Bossing the Billionaire: Billionaire Brothers Kent - Ryder's Story (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (7 page)

Ryder paused for a moment and just sat there regarding Moonwalker
with narrowed gaze. He didn’t like having to answer to anyone, not about his
motives or his plans. He was about to say just that when something stopped him.
It was the almost imperceptible flash of concern that flickered in Moonwalker’s
eyes. The man was questioning him out of concern for Blake. The least he could
do was assuage his fears.

“I own a business,” he explained. “I have competent managers, which
frees me up to be away for extended periods of time.” Then he grimaced. “But
this is the first time I’ve been away so long without making contact. Telegrams
aren’t going to cut it.”

Moonwalker stared back at him. “Which means?”

“Which means I’m going to have to leave soon. As soon as Blake gets
back I’ll be packing up.”

“Oh, no. Just when we’re getting to know you. What a shame.” Carmela
looked genuinely disappointed. “Blake’s going to be upset when she hears that
you’re leaving.”

“Going back to your business, huh? What kind of business is that?”
Moonwalker wasn’t paying attention to his wife or her lament. Eyes narrowed, he
was staring at Ryder, looking skeptical as ever.

“The dairy business,” Ryder told him. He might as well come clean.
Moonwalker would not believe him otherwise. “Ever heard of the Cozy Cow brand?”

“Sure have. It’s all over Texas. All across the country, it’s so
big. What’s that got to do with you?”

“Let’s just say, I’ve got a stake in the business.”

It was only then that a new light shone in Moonwalker’s eyes and
this time they were glowing with respect. “So you’re a shareholder, huh? Not
bad for such a young fella. It looks like you’re making some wise decisions in
your youth. Not bad.” By the time he said the last word he was grinning
broadly.

“You’re just the kind of man Blake needs around here. Are you sure
you have to head back so soon?” Carmela’s look was so beseeching that Ryder was
tempted to change his mind. But then, who was he kidding? He couldn’t disappear
in this wilderness forever. He had a business to run. Not to mention, he had to
go check on his parents. Outside of a postcard he’d mailed them two days after
he got to Pequoia they hadn’t heard a word from him in days.

“Yes, ma’am, it’s time for me to go.” His tone was brisk, leaving no
leeway for counter argument. “I’ve been gone too long already. I’ll tell Blake
as soon as she gets back.”

“She sent me a telegram,” Moonwalker said as he patted the left
pocket of his shirt then pulled out a cigar. “She’ll be back tomorrow.”

And as crazy as it was, at the man’s words Ryder felt his heart jerk
in anticipation. He was looking forward to seeing his ‘boss’ again.

CHAPTER EIGHT

It was good to be back. Blake couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief
as she pulled into the gravelly front yard of Beaumont’s. This place had been
her escape, her refuge for so many months and now it was even more than that.
As ancient as the building was and as tiny and remote the town, this was the
place that, for her, felt like home.

And here, far from Dallas and the city life, there was no Jerome
Slater to contend with.

Heaving another sigh, a heavier one this time, Blake climbed out of
her truck, pulled the back passenger door open and dragged her duffle bag off the
seat. The second sigh had nothing to do with being home. It had everything to
do with Jerome Slater and the fact that her issues with him were far from
resolved.

She slammed the back door shut and was just turning to face the
building when she heard his voice. Ryder Kent, the man who had become the other
source of worry in her life.

Not that he had any idea about that. How could he know that when she
hadn’t been stressed out by thoughts of the slimy snake she'd left back in
Dallas, he’d been the one on her mind? And if ever there was a cause for worry,
that was it. The last thing she needed right now was to start having feelings
for a man, especially one who would probably be gone soon.

Now, though, as she heard him call her name her heart gave an involuntary
skip. As strange as it was, she’d missed Ryder and now that she was here she
had to admit it – he was a big part of the reason she was so glad to be home.

“Hello, stranger. Welcome back.” He’d just stepped out of the front
door and was down the steps and halfway to the truck in seconds, his long legs making
short work of the distance between them. And he was looking as delicious as
ever, the muscles of his shoulders and abs rippling beneath the thin cotton of
his white T-shirt. “How was your trip?”

He was standing right in front of her now, so close that Blake could
reach out and touch him. And she was tempted to do it. So tempted.

But she didn’t.

“It was…all right,” she said and tried her best to return his smile
with a bright and cheerful one of her own. She failed. Miserably. The smile she
gave Ryder was too shaky to fool anybody.

Even as he took the duffle bag from her hand and slung it over his
shoulder Ryder was frowning down at her. “Are you okay?”

