Buch lesen: «From Riches To Redemption»

One

“Morgan? There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Turning at the sound of her brother Sawyer’s voice, Morgan Steele found herself suddenly frozen on the spot. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, her lips trembling but soundless as she stared at the man standing at her brother’s side.

She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. Probably just another polite and boring chat with one of her parents’ friends and colleagues. Charity fund-raisers for Steele Tools usually meant an endless stream of champagne and small talk with people whose names she wouldn’t remember in ten minutes. Her family hosted events like this at their home all the time. But she knew this man’s name. There was no way she would have ever forgotten it.

He’d grown out of his boyish lanky build and into the strong physique of a man who worked with his hands for a living. His closely cropped beard made him look older and more sophisticated than before, but Morgan would know those eyes anywhere. Those navy blue beauties had seen right through her.

“Morgan, this is River Atkinson. He’s the owner and CEO of Southern Charm Construction. He’ll be working with you this year on our summer housing development project.”

Sawyer continued to prattle on, completely oblivious to the reactions of the two people standing with him. At least to Morgan’s stunned reaction. For River’s part, he actually looked a bit...well...smug. He smiled in a way that told anyone who bothered to look that he was in on the joke. His eyes held a touch of amusement in them as he extended his hand to her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Steele,” he said.

She knew she should shake his hand. Play along with this ruse and not make a scene. And yet, she couldn’t make herself reach out and touch him. That was the same hand that had caressed every inch of her body. The same hand that had slipped a petite diamond ring onto her ring finger during a small rustic mountain ceremony in the Smoky Mountains. The same hand that had taken a hundred grand from her father and walked away without looking over his shoulder.

“Morgan?”

Her brother’s concerned voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She plastered her practiced grin onto her face and thrust her arm out to shake River’s hand. She had to treat him like any other business acquaintance. Sawyer didn’t know about her past with River. Almost no one did, including all three of her brothers. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Atkinson. I’m sure our companies will do great things together this summer.”

His shake was firm, but she could tell that he wasn’t interested in immediately letting go of her hand. To be honest, she had a hard time pulling away herself. There was something when they touched—a familiar connection—that lingered there. As though their bodies remembered each other, even if their minds resisted the idea.

Finally, he released her from his grasp. She switched her champagne flute into that hand to let the chilly glass dull the feel of him against her skin. Then she took a large sip to dull the feel of him inside her head as well.

Who the hell had approved this? Her father certainly wasn’t involved. He’d just as soon shoot River on the doorstep as let him inside after what happened back in college. But her family was good at keeping secrets, even from each other. It was news to Morgan that Southern Charm Construction and River Atkinson were one and the same entity. She’d heard mention of the company and never once questioned who owned it.

“Sawyer? Can you come here for a minute?” Their mother’s voice beckoned one of Morgan’s older brothers.

Morgan tensed. She didn’t want to be left alone with River. They would hardly be alone in the traditional sense, but being in the same room having a discussion was more intimate than they’d experienced since the day her family pulled them apart.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Sawyer smiled and clapped River on the back before he departed.

With just the two of them standing on the fringe of the crowd together, Morgan wasn’t quite sure what to do. It was more awkward than a junior high dance. What was she supposed to say to the boy—man—who had turned his back on her all those years ago?

“You’re looking well, Morgan,” River said. He was clutching a glass tumbler of scotch in his hand as his dark eyes raked over her from top to bottom. “That emerald dress suits you. It brings out the green in your eyes.”

It seemed they were going for polite, but intimate. “Thank you. I like the beard. It makes you look distinguished.” It was silly, but she wasn’t sure what else to say to him.

River chuckled at her choice of words. “Distinguished. If by that you mean rich and important, then yes, that’s exactly the look I was going for.” He glanced down at her hand as she held her glass. “Not married yet?” he asked.

Morgan couldn’t prevent one dark eyebrow from arching up in surprise and confusion at his question. “Yet? Don’t you mean married again, River?”

He just shrugged off her challenge with a roll of his eyes. “As far as the state of Tennessee and your family is concerned, you’ve never been married, Morgan, and neither have I. That’s what getting an annulment means. It never happened. That’s why you mailed the ring back, remember?”

