The Billionaire's Courageous Lover (Bold, Alaskan Men Book 3) (14 page)

Andie stared at the screen on her cell phone for a long moment.  She didn’t want to answer this phone call.  It wouldn’t be good.  It might even be horrible. 

Classes were over for the week, and all she wanted to do was hurry back to Knox and, hopefully, spend the weekend just like they had last weekend.  In bed.  Naked.  Exploring each other and talking, making love, talking more, laughing and… just being with him. 

Knox was special.  She’d known that from the first moment she’d met him, and she didn’t want to lose him.

Unfortunately, she had to answer this call. 

“Hi Dad,” she said, answering the call despite every instinct in her that told her to run and hide.

“Good morning, Andrea,” his deep, formal voice replied.  “I need you to come home.”

Andrea took a deep breath.  “Dad, I’m home already.  What’s going on?”

A guilt inducing sigh was her answer.  “Andrea, this ridiculous adventure of yours has to stop.  We need you here.  Your mother is in the hospital now and she is asking for you.  Pack a bag and come home.”

That word… hospital… made her body almost crumble.  She reached out and held onto the wall outside the school doors, her mind reeling from the shock.  “What’s wrong?” she asked. 

“You okay, Ms. K?” one of the students asked.

Andrea forced herself to smile.  “I’m fine,” she told the teenage boy, but obviously he didn’t believe her. 

“Hey, Mr. Philips!  Something is wrong with Ms. K!  Call Knox!”

A moment later, Andrea was trying to get details about her mother from her father, reassure her students, and stop her boss from calling Knox, all at once.  “No really, everything is fine.  Something is going on with my mother in Boston,” she explained.  “Dad?  What’s going on?  Why is she…?”

“Just come home, Andrea.”  Then silence.  He’d hung up on her. 

Mr. Philips put a gentle hand on her shoulder.  “Let me call Knox.  He can get you home much more quickly than the regular…”

Andrea quickly shook her head.  “No.  I’ll just head to the airport,” she told him.  “Knowing my father, he probably has a ticket waiting for me so I’ll just…”

He looked down at her with a serious expression.  “Then let me call him so that he can drive you.  I don’t think it is a good idea for you to be driving at the moment.”

Andrea rubbed her forehead, trying to get things straight in her mind.  “I’ll call him,” she announced.  “I’ll call him on the road.  He has an important meeting this afternoon,” she explained.

“I know Knox,” Mr. Philips interrupted.  “He’ll cancel the meeting for you.”

Andrea smiled.  Yeah, he probably would. 

“That’s very sweet and you’re right.  But I don’t have details yet.  Let me figure out what’s going on and then I’ll call him.” 

Without another word, she walked over to her car and stuffed her bag onto the floor of the passenger seat.  Driving out of the school parking lot, she went through the details of what she knew, which wasn’t much at all.  Her father had just said that her mother was in the hospital.  That could mean that she was visiting a friend or in surgery.  Anything was possible. 

They hadn’t wanted her to leave Boston.  They wanted her there where she could continuously be presented with eligible and appropriate men for her future, and theirs.  They firmly believed in the dynastic way of life.  Marry well and form connections.

She could only guess why her parents had stopped having children after just one daughter.  It would have been so much better for their peace of mind if they’d had more children.  Well, more male children. 

Yes, her parents would have been much better served by a son rather than their daughter who moved completely across the country to get away from them. 

She sighed, but there wasn’t anyone in the car to hear her.  It was going to be a long weekend!  She could fly back to Boston tonight, find out what was going on and be back on a flight by Sunday afternoon and, hopefully, back in Knox’s arms by the time she fell asleep Sunday night. 

Good plan, she thought with relief.  She quickly texted him a message, letting him know what was going on. 

But what if something really was wrong with her mother?  Maybe it was so bad that her father didn’t want to discuss it over the phone!  What if she was seriously sick? 

Stop it!  Her thoughts were heading down a path that she couldn’t, shouldn’t, venture down.  Until she knew what was going on, she had to slow down, get home and get more information. 

It was late when she arrived at the airport but, sure enough, there was a ticket waiting for her.  First class to Boston.  Her parents might be stiff and formal, but they weren’t stingy.  They only wanted the best for her.  The problem arose when they wanted to decide what was best for her. 

And they’d never met Knox.  She knew with absolute certainty that Knox was the best thing that had ever happened to her.  Just thinking about him made her stomach tingle with excitement. 

Ten exhausting hours later, she walked off the plane, saw her father’s chauffeur and smiled with relief.  She wouldn’t have to catch a cab or deal with all of the crazy traffic.  Ramon would take care of her.  For the first time in a long time, she was relieved for some help. 

“Hello Ramon,” she said as she walked up to him. 

“Good evening, Ms. Kingsley.  If you give me your baggage tickets, I’ll collect your luggage for you.”

