by Kate Pearce
“If you don’t object, I can do better than that.” Kaiden held up his phone. “I can take photos of the pages.”
Mr. Evans shook his head and whistled. “I always forget those things can take pictures. Feel free to go ahead.”
After leaving the Evans place, Kaiden drove to Ben and Silver’s home and parked behind his brother’s truck. Things had been a little awkward when he’d popped in earlier because of what had happened with Julia, but Kaiden was not going to blame Silver for anything she’d said. She’d only been trying to help. What happened after that was totally on him.
As soon as he walked into the kitchen, Silver handed him a mug of coffee. “How did it go?”
“Mr. Evans decided to sell the land to Brooksmiths.”
“Really?” Ben, who was sitting at the countertop using his laptop, looked up. “Did you offer him our foundation’s help to deal with their lawyers?”
“He’s good with it.” Kaiden sat on one of the high-backed chairs at the counter next to his brother. “He wants to be in Bridgeport with his family. He doesn’t have much time left. The money he makes will fund his care and leave plenty for his daughters.”
“That sucks.” Ben grimaced.
“He seemed at peace with it.” Kaiden set his mug down. “He had a long chat with Brooksmiths. From what he told me, he approves of their plans for the ranch. He also said that Julia was great, that she made sure no one was pressuring him to make his decision, and promised to follow through with all his demands and concerns.”
Silver made a face. “I wish I hadn’t said anything even more now if that’s possible.”
“Hey, if Julia had told me Mr. Evans had sold to Brooksmiths I would still have gotten mad at her.” Kaiden sighed. “I guess I was just looking for a reason.”
“Why?” Silver asked.
“Because I didn’t want to deal with all the other stuff,” Kaiden said reluctantly as he studied his mug. “The ‘hey I think we’ve got something real together, and I want to find a way to make it work.’”
It suddenly went very quiet. Eventually, he had to look up.
“What?” Kaiden raised an eyebrow.
“You’re in love with her.” Ben made it a statement rather than a question.
“Yeah, I suppose I am.” Kaiden winced. “Like she’s going to go for me now, after I basically accused her of selling out her father’s ranch.”
“Ouch,” Ben said. “That was a dick move.”
“We survived worse, Ben. I’m sure Kaiden can fix this.” Silver came to stand beside Ben and put her hand on his shoulder. “What are you going to do to make things right?”
“I’m working on that.” Kaiden drank more coffee. “Julia said she might talk to me in a couple of years if I get my shit sorted out.”
“That’s hopeful,” Ben commented as he fought a smile.
“I’m thinking if I can show her that I worked out what was going on between Miguel, Blaine, and the rest of the family she might appreciate it.”
“She’s a lawyer, so yeah.” Ben nodded. “Might as well try and do something smart for a change.”
Kaiden shot his brother a glare. “Julia mentioned that someone from MZB contacted her mother in Guatemala about her interest in the ranch.”
“Her mother?” Silver asked. “I didn’t realize Julia was still in contact with her.”
“They all are. Lupita and Juan never got divorced, they just separated. Lupita’s a doctor. She runs a children’s clinic. I’m hoping Juan still has her phone number so I can give her a call. I bet it was Blaine who wrote to her.”
“So, your stupid plan is you’re going to present Julia with all the facts and ask her to judge you?” Ben asked, the skepticism on his face highly visible.
“Yeah, so she knows I finally get it.” Kaiden nodded. “And then, when she forgives me, I’m going to follow up with the whole love thing.”
“Good luck, Bro.” Ben grinned and reached over to shake his hand. “You’re so going to need it.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Julia?” Miley poked her head through the open door of her boss’s office. “There’s a real-live cowboy at reception asking for you.”
“What?”
Julia looked up from her notes. She’d taken over Melanie’s old corner suite, and still got a vicarious thrill every time she stepped over the threshold.
“Like a gorgeous, fit, hot hunk of man kind of cowboy,” Miley said in tones of reverence and awe. “I’d save a horse any day.”
Julia rose from her chair and followed Miley down to the lobby of the MZB offices. Even from the back she knew that particular cowboy way too well. He hadn’t seen her yet so she could drink in the angles of his pretty face and spectacular physique without his noticing. With his white Stetson, cowboy boots, and fleece-lined denim jacket, he should’ve looked out of place in her world, but somehow he looked just like home.
She hadn’t heard from him in a month, and had missed him so badly that she’d contemplated breaking her own rules and texting him. She was glad that it hadn’t taken him two years to come and find her.
He swung around from his contemplation of the artwork and offered her the full blast of his cocky smile.
“Ms. Garcia.”
She found herself smiling back. “Mr. Miller.”
He walked toward her and was intercepted by Miley, who stepped in his path and stuck out her hand.
“Hi! I’m Miley. Ms. Garcia’s paralegal.”
“Hey, Miley.” Kaiden shook her hand. “Kaiden Miller. Nice to meet you.”
His amused gaze settled on Julia. “I was hoping I could persuade your boss to have lunch with me today.”
“Why on earth would she say no?” Miley breathed as she neglected to release Kaiden’s hand. “I mean, if she can’t make it, I’d be happy to go in her place—like a sacrifice thing, taking one for the team, you know.”
