She directed them to the Crab Pot, a rundown little dive not far from the Will Rogers State Beach. The dining room was mostly empty, and the hostess gave Ty a puzzled look as she directed them to a seat on the patio overlooking the ocean.
“You look sort of familiar,” she said.
“I get that a lot.” Ty gave her a smile. “Guess I have pretty generic features.”
He most certainly did not have generic features. In the charcoal suit with the pinstriped shirt, Holland was having a hard time keeping her eyes off him. The tailors had done their job, and the suit fit perfectly, showing off his wide shoulders, tapered waist, and long legs. He seemed to be settling into the style she’d given him, and with the increased confidence came increased sexiness. The rush of butterflies in her stomach when she looked at him was unsettling. This was her client, and she’d better remember it.
Conversation was easy over king crab legs dipped in butter, skewers of grilled shrimp, and steaming bowls of clam chowder. The breeze coming off the water brought the tang of salt and made Holland yearn to go wading in the surf that was foaming over the sand.
She was working to crack open a crab leg when she suddenly realized the other two were being unusually quiet. Holland looked up in time to catch a glance between Ty and Misty. “What?”
“Ask her,” Misty urged Ty.
“Ask me what?” Holland said.
“Thanks a lot.” Ty gave his sister a wry look.
“Well, you’re such a gomer, you’d never do it unless you’re forced,” Misty pointed out.
“Now you have to tell me,” Holland interrupted. “What’s going on?”
Ty fiddled with his crab crackers, opening and closing them in his fist. “Misty and I were talking last night, and we got to thinking—what if you came back to Hailey with us and helped me get the foundation going?”
She stared at him for a few blank moments. “To Hailey, Idaho? For how long?”
Ty shrugged. “I don’t really know yet. As long as it takes, I guess.” He gave her a wry grin. “This week has proven how far in over my head I am with some of this stuff. I need people who know what they’re doing.”
“But . . . I’m an image consultant, not a corporate person,” Holland pointed out. “I don’t know much about running a business.”
“But you know what you’re doing,” Misty broke in. “Just look at us: we’ve never looked this good in our lives. Ty’s better at the business stuff than he lets on, but he needs someone who can give the foundation some kick, some style. Have you seen the website? It’s super boring.”
“Again . . . thanks a lot,” Ty replied.
Misty shrugged and popped a shrimp into her mouth. “I speak the truth.”
She was right. Holland had seen the website, and to say it was uninspiring would be kind. There were a lot of things she would change to give it a more polished look.
But one didn’t simply uproot and move to Idaho to work on a website.
“I already have a job.”
“Could you maybe take a leave of absence or something?” Ty suggested. “I’ll pay you, and I’ll pay your agency whatever it loses in sales because you’re gone.”
“Please come, Holland,” Misty urged. “It would be so much fun, and I know Ty could really use more help. My mom and I have been doing what we can, but we’re not experts.”
“Neither am I,” Holland cautioned. “I majored in PR in college, but it’s been a while since I’ve had to write a press release.”
“At least you know what a press release is.” Ty chuckled lightly and then grew serious. “Honestly, though, you saved my interviews from total disaster. I’m sure any input you give the foundation could only help.”
She was quiet for a moment, considering. She’d never been to Idaho. Yeah, so it wasn’t somewhere exotic, but it would be fun to have an adventure, something outside her normal routine. And in the short time she’d known Ty and Misty, she’d come to really like them—okay, maybe even stronger than like where Ty was concerned. There was definite attraction there, and she was pretty sure it ran both ways, but she needed to take it slowly. Just last week she was in tears over Carson leaving; she was in no position to jump into anything new. Still . . . she and Carson hadn’t made any commitments to each other. He’d said himself they’d wait to address it until he got back.
“I’ll have to check with my boss,” she said.
Ty’s face split into a huge grin. “You’ll come? That would be fantastic!”
They spent the rest of the meal making plans and by the time the check came, excitement was thick in Holland’s stomach. She had been in a bit of a funk lately; this adventure could be just what she needed.
