CHAPTER 29
Victoria
I take the phone to my room and call him back. My father asks for an update. More than an update, really—he asks for specific information about Jamie MacLaine and his sons. He wants to know what they spend their money on. If they’re working on deals with anyone else, and if so, who?
“Why do you need this information?” I ask.
The phone is silent for a moment. “Excuse me? I tell you what to do and you do it. This is how our arrangement works.”
There’s a new layer of nastiness to his voice. Something’s going on with him and it isn’t good.
“Are we on the same page, Victoria?”
“Of course.” I move around the room and sit on the edge of the bed, my back to the door.
I don’t tell him about Evander’s accident or the trip I’ve agreed to take to San Francisco tomorrow.
It’s completely unlike me to hide anything from my father, let alone something that could pose a conflict of interest. Because that’s precisely what working on behalf of the MacLaines will be.
I’m only helping them because they asked me to, I tell myself.
Nothing about securing the lease could damage my father’s interests—it might even be a benefit.
And then I remember… I never saw any mention of the BLM lease in the Sulfur Springs research.
Did someone not want me to know about it? Why in the world not?
My head spins. My stomach clenches. I no longer want to do this deal for my father. The idea of cutting up Yosemite Ranch and taking Sulfur Springs feels wrong on every level.
I drop my head, trying to get the room to stop twirling, but within seconds I straighten again, my eyes wide open.
Oh. This doesn’t simply feel bad. It is bad.
There’s something off about the entire deal. I’ve felt it since the moment I got here. What I’ve been told doesn’t match what I’ve seen, what I’ve felt in my gut.
And what did Cal tell me just hours ago? If we don’t listen to our intuition, we’re doomed.
“Father.” I cut him off just as he starts his litany of instructions. He tends to repeat himself endlessly when it comes to me, as if my capacity to remember things is limited. I don’t want to play that game today. “There’s something I want to ask you.”
“Yes? Spit it out, then. I don’t have all night.”
I’ll shoot for a happy medium. Maybe I can get some insight from him without revealing my uneasiness.
“I’ve been thinking, Father. I wonder if there’s another approach we might take to this deal, perhaps a way we could work with the MacLaine family instead of attempting to shave off a piece of—”
“What the hell are you talking about?” My father’s voice has gone from nasty to threatening.
“Since when do you do the thinking for me? My approach?” His laugh cuts through me.
“You don’t dictate the direction of my company.
I sent you there so that you could show your chops, earn your seat at the table. And here you are, spitting in my face.”
“That’s not at all what I’m doing, Father.” I hate the sound of my own voice. I sound weak and afraid. Like the five-year-old caught feeding carrots to the horses. He doesn’t see me as an adult, which messes with my head enough that I sometimes struggle to see myself as one, too.
And that’s the only thing I can control here—how I see myself.
If he can’t believe I’m a grown-up, it’s because it benefits him in some way. If he only takes note of me when I slip up or fall short of his expectations, it’s because he’s already decided his daughter is a failure. I can fix that.
But now he’s irritated and on guard. I need to placate him enough to keep his concerns at bay. “I’ll continue to work on the Sulfur Springs acquisition as discussed,” I tell him. “I’ll keep you apprised of developments.”
“Screw your head on straight,” he spits out. “I’ll be waiting on the MacLaine information. You’re there, so make it pay off for us.”
“Of course, Father.”
The call ends. I throw my phone on the bed, knowing that I shouldn’t have called him back. I should have stayed on the piano bench, kissing Cal. Feeling his body against mine.
I sense someone behind me and turn to see Cal leaning against the doorway. I hadn’t closed the bedroom door.
“I don’t mean to intrude. I was just checking to see…” His voice drifts off, and he doesn’t complete his thought. “Anyway, good night. Sleep well. We’ll need to leave the ranch by ten.”
He walks off.
No more conversation. No hug. And absolutely no kiss goodnight.
The next morning, I get ready for the meeting. I choose my favorite power suit, the one that means I’m here to kick ass and take names. It’s a soft green skirt and jacket with tiny gold buttons.
I take extra care with my hair, parting it on the side and using a hot round brush to make bouncy, shiny waves. I choose another pair of strappy Louboutins, this time in nude.
I can’t have a hair out of place today. I can’t miss a thing.
Not only do I want to do a good job for Cal’s family, but I also want to do all I can to win their continued trust. I have no idea what will come of the Sulfur Springs deal, but when I suggested to my father that we find another way to do business with the MacLaines, I meant it.
I just don’t know yet what that other way will look like.
