THE BILLIONAIRE'S BABY (A Secret Baby Romance) (27 page)

“Well, they broke up pretty quickly, like less than a year,” Madison told me. “Laura didn’t know why, but the rumor was that she was screwing around with some dude they went to high school with.”

“And this is all rumors?” I asked.

“Some of it,” Madison sighed. “I mean, he did date her, and you know the daughters hate each other, so it must have been at least a little ugly.”

“Awesome. All I need is more drama. Teenage girls create it from nothing. Can you imagine what will happen if I date Will?” We had finished our meal during the conversation, and the waiter asked if we wanted another margarita. “Um, no thanks. I have to drive home, and I have work to do.”

“Boring,” Madison crowed, though she shook her head no as well.

“I’ll bring your check in a minute, ladies,” the waiter said with a smile. “Unless you want sopapillas?”

“Um, yes. Bring us an order please,” I answered. When Madison lifted an eyebrow, I said, “Hey, I can’t have another margarita, so I’ll consume the calories by eating fried bread with cinnamon and sugar all over it.”

“Are you freaking out over this information?” Madison asked me. I nodded, staring at the table. “That’s stupid, Mel.”

“You don’t understand. I’ve already thought about the whole conflict-of-interest thing. I’ve had to settle arguments between Cara and Brittani…minor things, but still. This will make it worse, and you know it.”

“I do know it’s a possibility, but you’ve been forewarned. You can cut it off early.” Madison shrugged. “Please, for the love of God, do not blow this man off because of a minor issue with an ex.”

“A minor issue that could become a major one. It could affect my job, Madison,” I huffed irritated. My mind spun with all the ways this could go wrong.

“Stop it!” Madison said, slamming a palm on the table loudly. “You are sitting here thinking about all the ways this could go wrong when you should be thinking about the awesome time you had with a handsome, kind man. Those girls will get over it.” She grabbed my hand, forcing me to look up at her. “This relationship could be real, Mel. Don’t let some small town bullshit ruin it for you.”

“You know what, you’re right. I don’t live there, I just teach there. If things get weird, I can always call it off or slow it down.”

“Or not let stupid bitches get in the way of something awesome,” Madison said.

“Don’t call Cara and Brittani bitches!” I replied.

“I’m not, moron. I’m calling Denise and her small town friends bitches,” she answered.

“Should I talk to my boss about it?”

“Maybe. Get a feel for the atmosphere during practice tomorrow. You’ll know real fast if the girls are going to cause problems. Decide then,” Madison said.

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess that’s a good idea,” I mumbled. “For now, I’m going to enjoy these sopapillas and revel in their sweetness. Then, I’m going to go home and try to fix my bed.”

“Fix your bed? The two of you broke your bed last night?” she squeaked, causing several heads to turn in our direction. I shushed her, she laughed, and I shrugged my shoulders and told her about it. “Mel, you can’t break it off with him! The sex sounds phenomenal, and that’s worth a few rumor problems.”

I laughed, nodding in agreement.

***

An hour later, I was on the floor inside the bed stand, staring at the broken center. There would be no repairing it. I glanced at my mattress and box spring, which were leaning against the wall. I resigned myself to the fact that I’d be sleeping with the mattresses directly on the floor until I could put a little money away to buy a new bed. I needed a new one anyway—I’d taken this bed and the mattresses to college with me, which had been ten years ago. And I’d slept on them since I was fifteen.

I began disassembling the bed stand so I could put my mattress and box spring back in the same spot it had been in. Frowning, I used all my strength to pull apart the wooden clamps, groaning loudly. Finally, they began to loosen, and in less than ten minutes, I had a pile of wood rather than a bed in my bedroom. Two or three pieces at a time, I carried them to the garage, trying to remember when large trash pickup day was.

As I worked, I thought about the fact that I hadn’t heard from Will yet today. It was only two o’clock, but still, I’d hoped for at least a text. I contemplated texting him first, but the dating game rules implied I should wait for him.

As I discarded the last piece of the bed, I heard the doorbell. Frowning down at myself, I thought about ignoring the person at the door. I was sweaty and dirty and just wanted a shower so I could finish editing the music that needed to be done. But the doorbell rang again. Someone was awfully insistent.

I peered through the peephole and saw two delivery men. I opened the door, frowning in consternation. I hadn’t ordered anything that would require two men to deliver it. Assuming they had the wrong house, I asked, “May I help you?”

“Ms. Ulrich?” the taller one asked.

“Yes, that’s me,” I answered.

“We’re here with your new bed,” he replied, a smile on his face. He held out a clipboard. “If you’ll sign here and show us where you want it, we’ll put it together.”

“New bed?” I hadn’t reached for the clipboard, only stared at him. “I didn’t order a new bed.”

“No ma’am, you didn’t, but I have a note from the person who did. You can read it before you sign off if you’d like,” he said. He handed me a small envelope with my name on it.

When I opened it, I found a picture of a king-sized sleigh bed made of darkened wood, though I didn’t know what kind. The bed was extravagant and beautiful, and way more expensive than I could ever afford. I opened the card and read:

Mel,

I’m terribly sorry that my expert lovemaking broke your bed. Because it was my fault, I would like to replace it for you. If you don’t like the one I’ve chosen, please return it and order whichever you like. I can’t wait to see you this week.