5
The flight from LAX into Hailey’s Friedman Memorial Airport was aboard a small plane with only two seats per side. Holland’s seat was several rows behind Ty and Misty, and she was relieved to have some time to herself. Ty had pushed their flights back two days to give Holland more time, but all of that had been spent transferring her client load to other consultants in the agency; she hadn’t had time to brush up on her PR skills. She’d downloaded several articles about land use in Idaho, private foundations, and anything else she’d found to help her get a handle on her new job.
Holland tried to keep her eyes focused on the articles, but found them wandering, lifting subconsciously to focus on the back of Ty’s head. Every so often, he threw his head back and laughed at something Misty said. The sound of his laughter drifted through the cabin, making Holland’s heart do a funny little jump.
They disembarked onto the tarmac, and Holland shivered. The sky was sapphire blue, and a crisp breeze sent puffy white clouds scudding over the low hills. It was one hundred degrees in LA, and she considered the summer clothes she’d packed with a sinking feeling. Summer in central Idaho was apparently quite different from summer in southern California.
“My car is over there,” Ty said after they’d claimed their bags from the small airport. He led the way across the asphalt to a parking lot. A shiny black Mustang convertible roared to life when he clicked the remote.
“Are you even being serious right now?” Holland fell back.
“What?” Ty gave her an innocent look as he began loading their bags into the trunk.
“You stay at the Holiday Inn, give me all kinds of crap about buying clothes, chauffer me around LA in a dinged-up old Honda, . . . and you have this?” She waved her hand toward the car purring in the sunshine like an overgrown panther.
“Well . . .” Ty gave her a rakish grin. “I needed a car.”
Holland rolled her eyes as she climbed in and Ty chuckled.
She rode in the back, giving Misty the roomier passenger seat. As Ty drove south away from town, Holland peered out the windows at the landscape.
Hailey, Idaho, was in a rather narrow valley, surrounded by brush-covered hills with gentle slopes. It took Holland a minute to realize what was so different about the place.
“No houses,” she said. “If this were California, there’d be houses all over those mountains.”
“Yeah, that’s one of the stipulations here,” Misty explained. “No one can build above the valley floor.”
They drove a short distance along the main highway before Ty turned off onto a narrow asphalt road that wound across the valley. Sheep grazed in the fenced pastures lining the roads.
“Is all this yours?” Holland asked as she watched the sheep go by. She’d never been on a farm before. All this open space . . .
“Everything on the right side of the road.” Misty partially turned in her seat so she could face Holland. “The other side is the Colemans’.” Pain flashed in her eyes and was gone so quickly Holland wondered if she’d even seen it correctly.
A few minutes later, Ty pulled up in front of a two-story house of gray siding with a wide front porch and a stone chimney. The front door was painted bright blue and hung with a wreath of yellow sunflowers.
Holland had been nervous
about meeting Ty’s family, but she wasn’t prepared for the tension that washed over them as they stepped inside. A small, slender woman with a pixie cut rushed at them, wrapping Ty and Misty into fierce hugs. She had to be their mother. Ty towered over her, and she was almost totally engulfed by his arms. Their father had dark blond hair that was beginning to thin. He wore a plaid shirt and jeans with cowboy boots and walked with a cane. Holland’s eyes widened at the sight of a pistol in a holster on his hip. The youngest sister, Ashley, was only fourteen, but her eyes were hard and angry.
“There’s been a problem,” Ty’s father, Blaine, said in clipped tones after Ty had made quick introductions. His face was grim. “Someone torched the foundation office last night.”
Misty’s hands flew to her mouth with a sharp gasp.
“What?” Ty demanded.
Holland’s head was spinning. “Torched? As in fire?”
“I’m afraid so,” Blaine said.
“How bad?” Ty’s face was grim.
