The Blackstone Heir

by Dani Wade

  “You don’t have to eye me like that, boss. I’m not here for the whole ‘keep your hands off my sister’ talk.”

  Jacob felt his eyebrows rise, and wished he could tell the other man keeping his hands to himself wasn’t an option. At least, that was what he hoped. KC had called two hours before the deadline with her choice: he would stay at her house. Somehow it came across as her doing him a favor, as if control had been snatched away from him with those simple words.

  As if getting settled in her house had deflated some of the uneasiness between them, he and KC had moved back into their more natural state of flirting with each other, skirting around the sexual tension that built every second they were together. It reminded Jacob of their first date, played over and over in slow motion. The surprising part was, he enjoyed the anticipation.

  But KC hadn’t made clear where they stood—hope still simmered despite the fact that he’d slept on her couch last night.

  Zachary wasn’t done. “Besides, it’s a little late for that talk. Considering Carter and all.”

  “Yes, I’d say so,” Jacob said, keeping his grin inside. “But I meant what I said at KC’s house the other day. I want to do what’s best for Carter. That doesn’t include backing down or letting your sister off the hook.”

  To Jacob’s surprise, Zachary smirked. “Oh, I think you’re up to the challenge. Just keep your eyes open with that one.”

  “She can be a handful.”

  Zachary nodded, an understanding look in his hazel eyes. “The two of you did a good job keeping this a secret. Even I didn’t realize what was happening for a long time.”

  “I guess Carter was a pretty big giveaway.”

  “For the family, yeah. I knew a couple of months before that,” Zachary said.

  That surprised Jacob. “Guess it was a shock.”

  “Yes, but I respect my sister too much to butt into her life.”

  That was a concept Jacob didn’t run into very often these days. Most people were more than happy to meddle. He cocked his head at Zachary in question.

  “KC is a self-sufficient, capable woman,” the other man said. “With our family history, she’s had to be. Why she would want to be relegated to the shadows, I don’t know. But I assumed she had her reasons.”

  She hadn’t wanted it—Jacob knew that now. She’d viewed the clandestine part of their relationship in a whole different way than he had. He’d anticipated each moment with her and could only focus on her when they were alone. He knew now it was a possessive attitude. Not only did he not want the complications of other people, he’d wanted KC to himself.

  Just the thought had his heart pumping.

  “That being said—” Zachary continued.

  Here it comes. The brotherly rebuke was clear in Zachary’s voice.

  “I’ll stand behind KC...however she needs me to.”

  Jacob nodded to the other man with respect. It took guts to go against his employer in support of his family. Openly and without apology. Without the stereotypical "I’ll hunt you down with my shotgun” diatribe. Because Zachary was more worried about his sister and her needs than asserting his manhood.

  “Good,” Jacob said. “Family should stand together.”

  Lord knew his family had its crazy moments, but he and his brothers were there for each other every step of the way. So why had he not included them in his relationship with KC until he was forced? Not even his twin brother, Luke.

  The answer to that lay in a part of his psyche Jacob wasn’t sure he wanted to explore further.

  “Do you enjoy working here, Zachary?”

  The other man crossed his arms over his chest. “Why? Am I about to lose my job?”

  “Far from it.” Jacob gathered his thoughts for a moment, glancing around the area to ensure they were still alone. He was taking a risk here, but his gut told him it was the right one. Lowering his voice, he asked, “What do you think about all the problems around the plant?”

  Once again Zachary studied him, thinking before he spoke. Jacob’s respect for him grew.

  “Why would you trust what I have to say?” Zachary asked.

  Jacob answered with a challenge of his own. “Should I not?”

  Zachary nodded slowly, as if coming to a decision. “We’ve got some sneaky mischief going on. It’s pretty hard to go incognito with this many people around.”

  “Are you speaking from experience?”

  “Ex-military. Air force.”

  Hmm... That could come in handy. “Any ideas how it’s happening?”

  “It wasn’t really my place to look into it.”

