The Cowboy's All-Business Bride (Billionaire Cowboys Book 5), Page 3

  “Kane?”

  “Kane Clayton. ClayFuel’s CEO. That’s the other part. He just asked me to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Hold up. Like on a date?”

  “Yes.” Leyla’s footsteps echoed in the parking garage. As she walked, she fished in her purse for her keys. “And there was no mistaking it. He called it a ‘personal’ dinner.”

  “How did all of this happen in, what? An hour?”

  “Trust me, I’m asking myself exactly that.”

  Unlocking her car, Leyla dropped into the driver’s seat. The morning’s events still didn’t seem real.

  “How did this happen? Like, he asked you out at the audition?”

  “No. Right after I left, I got a call that they were offering me the job. Kane wanted me to go up to his office right away.”

  “Hm. That sounds suspicious.”

  “Okay,” Leyla laughed. “I hear that, but nothing about it was creepy at all. Except…”

  “Except what?”

  She started her car and turned on the air conditioning.

  “He seemed really interested in my Sharraini heritage.”

  “They want an ethnically ambiguous actress?”

  “No, it was… I think it was more than that.”

  “What do you mean?” London asked.

  Leyla shook her head and sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m being paranoid. I didn’t tell him much, because I didn’t want him to think I’m not Texan enough to represent his oil company.”

  London snorted. “Honey, Texas is a big state. There’s a little bit of everything in it.”

  “You don’t have to tell me,” Leyla murmured, still unable to get Kane’s questions about her heritage off her mind.

  “Are you excited?”

  “About which part?” Leyla asked on a laugh.

  “Both.”

  “Yeah. I really am.” Leyla felt a slow smile pull at her lips.

  The last few months had been hard. No, scratch that. The last year had been hard. The most difficult one of her life.

  She was long overdue for a blessing or two.

  Chapter 4

  Kane

  Below ClayFuel’s headquarters, cars and people buzzed around the streets. Kane swiveled his office chair around, scooting it closer to the window.

  It had been hours since Leyla left his office, and he couldn’t get her off his mind.

  When he’d asked about her Sharraini heritage, she’d balked. Which was strange. In every other topic, she’d seemed comfortable and confident.

  Was there something about her connections with Sharrain that she didn’t want to talk about?

  Kane tapped his forefinger against his lips, considering the matter. She’d been so pleased when he’d asked her out.

  And he’d been thrilled that she’d accepted.

  The part that didn’t sit well with Kane was the lie. He’d told her their dinner would be a personal, not professional one, and that wasn’t really the case.

  It would start out personal, sure, but the proposition he planned on making was entirely business-based.

  Although, if he was being honest with himself, he also looked forward to the evening for selfish reasons unrelated to ClayFuel’s success. It had been a while since he’d given women more than a passing thought, and man, did Leyla absorb all of his attention.

  Which really wasn’t okay.

  Kane could admire her, but, as she would soon find out, that admiration would need to happen from a distance.

  The office phone ringing made Kane jump in his seat. Turning the chair back around, he snatched up the receiver.

  “Kane.”

  “Mr. Clayton, it’s Benji.”

  Kane cringed. A number of times, he’d asked the private investigator he contracted on the regular to call him by his first name, but the request still hadn’t stuck.

  Back before he was a CEO, still living to chase skirts and ride bulls, everyone had called Kane by his first name. That, or names that shouldn’t be repeated.

  The whole “Mr. Clayton” thing would still take some getting used to.

  “That was quick,” Kane said, though he wasn’t surprised. There was a reason why he’d hired Benji over and over again.

  “It took a bit of digging, but I think I found something you’ll be really interested in.”

  “Oh?” Kane sat forward in his seat, suddenly nervous and half not wanting to hear whatever came next.

  Because he wished to make sure the new face of ClayFuel didn’t have a questionable past that could lead to PR trouble, Kane had asked Benji to look into Leyla.

  It had been his plan when he’d only expected whatever actress he hired to be the face for his company. Now that he hoped Leyla would do more than that, her having a squeaky-clean record was of the utmost importance.

  “Did Leyla tell you anything about her family?” Benji asked.

  Kane paused, soaking in the question. “She was pretty tight-lipped.”

  “I can see why. Maybe she wants to make her own way in the world. That, or she’s the black sheep.”

  “What do you mean?” Kane asked.

  “Leyla’s connected to royalty. Her mother’s cousin is the king of Sharrain.”

  Kane’s ears rang. “What?”

  “King Mabrouk. He’s been in charge of the country for twenty years.”

  “Yes.” It took a lot of effort for Kane to find the words. “I know.”

  What were the chances? Leyla was King Mabrouk’s relative! The very same king who’d denied Kane’s request to drill for oil in his country.

  The problem which only that morning had seemed so momentous was now nothing more than a molehill. Laughable, really.

  The world wanted Kane to succeed.

  “Leyla’s mother and Mabrouk were close as kids,” Benji said. “Her parents died in a car accident when she was young, and she moved into the palace. Was basically raised as a princess next to her two cousins.”

  “This is amazing,” he breathed. “Did you find anything else?”

