Page 25 of Billionaire Unexplained: Kaleb

Driveways got cleared.

People jumped to do Kaleb’s bidding. Probably because that was what they were paid to do.

It was like two different men dwelled in his gorgeous body. The bossy billionaire that people jumped to serve and the kind but gruff guy I’d gotten to know at the cabin.

He’d even managed to provide me with the same coffee maker that was at the cabin with the same supplies before we’d even arrived in Crystal Fork.

Maybe he was a little bossy and abrupt in his public life, but he was still the same Kaleb that I’d come to adore when we were alone.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I lived in New York for a while after college. I worked on Wall Street. My brothers joined me there after they finished college. I was happy when our business took off fairly quickly and I was able to relocate back to Montana. I like my space. Was your room okay?”

Okay?

Yeah, it was definitely okay.

It was significantly more decadent than the suites I stayed in when I was on tour, and probably even bigger than those temporary accommodations.

I owned a very nice house in Beverly Hills, but it was nothing like this over the top mansion.

“My suite is gorgeous,” I told him after I took a sip of the coffee I’d just made. “Your decorator has good taste. I saw the barn outside. It’s enormous. You must have a lot of horses.”

Most of his home was modern and professionally decorated, but it was still warm with some western touches. His living room was filled with his mother’s paintings, each one different, but with the same, unique, M. Remington style.

I hadn’t found the music room yet, but I had time to search it out later.

“I have several of them,” he confirmed. “Do you ride?”

“I haven’t for a long time, unfortunately,” I said wistfully. “We didn’t have the money for horses when I was a kid, but a lot of my neighbors had them. I rode as often as I could.”

“I’ve got the perfect horse for you if you feel like riding. She’s a little too small for me, but she’d be perfect for you,” Kaleb informed me.

I smiled at him. “I’d love that, but I can wait until tomorrow. I’d love to explore this house and take a walk around your property later.”

It would probably take me a while to get my bearings in a house this big, and I was dying to get outside after being cooped up in the cabin for days.

Temperatures had risen considerably, and this area hadn’t gotten that much snow from the storm we’d ridden out at the cabin.

“I might have to go into the office tomorrow to wrap some things up,” he warned.

“I’ll be fine here alone,” I assured him. “I’m pretty good at adapting to a new location, and I need to work a little, too.”

My cell phone started to ring, and I silenced it immediately. “My agent,” I explained. “He’s livid that I didn’t tell him where I was and what I was doing. He’s been badgering Kim to tell him where I am. I’ll call him later.”

“He’s not your damn keeper,” Kaleb rumbled irritably.

I snorted. “He thinks he is. He wants me to confirm another tour next year, and I probably should. I’ve never had a year without a big tour, but my head just isn’t there right now. Performing in front of huge crowds has always stressed me out. I have terrible stage fright.”

He shot me a doubtful look. “How is that possible after all these years? If you started in entertainment after high school, it’s been what? Seventeen years?”

I nodded. “It’s part of my job,” I explained. “But it’s not my favorite part. Don’t get me wrong, I love and appreciate all of my fans, but I’d rather write and record music than get out on a stage in front of a huge crowd. It’s always been that way for me. I’m usually terrified before a performance, even after all these years of doing it. That fear has never really gone away. I’ve just learned to hide that fear and push through it better.”

“Why don’t you stop doing the big tours if you don’t like that part of it?” he asked.

I shook my head. “It’s not that simple. A large chunk of my income is made with my tours. Royalties and record deals don’t pay as well as touring. Ray, my agent, drills that into my head almost every day. If I could quit the big tours, I’d do it, at least for a little while. I’ve lived out of a suitcase for my entire adult life. It would be nice to take a break.”

“Anna, you must have made a fortune. You’ve been a pop icon for a long time. If your money is invested well, you could quit doing those mega tours right now. Write music. Record that music. Do appearances where you want, when you want. Do what makes you happy.”

God, I really wished that was possible. I’d felt like a puppet on strings for so long that I wasn’t really sure how to do exactly what I wanted.

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