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Emma hummed knowingly. “And were you one of the talented young men she had an eye for?”
“Are you asking if we were lovers?” he asked, amused by her perception of him as an innocent youth being corrupted by an older, more experienced woman. “No. She wasn’t my type. I like curvy brunettes, remember?”
“And she wasn’t either of those things?”
“No, Madeline had the look of a half-starved jungle cat. And she could be equally dangerous. Lucky for me she took a shine to my Texas accent and deep pockets. We were great friends. She had a ball trying to polish all my rough edges.”
“I can’t picture you in New York.”
She squinted at him as if trying to put him in different clothes. He’d prefer if she’d just strip him out of the ones he currently had on. That pesky desire stirred again.
“I didn’t blend in well,” he agreed.
“Is that why you left?”
“No, I left because my father had a heart attack earlier this year and his doctor told him if he didn’t slow down, the next one might kill him. He asked me to come work with Sebastian and Max. He thinks all three Case brothers belonged at the company our grandfather built.” A thread of self-disgust ran through his explanation. “They certainly belong there. However, they’re not convinced that I do.”
“And why is that?”
He looked askance at her, wondering how much she knew about him. “Sebastian and Max are my half brothers.”
“Cody said your father was having an affair with your mother and that you came to live with your father and half brothers after she died.”
Just like that, his past was on the table, and his illegitimacy didn’t seem to bother Emma one bit. “I was twelve when she died. Sebastian and Max weren’t exactly thrilled to find out they had a half brother.”
“I’m sure it was hard on all of you.” There was understanding in her voice and comfort in the hand that covered his. “I’m sorry you lost your mom so young.”
Something unraveled in his chest. Her sympathy exposed a place he’d walled up the day his mother died, a place he guarded against intruders. For a split second he wanted to share with her how much it had hurt to lose the one person in the world who’d loved him.
Instead, he shrugged.
“My brothers made my life hell. I moved out when I turned eighteen, kept moving after college.”
“I’m surprised you came back after all these years.”
“I wouldn’t have if Dad hadn’t called me.”
Her eyes narrowed as she gazed his way. “I think there’s more to it than that.”
Did she see how much he wanted to best his brothers? To wipe Max’s smirk right off his face and know he was responsible for the defeat in Sebastian’s eyes?
“Maybe I want a chance to prove they’ve been wrong about me all these years. To make them admit I’m the one who should be running the family business. That’s why this deal with your dad is so important.”
Her hand fell away from his. Watching her knit her fingers in her lap, Nathan knew he shouldn’t have resurrected the idea that his reasons for pursuing her were more practical than personal. But her compassion had touched a tender spot, and he’d flinched.
Nathan passed a semi and returned to the right lane. Time to change the subject. “How did you get into jewelry making?”
“I have a degree in sculpture from the University of Houston. I knew I wanted to make jewelry from the time I was six and I got one of those bead kits for Christmas. I drove everyone crazy with my necklaces and bracelets. I made one for my father. He even wore it once.”
Nathan tried to imagine Silas Montgomery, the stiff, forceful businessman, wearing a necklace of bright-colored plastic beads around his neck. “So that’s how you know so much about early Texas artists. I’m assuming your curriculum included a little art history.”
“It did. But you’ve made me realize that I need to expand my knowledge base.”
“I’d be happy to take you to an auction at Sotheby’s. We could retrace my plunge into the dissolute world of art collecting.”
“A trip to New York to gallery-hop.” Her voice softened with longing. “That sounds like heaven.”
Nathan glanced at her and wished he hadn’t. The dreamy expression on her face reminded him of how she’d looked moments before her friend had interrupted them. His chest tightened. His groin stirred. And he heaved a sigh.
Tonight, whether she was ready for it or not, he was going to make something memorable happen.
Six
Emma watched Nathan navigate the Houston traffic and tried to harden her heart against the lost boy she’d glimpsed a moment earlier. An impossible task now that she understood a little bit more about what made him tick. He wasn’t the unfeeling businessman who thought only of money and deals. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t ruthlessly stomp all over her heart in pursuit of his agenda. Which meant, the more charming he became, the more she needed to be wary.
