Chapter 1
OLIVIA
Silence.
Tranquility and calm settled into my bones on the first morning that I woke up in my new place in Houston. I’d slept like a sixteen-year-old on a weekend or a stoner with no job. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten such a blissful nine hours of rest like that.
With my fingers wrapped around the delicious iced coffee latte I’d just made, I wandered from room to room, soaking in the feeling of my new home. Honestly, I couldn’t believe that I’d gotten a place like this for a fraction of the price of my two-bedroom apartment back in New York City.
It had been a beautiful and spacious two-bedroom in the Upper West Side, but this was a whole-ass house with vaulted ceilings and huge windows.
It had originally been built in the 1920s and still retained its charm and character but had been tastefully updated to include a large, open-concept, farm-style kitchen with modern appliances.
The stove sat in a center kitchen island and there were copper-colored rails above it for pots and pans. With treated wooden countertops and open shelving combined with navy cabinets, even I was looking forward to cooking here.
Both bathrooms had been renovated and modernized, with mosaic tiles on the shower walls and stunning claw-footed tubs. The previous owners had kept the hardwood floors that ran throughout and the living and dining areas were spacious and airy.
Plenty of natural light streamed into the house on this beautiful spring morning and the faint scent of fresh paint still hung in the air. I would definitely need window treatments, but for now, I was thoroughly enjoying the views of my large backyard and the flowerbeds out front.
I even had a covered porch for entertaining and a wine cellar that had apparently been built by a couple who had owned the place in the eighties. Every inch of this house was crawling with history, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
The master bedroom opened up to a small deck overlooking the backyard, with hedges grown around it for a small measure of privacy while I enjoyed my morning coffee but without obscuring the view. I also had two guest bedrooms, one of which I’d already designated for Abigail and the other for Jenna.
Feeling like I was floating on sunshine, I headed to my study and started prepping my things for my first day at the Houston branch.
At the end of the week, my father was putting me on one of our largest clients and I knew how important it was that the handover go smoothly. I sat down behind the desk I’d had delivered and had taken some time to organize properly last night.
Poring over the information I’d been given about the client one more time, I felt an excited thrill shoot through me. The client was a local ranch, but not just any little ranch. They had ranches all over the state and the property sizes were staggering.
It was a powerhouse of a place, supplying so many groceries stores with fresh milk and meats. It also had a huge foundation for teaching school-aged children about agriculture and farming, which seemed like a very Texan thing to me, and they did rodeos too.
There were so many angles from which to market their business and I was ultra excited to get stuck in, but they were a billion-dollar client and that meant I needed to impress the owner from the get-go.
The ranch had been with Dad’s firm for a long time and it was vital that I brought quality ideas like they’d become accustomed to from us.
A knock at my front door startled me, but then I smiled. That had to be Lacey. She and London had bought houses on the same street I had and we had some time before we had to report to the office, so I’d asked them to take a walk around the neighborhood with me.
Back in New York, I’d never had time for simple things like a morning walk before the craziness of the day descended upon me, but this was exactly what I had been craving.
The slower pace that would allow me to be more present in the moment instead of waking up to phone calls from clients at four a.m. when they arrived in their offices.
Shutting my file on the ranch, I got up and strode through the house to open the door for her.
Life in Houston seemed to be treating my friend well, too.
Her strawberry blonde hair was up in a high ponytail and there was a relaxed smile on her face, mirrored sunglasses covering her eyes, and a pair of brand new cowboy boots on her feet.
She stuck a foot out toward me and shook it around a little bit before I could even greet her. “What do you think? They’re nice, right? I figured it was the least I could do to try and fit in the with the natives.”
I chuckled. “They’re green, Lace. I’m not sure the ranchers around here wear bright green boots.”
She pulled her sunglasses off her brown eyes and sighed, brushing past me into my house. “It was either this, tan, black, or chocolate brown. I’m not ready for any of those other colors just yet. Too drab. How was your night?”
She smiled at me as I followed her to my kitchen and set about making us some more iced coffees before we went on our walk. As I worked, I glanced at her over my shoulder. “It was great, actually. I can’t remember the last time I slept that well. Yours?”
“Uh, it was good, but I woke up at five and couldn’t get back to sleep. At least it gave me time to do a little more unpacking.” She let out a low whistle as her gaze swept across my kitchen. “You seem to have settled in pretty damn fast. Where have all your boxes gone?”
I shrugged. “I started unpacking everything that was delivered as it showed up. Washed all the cutlery and dishware and immediately put it all away. I did the same with all the rest of the rooms. I still need to get a few things though, but that’ll happen with time.”
She shook her head at me, eyes twinkling with amusement. “Always so darn organized. Where’s London? Is she coming on the walk with us?”
