The Oblivious Billionaire Read online

  “I know, but then someone might recognize it.” She sucked in a deep breath. “This is better. I told you, you can borrow my grandparents’ truck that they keep in the barn.”

  “I won’t stay long, just a couple of days.” He was making a promise to himself as well as to her. “Maybe my memory will return by then.”

  #

  “Oh!” The small sound escaped Charlie’s lips.

  Zach shifted to look at her, and her cheeks warmed under his scrutiny. “What is it?” he asked.

  “I just…” She motioned at the cabin to her left. The California state flag and the stars and stripes fluttered in the breeze. The pulleys pinged against the metal flagpole. “I wasn’t expecting Kirk’s parents to be here.”

  “Kirk?” Zach’s eyebrows went up. “Dr. Palmer?”

  “His parents own the cabin next to ours.”

  “That’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it?”

  “Not really.” Charlie turned the Corolla down the bumpy drive and parked in front of the family cabin. “The Palmers have lived next door to my parents for years. When they mentioned that they wanted a cabin, too, my parents suggested that they buy some of my grandparents’ land. It was a win-win for everyone.” Charlie bit her lip, knowing Zach would soon realize that their being in Big Bear at the same time as Kirk and Layla was also not a coincidence, and wondered how he would feel about it. She didn’t want him to think she was using him or his situation.

  Even though she sort of was.

  She climbed from the car and pulled her overnight bag from the back seat. For the first time, it occurred to her that she would be spending the night alone in the cabin with Zach—a man she barely knew. Doubts swamped her.

  But there’s nothing between us.

  A man like him would never be interested in a girl like me.

  But she would still be vulnerable. She straightened her shoulders and reminded herself that there was a lock on the bedroom door—not that she would need it. Zach seemed like a solid guy. But she would sleep better if she used it.

  He wasn’t misreading the situation, was he?

  He pointed at her overnight bag. “Are you staying?”

  Had he thought she was just dropping him off?

  “Not that I mind,” he said in a rush. “I’m just surprised.”

  “I can always stay at the Palmers’,” she said, wondering what Kirk and Layla would have to say about that. “If that would make you more comfortable.”

  “No. I’m happy to have company,” he said.

  Not your company, but any company. The tension across her shoulders eased as she strode across the property to the cabin’s front porch. The tired wood creaked beneath her boots as she climbed the steps. What would he think of her grandparents’ place? Originally, it had been a one-room hunting bunker without electricity or plumbing. Sometime in the last few decades, her dad and brothers had expanded the cabin and added modern conveniences, but still it was more rustic than luxurious. Zach, after all, was a billionaire…but then she reminded herself that she’d read he hadn’t been raised in a wealthy family.

  She pushed open the door. The main room had a kitchenette on one wall, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace on another and a stairwell leading to a loft on another. It was a large, airy space with windows letting in a lot of the midday light.

  Zach whistled. “This is great.”

  Relief zipped through Charlie as she set down her bag. “I’m glad you like it.” Why had she been so worried about what he would think? He meant nothing to her. She was simply doing him a favor. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

  She led him down a short hall and opened a door, revealing a rocking chair, an old-fashioned armoire, and a crazy-quilt-covered queen-size bed. “This is my parents’ room. I’ll be staying here.” She deposited her bag on the dresser before leading the way to the stairwell. “The boys’ rooms are in the basement.”

  The daylight basement had French doors that opened to a flagstone patio. The rec room had a pool table plus a ping-pong table and an air-hockey table. “It can get pretty noisy down here when my brothers are around,” she said. “There are three bedrooms down here. You can have your pick.”

  “You said the boys’ rooms are in the basement, so where do you typically sleep?”

  “In the loft,” she told him. “Come on, I’ll show you.” It felt strange to be alone with Zach in the cabin. Had she ever been here with just one other person? Had she ever been here by herself? If she had, she couldn’t remember it. Typically, when she came to the cabin, she was surrounded by her family. She felt their memories like ghosts lurking around her, asking her why she’d brought this stranger into the Monsons’ hideaway.

