The Unexpected Millionaire

by Susan Mallery

  Each thrust filled her, pushing her closer until she cried out and gave in. Involuntarily she closed her eyes, then he lost himself in her and they were still.

  Kane sat in the living room, a drink in his hand. It was well after midnight and the house was still. Even the damn cat was asleep.

  A single small lamp in the corner cast more shadows than light, but that suited his mood.

  He’d broken his own rules. Rules he’d put in place after caring about someone…a woman…had nearly got him killed. Wasn’t being shot in the gut and left for dead enough of a message? Why would he risk this again? Connecting, getting involved only made him weak. He had to stay strong—it was the only way to stay alive.

  A logical argument, he thought. Except he couldn’t be logical—not when he was talking about Willow.

  He couldn’t say why she was the one to get to him. Why her and not the one before or the one to come after? What combination of features and body language and scent and sound made him want to forget what he knew was right?

  But it was her, and he didn’t know how to escape the trap. She haunted him. Even when he was thousands of miles away, he’d remembered her.

  He stared at the large package on the coffee table. With his business in New York complete and several hours before his flight, Kane had done something he’d never done before…gone shopping.

  The act hadn’t been conscious. He’d left his lunch meeting and started walking. But instead of heading for his hotel and then the airport, he’d gone north, toward the exclusive shops with their trendy window displays. He’d looked in them, ignoring clothes and jewelry, looking for what he wasn’t sure. Until he’d found it.

  A large tote bag covered in plants. It was bright and cheerful and ridiculously expensive, yet the second he’d seen it, he’d known it should be hers. He’d bought it and brought it home and now he was stuck with it.

  He should send it back, he thought as he took another sip of his drink. He could pretend he’d never bought it in the first place. Only he wasn’t very good at fooling himself.

  So what did he do now? Give it to her? He knew what she would think, what it would mean to her. That he thought she mattered, and she didn’t. She couldn’t. To care about someone meant to risk that person destroying him. He’d already nearly died once because of a woman—he saw no need to do it again.

  Willow cut up vegetables for the salad. Marina opened the oven for the four hundredth time and stared at the bread.

  “Is it browning? It doesn’t look like it’s browning,” Maria said.

  Julie looked at Willow, then rolled her eyes. “You’re the science whiz in this family,” she said. “So you’re the one who should know that every time you open the oven, you’re letting out heat. At this rate, the poor thing is never going to brown. Close the door and step away from the oven.”

  “I know.” Marina did as her sister had said. “But I’ve never baked bread before. I want it to turn out right.”

  Willow looked at the bowls and measuring cups stacked in the sink. “What got into you?”

  “We’re having all our favorites for dinner. I thought homemade bread would be a nice addition.”

  It was Saturday and Willow and her sisters were at their mother’s house. Naomi was off volunteering at yet another low-cost clinic with Dr. Greenberg, so her daughters had decided they would provide dinner.

  Willow put down her knife and wiped her hands on a towel. She faced Julie and Marina. “I have an announcement.”

  They both looked at her.

  “My comic strip deal was canceled.”

  “Oh, no.” Marina abandoned her post by the oven and rushed to Willow’s side. “How horrible. Why would they do that? When did this happen? Are you all right?”

  Julie moved close and put her arm around Willow. “This sucks the big one. Want me to sue them?”

  Willow let herself soak up the love and concern, then shook her head. “I’m good. It was a shock and I was crushed at first, but now I’m okay with it. I realized this was an opportunity for me to figure out what I really want to do with my life.”

  “Which is?” Marina sounded tentative, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  “Working in a nursery at first, then later, opening my own. I start a new job on Monday working at this great place. It’s huge. They sell to lots of landscapers, so there are regular plants, but also lots of exotics. Beverly wants me to help her with some hybrids, which will be lots of fun. I’m also starting community college in January. I’m going to take business classes. Eventually I want to open my own nursery.”

  Marina and Julie stared at her.

  “It sounds as if you have it all figured out,” Marina said admiringly. “I’m impressed.”

  “Me, too,” Julie told her. “This is a big deal.”

  “It’s not yet, but it will be. I’ve always sort of fallen into things. This time I’m setting out on a specific direction, heading for somewhere I want to go.”

  “I’m glad,” Julie said. “What happened to generate this change?”

  “Losing the syndication deal was hard,” Willow admitted. “I had to do a lot of thinking about what I really wanted.”

  Kane had helped. Actually he’d been the one to push her in the right direction, but oddly, she didn’t want to talk about him. She’d always been so willing to go on and on about the men in her life, but he was different. Maybe because she didn’t fully understand him yet. Maybe because she wasn’t sure if they had an actual relationship. Maybe because just thinking about him made the day seem brighter and she wasn’t willing to share that yet.

  “There’s just one thing,” she said, patting Marina on the arm.

  “Anything,” her sister said with a smile.

  “Oh, good. Well, I’m going to need you to marry Todd. The million dollars would be really helpful for start-up capital.”

  Eight

  K ane pulled a flash drive out of his shirt pocket and set it on Todd’s desk.

  “We have a problem.”

  Todd picked up the flash drive. “I’m not going to like this problem, am I?”

