A Merger by Marriage (Las Vegas Nights 2)

“Sounds like the best of both worlds.” She popped a grape into her mouth. “I am curious though, why are you living on a horse ranch out here instead of closer to Titanium?”

“My grandmother grew up on a horse farm in Kentucky.” He took Violet’s left hand and regarded the ring he’d put on her hand to seal his wedding vows. “Even after she married my grandfather and moved to Miami, she kept several show jumpers. Starting when I was five, my mother used to take me to watch her. I’d sit in the stands and marvel at how she and her horse flew over six-foot-high jumps.”

As he spoke, his gaze grew less focused. He’d stopped seeing his grandmother’s ring and was revisiting a

happy moment from his past. The muscles of his face relaxed into a fond half smile. Violet watched him with dawning wonder. This wasn’t the first time he’d opened up to her—after all, he’d shared his decision to quit his family’s company. But it was the first time he’d shared a happy memory from his childhood.

Based on their interaction to this point, she’d labeled him as guarded and brooding. She’d assumed his unhappy childhood had left him emotionally shut down and incapable of letting joy in. But maybe it wasn’t that he didn’t feel but that he felt too much? If he was a powder keg ready to explode, what happened when someone lit a match?

“She insisted I learn to ride,” JT continued, oblivious to the thoughts churning inside Violet’s head. “During the summer, she would take me to her family’s horse farm in Kentucky and we would spend hours riding. When I was good enough to compete, she took me to horse shows. It all stopped when she died.”

JT had lost his grandmother when he was ten. Hearing him speak so warmly of her, Violet suspected he’d been devastated to lose the one person who’d showered him with love and attention. She remembered what a tough time Tiberius had gone through when his mother had died. He’d taken Lucille and Violet to the funeral and she remembered how unwelcome they’d been.

“I never had any grandparents around when I was a kid,” she told him. “My mom left Cincinnati when she was seventeen and never looked back.” She smiled wryly. “And you know the situation on my father’s side.”

“I’ve never met any of my father’s relatives. His parents died when he was very young.”

“I remember Tiberius saying something about that. I guess I didn’t realize Preston didn’t keep in touch with his family. Wasn’t he from California? Have you ever thought about looking some of them up?”

The shutters were back over JT’s eyes. As soon as he’d mentioned his father, his expression became as remote as the mountaintops that made his view so extraordinary.

“No.”

His abrupt answer discouraged further conversation on that topic. Violet sighed as she realized JT was done sharing.

“If you don’t mind,” she began, setting her napkin on the table beside her plate. “I think it’s time I headed back to Fontaine Chic.”

“I’ll get my keys.”

* * *

While JT waited in the foyer for Violet to collect her overnight bag, he replayed their conversation in his mind and revisited every expression on her lovely face. He’d enjoyed sharing breakfast with her. So much so that instead of giving her a brief, dry explanation of why he’d chosen ranch life over a house in the city, he’d gone all sentimental on her and let her see how his grandmother had influenced him.

Nor did it surprise him how tempted he was to trust her. Her earnest curiosity and upbeat outlook weren’t a clever cover for ulterior motives. She honestly wanted to help. Her impulsive suggestion that they get married so he could get control of Tiberius’s Stone Properties stock had demonstrated she was far too quick to believe in people.

Take him for example. She expected him to stick to their understanding that this wasn’t a real marriage. Which meant hands off. And the best—no, only—way he could think of to honor their agreement was to stay as far away from her as possible.

“Ready when you are,” she said, as descended the stairs. She was a feminine marvel in a pastel floral dress with thin straps that bared her delicate shoulders and a full skirt that flirted with her knees. Pink sandals with three-inch heels drew attention to her spectacular calves and her hair was swept up into a loose top-knot. She made his mouth water.

With a slight bounce, she stepped from the stairs onto the foyer’s marble floor and crossed to where he stood by the front door, tongue-tied, his hormones in an uproar. As she neared, he snagged her luggage and opened the door.

“I don’t think we should live together,” he stated, his voice short and clipped.

“How are people going to believe we are married if we don’t?”

“We both work a lot. No one will notice.”

Her lips thinned. “That’s not going to work.”

“We’ll talk about it when I return to town.”

She eyed the second overnight bag he held. “Where are you going?”

“As soon as I drop you off, I’m heading to North Carolina.” The sooner he secured the necessary shares of Stone Properties, the sooner he could replace his father as CEO. And the sooner he could be free of this marriage-in-name-only before he did something to change their relationship forever.

“Who’s there?”

“My cousin Brent. His dad’s Alzheimer’s has made it necessary for him to take charge of the finances in the last few months. He has several thousand shares. It’s not all that I need, but every bit helps.”