Christmas With the Billionaire Rancher (7 page)

Long, quiet moments passed and Chloe listened to the sound of Nate's breathing as it transformed from short little clips to long, easy pulls of air. His arms relaxed around her as sleep overtook him. Chloe wished she could find the calm necessary to sleep but her heartbeat refused to slow as it pounded in her chest.

Her fingers drew a lazy pattern on the muscled length of his forearm as she stared off at some unknown point on the opposite wall. Whatever this was between her and Nate, she suspected that they'd just crossed into territory from which there was no return. And she wasn't entirely sure if it thrilled her, or scared her to death.

Seven

When Nate woke, Chloe's body was still tucked tight against him, her arms wound with his as she hugged him to her. It had been a long goddamned time since Nate had felt any kind of peace. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time he'd fallen asleep next to a woman without having exhausted himself first with sex. That's not to say she hadn't relaxed him. Her full-body massage had left him feeling downright boneless. After one motherfucker of a panic attack, he'd expected her to tuck tail and run. But Chloe was made of sterner stuff. She'd eased every ounce of tension, cleared his mind without the need to fuck those horrible thoughts out of his brain. Instead of tripping into a fitful sleep, he'd fallen on a cloud into a dreamless void.

The stillness and quiet of last night was worth more than tens of billions of dollars.

Nate smoothed the hair away from Chloe's face and kissed her temple. She stirred in his arms, a sleepy smile tugging at her lips. “What time is it?”

He leaned up on an elbow to check the digital clock. “Seven-thirty.”

Chloe groaned. God, he loved that sound. Hell, she'd probably sound adorable grunting and wheezing after a twenty-mile run. There wasn't anything about her that Nate didn't like. They barely knew each other, but Nate found himself wanting to learn more about her. This wasn't about only sex anymore. Last night had proved that. The spark he felt for this woman went far beyond a simple physical attraction.

“I need to get ready for work.” Her eyes were still closed and she didn't even try to get out of bed. “I have a meeting at nine with our board and—”

“Skip it,” Nate said. The thought of her leaving for even a second made his stomach want to heave.

“I can't.” Chloe turned in his embrace as her eyes slowly opened. The smile she gave him made the sun seem dull in comparison. “Good morning.”

He lowered his mouth to hers for a quick kiss. “Good morning.”

“I've already put this meeting off twice. No more skipping out for me. Plus, I promised Derrick that I'd take him out for lunch.”

Nate played with the silky strands of her hair, loving the way it felt when it slipped through his fingers. “Derrick?” He couldn't do anything to keep the possessiveness from his tone. Who in the hell was Derrick?

Chloe bestowed him with a wry smile. “Jealous?”

The hairs at the back of Nate's neck prickled. Something was up. Her demeanor changed in an instant, her body no longer soft and pliant against his, but tense. It could have been work stress. Hell, for all he knew, that sense that she was keeping something from him was his own damned paranoia.

“Maybe.”

She gave a nervous laugh which did nothing for the tension that pulled his muscles taut. “Derrick is one of the kids in our program. He's sort of my pet project. He's bounced around between too many foster homes to count and he works the system better than any kid I've ever seen. I try to keep an eye out for him because even soccer can't keep him completely out of trouble.”

“Ah.” Nate wondered at the relief that flooded his body. “Lucky kid. I bet you're good for him, though. You've done a pretty good job of keeping me in line so far.” Chloe flushed and it made Nate want to say something else, something far dirtier to coax that color to her cheeks. “When will you be free?”

“Hmm. Probably after six or seven. What about you? Don't you have another full day of lawyers and yes-men kissing your newly moneyed ass?”

“Unfortunately.” Nate was more than ready to have this business of his father's estate over and done with. Miranda was champing at the bit, more than ready to take ownership of the company's controlling stock and the money that had been Nate's share of his father's legacy.

“Nate, can I ask you something?”

Chloe faced him once again. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Was there anything she did that wasn't goddamned adorable? The uncertainty in her voice gave him pause, though.