  “Probably not. The new start-up has a lot of proprietary software and that’s all they have. We lose that and we might as well shut down. Obviously there will be firewalls and employee agreements in place, but that’s not enough. Someone with a couple of these in his or her pocket can steal enough to destroy the company.”

  “Can you make the company secure?” Todd asked.

  “Of course, but it won’t be cheap and it’s going to require a hell of a lot of logistics and processes.”

  “That’s why you get paid the big bucks.”

  Kane smiled. “So they tell me. It’s a challenge. I enjoy a good challenge.”

  Todd passed back the flash drive. “You’re happy here, working with Ryan and me?”

  Kane eyed his boss. What was up? Todd wasn’t about to get all touchy-feely, was he? “Why do you ask?”

  “You’re good. We don’t want to lose you. I know you get a lot of offers to go back out in the field or whatever you call it.”

  Black ops. Secret assignments in dark places in the world protecting idiots who shouldn’t be there in the first place.

  “I’m not tempted,” Kane told him.

  “Isn’t the money good enough?”

  “It’s okay. Here I get in on the ground floor on start-ups. That’s good money, too.”

  “I’m going to pry here, but don’t you have enough to retire a couple of times over?” Todd asked. “You don’t have to keep doing this.”

  Eight million, Kane thought. Per his last statement. He wanted at least double that before he took off for his isolated paradise.

  “I like what I do. Besides, I have expensive tastes. I’ll be around for a while.”

  “That’s what I want to hear. But you’re seriously not tempted by going back into the field?”

  “It’s a zero sum game,” Kane told him. “Sooner or later someone always get
s dead. I got tired of wondering if it was going to be me.”

  “You don’t enjoy the thrill of the chase or the hunt or whatever?”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Good to know.” Todd studied him for a minute. “How’s Willow?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “I just wondered. I saw her car there a couple of nights ago. Are you two…”

  “No,” Kane said quickly. “We’re not together.” They couldn’t be. He didn’t do relationships. Yet he’d invited her into his bed a second time. He wanted her to stay the night and he was looking forward to seeing her again. If that wasn’t a relationship, what was it?

  “It’s interesting,” Todd said. “Men, women. Look at Ryan, who a few months ago I would have sworn was as much a cynical bastard as I am when it comes to matters of the heart. But not anymore. He’s crazy about Julie. I’ve never seen him so happy.”

  “Envious?” Kane asked.

  “No. I’ve been burned enough times not to be tempted anymore. I have no plans to get married. When I’m old, I’ll get a bunch of dogs or fish or something and leave all my money to them—just to shake things up.”

  Kane chuckled. “No one is going to believe that.”

  “I know, but talking about it tortures my relatives. Especially Aunt Ruth. I should be old enough not to enjoy that, but every now and then I have some fun. Still, she’s determined to marry me off.”

  There was frustration in Todd’s voice, but also affection. Kane knew both he and Ryan were close to their aunt.

  “Julie isn’t a threat anymore,” Kane said, remembering the offer of a million dollars to one of the Nelson sisters if she would only marry Todd.

  “I’m wondering if Willow is, as well,” Todd said.

  Kane ignored that. “You still have to deal with Marina.”

  “I don’t know anything about her except I’m going to stay away from her.”

  “She’s a lot like her sisters,” Kane said.

  “You met her?”

  “Once.” When she’d come to Willow’s rescue, bringing cat supplies and food.

  “Attractive?”

  Not nearly as beautiful as Willow, but otherwise, “Uh-huh.”

  “Not that it matters,” Todd muttered. “What was Ruth thinking, offering them all that money to marry me? If I wanted to get married, I would.”

  “Maybe she’s trying to help things along.”

  “Push, not help. Still, I’m younger, stronger and more determined. But if you see Marina hanging around here, you’ll let me know?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Kane headed back to his office. He walked into the open space to find a well-dressed older woman waiting for him.

  “You must be Kane,” she said.

  “Ma’am.”

  She rose and walked toward him. “Please. Not ma’am, I beg you. I’m Ruth Jamison, Willow’s grandmother.”

  Because the cats weren’t enough of an invasion, he thought as he shook hands and then offered the woman a seat on the leather sofa in the corner.

  When she’d refused anything to drink, he perched in a chair across from her. “How can I help you?” he asked, although he had a bad feeling he already knew the subject matter that had inspired the visit.

  “You seem like a nice, direct young man, so I’ll be direct as well. I understand you’re dating my granddaughter, Willow.”

  Kane opened his mouth, then closed it. It had been a whole lot easier to deflect Todd than this old woman.

  “I know her,” he said.

  “Yes, most intimately, I’ve heard.” Ruth held up one hand. “I had lunch with Julie the other day and she mentioned something. I’m not spying. I learned my lesson about getting too involved in my granddaughters’ lives. I’m staying out of things. It’s my fault we don’t really know each other and I have to be patient. I can’t force closeness in a few weeks. Still, I was curious about you and curiosity isn’t meddling.”

  Kane had no idea what to say to that. Fortunately Ruth seemed comfortable carrying on the entire conversation.

