Blake grinned. “I don’t have a bad side.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot, you’re perfect. Someone else must have told me I was wearing caterpillars on my eyes.”
“They were the fattest fake eyelashes I’d ever seen.”
“I was eighteen. I was so embarrassed that I’ve never worn false eyelashes again.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything in front of your friends.”
Elizabeth frowned. “My friends wouldn’t have listened to you. It was saying it in front of everyone at Daniel’s birthday party that upset me.”
“I stepped over the line. I’m sorry.”
“That’s the problem. You don’t have a line where I’m concerned.”
“Someone needs to look after you. You’re too trusting.”
“And I suppose you’ve found the perfect balance between suspicion and trust?”
Blake sipped his drink. “I’m working on it.”
As far as Elizabeth was concerned, it would take him a lifetime to work on his trust issues. Unlike her billionaire brother, Blake had been born into a mega-rich lifestyle. His parents traveled to Paris and Rome for their vacations, cruised the Mediterranean when they wanted to feel the sun on their shoulders, and skied in St. Moritz.
Blake had been surrounded by nannies, tutors, housekeepers, and chauffeurs for most of his life. He should have been the happiest person in the world, but he wasn’t.
Elizabeth looked at the envelope he’d given her.
“Fill out the questionnaire,” he insisted. “What have you got to lose?”
She glanced at Blake. More than he realized.
Chapter 3
Blake stared at Elizabeth’s bowed head. They’d talked for so long last night that, before they knew it, Daniel had come home and it was time to go to bed.
So here he was at six o’clock on Sunday morning, watching Elizabeth frown at the form that could change her life.
She tapped her pen against the top of the kitchen table. “If I didn’t know how good your app was, I wouldn’t think this would work.”
“Sometimes the questions we think are the least important give the biggest clues to your personality.”
“Are you sure my favorite ice cream flavor is important?”
“That’s a warm-up question.”
“You didn’t tell me that the first time I answered it. I spent a lot of time tossing up between caramel fudge and peppermint creme.”
Blake poured himself another cup of coffee. “Let me guess, your answer was peppermint creme?”
“You’re right. Are you sure that wasn’t a trick question to remind me how awesome you are?”
For the second time in as many days, Blake felt the heat of a blush hit his face. He sipped his drink, hoping Elizabeth didn’t notice. “I bought you ice cream because it’s all you wanted to eat.”
He’d visited Elizabeth as much as he could when she was sick. When he couldn’t be there, he knew when her rest week from her chemotherapy was planned. He’d sent her gallons of her favorite ice cream, hoping it made her feel better.
Elizabeth’s sad smile made his heart ache. “I looked forward to the days when I could eat the ice cream. It made a big difference to know you were thinking of me.”
Blake sat at the table and squeezed her hand. “It all worked out for the best. Are you still seeing an oncologist?”
“I saw a specialist when I came to Bozeman. My doctor in Cedar Rapids has given the hospital my medical records.”
“Good.”
She looked at the questionnaire.
“What’s wrong?”
“Did Daniel tell you about some of the side-effects from my treatment?”
Blake frowned. “No. I thought you were okay.”
“I am. It’s just that I…” Elizabeth rubbed her forehead. “This is way too early to be so doomy and gloomy. Do you know the first thing I say to myself each morning?”
Blake shook his head. Something was worrying Elizabeth and he wanted to know what it was. If there was any way he could make it better, he would.
“When I open my eyes, I thank God I’m still alive. Then I tell myself it’s going to be an amazing day. I’m not sure that filling out this form is amazing, but it could lead to something incredible.”
Instead of being happy for her, Blake was worried. “What side-effects did you get from your treatment?”
Elizabeth plastered a fake smile on her face. “Nothing that’s life-threatening. Where was I?” She pulled the questionnaire close and answered the next question.
Within ten minutes she’d nearly finished the form.
“This is so much easier the second time around,” she muttered.
“I guess it would be. Do you want a piece of toast?”
“No thanks.”
“You need to eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day.”
Elizabeth grinned. “Thank you for those pearls of wisdom, Doctor Jefferson. But I’ve already had breakfast. I made a special smoothie with almond milk, bananas, berries, kale, and yogurt.”
Blake scrunched up his nose. “The only thing that would make your breakfast less appetizing is protein powder.”
“That’s in tomorrow’s recipe. Smoothies are very good for you.”
“I’m sure they are, but I prefer toast and cereal.”
“One day I’ll make you my Friday special. It’s extra yummy.” She picked up her pen and rushed through the last few questions. “Done!”
“It isn’t a race.”
“I remembered my answers from the last form. Don’t worry. The results will be the same.”
He wasn’t worried about her answers. He was worried about her. “What are you doing today?”
“Guess.”
“On a Sunday?”
“My clinic isn’t going to renovate itself. The more work I do now, the easier it will be when the builders arrive.”
The sound of a rooster cockle-doodle-doing cut through the early morning air.