  “What if it was?”

  Before his possible new ally could answer, footsteps sounded from down a nearby aisle. Unlike the normal rubber-soled work boot, this was the clip-clip of dress shoes. That meant management. Zachary fell back a step while Jacob stretched his shoulders, loosening the tension that was gathering there.

  A familiar face appeared a little farther down. Mark Zabinski had gone to high school with Jacob. They’d attended the only private high school in Black Hills, where they’d both been prominent in Future Leaders of America and student government. A business management degree had gotten Mark hired as one of the daytime line supervisors. He’d moved up through the ranks to manage the accounting department, but hadn’t been able to get any further than that. Jacob couldn’t help thinking his enthusiasm for the return of the Blackstone brothers was a little too forced.

  “Hey, guys,” Mark said, eyeing Jacob and Zachary in turn. “Everything okay?”

  Zachary didn’t rush back to his station like an employee who’d been caught loafing. Instead, he held his stance, looking down on Mark from his superior height without a word.

  Jacob watched with interest but also refused to rush away. “Yes, Mark,” he said. “Everything’s fine. Zachary was just explaining to me how some of the equipment worked.”

  Mark nodded with enough enthusiasm to shake his longish, eighties-style blond hair and started describing how the surrounding machines worked, causing Zachary to quirk the corner of his mouth in a look of almost condescending amusement. Mark didn’t seem to notice, but Jacob did. He agreed with Zachary more than he could admit in front of an audience.

  As soon as the other man took a moment to breathe, Zachary jumped in. “I’d better get a move on. Day shift is almost over and I need to shut down.”

  Mark nodded, his look of supreme approval hinting that the idea had been all his.

  Zachary shook hands with each man in turn, but his gaze caught Jacob’s. “If I can help with anything else, just let me know.”

  Oh, Jacob would be calling. A man on the floor was just what he needed, and Zachary’s position and history made him perfect. He’d check with Bateman, just to be sure there wasn’t anything else he needed to know about KC’s brother.

  Mark watched the taller man’s retreat, then turned back to Jacob with an ingratiating smile that scraped along Jacob’s nerves. The man insisted on kissing up when Jacob would be happier if they just treated each other as equals. “You sure everything is okay?” Mark asked.

  “Sure.” Jacob wasn’t about to reveal what the last part of his conversation with Zachary had been about—or the first part, for that matter. Though he hated how much it reminded him of his earlier attempts to keep KC under wraps, he and Aiden had decided it was safer to keep the relationship quiet for now. “What’re you doing down here, Mark?”

  “Oh, just checking in. You know, sometimes you have to stay on top of people, make sure their work is up to par.”

  Jacob couldn’t decide whether to question that statement or mention that Mark didn’t belong in this part of the plant anymore. “Well, we’re good down here. Let’s get shift change taken care of, shall we?”

  Because Jacob had a woman
to get home to...

  Seven

  Jacob wished he could ignore his eager lead foot on the drive out to Lola’s. As scenery flew by, he reflected on how KC was at work and Carter was at her mother’s. There wasn’t any need for him to be there. The fact that he’d promised her 24/7 wasn’t a really good reason for him to be speeding down the road toward the bar.

  His body knew only one thing: get to KC. He wasn’t even sure why. His body wasn’t going to get what it wanted, regardless of how fast he drove.

  Still, he obeyed.

  Luckily he didn’t get pulled over by a cop before he reached his destination. Lola’s was sparsely populated on a Wednesday, but patrons were trickling in after getting off work. Jacob joined them, waving a few hellos, and decided he’d find a table somewhere KC could see him. It couldn’t hurt for her to know he meant business about their mock-family togetherness.

  He wasn’t being stalkerish. Not at all.

  Shaking his head at how messed up his mind was, Jacob crossed the room. He let his gaze sweep the bartending area, not wanting to appear obvious. Until he noticed KC wasn’t there. Instead, her mother straightened bottles behind the bar. That stopped him in his tracks. Unsure now, he waited a few minutes. He knew KC would walk out of the back room any time now.

