The Billionaire's Heart: The Complete Series (Romance, Contemporary Romance, Billionaire Romance, The Billionaire's Heart Book 7)

by Nancy Adams

  I gave her what I'm sure was the saddest smile I've ever given anyone. “Hey,” I said, “that's what friends are for. We stick by each other.”

  I picked up the desk phone and dialed my Dad's office number. When his secretary answered and I told her it was me, she put me through instantly.

  Telling my father what had happened was one of the hardest things I'd ever done in my life, and hearing the building anger in his voice was enough to break my heart. He'd liked Nate, seen in him all the qualities he wanted his little girl to find in a man. To learn that this young man that he'd come so quickly to love and respect was a fraud, no better than any of the worst men out there, was a blow to his own sense of right and wrong, as well as an assault on his love for me. He agreed to take Donna's case instantly, and asked me to bring her over right away. We left one of the other ladies in charge and headed for his office.

  She told him the whole story, adding in details I wish I wasn't there to hear, and showed him the photo on her phone. Dad had her email it to him so he could print it out and put it in the file, and then began outlining the strategy he would use to push the company into a settlement. He'd force them to acknowledge Nate's wrongdoing, and demand amnesty on the theft accusations and a ten million dollar cash settlement for Donna, refusing to settle for less than that.

  If they didn't blink and pay, then it would mean going to court, but Dad agreed with me that the last thing the company would want is for the news services to get hold of the story. He would not issue a statement on the case unless they forced him to, so paying up quickly was their best bet.

  By the time we got done and back to the store, it was my quitting time, so I dropped Donna off and went on home. I still had to tell Mom about it, and I wasn't looking forward to that, and then there was Corie; I reached for my phone to text her to call me when she got home, and that's when I saw that I had almost a dozen text messages from Nate already.

  Babe, call me when you can.

  Hey, Baby, just checking in. Everything okay?

  Katelynn, call me, please.

  Katelynn? I called the store and they said you were out. Call me please, Babe.

  Honey, why aren't you answering me?

  Katelynn, are you all right?

  You're scaring me. Please answer me.

  Katelynn, if there is something wrong, please tell me. I love you!

  Katelynn call me.

  Baby, I don't understand why you're not answering me.

  Katelynn?????

  I ignored them all, my face burning and tears falling, as I texted Corie. I asked her to call me when she got off, and she answered a moment later that she would call in an hour. I drove on home to let Mom know that her little girl needed to cry on her strong, motherly shoulders.

  And cry, I did. I leaned on her and wept until I didn't have any more tears, and then I still managed to sob into her shoulder for another ten minutes. I had been so sure that Nate was the one, so in love with him; how could God let this happen? I wanted her to give me answers, but all she kept saying was to put my trust in God, and ask Him to make sure that His Will would be done in this, no matter what. I tried to pray with her, but I was just hurting too much.

  When Corie called, I told her the whole story over the phone, and was still trying to explain it when our front door burst open and she came running into the living room. She dropped her phone as I dropped mine, threw her arms around me, and I found a whole new set of tears to soak her shoulders with.

  When I'd finished crying, I told her the rest of it, how I was going to help Donna beat the accusations and get out of the mess he'd put her in. She sympathized with me, and even tried to tell me that maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed, that maybe I should ask Nate about it and get his side of the story, but knowing he'd disappeared on me that Saturday and then seeing that photograph was more than enough to break my heart the first time; I wasn't about to risk giving him another chance to break it again. If I talked to him, and he tried to deny it, I'd want to believe him, and I'd probably end up even worse off than I was. Better to get the hurt over with now, I felt.

  Of course, Nate didn't know that I knew, so he was till trying to call me, still sending me text messages about how much he loved me. I wanted to just throw the phone away, but then I decided I need to buy Donna some time. Dad couldn't file the suit until Monday morning, so I wanted to stall off any conversations with Nate about any of it until that was done.

  I picked up the phone to text him, and it rang again. Nate, of course, so I just went ahead and answered it.

  “Hey,” I said, and there was a burst of breath from the other end.

  “Babe!” he said with a loud sigh. “Oh, God, I've been worried sick, I've been trying to call you all afternoon, and you weren't answering my text messages or anything. What's wrong, Honey?”

  “Nothing,” I said, and all my crying made my voice come out thick and heavy. “I just got to feeling sick at work, so I came home and went to bed. I guess I didn't hear the phone.”

  “It's okay, Baby, I've just been so worried. Listen, I got things settled here, so I'm going to fly back out in the morning...”

  I cut him off. “No, don't come back yet,” I said. “I don't know what this is, but I'm really sick, and I don't want to give it to you. I'm probably going to sleep through most of the weekend, anyway, and it hurts to talk much. Just stay there til I get better, okay?”

  I could tell he sensed something was wrong, but he didn't ask. He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Okay, Honey, if that's what you want. I love you,”

  I mumbled, “Love you, too, but I gotta go, it hurts to talk and I want to go back to sleep. I'll talk to you later.”

