Lone Star Millionaire (11 page)

He shrugged. “Can I help that I'm a sucker for the kid?”

“No, and I'm glad you can't.”

“You're just excited about winning.” With that he slowed and waited until Anastasia caught up with him.

Sabrina didn't bother racing ahead. She would rather they went together, so they moved up the boardwalk at the preteen's slightly awkward pace. On the way, they passed a couple of kids throwing a baseball back and forth.

Cal stared at them for a second. “You like baseball?” he asked. “There are two local pro teams here. One down here in Orange County, the other up in Los Angeles. I bet we could get tickets to a game.”

They reached the ice cream stand. Anastasia sank onto a bench out front and sighed. “I've never been to a game. Is it fun?”

“You bet. There's hot dogs and peanuts still in the shell. This guy walks around the stand and tosses them to you.”

Sabrina chuckled. “The game is fun, too.”

“Oh, that,” Cal said. “So you want to go?”

“Sure.”

The girl smiled, and Sabrina realized for the first time that she'd inherited her smile from her father.

“Great. Okay, what flavor ice cream?” Cal asked as he fished some bills out of his shorts pocket and started for the shop. “Sabrina, I know you like rocky road. On a cone, right?”

She nodded.

“Anastasia?”

“Chocolate, on a cone, too, please.”

Sabrina raised her eyebrows. Please? That was a new one. Apparently the message about trying to be pleasant to make things easier had gotten through.

Cal returned in a couple of minutes and handed each of them their cones. He perched on the bench between the two females, his long legs pressing against Sabrina's. His free hand casually rested on her thigh, as if he'd done that a thousand times. As if he had the right. The heat from his fingers burned her skin. She thought about protesting, but the truth was, she liked him touching her, even if she didn't understand why he was doing it.

She wanted him. Lord help her, she also loved him. It was a deadly combination, and she didn't see a way for her to win in this situation. The most she could hope for was to entice Cal to her bed. For years she'd known he never thought of her as more than an employee and maybe a friend. But something had changed. She wasn't overly experienced, but she knew that while he'd been kissing her, he'd wanted her. Since then she'd caught him looking at her in a way that led her to believe he'd been thinking about her and their shared kiss as much as she had.

But then what? He might come to her bed and make love with her, but that would be the end of it. She knew Cal. He was loyal and faithful while he was interested, and then it was over. She didn't delude herself into thinking she might be the one woman on the planet who could actually figure out how to keep him around. The last thing she needed was to get her heart broken by him. She also didn't want to be used as a stand-in mom for Anastasia.

She had to be strong, she told herself. But when Cal told her she had a smudge of ice cream on her cheek, then brushed her skin to supposedly wipe it off, being strong seemed incredibly overrated.

 

Sabrina read the page for the third time, then put down her book. She wasn't getting anywhere in the story, and this was a new release by her favorite author. But today she couldn't concentrate. The phone sat next to her on the end table and she stared at it longingly. She'd sent out feelers to the headhunters and had initial phone interviews. Both had promised to be in touch with her soon. So why weren't they calling her back? She needed to find out if there were jobs available to her. She had to get out of here before Cal drove her crazy.

It wasn't fair, she thought as she rose to her feet and crossed to the window. Anastasia and Cal had gone sailing for the afternoon, but she'd begged off. Privately she'd told Cal it would be good for him to have some time alone with his daughter. However, that was only part of the truth. The other part was she couldn't take much more of his attention.

In the past week…the seven days since their kiss…he'd been incredibly attentive. He was always close to her, touching her, smiling at her, flirting with her and generally going out of his way to make her feel special. She hated it. She loved it. She was slowly going insane.

Every part of her body was on fire. She couldn't look at him without wanting him. She had hormones pumping out chemicals that were leaving her edgy, while the voice of reason in her head kept screaming out warnings. The situation was intolerable and unlikely to get better anytime soon. If only…

She leaned her forehead against the sliding glass door and stared at the ocean. If only things could be different. Isn't that how it always went? If only her parents hadn't died. If only she could have kept from falling in love with her boss. If only she knew what to do with the rest of her life.

“We're back!”

The words were punctuated by the slamming of the door
that led in from the garage. Sabrina quickly returned to the sofa and picked up her book. She forced herself to smile brightly. “Did you two have a good time?”

Cal flopped next to her on the sofa. “Great. The kid's a natural on the water.”

Anastasia glowed. “I
love
sailing. Dad let me steer the boat and everything. We were going really fast and we tacked around this big cabin cruiser, but we're the sailboat so he had to give us the right of way and it was so cool!” She headed for the kitchen. “I'm going to get some water. Anybody else want anything?”