“Sure. Ask away.”

“Why do you want to get rid of this money so badly?” Her brows drew down over her brilliant eyes. “Did you ever consider that your father was trying to patch things up with his sons by leaving everything to you and your brothers?”

Nate had never really given it much thought. He'd spent so many years being mad at his father that he'd never bothered with whether or not his father felt bad about what had happened between them. “I guess I figured that he was rubbing my nose in it. Like he knew I'd never make anything out of myself and so he had no choice but to leave it me. To save the family name or some shit.”

Chloe reached up and cupped his cheek. Nate fought the urge to close his eyes and fall into that comfort she gave him without even trying. “No one is saying that you have to trade in your jeans for three-piece suits and move to Dallas. And I'm sure you don't have to quit running cows in exchange for long days at the office. I just think that if you sign your inheritance away, you'll regret it. Once it's done, you can't take it back, Nate.”

“You sound like my brothers,” he said with a snort.

Chloe smiled. “I'm sure they're all extremely intelligent and equally wise.”

“What if I don't want to be Byron Christensen's son?” The familiar lump rose to Nate's throat and he swallowed it down.

“I hate to break it to you, Nate, but even if you give every dime of that money away,
nothing
is going to change the fact that you're his son.”

“I didn't tell him when I came home.” Admitting it to Chloe lifted a huge weight from his shoulders and at the same time, filled him with shame. “After I was discharged, I moved to Sanger. A couple of hours away, and he never knew it. I probably don't deserve that money. I wasn't any better of a son than he was a father.”

“Nate.” The sadness in Chloe's tone sliced through him. He wouldn't have been able to stand her pity, but this was something else. Empathy. “No one's perfect. That doesn't mean we're not deserving.”

He didn't say another word. Couldn't. His own emotions would get the best of him if he opened his mouth. Instead, he lay his head back on the pillow and tucked her body into his. For long, quiet moments they lay in silence. When Nate could finally trust himself to speak he said, “I'm headed home tomorrow. I want you to go with me.”

*   *   *

“I'm headed home tomorrow. I want you to go with me.”

Chloe stared at her computer screen, the numbers on the spreadsheet nothing more than jumbled symbols. Nate's words had been running a loop through her head all day to the point of distraction. As well as the response she'd given him without an ounce of thought: “Yes.”

What had she been thinking? What had started out as a ploy to convince him to help bail out her foundation turned into something that Chloe had no control over. And though she still needed his money like a drowning person needed a lifeline, her motive in convincing him to keep his inheritance was no longer selfish. She'd meant what she'd said: turning his back on his father's legacy would be a decision that would haunt him.

“Hey, you okay?” Hailey poked her head into Chloe's office and leaned against the doorjamb. “That was one bitch of a board meeting.”

Understatement. The board meeting had been catastrophic. “Nothing like being told your number is up,” Chloe replied. “I'd rather have all of my teeth pulled—without anesthesia—than tell these kids that their clubs and programs are going away. We've kept them motivated. Out of trouble. All of that is going to end. They're so used to disappointment. I never wanted to be just another person to let them down.”

Hailey sighed. “You won't have to do any of this alone. I'm here 'til the bitter end.”

Chloe gave her a rueful smile. “I'll give you a glowing recommendation wherever you apply. You'll find a job in no time.”

“Oh, I know.” Hailey brushed a hand down the length of her body. “All this and a killer set of grant facilitation skills … puhleaze.”

Chloe snorted. She hoped she'd be able to find a job as easily. Otherwise she'd be living off of tap water and saltines. “I'm thinking about taking a few days off…” Thinking? She'd already told Nate she'd go home with him. “Would you mind holding down the fort until Monday?”

“I think I can manage this asylum without you,” Hailey remarked. “So … whatcha doin'?”

“Nateaskedmetogohomewithhim,” Chloe said on a whisper of breath.

“What was that?” Hailey leaned in, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “You sort of mumbled that last bit.”

Chloe took a deep breath. “Nate asked me to go home with him.”