Elizabeth frowned. “Rocky’s late this morning.”
Blake glanced through the kitchen window. Daniel’s demented rooster would be perched on a fence post beside the barn, preening himself as he caused mayhem around the property.
Sure enough, the donkey inside the barn started braying. His hee-haw made Blake sigh. “It’s like living in a zoo.”
“You don’t like animals?”
“I like animals that don’t make lots of noise.”
“But that’s part of the fun. You should have been here a few weeks ago. Daniel fostered six goats until the animal shelter found them permanent homes. When Rocky woke them, their bleating sounded like crying babies.” The smile on her face disappeared. “I’d better get organized for the day. I want to be in town by eight o’clock.”
“Who else will be there?”
Elizabeth handed him her questionnaire. “Daniel.”
“He’s still in bed.”
“He’ll be in town by nine o’clock.”
“I’ll give you a hand. But I need to be at the airport by lunchtime.”
“You’ll get dirty.”
Blake poured himself a bowl of cereal. “I’ll pack a clean set of clothes in a separate bag. I can change into them at the clinic. When did you want to leave?”
“How does seven o’clock sound?”
“I’ll meet you here.”
Elizabeth started to leave, then turned her deep blue gaze on him. “You don’t need to do this.”
“You might not see me for a few weeks. Make the most of my carpet lifting abilities while you have them.”
“I don’t mean helping with the clinic. I mean being nice to me. You don’t have to make sure I’m okay all the time.”
Blake’s spoon paused halfway to his mouth.
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, because I do. I just don’t want you to think you have to keep looking after me.”
He ate the cereal. He’d never considered being any oth
er way around Elizabeth. Even when she was being incredibly annoying, she was a special part of his life.
Elizabeth sighed. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just that I don’t want you to worry about me. Your company takes up most of your time. If you keep coming here, you’ll get even more stressed.”
Blake dipped his spoon into his bowl. “Don’t you think it’s up to me to decide how I spend my time?”
“I’m only trying to put everything into perspective. A ten-hour round-trip isn’t easy on anyone.”
“I’m used to it. Besides, I slept most of the way here. It was the most uninterrupted time I’ve had all month.”
“How can you enjoy spending five hours at a time on a plane?”
This time Blake grinned. “It’s easier when you’re traveling in a private jet.”
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. “You didn’t?”
“I did. Being a billionaire has its advantages.”
“You told me you’re trying to live a simpler life.”
“I am. I didn’t hire the jet for myself. I caught a lift with some friends who came here to ski.”
“And that’s supposed to make it okay?”
“No,” Blake said into her stunned face. “It’s supposed to make you feel better about the time it took to get here.”
Elizabeth looked at her watch and frowned. “Nothing could do that. I’ll be back in forty minutes.”
And before he could tell her his other news, the woman who constantly confused him, left the room.
Elizabeth wouldn’t be impressed with the decision he’d made yesterday. Collecting the pizza for lunch hadn’t been the only thing he’d done. After viewing a commercial property one block from her clinic, he’d spent half an hour negotiating the price. Signing a real estate purchase agreement had never felt sweeter.
Blake Jefferson, CEO of Jefferson Technologies, was relocating his app development team to Bozeman. His staff were excited and Daniel was looking forward to seeing more of him.
All he had to do was break the news to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth stood outside her clinic, frowning at the paint-splattered message on the front door.
You lied. It’s time to pay the price.
A cold chill ran down her spine. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping the person who’d written the message was gone.
Blake walked toward her. “I’ll leave the extra trash bags in the truck. If we need…” He stopped and stared at the door.
The grim look on his face matched Elizabeth’s mood. “It was pitch-black when we left. The chance of anyone seeing who did it isn’t great.”
Blake searched the buildings around them. “Even if the other businesses have security cameras they could be too far away to get a decent image. Do you want me to call the police?”
“I’ll do it. I think I know who left the message.”
If anything, Blake’s scowl deepened.
Elizabeth placed the tools she was holding on the ground. “When I arrived in Bozeman, I thought I saw the brother of a woman who was involved in a case I was defending. I had a few issues with him before I left Cedar Rapids. His name is Anton de Bresney.”
“Define, ‘a few issues’.”
“It will sound worse than it actually was.”
Blake crossed his arms. “Try me.”
“He told me I would be sorry for defending the man who hurt his sister. His sister was badly injured in a hit and run accident. Because of the circumstances, my client was fined instead of being given a prison sentence.”
“And Anton wasn’t happy with the judge’s decision?”
“No, he wasn’t. Anton and my client were members of rival gangs. No one was ever going to be happy with the outcome.” Elizabeth looked at the door. “A week after the court case, someone left a dead rat on my front porch and slashed my tires. It was juvenile stuff that I didn’t worry about.”
“Did you report it to the police?”