  “Only that Leyla’s mother, a Maira Al-Adain, moved from Sharrain to Texas almost twenty-nine years ago, with her infant daughter, Leyla. She went to work as a maid while going to school here and there. After a few years, she got a degree in child education and started working at a preschool. She owns a house in Georgetown.”

  Benji cleared his throat. “Ah. Sorry about that. I mean, she used to. The house belongs to her daughter, now. Maira died a few months ago.”

  All the wind left Kane’s lungs.

  “That about does it,” Benji said. “Leyla’s record is clean, other than one speeding ticket a few years back.”

  Kane opened his mouth, knowing he had to respond.

  Except, what was there to say?

  Leyla’s mother had died only months ago.

  Knowing that made a deep ache take over Kane’s chest.

  “Anything else you need from me?” Benji asked.

  Kane drew a long breath. “No. That’s all. Thank you. This was all very helpful.”

  After they hung up, Kane sat frozen, staring at his closed office door.

  A few months. In terms of grief, it seemed like nothing.

  Then again, he knew a person could only sit around and miss what had been for so long before they drove themselves crazy. Jumping back into life helped with the healing process.

  At least, that’s what the counselor he’d gone to see earlier in the year had told him.

  Opening up the browser on his computer, Kane found Leyla’s social media profile. It didn’t take much scrolling before he came across a picture of Leyla and an older woman who looked much like her.

  “Miss you every day,” the caption, complete with a heart emoji, said.

  That terrible ache returned. He wanted to call Leyla right then and there and tell her how sorry he was, that he understood how she felt, and he was there if she wished to talk.

  But he didn’t pick up the phone.

  If t
hey ever got on that topic, she’d have to be the one to broach it.

  With no warning, the office door opened. Kane’s mother strode in, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him.

  “Mom.” Kane stood to greet her.

  Knock much?

  “Kane.” She kissed his cheek. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine. How are you? Can I get you anything?”

  With a sigh, she dropped her designer purse on the nearest chair.

  “No, dear. I’m all right. I just popped in to see how your auditions went. Did you find the perfect girl?”

  Man, had he ever.

  “They went well.” Kane settled back behind his desk, and his mother took the seat across from him.

  She delicately touched the side of her blond updo. “Now, where did I put my purse?”

  “Right there.” Kane jumped to standing and fetched it for her.

  The stress of the last year had contributed to Judy Clayton being more distracted than everyone knew she cared to admit. Seeing as she’d been through so much, Kane didn’t mind tending to whatever needs she had.

  As soon as his mother had her purse, she withdrew a small compact and used it to check her hair.

  Kane could count on his fingers the number of times he’d seen her without a full face of makeup and perfectly styled hair.

  “Right, then.” The compact closed with a loud clap. “You were saying you found the right actress.”

  “Yes, and I already offered her the job.”

  Judy arched a brow. “You don’t say.”

  Kane nodded, aware of his mother’s lingering gaze. “What?”

  “There’s something different about you.” She waggled her finger at the window behind him. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would it?”

  Kane looked over his shoulder to find his computer screen reflected in the window. Only the shrewdest eye would have been able to pick out Leyla’s social media pictures cast there.

  She might have been forgetful sometimes, but Judy would still have made a kick-ass detective.

  “Who’s the pretty face?”

  If she knew anything about Kane’s previous reputation as a serial dater in Austin, she’d never given it away. Kane’s parents had met girls he was dating here and there, but always accidentally. He’d never had a girlfriend he wanted to bring home to them.

  “That’s Leyla.”

  Kane hastily closed the page.

  “You don’t have to hide it from me.” A knowing smile graced Judy’s perfectly painted lips. “A mother can tell when her son has a crush, Kane.”

  “I don’t have a crush,” he said, way too quickly.

  Her eyelashes fluttered in confusion. “Because she’s your new employee? Well, she’ll be a contractor. That doesn’t count, really. You can still date her.”

  Kane’s turn to be perplexed arrived. “Why are you suddenly interested in my dating life?”

  “I’m interested in your social life as a whole. Since you took over your father’s position, I’ve barely seen you outside this building, unless the outing had something to do with ClayFuel in one way or another.”

  Kane spread his hands in shock. “I’m doing my job. This is what Dad wanted, and now you’re telling me to hold back on it?”

  His chest tightened. He didn’t want to lose his temper with his mother, but it was taking all his effort to not raise his voice. It was a sensitive subject.

  “Sweetie.” Judy reached across the desk to pat his arm. “I’m not trying to be hard on you. Yes, I know what Dad wanted, and you’re doing an amazing job. He would be extremely proud.”

  Kane dropped his hands. “But you think I should date on top of all the work.”

  “I think you should be happy. I want you to be happy, is all. A rounded life leads to that.”

  “I have a date tomorrow night.”

  The second he said it, Kane knew he shouldn’t have. Because now, his mother would ask that dreaded follow-up question that for some reason he’d forgotten about.

  “With who?”

  “It’s uh…” Kane cleared his throat.

  Damn it.

  Judy’s eyes widened. “With Leyla? It’s with her, isn’t it?”