Sabrina tried to ignore Cal as he put his arm around her. “No, thanks,” she said. His thumb brushed against her neck, the slow stroking igniting a passionate fire deep in her belly. “So you had fun?” she asked brightly.

“Uh-huh. She's really changed. I think she's starting to trust me.”

“Oh, she is. It's wonderful to watch the two of you bond.” The simple sentence was tough to get out because Cal had leaned close to press his lips against her throat. Her breath caught. “I don't think that's a good idea,” she murmured.

“Why not? You like it. I can feel your pulse fluttering.” He moved so that his mouth hovered over the hollow where her heartbeat gave away her aroused state.

“Anastasia will be back any minute.” She tore herself away and pushed to her feet. “The baseball game's tomorrow,” she said loudly so the girl could hear her. “Are you looking forward to it?”

Cal reached for her, but Sabrina managed to sidestep him. Anastasia walked back into the room.

“Sure,” she said. “I think it will be fun.” She took a sip from her glass, then moved to the sofa and plopped down next to her father. “I'm tired.”

Cal ruffled her bangs. “Me, too, kid. You wore me out.”

Anastasia giggled.

Sabrina watched them. Her heart ached. Not just from wanting Cal and being confused by what he was doing, but also because she was a bit player in a story that would never include her. Cal and his daughter were forming a family unit. She would always be the hired help. No matter how much she wanted it to be otherwise, she knew the truth. So it was better for everyone that she move on.

Oh, but it was going to hurt to go. She'd been in love with Cal for years and was only now admitting it. Even if it only took half that time to get over him, it was going to be a long while before she would be able to look at another man and not wish he was Cal Langtry.

T
he phone call came early. As Cal rolled over to grab the receiver, he glanced at the clock. It was barely after five. “Yes,” he said.

“Hey, boss, it's Griffin. Sorry to wake you up, but we got a problem with the Atlas rig.”

Cal came instantly awake. He sat up in bed. “Explosion?”

“No, there was a fire. No one's hurt bad, but there are some injuries. We've got containment on the leak. No environmental damage. The media team is already gearing up to answer questions and there will be an investigation. I thought you'd want to know, is all.”

Cal rubbed his eyes. “I'll get a plane out this morning,” he said. There was a direct flight from the Orange County airport to Houston in a few hours. “I'll phone the office once I'm on board and give them my exact arrival time. The helicopter can meet me at the airport. I'll be on the rig by this afternoon.”

“Sorry, boss. I know you're on vacation.”

“Accidents happen. Hang tight, Griffin. I'll see you soon.”

After hanging up, Cal stood and stretched. So much for the plans they'd made for the day.

A faint knock made him look up. Sabrina stood in the doorway. “I heard the phone,” she said. “Is everything all right?”

Her hair was all mussed and her eyes were heavy with sleep. She wore an oversize cotton T-shirt that fell to mid-thigh. As she moved toward him, he was mesmerized by the sway of her breasts.

“There's a problem with the Atlas rig.”

“An explosion?”

“Just a fire.”

“Okay.” She moved to the desk in his bedroom and picked up a pad of paper. After taking a pen, she walked to the bed and sat down. “What do you want me to do?”

What he wanted was for her to lie back and let him take her in his arms, holding her close as he kissed her all over, then strip her of her T-shirt and slowly make love to her.

Casually, so she wouldn't guess that the combination of her scanty attire, appealing body and his wayward thoughts were causing an obvious and predictable reaction, he slipped on his robe. For one thing, there wasn't time. He had to be at the airport in less than an hour. For another—

“Dad?”

Anastasia had only been calling him that for a couple of days, and every time she did, he felt a jolt of happiness in his heart.

“I heard the phone.”

“It's all right,” he said, and walked over to give her a hug. “There are a few problems with work. There was a fire on an oil rig.”

She looked up at him. “That's bad, huh?”

“Very bad. It sounds like we were lucky, but I have to go make sure.” He released his daughter and turned to Sabrina. “Call the airlines and get me on the seven o'clock flight to Houston. Griffin is supposed to make sure the helicopter is
waiting for me, but double-check with Ada. I'll want to go directly to the rig.”

“You're leaving?” Anastasia's voice was filled with outrage. “You can't leave. We've going to the baseball game tonight.”

Cal had forgotten. “I'm sorry to miss that, but I don't have a choice. I have a responsibility to the rig and my men. I have to be there to oversee everything. It's my job.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “You were lying about everything. I don't matter at all.”

