I Knew You Were Trouble: A Texas Kings Novel (6 page)

“I’m sorry about what just happened. I should have called Sam and told him I was here. I should have trusted that he wouldn’t act out, but to be honest I’m not so sure he would have held back if I’d gone straight to him.”

Nate smiled, but he looked a million miles away. “It’s fine. We both knew he was going to be pissed; I just didn’t expect him to turn up here so fast.”

She stared into his eyes, wished she wasn’t so conflicted over how she felt. Cooper hitting her had done more than dent her confidence. She backed down a step, needing to put some distance between her and Nate. She’d wanted him close, but the thought of him actually closing the distance between them … Her palms were sweating and her heart was beating overtime.

“You two aren’t the only ones with daddy issues, Faith. For what it’s worth, I get it.”

She’d never heard a lot about Nate’s dad, except that he’d been out of their lives for a long time. “Well, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate you letting me stay, and for sticking up for me. It means a lot.”

He nodded and looked away.

“It’s no problem.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “Look, I have a meeting at ten so I have to go, but keep tomorrow night free.”

“Tomorrow?”
What’s happening tomorrow night?

“I thought a night out would do us all good. Sam’s game, so we’re heading to The Den at eight.”

Nate moved to turn and Faith almost ran to him, wanted to touch him, to press a kiss to his freshly shaven cheek. But she didn’t.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Nate stared at her, long and hard, their eyes locked.

“You’re welcome.”

He was everything she liked in a man—strong, sexy, capable of protecting her—but she wasn’t ready to even think about being intimate again. Cooper’s fist slamming into her replayed through her mind when she least expected it. The way he’d thought he could lay his hands on her made her stomach turn. She was stronger than he’d thought, though, and there was no way she was going to let what he’d done to her hold her back.

Faith smiled thinking about Nate. He was trying so hard to be the perfect gentleman, and she doubted that came easy to him. As much as she’d always liked him, she knew what happened when a girl like her became involved with a rich and powerful man like Nate. Which was why he’d only ever been her fantasy date, the guy she’d want in bed but not have any other expectations for.

Her own mom had spent her entire life mourning for the man she’d loved, a man who’d ended up marrying a woman his family had deemed more appropriate for him, and besides, Faith wasn’t looking for anything more than a fresh start and a fun time.

Which meant she had to forget all about how good Nate looked half-naked.
Or what it would be like in his bed.

Chapter 4

NATE sucked in a deep breath and gripped both hands tight on the steering wheel, waiting for Ryder to pick up the phone. He’d been happy and relaxed surveying the parcel of land he’d earmarked for oil drilling, but that mood had quickly disappeared the moment he’d gotten back in the car. He’d had an irate message from his younger brother and a call from work, and Nate could already feel his blood pressure rising for the day.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Nate replied, easing off on the accelerator a little.

“Whatever the hell you’ve done to piss Sam off, I need you to deal with it.”

Nate groaned. He guessed his brother needed Sam to work a problem horse, which was why Nate was getting the blame for his mood. “What did he say?”

“Nothing. Except to mutter that you were a fucking asshole and he wanted to smack his fist into your face about now.”

“You do know I’ve done nothing wrong, right? His sister turned up on my doorstep needing a place to stay and—”

“Whoa, she what?” Ryder roared with laughter. “You have
Faith
staying in your house?”

“Yup.” His brothers had always loved giving him shit about her. He hadn’t exactly done a good job of pretending not to be attracted to her, because she’d
always
managed to rile him up the wrong way. Or the right way, depending on which way he looked at it.

“So you need to convince him that you’re a goddamn monk where his sister’s concerned, okay?”

A monk?
Now that would be an impossible task. “Why?”

“Because he just walked off the job before,
Brother
. And if we don’t get these three-year-olds started under saddle soon…”

Nate had no idea Sam had been scheduled to work on the ranch. They’d used him in the past when they needed him, but Ryder and Chase dealt with anything ranch related. “I’ll deal with it.”
Fuck.
“He’ll cool off soon; it just surprised him, that’s all. He’s probably around seeing Faith again now that I’m gone.” He didn’t know if that was a good idea or a very, very bad one. As much as he hadn’t wanted Faith staying in his house, the thought of her going pissed him off, too.

