The Tycoon's Secret Child (Texas Cattleman's Club: Blackmail 1)

“Don’t look. It’s Cecelia Morgan, and it looks like she’s coming over here.”

Wes’s ex-girlfriend. When she was in Royal before, Isabelle and Cecelia had been friendly, but never friends. The last time she’d spoken to Cecelia, the woman had happened upon her while Isabelle was indulging in a good cry. After hearing her out, Cecelia had urged Isabelle to leave Royal, insisting that Wes would never be interested in a child or commitment or any of the other things that Isabelle had wanted so badly.

“Hi, Wes,” the woman said with a cautious smile as she stopped at their table. “Isabelle.”

“Hello, Cecelia,” Isabelle said, wondering why the woman looked so uncomfortable. “It’s nice to see you again.”

The other woman smiled wryly, clearly not believing the platitude.

Cecelia was beautiful, with her blond hair, long legs and a figure that would make most women incredibly jealous. But right now her green eyes were filled with regret that had Isabelle curious.

“Look,” Cecelia said softly, giving a quick look around the room to make sure she wasn’t being overheard. “I don’t mean to interrupt, so I won’t be long. I just had to stop and say something to both of you.”

“What is it, Cecelia?” Wes asked, his deep, curt voice anything but welcoming.

The other woman heard the ice in his voice and stiffened in response. “I just wanted to apologize to you. Both of you. I should have told you about your daughter, Wes. And Isabelle, I never should have said that Wes wouldn’t want his child. I feel terrible for my part in all of this and I just wanted to say I’m really sorry.”

“Cecelia—I don’t blame you for that.” Isabelle reached out to her, but the other woman shook her head and held up one hand for quiet.

“It’s okay. I just saw you both here and I wanted to say that I’ve got some regrets over things I did in the past. That’s all.” She took a step back. “So, just...enjoy your dinner.” And she was gone.

“That was weird,” Wes said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so thoughtful.”

“It was unexpected,” Isabelle agreed. She wouldn’t have believed that Cecelia would ever apologize like that. The woman had never been concerned with anyone beyond herself and her two best friends. But maybe, Isabelle thought, as her gaze settled on Wes, people really could change.

* * *

The next morning, Wes was at the Houston office for a few hours before heading home to take Belle and Caroline to a park. He laughed to himself at the thought. Hell, even with the upcoming launch, he’d taken more time off lately than he had in years. And though he’d never been one to delegate important duties, he’d been doing just that more and more lately—and feeling his priorities shift as if they’d taken on a life of their own. Business had always been his joy. His passion. Growing his companies had been the focus of his life—until he’d discovered he was a father. One little girl—and her mother—had changed everything for Wes.

He leaned back in his desk chair and stared out the window at the steel-gray winter sky. January in Texas didn’t mean snow like Colorado, but the weather could change on a dime and usually did. The park might not be the best destination for today.

“Boss?”

He turned his head to Robin in the open doorway. “What is it?”

“You’re not going to believe this,” she said, worrying her bottom lip, “but Teddy Bradford is on video call for you.”

Frowning, Wes straightened up. Teddy hadn’t taken Wes’s calls since all of this started. Granted, Wes had been focused more on damage control than in trying to reach out to Teddy—especially after the press conference the man had held. Still, the CEO of PlayCo had been silent up until now, so what had changed?

“Put him through.” Wes turned to the monitor on his desk and waited. Teddy’s face appeared on the screen moments later.

The older man was in his sixties, with salt-and-pepper hair and shrewd green eyes. He was in good shape and in person was an imposing figure. But Wes wasn’t so easily intimidated.

“Bradford,” he said, with a nod of greeting.

“Jackson.” Teddy gave him a benevolent smile and folded his hands together, laying the tips of his index fingers against his chin. “I thought it was time we talked.”

“Why now?” Best to play his cards close to the vest. Wes had learned early on when people were caught up in casual conversation, they made slips. So he watched what he said and tried to make the other man give away his secrets instead.

Teddy leaned back in his oversize maroon leather chair. “I’ve seen the pictures of you with your daughter and her mother. You’re making quite the splash, publicity-wise.”

Understanding dawned. Hell, this was just what Wes had originally hoped for. He’d known that photographers would be following him around hoping to get more dirt to feed the scandal that had erupted almost two weeks ago. Instead, the pictures were of him, Belle and Caro together. Happy. Enjoying each other. And he had known that people would assume they were the family they appeared to be.

The plan had worked great. Except that Wes no longer felt as if he were pretending. Things had changed for him, he realized. It wasn’t a subterfuge anymore. The situation felt real to him, and he couldn’t imagine living without Belle and Caro. That was an unsettling thought for a man who’d spent his entire life avoiding commitment, love and any semblance of family.

Putting all of that aside for the moment, he asked, “Why exactly are you calling, Teddy?”

The older man’s face creased in an avuncular smile that instantly rubbed Wes the wrong way.