  Seconds ticked by... Nothing.

  Letting go of caution, Jacob strode over until he stood front and center. “Ms. Gatlin?” he said.

  She raised wary eyes to meet his, though she didn’t straighten from her task of refilling the bottles under the counter. A stubborn squint had replaced her earlier look of fear. “Yes, Mr. Blackstone?”

  Cheeky. “It’s Jacob. Where is KC this evening? I thought she was working.”

  “She was. Now she’s not.”

  He raised his eyebrows at that cryptic answer. Definite carryover of animosity from the previous day. “May I ask where she is?” he said, pulling out his phone for a quick glance to make sure he hadn’t missed a call from her.

  “Not here,” she said, her tone even tighter than before.

  Jacob stood, frozen in a quandary. He had a feeling that, as was the case with KC, throwing his weight around would get him nowhere. At least with KC, the arguing was part of the fun. That didn’t apply here. Could he appeal to reason? Probably not. Ms. Gatlin was a mother, with a mother’s emotions. What should he do?

  “Ma’am—” he started, not even sure where he was going with the sentence. Then Zachary stepped around the corner of the bar.

  KC’s brother held up his phone, displaying the text message screen. He was a little too far away for Jacob to read the words, but he got the point. “She’s at home,” Zachary said, ignoring his mother’s glare. “Looks as though Carter started running a fever around noon. She’s taking care of him tonight instead of working.”

  Torn between his irritation at KC’s mother for keeping that information from him and anger at KC for not letting him know, Jacob locked his emotions down tight. “Thanks, Zachary,” he said.

  He turned back to the door, his mind now on getting to KC’s house, when Ms. Gatlin finally spoke. “Why don’t you take some food.”

  He half twisted back, eyeing her over his shoulder. Part of him couldn’t help wondering if she’d poison his portion—if she even gave him a portion.

  She refused to meet his gaze but continued speaking. “Sick babies don’t leave a lot of time for cooking.”

  She headed off to the kitchen, and the men shared a knowing look. Ms. Gatlin wasn’t about to offer Jacob anything, but she wasn’t a heartless woman.

  Twenty minutes later, Jacob was finally on the road with his lead foot and a fried-chicken dinner for two. When he arrived, he could hear Carter crying from the porch, which gave him pause.

  Then he shrugged. He could play the big bad man too macho to handle crying babies, or he could play the man big enough to step in where he was needed. Even if he didn’t know what he was doing. Pride be damned.

  Walking through that door was a tough step, but he did it. When he crossed into the living room, what he saw gave him pause.

  He couldn’t believe that a woman holding a sick, crying baby could be so darn cute. In pink sweatpants and a tank top, her hair haphazardly pulled up in one of those clip things, she looked frazzled and concerned. She bounced Carter gently in one arm and patted him on the back. He would have smiled and kissed her if she didn’t look on the verge of tears as Carter paused in his crying to cough.

  Spotting him in the doorway, she glared as if he was the cause of all the ruckus. So fussing at her for not calling him wasn’t an option right now, either. They’d come back to it later. The noise pulled his gaze down to Carter, whose chubby cheeks were now flushed. The rims of his eyes were red, too, but Jacob didn’t see any tears.

  KC raised her voice as her eyes narrowed on him. “If you want to throw your weight around, I’m not in the mood, Jacob.”

  He could feel the frown forming between his brows and struggled to maintain his mask of calm. How could one child produce such a racket? “Actually, I’m here because I thought that’s what we committed to. When I say 24/7, that’s what I mean.”

  She opened her mouth, but he plowed forward before she could argue.

  “What do you need?” It might be better to head this discussion off at the pass.

  He saw a sheen of tears forming in her muddled hazel eyes. “Um.” She swallowed hard, turning away for a moment.

