Crazy Love (Emerald Lake Billionaires 3) (29 page)

“Sounds like a good number to me.”

“That’s not the point,” Daniel muttered. He put the ax on the ground and threw the wood into the wheelbarrow.

“I don’t think it’s her career that’s the problem. What’s really going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing my ass. You’ve been spending too much time around your grumpy alpaca.”

Daniel frowned at Blake. “There’s a reason Impulse is grumpy.”

“Let me guess—she doesn’t like living with you?”

“Very funny. She’s pregnant.”

“She’s what?”

“Pregnant. When Sally came back from her honeymoon she brought the rest of Impulse’s herd to visit. She thought she might be missing them. Impulse went ballistic when one of the male alpacas came within fifteen feet of her.”

“And that tells you she’s pregnant?”

Daniel picked up the ax and split another log. “It’s called a spit-off. She ran away from the male, kicking and spitting. We’ll have to repeat the same thing in three months’ time to make sure she’s still pregnant.”

“I can’t believe you told me that with a straight face.”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s true.”

Blake put another log on the chopping block. “This place has rattled your brains. The next thing you’ll tell me is that you’ve developed a pregnancy-testing app for alpacas.”

“Nope. Our next big thing is an app that predicts the likelihood of a billionaire from New York moving to Montana.”

“You’re already here.”

“Not me. You. There’s nothing you’re doing at the moment that can’t be done from Bozeman.”

“I’ve told you—cowboyland isn’t for me.”

Daniel picked up his ax. “For someone who doesn’t like Montana, you sure spend a lot of time visiting me.”

“You were helping me with my app.”

“You could have called me from New York.”

“Okay, wise guy. I’ll make you a deal.” Blake stood in front of Daniel. “You speak to Holly and I’ll think about moving here. Just keep your sister away from me.”

“That’s not much of a deal.”

“It could be the best deal of your life, especially if you tell Holly what’s really on your mind.”

Daniel put another log on the chopping block. “Or it could be the worst thing I ever do.”

***

Daniel stood in front of Holly’s house. He hadn’t told her he was coming.

The downstairs lights were on, so he knew she was home. If she hadn’t been there, he would have had another sleepless night, wondering if they could ever make their relationship work.

He climbed the front stairs, took a deep breath, and knocked on her door. He’d never been so nervous in his life.

Seconds later, Holly opened the door. “Daniel? I thought you were spending time with Blake.”

“He went back to New York yesterday. Is it a good time to talk to you?”

“Of course it’s a good time. I’m just about to put some pasta on. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

He didn’t know if he’d still be welcome after they’d spoken, but he needed to think positively. “That would be great. Something smells good.”

Holly hung his jacket on her coat stand. The smile on her face made the knot in his throat tighten.

“It’s chicken bolognese. You’ll be pleased to know that I didn’t go near the frozen foods aisle for any of the ingredients.”

“How are your withdrawal symptoms from frozen food going?”

“I nearly had a slip-up yesterday. Safeway had my favorite fish pie on sale. I nearly succumbed to temptation. But if I buy a frozen meal, it’s one less cooking lesson with you. I prefer the cooking lesson.”

She slipped her hand into his and pulled him through to the kitchen. “You’re freezing. How long were you outside?”

“A few minutes,” he mumbled. It had been more than a few minutes. He’d nearly turned around twice before knocking on her door. If it hadn’t been for his thick jacket, she would have been scraping a frozen body off her porch in the morning.

“I need to stir the sauce and then I’ll make you a coffee. How’s Sam?”

Daniel stood beside the counter, watching Holly move between the stove and the coffeepot. “He’s doing okay. His blood pressure is under control and he’s losing some excess weight.”

“Do you think he’ll move to Montana?”

“I don’t know. Sam has a habit of doing the unexpected.” He held onto the edge of the counter and tried to relax. “Holly?”

She looked over her shoulder and her smile slipped away. “What’s wrong? Is Elizabeth okay?”

“Elizabeth’s fine. It’s us. I need to talk to you about where we’re going.”

Holly’s hand shook as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him. “I’ll turn the stove off. You don’t look too happy about whatever it is you want to tell me.”

“It’s not—it could be…good.” Daniel groaned. This wasn’t happening the way he wanted it to. If he was having difficulty stringing two words together, how the heck was he supposed to tell Holly how he felt about her?

She sat on a kitchen stool beside him. “Okay. I’m ready. Will I need tissues?”

“I hope not.” He took a deep breath and tried to remember the words he’d gone over before he came here. “Over the last few weeks my head has been telling me to let you go, but my heart says, no way. I love you, Holly. I can’t imagine my life without you. I want you to know that you’re the most important person in my life.”

Her eyes misted over. “I thought you were going to break up with me.”