“Shhh!” Morgan’s eyes widened as she looked around at the people nearby to see if anyone was listening. Thankfully, everyone seemed to be involved in their own discussions. She reached out for River’s elbow and tugged him with her into a far corner of the ballroom where no one could hear them.

“What is all this about, River?” she hissed at him through clenched teeth.

He crossed his arms over his chest, straining the shoulders of his designer tuxedo. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The hell you don’t. Why are you here tonight?”

“I was invited,” he replied with a satisfied smirk.

Morgan sighed in frustration. He was going to make her spell this out just because he could. “How did our companies end up working together, River? This is the first I’ve heard of it or it sure as hell wouldn’t have been approved. Was this your big idea? To weasel back into the family somehow through your business?”

“Why would I want to be in your family, Morgan? For the few hours I was related to the Steeles, I was treated like dirt. You’ve always been so arrogant. Acting like somehow everything always revolves around your important family and what people want from you.” There was audible venom in his voice. “I didn’t want anything from you but your love, Morgan, and your father wouldn’t even let me have that.”

Morgan watched a flicker of pain dance across his eyes. Yes, he’d been hurt. But he hadn’t been abandoned the way she had been. “No, he wouldn’t, but you seemed all too happy to settle for a fat check instead.”

Her father, Trevor Steele, had tried to reason with her when they got back to Charleston that morning. River wasn’t good enough for her. He was only using her to get to her money. Eloping? Without a prenuptial agreement? A background check? That little stunt could’ve had a disastrous outcome, he had insisted. And the boy she loved had his price. His affections were worth a hundred grand. When her father agreed to River’s price, money in hand, River had stopped fighting and let Morgan go.

River stiffened at her words. Perhaps he wasn’t very proud of that, either. He narrowed his dark sapphire gaze at her for a moment, and then let his arms fall helplessly to his side. “If that’s what you really think of me, it’s probably just as well our marriage was erased from history. We never would’ve made it. You must’ve known that, though. You didn’t seem to mind letting your daddy clean up your mess.”

Morgan’s jaw dropped, her response stolen from her lips. What was she supposed to say to that? Letting her daddy clean up the mess? Really? What did he know of the mess left behind? He hadn’t been there. He had no idea what she had been through over losing him. Over losing everything. He’d extorted a load of money from her father and carried on with his life. She’d been left behind to deal with the aftermath.

“Morgan, Dad says it’s almost time for us to go on stage and beg for money.”

She turned away from River as a wave of relief washed over her. Morgan needed the interruption. Things had escalated quickly with years of words bottled up between them, but now was not the time. She would say something she regretted if she didn’t get away from him right now.

“Do you have your speech ready?” This time it was Sawyer’s twin, Finn, coming to fetch her. The identical twins were a year and a half older than she was, both with their father’s dark blond hair and golden hazel eyes. She could tell this was Finn because of the dimple in his right cheek. Sawyer’s dimple was in his left cheek. She also knew Finn was wearing a bright orange bow tie with his tuxedo to agitate their father. Finn lived to exacerbate Trevor Steele.

“I’ll be right there.” She turned back to where River was standing with an expectant look on his face. He’d called her arrogant, and the way he looked at her made her want to slap the smug smirk off his face. She’d settle for making him eat his words. “We’ll have to continue this conversation later, Mr. Atkinson.”

“I look forward to it. I’m certainly not going anywhere,” he said.

As Morgan turned and made her way up to the stage to join her family in greeting the guests and donors at their annual charity event, she worried that River meant every word he’d said.

Whether it was a promise or a threat, River Atkinson was suddenly back in her life and he wasn’t going anywhere.

* * *

River watched Morgan walk away with a grin on his face. He was pleased. For one thing, he’d gotten under her skin. That was exactly what he’d wanted when he set out tonight. And for two, watching the curve of her ass sway in that satin-and-lace gown as she left was a delicious sight that brought back some very hot memories. Her womanly curves had certainly filled out since he’d seen her last. That would make any man smile. Even a man who had spent years plotting to make her regret the way she’d abused his affections.

Those affections for Morgan were long gone now. Swept under the rug with his other youthful naïveté. He should’ve known that his romance with a rich little princess wouldn’t end well. She had just been stretching her wings, rebelling against the tight reins they’d kept on her as a child. That’s what college was for after all. The problem was that they’d both taken it too far. They’d fallen in love.

