Her Billionaire Secret Romance Read online

  “Not yet. But I might not have a choice in the matter soon.”

  That was the final blow. There was no hope for her and Charles. It was over before it began. I will not cry. She dared a look over at Charles, and it looked like his eyes were tearing up. He turned away.

  She couldn’t stand that look; she was much too compassionate. I guess I will throw all pride in the wastebasket. “Okay, Charles, let me just be frank. You are saying you have to marry someone for business reasons, therefore our relationship has ended before it really began.”

  She started getting excited. There was a big smile on her face. This was the beginnings of a great book.

  Charles looked over at her, incredulous. “That look looks like trouble.” Charles was smiling a little.

  “We sat here on this very bench a couple days ago, and you told me that we should just have a fun week. It’s a great place, and there’s a lot to do, and why waste a perfectly good time to be had.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him a couple times. Charles laughed. “Yes, why let the world ruin our week here. This is our week. Let’s make the most of it. I love that idea.” Charles stood up and pulled Eliza into a hug. “And I love you. The way things stand I guess I really can’t declare my love, since my future has been stolen.”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Race you to the bridge. The loser has to order root beer floats.”

  Eliza took off running as fast as she could. With Charles’ long legs, there was no way she was going to win this race. Then a great idea dawned on her. She needed to ride a horse that had longer legs than Charles’s horse. She started laughing. Charles passed her and stopped. They walked onto the bridge, gasping for air. Charles grabbed her and pulled her into his arms with a question in his eyes. She laughed and snuggled into his embrace and then looked up for a kiss.

  Charles lowered his lips to hers and hugged her tighter. He whispered in her ear. “I hope this week never ends.”

  “Me, too!”

  Chapter 10

  Charles walked Eliza back to her room and then went to his room, smiling. He looked out through the sheer curtain of his French doors to see Eliza standing out on the balcony, leaning on the railing and looking out at the lake. Charles couldn’t resist. He opened his door and went out to join her. She turned around laughing and reached out her hand to his. They both stood there holding hands and watched the moonlight across the lake, content to be together. The problem with Eliza is she is irresistible. He smiled, he liked that adjective. He didn’t want to think about the future and spoil his last time with her. So they stood there, silent, until Eliza yawned. “Well, practice is early tomorrow. I will see you at breakfast.” She reached up and kissed his cheek before going into her room and shutting the door.

  Charles stood there a while longer, knowing he was in for some hard times, but he didn’t care. Now was his time with Eliza. The rest of his life had been hijacked, but he was going to enjoy his last week with her at least.

  His phone rang at 6 a.m. He reached over and saw it was Rachael. “Hey, Rach, I hope this isn’t bad news.”

  “No, actually. I wanted to let you know they have a new treatment in Sweden for Sally, and her parents qualified for a grant. She was admitted to a clinic there for the next two months to try a couple experimental drugs.”

  “That sounds great. What do you think?” Charles walked over and got his bathrobe.

  “I have been reading the papers on it, but it’s not approved here in the States. Over there they are having success.”

  “That is wonderful. Well, you made my day—I needed some good news.” He went into the bathroom and started the shower.

  “Are you okay, Charlie?”

  He knew he couldn’t tell Rachael about their father without his permission, but he would have loved to run all this by her just to get another perspective.

  “I’m fine. Actually I am having a great week here. Don’t tell anyone, but Eliza’s here. It was just a coincidence that we both ended up here, but we are becoming friends.”

  “Oh boy, watch out. I really like Eliza, but those Stantons can break your heart. And you know both families would have apoplexy if they knew about this.”

  Charles smiled. Don’t I know it? He planned to make sure they didn’t find out.

  “We’re just friends, Rach, but if anyone knew we were here together, we’d have problems.”

  “You got that right. I gotta go, I just wanted you to know about Sally.”

  “I am thrilled, Rach, thanks so much. Love you.”

