“I’m hoping they’ll have it done by next month, but that seems kind of unrealistic,” Ty admitted as they left the construction site and made their way across a scrubby pasture.
“It’ll be beautiful when it’s done,” Holland said, turning for one last look at the house.
“That’s the plan,” Ty replied. “I’ve never been able to give my family much of anything, so now that I can, I guess I’m just impatient.” He gave her a rueful grin.
“But Misty still works at the bank?”
“Well, yeah. Just because I won a bunch of money doesn’t mean we’re all going to quit working. I’m hoping she’ll scale back once the baby is born, but I think it’s important she has a way to support herself, for the sake of pride if nothing else.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes, Cupcake keeping pace at Ty’s side.
“Do you think I’m being selfish?” Ty finally asked.
“For not letting them live off you?” Holland asked, surprise in her voice. “Of course not. I think you’re being smart.”
“I’m trying to be,” Ty said seriously. “Did you know that a huge percentage of lottery winners end up declaring bankruptcy? They win millions of dollars, and in a couple of years it’s all gone. Kind of like those star athletes that sign multi-million-dollar contracts but are completely broke when they retire. I don’t want to end up like that.”
Holland stubbed her toe on a rock and stumbled in the too-big boots. Without thinking, Ty grabbed her arm to steady her. The warmth of her skin seared into his palm, bringing a longing he’d never felt before. He let go reluctantly.
“What is Misty’s situation, anyway?” Holland asked after they’d walked a bit farther across the pasture.
“What do you mean?”
“I assume she’s not married. Does the father of the baby . . .” Holland trailed off, no doubt sensing his sudden tension.
“He’s no longer in the picture.” Ty scowled.
“I’m sorry. That’s obviously a sore subject.”
Tamping down his overprotective big brother reaction, Ty sighed. “It’s okay. I just don’t like watching people I love get hurt; it makes me cranky.”
Holland gave him an understanding smile. Funny how such a simple thing could make him feel much more relaxed.
They finished the tour of the farm and spent the rest of the afternoon at the kitchen table. It was a warm, drowsy kind of day, and the house was quiet. The hum of Ellen’s sewing machine drifted down the hall from her bedroom where she was making a quilt for the baby. Ty’s dad was giving the tractor a tune-up, Misty was upstairs taking a nap, and Ashley had curled up in the corner of the sofa with a book. Ty made a list of anything he could think of that was lost in the fire and would need to be replaced while Holland took a stab at the foundation’s website.
Ty had never been one for desk jobs—he preferred to be outside—but it was pleasant to sit next to Holland, listening to the click of the keyboard as she typed. Every once in a while she would give a huffy little sigh, and he would bite back a smile, wondering what she’d found on the website that had so offended her sensibilities. He was almost afraid to ask.
He checked in with Officer Wilde after lunch and wasn’t surprised to learn there had been no new information in the investigation.
“Any leads?” Holland asked him when he got off the phone.
Ty shook his head. “Jimmy thinks it’s someone who is trying to get back at me for winning the lottery. But if that’s the case, why target the foundation? I won the money several months ago. It seems weird that nothing happened until I went on TV and declared war on the federal government.”
”You think it’s the government?” Holland asked skeptically.
“Nah. They’d send the IRS, not some guy with a gas can and a match, right? I think it’s an environmental nut, some kind of ecoterrorist who saw me on TV and figured I’m an easy target.”
He sighed and scratched his chin, noting he was in need of a shave. How long could he go before Holland mentioned it? The thought of her bossing him around made him grin.
“Why don’t we go into town and scout around for a new headquarters?” he suggested. “I need to get outside and get moving.”
Ashley snapped her book shut. “Can I come? Please? Can we go to the skate park?”
Ty looked at Holland. He’d been hoping for more alone time with her, but he’d been promising Ash a trip to the skate park for a while. “It’s okay with me if it’s okay with you,” he told Holland.
“Sure, sounds great.” Holland grinned at Ashley. “I can’t wait to see your skills.”