Even that wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world. Love wasn’t permanent. Marriage was another matter. It was legally binding. Or at least he’d thought it was until the Steele family lawyers managed to get their little indiscretion wiped away.

And Morgan had let them do it. That was what hurt the most. When Daddy yelled, she’d fallen in line, throwing away everything they’d planned together. He’d been left with an empty bed and a consolation prize, if you could call it that. Some would call it hush money. Or a bribe to walk away and not cause a stink. If there was one thing he’d learned about the Steele family, it was that they hated a scandal. He probably could’ve gotten more money from her father if he’d asked for it. Whatever it took to make River go away.

But, of course, he hadn’t thought to do that. He hadn’t wanted to take the money at all. It felt cheap. What he wanted was his wife back. He wanted the future he’d planned with her.

When River realized that wasn’t going to happen, he knew he had a choice. He could turn tail and go home with nothing but his bruised pride, or he could take the money and make something positive come out of this whole mess. He supposed Mr. Steele thought he would blow every penny on cheap beer and an expensive truck, or whatever he thought poor white trash liked to do with their money.

The joke was on him. River might’ve been poor and lacked all those fancy degrees on his wall, but he wasn’t stupid. He took that money and started his own construction company. He’d practically grown up in this business, following his dad around job sites as soon as he was old enough. With his father’s experience, River’s drive and a housing boom just beginning in Charleston, he’d turned that hundred thousand into a hundred million in cash and assets.

And to keep in touch with his roots, when River made his first million, he bought a six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a tricked out Ford F-250 to celebrate. Couldn’t let ol’ Trevor down, could he?

The sound of applause roused River from his thoughts. The family was done welcoming the crowd and asking for money. That meant his chance to track down Morgan again had come. Unfortunately, the petite brunette was easily lost in the crowd. He supposed she wasn’t too eager to continue their discussion, but like it or not, it was going to happen. It had been festering for ten years now and it needed to be dealt with.

Even then, there wasn’t a rush to return to their argument. He had time, so he made his way to the bar for a refresher and enjoyed some of the cold canapés being passed around. They weren’t particularly filling, but rich people seemed to like fancy foods that cost a lot yet left a gnawing hunger in their bellies.

“Mr. Atkinson?”

River turned to find an older man with a young blonde on his arm. “Yes?”

“Kent Bradford,” he said, thrusting out his free hand to shake with River. “I hear you build some amazing houses.”

River smiled. “I’m glad that’s the word going around, but I like to think of it as well-built homes my customers love. Are you interested in building a property, Mr. Bradford?”

“Call me Kent. And actually, yes I am. Do you work outside of the Charleston area at all? I’ve secured some mountain property near Asheville, North Carolina, and I was hoping to build a cabin.”

His brow went up. “A cabin?” A cabin wasn’t worth the time or energy to travel that far. The man could get a better deal from a local company.

Kent chuckled. “Well, I say cabin, but let’s be honest. A five-thousand square foot, three-story house is hardly a cabin. I just want it to have that mountain cabin feel. With all the modern amenities and luxuries, of course.”

That was more like it. “I haven’t built out there, but I would be happy to discuss it with you.” River reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a business card. “Why don’t you give me a call next week and we can talk about what you’re interested in. I can have my architect draw something up.”

“Wonderful.” The man accepted the card and slipped it into his pocket. “I’ll be calling you.” With a smile, the man turned and led the younger blonde over to the dance floor.

Tonight wasn’t all about confronting Morgan, despite what she might think.

It was also about business. Working with the Steele Tools company on their annual charity project was good PR for him. Just being in this room put him within shouting distance of damn near every millionaire in the state of South Carolina. While he waited to talk to Morgan, he was happy to pick up a few business contacts. These types were always wanting to build a summer home or a new status-symbol mansion to keep up with the Joneses, and that meant business was good for him.

He figured that eventually he would get a chance to talk to Morgan again. The room was only so large and the night had really just begun. But the next thing he knew, one of the twins got back on stage. River knew she had three older brothers, two of whom were identical twins, but he couldn’t even begin to be able to tell them apart, especially with them all sporting similar, Mark Twain-esque names.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to say this, but we’re going to have to end the event early tonight. We’ve had a family emergency that we need to tend to. If you would be so kind as to see your way out, we would truly appreciate it. Morgan will be in touch with each of you in the upcoming weeks about your support of this year’s Strong as Steele community project. Thank you so much for coming.”