“Get out!” Hailey exclaimed with wide eyes. “You're gonna kick it with the Billion Dollar Man? At
his
request? For five days? Chloe, this is freaking perfect!”

“No.” Chloe held up her hand. “That ship has sailed, Hailey.”

“Are you kidding me?” Hailey rolled her eyes. She stepped fully into Chloe's office and shut the door. “Okay, I can see how you didn't want to hit him up when you thought it was a one-night stand because you didn't want him to think you'd slept with him to get a fat donation in return. But this is different. He's into you, Chloe. Do you think he invites any random chick to his house?”

Chloe hadn't really considered it. Obviously something had changed between them last night. Her heart had ached for Nate. Seeing him in such distress and not knowing how to help him was the worst feeling in the world. He was such a strong man. So gruff and serious. Every smile he let slip was a treasure, every deep rumble of laughter a treat to Chloe's ears. His vulnerability had laid her low. Stabbed through her chest. She'd done the only thing she could when she'd reached out to caress the tension from his muscles. And she'd expected the subsequent massage to end up in another round of mind-blowing sex. Instead, he'd cradled her in his arms as though she was a breakable, precious thing that he couldn't bear to be parted from and fallen asleep beside her.

Chloe rubbed at her chest. God, just thinking about Nate made her
ache
.

“I don't know what this is or isn't between us. But until I do, I can't ruin it by making him think that I'm in it for the money.”

Hailey pursed her lips. “You must be crazy about this guy, Chloe.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I know how much you love this foundation and you're willing to sacrifice it for something that might crash and burn before it even gets off the ground.”

Chloe stared at Hailey. A denial sat at the tip of her tongue but it refused to take form. Was she willing to sacrifice the foundation—something she'd poured her heart, soul, hell her
life
into—for five days with Nate that might end up being nothing more than a fling?

When she'd told Nate to keep the money and his shares in Christensen Petroleum, it hadn't been the result of some selfish machination. In fact, the foundation and her own problems hadn't even entered her mind. She truly believed that Byron had meant for his sons to have a share in his wealth as a way to make amends. They'd all done well for themselves. Been the self-made men that their father had wanted them to be. And his legacy was their reward for venturing out and not relying on his name and wealth to get them ahead in the world.

“Hailey,” Chloe said as a thought took form. “Do you have Travis Christensen's contact information?”

“I might,” she responded slowly. “At the very least, I'll have his manager's information. What are you thinking?”

“I don't know yet,” Chloe said. “I'm hoping it'll come to me.”

Maybe she couldn't force herself to plead the foundation's case with Nate, but maybe she could manage to bend another Christensen's ear.

“I'll get it for you,” Hailey said. “But in the meantime, your lunch dates are here.”

“Dates?” Had Derrick brought a friend?

“Yep.” Hailey flashed a conspiratorial smile as she headed out the door. “I'll tell them to come on back.”

“Chloe! 'Sup?” Derrick strode through the door with a wide grin.

“Hey kiddo. Hailey said you brought a friend along.”

“Hope it's okay if I tag along.” Warmth suffused Chloe's skin at the sound of Nate's voice. He strode in behind Derrick and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. “I stopped by to see if I could take you to lunch and found out you already had a date.”

“You didn't tell me you knew somebody so cool, Chloe,” Derrick said with a wide grin.

Nate gave her a lopsided smile that nearly buckled her knees. “I don't know about cool,” he said. “Little man and I got to know each other while we were waiting in the lobby. Talked soccer,” he added with a wink. “I have a feeling he's cooler than me.”

“No way.” Derrick practically bounced with enthusiasm. “Did you know Nate saw Leo Messi play? In person! How freaking awesome is that?”

Chloe's gaze locked with Nate's. “Definitely awesome.”

Nate shrugged and gave her a sheepish half-grin that melted her heart. “A friendly. When I was overseas.”

Derrick looked ready to burst out of his skin with excitement. “Can he come to lunch with us, Chloe?”