With a grin of his own, he set down his coffee cup and ran after her. Breakfast could wait.
Chapter 20
Mia
Forty-eight hours in heaven. That's what the weekend was to Mia. It was bliss. She'd never had a weekend so relaxing, revitalizing, or amazing. She hated that it was over because she never wanted it to end. She never wanted this alone time with Carter to end.
The plane started to descend as they came in for a landing. Mia had never noticed before, but the empty field behind the ranch house was actually a runway. Not having to go to the airport was definitely a perk to dating a billionaire. Mia held Carter's hand, wishing they could just stay up in the air forever. It wasn't Vegas that she was going to miss, it was having him all to herself.
He'd showed her Vegas as only a billionaire could. They'd eaten the most amazing food she'd ever had in her life from beef Wellington to sushi to gourmet chocolates. They'd gambled at the high roller tables with celebrities. Carter told her most of it was comped, but she didn't even want to know what their spend had been.
The best part was the time they spent up in their suite. Much of it was in the bedroom, but it wasn't all just sex. They'd talked and laughed until she was crying with joy. They'd both put their phones away and just spent time with one another.
Mia hadn't even missed her phone. Carter was amazing. He had this unique ability to take something serious and turn it into something hilarious. He was witty and kind, and he always put her first. It made for the best weekend of her life.
Now, she felt like Cinderella returning home after the ball. Except she still had her prince. That made her smile as the plane landed with a soft thump. She wasn't missing a shoe, and her prince charming knew where she lived. She was better off than Cinderella.
Carter held her hand as they exited the plane. Going down the stairs, even with no one around, still felt luxurious and elite. She felt like she should wave to the paparazzi, even though all there was around them was grass and a couple of pine trees. The air was cold, and there was a tang to it that told her snow was on the way. It was now fall in the mountains and winter was coming.
Once down the stairs, she turned her phone back on and together they walked back toward the ranch house. Her phone immediately buzzed with a message.
Kids at ranch. Can you bring them home with you?
Margie
Mia frowned as she read the message from the kids' foster mom. Today wasn't one of the kids usual work days, so she didn't know why they were here. The fact that Margie had dropped them
off but couldn't pick them up was also strange.
“The kids are here,” Mia told Carter, putting her phone away. “Did you know they were here?”
“No,” Carter said shaking his head. “Laura must have needed some extra help. I should check my phone. I turned it off.”
“I know.” Mia grinned at him. “I appreciated it too. It made this morning much more fun.”
He grabbed her hip to spin him to her and kissed her full on the mouth. It was only a taste of what happened this morning, but it heated Mia up better than a fire. If the kids weren't at the ranch, she would have gone for another round.
“Next time,” Carter promised. Apparently, he was thinking the same thing. She loved the naughty grin he gave as he released her and they walked to the barn.
“Alexander, did you find the extra curry combs?” Lily asked as they walked in.
“Yes, I put them in the stalls like you asked,” Alexander replied as he hurried past with his arms full of supplies. He smiled as Carter and Mia walked in, hurrying over to give them both a hug hello.
“Where's Laura?” Mia asked, looking around the barn. The manager was nowhere to be seen, which was odd. She was always so good about being where the kids could find her.
Lily walked over slowly. She had a clipboard and a serious look on her face.
“She called me this morning totally freaking out,” Lily explained after greeting them. “There's been an accident.”
Carter stiffened, and Mia could see him pale. He reached for his phone and quickly began fumbling with the buttons.
“Is she okay?” Mia asked, concerned. From the look on Lily's face, Mia had a bad feeling she wasn't.
“Physically, she's fine,” Lily replied. She sighed and fiddled with the clipboard. “Her parents were in an airplane crash early this morning.”
Mia's heart sunk. There was no way that the next words out of Lily's mouth were anything good. Lily looked up at her and Carter with tears in her big brown eyes.
“They didn't make it.” Lily swallowed hard and looked at the floor. “I was here helping her when she got the news.”