He watched her, waiting for her to continue as if nothing was more important than the next words that would be coming from her mouth.
There was no use keeping it to herself. Noah was nothing if not persistent. She sighed, turning to face the crowd of people and leaning her back against the railing like he did. “I was just thinking about what my mom would say about this whole night.”
He gave her a funny look, clearly confused.
Jane sighed again with embarrassment. “She wouldn’t point out the work I put into making everything flow. Instead, she’d be trying to network with all the eligible bachelors here.” Her face flushed hot, and she looked away, realizing too late that he probably wouldn’t have heard any of this. She couldn’t recall what she’d told Mack about her mother’s expectations. Clearing her throat, she brought her hand up to her collarbone and willed her cool hands to do some magic in draining the heat from her face. “I’m the oldest, and I’m the only one who hasn’t settled down and started a family.” She nearly told him she was a failure, but she bitterly swallowed back that word.
“Your mom wants you to settle down.” It wasn’t exactly a question, but at the same time, it wasn’t a statement. Noah seemed to be contemplating her words, as if he could come up with a solution to her problem. Well, the joke was on him, because the only thing that would fix her issues was something she wasn’t ready for.
She laughed, but there was no humor in her voice. “I thought we’d left that sort of outlook in history where it belonged, but apparently my mother still places value on my abilities to pass on the family bloodline.”
“You know your value has nothing to do with whether you marry or not, right?”
Slowly, she turned her eyes to meet his. She knew that. Of course she did. But it was nice to hear it from someone besides her own head.
Noah gestured around them. “You can’t convince me that you didn’t play a major role in all of this. As far as I’m concerned, you’re miles above anyone else here. What you’ve been able to accomplish, not only with this event but with other things in your life…” He shook his head, the awe in his voice doing something strange to her insides. “You’re doing great, Jane. Don’t let whatever anyone else has to say define you.”
At some point, her mouth had fallen open, and she had to snap it closed before she caught any flies.
His devilish grin returned, and he leaned closer to her so there was no chance anyone else could hear. “That being said, I know how we can solve your problem with your mother.”
She should have known what was coming next.
“You could take me up on that pact.”
An exasperated laugh bubbled from her throat, and she gave him a playful shove. “Thanks, but no thanks. If I get married, it’s going to be because I’m head over heels in love. A marriage of convenience is definitely not worth the headache.”
He pulled back with another chuckle. “You’re not wrong.” He said it as though he knew from experience. But that couldn’t be right. He’d never been married. Maybe he was referring to someone he knew?
CHAPTER SEVEN
It had beena few days since the gala had taken place. The turn out had been phenomenal. Noah’s board members were moderately impressed by the outcome. Noah had known it would be great, and he was already making plans to host another one in the near future.
He shoved his hands into his pockets as he wandered down the middle of town. A whistle on his lips, he thought back to the last couple of times he’d spent with Jane. For someone who was so amazing, she sure had a skewed view of her life. Then there was her opinion of people with money.
To be fair, she didn’t seem to dislike wealthy people. She simply had bad experiences with those who used their money to garner attention. It didn’t sit well with her, and he couldn’t blame her. On the other hand, she didn’t seem to want to trust anyone who didn’t show their face.
The whole issue was a conundrum in and of itself.
What would she think if she found out that he was the very boss she thought was hiding something illegal? He snickered,but then the amusement faded. It could go either way. He truly didn’t know Jane well enough to predict if she’d be upset over his secret billions or if she’d be able to look past it and see him for who he was.
Keeping his wealth a secret had started out as a way to protect himself from people who wanted to take advantage of him. He’d never thought he’d continue to need to keep that information private as a means to win a girl over.
He sighed, his steps slowing as he approached the building where they’d set up his charity. The Wounded Heroes Project had once been the most important thing to him—besides his relationship with his family. Now, he was starting to wonder if it would be the one thing that stood in the way of what he had wanted since he was in seventh grade.
Jane.
Right about now, he was supposed to be helping out on the ranch. Mack had mentioned something about Bo wanting all hands on deck. It was time to vaccinate the cattle, and it was a headache to get it done quickly and efficiently.
But one pair of hands missing wouldn’t be the end of it all. He’d slipped off the property, not telling anyone why he planned on playing hooky. Now that the gala was over and they had time to get organized, the folks working for him here were busy sorting out donations and scheduling appointments to meet with people who needed their assistance.
They could use volunteers to help out. Since no one knew who he really was, Noah was more than happy to lend his talents.
He took in a deep breath and released it through pursed lips. What he was doing—obsessing? It wasn’t healthy. Logically, he knew that.
But the romantic in him thought otherwise. The more time he spent with Jane, the better his chance at winning her over.
Noah nodded as he strode forward. Even if he didn’t win her over, he wanted to be near her. He wanted to hear her laugh. He wanted to be the reason she blushed.