Kaiden finally eased his hand free, and Julia stepped forward.
“I think I can make time for lunch.” She gestured behind her. “Would you like to come through to my office, Kaiden, or would you prefer to meet me somewhere?”
“I’m happy to wait while you finish up.”
As they walked away, behind Kaiden, Miley was giving Julia her impression of a dying swan, complete with an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
She led the way into her office and stood back to let him go past her, getting a lungful of pure Northern California cowboy as he squeezed by.
“Nice view,” he commented going straight to the window. “Corner office and everything.”
“Thanks.” She sat behind her desk and looked expectantly at him. “What brought you into the city today?”
“I had some business to attend to for Ben and Silver’s foundation. As they aren’t always going to be available in Morgan Valley, I’m going to act as the local liaison point.”
“That makes sense.” She tried to act like this was a normal business meeting, but her heart was thumping, fit to burst.
“I came to meet with some developers to get a sense of what they can do for us.” Kaiden fingered the brim of his hat.
“What kind of developers?” Julia asked.
“Land developers, your kind of people.” He studied her carefully. “Like Andy from Brooksmiths.”
“Those guys who pay me the big bucks to destroy small ranchers like you and my dad?”
She waited to see how he intended to deal with her deliberate lob.
“Mr. Evans seemed to like them. He truly believes he is leaving his ranch in good hands.” He paused. “He made me realize that sometimes, giving the land back to nature, or using it in a different, more sympathetic way can be a valid choice.”
“I agree with Mr. Evans. There certainly isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.” Julia sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve obviously been doing some homework.”
“I tried. Andy’s a good guy with an honest heart and a respect for the land. I can only appreciate that.” Kaiden took the
seat in front of her desk. “I also talked to your parents.”
She shut down her laptop and fussed around to avoid his gaze. “Really.”
“Yeah, I guess I should’ve realized that when I caught Blaine in your father’s bedroom, he wasn’t just admiring the new plumbing, but working out who he had to deal with if he wanted to get possession of your family ranch.”
“Correct.”
“Except, he didn’t want to bring someone like Brooksmiths on board. He was thinking large-scale development, and a huge backhanded payoff for him. When he talked to Miguel and your father, he got the impression that the ranch would go directly to your brother, and that he was the guy to target.”
“You should have called me the moment you saw Blaine with Miguel,” Julia said.
Kaiden winced. “Yeah, I absolutely should’ve done that, but seeing as I was in the middle of a big fight with my own family, I didn’t think you’d appreciate me getting involved with yours. And I assumed—”
“That I knew because I’d obviously introduced them,” Julia cut across him.
“I still should have followed through.” He didn’t look away. “I told myself it would just make things worse, and that if you already knew about it from your dad, and didn’t see a problem, then I’d be opening up a whole new can of worms. I’m shit at confrontation, Julia. It’s no excuse but it’s the truth.”
His willingness to face up to his mistakes didn’t take away the hurt, but it did make her feel a little better.
“Blaine also thought he could blackmail me to fall into line if necessary by threatening my job,” Julia said.
Kaiden frowned. “I wish that asshole was still employed here so I could pay him a little visit.”
“Blaine was just doing what he always does.” Julia waved a dismissive hand. “The person who let his family down was Miguel. He didn’t have to listen to Blaine, but he wanted the money.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” Kaiden’s voice softened. “I can’t imagine how I’d feel if one of my siblings pulled that crap.”
“Miguel isn’t interested in the ranch, or its history, or his family.” Julia swallowed hard. “Dad asked me to talk to Henry when I come back because he wants to review his will. He wants to make sure Miguel can’t get control of everything and sell up.”
“You are planning on coming back, then?” Kaiden asked slowly.
“Yes, I am.”
“Even with me still living there?”
She met his gaze. “Conceited much?”
His lips twitched. “Even with this promotion?”
“Actually, this promotion makes it easier for me to work from home.” Julia took a quick breath. If there was a time to be brave and lay everything out on the table, it was now.
“As I mentioned before I’m officially fronting up a new West Coast initiative within MZB to establish and nurture environmentally responsible partnerships with land developers and builders in historically sensitive areas.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “Places like Bridgeport and Morgan Valley.”
“Exactly. I’ll be traveling more, but I don’t have to come into the city every day, which is why I’ll be able to come back and see Dad much more often. And, with the salary increase I can afford to pay for a ranch manager.”
“That’s great.”
She frowned. “You don’t sound very pleased.”
“Well, you’ve kind of stolen my big pitch.” His grin was almost her undoing. He stood, stuck his hand in his pocket, and looked down at his boots. “The thing is. I was going to offer to move here.”
“What?” Julia might have squeaked.
“I kept telling Adam that he shouldn’t expect Lizzie to upend her entire life just for him, and then I realized I was unconsciously doing the same thing to you. I was thinking I had to get you back to Morgan Valley, when it’s actually easier for me to uproot and come here. I can bring my business with me, you could continue doing what you do . . .”
He tailed off. “Am I getting ahead of myself?”