I grab my briefcase and bag and walk up the hall to the great room, where Cal waits for me. At least I think that’s Cal. He turns toward me while his body remains in three-quarter profile, and I see his familiar violet eyes. So yes, it’s him. But…
Holy shit.
I take a few steps closer, doing all I can not to let him see my jaw drop.
Gone are the flannel shirts, dirty jeans, and dusty boots. There’s nothing country about the man standing here. There’s nothing that screams Navy SEAL either, except maybe his clean-shaven face and refined posture.
The rest is prosperous businessman, as in billionaire-level prosperity. I’d bet my entire shoe collection that Cal and Evander share the same tailor, no matter how much Cal might tease his brother for his fashion sense.
Cal’s suit is impeccably tailored, a dark slate gray with a slim fit that does nothing to hide the spectacular build of his body—the broad shoulders, bulked-up chest and arms, flat stomach, and narrow waist and hips. It doesn’t hide his powerful thighs, either.
It’s cut to absolute perfection. The suit. And the body.
My mouth is dry. So dry I can’t speak.
Before I arrived at Yosemite Ranch, I was certain I preferred the suit-and-tie look for a man over the cowboy look. But then Cal changed my mind because he looks so scrumptious in worn jeans and a cowboy hat. Now I can’t decide which column I’m in. I don’t think I can choose.
Suddenly, I feel underdressed. Ridiculous, I know, since I’m wearing a custom-tailored suit myself, chosen to reflect my eyes and complement my auburn hair. I’ve layered delicate gold chains at my throat for a bit of sparkle.
I’m not a vain woman, but I know that I look good today, and it’s confirmed in Cal’s eyes. I see appreciation there.
He releases a soft whistle and turns to face me. “I didn’t think it was possible, but you look even more beautiful than the day I met you. You look like a supermodel CEO.”
“And you sure clean up well for a backwoods cowboy. Maybe Evander had the right idea. I wouldn’t mind watching you buck a bronco in this suit.” I step up to him and brush my fingertips down one of his thin lapels. “In fact, I’d pay good money to watch it.”
He chuckles softly, then places his hand over mine on his lapel. A frisson of desire goes through me. I raise my eyes to his.
“You ready? Have everything you need?”
I nod. “We’ll be back this evening, right?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“You could probably handle this on your own, Cal.”
“Not sure about that.”
I’m not sure of anything, honestly. Not what I’m willing to give up for this man. Not what I’m feeling. Maybe not even my name.
If he doesn’t kiss me, I may not survive.
He lowers his face to mine as he presses my hand tighter to his chest. I close my eyes and lift my lips.
Beep! Beep! Beeeeeep!
Cal laughs. The moment is over. I’ll have to wait for that kiss.
He cups my elbow in his hand as we leave the house. Declan is waiting for us outside in a Mercedes SUV. He rolls down his window and whistles when he sees us.
“Damn! You two look like a GQ ad.”
“How would you know?” Cal asks. “You only read Popular Mechanics.”
“And damn proud of it.” Declan laughs. “You’ll never catch me in one of those ridiculous suits. I know how to look good and be comfortable at the same time.”
Cal helps me into the back, then takes the passenger seat up front. He turns to his brother. “You can twirl around in one of Jasmine’s tutus if it makes you happy. Just get us to San Francisco and back safely.”
We start down the ranch road when I realize what Cal just said.
“You’re flying us?” I ask.
“Yes, ma’am. In the StellaR Tech corporate jet. Wish we could take the new Bell Long Ranger since I love to show it off, but we’d have to stop to refuel. Maybe I’ll take you up when you get back. It’s got heated seats!”
“Declan flies anything and everything, but his heart belongs to that helicopter.” Cal turns around and smiles. “You’re in excellent hands, Victoria. If it’s got wings or rotors, he can do whatever needs doing.”
I nod. I’m not nervous about flying. I’m just a little confused. StellaR Tech must be far more than a startup bidding on military contracts. A private jet? A helicopter? That billionaire-level suit?
Obviously, my fact sheet was missing a few facts.
I pull out my phone to text Millicent, but we’re out on the state highway where I can’t get a signal.
A thought occurs to me… maybe the ranch’s cash infusion came from the MacLaine brothers’ tech company and not a high-interest loan.
Would my father do that to me? Send me out here with the wrong information?
Does he really want me to fail that badly?
“Hey, no worries, Victoria.” Declan looks at me in the rearview mirror. “I won’t do anything crazy, like buzz the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ll take excellent care of you.”