  She climbed the stairs to the loft—her own private space. She’d loved having her own spot, away from her squabbling, wrestling brothers.

  Zach’s lips twitched. “You were the princess in the tower, weren’t you?”

  “Still am,” she said, gazing out the window at the trees and sky.

  “You get everything you ever want?” he asked.

  “Pretty much,” she said, but her gaze landed on the neighboring cabin and her brow furrowed when she thought of Kirk and Layla. Why was Kirk bringing Layla here? It was like inviting a pig wearing lipstick to the prom.

  “Well, do you want lunch?” Zach asked.

  “I do.” She tromped down the stairs with Zach at her heels.

  “Shall we go into town?”

  “Hmm, yes, but not now.”

  “But lunch?”

  “Do you like chili?”

  “Sure, but doesn’t that take hours to make?”

  “Yes. Eighteen hours to be exact, but if we’re lucky there’s some in the freezer.” She trailed her fingers along the back of the old leather sofa as she passed through the living room. If she closed her eyes, she could see her grandma in the kitchen, stirring a giant pot of chili, or her grandpa stoking the fire.

  After finding the container of chili in the freezer along with a loaf of cornbread, she got out a pan.

  “Would you like me to start a fire?” Zach asked.

  “Do you know how?” Charlie asked.

  “I can do stuff,” Zach told her.

  “I’m sure you can, but—”

  “But what?”

  “It’s just the flue can be tricky. But if you want to give it a go, the firewood is stacked under the deck.”

  Zach made a harrumphing noise and strode outside. Moments later he returned with an armful of firewood.

  The chili was just beginning to thaw as Zach stacked his wood in the hearth.

  “Make sure you open the flue before you light the fire,” Charlie told him.

  Zach knelt beside the hearth and stuck his arm inside the fireplace. “Is there a lever?” he asked.

  “Yes, but like I said, it’s tricky.”

  Zach rolled up his sleeves and reached deeper. After a moment, he lay on his back and scooted his head into the fireplace. “Got it,” he said, followed by, “Augh!”

  Charlie dropped her spoon and dashed across the room in time to see Zach scooting out of the fireplace, his face covered in sooty debris.

  “Oh dear. Are you all right?”

  He blinked rapidly at her, the whites of his eyes a startling contrast to his ash-covered face. “I’ve got stuff in my eyes. I can’t see.”

  She grabbed his hand and guided him to the tiny bathroom. Reaching around him, she turned on the faucet and then found a washcloth. “Here,” she said, “let me help you.”

  She squeezed past him to dampen the cloth and squirt it with hand soap. Gingerly, she washed his face. His eyelids fluttered.

  “I can’t see,” he complained again.

  “I know, we’re getting there.” She dabbed at his eyelashes. “No point in opening your eyes if you’re only going to get more gunk in them.” His body heat warmed her.

  He made a disgruntled sound and when his arm grazed her breast, tingles curled through her. Startled, she jumpe
d away. “There,” she said, her voice thick. “Open.”

  He blinked at her. Standing close, he lifted one eyelid and then the other.

  “You should be okay now.” Edging out of the tiny bathroom, she asked, “Did you get the flue open?”

  “I think so,” he said, his voice unnaturally gruff. “I can smell the chili.”

  The warm, spicy aroma conjured so many happy memories of playing in the snow with her brothers and parents.

  A knock on the door roused her.

  “Knock, knock!” Janet Palmer stuck her head into the room. “Anyone home?” Her smile faded when she spotted Zach. “Oh! You brought company.” Disapproval tinged her voice.

  “Mrs. Palmer, this is my friend, Zach.”

  Zach strode across the room with his hand extended. “Your son was my doctor,” he told her.

  They shook hands, but Mrs. Palmer still seemed flustered and confused.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” Charlie asked.

  Mrs. Palmer shook herself. “Yes. Peter cut himself. I was wondering if you had any Neosporin.”

