Chapter One
Ben
“Iappreciate your help, Mr. Moreau.” Benjamin Walker Wilaby shook hands with the formidable attorney. The lawsuit filed by Ben’s estranged father was a thorn in his and his brother’s side. Hiring Adam Moreau, AKA the Beast, had made all the difference in the case and their lives. His father’s attorneys pulled every trick in the book to prolong the lawsuit, costing them millions, but Adam had put a stop to the nonsense and got them a court date. His brother, Quin, had opted to work instead of coming today. His dad was also absent, preferring to leave the dirty work to the lawyers.
It was just as well. He’d rather not spend time in the same room with the man who spewed venom and frosted the air with his icy glare.
“It’s my pleasure.” They dropped hands and Adam buttoned his jacket. The scars on his cheek, left over from an acid attack, were fading. Ben and his brother had attended the same boarding school as Adam. When Adam opened The Cove, an exclusive neighborhood for the ultra-wealthy, Ben and Quin were two of the first to pick out lots.
“Adam.” Bella Creer, Adam’s fiancée, entered the room like a splash of sunshine in a yellow dress that went well with her dark hair. “Did you ask him about the trees?”
For the first time in their lengthy meeting, Adam smiled. His grin had more to do with the woman than it did with the subject she carried like a treasure in her pocket. Bella lifted her glasses on her nose and pressed her lips together.
“I was just getting to that.” Adam reached for her, as if his hands couldn’t stand to be in the same room and not brush the fabric of her dress. She leaned into his side, her arm around him. They made such a picture of engaged bliss that Ben’s heart lurched, egging him on to find his soul mate and settle down. He chugged past the feeling, doing his best to stuff it back down in the dark recesses where it belonged so he could discuss his “questionable” lawn ornament and Bella’s proposed solution to camouflaging it with giant trees.
“Did you talk to Mr. West?” she Ben asked eagerly. Not only had she come up with an idea to hide the carnival ride; she’d figured out how to acquire the trees native to the area and fully grown at minimal cost.
Ben had bought a carousel—complete with antique horses, lions, and a dragon—from the City of New York. He’d had the piece expertly restored and installed in his front yard. The problem was the 1500 lights blinked and twinkled like a beacon on the hill, pointing a finger at their exclusive and heavily guarded neighborhood.
“I did. You were right: he’s clearing an area for a horse arena and was more than pleased to transplant the trees to my neck of the woods—or lack of woods, as the case may be.” His property was on the hill, where a lightning storm had inflicted damage only a few short years ago. Ben had vegetation, just not in the right place. Rather than harvest the back of his lot, he’d been happy to save over a dozen maples from his neighbor’s land. The maples were large enough that they provided a canopy over his front yard. The effect was quite magical, though he’d never be caught saying that out loud.
“Who did he hire to transplant them?” Bella asked.
Ben chuckled. “I’m not sure. I think I sawhimout there on the tractor.”
Adam’s jaw clenched. “That man.”
Bella laughed. “You can take the man out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the man.”
Ben grinned. He liked his cowboy neighbor, Jamon West, just the way he was, though he could see how West’s down-home ways would rub “old money” like Moreau the wrong way. There was one incident involving West that included a runaway horse, a pair of boxers, and some cowboy boots that was talked about in hushed voices at any one of the many parties hosted by the residents of The Cove.
Ben’s phone buzzed in his pocket, reminding him he had other obligations to tend to today. He ran his hand through his thick hair. “I’m sorry. I have to be going.”
They stood and said goodbye. Ben made his way to the town car waiting out front and landed in the back seat, where his laptop, files, and a dozen papers waited.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir,” said his driver, Gibbs. He spoke to the windshield, raising his voice just loud enough to be heard in the back seat.
“Haven’t even started, Gibbs.” He gave the man his attention.
“Miss Savannah called while you were inside. She will land in ten minutes.”
“Wonderful.” He grinned. His daughter had stayed behind in California with the nanny and a personal bodyguard to finish out the semester. He’d missed her spunk and the noise she made in the house. He couldn’t wait for her to see the carousel. She’d been his main inspiration when designing the house and landscaping, and therefore the home was practically a playground.
Moving to Seattle felt like starting a new life. He’d stepped down as CEO of Magic Lamp Parks in order to have more time to spend with Savannah. As controlling shareholder, he had enough work to keep him busy—the evidence of that lay across the seat in piles of manila folders and loose papers. But the days of chasing his tail were behind him.
“Thank you, Gibbs. Let’s see if we can beat her home.”
His phone rang, and the caller ID told him it was his neighbor. “Dawson. What can I do for you?” He and Dawson had met at Adam’s welcome ball, though Ben hadn’t stayed for long. Most residents had dates, and he didn’t want to spend the night as a wallflower. Dawson had struck up a conversation and introduced him to the other stars ofTech Tank, a reality television show where inventors and coders pitched their ideas to a panel of millionaires and billionaires ready to either invest or send them packing.
Dawson snapped his fingers. “It’s not what you can do for me; it’s what I’m going to do for you.”
“Why am I suddenly wary?”
Dawson chuckled again. “You should be. I’m about to change your life.”
The hair on the back of Ben’s neck stood up in warning. He could do with less change in his life at the moment.
Dawson interrupted the awkward silence. “We’re working on a new feature for Capture My Heart called Blind Date.”