Andie shook her head, fatigue weighing her down.  “I don’t have any luggage, Ramon.  I just jumped in my car and came here.  Is my mother okay?”

Ramon hesitated for a moment, looking confused.  But as always, he pulled himself together and hid that confusion.  “Your mother is resting comfortably, Ms. Kingsley.  It is good to have you home again.” 

With that, he led her out of the airport terminal and straight into the limousine.  She dove into the back and tried to relax, but no one was telling her anything!  Worry over the state of her mother’s health was driving her crazy and she wanted answers!  Why wouldn’t anyone tell her anything?

It wouldn’t do her any good to interrogate Ramon.  He was the ultimate secret keeper.  And thank goodness for that!  He held many of her own secrets, she remembered with gratitude and fondness. 

When he drove the limousine smoothly up to the doorway of her home, she didn’t wait for him to open her door.  She simply grabbed her purse and walked through the front door. 

Silence. 

Looking around, she noticed very few lights on in the house.  It was late, she knew.  Or early?  She’d crossed over five time zones in the last ten hours.  She’d left the school at three, arrived at the airport at five, the flight had taken off at seven and….Nope. She was too exhausted to figure out what time it was here in Boston.  It was time for her to get some answers.  And sleep. 

No one was around, so she walked into the kitchen.  Not even Jessy, the housekeeper and cook, was around.  So it must be even too early for her father’s breakfast.  She moved to the counter and made a pot of coffee, needing something to get her through the morning until someone arrived back from the hospital. 

Maybe she should just head to the hospital but…well, she wasn’t sure which one her mother was in! 

Answers!  She needed information!  She needed to understand what was going on! 

Coffee brewing, she slid down into one of the kitchen chairs, holding her cell phone and wishing that Knox was here with her.  He would get more answers.  He was big and tall enough to intimidate her parents.  He wouldn’t let them play these stupid mind games. 

She glanced at her cell phone, willing it to indicate that he’d sent her a message.  She’d texted him and told him what was going on, but she hadn’t heard anything from him.  And that hurt.  She didn’t want to believe he was abandoning her, but his silence cut her deeply. 

Silence.  In the house and from her phone. 

The coffee started brewing and she laid her head down.  Just for a moment, she thought.  Just until the coffee was finished brewing and then she’d start making noise, get some answers, and find out what was going on.  Then she could text Knox and let him know when she was coming back.  Surely he hadn’t…

Andie couldn’t keep her eyes open or her mind functioning any longer.  Her last thought before sleep took over was that it was five o’clock in the morning at home. 

“Andrea!”

Andie jerked upright.  Looking around, she realized that she was in her parent’s kitchen and it was sunny outside.  A beautiful Boston morning in early winter. 

When she turned towards the sound of her mother’s voice, she blinked, trying to remember why she was here and not in Knox’s arms. 

Then it all came back to her.  The phone call, the long flight from Alaska, the panic…!

“You’re supposed to be in the hospital!” she gasped when her mother moved over to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. 

Jessy bustled in as well, her arms loaded down with grocery bags.

“Good morning, Jessy,” her mother said with formal politeness.  Never speak of family matters in front of the servants, Andie remembered.  The look her mother gave her indicated that Andie should have thought before she spoke.  “You arrived at midnight Andrea.  Why are you down here so early?  Why didn’t you just sleep in?”

“Midnight?” she thought, trying to think back.  Her last thought was that it was five o’clock in Alaska.  “Oh, right.  Midnight,” her mind was starting to work.  If it had been five in the morning in Alaska, it would have been midnight here in Boston.  “Midnight,” she said again as she pushed her hair out of her eyes.  “I didn’t realize.”

Her mother’s lips pursed in disapproval.  “Please tell me you didn’t sleep here on the kitchen table all night when you have a perfectly good bed upstairs.”

Andie rubbed her face and eyes, trying to get her mind working faster.  Something was wrong here.  Something wasn’t right.  “Mother, I traveled all night because I got a call from Dad saying that you were in the hospital and I needed to come home.” 

She pulled her hands away from her face and looked at her mother.  As always, her mother was perfectly groomed, and looked ready to take on the world.  Her mother would never venture downstairs in pajamas.  It simply wasn’t done! 

“Andrea, go upstairs and make yourself more presentable.  We’ll discuss your homecoming in the dining room over coffee and breakfast.”  Her eyes took in Andie’s leather boots, wool slacks, and thick sweater.  “I’ve taken the liberty of updating your wardrobe.”

Andrea’s mouth fell open.  “So you’re not sick?”

Linda Kingsley’s shoulders snapped back.  “Andrea!  Go upstairs!  Shower and put on clothes that don’t make you look like you’ve gained twenty pounds.  We’ll discuss your arrival in the dining room.” 

And with that, Andie’s mother disappeared. 