“He’d better be just letting off some steam. We haven’t been breeding these horses just to have them as goddamn paddock ornaments, and I need his help. I need him here yesterday, so whatever the fuck you have to do to get him back and focused, do it.”

“Don’t lecture me, Ryder.” Nate was getting pissed off. “I’ve got an appointment now, but I’ll call you later.”

They said good-bye as Nate pulled into the entrance to the hospital. Every time he arrived it scared the crap out of him. Give him a raging bull, an unbreakable horse, a husband whose wife he’d screwed, hell, there was nothing on this planet that really scared him shitless, but looking up at the hospital looming in front of him … He pulled into the lot, parked his car, and took a sip of his now lukewarm coffee.
Hell
. Clay King had summoned Nate to his bedside, told him not to tell his brothers, and now here he was about to face the one man in the world he admired above all else. No amount of bravery was ever going to prepare him for losing his grandfather, and the fact that he’d called for him, rather than just waited to see him that evening, told him something was wrong.

Nate locked the car and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked. He entered the building, nodded at the receptionist he passed on his way in, and headed for the elevator. Within moments the doors were opening on the correct floor, and less than a minute later he was standing outside his grandfather’s private room, the suite that was as comfortable as any hotel room now that they’d spent time making it feel like home for him. But it was the fact that it might be the last room he ever saw that always sent a gut-deep stab of pain through Nate.

The staff on this floor all knew him well, which was why he’d been able to pass through the hall undisturbed. If he had it his way he’d have them reporting directly to him, but Clay wasn’t ready to be babied and hadn’t allowed it.

“Granddad?” Nate said his name quietly, not wanting to startle him in case he was sleeping. The room was filled with sunlight, more like a pretty bedroom than a hospital space, with flowers and photos adorning almost every surface, a lamp from home on the bedside table for him to read under at night if he had the energy.

A hand rose in the air, slowly but surely, followed by a croaky voice. “Nate.”

He took another deep breath and crossed the room, reaching to help his granddad sit up in the pillows. It only seemed like yesterday that he had been coming home for a week here and there in between treatments, proud as hell to be meeting Ryder’s wife and then even attending Chase’s wedding. His brothers had sure made the old man happy when they’d settled down. Clay loved the way his granddaughters-in-law fussed over him, too, seemed to enjoy the extended version of their family.

“How you feeling today, Granddad?”

“Like I need a damn strong whiskey. You have one for me?”

Nate settled on the big armchair beside him and leaned forward, slipping his hand into his jacket pocket and taking out a small silver flask. Chase and Ryder might not have been so forthcoming, but Nate didn’t give a damn.

“Here,” he said, unscrewing the lid and raising it to his granddad’s lips for him to take a sip. “Just a little.”

“Good boy.” The words were strained, his grandfather breathless even on oxygen.

“The others would kill me, but who the hell am I to deny you, huh?” Nate couldn’t see the point in not letting the old man have a little of his favorite drink. He had weeks or less to live now that the cancer had spread like wildfire through his body—what would a few sips do now?

“Glad you’re here, son.” Clay reached for Nate’s hand, his movements slow, but Nate clasped it and held on tight. A lump formed in his throat, one he was unfortunately getting used to, and he swallowed it away.

“You’re getting ready to leave us, aren’t you, Granddad?” His voice sounded deeper, huskier, than usual, the emotion almost choking him as he tried to stay strong.

“I haven’t got long now, son, and I…” He stopped talking, breathing heavy. “I want you to see my will. I went over it one last time with our attorney today.”

Nate glanced over his shoulder when his granddad inclined his head, seeing a wad of papers stacked on the low table. “This it here?”

Nate reached for them, took a cursory glance over the top copy. “You don’t need to show me this. Whatever you’ve decided, it’s up to you, Granddad. We’ll all respect your wishes.”

“I’m proud of you, Nate. Proud of all of you…” Nate cringed as he listened to his grandfather’s struggle with his breath again. “But you’re the one I want in charge. You’re the one, Nate. Always have been.”

