Meddling with a Millionaire by Cat Schield Page A

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.”
    â€œI 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.
    â€œI didn’t blend in well,” he agreed.
    â€œIs that why you left?”
    â€œNo, 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.”
    â€œAnd why is that?”
    He looked askance at her, wondering how much she knew about him. “Sebastian and Max are my half brothers.”
    â€œCody 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 shedied. Sebastian and Max weren’t exactly thrilled to find out they had a half brother.”
    â€œI’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.
    â€œMy brothers made my life hell. I moved out when I turned eighteen, kept moving after college.”
    â€œI’m surprised you came back after all these years.”
    â€œI 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?
    â€œMaybe 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?”
    â€œI 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 droveeveryone 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.”
    â€œIt did. But you’ve made me realize that I need to expand my knowledge base.”
    â€œI’d be happy to take you to an auction at Sotheby’s. We could retrace my plunge into the dissolute world of art collecting.”
    â€œA trip to New York to gallery-hop.” Her voice softened with longing. “That sounds like heaven.”
    Nathan glanced at her and