“Anastasia, that's not right and you know it. I'll only be gone a couple of days. You and Sabrina can stay here and continue with your vacation. I'll be back before you know it,” he said, but it was too late. She'd already run from the room.

Cal stared after her, torn between what he wanted to do and what he had to do. He glanced helplessly at Sabrina. She shrugged. “You're between a rock and a hard place, Cal. You're right about the rig. You
do
have a responsibility to your men. Unfortunately, the timing stinks. She's just starting to trust you, and from her point of view, you've just let her down. She'll understand in time.”

“How much time?”

“I don't know. This is hard for both of you. But you'll get through it. I just wish I could go with you.”

He'd known from the moment he received the phone call that Sabrina would have to stay with Anastasia, but he hadn't actually pictured himself making the trip without her. Except for a couple of vacations with girlfriends, Sabrina was always with him.

“I can manage on my own,” he said lightly, knowing that what he was going to miss wasn't her efficiency, but her company.

“I know.” She wrote a couple of more lines on the pad. “Okay, why don't you go shower and get dressed? In the meantime, I'll start the phone calls.”

Twenty minutes later he walked into the kitchen to find Sabrina hanging up the phone. She looked up at him and smiled.
“You're all set. The 7:00 a.m. flight to Houston. First class, window seat. The cab is on its way to take you to the airport.” She handed him a cup of coffee. “I spoke to Ada. The helicopter will be waiting when you get off the plane.” She pointed to a carry-on bag. “I packed you enough for three days. That should do it.”

She still wore that damn T-shirt and virtually nothing else. He wanted her. Worse, at this moment, he felt like he needed her. He who had never needed anyone. And not just in his bed. Straight desire would have been a whole lot easier. The problem was, there wasn't anyone else he would trust to take care of Anastasia. He could deal with this crisis knowing his daughter was in good hands.

He glanced toward the stairs.

“I know what you're thinking,” Sabrina said. “She'll be fine.”

“I hate leaving her like this.”

“I know.”

“I looked in on her, but she was asleep, or at least pretending to be,” he said. “Tell her goodbye for me and that I'm sorry about the game.”

“I will.”

Had her eyes always been that blue? he wondered as he put down the coffee and stepped toward her. Her skin looked so incredibly soft, and he had the strongest urge to touch her.

She swallowed. “Cal, the cab will be here in a couple of minutes.”

“I know.”

“I like working for you and I really don't want to—”

He pressed his mouth to hers. If she'd resisted, he would have stopped. Instead, she sighed and cupped his face. Her lips parted. He slipped his tongue inside, rediscovering the pleasure. Need mounted.

He rested his hands on her hips. Below the T-shirt, she wore
panties and nothing else. Her breasts pressed into his chest. His groin tightened. He wanted her. Why hadn't he seen that before? How could he have worked with her all these years and not know?

Her arms came around him and she pulled him close. He angled his head so he could deepen the kiss. A faint sound distracted him. It was repeated.

She broke away. “The cab is here.”

He cupped her cheek. “Take care of yourself. I'll call when I can.”

She nodded.

He wanted to say something else, something significant that would let her know that even though he was leaving without her, she would be on his mind. But it was time to go and he couldn't find the words.

She walked him to the door. As the cab drove off, his last image was of Sabrina waving goodbye from the front porch of the rented beach house. An ache started in his chest. He had a bad feeling it wasn't going to go away until he was able to return to her.

 

Sabrina went upstairs to check on Anastasia. As Cal had suspected, the girl wasn't asleep. She sat up when Sabrina walked into the room.

“Is he gone?” she asked, her voice sullen.

“Yes, although you didn't give him much of a send-off.”

The girl shrugged. “He doesn't care. He promised to take me to the baseball game and he left, anyway.”

Sabrina looked at her, at the mussed hair and pouting mouth. She didn't know whether to shake her or hug her. “This isn't about a baseball game, is it? You know the two of us are still going to go.”

Anastasia flopped back on the bed. “I don't care what we do.”

“Yeah, right. Like I'm going to believe that.” She sat on the edge of the bed and took the girl's right hand in hers. “You know he cares about you. Having him leave is disappointing for everyone, but he doesn't have a choice. There are times in life when people have to take care of their responsibilities, even if they would rather be doing something else. You're old enough to know that.”

Dark eyes met her gaze. “I know,” she whispered. “It's just—” A single tear trickled down her temple.