  “Do you want me to look at it?”

  She sighed as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “If you wouldn’t mind, that would be wonderful. He cut himself with a nasty, jagged saw…” Her voice trailed away uncertainly and her gaze slid to Zach. “Although I hate to interrupt you.”

  “I’m happy to look at it,” Charlie assured her. “Zach, can you make sure the chili doesn’t burn?”

  “Sure thing.” Zach came to take the spoon. His fingers brushed against hers, sending a small thrill through her. What did it mean? Did he feel it, too?

  With her hands tucked into the pockets of her parka and her shoulders slumped in defeat, Mrs. Palmer seemed unhappy as they crossed the yard together. Normally, Mrs. Palmer had a chatty, bubbly personality, but today she was quiet and withdrawn.

  Charlie finally asked, “Is there something bothering you, Mrs. Palmer?”

  The older woman blew out a sigh. “I know I shouldn’t be telling you this, Charlie, but I had always hoped you and my Kirk would be a pair. But now I see that it’s not to be. You’re here with this fine young man and my Kirk is bringing that Layla girl around.” She sighed again. “I guess I’ll have to get used to her.” She slid Charlie a glance. “Please don’t say anything to Kirk. He’d skin me alive if he knew I’d said anything. For years I thought he didn’t date you simply to spite me!”

  Charlie’s heart lifted to hear this.

  “But now you have Zach…”

  “Zach and I are just friends,” Charlie said.

  Janet brightened for a second, but soon a new scowl settled across her eyebrows. “That Layla. I wonder what Kirk sees in her.” She looked up at the trees as if offering a silent prayer. She clenched her fists. “You know what? I’m going to treat her like she’s the best thing since sliced bread!”

  “That’s probably a good idea, Mrs. P,” Charlie said, even though it hurt to say the words. Her thoughts went back to high school and Kirk’s first girlfriend, the sarcastic pep squad president, Annie Bolden, who had run Kirk’s life the same way she ruled the pep squad. Everyone on the squad had hated her and eventually Kirk had come to the same conclusion.

  Just like the nursing staff hated Layla. Soon, Kirk would feel the same.

  #

  By the time Charlie returned, Zach had the fire blazing and had found the remote for the TV. He selected several movies and wondered which one Charlie would choose. She surprised him by picking the Hitchcock classic North by Northwest.

  “I would have thought you were a rom-com gal,” he said.

  “I like those, too, but I love Hitchcock,” she told him.

  They settled down on the sofa together, each hugging a bowl of chili. The weather had turned surprisingly cold. Ever since returning from the neighbors’, Charlie had been quiet.

  “Everything okay?” Zach asked.

  She nodded. “It was a nasty cut, but I don’t think Mr. Palmer will need stitches.”

  They fell into a companionable silence as the movie started.

  CHAPTER 4

  Warm. Comfortable. She didn’t want to move, but someone was calling her name.

  “Charlotte?”

  No one but her grandpa ever called her Charlotte. Maybe he was here?

  “Charlotte?”

  She opened one eye and was surprised to find no one there. Putting one hand to her cheek, she closed her eyes again, only to flutter them open as she realized she was leaning against someone.

  Zach!

  She sat up and stared at him in a sleepy haze. With his mouth slightly open, his eyes closed, his body relaxed, he looked young, vulnerable. She must have fallen asleep and curled up against him. How embarrassing. Well, he didn’t look as if he minded.

  Still.

  She eased off the sofa and turned off the TV.

  Zach stirred. “Is it over?” he mumbled.

  “Hmm,” Charlie murmured. Out of habit, she padded up the stairs and fell into her bed without brushing her teeth. That night, she dreamed of Zach.

  #

  Zach woke to find a winter wonderland outside his bedroom window. The snow glistened in the early morning sun. Icicles hung from the trees. Birds swooped in the air and squirrels chattered a welcome to the fallen snow. Zach found it magical and he tried to remember the last time he’d woken to a snowy morning. But that was the problem—he just couldn’t remember anything of the last seven years.

