One And Only: Emerald Lake Billionaires, Book 4 Read online

  “Holly’s doing great. She’s almost finished the paintings for her next exhibition.”

  “In New York?”

  “Toronto. Opening night is in two weeks.”

  Even though Blake’s team had created the Crazy Love app, its accuracy still amazed him. A few months ago, Holly and Daniel were part of a group who had tested the app. If he’d known Holly before she joined the trial, he wouldn’t have matched her with Daniel. But in some weird way, they were perfect for each other.

  Daniel pointed to the parking lot opposite the main entrance. “My truck is over there.”

  Usually, when Blake flew into Bozeman, he rented a vehicle. But not this time. In two and a half days he would fly home. Daniel had a spare truck, so it made sense to use that.

  Before they left the airport, Daniel turned on the heater. “It will be warm in here soon. Elizabeth is excited about her clinic.”

  “It sounded like it when she called me.”

  “I figured that had something to do with your unexpected visit.” Daniel turned left out of the airport.

  “We’re not going to Emerald Lake?”

  “I thought you’d want to see the building Elizabeth bought.” He looked at Blake’s all-terrain hiking boots. “At least you’ll be safe wearing those boots. I’ve got a spare pair of gloves in the back seat.”

  “It can’t be that bad.”

  “Did Elizabeth send you some photos?”

  “No.”

  “There’s a reason for that.”

  Blake’s eyebrows rose. “She said you thought it had potential.”

  “It does, but you need a good imagination. My phone is sitting on the shelf under the dashboard. Take a look at the photos and tell me what you think.”

  Blake scrolled through the images. “Jeez.”

  “Exactly. The building should have been condemned years ago.”

  “Can Elizabeth afford the renovations?”

  “She said she could. Although what she based her figures on beats me. The construction company is seeing the building for the first time tomorrow.”

  “It’s bigger than I thought it would be.”

  Daniel sighed. “My sister never thinks small. She wants to develop half the complex into year-round emergency accommodation.”

  Blake took a deep breath. Elizabeth was the most compassionate person he knew. Even when she lived in Brooklyn, she’d spent two nights a week volunteering at a homeless shelter, helping people with their legal issues. Now here she was, creating a clinic where she could make people’s lives a little easier.

  “Your sister has a big heart.”

  “She’ll have an even bigger mortgage if she’s not careful. I told her I’d give her some money for the renovations. She won’t take a cent.”

  If she wouldn’t let her brother help, there was even less chance she’d allow Blake to cover some of her expenses. As well as having a big heart, Elizabeth was stubborn. And one day, her pride would get her into trouble.

  They drove past Murdoch’s, one of the biggest ranch supply stores in Bozeman. It was six o’clock, pitch-black, and they were still open. The last time he was here, Elizabeth had dragged him into the store to buy some real cowboy clothes. By the time he’d left, he had enough clothes for three winters.

  Daniel turned left into West Main Street. “Have you found any matches for Elizabeth on your Crazy Love app?”

  Blake’s eyebrows rose. Elizabeth wouldn’t be amused if he told her brother the ins and outs of their arrangement. And neither would Daniel if he thought Blake was stretching the truth.

  “What has Elizabeth told you?”

  “Not a lot. That’s what’s worrying me.”

  An image of Elizabeth standing in front of him with her arms braced on her hips caught Blake off guard. “You’ll need to ask her what’s happening.”

  Daniel turned into the parking lot of a snow-covered building. “I thought you might say that. On a brighter note, here’s the building.”

  From what Blake could see, the property was every bit as bad as the photos Daniel had taken. Even to his untrained eye, it looked like a massive project for one person.

  “Why are the lights on?”

  “Elizabeth’s working.”

  “On her own?” The building was in a commercial area and, as far as Blake was concerned, not somewhere Elizabeth should be working by herself.

  “Her friend, Sarah, is with her. They’re ripping up the old carpet.”