  Charles jumped into the shower, singing. Life was good. He could see Sally’s smile and chuckled at how she was responsible for helping him impress Eliza with her Anne books. He had a few more days with Eliza, and he planned to relish each one, starting with a big breakfast this morning.

  Eliza walked into the dining room just as Charles sat down with his plate full of pancakes, ham and eggs, hash browns, and biscuits and gravy. He looked up, so happy to see her. What a wonderful person she was. He loved her gutsy challenge to go forward this week taking what joy they could from it, regardless of family pressures. They are basically ruining my life, but she showed me I still have freedoms, and enjoying this week is one of them. He was very worried about his father’s health but decided nothing he did this week would affect that. “Hey, Eliza, come join me.”

  She was laughing and sat down with a small amount of yogurt, fruit, and toast on her plate. “I guess I’m just not as hungry as you are.”

  “I’m starving, and I’m so excited for today’s schedule. We’ll be racing again. I know I can beat you today.” He smiled and raised his eyebrows in question.

  “With all that you’re eating; your horse is going to have a much harder time hauling you around the track than my horse.” She smiled in challenge.

  “Maybe we should switch horses. You do have the largest horse.”

  “No way, his longer legs are going to give me an advantage. You’re toast.” Eliza chuckled to herself. She looked up and winked at Charles.

  Charles felt his heart melt. He yearned to hold her tight, and if it wasn’t for everyone else in the dining room, he would have stood up and pulled her into his arms. After breakfast, they walked out together. Eliza headed for the elevator. “I have to run up and get my scarf. Of course, you are the one who is going to need a scarf, since you will be eating my dust.”

  Charles pushed her into the elevator when the door opened and then took her into his arms. He lifted her up and kissed her. The ride up one floor was way too quick. He stepped out and around the corner to the ice machine, keeping her in his arms. Eliza held him tight and kissed him desperately, which only pulled him deeper into the emotional thrill of the moment.

  The maid walked by, and they laughed and stopped. Eliza ran into her room and came out with a bandana for Charles. “I’m telling you, you’re going to need this.”

  “Ha ha, we shall see. We’re going to be late. Run!” They both ran down the stairs, laughing, and out the front door. Charles grabbed her hand and pulled her along as they ran toward the corral. Once they got close, they slowed down and walked with the proper decorum around the trees and over to the group, and no one was the wiser.

  Carson stood up on the wagon bed. “Today we are going to run races. We will race two of you at a time. Take notes on what you see with the riders. Why did they win or lose. We will talk about it at lunch.” Carson paired everyone up.

  Eliza and Charles were paired together but were the last ones to race. They all mounted their beautiful horses and walked back to the track, following Carson. It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue with some clouds floating by. It was hot, but the breeze kept them cool. Their walk back along the river was through a tunnel of giant native pecan trees. Charles and Eliza followed behind everyone else. Vinny kept himself away from Eliza and Charles. One of the maids had told Charles that Carson had threatened to throw him out of the class.

  Aussie was running along behind Carson’s horse. Cha
rles wondered if she was finished nursing her puppies. Some cars had been over at the stable last evening. I wonder what they were doing in there?

  Once they were all at the track, they tied their horses to the fencing, and everyone dismounted and sat on the white board fencing to watch the races. Vinny asked if anyone wanted to lay bets. You had to hand it to Vinny, he stayed in character.

  Charles walked over to Carson who was talking to Aussie. “Hi there, I wanted to see if any of the puppies were still available for sale. Both Eliza and I each want one.” He knew Carson suspected something was troubling Charles, but he didn’t know what to tell him. None of it was public knowledge.

  “Eliza already told me you each wanted a puppy. I am glad they will have good homes. It’s good you asked ahead, though. All of them except three have been claimed. Come by after practice and we will take a look at the ones you want.”

  Charlie smiled, excited. “That is easy. I want the one with the black patch over his eye, and Eliza wants the runt.”

