The Billionaire's Colton Threat. Geri Krotow
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keep running away from me. Unlike the rattlesnakes and scorpions, I don’t bite.” He’d maneuvered Buster up next to her and Buttercup with the ease of a skilled horseman. She had to give him credit—he may not appreciate just how brutal “roughing it” could be in Texas, but he knew his way around a horse.
“I’m sorry to give you the impression that I’m avoiding you. I’m used to leading a dozen folks at a time, many beginner riders. They usually like to be together with someone they know, to keep their conversation easy. Even when I take out single guests, I’m not used to making more than small talk on the trail.”
“Our conversation can be easy. And I’ll follow you wherever you want to go.”
Zing. Her attraction to him lit up like a Christmas tree. The way it made her body feel was like a special gift. She knew her face was flushed and hoped he couldn’t see her hardened nipples under her shirt. Because as much as she loved Christmas and the live tree she continued to cut down, drag in and set up each year in Bluewood Ranch’s modest living room, she didn’t need her sexual desires on full display in front of a business client.
“You don’t strike me as the easy-talking type, Alastair. You don’t run a successful business like Clyde Whiskey without being very exacting.”
“True, but that’s work. Which I can’t seem to get away from these days.” He lifted his hat and let the breeze lift his short locks before replacing it. “It’s never done, never secure. Not in the age of HFT.”
“HFT?”
“High-frequency trading. Have you thought of investing your profits from the ranch into the market, when you’re ready?” He was so sincere, so earnest in his concern for her financial well-being.
Halle couldn’t have stopped the laugh if she’d wanted to. “I’m lucky to be able to invest in groceries at the end of a month.”
Alastair’s eyes filled with compassion. “Getting a business up and running is difficult, but continuing to successfully run one year after year can prove just as challenging, if not more so. We’re two of a kind, Halle Ford. I suspect we both have a passion for our businesses, and that’s why we do what we do. All the sacrifice. Tell me about your business, Halle.”
To her surprise, she did.
* * *
Alastair kept his eyes on Halle the entire time she confided in him. He was so touched, so damn honored that she trusted him enough to tell him what she’d been through. His concern over her welfare spiked as he listened. Halle spoke as if the tragic death of her father, which she clearly blamed a dead woman named Livia Colton for, had happened in another family, not hers. She was too detached. He wondered if she’d properly processed the ordeal, and worried for her when she did, when it would all hit her. He hoped he’d be around to help her through it, as ridiculous as it seemed on paper, since they’d known one another for such a short time. Alastair got Halle’s dilemma—he knew what it meant to have to shove down pain that would otherwise choke the last gasp of joy out of him.
“I’ve gone through similar trials. We’ve almost lost our business half a dozen times over the past decade. It’s so hard at times. If it weren’t for my family and the fact that Clyde Whiskey is a family business, I’d have hung it up on more than one occasion.” As he spoke he felt tremendous relief. As if he were the one unburdening to her. Maybe he was.
She nodded.
“It’s important to me to keep Bluewood Ranch running. I know that the tourist business isn’t going to keep it alive forever, but I haven’t figured out what else I want to do, what would be financially feasible, for the ranch.” She spoke with the weight of an executive CEO, which he found admirable, since Bluewood seemed like a relatively small operation. Halle took her responsibilities seriously, her experience with larger corporate concerns evident. It was another reason she was unlike any other person he’d ever known, and why he desperately wanted to know her better. So much better. Halle did nothing halfway. She was the epitome of “go big or go home.”
“Have you thought about attracting outside investors?” He thought he’d asked it innocently enough, not mentioning Jeremy outright.
“A pity handout? Never. The big money around these parts is the Colton family and I will never take a penny from them. Even in the wrongful death of my father, I never sought restitution. The only payback would have been to put Livia Colton behind bars. Since she’s dead, it’s a moot point.”
“Understood. But Jeremy’s not a Colton.”
“No, but he’s my friend, as is Adeline. I don’t want to mix friendship and business. Not when investing in the ranch is such a risk. For the moment.” A cloud ran across the sky, putting them in shadow. Halle’s face was guarded.
“And yet you allowed Jeremy to send me here. Is there something you aren’t telling me about the risk at Bluewood?”
“No, not at all.” She let out a soft sigh as she looked at the horizon. “I always planned to take over Bluewood from my dad. Looked forward to it. I knew that someday I’d be running it.”
“But?”
“It’s happened too quickly. I’ve had to learn my way around ranching and the tourism industry while still booking clients. I never feel as if I’m one hundred percent in either role—apprentice or ranch expert.”
“Do you have any staff to help out?” He’d only noticed one ranch hand tending to the barn and stables before they set out.
Halle laughed. “No, that takes time and money.” Neither of which she would have yet since her schedule was full taking people on tours like this one and pouring the revenue into repairs. “My full-time ranch hand, Charlie, hasn’t had a raise in two years. He’s loyal but he could decide today to move on and I’d have no recourse. And frankly, I wouldn’t blame him. I hire other ranch hands as needed.”
“I hear you on feeling as though you’re never doing enough. It’s part of being in business for yourself. That’s what I’ve learned, anyhow. I give you credit, Halle. You’re remarkable. I inherited a solid business and grew it. You’re taking something with a lot of challenges and turning it around. I wish I had as much courage as you.” He meant the words and could feel his heart beat with each one uttered. Halle had a way of forcing him to dig deeper, to find the best way possible to let her know how incredible she was. He’d been under his own work stress lately, but it didn’t compare to Halle’s. Except that they shared indefatigable work ethics. His work was never done, and with his current situation the anxiety of an unforeseen buyout made it so much worse. Nothing he could tell Halle, nothing he’d want anyone in Shadow Creek to know about, no matter how much he trusted them. Not yet. They’d know soon enough if he decided to not invest in tech in the Austin area. Because if he lacked the funds, he wouldn’t invest or ask others to. Alastair might be a billionaire but to him his word was worth more than any commodity, cash included.
They pulled the horses up to a wide leg that offered a breathtaking view of the countryside below and in front of them. They sat in companionable silence as they watched the sun start its descent. Streaks of peach, apricot and purple hues soared over the Texas sky. Even Buttercup and Buster were still, as if showing reverence for nature’s spectacle.
“Let’s dismount and set up camp. We’re over there, near the grove of willows.” She nodded toward their night camp. Halle’s eyes reflected the fiery shades of the beginning sunset. It didn’t escape Alastair that if they’d met anywhere else in time, or on earth, they might be together tonight in the best of ways.
But Halle had made her boundaries clear. This was solely a business excursion. He understood and in fact admired her for her professionalism. Even if it meant losing out on an opportunity to explore the undeniable attraction that arced between them. How could he consider campsite extracurriculars with Halle when his entire livelihood could be at risk?