Ashley beamed. “I’ll go change,” she said, leaping up and taking the stairs two at a time.
* * *
“I thought Hailey would be a little more rural,” Holland admitted as they strolled along Main Street. There was something strange about the town, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it felt . . . off.
“Well, it is the town Bruce Willis built,” Ty said with a small grin.
“What does that mean?”
“Back in the nineties, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore moved here—allegedly they wanted a little peace and quiet. But it didn’t quite work out. They bought a huge house, renovated a bunch of buildings to class the place up, even built a hospital so Demi could have their babies here. Pretty soon Bruce was a one-man industry, and Hollywood followed.”
He pointed to a two-story brown brick building. Tan curtains fluttered in the second-story windows above a wide marquee that read The Mint. “That was a nightclub and bar. Bruce owned it and brought in a whole bunch of famous acts; the place was hopping for a while.”
The light changed and as traffic moved off, Holland could see a for-sale sign hanging in the first story window of The Mint. “So what happened?”
Ty shrugged. “Box office failures, divorce, and I guess Bruce decided he was tired of being a one-man mogul for an entire town. He shut down his companies, and a bunch of people were out of work. It was rough there for a while, but with the growth of Sun Valley, things are recovering. Lots of new money is moving in.”
Holland studied The Mint. “Maybe you could buy it?” she suggested. “Restore it to its former glory.”
“Hey, cool idea!” Ashley put in excitedly. “We could reopen it and get bands to come play—OneRepublic, Pink, Halestorm . . .” She ticked off her wish list on her fingers.
Ty laughed. “I’m not interested in owning a nightclub,” he told his sister. “Plus, I’m pretty sure I don’t have the pulling power of Bruce Willis. Those performers would tell me to go pound sand.”
“You never know.” Ashley pouted.
They kept walking and passed an old house with butterscotch-colored paint and a real estate sign in the window. A large cobblestone patio shaded by evergreens took up the side yard.
“So, from the way you said new money, I take it you don’t approve?” Holland asked, pausing to look at the house.
“It’s not that,” Ty said as he stopped beside her. “People have a right to live where they want. But there have been a lot of ordinances passed that restrict what others can do—where and what they can build, when they can make noise, even what kind of streetlights we can have.”
“I thought that would be right up your alley,” Holland said. “Land preservation and all that.”
“Yes . . . and no.” Ty made a face. “It gets complicated. I’m all for respecting and caring for nature, but it almost feels like the rich people in town see the rest of us as props, something they can force to fit their idea what a small town should feel like.”
“Ty, I hate to tell you this, but you are the rich people in town now.” Ashley gave his arm a good-natured smack.
He whirled and wrapped her in a bear hug. “Take it back,” he ordered as he began tickling her.
Holland smiled at Ashley’s whoops of laughter and turned back to the butterscotch-colored house. She tried the door and found it locked; no surprise there. She cupped her ha
nds around her eyes and peered through the windows. Inside was empty and quiet. It looked like it had been a store at some point—a raised counter sat in the middle of the room and behind it were doorways leading into darkness.
“Ty?” Holland said, but there was no answer over Ashley’s screams. “Ty!” Holland said again, louder this time.
Ty and Ashley broke off tussling. “What?”
“Why not this place?”
“For my headquarters?” Ty led the way around the house, stopping to look in the windows.
It was obviously old and the rooms were small, but it looked in relatively good shape. The whole place oozed charm, a quaint feeling of peacefulness. It was worlds away from the frantic pace of Los Angeles and the sleek, modern offices of Enlighten Images.
When they reached the front again, Ty frowned thoughtfully at the house for a few minutes, then took a picture of the real estate sign with his phone. “This could work. I’ll call the agent today and see if we can get in for a showing.”
“Can we go to the skate park now?” Ashley prodded.
The skate park was on the edge of town near the airport. Ashley was out of the car before Ty turned off the engine, buckling her helmet as she ran, skateboard tucked under her arm. Holland and Ty found seats on a bench and watched Ashley plunge into the warren of concrete obstacles.
