angry, it didn’t matter enough to change everything. Had the other man seized his chance with Katie? Right now wasn’t the time he could get an answer to that. His mother was about to reveal keys to her past he’d waited a lifetime to have.

  “I was very emotional that night, determined to show Rex he couldn’t take me for granted, and one thing led to another and, well…” Her eyes turned downward. “Devon and I became intimate.” Immediately she lifted her chin, eyes suddenly wide with shame. “I regretted it the moment I gave in. I didn’t want it, but it seemed too late. I didn’t know how to stand up and say I’d changed my mind. I was still more girl than woman.”

  Blake reached across the table, briefly touching a hand to hers. “People make mistakes. You should forgive yourself. After all these years, let it go.”

  Tears began to tumble freely down her pale cheeks. “Blake, that one mistake got me pregnant.” She paused, letting the painful truth penetrate him. “In my family, being an unwed teenager wasn’t an option. My parents demanded Devon marry me and he happily obliged, in his eyes marking up another victory over the Foleys for the McCords. It was the last thing I wanted but I didn’t see any way out of it.”

  The realization of what she was truly saying began to dawn on Blake and his body went cold. “I’m the result of that mistake, aren’t I? I’m a mistake.”

  “Oh, Blake, don’t—” Eleanor grasped for his hand and he yanked it back.

  “I’m the result of a weak moment on your part with a man you didn’t love. While Charlie is the product of your only love.” He shook his head. “How could I have been so blind all these years? It makes perfect sense. Everything makes perfect sense now,” he said bitterly.

  “But I do love you, Blake. Yes, it’s been difficult, painful—all that pent up guilt for marrying a man I didn’t love, of knowing I ruined my only chance for happiness with Rex in one night.” Sobbing now, she couldn’t stop herself. “Every time I looked at you…”

  “You resented me. I’m the reason you and Rex have been separated all these years.” His insides burned, not with anger as much now as with emptiness, loss.

  “Blake, please. I tried to hide it, not to take it out on you, but it was hard for me to bond with you, especially since you look so much like Devon. Even now, you remind me so strongly of him and sometimes…Oh, Blake, can you possibly try to understand, to put yourself in my position—to forgive me?”

  He stood, unable to bear the sight of her another moment. It was as if he’d been shot in cold blood but couldn’t die. Loneliness, sharper than any dagger’s edge, sliced through him. The one person who could help him now, comfort him, the one person he could open up to might have given herself to another man the same way his mother had. He couldn’t call Katie. He couldn’t talk to his mother or his siblings. All he could do was lock his heart up in a steel cage and toss away the key. “Don’t ask that of me. Not now. Not ever.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  All the months of planning, the focus on each detail, had finally culminated in a perfect evening for the Halloween ball. Katie, standing at the fringe of the crowded ballroom, taking a moment alone to watch the elegant gathering, knew without a doubt that her and Blake’s efforts would bring in more funding for the children’s hospital than any previous year. They’d sold every ticket to the gala, and the auction sales had far exceeded expectations. It should have been their time to bask in the warm glow of their shared success.

  But her smile pasted in place, only half her attention on the conversations around her, Katie’s predominant emotion was worry.

  “What are you doing alone in a corner?” Her mother’s voice pulled Katie out of her thoughts and Katie turned to find Anna at her side.

  “After two hours of playing hostess, I needed a break,” Katie said lightly. “I think I’ve managed to talk to every person here at least once.”

  Anna did a quick study of Katie’s face then followed the direction of Katie’s gaze, frowning when she spotted Blake. He was standing in a group that included Tate and Tanya, his attention on whatever Tate was saying. “Ah, well, I see…” Anna touched Katie’s arm. “I imagine it must be hard seeing Tate with that woman.”

  “Of course it isn’t. Why would it be? I’ve been telling you for weeks now that you’re wrong thinking I’m still pining for Tate.”

  “Oh, Katie, you’ve been distracted all evening,” Anna said. “I’m not the only one who’s noticed. I assumed it was because of Tate and frankly, so has everyone else.”