  Once again I sensed his hesitation, and then he said, “Okay. You get better, and I'll call you tomorrow.”

  I ended the call without even saying goodbye.

  Part III: Nathanael

  Chapter Nine

  The Breaking

  * * * * *

  I'd only been back to North Platte for less than a week when I had to fly home suddenly on a legal emergency, but I'd gotten a lot done during that few days.

  One of the very first things I did, of course, was to pay a visit to Donna Bennet the day I arrived, letting her know that we had uncovered proof that she was the one altering the sales records, and warning her that I was only going to give her one chance to straighten out, or we'd press charges. She had begun to cry, and told me that she'd needed the money for medical care for her daughter, and that she'd had every intention of paying it back. I asked for more information about the medical expenses, and then gave her the rest of the money she needed from my own pocket. I told her that I was going to keep the whole thing a secret, and not to let anyone else find out, not even Katelynn. I didn't want there to be any animosity between them, and she agreed not to say anything.

  That was pretty much the end of that problem. The computer and bookkeeping agreed every day after that little talk, but I did have a rough time getting Katelynn to accept that the situation had been handled and that she did not need to know who the culprit was. She'd gotten her feelings hurt when I wouldn't tell her, but after a bit she got over it and everything went back to normal.

  The rest of the week was great. I was so happy to be back with Katelynn, just to be able to look at her. Sometimes I think I make her self-conscious, because she'll catch me just staring at her, but that's how beautiful she is. I just can't get enough of looking at her, and I guess she's not used to that, though I can't imagine why she wouldn't be. She's so gorgeous that I would think she gets lots of stares.

  Maybe it's just because it's me, and she isn't used to having someone who loves her. Yeah, that's probably it.

  I got the legal problem squared away the morning after I got back to San Francisco and was ready to head back, but then things got strange. When I tried to call Katelynn to tell her the good news, she didn't answer, and even though I tried over and over, and sent her like hundreds of texts, I didn
't hear from her until late in the day. She said she'd gotten sick, and gone home to rest, but it seemed to me that there was something seriously bothering her, and I began to wonder if I'd done something wrong. I wracked my memory, but I couldn't think of anything it could be.

  I told her I was ready to come back the next day, and then she really got me worried, because she suddenly didn't want me around. She said it was because she was afraid I'd catch whatever bug she had, but—you know how sometimes, you can just tell that someone isn't telling you exactly the truth? That was the feeling I got, and I didn't know where it was coming from.

  I couldn't believe that Katelynn would lie to me, but there was definitely something she wasn't saying, and in my experience, when someone you’re dating starts that, there's a problem that can get pretty serious pretty fast. I wanted to ask her what it was, but on the off chance that she really was sick, I let it slide, and agreed not to come back until she was feeling better.

  I thought about calling her friend, Corie, to try to find out what was going on, but I nixed that thought as soon as I had it; Corie's loyalty wasn't to me, it was to Katelynn. If there was a problem, she'd be on Katelynn's side, and I wouldn't find any help there, I was sure.

  Still, I couldn't imagine what the problem could be! We'd been doing great when I left, or at least, I hadn’t seen any sign of a problem up til then. Yeah, she'd gotten a bit upset about the money thing, but she'd been over that for days, and there hadn't been anything else I was aware of.

  No, it was a mystery, and I didn't have a clue how to solve this one. I'd have to wait and see what happened next, I figured.

  I spent that evening with my parents, and after playing Monopoly with Katelynn's family, I managed to convince my own folks to play with me. Dad proved to be the shrewd one, that time, though, and whipped the pants off me! Even Mom came out ahead of me, and that had never happened before.

  I guess it was because my mind wasn't really on the game; it was a thousand miles away in Nebraska, with the woman I loved. No matter how I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong, something that could make me lose her, and I didn't ever want to face anything like that!

  I finally went to bed around midnight, but I didn't sleep. Katelynn was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and the thought of losing her was more than I could bear. I tossed and turned all night, and might have gotten an hour's sleep altogether by the time the sun came streaming in my bedroom window.

  Saturday was long and boring. I wanted to call Katelynn, but I didn't want to disturb her if she really was feeling ill, so I puttered with some of my cars and just took it easy. About mid afternoon, I called her phone once, and it went to voicemail, so I just said I loved her and asked her to call me when she could. I told myself she just really felt poorly, but something was eating at me, and I just couldn't get the thought out of my head that she might be having second thoughts about us. I didn't know what I'd do if she decided we weren't right for each other.

  I was beginning to wish I'd asked her to elope with me. She probably wouldn’t have, but at least I'd feel better. Or maybe I wouldn't; rejection isn't easy for anyone to take.

  I made it through the rest of the day with only a text message telling her I missed her, and I got one back that said she was still sick and would message me when she felt better. That was rough, because I didn't want her to think I didn't care what she wanted, but at the same time, I wanted to go rushing to her side. I wondered if maybe this was a test, and she really wanted me to come to her, but I didn't know how to tell truth from my own fantasies.