“She’s good,” Holland said in awe as Ashley maneuvered her board down a steeply slanted rail. “I’d fall flat on my face just trying to stand on that thing.”
Ty laughed. “It just takes some practice. I’m sure you’d get the hang of it after a couple of broken bones.”
“Gee, thanks.” She elbowed him lightly in the side.
The day was sunny, but the breeze put it definitely on the chilly side. Holland shivered.
“Where’s your jacket?” Ty asked. His leg brushed against hers, sending a totally different kind of shiver through her body.
“I forgot it,” Holland confessed. “It’s over ninety in LA right now; I never think about jackets in June.”
“I have one in the car. Hang on.” Ty went quickly to the Mustang and returned with a black jacket which he held while Holland threaded her arms through the sleeves. The jacket was miles too big for her and was warm from the car. Holland began to relax immediately. Sitting wrapped in Ty’s jacket had to be the next best thing to sitting wrapped in Ty’s arms.
Would she eventually know how it felt to be wrapped in Ty’s arms? Their relationship seemed to be progressing in that direction, but she knew she needed to be careful. What happened once the foundation was up and running? She had a job and a life in LA, and the idea of a long-distance relationship was not appealing.
Besides, what about Carson? They’d put things on hold until he got back at the end of the summer. They hadn’t made any commitments to each other, but still there was the expectation that she would wait for him.
Ashley crashed and burned on a concrete ramp, skidding to a stop at the bottom. A second later, she leaped to her feet, grabbed her board, and ran back to the top. “Does she ever get hurt?” Holland winced.
“Lots of times,” Ty said with a grin. “She’s had more stitches than me and Misty put together. But it doesn’t stop her. She’s fearless.”
As he said the words, he glanced toward the parking lot and groaned. A girl was coming toward the gate of the skate park. She wore extremely short denim shorts that showed off her tanned and toned legs, red platform heels, and an electric-blue tank top. Her light brown hair hung in long, soft curls almost to her waist, and her enormous sunglasses hid half her face.
“That’s Jamie,” Ty told Holland. “We dated a few times in high school, then she blew me off. Funnily enough, she’s suddenly become interested again.”
“Because of the lottery?” Holland guessed.
“You got it,” Ty said grimly.
“Hello, Ty,” Jamie said in a babyish voice. She gave him a huge, syrupy smile. “Got enough room for me?” Without waiting for an answer, she plopped down next to Ty—too close to Ty.
“Hey, Jamie,” Ty said coolly. He edged away, closer to Holland. His hip pressed against hers, and butterflies shot through her stomach.
Jamie crossed her legs and swung her foot back and forth. The red shoe slipped partially off until it was hanging by her toes. Holland could see the streaky line along her arch where her tanner had obviously failed.
“Is that Ashley out there?” Jamie cooed, sending a wave in the direction of the skate park. “She’s so good at this.”
“Yeah, she really loves it,” Ty said. “This is Holland, my—”
“PR agent, I know,” Jamie said. “Indy told me.”
Holland raised her eyebrows. Indy the reporter? Was Jamie friends with Indy, or had she seen the TV interview and pumped the reporter for more information?
Stalkerish much?
“Actually, I’m Ty’s PR agent and his girlfriend,” Holland said, wrapping her hands possessively around Ty’s bicep. His skin was warm and smooth under her fingers, his muscles rock hard. “The interview was kind of a fluke. I wasn’t going to be on camera, but Indy just kept asking, so . . .” The news station had cut her statement anyway, so there was no way for Jamie to know what she’d said.
The red platform stopped swinging abruptly as Jamie pulled her sunglasses off. “I just saw you a few weeks ago, and you didn’t say anything about a girlfriend,” she said accusingly to Ty.
“We met in LA.” Ty looped his arm around Holland’s shoulders and pulled her close. Her cheek brushed against his chest, and goose bumps pulsed down her arms and legs.