  “I’m beginning to think none of my granddaughters are going to want to marry Todd though of course I’m delighted about Julie and Ryan. As I don’t know you at all, I’m not clear if you’ll be good for Willow or not. Do you think you have any plans to break up soon?”

  “We’re not…I haven’t…” He swore silently. “I don’t know,” he said at last.

  “Pity. Still, if you’re a good man, that could work out. Of course that leaves only Marina for Todd and I have no idea how to get them together. Now that he knows my plan, he’ll be on his guard.”

  “I thought you weren’t going to meddle.”

  “I’m not. I’m helping things along. Young people need that sort of assistance. If I waited for nature to take its course, I’d be dead long before I saw any great-grandchildren. No one wants that.”

  She rose. “It was lovely to meet you, Kane. Take good care of Willow. She’s a very special young woman.”

  Ruth walked toward the door, then glanced back at him. “I understand you have kittens.”

  “Ah, yes. Three.”

  “Good. When they’re old enough, I’ll take one. I’ve always wanted a cat. Fraser was never fond of pets, but as I only answer to myself these days, I can have one.” She sighed. “One of the few advantages of being alone. Still, if I could have him back…” She shrugged. “Goodbye, Kane.”

  “Goodbye, Mrs. Jamison.”

  Willow carried the grocery bags from her car to Kane’s front door. “I brought food,” she said as she pushed past him into the house.

  “So I see.”

  She walked straight to the kitchen and started to make herself at home. After putting the cold things in the refrigerator, she set the bread and wine on the counter, then turned to face her possibly reluctant host.

  “I did phone and tell you I was stopping by with dinner,” she said, trying not to sound defensive, when she was actually kind of nervous.

  “I got the message.”

  Yes, well, when her call had gone straight to voice mail, she’d decided to take advantage of the situation and invite herself over.

  “It’s a celebration,” she said.

  “You mentioned that in the message.”

  He didn’t look all that happy, but then Kane wasn’t a “grin like a fool” kind of guy. On the bright side, he didn’t look unhappy, either.

  “I wanted to say thank you,” she said quietly. “For helping me through a rough time when I found out I’d lost my syndication deal and for pointing me in a more positive direction.” She smiled. “I just finished my first week working for Beverly and I love it.” She held up her hands.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Ten fingers. Always a good thing.”

  “No, silly. My nails. Look. I don’t have any. Not long ones, anyway. And I’m getting calluses. I spend my day grubbing around with plants. I couldn’t be happier and it’s all because of you.”

  He went from not unhappy to uncomfortable. “You would have figured it out on your own.”

  “Maybe. But it could have taken me forever. This is what I should have been doing all along and I know that now because of you. Hence the celebration.”

  One side of his mouth turned up. “Hence?”

  “It’s a word.”

  “Not one usually found in this century.”

  “I’m eclectic.”

  “Is that what they’re calling it?”

  He was teasing her, which meant he wasn’t upset. Kane wouldn’t bother to think twice about tossing her out on her butt if he didn’t want her here, which meant he did. A warm glow began in her belly and spread out to her ten fingers and toes.

  “I was in New York last week,” he said.

  “I know that.”

  “Right. You looked after the cat.”

  She studied him. Something wasn’t right. Kane looked…awkward. But he was always confident, always in charge. How was that possible?

 
“I appreciate that you came over and dealt with her,” he said.

  “Jasmine?”

  “Right. So, I, ah, got you something.”

  She felt a great shift in the space-time continuum. Her insides fluttered just a little. “You bought me something? Like a present?”

  “A thank-you gift.”

  She felt like a five-year-old on Christmas morning. “What is it? Is it big? Is it something New York-y?

  She waited expectantly while he disappeared into the rear of the house. It was all she could do not to follow him and grab whatever it was. But she forced herself to at least pretend to be mature. Still, a present was very cool.

  He returned with a massive gift bag, which he passed to her. She set it on the counter and reached inside.

  She had no idea what to expect, but it wasn’t a beautiful leather tote with floral appliqués done in a rainbow of colors.

  “It’s gorgeous,” she said, not able to believe this was for her. It had to have cost a fortune. The designer name alone caused her to consciously keep her lips pressed together so her mouth didn’t hang open.

  “I thought with the flowers and everything, you’d like it.”

  She looked inside. There were compartments for pens and a cell phone and sunglasses. The lining felt as soft as lingerie, while the leather itself was smooth and buttery.

  “This is amazing,” she breathed, “but it’s too everything.” She looked at him. “Kane, this is way more than a ‘thanks for looking after my cat’ gift.”

  “It’s what I got you. If you like it, then keep it.”

  “Like it? I’ll probably insist on being buried with it.”

  “Good.” He smiled. “I saw the bag and I thought of you. That’s why I got it.”

  He’d thought of her? As in she’d been on his mind while he’d been traveling? That little bit of information was actually just as thrilling as the gift itself.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Seriously, it’s so beautiful and I love it.”

  “Good. What’s the wine?” he asked.

  Not the smoothest change in subject, she thought humorously. But very Kane-like. Based on what she knew about his life, he didn’t buy many women presents. That would require them to be around more than a day.