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Glass in hand, he walked over to where his half-brother Cade stood talking to his mother, Stormy.
Although Nathan was a little surprised she’d accepted the invitation, he was pleased to see her. To his knowledge, it was the first Donovan event she’d ever attended.
“Stormy.” He shook her hand.
“Nathan. Always a pleasure.”
The woman was tall, willowy and dressed exactly the way he’d expected. Convention be damned. Her slim-cut jeans were tucked inside boots she’d likely hand-tooled herself. Her white T-shirt was form-fitting, and she wore a brown leather vest over it. She had a quick smile, a firm grip and a direct gaze. He could see why his father, Jeffrey, had fallen in love with her, even though he had been expected to marry Nathan’s mother.
The Running Wind Ranch wouldn’t have been what it was without Stormy’s guidance. And Cade, the oldest Donovan brother, did a damn fine job of running the ranch. It had been Stormy who’d fought for her illegitimate son’s inheritance and who’d instilled a love of the land in his soul. Though Nathan had little interest in that part of the business, Cade’s intelligence and hard work had made it a financial success. And that, Nathan appreciated.
“Well, look who’s here,” Cade interrupted with a long, slow whistle.
Nathan glanced over his shoulder and saw Julien Bonds just inside the French doors. “I didn’t know he was expected.” A group of people moved in around him, blocking him from general view and the always-prying eye of cell phone cameras.
“Connor insisted on sending Bonds an invite,” Cade replied. “No one really thought he’d show, but Sofia reserved a guest house for him, just in case. I imagine he took a helicopter from Houston.” He shrugged. “I still want to see his prissy ass on a horse.”
“I’ll give him lessons,” Stormy volunteered.
She’d spent years wrangling and was an accomplished horsewoman. If Nathan remembered correctly, she’d been the one who had taught his father to ride. That was probably the summer they’d fallen in love. “I want to ask him about a few of the watch’s features,” Nathan said.
“Watch? You have a Bonds watch?” Cade demanded.
Nathan flashed his wrist.
“Fuck,” Cade said. “How the hell did you rate?”
“I indicated an interest in investing. He turned me down. Says he won’t go public and let some board of directors interfere with his creative ideas.” The man was on track to having one of the largest privately held firms on the planet. “As a consolation prize, he sent it to me for beta testing.”
“And?”
“It’s astounding. But…”
“But?”
“Quirky.”
Cade frowned.
“Plays theme music when it’s turned on. And the hologram—”
“It has a hologram?”
“Of Bonds himself. Greets you personally and suggests ways for you to improve your life.” The ego was astounding. Last week, Bonds had recommended Nathan go to bed slightly earlier and sleep longer, saying his life expectancy would increase if he enjoyed more REM sleep. Bonds had added that Nathan would be twice as effective if he slept twenty percent longer, which was a good investment of his time, according to the genius.
After that, Nathan had taken the fucking thing off almost every night when he got home from the office. Problem was, it was so useful that he missed it. “Who’s that with him?”
“Meredith Wolsey.” Cade took a drink of beer. “Heard he brought her to Connor’s reception.”
“What? Bonds was there?”
Cade nodded. “They stayed on the patio. Only a handful of people saw them. I wasn’t one of them, either. I heard about it from Sofia.”
“Sneaky bastard.”
Erin, a determined frown buried between her eyebrows, descended on their small group. “Dance with me.” Erin grabbed Nathan’s wrist and dragged him toward the front of the tent.
“I was just going to say hello to Julien and Meredith. Go with me? It’s been a long time since you’ve seen him, hasn’t it? Not since that night in—”
“Nathan, please,” she said.
“Can’t it wait?” He scowled.
Generally Erin was a great hostess, and he’d bet she’d chatted with everyone in attendance. But the way she pleaded and looked at him, eyes beseeching, he had no choice. She’d always been a pest, the little sister who could get her big brothers to do almost anything she wanted. After the death of their father, something that had devastated her and sent her to her room for weeks, she’d become even more indulged.
