Sweet Texas Fire (8 page)

“So, where is home for you?”

“At the moment it’s here in Houston.”

“But you’d like to make it Sweet Ridge?”

Sadness etched its way over her features. “I thought it could be…” she whispered, “more of a weekend getaway.”

“And it can’t be now?”

“No, it doesn’t seem likely.”

“Why?” God, couldn’t she give him straight answers instead of riddles to solve?

“It’s a bit far to travel from Australia to Sweet Ridge just for a weekend jaunt.”

Gage sat back and reviewed the conversation they’d had the last time they were together. She’d mentioned something about a green card and her company sponsoring her. Had that fallen through? Or had they changed their mind? He couldn’t believe Charlotte had changed her mind about living in Houston. Not with the way she was acting.

“What happened, Red?”

“My company investigated the green card process and decided against proceeding with the application. While they wanted to employ me on a permanent basis, last week they got the news they’d missed out on two contracts they bid on. The application cost, while not too prohibitive, was more than they wanted to spend. So when my contract ends in a couple of months, I’ll be heading back home.”

“I’m sorry. I know you were excited about the prospect of staying. But why would you want to live here? From everything I’ve heard and from other people I’ve talked to, most people would give their eyeteeth to live in Australia.”

“I mean, it is beautiful. I love going back there, but because I’ve traveled so much, it hasn’t really felt like home. I seem to have inherited my parents’ need to experience new things and places. My brothers, on the other hand, are quite content to settle down in Australia. They’ve started their own company, so they’ve got no plans to leave.”

“But why here? What’s so special about Houston? It’s not exactly pretty, if you know what I mean.”

“It may not have a beautiful harbor like Sydney or the gorgeous Blue Mountains. But Houston has a vibe all its own. It’s cosmopolitan. It has great restaurants. Brilliant shopping. There’s just something about the place that appeals to me. Maybe it’s the international feel with so many ex-pats living here.” She shrugged. “I really can’t say why I like it here, I just do.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I spent some time looking into ways to get a green card myself, but it’s impossible. To work here, you have to have a company backing you. And even though Gold Star Eco wants me to stay, it’s just not a feasible thing for them at the moment. Their business relies on contracts. If they start to get outbid on more contracts like they did on these last few, or if contract opportunities peter out with the price of oil dropping, then they’ll be laying people off.”

“Tell me about it,” he muttered. “I’m sure there are other options. Maybe look for another job?”

Charlotte arched one of her auburn eyebrows. “Are you hiring?”

“No, although having you on my team might mean you won’t oppose everything the company does and make my life a lot easier.”

“Don’t count on it, Cowboy. I’d probably be tougher on you.”

“Yeah, you probably would.” He took a sip of his drink. “And there really aren’t any other options?”

“Nope. Pity I wasn’t on that reality show
90-Day Fiancée
.”

Gage spat out his drink. “What is that show?”

Charlotte blushed, the light pink infusing her face. He quite liked seeing her uncomfortable. “It’s a show where people bring their girlfriends or boyfriends over from another country and then they have to get married after ninety days or they get sent back.”

“Now I’ve heard everything. Charlotte Wilkinson is a closet reality TV junkie.”

“Not quite. I was clicking through the channels one Sunday night and came across it. I watched one episode, but like everything else when it comes to reality television, it was probably scripted.”

“I guess if they live in a country where opportunities are limited, marrying to get a green card seems like the perfect idea for them.”

“If someone is desperate, they’ll do anything for a chance at changing their fate.”

“So we’ve gotten a little off-topic, but what do you plan to do about the land, then?”

“I guess I’ll sell it to you when the year is up.”

The sadness crept back into her voice and demeanor. While he wanted the land badly, he’d seen the excitement on Charlotte’s face at the old house last weekend. She really did want the property, too. And with the way she spoke about her love for travel, she wouldn’t stay in Australia long. Which made him wonder why she thought she would stay in the United States permanently. No doubt the wanderlust would hit her again and she’d sell everything she owned and flit off to some other place. He’d probably never get his hands on the land if that happened.

“I’ll pay you above market price for the land when the time comes.”

Or you could marry her and get the land via marriage instead of paying an absurd amount for it.