She tried harder and this time she managed to draw her lips into a
smile. “Fine,” she said, the word sounding tight and strained. An actress, she
was not. She’d always been terrible at faking her feelings.

Ryder tilted his head toward the front door. "Come on. Let’s
get you inside. We’ve got to talk.”

Blake didn’t even bother to object. What was the use? She’d had a
terrible time in Dallas and Ryder could see it all over her face. She’d gone
there thinking she could bully Jerome into retracting his statements, only to
find out that she’d fallen for his ploy. Everything he’d said had been designed
to bring her back to Dallas and the devious devil’s plan had worked. Except
that she hadn’t stuck around for him to dig his claws any deeper into her. She
got out of there fast and she made sure he had no idea where she'd disappeared
to. Pequoia was the one place she could go and feel safe.

But still, it was so depressing, knowing that Jerome had won this
round. From here on she would be careful. He would never get a second chance to
get the better of her.

“What’s on your mind?” They were inside now and Ryder was watching
her, his dark eyes skimming her face. “There’s something troubling you. Want to
talk about it?” He was pulling out a chair for her even as he let the duffle
bag slide off his shoulder and onto the floor.

Blake grimaced. She didn’t feel much like talking but from the look
in Ryder’s eyes she could tell he wasn’t going to take that for an answer. He
knew something was up and she could see he wasn’t going to let her go without
some kind of explanation. She drew in her breath then slid onto the seat he was
offering her. She waited while he took the chair across from her. It was while
she was waiting for him that she looked up and noticed something. The place
looked different…in a good sort of way.

She frowned and sat up in her chair then turned and looked around.
“What have you done with the place?” she asked. “It looks…new.” She looked
around some more and realized there was no threadbare rug on the floor. There
were no faded curtains in the windows. Those windows that had been so covered
with desert dust you couldn’t see through them were now gleaming bright and so
clear you could look through and see for miles in the distance.

“How the heck did you get this place to look so good? I’ve been
scrubbing those windows for months.” She turned back to stare at Ryder. “You
just removed decades worth of dust in days. How did you do it?”

Ryder gave a soft chuckle. “I gained a couple more muscles in the
process.”

Blake nodded slowly. “I can see that.” And she really could. Maybe
it was all in her head but it really did look like his shoulders had gotten
broader and the muscles of his arms had grown harder since she’d left town.

“But enough about that.” Ryder sat forward in his chair, his dark
eyes focused on her. “I thought you would come back upbeat after your trip to
Dallas. Instead, you look like you’ve got more worries now than before you
left. What gives?”

She paused, wondering how she could assuage his curiosity without
giving away too much. Then she drew in a steadying breath and began. “It’s my
ex business partner. The one who made me walk away from my business and leave
Dallas. I got word that he’s been spreading vicious rumors about me. All lies.”
The anger rising in her as the memory flooded back, she'd begun to clench her
fists as she spoke and she had to make an effort to release the tension that
was taking hold of her. “I rushed back to Dallas, thinking I could put a stop
to it but he was smart. He made sure that everything he said about me were just
insinuations. There was nothing concrete. Nothing I could use to nail him to
the wall.”

“Insinuations about what? Something damaging to your reputation?”

“You got that right. The bastard made it seem like the reason I left
town was because I’d dipped into company funds.” She expelled her breath in a
frustrated rush. “I still can’t believe it. He made it look like I was guilty
of the very thing he’d done. He was the one who embezzled money from the
company.”

Eyes narrowed, Ryder stared at her and for a moment he said nothing,
obviously shocked by what she’d just told him. “You were in partnership with
this man?” he asked, his tone serious.

“Yes.”

“And he stole from the company yet you were the one who left town.
Why?”

Blake didn’t look at Ryder. She dropped her gaze and stared at her
clasped hands as they rested on the table. To hear him say it, it sounded so
stupid. It was usually the guilty party who skipped town, not the innocent one.
Any sane person would ask the very question that Ryder was asking.

And that was part of the problem. The fact that she’d suddenly left
town had made it so easy for Jerome to fabricate stories. “I had my reasons,”
she said, her voice low. How could she tell him how shocked and hurt she’d been
when she found out how her husband-to-be had betrayed her trust? How could she
share the fact that she’d been utterly devastated? She shook her head. “I
trusted him,” she said simply, “with all my heart. When he turned around and
stabbed me in the back I couldn’t deal with it. Maybe I should have stayed to
fight it out with him but at the time I couldn’t. It was just…too much.”

That was as much as she was prepared to say. She’d probably said too
much already. Ryder would just have to draw his own conclusions and if he
thought she was a wimp then so be it.

