It Had to Be Fate (An It Had to Be Novel Book 3) (4 page)

He’d never wanted the complication of a family like his own. His childhood had been fine for the first ten years or so. Even fun. But then everything changed. His mom had always been great, but his parents’ marriage and their family hadn’t been what it had seemed on the outside. Mom had no clue his father planned to leave her before he died. And his twin had inexplicably turned hateful and mean. He’d always loved his father and brother and it confused and hurt him when he’d finally seen their true colors, so he’d never entertained marriage and kids. It seemed way too painful. But after meeting some nice kids at his music camps, he worried he might one day regret never having a child of his own.

But the kids from his classes seemed to be into big headphones, cell phones, and handheld video games. That scrap of paper the boys across the diner were studying so intently must be something interesting.

When Ty looked up and saw him he smiled. Then he said something to an older kid across the table and the other boy waved Zane over.

He was curious what they were up to anyway, so why not? He walked over to the booth. “Hi, guys. Is this a top-secret meeting?”

One of the two bigger kids sputtered and his eyes grew wide, earning an elbow to the ribs from the kid who’d called him over.

“Hi, Mr. Steele. Do you want to sit with us?” The kid shot Ty a look that made him sit up and make room.

“Thanks. But call me Zane.”

The boy nodded. “Okay. I’m Caleb, you already met my brother, Ty, and this is our newly adopted cousin, Eric, who isn’t used to all the celebrities yet. Sorry about him. I just wanted to say thanks for the CD. It’s awesome!”

So he was Casey’s older son. “You’re welcome. I’ll get a CD to you too, Eric, if you’d like?” Zane slid into the booth beside Ty.

Eric was still tongue-tied so he just nodded enthusiastically and earned himself another elbow jab.

Zane studied Casey’s kids. Caleb had her light brown, tiger-like eyes and Ty had her big smile. Both were dark-haired like her too. Eric had similar coloring and fit right in to his new family.

Zane asked Eric, “So you’re Meg’s son? The same Meg soon to be married to Josh?”

Eric took a big gulp from his milkshake and then squeaked out, “Uh-huh. They adopted me.”

“I’ll see you at the wedding then. Meg asked me to sing.” Zane glanced at the paper on the table. “Is that some sort of treasure map?”

“Yeah.” Eric finally found his voice. “Tara and I found this buried map in Town Square. Tara’s the dentist in town and our uncle Ryan’s girlfriend.” He pointed to the map. “This is the old mine shaft where barrels of Anderson Butte whiskey from Prohibition days are buried. It had a cave-in recently, but we think there must be a back way into the mine, and we’re going to look for it.”

“Wow, seriously?” Zane glanced at Casey’s boys to confirm that crazy story was really true.

When the other two nodded, Zane said, “What would you do with some old barrels of whiskey?”

Caleb answered, “They’re supposed to be worth like a gazillion dollars if they didn’t get all smashed up. We’re going to split the money three ways. Eric wants to be a veterinarian and doesn’t want to ask Meg and Josh to pay for his college, and Ty and I will get new bikes and then give the rest to our mom because she’s broke.”

“Ah.” Zane studied the map, hating the part about Casey being too broke to buy a couple of bikes. “This caved-in mine sounds kind of dangerous, guys.”

Gloria appeared with their pie. “It is dangerous. You boys should listen to Mr. Steele. Don’t go out there without an adult! Now eat up quick. It’s too close to your dinnertime as it is.”

After Gloria left, Ty mumbled around a bite of pie, “You’re an adult, Zane. We could split the gazillion dollars four ways. Wanna help us look? But you can’t tell anyone. Especially our mom. It’s going to be a surprise.”

Zane slowly savored the best piece of pie he’d ever eaten as he considered Ty’s request. He should just mind his own business. But it could be a fun distraction to pass the time. It wasn’t like he could write songs 24-7; he had to take breaks now and again. But would Casey kill him if she found out he’d helped them?

He glanced at their eager faces and caved. They were three little boys dead-set on keeping their adventure secret while they looked for that whiskey on their own. They had let him in on their secret now and he’d feel terrible if any of them got hurt. He knew all too well how accidents in the outdoors could so easily and quickly steal a life. Like his father’s accident had. He still had nightmares about his father falling to his death—because of him. “Count me in. And I’ll give my share to your mom too.”

Casey waited in a guest chair across from her father’s big desk while he finished his phone call. She closed her eyes and calmed her anger. Her father was known for his fast temper and gruff ways. And after her mother had died, he’d become disconnected from his children to the point that they’d banded together and raised themselves. She was so much closer to her grandmother and siblings than her own father, which had always saddened her.

But she needed to remain cool and collected, not let him push her buttons like he usually did with all the finesse of a bulldozer. Then she’d quietly explain to her father the mess he’d created by going over her head. And make him see the error in his ways.

Who was she kidding? He’d never admit he was wrong. Maybe it’d just be better to come clean about Tomas’s latest threat.

Her dad, looking as mean and grumpy as a grizzly, hung up and said, “What is it, Casey? I’m busy.” He ran his hand through his thick white hair like he always did when he was annoyed.

“I just found out you agreed to have Zane Steele stay here for eight weeks without talking to me first. Where do you propose I put him during the times guests have bought out the whole hotel?”

Her father leaned back and crossed his big arms over his barrel chest. “I’m sure Meg can fit him in. Ask her.”

“Meg is already taking our overflow and is booked.” Casey struggled to keep her voice at a reasonable level. “It would have been much easier if you’d checked with me first. If you want me to run the hotel, then you need to let me do it.”

“Here we go again.” Her dad closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Casey, when are you going to learn that the customer is always right, and we’re the ones who have to adjust? And that I
let
you run the hotel. It’s a privilege, not a right.”