“I did, but there wasn’t a lot they could do. It wasn’t until Anton started calling me and leaving horrible messages in my mailbox that I really became worried. When I left Cedar Rapids, I thought he would leave me alone.”
Blake picked up her tools. “We’re going to the police station. You can tell them in person what’s happened.”
“This is nothing compared to what the police deal with each day. He’s just trying to scare me.”
“Is it working?”
Elizabeth stuck her hands in her pockets. “Yes.”
Blake looked around the parking lot. “Come on. If this guy is in Bozeman, he could be anywhere.”
“I’ll just get a photo of the door.” She pulled out her phone and took a picture. She still hadn’t heard from her friend in Cedar Rapids. Hopefully, by the end of the day, he would have some information for her.
With a heavy heart, she followed Blake to her truck. After everything that had happened, this was the last thing they needed.
Elizabeth’s head shot up as the front door of her clinic banged open.
Daniel rushed inside. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The police took my statement and sent someone to photograph the message.”
“Blake said you know who did it.”
After she’d spoken to the police, Blake had called Daniel. She’d tried to convince him not to but, as usual, he hadn’t listened. “I think it was Anton, the man who was harassing me in Cedar Rapids. I didn’t think he’d come here.”
“At least he didn’t hurt you. If it was him, we can do something about it.”
Blake walked toward them. “Your sister knew he was here a couple of months ago but didn’t say anything.”
Elizabeth glared at him. “I thought I saw him at the airport.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Daniel asked.
“Because I was exhausted. It could have been my imagination.”
“What if he hadn’t bothered with a message on the door? He could have shot you.”
She scowled at her brother. “I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. This isn’t the first time someone has tried to scare me.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
Elizabeth could have kicked herself. “Nothing.”
“If it were nothing you wouldn’t have brought it up. What happened?’
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. There were things about her life that Blake and her brother didn’t know and she would prefer to keep it that way. “I’ve spent my career defending people who are accused of committing crimes. Sometimes the victim or their family aren’t happy with the outcome. Things can get a little heated in the courtroom. Sometimes that bubbles over into my personal life.”
“Bubbles?” Blake’s jaw twitched.
She glanced at Daniel. He looked as worried as Blake. “Both of you need to calm down. I haven’t been inside a courtroom for more than a year.”
“It’s just as well,” Daniel muttered. “Give us some examples of what’s happened.”
Elizabeth discounted the first two incidents. If her brother knew about the man who had threatened her with a knife or the lady who attacked her, he wouldn’t be happy.
“Just before I left Cedar Rapids, someone followed me home from the courthouse. Nothing happened, but I called the police.”
Blake leaned against the reception counter. “How many times have you called the police?”
His question was simple to answer, but Elizabeth wasn’t happy telling him the answer. “Not too many.”
“Less than five?”
Sometimes she wished Blake wasn’t so persistent. “A little more.”
“Less than fifteen?”
Daniel frowned when she shook her head.
“You’re kidding,” her brother spluttered. “No one calls the police more than fifteen times.”
“You do if you’re a criminal defense attorney. In high-profile cases, the judge is usually escorted home.”
Blake straig
htened. “You never told me why you wanted to switch to family law. Was it because being an attorney was too dangerous?”
Elizabeth glanced at her brother. She’d told him about the case that had changed her life, but not Blake. “No, it wasn’t because it was too dangerous. A couple of years ago I defended someone who was accused of abusing four of his children. The advice both parents received before I became involved was terrible. I talked to some friends who work in the family courts. The same thing happens all the time. I didn’t want another child going through what those children did.”
Daniel crossed his arms. “That doesn’t help fix the issue we have at the moment.”
Elizabeth didn’t like where this conversation was heading. “The police are looking for the person who wrote on the door. If they don’t have enough evidence to arrest him, they’ll encourage him to leave Bozeman.”
“I don’t care what the police do. You’re not working here on your own.” As if to add more weight to his proclamation, Daniel looked at Blake.
“I agree,” he said quickly.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” The glare she sent Blake should have sliced him in two. It didn’t.
“I might have a solution that works for everyone.”
Elizabeth picked up the sanding block. “As much as I’d love to hear your idea, Blake, I have work to do.” She knelt on the floor and started sanding the edge of the front counter. She didn’t need either man interfering in her life. She’d come to Bozeman to start again, not be suffocated by their well-meaning but overzealous concern.
Blake’s head appeared over the edge of the wood. “I’ll stay in Bozeman for another week. That will give Daniel time to finish his latest project. By the time I leave, the builders should nearly be ready to start. If they aren’t, Daniel can take over bodyguard duties.”
Apart from being the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard, Blake never took time off work. He was up to something, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
“That sounds like a great plan,” Daniel said. “If you need a break from my sister, you could work from my office for a couple of hours each day. I’ll take your place here.”
“Hang on a minute,” Elizabeth growled. “I’m not a doormat you can walk over. I don’t need anyone babysitting me.”
One and Only Page 4
