Redeeming the Billionaire SEAL(12)

When they all had departed, Wade lost no time getting down to business. Literally. For the next five hours Chance was given a thorough glimpse into Masters Corporation, Ltd. It was impressive. Wade had done an excellent job and Chance lost no time telling him so. The plans for future expansion in key areas were brilliant. Wade was made for this and he handled it beautifully. Cole proudly gave Chance a bird’s-eye view of the books: where they had been, where they were now and where they expected to be in the next two years.

“Where are the figures on the ranch?”

He caught a quick glance pass from Cole to Wade. Suddenly the feeling of camaraderie in the room shifted to one of nervous tension. It was the same sensation Chance felt on missions when they had been given wrong intel and rather than a simple reconnaissance his team found themselves in the middle of an all-out skirmish. There was always a moment of realization that they’d been set up just before shit hit the fan and bullets started to fly, not unlike what he was feeling right now. The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. Chance stepped back from the conference table and waited.

“The fact is,” Cole said, meeting Chance’s eyes, “the ranch is not profitable. It hasn’t been for the past five or six years. Beef prices fluctuate but the cost to maintain it steadily goes up.”

“There is a lot more to it than that. Have you taken an in-depth look at the figures?”

“Yes. And no.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means we’ve decided to get out of the cattle business. There is a lot more money to be made in other areas of the corporation. Frankly, we are not ranchers. We’ve tried several times to bring in someone to manage a turnaround. Nothing they tried worked. It’s just not worth the money and time to try to fix whatever might be wrong—if there is a fix—when that time could be better spent working on financially sound investment opportunities.”

“The ranch was Mom’s dream.”

Wade nodded. “Yes, it was. But she’s gone. And times have changed. The land itself is worth more divided into parcels and sold for development than it is as a feeding trough for cattle. Plus, the entire west end of the property runs parallel to the rail system, which triples its worth.”

Chance clenched his jaw, determined to keep that sickening twist in his gut from spilling out in a completely different form, all directed at his brothers. He clenched his fists as fury battled desperation. In all the covert missions, he’d never felt such a strong sense of pending disaster. There was always a plan B. There was always hope. But this was a dagger right to the heart. And he had only himself to blame. He was the one who’d chosen to walk away, leaving Wade and Cole to handle it all. As it stood, he had no right to say anything. He’d long ago made choices, and those choices took him out of the game. But that didn’t stop the bile from rising in his throat.

From the home office, they were driven to the original Masters mansion in North Dallas, where dinner would be served and they would spend the night. Their grandfather had built the original structure back in the 1940s. Their father had doubled its size, and the entire building had been updated just before he died. Complete with turrets, it had always reminded Chance of something out of the Middle Ages. This was where Wade and Cole had lived the first few years of their life and, when business brought them to Dallas, this was home. Their mother had not been raised in a city and longed for the wide-open spaces, so to appease her, the gigantic log-and-stone house at the ranch had been built. That was the only home Chance could remember.

While Wade and Cole kept up a lively conversation between courses, Chance’s mind wavered between the loss of the ranch and Holly. Somehow he saw both in the same light. In a matter of weeks, he would lose them both. He would head back to his world, and life would continue as it had for the past twelve years. He couldn’t help but surmise what would happen to her business if Wade sold the land. Could a veterinarian clinic survive amidst the housing developments and commercial ventures? He supposed it could happen. Maybe she would be better off. Maybe Cole would help her relocate. Whatever happened, Holly would survive. She was a fighter. Always had been.

Chance shouldn’t have kissed her. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t touch her. But damn. He was glad he had even if it was wrong. She’d felt amazing in his arms. Her skin was velvety soft and smooth. She’d melted against him until it felt as if the two had merged into one. He’d never felt that close to any woman, even during sex. The silky sweetness of her mouth had been almost more than he could handle without taking her fully. And he’d wanted to. The way she’d opened to him, offering more... Her soft moans telling him of her need. Holding himself back had taken more strength and determination than a lot of the missions he faced as a SEAL.

She had a baby. A baby not a lot older than the one he’d let die. He’d been in plenty of situations he would label uncomfortable. Being around her baby was another one. He couldn’t tell Holly he no longer wanted to be around her because she had a kid. And he wanted to see her again. Whether it was right or wrong, whatever this thing was between them had changed from childhood friendship to adult desire, and it gripped him hard and heavy. He’d felt the very real, very hot flames of it when he’d kissed her. When she’d responded.

His brothers’ laughter brought him back to the present.

“That sound okay with you, Chance?”

“I’m sorry?”

Wade had that stupid knowing smile on his face again. “I was saying a welcome-home celebration was needed. It’ll give you the opportunity to meet some of the executive staff here in Dallas. We have some really good people and they’ve all been waiting to meet you. I think once you have a chance to talk with them, get to know them and feel comfortable, this whole corporation thing won’t seem so alien to you.”

Chance sat up in his chair. The last thing he wanted to do was become a G.I. Joe puppet on Wade’s center stage. Clearly this was another attempt by his brothers to bring him on board at the company, and after their earlier revelation about the ranch, he wanted nothing more than to tell them both to stick it. “And who else will be there?”

“Excuse me?”

“Other than your employees?”

Wade dropped the linen napkin on the table. “There might be some representatives from companies we do business with.”

“You see me as a salable, item and you’re not going to let the opportunity pass to draw interest to your latest project by introducing them to a SEAL. And the fact that it’s your own brother makes it more palatable. You never were one to give up an opportunity to grab for the brass ring. Just like Dad.”

Wade shrugged. “I’m not saying you’re right, but even if you are? So what?”

Chance looked at Cole, who had silently observed the exchange. “You want explain it to him?”

“Cole doesn’t have to explain anything to me,” Wade barked, his voice edged with aggravation and long-practiced intimidation.

Yeah. Good luck with that.

“I get that you want no part of this company, Chance. I think I can change your mind but you’ve got to give me an opportunity. What can it possibly hurt for you to put a little effort forward and meet some people? People who care a lot about you.”

“I don’t even know them. You said that yourself.”

This conversation had no end. He and his brother could keep arguing until the next full moon. No, it couldn’t hurt for Chance to agree to attend this fiasco, but at the same time, it wouldn’t hurt for Wade to let it go.

Chance blew out a breath. “It seems ridiculous to me when I have no plans to stay. I’ll do it. But one evening is it. After that, no more.”

“Done,” Wade confirmed.

“If you gentlemen will excuse me, I think I’ll say good-night. I’ve had about all the happy news I can stomach for one evening.” Chance stood and looked around at where he’d been sitting. They’d used three chairs out of the forty that surrounded the elaborate table, the rich mahogany gleaming under the glow of three chandeliers. “Why don’t you put some effort toward getting a smaller table? Eventually somebody’s going to think there are a lot of guests who didn’t show up for dinner. Not good for the image.” He pursed his lips at the humor apparently only he could see. “Good night.”

As Chance’s long strides carried him down the hall to the elevator, he heard his brothers discussing what they had asked him to do. Cole wanted the party held here, in the center of Dallas, which would be easier on everybody. Except for the star attraction, aka the bait. In two days he had an appointment with the civilian doctor. Depending on his findings, Chance would be one step closer to getting back to his team.



The next morning, not willing to subject himself to the possibility of any belated plans Wade may have thought of overnight, he asked the chauffeur to take him to the heliport. Wade and Cole had meetings scheduled in Dallas over the next two days, so there was really no reason to stick around just to say goodbye. They knew where to reach him if need be, plus there was an abundance of choppers if anyone needed to make a fast trip back to the ranch or anywhere else.