Page 99 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

“I need to go,” William said, his lips still on mine.

“I’ll let you know when I get flight information.”

“I’m already looking forward to seeing you again,” he said as he stepped away and tugged me toward the front door and opened it.

“Same.” I grinned when I saw Frank already in the truck. “You could leave him here, you know. I could bring him with me.”

William shook his head. “No. He doesn’t get to spend time with you if I don’t.”

We laughed, then his face fell. “I’ll call you right before we take off.”

“I’ll send you pictures of me watching TV and eating ice cream.”

“I look forward do it.”

Patrick honked again, and William rolled his eyes. “See you soon.” He stepped back to me, used his lips to tell me how much he was going to miss me, and then jogged down the stairs to the SUV.

I hugged myself, trying to wrangle all of the emotions running through me. My insides buzzed and my skin sizzled. A tear gathered in the corner of my eye when William waved as Patrick drove away.

I drew out my phone and sent Jessica a text.

Brooke:Is the offer to stay at your place still open?

She answered immediately.

Jessica:Don’t play with me, girl.

Brooke:This week?

Jessica:Tell me when your plane arrives!

I went to my computer and started looking at flights.

William had said he would be busy until the middle of the week, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be in New York before that. Maybe stalk him? Surprise him?

The list of things that needed to get done on the ranch tried to overpower my urge to see William again, but I pushed them aside. Christopher and Brandon could handle things here with my dad. There was no reason for me to stay, especially since I was injured.

Which reminded me, I had a doctor’s appointment. I had a feeling if I showed up in New York without a note saying nothing was broken, that William would cart me off to his family physician, who probably made house calls to the Harris’ giant mansion. Or William’s penthouse. Or their estate in the Hamptons.

Chapter 26

-William-

“This never would have happened if you’d been here to do your job.” My father jabbed a finger in my direction. He and my mother sat across the dining room table from Courtney and me.

The man stood a little shorter than me. He’d dressed in a brunch outfit complete with a polo shirt and a sweater tied around his shoulders. Apparently, he had a tennis appointment after this.

I knew that he hadn’t played tennis since he’d injured his knee several years ago. Ironically, he’d been playing tennis then too. Only he’d had to take a cab from an expensive hotel to the hospital. A hotel that didn’t have a tennis court. What they did have were discrete employees who would look the other way for a small fee.

My mother, as always, looked regal in a peach blouse and blue trousers. She was an older, but no less beautiful, version of Courtney with a slender figure, long dark hair, and smooth skin that had cost her a small fortune. She cleared her throat before she spoke. “Now, Kevin, William was away on important business.” Her sickeningly sweet tone, combined with the slight pout she made with her unnaturally swollen lips, conveyed her disapproval of my week-long absence.

“What’s more important than this?” My dad’s extended finger swiveled, and he drove it into the table. A fork sitting too close to a plate rattled.

I didn’t bother to answer his question. We’d been through this three times since sitting down to eat, and I refused to participate in another round of idiocy.

Courtney, who had just finished her second gourmet waffle, patted her lips with a white napkin. “We’re not here to discuss what William has been doing but what you’ve been doing.” Her cold voice cut through the air like an ice storm, and her brown eyes glinted with irritation.

Our father huffed and sat back. He then had the audacity to check his phone. My cheeks flexed as I ground my teeth, and Courtney reached out and patted my knee under the table.

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