LITMIR.BIZ

       Three

      “You don’t have to do this, honey.”

      Annabelle pulled in a deep breath and attempted to count backward from ten. She moved off the last step and met her father’s worried gaze.

      Neil Carter stood next to the front door, his hair messed from more than just sleeping. She hadn’t expected her father to be waiting on her so early, but that’s the type of man he was. Neil may be a professional gambler, losing pretty much all he’d worked for and all he’d provided, but he loved his family. He’d been the rock when her mother passed while Annabelle and her sister had been in grade school—well, until it all became too much and he turned to gambling. But he hurt, too, and Annabelle knew he was devastated after Trish’s death only weeks ago. They both were. But for now, she could only deal with one crisis at a time.

      The mourning would have to come later, at least for her...because she had to get over the betrayal first and she truly didn’t even know if that was possible.

      “I do have to do this, dad.” Now was not the time to get into her arrangement with Colt, not when her ride was due any minute. “You left me no choice since we have no other way to pay.”

      Her father had lost his job at the factory one county over when he couldn’t make it to work on time. He’d been embarrassed to tell her, but now that she was back, there was no way to hide anything. She needed to be aware of every ugly truth so she could make things right.

      Her father raked a hand down his face and stared up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, baby girl.”

      Wasn’t he always sorry after the fact? This time, though, she had to put her life on hold and dig them both out of this hell. She didn’t know what he would’ve done had she not come home.

      “I can’t do this right now, Dad. Between you and Colt, I’m pretty stuck. But we’ll get through this.”

      “I’ll talk to him,” her father vowed, his gaze seeking her once more. “I can make this work, Belle. I can stop gambling. I’ll get another job and help out. I know you and—”

      “No.” She held up a hand, not ready for him to take this conversation in another direction or make promises he couldn’t keep. “We’re going to be fine. I’ll still do everything I’d planned to, it’s just going to be on a different timeline.”

      As in, years away. The family life, the bed-and-breakfast...those plans would have to wait.

      The doorbell rang and Annabelle jerked her attention to the old oak door. Her father turned, but Annabelle stepped forward to cut him off.

      “I’ll get it.” Closing the space between them, she put her hand on her dad’s shoulder. “Maybe you shouldn’t be in here right now.”

      “But—”

      “No. You and I will talk, but not now and you’re not talking to Colt. You’ve done enough.”

      Her father cringed, but she refused to feel guilty. This was a mess—a mess he’d gotten them into. Perhaps he needed a dose of reality.

      Finally, her father nodded and headed toward the steps. Annabelle waited until he was gone before she pulled in a breath and opened the front door.

      Colt stood on her porch with his black hat in hand, as if he were there to ask her on a date. Damn that man. As if his Southern charm and manners would make her not loathe him on sight.

      But he was a sight to behold. A black T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and those well-worn jeans fit in all the right places. She’d never seen a finer cowboy. If she were to pass Colt on the street, she’d never guess him to be a billionaire rancher who swooped in and stole properties while trying to charm the panties off unsuspecting women. There was no way he didn’t have his own agenda with her family’s land, and regarding this little matter of him giving her a ride. If that wasn’t the worst use of a euphemism, she didn’t know what was.

      Colt raked his eyes over her and she forced herself not to fidget. Someone like Colt probably had eye candy for every night of the week, one on each arm. No doubt leggy blondes with big hair and big boobs, hanging on his every word. They probably wore booty shorts and cowgirl boots, too.

      “I see you dressed for the day.”

      She’d found her oldest jeans and a simple tank. Any girl from Texas had a great pair of worn boots, so she’d thrown those on and pulled her hair into a ponytail. No makeup, no fuss. She was there to save her home, not get marks for her grooming.

      Behind her, Annabelle heard the familiar sounds she’d grown to love over the past few months. Before she could turn or say a word, Colt’s gaze widened and she knew exactly what he saw.

      Not that she wanted him to have any part of her personal life, but she was pleased to render him speechless for a bit. Maybe Colt Elliott could be shaken and knocked down a peg.

      “And who are these pretty girls?” he asked, still keeping his eyes over her shoulder.

      Annabelle smiled. “Emily and Lucy. My twins.”

      * * *

      Colt was rarely at a loss for words, but seeing Neil hold two mini versions of Annabelle was quite shocking. She hadn’t mentioned having a baby—or babies. Now he understood why she needed a flexible work schedule...and he felt like a complete jerk.

      Twins were definitely a handful. He should know, considering his mother always said that about him and his brother Beau. Colt wondered how Annabelle thought she could work and manage two infants back at home, but—

      No. He wasn’t going to get involved. Business and seduction were the only items on his agenda.

      But could he still seduce her? Was she taken? There hadn’t been a ring on her finger and she’d never said anything about having a husband...not that he’d asked her any such thing.

      Annabelle turned, crossed the foyer and kissed each girl on the cheek. Instantly, one of the girls reached for Annabelle, but she shook her head.

      “I’ll be home soon. I love you both.”

      As she came back to him, one baby started to fuss, which somehow triggered the other one to start whimpering. Annabelle kept walking until she was out the door. With his hands full of unhappy infants, Neil held on to Colt’s gaze, but Colt didn’t feel a bit guilty. That man had done some major damage to his family...damage Colt hoped Annabelle never found out about. He’d lost their home and that was bad enough. But there was more and it was certainly not Colt’s place to share.

      He closed the door behind him, settled his hat back on his head and turned to Annabelle. She swiped at her cheeks, as if he didn’t notice the tear tracks.

      Guilt punched him in the chest.

      “Where’s the truck?” she asked, obviously not wanting to address her emotions.

      Fine. He wasn’t one to get in touch with his emotions, either. Just another area he realized they may be more alike than he’d care to admit. They both clearly had a love for their family and were determined to get what they wanted.

      But only one of them would be the winner in the end...and he never lost.

      Colt stepped off the porch, making mental notes to expand its width and put in a stone walkway when the place was officially his. He needed to stay focused on the goal. While this house had good bones and was fine for everyday living, Colt wanted it to be up to the standards of his ranch. If they were going to merge the properties and open it to the public, all homes had to be similar in upgrades.

      Colt nodded toward the side of the house. “I didn’t bring my car.”

      Walking ahead of him, Annabelle

Скачать книгу