  Blake opened the truck door. Even in the half-light of dusk, he could see why Elizabeth had bought the building. He just hoped she was ready for the work that was ahead of her.

  Elizabeth wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt. Even though it was freezing outside, sweat was pouring off her.

  Before Daniel left for the airport, they’d filled a dumpster with rotting carpet, water damaged skirting boards and every piece of trash they could find. And that still only touched the surface of what needed to be done.

  Sarah, Elizabeth’s friend, stretched her back. “I’m out of shape.”

  “You aren’t the only one.” Elizabeth lifted the mask off her face and looked around the room. “We’ve finished four rooms. Including this one, we’ve only got thirty-six to go.”

  “What about what we did in the reception area? That almost looks safe to walk through.”

  Elizabeth sighed. “That’s a communal area. There are three of those.”

  “You need a working bee. It wouldn’t take long to clear everything out of the building if we had forty or fifty people helping us.”

  “I don’t know that many people.”

  Sarah grinned through the dirt on her face. “That’s one of the advantages of being a college professor. I know a lot of people.”

  Elizabeth lifted the edge of a piece of carpet and pulled. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay for now.” She grunted as the carpet stayed exactly where it was. “I’ll see what the builder says. We might need some help before the construction company starts work.”

  Sarah stood beside her. “I’ll help you get rid of this. We’ll pull on three. One, two…three.”

  With an almighty grunt, Elizabeth and Sarah yanked the carpet. A satisfying tear came from somewhere on Elizabeth’s right. “Keep going,” she panted.

  Suddenly, the carpet tacks released their stranglehold on the rotting mess. Elizabeth lost her footing and landed bottom-first on the floor.

  “Watch out,” Sarah yelped as she landed in a heap beside her.

  From out of nowhere, laughter bubbled inside Elizabeth. It was late. She was hungry, exhausted, and more than a little hysterical. She threw off one of her gloves and wiped the tears out of her eyes.

  “Are you okay?” Sarah asked.

  Elizabeth clamped her lips shut and nodded. “The carpet won.”

  Sarah leaned on one elbow and frowned at the carpet. “I think you’re right.”

  “Am I crazy?”

  Sarah took a deep breath. “Are you talking about ripping up the carpet or buying a property with forty bedrooms, forty-five bathrooms, and three reception areas?”

  “Option two.” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “I am crazy, aren’t I?”

  “It depends on your definition of crazy.”

  Someone behind them cleared their throat. Someone with a deep, sexy voice that reminded her of all the reasons she shouldn’t be doing this.

  “Crazy is lying on a vermin-infested carpet, staring at a water damaged ceiling.”

  Elizabeth sat upright. “Blake?”

  “Were you expecting someone else? Because that might account for the fact that the front door was open.”

  “Daniel could have told you why it was unlocked. We’ve been taking the trash to the dumpster. Besides, there’s nothing in here to steal.” She was almost certain she heard his teeth grind together.

  Sarah jumped to her feet and held out her hand. “I’m Sarah. You must be Elizabeth and Daniel’s friend from Manhattan.”

  Blake look
ed at Sarah’s dirty glove and frowned.

  “Oops.” She pulled off her glove. “I wouldn’t touch my glove either. Did you have a good flight?”

  He shook her hand. “I did, thanks. Are you as excited about this project as Elizabeth?”

  “It’s not a project,” Elizabeth reminded him. “It’s my future.”

  “A future that will bankrupt you. You forgot to mention the size of the property and what needs to be done.”

  Elizabeth glared at her brother. “You’ve been talking to Blake, haven’t you?”

  “I showed him the photos, that’s all.”

  That would be enough to make anyone think she was out of her mind. She tried to see the building through Blake’s eyes. “I know it looks a little rundown, but it will be perfect.”

  Blake looked around the room. “It will take a lot of work to get it anywhere near perfect.”

  “Most of the renovations are cosmetic.” She hoped he believed her. Until Scotson Construction saw the building tomorrow, she had no idea if it was structurally sound. But either way, she had a backup plan.

