The Heir
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Joanne Rock
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Prologue
Tired from a long night of travel, Nicole Cruz was still in bed when her phone rang on a Sunday morning.
She answered before fully awake, her thoughts still half in dreamland. She’d gotten a flight into San Francisco after midnight, but hadn’t fallen into bed in San Jose until long afterward. It had been the first time she’d slept in her own home for nearly two weeks and she’d crashed hard.
“Hello?” Propping herself up on her elbow, she shoved tangled auburn hair from her eyes for a better peek at her phone screen when she realized two things at once.
First, this wasn’t a normal phone call. She’d swiped the connect button on a video chat.
Second, her caller was Desmond Pierce, the rich and powerful casino resort owner who’d footed the bill for the return flight from Prince Edward Island yesterday so that Nicole and her nephew, Matthew, could answer his summons to western Montana. Nicole had insisted they stop in San Jose first so she could pick up a few of their things.
In reality, it was so she could surreptitiously drop Matthew off at his boarding school this morning. She hadn’t told Desmond she had no intention of bringing the boy with her to Mesa Falls Ranch, the site of their appointed meeting later today to discuss the mystery of the teen’s paternity.
“Good morning, Nicole.” Desmond’s deep voice resonated through the phone as his image filled her screen. His dark brown hair looked freshly cut around the sides, but the top was longer and slightly unruly. The bristle along his jaw was trimmed, too, but the shadow effect gave an edge to his tailored, European-cut suit.
Gray eyes zeroed in on her with startling clarity, making her all too aware of the skimpy pink camisole she’d slept in.
“Desmond,” she said on an awkward gasp, dragging an oversize pillow in front of her to hide her breasts. “I—probably shouldn’t have picked up.”
Her pulse stuttered at the sight of him, his broad shoulders filling out his suit in an appealing way. She’d liked the sound of his voice the first time they’d spoken on the phone earlier in the week. But seeing him now had the strangest effect on her, heightening her senses, making her very aware of him. And of herself and her lack of clothes. His gaze never left her face—at least not that she’d noticed. But she would swear there was a hint of amusement gleaming in their depths.
“Would you like to call me back when it’s more convenient?” His tone remained even, as if unaware he was talking to a woman in bed. “I just wanted to give you the details for your flight today.”
And you couldn’t have just texted them? But she’d rather get the conversation over with now than have another talk hanging over her conscience, making her feel guilty about flying solo today.
“Now is fine,” she assured him with false brightness, careful not to straighten up too much or she’d lose the pillow barrier she was banking on for coverage. “I should be up anyhow. I’ve got a lot to do before heading to the airfield.”
“It’s not too late for me to send a car for you,” he offered, tapping the screen to life on a tablet as he spoke to her from behind a sleek mahogany desk. Behind him, a bank of windows overlooking the Bitterroot Mountains let her know he was already at Mesa Falls Ranch.
He hadn’t been in residence during the few weeks she’d worked there. Shortly after Christmas she’d taken a job in guest services under an assumed name in the hope of learning more about the partners who ran the ranch. Before her sister’s untimely death from a brain aneurysm last year, Lana had given Nicole reason to believe one of the men running Mesa Falls might be Matthew’s father. But Nicole had been unceremoniously fired before she could learn the truth.
An event Desmond Pierce had since claimed hadn’t been authorized by any of the partners. But at the time, her sudden termination had made her all the more wary of the men who owned Mesa Falls. She’d taken her nephew to Prince Edward Island in an effort to lie low and regroup, so it had rattled her to learn Desmond’s private investigator had followed them. She’d spent days dodging the tail, finally giving in to talk to Desmond Pierce the third time the PI asked her to contact him. They’d spoken briefly on the phone two times before now. Yet until she learned more about his motives, she was planning to keep Mattie safely ensconced at his school. Besides, as a gifted child with autism spectrum disorder, her nephew sometimes struggled with change, and he’d been through more than enough these last months after losing his mom.
“I can get to the airport on my own,” Nicole assured him, refusing to take more help than necessary. Bad enough he was sending his jet to pick her up today. “Am I still heading to Reid-Hillview?” she asked, naming the private airfield closest to her house.
“Yes,” Desmond confirmed, rising to his feet and buttoning his jacket with nimble fingers. Her focus lingered on his hand. “The pilot will be on-site at one o’clock to pick up you and Matthew, but he’ll wait until you’re ready, so don’t rush.”
Her stomach knotted. Guilt niggled for a moment before she shoved it aside. She refused to feel bad about doing what was best for Mattie. She would drop him off at school before heading to the airfield.
“I’ll need a little longer than that.” She dodged the mention of her traveling companion as she hugged the pillow to her chest and stood. “But I can probably be there by two.”
“Excellent.” Desmond rewarded her with a smile that had probably charmed far more worldly women than her. There was something compelling about him that went beyond good looks. “I appreciate you agreeing to see me.”
He had an ease and competence that suggested he could accomplish anything. But then, wealth imbued people with that kind of confidence. He’d wanted Nicole and her nephew to come to Montana, so he’d had them followed until they caved to his terms.
Or so he thought. Nicole could at least keep him away from her nephew while Matthew was in school.
“It wasn’t a decision I reached easily,” she reminded him, needing this man to know she wasn’t going to knuckle under to whatever demands he made once she was in Montana. “Being hounded by your detective didn’t help your case if you really only wished to speak to me.”
She feared that he and his friends—any one of whom might have fathered her nephew—would try to wrest guardianship of Matthew away from her. And he might as well know straight out of the gate that wasn’t happening.
His jaw tightened at her rebuke, but he didn’t deny it.
“Forgive me. I was unsure how else to right the wrong you were done while employed at the ranch. We’ll make sure you’re compensated for the abrupt termination.”
She studied his features, looking for a hint as to his deeper motive, but his gray eyes revealed nothing. And while she was quickly running out of her personal reserves on her quest to find her nephew’s father, she wouldn’t be accepting financial gifts from a man who already wielded too much power.
“I’m not interested in that. I’m only coming to Montana to learn the truth about Mathew’s connection to Mesa Falls.”
Perhaps Desmond heard that it was a line in the sand for her, because he didn’t argue. Then again, he didn’t concede, either.
“I’m committed to helping you find the answers you’re searching for.” His gaze was unwavering.
Could she trust those words? Or was he more interested in making sure she didn’t learn too much? It was impossible to tell. But she wouldn’t let Desmond Pierce stop her in her quest.
And she damned well wouldn’t allow his charismatic appeal to slip past her guard. Nothing was more important than protecting her nephew’s best interests.
When she simply nodded, Desmond continued. “I look forward to seeing you when you land. There’s a snowstorm rolling in later, so dress warm.”
She knew it was for practical purposes that he was going to meet her personally, but a shiver still stole over her at the thought of stepping off the aircraft and coming face-to-face with this man for the first time.
Now the only man who’d seen her in bed in over a year.
Shaking off the wayward thought, Nicole wished her contact in Mesa Falls didn’t have to be so damnably attractive.
“I’ll see you soon. And...thank you.” Disconnecting the call, Nicole made sure the screen went dark before she let go of the pillow.
She needed a shower to clear her head, and then she’d put her game face on for the day ahead. She would drop Matthew off at his school before boarding Desmond’s private plane, then proceed to Montana alone to find out what the men of Mesa Falls had been hiding from her family. The next time she saw Desmond Pierce, he wasn’t going to be happy with her.