And with that, the twin disappeared from the stage.

That was odd. The family had gone to a lot of trouble and expense putting this event together. Tickets to attend weren’t exactly cheap, either. There must have been something serious going on if they’d chosen to end it and kick everyone out of the house before they got checks out of everyone.

Looking around, River caught a blur of emerald green as Morgan was ushered across the hall by her mother and a large man he didn’t recognize. He looked like the former military type despite his expensive tuxedo. The brothers followed them, and they all disappeared into a far room of the house and didn’t come back out.

He loitered for a while, letting the other guests clear out of the valet lot in the hopes that someone might come out. But soon, he found he was one of the only people in the ballroom aside from the catering crew that was busy cleaning up. He finally gave up and called it a night himself. When he found no fewer than four police cars outside the mansion as he left, he got the feeling the family emergency was going to take up the rest of their night. Knowing the Steeles, whatever happened would require major damage control to keep the family from looking bad.

Strolling outside, he handed over his ticket to the valet driver and waited for his truck. A few minutes later, the attendant pulled around front with his sapphire-blue F-250 Lariat Super Duty pickup. River tipped him and climbed in.

This wasn’t exactly how he’d expected tonight to end. Things felt awkward and unfinished. They’d only begun their discussion when it came to a quick and premature end. Then again, he didn’t really know how he’d wanted it to end, either. Perhaps he’d hoped that the sight of him would cause Morgan to swoon? Or maybe that she would rush into his arms and tell him how wrong she’d been and that she still loved him?

Ha. He pulled away from the Steele mansion with a smirk on his face. That wouldn’t happen in a million years. His ego wasn’t so large as to think she’d given much thought to him over the last decade. He was the poor, unsuitable boy who wouldn’t amount to anything. That wasn’t the kind of person who loitered in your thoughts. Her big mistake.

No, odds were that she’d tried to put him and their relationship out of her mind as soon as possible. To pretend it never happened just the way her family wanted her to. She probably wanted to put him out of her mind right now, but it wouldn’t be so easy this time. River had seen to that by signing an agreement with a representative from Steele Tools who didn’t know who he was. Few people outside of her parents would know their history together and their silence had worked to his advantage. Now he was guaranteed to spend a large chunk of the summer collaborating specifically with the company’s community outreach representative—Morgan.

At best, he’d hoped she would spend the upcoming weeks regretting what she’d done to him. But after seeing her tonight, this summer might prove to be more pleasurable than he’d expected. At least for him. He hadn’t been sure how his former love would look after all these years apart. When she’d turned to him in that stunning green lace gown, he was almost knocked back off his feet. Her exotic green-gold eyes, the high cheekbones, the skin like flawless porcelain... It was as if hardly a day had passed and yet everything was somehow different. Especially when she looked at him with a mix of horror and surprise distorting her lovely face.

The girl he remembered, his bride, had been the prettiest girl he’d ever seen in his life. With her long, luscious dark hair, insightful eyes that saw through his defenses and a sweet-as-sugar smile, he was smitten the moment he’d lain eyes on her. She was older now, perhaps harder, judging by the guarded way she had spoken to him. But even so, he was tempted to fall into her same trap again. Thankfully, he knew better now. Her love came with strings. Baggage. It might come easily, but it could go just as fast.

If Morgan wanted him this time, it was only because he’d achieved his goal and was finally worthy of Daddy’s approval. Nothing had really changed about him as a person. He just had money and prestige. Those things were paramount to Mr. Steele. And to Morgan, River supposed.

Hitting the button on his console to open the gate, River slowed at the entrance to his property on Kiawah Island. When it was finally open, he passed down the lane to the home he’d built for himself once he’d finally had the time and money to make exactly what he wanted. A lot had changed since that awful night all those years ago.

River had taken the older man’s advice along with his check, walking away and making something of himself with that money. Not to prove anything to Morgan or her father. More to prove it to himself. And he had, many times over. He wasn’t the dumb kid he’d been back then. And now it was time for Morgan and Trevor to see how much the man’s investment in River had grown. Maybe, just maybe, they might regret judging someone so harshly in the future.

But even if they didn’t, he wasn’t interested in getting anyone’s endorsement these days. Especially from a controlling bastard like Trevor Steele.