But when he spoke again his voice was quiet, non-judgmental. “You
had a partnership,” he said, “which means the business was yours just as much
as it was his. You were prepared to walk away from that?”

She shook her head again but this time she raised her eyes to meet
his. “I walked away because I needed time to deal with all that was happening.
I would have gone back to deal with him, or at least to dissolve my side of the
business, but I needed to be in a fantasy world for a while, one where the business,
Jerome, none of that existed.” She tightened her lips then she sighed. “I went
back to Dallas but I wasn’t ready.”

As if he understood what she was saying, Ryder nodded. “You do what
you have to do in your own time. When you’re ready.” Then he reached out and
placed his big hand over both of hers. “Just know that I’m here when you’re
ready to deal with this. When it comes to attorneys I only work with the best.”

That brought a wan smile to her lips. She had no idea what business
Ryder was in, to need the services of top-notch attorneys, but she was grateful
for his show of interest in her problems. “When I’m ready to sue you’re the
first person I’ll call.”

He smiled back. “You do that.” Then he withdrew his hand, leaving
her feeling somehow bereft, and leaned back in his chair. She was surprised
when the smile on his face was replaced by a serious look. “And speaking of the
lawyers I work with, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Yes? What?” For some reason she felt a sudden twinge of apprehension.

“I’m going to be leaving soon. I have business I have to take care
of, business that can’t wait any longer."

Blake drew in her breath and then she sat back, too, hoping he
couldn’t see how much his words affected her. She’d been expecting this. She just
hadn’t thought it would happen so soon. “When?” she asked, keeping her tone
casual.

“Tomorrow.” 

***

It was pretty early in the morning when Ryder heard Blake stirring.
He heard a door close and then footsteps down the hallway and he could guess
she was on her way down to start breakfast. He’d thought she would rest in, it
being her first full day back, but he guessed he was wrong, which meant he’d
better make a move, too. If Blake planned to open Beaumont’s for breakfast she
would need his help.

A quick splash in the bathroom had him downstairs within fifteen
minutes of Blake’s descent. She was sitting on one of the bar stools, her back
to him. “Mornin’,” he said as he walked into the room. “Breakfast assistant at
your service, boss.”

At the sound of his voice she swiveled around on the stool and gave
him a smile, but it was a weak one. “Morning back to you. You’re ready for
work? Aren’t you supposed to be leaving today?”

“Yup, but I can’t leave without getting you through the morning
rush.” He rubbed his hands together. “Where do you want me to start?”

That got him a slightly stronger smile. “I want you to grab a chair
and make yourself comfortable.” She was sliding off the bar stool as she spoke.
“I’m going to make you a healthy breakfast this morning. You’re going to need
it. You’ve got a long drive ahead of you.”

He cocked his head to one side. “And while you’re feeding me who’s
going to be feeding the hungry hordes who’ll soon be passing through?”

She shook her head. “Nobody. Beaumont’s is still closed. I just got
back. Nobody’s expecting me to open today.” She slid her hands into the back
pockets of her jeans. “And besides, this is the last chance I’ll get to spoil
you. You deserve it.” She jerked her head toward the closest table. “Now, sit.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Yes, ma’am.” Then, just like his boss
ordered, he sat.

Twenty minutes later Blake placed a tray laden with breakfast food
in front of him – flapjacks, grits, bacon and eggs with black coffee and a tall
glass of orange juice. As mouth-watering as it looked he’d never been an eater
of big breakfasts and what Blake put in front of him would surely weigh him
down. “You’re going to share this with me.” It wasn’t a question but a
statement of fact and as he spoke he was pulling out the chair beside him.

“Too much for you?” she gave him a teasing smile. “A hard working
man like you needs to eat.”

“Not this much,” he said as he rose to pull out her chair properly.
“Have a seat.”

When she did, he walked over to the bar and grabbed a glass. When he
got back to the table he poured half of his juice into it. “That’s for you.” He
slid it in front of her then sat down. “And you’re going to start this off.” He
pushed the flapjacks under her nose. “Now get to eating.”

Ryder was surprised when Blake did a pretty good job of it. She ate
almost half of the meal, much to his satisfaction, and when he ate what she’d
left behind it was the perfect amount to fill him up without making him feel
stuffed.

When they were all done he gathered up the plates, saucers, glasses
and cups and headed toward the kitchen. “I’m washing up,” he said over his
shoulder, “and then I’ve got work to do.”

“What kind of work?” she called after him but he didn’t stop to
answer. She would see, soon enough.

Later, when the dishes were clean Ryder threw off his shirt and
headed out to the back yard with Blake in tow. “I made you a vegetable garden,”
he said. “You’ve got a lot of good, fertile land here. You’ve got to use it
up.”