Gage shushed the voice in his mind. It was the most ridiculous idea he’d had, and it didn’t warrant a second thought.

And he wasn’t going to fall into the same trap Gavin did with Macy and end up in love. Who fell in love within a few weeks? But they had a history where animosity disguised their true feelings. Gavin had always had a crush on Macy. He and Charlotte had no history. Their animosity was work-related, and no emotions came into the equation at all.

Make it a business deal. Propose marriage and you could have everything you want. The land, the oil, and she gets her green card.

The absurd thought wouldn’t leave his mind. The last time he’d let that voice control his thoughts, though, he’d been kicked out of college. He’d learned long ago nothing good came from listening to it.

A knock at her door made Charlotte look up from the environmental report she’d been attempting to read. She welcomed the interruption. While she should’ve been taking in the levels of contaminates in the soil, her mind had been on the prospect of finding another job. Where, she didn’t know. She needed to make a plan. But she really didn’t want to. She wanted to stay here. She liked working for Gold Star and she enjoyed Houston.

“What’s up, Meredith?”

“Gage Cooper is here to see you. I don’t have him listed for an appointment.”

Of course, Gage would just turn up without an appointment.

“That’s fine. I need a break from this report anyway. Send him in.”

“Okay.”

Charlotte closed the report and placed it in her in-tray. She put her pen in the penholder. The door opened and Gage filled her doorway, dressed casually in blue jeans, white button-down shirt with a cowboy hat on his head and, even though she couldn’t see his feet, she would bet a month’s salary he had on cowboy boots.

He looked like he would be as comfortable on the back of a horse as he no doubt was in the oil field.

“Good morning, Gage. What are—” She stopped when a flash of black landed on her desk. “And Oil Slick, too. What you both doing here?”

“Damn cat refuses to be left by herself in the condo. If I don’t want to come home to a shredded pillow or couch, she has to come with me.”

The image of big, strong Gage walking into his office with a cat on a lead was a sight she needed to see. “Do you take her to all your meetings? I’m sure that must go over well.”

He moved into the room and closed the door before he took a seat. “No, I don’t. She usually stays in the office with my assistant. Trailing a cat on a lead doesn’t help my image as a tough-nosed businessman.”

“So you don’t need to make that impression with me?” She patted the cat, who started purring before she curled up in the middle of her desk.

“Red, you know when it comes to our business relationship, you are the one who is tough-nosed. Not me.”

Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t know whether I’ve just been complimented or insulted.”

“Definitely complimented.”

“Really? That surprises me.”

“While I may not agree with everything you say, or rather, suggest, I appreciate someone who is passionate about their job. And you are very passionate.”

Again, she wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that comment. It seemed genuine, and he was right. She was passionate about her job. When her father had a year-long assignment in Brazil, she’d been fascinated by the rainforests and jungle. Her love for maintaining the integrity of the environment became her goal in life. So while she appreciated that mining for any sort of mineral was necessary, there were ways it could be done without compromising the environment.

Unfortunately, for so many years Gage and his ilk had only concerned themselves with getting the oil out of the ground and not with taking care of the land. Of course they disliked her when she came along and held them accountable for their actions.

“Well, thank you. So, to what do I owe this surprise visit from you and Oil Slick?”

As if a shutter had been pulled down over a window, blocking out the bright sunshine, Gage’s temperament went from light to dark. She sat a little straighter.

“I’ve been thinking about our get-together last weekend.”

“What about it?”

“It’s to do with the land.”

Bloody hell, not the land again. Why did he need to talk about it continually? The wheels were in motion for him to obtain the land in just over a year. The way time flew, it would be here before he knew it.

“I don’t think we have much more to talk about, do we? You’re getting what you want.”

“I know, but I feel I need to be honest with you about the real reasons I want the land.”

Huh? What did he mean, the “real reasons”?

“Gage, you’ve made it more than clear. Jack promised he would leave it to you when he died. For reasons unknown to anyone, Jack changed his will and left it to me. What more is there to know?”

“You remember when you were looking at the house and I told you I wanted to walk the perimeter again?”

“Yes.”