“Maybe you are.” She waited until he looked her right in the eye. “I am doing all these things for myself, not for you, Kaiden. You might find this difficult to believe, but I am perfectly capable of getting on with my life without you in it.”
“I know that.” He didn’t look away. “I messed up. I didn’t listen properly, I jumped to all the wrong conclusions, and worst of all I hurt you.”
She nodded and he continued speaking.
“I guess what I’m asking for, is a chance to make things right, because I’m not sure I can live without you in my life.” He grimaced. “I should’ve started with that rather than with what I want.”
Her breath caught as he approached her desk, took off his hat, and went down on his knees in front of her.
“Yeah, I definitely got this backward,” Kaiden said. “I forgot the groveling apology. Would you like me to kiss those fancy shoes of yours—they’re hot, by the way—or kiss your fingers, and tell you how much I’ve missed you, and what an ass I am?”
“I know you are an ass.” Julia scrabbled to latch on to something concrete.
He reached for her hand. “Then will you consider forgiving me?” He met her gaze head-on. “I got mad because I panicked. It was easier to believe you were in the wrong than acknowledge all my scary feelings for you and deal with them. And, once I’d gotten mad, I kind of thought that meant it was all over between us.”
She considered long enough to make him sweat.
“I don’t want you to move here,” she said finally.
“Okay.” His smile faltered and she hastened to reassure him.
“You’re too much a part of Morgan Valley. I’d much rather you were there for me to come home to. I intend to come home a lot.”
He shrugged. “We could do both. I could travel with you when I can, and stay to keep an eye on your dad and the ranch when you can’t be there.”
“I’d love it, but how would Jeff feel about that?” Julia asked cautiously.
“He fired me, I don’t work for him anymore, remember?” He smiled up into her eyes. “These plans are all great, Julia, but they don’t mean squat unless I also say this.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, I want to make this work, and I think we can do it if we both want it.”
“Even though you are incredibly annoying, and we might fight occasionally?” Okay, she was definitely babbling now.
“Yeah, because you get me, you allow me to be myself, and that’s something I don’t get from anyone else in this world.”
“I feel the same way,” Julia confessed, aware that she was hanging on to his fingers for dear life. “You don’t mind me being successful, or decisive, or any of those things some people can’t deal with.”
“I think you’re amazing.” His voice deepened. “I love it when you hand me my ass. You taught me that getting mad doesn’t have to mean the end of everything—that I’m safe with you.” He rose on his knees and slipped his hand behind her neck. “I love you, Julia Garcia, and I know we can make this work.”
She leaned into him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I love you, too, and we definitely can.”
With a murmured sound, he pressed his lips to hers and she yielded her mouth to him. Their kiss was deep and so profound Julia came close to losing it.
When Kaiden came up for air, he glanced back at the door.
“Does that thing have a lock?”
“Yes.”
“Then stay exactly where you are.” He rose from his knees, went over to the door, locked it, and checked it twice. “Any other way someone can get into this room?”
“Not unless they come through the window,” Julia said demurely. “I’ve always had this fantasy of being made love to in my office.”
“Really?” Kaiden took a professional look at her desk. “Because I think this is sturdy enough to bear your weight.” He patted the wooden top. “If you want to pop up there, I’ll test out my theory.”
>
Julia was already standing. “Shall I take my shoes off?” she asked as he lifted her to sit on the front of her desk. Her skirt hitched up displaying a stunning amount of thigh.
“Hell, no.” Kaiden stared approvingly at her navy-blue four-inch heels.
He stood between her legs and cupped her face in his hands. “I’m so sorry I lost my temper with you. I just don’t do that, I promise—”
“Stop.” Julia placed a finger on his lips. “One of the things I like about you is that I can be myself, and I want you to feel the same way. It’s okay to get mad occasionally, it doesn’t mean that’s the end of everything. In some ways it’s just a beginning.”
He kissed her forehead. “Not Jeff Miller mad, though.”
“I did say occasionally.” She sighed as he nuzzled her mouth. “Can I just say how much I’ve missed this?”
“Which particular parts?” He pressed forward until she could feel how much he wanted her. “Because I’ve been getting some heavy workouts in the shower thinking about you this last month.”
“You poor baby.” She wriggled her hand between their bodies and stroked the fly of his jeans. “I almost wish I’d been there.”
He groaned and kissed her harder. “You’re just making it worse for yourself.” He removed her hand and cupped her mound. “You’re wet for me.”
“Yes.” She moved against his questing fingers. “So just for once, can we forget the foreplay, and just get to the main event?”
“So bossy,” he murmured as he snaked two fingers beneath the lace of her panties and thrust them inside her.
She moaned his name, which did all kinds of things to his heart, and more importantly his dick.
She flung a hand out to the side. “My purse is in the bottom drawer of my desk. I have condoms.”
“Yeah?” He eased her panties down, careful not to catch them on the heels of her shoes. “I have one in my back pocket, so we’re good.”
She opened her eyes wide at him. “You were really sure you’d succeed here?”
He loved the hint of indignation in her voice. “Pretty much.” He pressed three fingers deep inside her and thumbed her bud. “Let’s be honest, Garcia, you’re a complete pushover.”
