“I have a house in the newer section of the Five Families neighborhood. I just finished renovating it.”
“I’d love to see your home,” she said. “My house is in the Five Families, as well.”
“It’s a really nice community. But I’m sure I don’t have to sell you on the amenities. Who was your Realtor?”
“Helena’s fiancé. Small world, huh?”
“Definitely. I think I’m related to everyone in this town either by blood or marriage,” he said. “And it’s not just my family. All of the five families are like that.”
“What are the five families?” she asked as they walked to his car. He opened the passenger door of his Maserati and helped her in as he told her about the members of the original five families who’d founded Cole’s Hill. His ancestor Javier Velasquez had been a rancher in the area thanks to a land grant from the Spanish king before Jacob Cole, for whom the town was named, settled here with his stepdaughter, Bejamina Little. The other three families were the Carutherses, whose ancestor Tully Caruthers and his sister, Ethel, had built a house where the Five Families clubhouse stood today; the Abernathys, who’d been rustlers before settling down and becoming ranchers; and the Grahams. Their ancestor had been the undertaker, and his descendants had turned their old ranch on the outskirts of town into a microbrewery.
Cole’s Hill had history and charm, and as he drovethrough the small town toward the Five Families neighborhood she saw families walking together on Main Street. She wanted that for her child. This kind of slow-paced, ideal life. And Alec, even though he’d lied to her, seemed to be a decent guy after all.
The kind of a guy who might even be a good father, but was she simply fooling herself again? Seeing what she wanted to see in him? She wasn’t going to take a chance on her child’s future. Alec Velasquez was going to have to prove to her the kind of man he was.
Scarlet walkedaround Alec’s pool while he spoke to his housekeeper about preparing some food. Apparently he hadn’t had a chance to eat at lunch, either, because his family had been questioning him about her. As far as she was concerned, that was his own fault, so she couldn’t muster much sympathy for him.
She took her strappy sandals off and walked barefoot on the pool deck, which was smooth and warm under feet. She took off the hat she’d been wearing at the polo grounds as well, tossing it on the coffee table in the conversation area of the patio. There was a solid stone fireplace, surrounded by a love seat and large armchairs. There was even a dining area in the shade of some large oak trees. The pool was magnificent; it had a two-tiered water feature that kept the water flowing and a separate hot tub in an elevated corner nearby.
The yard was lush and looked like a lush, landscaped paradise nestled right in the heart of southern Texas. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected of Alec... Well, honestly nothing, but this still surprised her. She thought it was because he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d lie about who he was.
She remembered Hadley’s explanation. That Mauricio had been violently ill... And she wanted to believe that was thetruth. But she was still hurt. And it didn’t explain why Alec hadn’t come clean once they’d been together.
It was just one example of the universe having a laugh at her expense. She knew that she was being melodramatic but hey, she was pregnant by a stranger in a town where she really knew only two people, so she felt justified.
She glanced at her watch, wondering what she was doing here. Usually she followed her whims, and though Tara had said that it was the same as following your instinct, Scarlet had never truly believed that. She always felt like she was jumping from one extreme situation to the next.
And this calm and tranquil backyard didn’t feel right. It was actually too serene. Too...weird. She needed to hear horns blaring, the thumping base beat of her DJ neighbor trying out some new tracks or even just the sound of Billie talking out loud to herself.
If her intent in coming to Cole’s Hill was to find someone to help her decide what to do about her situation, she was pretty sure Alec was the one.
Don’t ask for answers if you’re not going to listen.Tara’s voice danced through her mind.
She just shook her head. She wasn’t in the mood to be reasonable.
It would be easier if she saw some signs of Alec’s depravity or anything that she could latch on to get mad at him about so she could just leave and then make her own decisions about the baby.
She looked around the backyard. Alec had a nice house. It was the kind of place she would have loved as a child. There was a willow branch tunnel on one side that she and Tara would have loved to explore as girls. The O’Malley gardens had all been formal, laid out in the style of Versailles, so there hadn’t been any hidden spots to play.
“Okay, the food is all sorted out. Sorry, but I amdefinitely one of those people who gets hangry and I don’t want to give you more of a reason to think I’m an asshole.”
Turning to face him, she noticed he’d taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong forearms and a smart watch. She knew he worked in tech and Billie thought he was pretty much at the top of his game, but honestly that didn’t matter to her. She’d met men who were at the top of the Forbes 400 list but who were morally bankrupt. Though it did ease her mind that he wasn’t after her for her money, that wasn’t really her concern.
What kind of man is he?
Could he be trusted with a child or would he screw it up?
“Great,” she said, walking over to the large swing that faced the willow arbor and sitting down. “I guess there’s nothing left for us to do but to talk.”
“Of course,” he said. He came over to where she sat and hesitated. “May I join you?”
“Yes,” she said.
The swing dipped a bit when he sat on the wooden bench and then he leaned back, stretching his arm along the backrest. His fingers were close to the back of her neck but he didn’t touch her. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t incredibly aware of his hand so close to her.
She remembered the way he’d stroked his finger down the side of her neck that night at the awards banquet. He’d been leaning in to make a joke about one of the people at their table who kept bringing up the fact that he’d purchased a Maserati from the factory.
She turned so that she could avoid his touch, hoping that would give her the focus she needed, but instead she realized it put her face-to-face with the man himself. He was sprawled on the seat, looking completely at ease as he set the swing into motion. He’d taken off his sunglasses; she methis dark chocolate gaze and realized at last why she wanted so desperately to find something wrong with Alejandro.