  His face hot, Kane rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn’t yet considered who he would let in on his master plan, but if all was successful, his mom would probably need to know the truth eventually.

  “It’s not what you think,” Kane said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know the Sharrain expansion plan?” He blew out a hard breath.

  “Of course.” Judy sniffed, probably not liking the suggestion that she was anything other than perfectly up to date on ClayFuel’s projects.

  “It took a hard turn this morning. Apparently, their King is one hundred percent against drilling there.”

  She didn’t even blink. “No matter. We’ll find another way. Everyone can be influenced.”

  “I’ve already found another way.”

  The excitement of Kane’s plan overwhelmed his worries about what his mother would think. He couldn’t keep the gloating tone from his voice.

  “Leyla’s mother was the first cousin of the king of Sharrain. I’m going to ask Leyla to marry me. With a Sharraini wife, and one who’s his relative at that, how can Mabrouk tell me no twice?”

  Judy’s lips parted in disbelief. “And how, exactly…”

  She never finished her question. Instead, her mouth twisted into a smile.

  “How much are you offering her?” she asked.

  Surprised at how quickly she’d caught onto his plan, Kane shook his head. “I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

  “Hm.” She crossed her legs and stared thoughtfully out the window. “It’s a good idea, but can Leyla be trusted?”

  “I’m paying her,” Kane reminded his mother.

  “Still.” She gave him a suggestive look.

  “And having her sign an NDA, of course. But yes, I know. If this were to get out—”

  “It would be disastrous for ClayFuel,” she finished.

  “It’s Leyla or no one else.” Kane laughed. “Not unless there’s another young, beautiful, single woman connected to Sharrain’s royal family.”

  “So, you think she’s beautiful, hm?” Judy winked.

  Kane folded his arms across his chest. “You’re not gonna let that go, are you?”

  “She’s gorgeous.”

  “And off-limits. Remember?”

  Why did he have to remind his mother of that?

  “You work hard, Kane. It makes me happier than you’ll ever know to see you helming Dad’s company. But, dear?”

  “Yes, Mom?” Kane asked, sure he was walking into some kind of trap.

  “Take that stick out of your butt every once in a while.”

  Kane burst into laughter. His mother, though all Texan class and pomp, had a way of surprising people when they least expected it. She was one of those people who could probably adapt to anything.

  “I spent thirty-four years ignoring my responsibilities and doing as I pleased.” He held up his hand to signal he wasn’t done. “Which was no fault of your own. You raised me well. The point being, I need to make up for lost time.”

  “You can do that and still enjoy yourself.”

  “I am enjoying myself,” Kane said, feeling like a petulant child.

  Whether or not that was the truth didn’t matter. He had too many things on his mind, top of the list being working out the details of his offer to Leyla.

  “Keep me updated on what happens.” Judy stood and hooked her purse over her shoulder. “By the way, are you coming with me this weekend?”

  “Where?”

  Darn. Had they made plans he’d already forgotten about?

  “It’s the six-month anniversary of Dad’s death,” she said. “We should visit his grave.”

  Kane’s heart sank. How had the time slipped by so fast?

  “Yes, Mom. Of co
urse. Let’s text about the specific time later.”

  Standing, Kane walked his mother to his office door, where he sent her off with a kiss on the cheek.

  Alone once more, he couldn’t fight the natural direction his attention went in. Soon enough, he was back at the computer, scrolling through Leyla’s online profile.

  What would she say when he offered her a job as his fake bride? Would she be honored? Hurt that he was more interested in a bogus relationship than a real one?

  If it were up to him, there would be room to pursue both avenues with Leyla. Unfortunately, life didn’t always serve up what you wanted.

  Chapter 5

  Leyla

  Leyla stared at the dresses laid out across her bed, her stomach twisting.

  “I dunno.” Wringing her hands, she plopped onto the floor with a sigh. “Nothing seems right. What do you think?”

  Sharkie cocked his head, listening hard for a familiar word. Walk? Dinner?

  Leyla scratched the pug behind his ear. “It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date, buddy. I don’t even remember how you’re supposed to dress.”

  “Luckily,” London said as she breezed into Leyla’s bedroom from out of nowhere, “I’m here.”

  “How’d you get in?”

  “You left the door unlocked.” London inspected the black dress with tiny white flowers. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who talks to my dog, by the way.”

  “He gives good advice,” Leyla answered.

  Sharkie whined and took a seat in Leyla’s lap. He’d been with her the whole afternoon, since London had needed to drive to a beauty shop in San Antonio to pick up some sort of specialty hair color for work.

  The way things had worked out lately, it was more like they co-parented the dog, instead of him belonging solely to London. Not that Leyla minded. She’d never had a pet of her own, and it was nice to have the dog around.

  “This is the one,” London decided.

  “But we don’t know where Kane is taking me.”

  “Exactly. This dress does it all. Just make sure you pair it with heels. Those simple black ones should do it.”

  The ones in mention had pointed toes and super thin stilettos, making them the least-walkable shoes Leyla owned. But London was right: they would complete the down-for-anything look.