Have a restful night’s sleep, beautiful,

Will

Shock coursed through my veins, and I stood in the doorway, dumbfounded, for several seconds. I didn’t know whether I should accept the gift or not. The price had not been included on the picture, nor in the note, but it was a costly gift, more costly than what you gave a person after only one weekend.

“Uh, ma’am, do you want us to bring the bed inside?” the man asked, his smile gone because I hadn’t spoken in over a minute.

“Um…I don’t know. It’s such a weird gift,” I answered with a baffled smile.

“Someone bought this bed for you as a gift?” he asked, shock in his tone. I nodded. “Pardon my intrusion, but take it! This is the nicest bed we have, and the accompanying mattresses are top of the line. You’ll sleep better than you have in years.”

I smiled uncertainly then nodded again. “Um, let me show you where to take it. My mattresses are still in there. I’ll shuffle them out to the garage.”

“Don’t worry about that, ma’am. We take them with us and donate them to shelters,” the man told her, smiling.

“That’s really nice,” I murmured as I showed them to my bedroom and pointed at the spot where the bed should be. “Please put it there.”

“Yes ma’am. We’ll be out of your hair in about twenty or thirty minutes.” He gestured to his partner, and they walked back outside.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed my phone.

Mel:
Are you serious? You bought me a bed?

Will:
I’ve been waiting for two hours for your text! Do you like it?

Mel:
It’s very extravagant.

Will:
It’s perfect for you. I hope you like it.

Mel:
I do, but I’m not sure I should accept it.

Will:
Yes you should. I won’t take it back.

Mel:
Thank you. I love it, but you’re crazy.

Will:
Maybe so, but we’ll have to work a lot harder to break that bed.

Mel:
LOL! Don’t challenge me.

Will:
Never! Can I call you this evening?

Mel:
That would be nice.

My smile was a permanent fixture on my face as I watched the two men carry my new bed into my room. That man was a keeper, that was for sure.

Will

“She’s a pretty thing, isn’t she?” I murmured as I watched the mare wander around the fenced paddock. I spoke to myself mostly, though my ranch foreman was standing nearby. The man, Wayne, didn’t answer. There was no need to. I glanced at him. “Think she’ll do all right for riding?”

“She seems a little skittish for working with cattle, but she’ll learn, I think,” Wayne mused. He slapped me on the back as he turned to walk away. “She’s a good buy, Will.”

“Catch ya’ later,” I called as he wandered away, the conversation over as far as he was concerned. I shook my head. Wayne was the best ranch foreman in the state, but he was short on words.

I leaned against the fence for a bit longer, watching the mare. The paddock was as big as a football field, and she had explored every inch, either while I was in the saddle or after I unsaddled her, brushed her, and put her back in the paddock to cool down. The grass this time of year, especially after the summer we’d had, was golden rather than green, so I had put some feed near the water trough for her.

The barn to the left would be her home. It was large enough for her and the other three horses I owned to have their own stalls at night. Rather than the stereotypical red, our barn had only been stained a dark brown. Another paddock, a smaller one for calves and their mothers, was on the other side of the barn. A storage shed that held the tack was attached to the barn, and like in a movie, was big enough for a person to live in, should one wish to.

The house was my pride and joy, though. I had designed it myself when I’d made enough money to replace the old, original clapboard house that had been on the place when I’d bought it. The exterior was made of stones with a wooden wraparound porch. On the porch were two rocking chairs that matched the wood. The door was larger than average and green with windows to peep through, should someone knock unexpectedly. The house was only one level but sprawled out over 3,500 square feet. I had wondered if the house was too big, especially since only Cara and I lived there, but I could afford it and liked it.

And the house matched the land. There were nearly two hundred thousand acres that I had incorporated over the years. I had started with only two thousand and had built the ranch over the last ten years. I would continue to build it until I died.

I breathed deeply, the smells as familiar as my own, and turned towards the house. The morning’s work had left me hungry. I stamped my feet on the porch before walking inside. I had a maid who came three days a week, and just a week ago she’d let me have it for leaving dirt, horse shit, and cow shit all over the house. I was much more careful now.

In the kitchen, Cara sat at the bar, her computer open. She munched on a sandwich and chips, a glass of sweet tea near her plate. “Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, sweetie,” I answered. I walked to the sink and washed my hands, glancing down at my shirt. I contemplated a shower first, but my rumbling tummy told me food was more important. “What kind of sandwich meat do we have?”

Cara glanced up from her computer. “I’m eating turkey, but I think there’s ham as well. I left you the Muenster cheese.”

I smiled at her and blew her a kiss. “You’re the best daughter ever.”

“Yes, I am,” she said as she took another bite of her sandwich.

I began fixing my own, piling ham, turkey, and Muenster cheese on the bread. I dug through the vegetable bin for lettuce and finished off my sandwich with some mayo. I reached into the pantry for some chips, but the Doritos were gone.

“You left the Muenster but took all the Doritos. Your daughter status dropped twenty points,” I told her with a smirk.

“Twenty points! Doritos are worth twenty points?” Her voice was just like her mother’s now that she was older.

“You’re lucky I have the cheese or you might have lost fifty,” I told her. I grabbed the potato chips and walked around to sit next to her at the bar. After I sat down, she tried to put some of her Doritos on my plate. I laughed and pushed her hand away. “I was kidding, baby. The potato chips are fine.”

She put the chips back on her plate and wiped her hands on a napkin. “You look awfully tired, Dad.” She watched me as I bit into my sandwich so I didn’t have to answer. She waited, staring at my face.