  “Where do you want us to start?” Blake asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  He pulled a pair of gloves out of his pocket. “While we’re here we might as well help. Do you need this carpet pulled up?”

  “What about your jacket?” Elizabeth frowned at his designer clothes. “This place is disgusting.”

  The smile on Blake’s face almost made her forget how annoying he could be.

  “This jacket is supposed to be the most rugged on the market. If it doesn’t survive the weekend, it’s going back to the store.”

  Sarah handed Blake a small crowbar. “You’ll need this to lift the carpet off the tacks. We’ll help you take it to the dumpster when you’re ready.”

  Daniel handed Blake a mask. “You’ll need this, too. I’ll work from the other side of the room.”

  Elizabeth stared open-mouthed as Blake knelt on the floor. “You know how to use a crowbar?” His entire life had been spent with staff who did everything for him.

  He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I’ve got hidden talents.”

  Sarah pulled the sleeve of Elizabeth’s shirt. “Come on. We’ll take the trash out of the next room.”

  As she left, the last thing Elizabeth saw was Blake’s back as he moved along the carpet. A little sigh of appreciation escaped her lips. She could get used to his hidden talents.

  Chapter 2

  Blake stumbled down Daniel’s staircase and headed toward the kitchen. Rocky, Daniel’s re-homed rooster, had started cock-a-doodle-doing at five-thirty. Half an hour later, Blake gave up trying to sleep.

  “This must be a record,” Daniel said from behind the counter. “You never get out of bed this early. Coffee?”

  Blake yawned. “No, thanks. I thought the weather might have delayed Rocky’s wakeup call.”

  “Nothing stops him. Thanks for helping last night. I didn’t think we’d be there for so long.”

  They hadn’t left Elizabeth’s building until midnight. “I didn’t mind. At least the rooms look better than they did before we arrived. Are you going to the meeting with the construction company?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Elizabeth wants to do this on her own.”

  “But she doesn’t have any building experience.”

  “She’ll learn. Besides, this meeting is more of a meet and greet. Scotson Construction can’t price anything until the architects have given them the final plans.”

  Blake frowned. Daniel didn’t seem concerned about his sister but he was. “Elizabeth could lose a lot of money.”

  “She has a good head on her shoulders. She won’t get herself into any unnecessary debt.”

  He wasn’t nearly as confident as Daniel. The derelict building had become the focus of everything Elizabeth had ever wanted. He knew her. She would gladly sink every penny she owned into making her clinic a reality.

  He slid four slices of bread into the toaster and stared through the kitchen window. While they’d been stripping another four rooms, Elizabeth told them about her plans, the services she wanted to provide to help the community. He admired her vision, but he couldn’t work out why she’d risk her entire life savings on a dream.

  The kitchen door swung open and Blake looked over his shoulder.

  “I thought I could smell…” Elizabeth’s voice disappeared when she saw him. “…coffee. Hi, Blake. I didn’t think you’d be awake.”

  Daniel looked up from the newspaper he was reading. “Rocky strikes again.”

  “Oh.” She walked to the pantry and poured some homemade granola into a bowl.

  Since she’d moved to Bozeman, Elizabeth had been living in the loft above Daniel’s garage. The two-bedroom apartment was perfect for what she needed. It gave her the chance to reconnect with her brother and still have her own space.

  She smiled, and Blake’s heart squeezed tight.

  “How are your muscles this morning?”

  He flexed his biceps. “As strong as ever.” His toast popped and landed on the counter. “Do you want some toast?”

  “No, thanks. This will be enough.”

  Elizabeth sat beside her brother. “What’s happening in Bozeman?”

  Daniel turned to the front page of the Chronicle. “Our taxes might be raised to pay for an open space program, Yellowstone staff caught another hundred bison in traps, and someone’s filed a lawsuit against Gallatin County jail.”

