Читать книгу Her Forever Man - Leanne Banks - Страница 9

All Brock Logan wanted was a smooth-running ranch, security for his children, and peace.

He wasn’t interested in excitement or the foolishness of romance. He’d experienced the curse of passion firsthand when his ex-wife left him with a broken heart and two kids to raise. He thought of his kids and inhaled a breath of air tinged with the metallic scent of impending rain. Thank God for his son and daughter.

All he really wanted was peace. Standing on the wooden porch of the sprawling home his forefathers had built and he had expanded, he eyed the dark, angry-looking clouds coming in from the north. He crumpled the fax in his fist as uneasiness curled in his gut.

“We could use the rain,” his younger brother Tyler said, joining Brock on the porch. “But I couldn’t tell it from your face.”

“We don’t need a quick storm. We need a long, soaking rain. We don’t need a flighty visitor, either,” he muttered, glancing at the fax in his hand.

“Visitor,” Tyler echoed. “Who’s that fax from?”

Brock’s stomach tightened again. “Greg Roberts, our attorney.” Wuss attorney, he thought. Brock knew Greg had faxed instead of called to avoid Brock’s wrath. Brock had wanted to dissolve the silly silent partner agreement years ago, but Greg had dragged his feet. “He says our silent partner’s paying us a visit.”

Tyler blinked. “Silent partner? Not the Chambeaus?”

“Chambeau,” Brock corrected and narrowed his eyes. “There’s only one Chambeau left. Felicity Chambeau.” He unfolded the fax and reread it. “Her attorney contacted Greg and told him she would like to visit the dwelling set aside as part of the contractual agreement between her great-great-grandfather and our great-great-grandfather.”

Tyler frowned in confusion. “Isn’t that dwelling where the foreman is living?”

Brock nodded and pulled his hat off his head. He raked his fingers through his hair. “Yep, and since he’s a product of TCU Ranch Management School, I want to keep him happy. This could be a rough calving season since the Coltrane bull sowed his oats in one of my pastures. Looks like it’s gonna be rough in more than one way.”

“Where’s she going to stay?”

Brock kissed his peace goodbye. “In the house. There’s no decent hotels in Blackstone,” he said, referring to the closest town.

Tyler chuckled. “Maybe she’ll liven things up around here.”

Brock glowered at his brother. “I don’t need to have things livened up.”

All Felicity Chambeau wanted was to give away half of her money, she thought as she wearily stared out the window of her cab at the unfamiliar terrain. She knew her money was useless sitting in the bank gaining interest, and she had reached the conclusion that it was her purpose in life to give it away to a worthy cause. Besides, she wanted off that blasted list. The one that, without fail, annually listed the fifty wealthiest women in America. As long as she was on the stupid list, she might as well be wearing a bull’s-eye for every opportunistic male acquainted with the knowledge of her wealth.

Although she hadn’t excelled at anything else in life, surely this couldn’t be that difficult. Somehow, however, she’d bungled this, too.

Her attorneys had recommended she go somewhere quiet until some of the scandal died down and they made progress with the legal proceedings. When Felicity thought of quiet, she pictured a nice little château in the south of France. Her attorneys preferred something in the south, but more domestic should she need to testify. Texas.

It might as well have been a foreign country to her. Accustomed to a Manhattan skyline, she found the endless flat plain and swollen gray skies desolate and too quiet. Even the cab driver was quiet. The quiet made her want to run.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. Maybe all her running had gotten her into trouble. After her parents had died, she’d run from one charity event to the next. Stay busy, avoid the pain, don’t look in the mirror, dodge the loss, shake the emptiness and the rootless feeling in her life. Running was easier. She’d run into the open arms of her financial advisor Douglas. She’d trusted Douglas, believed him, and he had left the country with a tidy portion of her money and an exotic dancer named Chi Chi. All of this caused quite a scandal, and although she was far from broke, she felt very close to broken.

She swallowed the bitter taste of shame on her tongue. She was more disappointed in herself than in Doug. All her running had led her nowhere. Opening her eyes, she glanced at the endless flat plain. Now, she was in Nowhere, Texas.

Maybe it was time to stop running.

Maybe it was time to face Felicity.

The prospect filled her with apprehension. Most of her life she’d felt alone. Doug wasn’t the only man who’d taught her that no man would ever love her for herself, so she might as well give up the idea of getting married. That was fine, but she still wanted off that infernal list. After that, what would be left?

Felicity would be stuck with Felicity.

Her stomach twisted in fear. What if she didn’t like what she saw in the mirror? What if she didn’t like what she learned about herself? What if she came up lacking? Felicity took a careful, determined breath and narrowed her eyes. If she didn’t like what she learned, then perhaps somehow, she’d find a way to change.

The monotony of the setting might be good, she mused. There would obviously be no distractions.