  He sat down on the bed and put his hands between his knees, trying to dredge through his memories or put his finger on the last known day or time, but he couldn’t do that. He didn’t know when the memories stopped or started. He remembered playing football. He worried about his head injury and what it all meant. His doctors had assured him that in time his memories would return. He tried not to stress but he was finding it all increasingly difficult. His heart went out in gratitude to Charlie.

  Falling asleep with her in his arms last night had felt so right and yet so wrong. He couldn’t take advantage of her, nor could he let her take advantage of him and his situation.

  He just didn’t know where to go from here. How to move forward? He couldn’t go back because he had nothing to go back to. But then something caught his eye. Something that made him rethink the whole situation.

  A bright and shiny red convertible Mercedes pulled into the driveway next door. Dr. Palmer and nurse Layla slammed out of the doors. What were they doing here?

  Maybe Charlie’s invitation wasn’t as altruistic as he had thought. Maybe she had motives of her own. He needed to make her see that she was so much better than Dr. Palmer. And Layla? He knew countless women just like her. In his pro football days—that seemed like yesterday—Layla types had come on to him at every celebratory after-game party. If Dr. Palmer was interested in someone like Layla, then he wasn’t right for Charlie.

  A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

  “Are you awake?” Charlie called through the door. “Did you see the snow?”

  He steered his thoughts away from the Dr. Palmer situation and tried to inject some enthusiasm in his voice. “Yeah, it looks like it’s going to be a great time.”

  “We’ve got to go sledding before it melts,” she said. “But do you want breakfast first? I made some cinnamon rolls.”

  Now that he thought about it, he could smell the warm cinnamon scent rolling down the stairs and he wondered if she had made enough for just the two of them or if her batch included some for the Palmers next door. Whatever her motivations, Zach was going to prove one thing to her. He was going to make her see that she and her cinnamon rolls deserved someone so much better than Dr. Palmer.

  #

  Charlie licked her fingers as she polished off a luscious cinnamon roll. It had been her grandmother’s recipe and just the aroma reminded her of past family gatherings. Having Zach with her was like having one of her brothers around, but better. Falling asleep ag
ainst him last night had been awkward. And she didn’t quite know what to make of that.

  Of course, her heart belonged, as it always had, to Kirk. And Zach? He was just an interesting side note to a romance that she had started writing long, long ago. In all the romance novels she’d ever read, the heroes’ faces had always been Kirk’s.

  That was why she found it so disconcerting that she’d recently been dreaming of Zach.

  She looked up when he stepped into the room, fully dressed in her grandfather’s snow clothes. She’d seen that flannel shirt maybe a thousand times on her grandfather but it looked vastly different on Zach. His broad shoulders filled it out in ways that her grandfather never could. Even with the stubble on his chin and his rumpled hair, he was heart-stoppingly handsome.

  Maybe she should set him up with Layla. That would be the perfect solution. If only she could convince Kirk that Layla wasn’t right for him and that the girl for him had been the one next door all along.

  Zach took a bite of a cinnamon roll and breathed out a sigh of pure contentment. “I could get used to this.”

  “Do you like it?” she asked. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe.”

  “Do you really expect us to eat all this?” he asked, glancing at the full tray.

  “Oh no,” she said in a falsely bright tone. “We can freeze them, or we can take some to the neighbors. We do things like that all the time with the Palmers.”

  Zach nodded knowingly. “I bet you do,” he mumbled.

  Charlie shot him a quick glance, wondering what he meant by that. But she decided not to let it bother her and she went to the stove to stir the hot cocoa. She hated it when the milk formed a skin.

  “Is this your grandmother’s recipe, too?” Zach asked after she had poured some in a mug and he had taken his first sip. She could tell from the look on his face that he loved it.

  “No, this is all mine,” she answered.

  “It’s amazing that you don’t weigh five hundred pounds,” he said, but then he caught himself as if he remembered her recent weight loss.