  Elizabeth munched on her granola. “I spoke to an attorney involved in that lawsuit. It will be an interesting case.”

  Blake buttered his toast. “Do you miss not being in a courtroom?”

  “Sometimes. When you’re defending a client, nothing else matters.”

  “Except whether they’re guilty or innocent?”

  Elizabeth shrugged. “I was a defense attorney. It was my job to prove my client was innocent. What I personally thought didn’t matter.”

  Blake still had a hard time understanding how she could defend someone who she thought was guilty. “What are you doing today?”

  Her blue eyes narrowed. “I’m driving into town after breakfast. I want to finish another room at the clinic before I meet Paul from Scotson Construction.”

  “Are you doing anything this afternoon?”

  Her gaze became even more guarded. “The Family Center called me yesterday. They want me to work for a couple of hours after lunch.”

  “Do you enjoy working part-time?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “I only work when someone is sick or needs time away from the center. Daniel said you’re going skiing.”

  After looking forward to spending the day at Big Sky, his plans had changed. He knew what he’d sooner be doing, but Elizabeth wouldn’t be impressed.

  “Do you want company on the mountain?” Daniel asked. “Holly is painting, so I can spend the day with you.”

  With Daniel waiting for a reply and Elizabeth shooting daggers at him, Blake knew at least one of the siblings wouldn’t be happy. “We could help Elizabeth.”

  “But you came here to ski.” Elizabeth’s cheeks glowed bright red.

  That wasn’t the only reason he’d come to Bozeman and it looked as though she’d just remembered.

  “Plans can change,” Blake said. “If you want to open your clinic anytime soon, you’ll need all the help you can get.”

  “I don’t mind helping,” Daniel said. “Especially if the boss buys pizza for lunch.”

  Elizabeth frowned. “Has this got anything to do with the fact that I’m meeting Paul this morning?”

  Blake shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to have us there. We could help you decide what to do next.”

  “My clinic isn’t one of your technology projects.”

  “Blake’s got a point,” Daniel said. “Three minds are better than one. We won’t interfere with what you want to do.”

  As Elizabeth ate another spoonful of granola, her gaze moved from Blake to D
aniel.

  “I’m only here for another day and a half,” Blake added. “I won’t be able to help when I’m living in Manhattan.”

  Daniel nodded and placed a cup of herbal tea in front of his sister. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “You’ll tell me I’m wasting my time.”

  Blake nearly choked on his toast. “We wouldn’t say that.”

  “Really? Then why do you keep telling me I’ll be bankrupt before I finish the renovations?”

  Blake chose his words carefully. Any wrong move and Elizabeth wouldn’t want them near her future clinic. “We don’t want you to regret taking on such a big project.”

  “I haven’t done anything like this before, but I know what I want to achieve. I’m not a naive sixteen-year-old with big dreams and no money. If I have to do the renovation in stages, I will.”

  Blake hoped she kept thinking that way. “It will be interesting to hear what the construction company has to say.”

  Elizabeth sighed. “Okay, you can both come. But I’m leaving in half an hour.” And with those parting words, she picked up her granola and left the kitchen.

  Daniel folded his newspaper in half. “Looks like we’d better get ready. Are you sure you don’t want to go skiing?”

  “I’d sooner make sure Elizabeth knows what she’s getting into.”

  “Fair enough. It’s just as well you’re wearing real jeans and not the city slicker imitations you used to wear.”

  Blake looked down at his blue jeans and cotton plaid shirt. “I must be getting used to coming here.”

  Daniel tipped the rest of his coffee down the sink. “Careful. You might decide you like living here.”

  “I like my life in New York City better.”

  “Sure, you do. What’s not to like with all the smog, rush hour traffic, concrete buildings, and violence. You’d be crazy to want to live in Bozeman.”

  “Have you finished?”

  Daniel smiled. “I’ll meet you here in twenty-five minutes. If we’re late, my sister will leave without us.”

  Blake poured himself a glass of juice. “I’ll be waiting.”