  Jacob gave her the chance to regain her composure. He took the food into the kitchen and lay the containers out on the table. Then he returned, grateful the cries had subsided to whimpers interspersed with snuffles. Who knew a baby’s distress could shake a man’s firmest foundations?

  “What do you need, sweetheart?” Jacob repeated, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. “Do you need me to hold him?”

  “No. He wants me,” she said, patting and bouncing the baby in a set rhythm. “But he needs to eat. Could you make a bottle?”

  As Jacob made up the formula, he knew he’d have to take this situation in hand. From what Zachary had said, KC had been with the baby since a little after noon. It was now a quarter past six. Her disheveled appearance and quick tears, unusual for her, spoke to her exhaustion, yet she still tried to maintain her superwoman front. He wasn’t going to let her run herself into the ground and catch Carter’s fever. She’d pushed him to the periphery of Carter’s care since he’d moved in, but today he’d be jumping in feetfirst.

  Returning with the bottle, he helped KC settle into the overstuffed chair she and Carter usually cuddled in. A relieved look swept over her face as the baby took the offering without protest. “Good. I think the medicine the doctor gave me is helping. This is the first time I’ve been able to get him to eat with any appetite. His other bottle sat out too long, and I didn’t have enough hands to fix more.”

  He let her talk out her frustrations. There wasn’t anything for him to add. The tension relaxed around her eyes, and she took on the peaceful expression that entranced him as she watched Carter eat.

  How on earth could he feel this attraction and need when her focus wasn’t even on him? Where was the crying when he needed a distraction? “He’s not the only one who needs to eat.”

  “Well, you’ll have to cook for yourself,” she said with a frown. “I’ve got my hands full.”

  Boy, cranky babies sure created cranky moms. Though it was probably like any bad day on a job with grumpy customers, only worse because the care was hands-on with no quittin’ time. “I meant you,” he said, leaning closer to catch her gaze. “I brought home food from Lola’s. Your mom wanted to make sure you ate.” He’d keep her mother’s attitude to himself.

  Her eyes widened for a moment, then she gave a tired grin. “You know what? I didn’t even notice you bring that in.” She ran her fingers over Carter’
s hair. “Sorry.”

  “No problem.” Surprisingly, it wasn’t. Her attitude didn’t make him mad or eager to walk back out the door. An urge to face the challenge she presented rose within him. He would do this. Whether she wanted him to or not.

  They sat in silence for long moments. Almost as soon as the bottle was empty, Carter drifted off to sleep. KC, too. Her long lashes rested against the purple circles under her eyes. She looked so fragile, awakening Jacob’s protective urge once more. One he wasn’t comfortable with but refused to ignore.

  He carefully lifted Carter from her arms, stilling her with a firm look when she jerked up. “Let’s get you something to eat,” he said as he settled the baby in the bassinet that she’d moved into the living room.

  “Yes,” she agreed, though her eyes stayed glued to the sleeping child. “I should eat while he’s out.”

  Jacob led her to the kitchen table with a firm hand. “He’ll be fine. We’re right here.”

  She dug into the food with muted gusto. Had she eaten at all today? Or had her entire focus been on Carter? As soon as she stood to clean up, Jacob was on his feet, too. “Time for your own bed, sweetheart.”

  “I can’t go to bed,” she protested. “Carter might need me.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. You’ve had him all day. You rest.” He led her into the dim back bedroom, where he could see the bed that had been the stage for so many hot nights with her. But tonight, it was for her alone. “I’ll come get you if we need you.”

  “But what if he starts crying?”

  “What about it?” His confidence was built on shaky ground, but she’d never know.

  “You won’t know what to do.”

  She was right, but that wasn’t the point. “I’ll manage. Now, into bed.”

  As if to show her defiance, she strutted into the bathroom and shut the door with a firm click. He wasn’t about to leave, because sure enough she’d be back in the living room if he left the path unguarded. So he crossed the room to confiscate the baby monitor on the bedside table, then took up residence in the doorway so he could hear Carter if he woke.