Page 12 of Wild Desire

Oliver sat on the chair across from me, his elbows resting on his knees. "We're sympathetic to that, but we're protective of Noelle."

I opened my eyes. "If you're so concerned, why would you ask her to babysit me?"

He raised a brow. "She's your assistant. Not your sitter."

"Sure feels like a babysitter." I'd never admit to my brothers that I was starting to enjoy having her around. I had a reputation to uphold.

"We've always taken care of Noelle's family. If you alienate her, we can't help her mother and siblings."

That had me sitting up. "Why would you need to help Noelle and her family?"

"Around the time you left, her mother hurt her back and couldn't work here as a maid anymore. Mom and Dad offered her a position as a supervisor, but she didn't think it was right. She was too proud to admit she needed help. They finally convinced her to take a consulting role, but I suspect she underreports the time she spends working. I have no way of proving that, of course."

I scrubbed a hand over my face. This complicated matters. "You think the Richards need the money?"

Oliver nodded. "Noelle has two younger siblings, and her mother can't work."

I raised a brow. "And you think Noelle's supporting them?"

Oliver gave me a curt nod. "I think that's why she works so hard."

That was commendable. I wondered if that was why she turned down the college scholarship so many years ago. At the time, I couldn't understand why. But I quickly became preoccupied with my school and training.

"Is that why you want to sell her donuts? To help her and her family?" I asked him, needing to understand their dynamic.

"Her donuts are amazing. One of a kind. And Cal's an asshole. He'll undercut her at some point if he hasn't already. We'd love it if the resort sold them exclusively. It would bring more people in and, at the same time, stick it to Cal."

"I had no idea."

"How could you? You haven't been here long enough to know what's going on," Oliver said without any censure in his tone.

For the first time since my injury, I was grateful to be here. To get to know my brothers better and to see how the resort was run. It was always expected I'd return after I retired and continue my family's legacy.

Oliver carefully unfolded a white piece of paper from his pocket. He smoothed it out on the coffee table in front of me. "I almost forgot. Joey made you this."

It was a crayon rendering of a man with his foot propped on a chair surrounded by more stick figures.

"It's supposed to be you surrounded by our family."

"It's great," I said, grateful my voice hadn't cracked from the emotion I felt that I was included in Joey's drawing. I hadn't felt a part of this family in a long time. It was nice to see I had some impact on Joey when I rarely saw him. I should ask him to hang it on the fridge, but I wanted it to be somewhere I could look atit any time. For now, that was the coffee table. I spent most of my time here, mindlessly scrolling through channels, looking for something to watch.

Joey finally ran into the room. "You don't have any toys."

I grinned. "Should I ask Miss Noelle to get you some for when you visit?"

Joey's eyes widened. "Yes." He thought about it for a few seconds. "Can you ask her to get lots of toys and crayons and paper?"

Oliver placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be grateful for whatever Noelle gets you, okay?"

I didn't have much for Noelle to do around here, so it was an excuse to keep her busy. My schedule was filled with PT and doctor's appointments. I didn't have any publicity or training. "You know, I don't need Noelle, right?"

Oliver gave me a look. "Did you hear anything I had to say about her?"

She was struggling. She needed the money.

"This is a way for her to test her newest business venture."

The Wildes had always helped Noelle's family. I wouldn't stop now. "But I don't need someone watching over me."

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