  With an impatient shake of her head, Katie dismissed the idea. “That’s ridiculous. I’m glad Tate is happy. I wish you would finally give up this idea that I’m in mourning over our broken engagement.” Her eyes were drawn back to the group, but it wasn’t Tate she sought. Despite her mother’s ideas, she’d scarcely noticed him and her gaze skimmed over him now. While her former fiancé and his new love appeared blissful, Blake did not.

  She’d been watching Blake most of the evening and he was the cause of her concern. On the surface, he’d played his part of cohost with his usual cool efficiency. At her side, in front of others, he’d openly praised her and had given her the lion’s share of the credit for their successes, treating her with a careful courtesy that was minus the warm gestures, the touches she’d grown accustomed to when they were together. He’d made excuses, though, to avoid her beyond what was expected of them as hosts. Despite their agreement to talk things out after the ball, his behavior didn’t surprise her, considering the way they’d left things since that night in his office.

  But from the moment she’d seen him, she’d known there was something very wrong with him apart from their unresolved issues. Maybe it wasn’t obvious to anyone else. To her, though, it was if he were mechanically going through the motions, his mind and heart elsewhere.

  “You and Blake are quite the pair tonight,” Anna commented with a touch of irritation. “After all the months of work you both spent on this, the two of you are giving the impression you’d rather be anywhere else. I suppose Blake is preoccupied with business,” she mused. “All those rumors about McCord’s…”

  “You should know better than to pay attention to the gossips,” Katie told her mother. Whatever was wrong with Blake, she felt sure it wasn’t business. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait any longer to find out. “I should get back to mingling. I’ll find you again later.” Quickly kissing her mother’s cheek, she headed straight for Blake.

  He was alone in the crowd, striding away from the group he’d been a part of in the direction of another. Katie walked up to him, stepping into his path, forcing him to a stop.

  “You haven’t danced with me,” she said without preamble, ignoring the curious glances from bystanders and the surprise that briefly flicked over his face when she clasped his forearm.

  “I didn’t
think I had an invitation,” he said, yet there was no emotion in it; it was simply an observation, made absently, as if there were no implications to her asking.

  “Now you do.”

  His lack of question or objections, letting her lead him into midst of the dancers, increased her uneasiness, though she refrained from saying anything until they were facing each other and pretending to move to the music.

  “Blake, what’s wrong?” she asked gently.

  He didn’t meet her eyes, staring at a point over her shoulder. “Why the sudden concern?”

  “It’s not sudden and you know that. No matter what’s happened, I care about you. I can tell you’re upset about something. Is it business?”

  “I wish it were,” he said, so low she almost didn’t catch the words.

  “What, then?”

  She didn’t get an answer, not in words. Instead, he looked at her and for brief seconds his mask slipped. Katie caught her breath, taken aback by the pain she glimpsed in his face. She’d never seen him like this, almost vulnerable, as if he’d suffered a crippling emotional blow. It vanished almost immediately, yet left Katie shaken, unable to imagine what had the power to hurt him so deeply.

  Avoiding her searching gaze, Blake gathered her closer, his hold tightening, pressing his cheek against her hair.

  They finished the dance in silence and as the music ended, Blake released her, taking a step away, his facade firmly in place. “I should get back to—”

  “No,” Katie said firmly, refusing to let him shut her out this time, “you shouldn’t.”

  “Katie, this isn’t the place.”

  “Then let’s find a better place. I’m not above causing a scene,” she added quickly, seeing the start of a refusal in his eyes.

  Blake looked as if he might challenge her then, his mouth twisting in a sardonic facsimile of a smile, but he relented, sweeping out a hand in a mocking gesture for her to lead the way.

  She did, to an isolated nook away from the main ballroom area, in a dimly lit area of the music hall that wasn’t being used for the ball. The music and voices faded to a distant sounding hum in the background and she could almost pretend they were completely alone.