“Damn. Now that’s a man,” Frederick says under his breath. And I’d have to wholeheartedly agree with him.
“I need a moment of your time.” He makes his way across the conference room. His eyes never stray from me as he passes the models, who are acting as if they don’t see handsome men all the time.
There is something different about this one, though. He’s not handsome in the conventional way. It’s more of a rugged beauty. He exudes confidence. He's so sure with every step he takes.
“You can have a moment of my time,” Frederick says, stepping out in front of me. He always was a sucker for a handsome man.
“It’s about Earl Justice.” That gets my attention.
“What about him?” I put my hand on Frederick’s shoulders, letting him know he can stand down. It’s been a while since I’ve heard anything about my mother’s latest husband. He’s been my favorite out of the four she’s had.
“It’s a private matter.” He lifts his brows.
Oh God. Did something happen to my mother? It’s been a bit since I’ve seen her too. I’m pretty sure the last time she came down to Dallas was because Earl made her. It was for my graduation. I only ever saw them when they came to town. They married when I was in my last year of boarding school. I went off to college after that.
“It’s okay,” I tell Frederick. “I’ve got a few minutes.”
“All right, girls. Follow me.” He motions for them to follow him out of the room, leaving me alone with the handsome man.
My mom could get any man to eat out of her hand. I’m a bit more awkward around them. Boarding school had been filled with all girls, and at the MGW Design Academy, women dominated the classroom.
“Were you close to Earl?” he asks when the room empties.
“I’m really not sure how to answer that.” I’ve never really been given the chance to get to know him well. It wasn’t all on Earl. He’s always been kind to me, but I made it a habit not to get attached to any of my mother’s husbands. With her track record, I knew hurt would only follow when she ditched one for another. I promised myself that I wouldn’t get attached to any of them. I think the more Earl tried with me the more I pushed away in fear. “What’s going on? Has something happened?”
“He’s dead.” His words are cold. I gasp, my hands flying to my chest. “Were you his mistress or something?” He bites out the words.
“Oh my God.” I blanch at him. “What is wrong with you?”
“Why else would he leave you the blue diamond and the Vail property?” He keeps hitting me with one shock after another. Holy crap. My mind can’t even wrap around what he just said. But I don’t like what he’s insinuating.
“I have no idea!” His eyes roam up and down me openly. “I’m not his mistress, you asshole. I’m his stepdaughter!” I shout.
This time it’s me who shocks him.
Chapter Three
Calder
Uncle Justice played his cards close to his vest, but I would’ve thought he’d have introduced us to a daughter. Also, Widow Justice does not look old enough to have a daughter in her mid-twenties, but now that I look at them, I see the resemblance. They both have that classic oval face with heart-shaped lips. This girl’s hair is a darker, whereas Widow Justice is salon perfect. They both have hourglass figures, although the mother’s is more pronounced. The girl in front of me needs a steak or ten. I’m going to have to feed her when we get back to the ranch or people will say that the Justices aren’t taking care of their own.
Hard to believe that Widow Justice didn’t let her daughter know what happened to Earl. He’d been sick with cancer for a while. It’s not like he dropped dead of a heart attack suddenly. He’d gotten the diagnosis even before he married the widow. She signed a binding prenup before they walked down the aisle. After three weeks at Lake Como in Italy and about five million dollars spent in Milan, the two returned, and Earl started treatment. He seemed to be good for a few years and then declined but there was time to inform Birdie here.
I can’t fathom why this girl has been ignored and hidden away, but I also haven’t exchanged more than a handful of words a week with the widow. There are things I have obviously missed. It’s a good thing this girl never stepped foot on the ranch because if she had, things would’ve gotten messy.
Already I’m picturing her dirty blond hair spread over my pillow. I don’t have much time for women, but I can make time for this one. My cock is showing some serious interest. It’d like to spread those heart-shaped lips apart. I clamp down on the back of my teeth and tell myself to climb out of the gutter before I have to place my hat over my groin.