Andie stared at Jessy who was holding a bag of fruit in her hands and looking stunned, not sure what to do. 

“Sorry, Jessy.  I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Jessy, being the sweet, grandmotherly kind of woman, broke out of her stupor and laughed.  “Uncomfortable?  Honey, there hasn’t been this much excitement around this old mausoleum since you left.”  A moment later, the sweet housekeeper disappeared into the pantry.

Andie laughed, loving that woman.  When she’d scraped her knee, it had been Jessy that she’d cried to, who had wiped her tears and cleaned the wound, then hid the scrape well enough so that Andie’s mother wouldn’t know that she’d been climbing the trees or riding her neighbor’s bike again.  It was Jessy who had unlocked the back door when she’d come in late from parties that her parents had forbidden her to attend.  Not the right kind of people, her parents had scoffed.  And it had been Jessy that had encouraged her to find her own path. 

Andie walked over and hugged the kind woman.  “I missed you,” she said, and felt Jessy’s arms move around her waist, hugging her right back. 

“I missed you too, honey.  Now hurry up and go change so you can come back and tell me more about this man you’ve been drooling over.”

Andie laughed.  She’d been sending Jessy messages about her adventures, including telling her about the trials and tribulations of trying to get Knox into her bed. 

Andie smiled as she walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.  In her old bedroom, she pulled open her closet and was astonished to find that she had a new wardrobe.  Soft, cashmere sweaters, pristine wool slacks, dresses in about every color and for every occasion. 

Her mother hadn’t just updated her wardrobe, she’d gotten an entire new one! 

Good grief!  What was her mother thinking?  She had no reason to wear any of these clothes back in Alaska.  She couldn’t…

Oh.  Her mother thought Andie was moving back to Boston.  Her father’s words last night made sense now. 

With a sigh, she walked into the shower with sadness, frustration, and resignation.  Better to get this conversation over with now.  Reaffirm that she wasn’t staying here in Boston.  She would be going home.  And home was in Alaska.  Hopefully, home was in Knox’s arms. 

An hour later, she was back downstairs, walking into the dining room.  She was wearing a pretty cashmere sweater and a pair of charcoal grey slacks that fit her perfectly.  Her mother might be more than a wee bit controlling, but she had excellent taste in clothes. 

“You look much better, Andrea,” her mother said, and lifted the silver coffee pot, pouring some into a cup for Andie. 

Andie sat down, glancing at the formal dining room and thinking about her own tiny table.  There were only two chairs and, so far, only she and Knox had eaten at that table.  The table in her parent’s dining room probably cost more than her entire house.  It was about two hundred years old and had been passed down through the generations, refinished several times to keep it looking as perfect now as it had when it was crafted by a tradesman two centuries ago. 

And she liked her table better.  It had cost her less than one hundred and fifty dollars, had been purchased at a discount store, and it was perfect.  Much more suited to her style.

Of course, she loved Knox’s table even better.  It was really just a long piece of polished wood.  Even the edges of the table were the bark of the tree.  It was warm and invited one to run fingers over the top, trace the patterns of the grain, and wonder about the history of the tree. 

Focus, she thought and glanced at her phone once again.  Still nothing from Knox.  Why wasn’t he calling?  Why wasn’t he texting her? 

She missed him so much already!  She missed his strong, muscular arms wrapping around her, and the quirky way he almost smiled at her.  She missed the way he kissed her, and the way he would look at her from across the room and she would know that he wanted her. 

Oh my, and the way he made love to her, like she was the only woman in the world and he worshiped her body with his hands and his mouth.  

“Andrea!” her mother snapped.

Andie jumped, almost spilling her coffee.  “What?” she reacted, and realized that her mother was not amused.  “Sorry.  Excuse me?” she asked, almost sarcastically. 

She also missed Violet and Tyla, thinking about how she could talk to both of them about anything and everything.  There were no formal rules when they got together.  They laughed and talked and just relaxed.  They were good friends.  She should text them and…

Looking down, she realized that she had six texts from Violet and seven from Tyla, both of them asking if she was okay, if her mother was okay, if she needed anything and asking how they could help. 

Friends, she thought with a warm gush of emotion.  Blinking back the tears, she replied to both of them with a group message.  “Still not sure what is going on.  Mother is fine apparently.”  They would read between the lines and know that something was up.  “Sorry for not sending both of you information before now.  Will update you soon.”

“Andrea!  We do not text during meals!” her mother snapped.

Andie looked over at her mother and sighed.  She thought about ignoring her mother’s dictates and sending yet another message, asking Tyla and Violet if they’d seen or heard from Knox.  She was worried now.  And her heart was starting to hurt because she missed him so much. 

But she didn’t want to disrespect her mother in that way.  She might not agree with her mother’s rules, but she didn’t have to blatantly disrespect her in her home.  She would demand the same respect when her mother finally visited her in Alaska. 