“So you’ve only been going out a few weeks?” Jamie asked, her eyes narrowing.
Engulfed in Ty’s arms, Holland’s heart was pounding a mile a minute. She gave what she hoped was an easy laugh. “What can you do? When it’s right, it’s right.”
Jamie chewed on her lip for a few minutes. “But you’re not staying, are you?” she finally said with a sticky smile. “I’m sure that Idaho must seem so boring after the excitement of Los Angeles.”
Holland couldn’t resist. “I was afraid of that,” she admitted. “But Ty is such a sweetheart. He’s promised me that we can fly back whenever I want. Just last night he hired a jet to fly us into LAX because I was absolutely craving the sushi at Garbo’s, and there’s just nowhere like it here.” She gave a breathless little laugh. “It was a quick trip, but totally worth it, right, sweetheart?”
Ty was staring at her. “Yeah, totally worth it,” he said a bit dazedly.
Jamie pressed her lips together, making a show of digging her phone out of her purse and checking the time. “I’d better get going. I have to be in Sun Valley in an hour for cocktails with my talent agent.” She shot to her feet and scurried away, tripping a little in the red platforms.
“Seriously?” Holland rolled her eyes as she watched Jamie go. “That’s who you’re worried about?”
“I hired a jet?” Ty’s face was incredulous.
Holland giggled. “Of course you did. And didn’t you see how she was practically burning up with envy? That was fantastic!”
“What the heck is Garbo’s?” Ty asked.
“Nowhere, I just made it up.” Holland shrugged.
Ty shook his head. “I must say, that was an A-plus performance. Well done.”
“Hopefully that will hold her off,” Holland said. “You can definitely do much better than someone like her.”
Ty’s mocha eyes burned. “Hopefully you’re right,” he said quietly. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to the smooth skin of her temple.
Holland bit the inside of her cheek. This was moving fast. She pulled back, and Ty’s arm dropped from her shoulders.
When Ashley had finally had enough skating, they stopped for burgers at the Snow Bunny drive in. Later, when Ty told the family about Jamie, Misty laughed until she cried.
“I knew bringing you along was a good idea,” she said, giving Holland a high five.
8
Ty slipped his boots on and went to check on the sheep. The sheep were most likely fine, but he needed an excuse to get away from Holland for a little while. He kept replaying the scene at the skate park in his head, and every time he did, he felt like an even bigger idiot than before.
Of course it was all an act. That’s what he’d hired her for, right? Misty had suggested Holland come help, so that’s what she was doing. Okay, maybe they hadn’t agreed she’d be the stand-in girlfriend, but just like with Indy, Holland had seen he was in trouble and acted. Always the professional, doing her job quickly and efficiently. Whether it was a nosy reporter or an obnoxious girl, Holland was doing what he was paying her to do.
So what was the little lean in when he put his arm around her? Was that all part of the act? It hadn’t felt like it. She’d relaxed into him, and in that one move, a new level of . . . something had grown between them. But then something had changed, and Holland pulled away.
Ty sighed and wrapped his hands around the top rail of the fence. The sheep were grazing happily, showing absolutely no regard for the turmoil raging through him like a thunderstorm.
Selfish buggers.
He didn’t have much experience with women. There had been a few girls besides Jamie in high school who had sent his heart racing. But that had been a teenage boy’s reaction to a pretty girl. With Holland there was something else, something deeper. Attraction, to be sure, but also a desire to hold her and protect her. He wanted to put his arms around her, hold her hand, anything, just so long as he could touch her. He wanted to hear about her past, her present, her future dreams, and he wanted to try and make those dreams come true.
The back door opened and closed, and somehow Ty knew it was her. Holland joined him at the fence a few minutes later. She was still wrapped in his jacket, and he had no desire to ask for it back. He liked the way she looked, liked the way it connected them. It gave him hope.
“Are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet,” she said.
“Holland, do you have someone you’re seeing, a boyfriend or something?”
The Lucky Billionaire (Destination Billionaire Romance) Page 6