  I did sleep that night, because I was exhausted, and I got up late the next morning. It was Sunday and my folks were gone to church, but they'd let me sleep in. I wandered down to the kitchen and rustled up some cereal for breakfast, then went out and sat on the bridge for a while.

  I was thinking about trying to call her again, but if she was feeling better, I knew she'd be in church, and if not, then I didn't want to wake her from getting the rest she needed. I sat there deep in thought for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion that I already knew enough about Katelynn Burke to know that I wanted to marry her. As soon as I got back to Nebraska, assuming there wasn't something wrong between us, I was going to propose. With that thought settled, I went to get a car and headed into the city. I knew that the big jewelers would be open, even on Sunday, and I had an engagement ring to buy!

  I hit five different stores before I found the one I wanted. It wasn't the biggest, by any means, at only three carats, but it was definitely the most beautiful of them all. I'd managed to get her ring size during a random conversation once, and this one was exactly right for her finger. It came with a matching wedding ring, of course, and I was pretty sure she'd love it if I ever got to show it to her. The jeweler put it into a gold-embossed box, and I took it home to pack it away into the bag I'd be carrying back with me to North Platte.

  I was excited, to say the least, but I was also scared. What if she really was having second thoughts? What if she really didn't want me, after all? Would I ever be able to get over her, to love someone else? Would I ever even want to try?

  I was certain of only one thing at that moment, and that was that I was absolutely in love with Katelynn. Nothing could change that, nothing could make me give up on us, unless she told me to my face that she didn't want to see me anymore.

  And that would utterly destroy me.

  I slept again that night, and was up bright and early, ready to get to the airport and on the way back to Katelynn. I waited until I knew she should be up and at work, and tried calling her phone, but there was no answer. I called the store, and was told that no one had seen her since Friday afternoon, so I began to believe that she really was just sick—and that made me even more anxious to get to her, What if it turned out to be something serious? I'd want to be there for her, even if it meant I would lose her in the end.

  I called the pilot and he said he could have the jet ready by noon, and so I went to the office for a while just to make sure things were all covered before I left. I was just about to leave for the airport, talking with one of the secretaries about my itinerary, when one of the lawyers called from downstairs.

  “Nate, can you come down here right away?” he asked, and I said I'd be right there. I thought it was probably something to do with the discrimination suit we'd dealt with the other day, but when I got there, I saw several faces all looking grim, and I smiled. “Wow, guys, what's the problem?”

  Jackson Miller, our senior corporate counsel, motioned for me to sit down, and I did.

  “Nate, we've got a serious situation on our hands. We've just been served notice of a new lawsuit that was filed about thirty minutes ago in the Lincoln County Circuit Court in North Platte Nebraska, accusing you of sexually harassing one of the store employees there.”

  I was floored! The only person who could even say I looked at her with anything resembling interest was Katelynn, and I could not believe she would accuse me of such a thing. I'd never once gotten out of line with her, not even when we both got overly excited and I probably could have…

  He went on. “The woman's name is Donna Marie Bennet, and according to this affidavit, she claims that you blackmailed her into providing you with sexual favors, by threatening to accuse her of theft and have her children taken from her if she did not cooperate. Do you know anything about this?”

  “Do I—Of course not!” I yelled. “The only interaction I've had with Donna Bennet is to let her know we caught on to the way she was ripping money off from the store, and that if it happened again, she'd be prosecuted. We've handled lots of minor thefts that way.”

  Jackson looked at me for a long moment. “This woman claims to have a photograph of you with her in what appears to be corroborating evidence of her claims, and she has a witness who says she'll testify that your whereabouts could not be accounted for on certain times when Ms. Bennet says you were with her.”

  I wa
s shocked anew. “A witness? Who?”

  Jackson looked at the paper in his hand.

  “The witness' name is Katelynn Burke.”

  My world crumbled, and I lost all semblance of consciousness.

  BOOK III

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nathanael

  Chapter One

  The Shock Of It All

  * * * * *

  How can a man go from being the happiest man alive to being the most devastated and heartbroken creature that ever lived, all in the space of a few days? I couldn't answer that question, even though I was living in that very nightmare.

  Let me back up and try to give you some sense of what I'm talking about.

  My name is Nathanael Simmons, and I am the recently installed CEO of Nate's Stores, inc. The company was founded by my father, who named it after me, and because of a recent heart attack, he had decided to step down and let me take over so that he and Mom could enjoy their lives for as long as they could. I didn't blame them, but I still wasn't happy about taking on the job.

  In addition, all of this had happened right after I had met and fallen in love with the most beautiful wonderful girl I'd ever known. Her name is Katelynn Burke, and I met her when I was sent to train her to manage one of our newest stores. Somehow, we hit it off, and before long we both knew we were meant for each other.

  All of that should explain the part about being the happiest man alive. The rest of it may be confusing, though, because I'm still not sure what's going on.