  “Okay, they are ready to get off their mother now. You might want to start taking your two out for training while you are here.”

  The first race was Blake and Vinny. Charles was amazed as he watched Vinny flipping his whip around like a mad man. Eliza laughed hysterically it looked so funny. Blake was definitely going to pass Vinny, but then Vinny just lost it, reverting to his less-than-gentlemanly tactics.

  “What is so funny? He can’t do that.”

  Eliza gained some control and said. “You have just witnessed one of Vinny’s track tricks.” She burst into hysterics again.

  Charles shook his head, wondering, What in the world.

  “The reason I went boating with Vinny is he promised to share with me some of his racing tricks. That was one of them. We didn’t get to the others as that was when I fell into the lake.”

  Charles looked down, reining in his recurring desire to flatten the guy.

  “Oh come on, you have to admit this is hilarious.” Eliza took out her notebook and made some notes. Each of the races was informative. It was impressive to see that they could identify the problems and skills each rider showed. “Carson is good. Everything he taught us is easy to see.”

  “We’re next.” Charles untied the reins, and he and Eliza walked their horses to the starting line. Charles gave Eliza a leg up into her saddle and then mounted.

  Eliza looked over. “Don’t you dare hold back.” Her eyes were blazing.

  “No mercy!” Charles smirked and knew he wanted to let her win this time because she wanted to so badly. But if he didn’t give it his all she would know.

  The gun was fired and they both took off at full speed. Eliza looked over at Charles with fire in her eyes. Charles thought she had never looked more beautiful. He knew in that moment she would conquer all obstacles in her path as she worked toward her goals. The biggest failure in his life would be not having her at his side, because with her he could do anything. His heart filled and joy overcame him as he urged his horse even faster. Giving it his best was all he could do.

  They came around the last turn, neck and neck. Everyone on the sidelines was cheering for one of them to take the lead. Eliza’s hair clip had come out and her hair was flying out behind her like wings on an angel. Charles saw Carson standing next to the fence line. Impossible as it seemed, they both crossed the finish line exactly at the same time. Again. They would have needed a slow motion camera to see which horse’s whiskers crossed first.

  “Oh, Charles, that was exquisite! Nothing could be better.” Eliza was breathing hard and trying to get some control of her hair as she twisted it back into a bun. Charles knew these memories would stay with him throughout his life. He reached over and touched her arm. She looked up and smiled with her eyes. Looking into those brilliant eyes, Charles sighed. I could accomplish anything with her by my side.

  Carson called everyone over. “We will have lunch at the picnic tables in front of the stable area today while we discuss what I hope you all learned by this exercise.” He walked over to Eliza. “Aussie has twelve good healthy pups Are you still sure you want the runt?”

  Eliza laughed. “Yes sir, I want the runt. I bonded with him, and really I am the runt of my family.” She started walking her horse next to Carson’s as they all headed up toward the stable. “I know this little one will be feisty, and he will show all his sibs that he can do whatever they do, and better too.”

  “Is that what you do, Miss Eliza?” Carson asked.

  Charles wondered about that as he tagged along behind them. She certainly outdid anyone he was aware of in both of their families.

  “Pretty much.” Eliza smiled.

  “You two can take your pups out anytime now. Just watch them around the lake. That gator has been avoiding the trap. He is still out there.”

  “Oh, great. I saw his eyes when I was in the lake. He was coming for his dinner.”

  “I can shoot him if he doesn’t get caught by tomorrow. We can’t have him roaming around here. Gators are very fast on land too.”

  “What is that delicious smell?” Charles moved up beside Carson.

  “We’re having Texas BBQ for dinner. After you’ve had that, you are going to be sorry you don’t live in Texas.”

  When they got to the stable Charles brushed his horse down with extra care. “Thanks, boy, we did great today.” He looked over at Eliza standing on a step ladder while brushing her giant horse down. He had to chuckle. She was not going to be kept from her duties, regardless of how difficult they may be. She was talking softly to her horse. It was a sight to see; the smallest rider on the largest horse.

