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“I have several medical bills.”
He eased forward in his seat. “Were you sick?”
“My mother was.”
No. No, she couldn’t cry. The unwanted tears burned her eyes anyway and Abby looked out the window at the puffy white clouds below.
“How long ago did she pass away?”
Blinking back the moisture, Abby looked back. “A little over a year ago.”
“Just before you came to work for the company?”
She nodded, unable to speak further.
Cade unbuckled his seat belt, and, dear God, he moved to sit right next to her. He removed the computer from her lap and set it on the table in front of them. Then, in a move that shocked, moved and touched her, he took her trembling hands in his.
“Just before my father died?”
“Yes,” she whispered, caught in the moment of being held by Cade and looking into his caring eyes.
His thumb stroked over the back of her hand. “You never said anything.”
“What was there to say? I didn’t know you all, I was there to do a job, not get sympathy.”
A ghost of a smile flirted around the corners of his mouth. “You’re one of the strongest women I know. You dealt with your mother’s death and then after my father died, you consoled me and Brady.”
Embarrassed, Abby looked away. “I didn’t console you.”
“Maybe not with hugs and reassuring words, but you ran everything in that office and kept us going through the toughest time in our lives. I’ll never forget that.”
With a shrug, she looked back up. “I was just doing my job. No big deal.”
“It was certainly a big deal to me, and to Brady. How did your mother pass?”
“Cancer.” One tear trickled down her cheek. “She fought ’til her last breath. If I’m strong, I get it from her.”
Cade wiped her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I’m sure she was amazing. Her daughter is.”
Abby’s breath caught. Between the endearing words and his hand now resting on the side of her face, Abby could hardly think.
And as much as she craved the strong arms of someone to hold her, she didn’t want to get Cade’s attention, or affection, out of pity.
“I really need to get back to work,” she told him. “My boss is a slave driver.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for him to reply, but his eyes were on her mouth.
“The last thing the boss is thinking about right now is work.”
Abby closed her eyes, and, God help her, she leaned into his hand. “Cade, you can’t say things like that to me.”
He stroked her cheek. “I can’t help what I think sometimes.”
Opening her eyes, she saw something in his eyes she’d wanted to see for so long. Desire. Need.
“Don’t kiss me.”
He smiled. “I’m not, though God knows I want to.”
“You’re engaged to another woman,” she reminded him.
“I am.”
“We can’t do this.”
His smile widened. “We’re not doing anything. I won’t compromise my merger or you. But I’ve got to say, you’re making me crazy lately and I don’t know why.”
Abby knew why—she’d been trying to drive him crazy—but she kept her thoughts to herself.
Perhaps Cade was coming to his senses. Perhaps he did want her.
But were his feelings ever going to be strong enough to override business? And if so, would he even take the risk?
Seven
Puerto Vallarta was just as Abby had envisioned, and she was glad they’d added the stop. Bright, tropical, exotic. Beautiful people everywhere she turned, wearing anything from a simple maxi dress to string bikinis. The casual look was definitely in style.
Street vendors sold their goods along the roadside. Anything she wanted could be found here from beads to dresses to handmade purses and hats. She’d have to purchase something little to remind her of this excursion…as if she could forget hopping from destination to destination with Cade.
The backward C-shaped town may be bustling with tourists, but it wasn’t all that big. Abby only hoped that word hadn’t gotten around about the hot spot they were on their way to look over. Even though she had been promised that Stone Enterprises would have first dibs, the real estate world was ruthless.
When the driver pulled in front of a white four-story resort, Abby knew Cade’s mind was already in motion. She could tell by the way he flexed his fingers and drew them in over and over. He may not show how eager he was to purchase his first piece of property outside the US, but inside, Abby knew he was jumping up and down like a little kid on Christmas morning.
The grounds were immaculate with bougainvilleas and hibiscus, and vines of greenery darting in every direction on anything and everything stationary. The bright, vibrant blossoms of the flowers really made the landscaping pop.