“The building’s still standing, but the roof caved in. Everything inside is a total loss,” Blaine said. “We got the call in the middle of the night, but by the time anyone could get there, it was over. The fire department did what they could, but it was a fast blaze. I’m sorry, son.”
Ty raked his hands through his hair. “And they think it was arson? You’re sure it wasn’t just an accident? That was an old building; could it have been bad wiring or . . .”
Blaine shook his head. “Officer Wilde said they found gas cans.”
“Was anyone hurt? What about damage to the other buildings? Why didn’t anyone call me?” Ty fired questions faster than the anchorwoman during his TV interview.
“You were coming in on the first flight available anyway, so we figured there was no point worrying you during the trip,” Ellen said. Tears sparkled in her eyes. “No one was hurt; it was in the middle of the night, so no one was around.”
“Has there been any press coverage?” Holland asked.
“A couple of reporters have called today wanting a statement,” Ellen told them. “I told them we were waiting until you got back.”
Holland’s eyes shot from one member of the family to the other. How strange that they just seemed to accept her being here as a matter of course. Her own parents would have asked someone they’d just met for privacy in a situation like this. But the Eppersons seemed to take her presence as a matter of fact, and she did not get any impression they were censoring their behavior on her account.
Her heart ached at the rawness in Ty’s eyes. “Do they have any idea who did it?” she asked.
“Gotta be someone who saw the interviews and didn’t much like what Ty had to say,” Blaine said. He shook his head. “Hard to believe someone would actually do that, though.”
Ty clenched his teeth and stared at the ceiling for a long moment. Finally, he dropped his gaze and focused on Holland. “This changes things,” he told her. “I’m booking you on the next flight home.”
“Why?” Holland demanded.
“I’m so sorry. I should have told you from the beginning. Since I started the foundation, there have been a few letters, mostly from environmental groups. Not legitimate conservation types, the kooky ones who think humans are a scourge to the planet and should be eliminated . . . that kind of thing.” He shook his head. “They want the federal government to seize ownership of all the land in the US and have control over its use. Needless to say, they don’t like what I’m doing.”
“And they’ve threatened you?” Holland asked.
“Not like this. They’ve mostly been making a lot of noise, talking about lawsuits, trying to scare me that way. Looks like the TV interviews ticked them off though. I know we were going to get you a room at a hotel in town, but I think you should stay here tonight and fly back tomorrow. I’ll go with you to make sure you get home safely, or Dad will if I need to stay and work with the police.”
“Sounds okay to me,” Blaine agreed.
“Well, it doesn’t sound okay to me,” Holland said. “I want to stay and help.” The thought of someone deliberately targeting Ty made her blood boil. She didn’t want to be sent home like an inconvenient child while the grown-ups stayed behind to handle things.
Ty shook his head. “I won’t put you in danger.”
Ellen nodded. “Ty can sleep in the camper tonight, and you can have his room. I’d feel much better knowing you were here instead of in town on your own.”
“I’ll get the luggage,” Ty said, spinning on his heel.
Holland followed him outside. “Don’t I get some say in this?” she asked, hurrying to keep up as he took the porch stairs two at a time.
Ty popped the trunk on the Mustang and began pulling bags out. “Not really. It’s my problem; I need to deal with it without putting other people at risk.”
The breeze ruffled Holland’s hair and brought a clean, sharp scent of dirt and sagebrush and the less pleasant smell of sheep. She planted her hands on her hips. “Your mom said reporters are calling. How are you going to deal with them? Can you deal with all the publicity and hopefully spin this to work in your favor plus manage the investigation plus keep the foundation going?”
“I don’t want to put you in danger,” Ty said stubbornly.
“Your dad’s wearing a gun, and I’ll bet you have one not far away,” Holland pointed out. Her anger was rising. “Some jerks think they can intimidate you and make you go away. Let me help you show them they can’t.”
He was quiet for a long time. Finally, he sighed. “Let me think about it, okay? But you’re definitely staying here tonight.”
“Fine,” she agreed.
They hauled the bags inside. Ty called Officer Wilde while Holland helped Ellen and Ashley prepare dinner.