  Everyone’s mouths had to be watering with the smell of smoked brisket. They all sat down at the picnic tables while the staff passed around trays of sandwiches and chips. Mary was seeing to everything.

  Carson walked to the front. Charles knew he was planning to call on him. He swallowed quickly.

  “Charles, how did you feel about the race with Blake and Vinny?”

  “Blake kept his horse at a steady pace, slowly gaining on Vinny.” He stopped and looked over at Vinny. “Vinny seemed to have lost control and resorted to whatever he could think of instead of tried and true principles that could have given his horse a chance to win.”

  Charles continued, “And even though Vinny was working hard to win, he was distracting his horse. His horse could feel his frustration and anxiety. So he did not win.”

  Charles wondered what would be said about his and Eliza’s race. In his mind, it was heavenly. He listened to each person’s evaluation of the races. Then Carson stopped and asked, “Okay, what was different about Charles and Eliza’s race?”

  One member of the class shouted out. “They have the hots for each other.” Everyone laughed. Charles looked over at Eliza, who had turned bright red, and Charles could feel the heat coming off of his head as well.

  Carson was nonplussed. “That was a small part of it, but the bigger picture here is they wanted to win more than any of you wanted to win. Again. Their horses felt it and gave it their all.” He walked back over to the front of the tables. “This afternoon I want each of you to take some time to watch some professional races I have on tape in the conference room and evaluate them. I want a report on three of those races handed in to the front desk before you retire tonight.”

  Mary stood up. “Dinner will be ready here at five, and we will need to eat and finish by six. There is a large storm coming in tonight.” Charles wondered what a large Texas storm would be like. Everything was supposed to be big in Texas. Did that include storms?

  After lunch, Eliza and Charles walked over to the stable to see their puppies. “Carson said we can take them out with us,” Charles said. “I want to start some training.”

  Eliza brightened up. “Yes, let’s start with come and follow.” They both entered the puppy stall and found their puppies. The room was so full of the memories they had there that Charles stopped and looked over at Eliza.

 
; “This room has a happy feeling.” She laughed and picked up her puppy. “Do you want to linger?” Eliza raised her eyebrows.

  “Of course I want to linger.” He grabbed her to pull her close, and she squealed.

  “You’re going to smoosh the puppy.” She backed up but dared him closer with her eyes.

  Man, she was full of trouble. “You are a tease.”

  “Well, I was raised with four older brothers. What do you expect?” As they walked out, Charles wondered how she could be so happy. It was starting to worry him actually. Did she feel as strongly about him as he felt about her? Why am I thinking about this anyway. My life is not my own.

  “Charles, what about your medical plans?” Eliza asked.

  They flew out the window as my father’s limo drove away. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He sounded harsher than he’d wanted to. “I’m sorry, but I am still dealing with all this change, and I am not happy about it.”

  “Well, go wallow in it someplace else. I plan to be happy.” She picked up her puppy and walked over to the grass to set him down.

  Blake walked over. “Can I see the puppy?” He reached down to pick him up.

  “Hi there, little fella. He sure squirms around a lot.”

  Eliza reached up and took him. “He knows who his mother is now.” She cuddled him close. “Yes you do.” What was Blake doing here? She looked over at Charles. He was just staring at her. She motioned for him to join her, and she wished he would just stop with the depressing and quick tempered responses. They only had two more days, and that was it. Did he think she wasn’t devastated? Of course she was. But this was their week, and she wanted everything to be perfect. She planned to live in her dreams with Charles, right here on the Rio Lago Ranch.

  Charles put his puppy down on the grass, and Blake walked away. “Here you go, Patch.”

  “Oh, that’s a cute name. I haven’t decided what to call my puppy. I can’t call him Runt.” She looked over at Charles. “What’s your middle name?”