He held her hands. “Why?”

“Something has been wrong since we came back from San Francisco. You’ve had a lot on your mind. I assumed you were having second thoughts about us.”

Daniel pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. “I realized at the exhibition how important your career is to you and to a lot of people. I was worried that one day you’d look back on your time in Bozeman and regret staying here.”

“Why would I do that? I’ve got wonderful friends and I finally feel as though I’m part of the community. If I hadn’t come back, I never would have met you. I’d never regret living here.”

“What about your painting?”

“I can paint from anywhere in the world, but this is the place I want to live.”

“But Randolph…”

“I know what Randolph said. He wants me to move to New York. I don’t need to do that, Daniel. I’d miss you too much.”

“I’d miss you, too. I’ve been thinking about something for the last few days. I want to ask you a question. You don’t have to give me an answer now, but I need to let you know how important you are in my life.”

Daniel’s hands trembled. What he was about to ask her meant so much more than finding out how she felt about him. She was his beginning, middle, and end; the one person in the world who made him complete.

He knelt on one knee and held her hand. “I love you, Holly. I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I can’t imagine my life without you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Holly’s eyes widened. “You want to marry me?”

“I know this has probably come as a shock. I want you to know that whatever happens, we can make it work. If you need to live somewhere else or just spend a few months in another country, we can do that. We can spend time with your dad in Scotland. I want you to be happy.”

Tears fell down Holly’s face. “I should have grabbed the tissues.”

Daniel stood up. “Don’t move.” He opened one of her kitchen drawers and handed her the tissue box.

Holly wiped her eyes and smiled. “When a man knows where you keep your tissues, it must be love.”

“Does that mean you’ll think about marrying me?”

“I don’t have to think about it. You’ve taught me so much about love and forgiveness, about having a generous heart and an open mind. I’m a better person when I’m with you. I love you and I can’t think of anything more amazing than marrying you.”

He closed his eyes and let the relief pour through him.

“Are you okay, Daniel?”

He lifted her off her feet and pulled her into his arms. “Do you have any idea how nervous I was about asking you to marry me?”

“Did you really think I’d say no?”

He kissed her nose. “It crossed my mind.”

Holly hugged him tight. “I can’t believe I didn’t want anything to do with the Crazy Love app. If my friends hadn’t registered me, I wouldn’t have met you and I’d still be eating frozen dinners.”

Daniel smiled. “And I’d still be living half a life. Blake was right—a little crazy love is what everyone needs.”

THE END

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If you enjoyed reading the Emerald Lake Billionaires series, you’ll love The Protectors.

Safe Haven
,
Tank and Hayley’s story, is
the first book in The Protectors series. It will be published in November 2016. Keep reading for more information!

SAFE HAVEN

THE PROTECTORS, BOOK ONE

(To be published in November 2016)

With these hands I will hold you.
With this heart I will love you.
With my life I will protect you.

“Someone’s found us, Sophie. Mom and I have to leave.” Hayley looked across the manicured lawn of the dementia unit. She was in trouble. If anyone overheard her phone call to her sister it could make her life even more difficult.

“But you’ve only been in Fort Wayne for three weeks. They can’t have found you so quickly.”

“I don’t know how they did it, but they’re here. Someone followed me when I drove mom home from the library.”

“Are you sure they were following you? They could have been going in the same direction.”

“We were definitely being followed, but that’s not the only thing that happened. A man came into the rest home this afternoon. He wanted to speak to mom.”

She heard her sister’s sharp intake of breath. “Did he see her?”

“He didn’t get anywhere near her. There are strict rules about who can visit the patients.”

“But he knows you’re there?”

“Yes.”

“This is really bad.” Sophie sounded as worried as Hayley was. “Did you find out who he was?”

“He didn’t tell the receptionist anything about himself, apart from being a phony long-lost cousin. I tried finding someone who could access the security footage, but it’s Sunday. The admin staff won’t be here until tomorrow morning.”

“I’m sorry,” Sophie said. “I shouldn’t have said anything about the dietary supplement to my professor.”

“You’ve found something that could help people with dementia. Of course you had to tell him. It’s not your fault he couldn’t be trusted. We’re okay for now, but I’m not taking any chances. We’re leaving tonight.”

“Don’t do anything until I’ve spoken with Ryan. A friend of his owns a big security company. He can help you.”

Hayley focused on the vehicles in the parking lot. She wanted to believe Sophie, she really did. But after six weeks of being terrified that someone would find them, she’d had enough.

“I don’t know if we’ve got time to wait for help.”

“You’re safer in the dementia unit than driving on the road.”

“I need to get mom away from here.” Hayley took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. A young woman crossed the parking lot and headed in her direction. “I have to go. I’ll text you when I find somewhere safe to stay.”