Sabrina squeezed her fingers. “Oh, honey, why are you making this so hard? Cal wants to love you and take care of you. Just believe him. Stop looking for trouble where it doesn't exist.”

The tears flowed faster. “What if he doesn't miss me while he's gone? What if he decides he doesn't want me anymore?”

Sabrina caught her breath. So they'd finally gotten to the reason behind Anastasia's actions. She hated that the preteen girl had so many doubts. She was at an age when life should be fun for her.

She opened her arms. “Come here.” The girl sat up and Sabrina hugged her tight. “You know that's not going to happen. He's your father. No matter what, he'll always be your father. Trust him just a little. I promise he won't let you down.”

Anastasia nodded. “I'll try.”

Sabrina held on for a few minutes, then released her and brushed away her tears. “I have an idea. How about you and I try to get some sleep? Then after we get up, we'll have a girl day. We'll get our hair done, play with makeup, have dinner out, then head over to the game. What do you think?”

She smiled shyly. “I'd like that.”

“Me, too.” Sabrina kissed her forehead. “Go back to sleep.” She rose and walked to the door. She knew that finding another job was the right thing to do, but leaving was going
to be difficult. Before she'd just been worried about missing Cal, but now she had to worry about missing his daughter, as well.

 

Cal stretched out on the hotel room bed. It was late—too late to call—but he picked up the phone, anyway. The crisis was resolved and he would be heading back to California in the morning. His news could wait. Yet he needed to hear Sabrina's voice.

She answered on the third ring. “'Llo.”

“I woke you.”

He heard covers rustling, then she cleared her throat. “It's nearly one in the morning, of course you woke me. What did you expect?”

“I'm sorry. I should have waited.”

“No, I wanted you to call. I turned off the other extension upstairs so you didn't wake Anastasia. How are you? How are things?”

He pictured her in that same T-shirt, lying on her back, the sheet pulled up to her shoulders. Ruffled hair, bare face, sleepy eyes. He got hard just thinking about it.

“I'm good. Everything is solved. We had a couple of mechanical problems, but the pumping is on schedule. The injuries were minor. The men are already out of the hospital. The other rigs are being checked, although I don't anticipate this happening again. I missed having you with me.”

“Of course you did.”

He heard the laughter in her voice and smiled. “I had to do all the work myself.”

“Instead of having me at your beck and call. It must have been tough.”

“I survived. Tell me about your day.”

She chuckled. “You would have hated it. We went to a salon in one of the department stores and got the works. Hair, manicure, a new look with makeup.”

Cal groaned. “You're right—I would have hated it. Hey, isn't she a little too young to be wearing makeup?”

“She's about the right age to start experimenting, and I don't think she'll be wearing it every day. But it was fun.”

“My daughter is wearing makeup. Now I feel old.”

“That's because you
are
old.”

“Is this where I remind you that I sign your paychecks?”

“Actually, you don't. Franklin, your chief financial officer, signs the checks, or should I say, approves them to go into my bank account.”

“You know what I mean.”

Her voice was teasing. “Yes, boss, I know exactly what you meant. I wasn't, however, very impressed with the argument. Oh, I should warn you, Anastasia cut her hair.”

“What?”

“Don't panic, she looks great. Actually it was her idea. We were both going to get a trim, but while we were waiting she looked through a few different books and picked out a couple of styles. We all talked about it and agreed on what would work. Her hair is shoulder length and she's got bangs. Actually her hair has a lot of curl and the shorter length shows that. She's already a beauty, Cal. You're going to have to fight off the boys with a stick.”

“I'm happy to do it,” he growled. “Makeup and a haircut. I've had my baby girl for all of three weeks and she's already growing up too fast. I don't think I like that.” He shoved a couple of pillows behind his head to get more comfortable. It was late and he should let Sabrina get back to sleep, but he didn't want to hang up. Not yet. “Tell me about the game.”

“It was fun. We beat them five to three. The seats were fabulous. We were close enough to admire the players' butts.”

“Tell me you didn't actually discuss that with my daughter.”

Sabrina laughed. “Of course not. She's too young to ap
preciate that sort of entertainment. But I did my share of looking, and let me tell you, it was very nice.”

“Hmm.” He didn't like that, but he didn't feel he had the right to complain. Sabrina was his employee and friend, not his wife. She was allowed to look at all the butts she wanted, even though
he
only wanted her looking at his.

“We had hot dogs and peanuts, so we're full up with junk food. I'm sorry you had to miss it.”

“Me, too. I'll make it up to you both, I promise.”

“I know. Better, I think Anastasia knows it, too.”