“Nope. Her sense of adventure got the better of her last night. Apparently, she wandered into a cowboy bar and she texted when she got home to say that trying to drink beer for beer with the locals had been a bad idea.”
Lacey chuckled. “Trust London to try doing that. Has she ever even tasted beer before last night?”
“I doubt it, but she said some guy had challenged her and she’d wanted to put him in his place.” I smiled. “She’s too sassy for her own good sometimes, but she’ll meet us at the office.”
Lacey nodded and accepted the thermos I held out to her. “Alright, then. Let’s go take a look at where we’re living now, shall we?”
“Gladly.” I picked up my own cold drink and followed her out of the house, locking up before I fell into step beside her. As we walked along the wide, oak-lined street, I exhaled a dreamy sigh. “Can you just imagine this place in the fall? It’s going to be breathtaking.”
“It already is.” She slowed her pace and pulled her phone out of her pocket, lowering herself to her haunches to get a good snap of our new street. “Jenna has been asking me for pictures every five minutes since we got here.”
I chuckled. “Same. I’ve sent her about a hundred of my house and views from every window. I miss her so friggin’ much already.”
“Me too, but I’m also excited for our new adventure here,” Lacey said happily. “Besides, you heard her. She doesn’t even really want to come visit, let alone move here.”
“Just wait until she’s been here once,” I predicted. “She’ll never want to leave.”
I sure didn’t want to. We hadn’t even been here long, and already, Texas had stolen a piece of my heart.
Clear blue skies stretched out overhead as far as the eye could see and the air was warm but soft, carrying the scent of fresh blooms on every inhale.
The streets in our neighborhood were lined with stately mansions, their manicured lawns leading up to wide, sweeping driveways framed by wrought-iron gates.
Towering trees stretched their limbs overhead, casting dappled shadows on the sidewalks as early morning sunlight filtered through the leaves and made the pavement glow with patches of light.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, bringing with it the sweet scent of jasmine and the earthy richness of last night’s spring rain.
Birds chirped from high above and there was even the occasional rustle of a squirrel scampering through the branches. It was a whole different world out here and it was one I was finding myself more and more in love with.
“So far, I don’t ever want to leave either,” Lacey said after we’d walked in silence for a few moments. “I’m really excited about this, Liv. For both of us. We’ve officially and completely left Todd and Dan behind, and we’re going to rock the Houston branch.”
I nodded my agreement with everything she’d just said.
Lacey had also had a crap boyfriend back in New York that she’d broken up with just last month.
Although I knew she’d said she was done with him for good this time, I had a suspicion she might’ve gone back if she hadn’t moved literally across the country.
She smirked at me. “I won’t lie. I’m pretty excited about the Texas boys, too. Apparently, they’re a whole ‘nother breed.”
I laughed. “Let’s focus on rocking the Houston branch for now, shall we? I have standards now. Remember the list? That’s going to keep me away from any boys for a long time.”
She arched an eyebrow at me. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Liv. From what I hear, they really do make ‘em different out here. You might just find one that ticks every box you’ve got if you keep your eyes open.”
“The only thing my eyes are open for right now is the time.” I glanced at my watch. “We’d better get back if we’re going to report the office on time. Let’s go.”
Lacey nodded and we double-timed it back to where we’d come from. When I got home, I grabbed my laptop and my purse, sliding everything I needed into a slim backpack and heading out to my car.
It wasn’t a truck, but the Mercedes had handled everything Texas had thrown at it perfectly so far. On the other hand, I hadn’t ventured out of the city just yet.
Lacey and I got to our Houston headquarters and parked in an underground structure beneath the modern glass and steel building that housed our offices. Our designated spots were right beside one another, and together, we collected our things and strode to the elevator.
Walker Marketing occupied the entire top two floors of the building, and when the elevator doors slid open to deposit us at the very top, my breath caught in my lungs.
I’d been here before on occasion, but it’d been a number of years since the last time and I’d forgotten just how vibrant and alive this branch was.
As the crown jewel in our empire, the office was modernized every so often, and these days, it was all greenery and white, polished tile. I smiled as I strode off the elevator, waving for Lacey to follow me.
London and our long-time family friend’s son, Liam, who was originally from Texas and had worked for our company for years, were both already in the conference room where we were set to meet with my sister.
As we walked in, my sister was glowering at him and he winked at her.
She narrowed her eyes in response and I sighed.
Both of them were the babies in their respective families and it showed, but I had to manage them both now and I already knew they were not going to make it easy on me. I rolled my eyes when London crossed her arms in front of her chest and Liam pumped his eyebrows at her.
“Well, this should be fun,” I murmured, taking my seat beside the head of the table as Lacey sat down across from me.
“If you two are quite done with whatever this is, do you mind if we get started? There are a few things I want to talk to you about before Dad joins us, and you know how I feel about wasting time, so let’s get to it. ”