Nate frowned. It wasn’t that he wasn’t proud as hell that his grandfather put so much trust in him, but he didn’t want to cause a rift with his brothers. Blood ran thicker than water, and he wasn’t going to jeopardize their relationships for anything. He was already taking over as CEO of the company that owned all their landholdings.

“We’ve all inherited our thirds of the ranch already, Granddad. You don’t want to change that, do you?” Chase had already built his new house, was happy with Hope and running the ranch on a day-to-day basis, and Ryder had finally settled down. He was married and he’d transitioned from superstar rodeo rider to producing some of the nation’s top rodeo bulls faster than any of them had imagined. They were all happy with their own success and what they were achieving, and Nate didn’t want to ruin that.

“There’s a reason you got the main house and more land than the others, Nate.”

“Because I’m the eldest. You always said you wanted the eldest to inherit the main homestead.”

“I wanted you to have it so you could keep drilling for oil, son. You’re going to make this family even wealthier than I have, Nate; I know it.”

That made Nate chuckle. “Impossible. I’ll work damn hard to make sure we keep growing the business, but I’ll never accomplish what you have. I’ve stepped in at just the right time, so all I have to do is make careful decisions to keep growing what we have.”

Clay squeezed his hand, his fingers around Nate’s weaker than they’d ever been, but the meaning in his touch crystal clear.

“You make smart decisions. You’re impulsive but not hotheaded. You know what you’re doing because it’s in your blood.”

“Because I’ve learned from the best,” Nate murmured, wishing they weren’t having this conversation, wishing he had another decade before he had to be faced with losing the old man.

“You’re my heir, Nate. You will run the business, you will have the homestead, you will…”—he coughed and wheezed—“drill for oil, and you will have the final say regarding all of our property and businesses.”

Tears welled in Nate’s eyes, spilling over onto his cheeks as he stared into dark eyes the exact same shade as his own. It was like looking into a mirror, only one that showed him the man he’d be in fifty years’ time.

“If that’s what you want,” he said, quickly brushing the tears away, refusing to let his granddad see him break down, “then I’ll honor your wishes. I’ll keep all of our income the same, because I don’t deserve any more than my brothers, but the majority of the company’s earnings will be reinvested into property, into growing our portfolio.” They all received a significant payment each quarter, and would for life, but Nate was more interested in building the business than taking more than he needed.

Clay’s eyes were filled with tears, too, the old man looking so weak in the hospital bed, nothing like his former big, imposing self. The long conversation had taken what little strength he had. “Your brothers are good, capable men, Nate, but every family needs a leader. Someone with vision and passion.”

Nate nodded and let go of his granddad’s hand, settling back into the armchair and feeling like he’d been hit by a ten-ton truck. Now that they’d settled business, it was time to make the old man laugh.

“You wouldn’t believe what happened to me today, Granddad.”

His eyes lit up. “A woman?”

Nate laughed and passed him the flask again. “It sure as hell was.”

*   *   *

Faith had spent the morning cleaning the house, which she didn’t want to admit wasn’t exactly her forte. Cooking? Sure. She didn’t even mind getting groceries so long as she had enough cash to buy what she wanted, but she wasn’t exactly used to wielding a mop and bucket. Give her a collection of art to admire—that’s what got her attention and held it.

“Hello?”

Faith sat bolt upright, fingers tightening around her cup of coffee. It was a woman’s voice, one she didn’t recognize, and she rose to walk out into the hallway.

“Hello? Anybody here?”

“Hi!” Faith called back, locking eyes with a beautiful brown-eyed blonde. She had a toddler on her hip, with hair as blond as her mother’s but eyes the brightest blue.

“Sorry, I saw someone was here and I thought Nate must have been home.”

Faith tried not to bristle, hated how jealous she was over the gorgeous woman standing in the hall who’d walked in as if she knew the place well. So much for Nate not bringing women into his home.

“I’m, ah, Nate’s new housekeeper,” she said, turning to walk back into the kitchen to put her cup down. “Do you want to leave a message for him?”