She wasn’t getting anywhere, and the man was never going to change. Better to move to the next arguing point. “I don’t think we want a person like Zane Steele around for eight weeks. What if he goes on another bender and causes damage to the hotel? There are times it’s best to say no.”

“Kip assured me Zane isn’t like he’s portrayed by the media. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”

Could that be true? So far, Zane seemed . . . nice. But how can one argue with the news clips?

“Dad, if Tomas finds out about a man with Zane Steele’s reputation staying here, it could complicate things I’m not willing to risk.”

Her father slowly nodded. “Tomas called me last week with his little threat. Asked me to talk some sense into you, but I told him to piss off. No Anderson is going to be bullied by his scrawny little ass. I told him the boys are staying here where they belong.”

But her own father could bully them, and her too.

At least Dad had stuck up for them. That was new. “So it never occurred to you to mention that to me?”

“I didn’t think he’d go through with it. I’m guessing he wants the boys half time, so he’s going for full time hoping you’ll settle. Don’t cave to his pressure, Casey.”

“Well, he’s the one who moved out of the country so he’s not getting them even half time if I have my way. And unfortunately, it’s going to take thousands of dollars in legal fees to make sure that happens.”

Her father smirked. “All the more reason to let Zane pay five times our rate for eight weeks. I’ll let you have half of the premium Zane’s paying for legal fees, if you’ll get out of my office right now. I have bigger things to worry about than you and your ex-husband’s bickering.”

That money would go a long way to getting the best legal help she could buy. It’d up her chances for a win. She had no choice but to take the deal and hope for the best.

“Fine. But next time someone calls about a reservation, check with me first,
please
.”

“We’ll see.” Her dad picked up the phone and dialed whomever he was so hell-bent on talking to instead of her.

Casey stood and headed out the door. She’d hoped her father would have been more concerned for his grandkids than that, but then, her father had never been very loving or demonstrative. Maybe it was why she’d always been attracted to charming, laid-back, easygoing men who lacked any real ambition or direction in their lives. Her ex-husband and her former boyfriends had all been the exact opposite of her father. Looking for someone more like her dad didn’t sit well, though.

She’d be better off giving up men entirely.

Casey slowly crossed the park, working out what she’d do with Zane for the next eight weeks. He’d have to move rooms a few times, but Kip had said Zane wouldn’t complain.

As she walked by the diner on her way back to the hotel she glanced inside. What were her boys and Eric doing eating pie with Zane?

She did an about-face and yanked open the door. As she marched toward the table, Caleb spotted her first and pasted on one of his “I didn’t do it” grins as he quickly tucked a piece of paper into his back pocket. “Hi, Mom.”

“What are you boys doing eating pie two hours before dinnertime? And bothering Mr. Steele on top of it? You know better than to pester our guests.”

Zane stood up and beamed a smile just as guilty as Caleb’s. “It’s my fault—”

Gloria swept across the diner and said, “No, it was my fault, Casey. Mr. Steele asked me if the boys could have pie, and I said yes because I didn’t think you’d mind.”

Truth was, she didn’t mind the pie as much as she minded the boys getting too friendly with Zane. But she’d learned a thing or two helping raise Ryan and Meg and knew better than to ask her sons to stay completely away from their favorite rock star. Nothing was more enticing than forbidden fruit. She still needed to have a discussion with them about keeping Zane’s presence in Anderson Butte a secret. “Fine. Finish up and then come home and find me, Caleb and Ty. I need to talk to you boys about something.”

As she turned to go, Zane dumped a wad of money on the table, thanked Gloria, and then caught up with her. “Casey, can I talk to you for a minute, please?”

Zane was the LAST person she wanted to talk to, but he
was
a guest. For the next eight long weeks, unfortunately. “Certainly, Mr. Steele.”

He opened the diner’s door for her and waited as she passed by so she said, “Thank you.”

“Welcome.” He grabbed the bike and walked it alongside her. “So how did the chat go with your dad?”

“That’s what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“No.” He shrugged. “Just making conversation. Kip said your dad can be hard on you and your brothers and sister. You looked sort of upset when you came in.”

She glanced his way. He seemed genuinely concerned. “Kip is quite the Chatty Cathy, isn’t he?”

He chuckled. “Kip lives for gossip. If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand.”

Zane was going to be in town for two months. No doubt he’d see how their father behaved sooner or later. Probably not worth trying to make excuses for her dad like she usually did. “My father is used to getting his own way, no matter what or who stands in it. But honestly, we’re all used to it. It’s no big deal.”

“Well, I’m sorry if he upset you. And I didn’t mean to make it worse back there. The boys asked if I’d join them so I did.”

“Why? I thought you wanted an uninterrupted meal.”

“I guess what I really wanted was the
option
to have an uninterrupted meal. You and Meg have nice kids, Casey.”

Her traitorous heart melted at his kind words as they turned and started down the hill to the hotel. He’d found her soft spot. “Thank you. But I’d like them to stay that way. They look up to you, so I hope you’ll take that into consideration while you’re here.”

“I will. But I’d like you to take something into consideration too.” He put the bike back where it belonged under the porch on the side of the hotel.

The gleam in his eyes had her stepping backward for every one of his steps in her direction until her back hit the stucco wall behind her.

He laid a hand on the wall beside her head, and then moved his sexy mouth so close to hers his breath warmed her lips. His deep, intense stare into her eyes made her heart race.

What was wrong with her? Half of her wanted him to lean that fraction of an inch closer and kiss her and the other half wanted him to leave and never come back.

She whispered, “What do you want me to consider?”

“I think you’re a beautiful woman, Casey. And I’d like to spend some time with you. To learn more about you—if that’s something that would appeal to you.” He stepped back and shot her a panty-melting grin. “See you at dinner. The boys invited me for spaghetti night.”