“Misty and Ty look incredible,” Ellen said as she stirred ingredients together for a casserole. “You’re a miracle worker.”
Holland laughed. “Well, thank you. We had fun. You have a beautiful family, Mrs. Epperson.”
“Call me Ellen.” Ty’s mother passed her a bowl of tomatoes. “Could you cut these for a salad, please? The knives are in the drawer to the left of the dishwasher.”
As they worked, she shook her head. “I’m just glad to see Misty with something other than a ponytail. She’s been so depressed lately that . . .” Ellen trailed off with a small sigh.
“How are you liking summer vacation?” Holland quickly asked Ashley as she began cutting the tomatoes into cubes.
Ashley shrugged. Unlike Ty and Misty, who had their mother’s coloring, Ashley was the spitting image of Blaine with her blond hair and a smattering of freckles across her nose. She wore denim overalls, a long, rather messy braid, and no makeup. “It’s okay,” she said.
“What kinds of things do you do for fun?”
“I dunno, the usual stuff,” Ashley said. “Read, play games, hang out with the animals. And I go to the skate park when someone will take me.”
“Roller skates?” Holland guessed.
Ashley gave her a disgusted look. “Ew, no. Skateboards. I can do a blunt mute grab with a one-eighty.” She said it with such pride in her voice, and even though Holland had no idea what she was talking about, she gathered it was a pretty big deal.
“Wow, that’s pretty cool. Will you show me some time?”
“Sure!” Ashley’s face lit up.
Over a dinner of chicken casserole, green salad, and homemade rolls, the conversation returned to the fire.
“I’m meeting Officer Wilde in an hour at the office,” Ty said.
“Can I go?” Ashley prodded.
Ty buttered a roll and shook his head, and Ashley fell back into her seat with a huff of disappointment. “But Holland, I was hoping you’d come,” Ty continued.
“Sure.” Holland nodded, her nerves tingling at the thought of being alone with Ty. “If everything was destroyed, does that mean we’re starting over from square one?”
“Well, luckily for us, we’re pretty
small potatoes so far. All my files and important documents are on my laptop, which I have here, and on a backup drive in my bedroom. Everything at the office can be replaced. It’ll be a pain, but I don’t think we’ve lost anything critical.”
“Except a place to work,” Misty put in.
“Yeah, but my bigger concern is that someone apparently thinks it’s time to step up the intimidation.”
“Well, it’s not going to do any good to sit here worrying,” Ellen said with a strained smile. “Why don’t you tell us about yourself, Holland?”
She told them about growing up in California, her family, and her job. The conversation inevitably moved to the TV interviews and Ty’s subsequent makeover. They all had a good laugh when Ty described the horror of getting highlights. Holland smiled as she bit into a fresh roll, still warm from the oven. This family had an infectious energy, and it was obvious they were close. It was no surprise Ty and Misty had been so trusting and accepting right off the bat.
After dinner, she and Ty took the Mustang into Hailey. Holland’s eyes kept drifting toward the floor beneath Ty’s seat where she’d watched him stash a big black pistol.
“Do guns bother you?” he asked as he drove, noticing her gaze.
“No,” she said. “I mean, I’ve never been around them very much, but you seem to know what you’re doing.”
It was weird that someone would just walk around with a gun strapped to their hip the way Ty’s dad did. That would never happen in California. But Blaine and Ty treated the guns as tools, not status symbols or a means of control. When Ty had put the pistol in the car, he hadn’t brandished it or acted proud of it the way she’d seen gangbangers do on TV. He’d shown her where it was, assured her it was unloaded, and shown her the full magazine in his pocket. If he’d acted at all flippant or showy about it, she would have been uncomfortable. But he hadn’t, and the idea of the gun was oddly comforting. Someone obviously meant to cause Ty harm; if they ran into trouble, they wouldn’t be helpless.
The Lucky Billionaire (Destination Billionaire Romance) Page 4
