Page 132 of Nobody's Girl

That was because she wasn’t sure if she should believe him. “Are you? And how’s that?”

“I inherited some land. And that land ended up being on top of a giant oilfield. So, you’re sitting next to an oil tycoon. Does that make you think any differently about me?” He looked a bit worried, which made Cait want to laugh.

She didn’t, though. “I don’t much care if you have millions of bucks or not.”

“Billions,” he said as he watched her carefully.

“Billions, huh?” She tapped her chin. “So what?”

“Do you really think that? I mean, can I trust you not to use me for my money?” he asked her with the hopes he’d see greed in her eyes.

“Why in the world why I use you for your money, Phoenix? I did start talking to you on the pretense that you were a mere mortal man and not a superhero billionaire.” She laughed, and so did he.

But Phoenix knew she was after a man with money. He did think she’d be on cloud nine, knowing the man she was plotting to trick into marriage was more than a little wealthy.

So her reaction was confusing, to say the least. He ventured further as he asked, “Does the smell of oil bother you?”

“I don’t recall ever smelling it.” She looked at him with a curious expression. “Why would you ask that?”

“There’s a house in the middle of that oilfield that I live in,” he said. He had a beach house too, but he was planning on tricking her into thinking he really wanted to have a family and live in the stinky oilfield house.

“I thought you had a beach house with a dog. Isn’t that where we’re going? Because I brought bathing suits and shorts with that location in mind.”

“I wanted to take you somewhere special to me. The place I want to make my real home. I want to live in the middle of the place that made me who I am today.”

“Well, if you’re all into that place then, by all means, take me to see what you want to do with your life, Phoenix.” She laid her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes.

The guilt was beginning to pile up inside of her. The man was either being real with her, or he was a fantastic liar. Either way, she was getting tired of the charade. And she had to wonder if he was too.

“Cait, by the end of this weekend I hope we find ourselves a lot closer. I have to be honest with you. I’ve never been this interested in anyone. If you have the same vision I do, then I don’t want to wait,” he said, making her open her eyes to look at him.

“Phoenix, you should be very careful what you say to me. I may seem tough, but I’m just human. If you cut me, I do bleed.” She eyed him warily.

Cait knew that if he gave her a phony marriage proposal, she’d lose the feelings she’d come to have for the incredible man. She still had hope that he’d see fit to tell her the truth and things could begin to go in the right direction for them.

He could be her Prince Charming. But he’d have to end the bet to do it.

Chapter 29

Arriving at Ethan’s grandmother’s house had Kel feeling a bit nervous about getting that close to the man who was trying desperately to dupe her into a roll in the hay. She knew introducing her to his grandmother and some other family members was going too far, but she wasn’t ready to call him out on the bet just yet, curious to see how far the man would go.

The estate he took her to was enormous. As they drove up a winding drive, a few deer with their fawns frolicked alongside them for part of the way. “How cute they are, Ethan. Are they pets?”

He had no idea. He’d rented the place for the weekend and had actors waiting for their arrival. But he could improvise, so he said, “My grandmother has a way with wild animals. While those deer are not pets, they’re her friends.”

“A Dr. Doolittle?” Kel asked with a grin on her face. She was certain Ethan was kidding with her.

“I guess you could call her that,” he said, then wrapped his arm around her and kissed her cheek. “I can’t wait for you to meet my Granny, Kel. I think you two will hit it off. She’s a real spitfire.”

“And why’s she in America?” Kel asked. “Since you’re from Scotland?”

“Oh, she’s American. You see, she’s my step-grandmother. My blood grandmother died at only 47. Grandfather married a few years later.”

“Oh? Is he here too?” Kel asked as she looked at the fancy entrance of the home. A red rose-covered arch formed the entrance that was filled with more red rose bushes. While it all looked inviting, Kel knew it was full of prickly thorns and one shouldn’t stray from the narrow pathway that led to the green painted wooden door.