“Well, the reason I wanted to do it, is because Dad had the land surveyed years ago and found a pocket of oil.”

As irrational as it seemed, considering her expertise in the business, emotion overtook her sensibilities and all Charlotte could see in her mind was the quaint little house being demolished to make way for rod pumps and storage tanks. The woodland surrounding the property would no doubt be cleared, as well. How many animals would be left without a home? How many plants destroyed?

“You do realize you’ve taken a big risk in telling me this, don’t you? I don’t have to sell the land to you. Or I could sell the land to you and keep the mineral rights. Because those are what you’re really after, aren’t they? You don’t care about the house or the land, just what’s buried deep below.”

“Yes, I knew coming here to let you know my real reasons for wanting the land would probably not work in my favor. But I need to be honest with you.”

“I don’t understand this, Gage. You’ve basically killed any hope of you getting the land by telling me your plans. You know what I do for a living. You know I’ve been fighting with your company to at least try to protect the environment around your rigs. To work on plans to rehabilitate the land after you’ve finished drilling.”

“Yes, I understand all of that, and while it doesn’t make sense, maybe it will if I tell you the other reason why I’m here.”

This meeting had turned into something surreal. The man in front of her wasn’t acting like the astute businessman she knew him to be. Why would he all but shoot himself in the foot with his declaration?

“Lay it on me. I’m sure it can’t be any stranger than what you’ve already told me.”

Gage leaned over the table and picked up the cat, the little animal mewling in disgust at being woken from its comfortable perch on her desk. “I think we should get married.”

Now Charlotte knew for sure she’d misheard Gage, even though her heart rate increased at the idea. “I’m sorry, you did not just say that we should get married. That’s the most absurd idea I’ve ever heard. We hardly know each other. We haven’t even been on a proper date. And I don’t count our lunch over the weekend as a date.”

“I know it seems a bit out of left field, but think about it. Marrying would solve all of our problems.”

Charlotte couldn’t sit still; she pushed back from her desk and paced the small distance from her chair to the wall and back again. She glanced over at Gage; his eyes were a clear blue. No hint of anything to suggest his brain function might be impaired. Oil Slick looked up from her cozy position in Gage’s arms, telling Charlotte she, too, could spend time in his warm embrace.

As if she’d want to do that. Perhaps
her
brain function was impaired if she imagined a cat encouraging her to take Gage up on his absurd suggestion.

“How on earth would marrying solve our problems?”

“You know how you talked about that show where couples have ninety days to decide if they want to get married?”

She looked at him cautiously. “Yes.”

“Well, the idea hit me Saturday afternoon when we were together that this could be an option for you to stay in the States. I tried to ignore it, but I kept thinking about it. I went and looked on the federal immigration website. It looks like a really easy process to get a green card through marriage. So I decided to run with it.”

“You decided to run with an idea that could—no wait,
will
—change our lives. Marriage isn’t a game, you know. When I marry it will be for love and once only.”

“Just hear me out, okay? If you say no that’s fine, but you have to admit the idea is intriguing.” He flashed a sexy smile and Charlotte’s gaze was drawn back to where the cat still sat.

“Intriguing? No. A stupid idea? Yes. But fine, I’ll hear you out.” She sat back down behind her desk. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to agree.”

“Fair enough. As I was saying, it doesn’t appear to be a difficult process, according to what I read on the website. We get married and then fill out the various forms necessary to apply for the green card.”

“Are you sure? That seems too easy.”

“Yep, it is. We may have to wait to get the initial approval, but that’s fine. It’s not like we can do anything about transferring the land for twelve months anyway. The bonus is, by having the green card you’ll be able to keep your job. I’m sure your employers will be happy about that. If they’re not, you can easily find another job with your experience. Also, you can work with me through the whole process of getting the land surveyed and all that we have to do to commence the drilling process. I’m not going to start drilling tomorrow. I’m going to wait until oil is at a better price. We can split up a year after we get married. You’ll have your green card then, so you can go anywhere. Get a job in another state. As part of the divorce settlement, I’ll make sure you get a portion of the profits when I start drilling the oil. Those funds alone could mean you probably won’t have to work ever again. You’ll be able to travel to your heart’s content. What do you think?”