“I apologize, Mother.”  She set her cell phone to the side and turned down the volume so she couldn’t hear any new messages arrive.  Besides, she needed answers. 

“Okay, so please explain why I am here.  Dad called and told me that you were in the hospital.  But obviously, you are okay.”  Then a thought hit her.  “You are okay, aren’t you?” she asked, leaning forward as worry hit her hard.  There were many medical conditions that didn’t show immediately, but were still as lethal. 

“I’m fine, Andrea.  I had a brief scare with skin cancer.  I was in the hospital yesterday and the doctor took a sample.  The tests came back indicating that the area was benign.  Nothing to worry about.”

Andrea continued to wait, but her mother lifted her cup of coffee and took a delicate sip. 

Blinking, because obviously that was the whole issue, she was still confused.  “Okay, so why am I here?  You could have told me that over the phone.”

Linda set her cup down on her saucer with precision.  “Andrea, this has to stop.”

Andie pulled back slightly.  “Stop?  What needs to stop?”

“Your rebellion, Andrea.  You are an adult now.  You need to come home and live properly.  This rebellion manifested through moving to Alaska is ridiculous!  And it is embarrassing.”

Andie was stunned for about five seconds, and then she burst out laughing.  “Wait, let me get this straight.  Dad called me back to Boston with some silly comment about you being in the hospital when in reality, you were just there for a mole, and you think my living in Alaska is just a rebellion?”

Her mother’s chin went up.  “Of course it is.  Now, if you’ll just negotiate with us, we can figure out how to move forward.  We heard you.  You win, Andrea.  No more…” she fluttered her hands in the air. “No more eligible men.  We’ll concede.  Your father and I have discussed it, and we’ll let you choose your own dates from now on.”

Andrea sat back in her chair.  It was a violation of her mother’s rules and her mother’s lips instantly pursed in disapproval, but Andie couldn’t help it.  She was flabbergasted!  “Mother, my move to Alaska wasn’t a challenge to your authority or a rebellion on my part.  I did that in high school.  All of my rebellion is gone.  I worked through it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Andrea.  You never rebelled in high school.  You were the perfect daughter.  It wasn’t until you finished college and decided to become a teacher that you started to get strange ideas.”

Andie laughed.  “Oh mother, you have no idea how badly I rebelled.”

Her mother sighed.  “You were a very good daughter.  And then something happened.  I don’t know what, but this Alaska phase has to be out of your system by now.  Just come home and we’ll figure things out.”

Andie smiled fondly at her mother.  “I miss you too, Mom,” she said, and saw the flicker of pain in her mother’s eyes.  “I miss Dad.  I miss Boston and I miss my old friends.” 

“So it is settled.  You’ll come home, you can move back into your old bedroom and we’ll figure out how to move forward.”

Andie smiled, her heart melting.  Her mother just missed her?  Why hadn’t they said that?  “I would have scheduled a visit, Mother.  You didn’t need to have Dad call me here on false pretenses.”

Her mother shifted slightly in her chair.  “Well, we weren’t sure what was going on in your head.  Alaska!” she huffed, as if the word didn’t make sense. 

Andie smiled and looked down at her coffee cup.  “I love it there Mom.  I love everything about it.  I look out my kitchen window and see the most amazing mountains.  It rains.”  She laughed, and shook her head.  “It rains a lot!  But I have some new zebra striped rain boots and, even when it rains, I can see the ocean.  It is glorious there!  I live in a tiny town where everyone knows everything about everyone.”  She laughed because her mother didn’t even want her household servants to know what was going on, although they knew everything anyway.  “I left yesterday afternoon and by the time I got on a flight back to Boston, my friends were already texting me, asking me if I needed anything.  Alaska is rough, but the views, the beauty and the friends make it so much better.  It is crazy expensive, but there are four guys who help my adopted town work better.  They’re wonderful,” she sighed, thinking about Knox.  “And I’ve met a man.”

Her mother’s shoulders stiffened with that announcement.  “A man?  What kind of a man would live out in the wilds of Alaska?”

Andie laughed.  “A really great one.  He’s so sweet and gentle and…” she blushed. 

“Andrea Kingsley!  What have you done?” her mother demanded when she saw the blush. 

Andie sighed.  “I’ve fallen in love with this man.  And I would love for you and Dad to meet him.”  She hesitated, not sure if she might be jinxing things with Knox by talking about him.  “If things work out between us, maybe you could come visit us in Alaska?”  she suggested, hopeful that her mother might break down slightly.  “I could teach you to fish.”

Linda made a rude sound.  “I don’t fish, dear.”  She shifted on her chair.  “So, you’re…” she blinked rapidly.  “You’re really gone?” she asked in a slightly wispy voice.  “You’re not coming back?”