The Independent One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance Read online

  Their rescuer turned to the older couple. “Are you both all right?” he asked.

  “Oh, sure,” the man said, his arm around his wife’s waist. They were a darling couple, dressed to the nines with her hair perfectly coiffed and his hair missing.

  “Is the little boy okay?” the woman asked, patting her hair.

  “I think so,” Haley said. “I’m so sorry he hit you.”

  “No, dear, I’m just fine.”

  Haley nodded, grateful for their graciousness. She checked Taz for injuries. He had some rug burns on his face and elbow, but thankfully only the one on his elbow was bleeding. “Oh, bud, you scared me! Do you hurt anywhere?”

  “Nothing ‘cept my endbow.” Taz held up his arm for her to see. “Kiss it?”

  Haley laughed shakily and kissed near the ouchy spot. “We’ll find you a Band-aid.”

  “A Ninja Turtle one?” Taz’s dark eyes lit up. He covered himself in Ninja Turtle Band-aids quite regularly.

  The man with the dimples turned back to her as the older couple wished them well and headed down the hallway to the shops. He placed a warm hand on her back. “Ma’am, can I take him from you? You’re shaking like a belly dancer.”

  Haley laughed, but clung tighter to Taz. This was her little man and she wasn’t about to hand him over to some stranger—she couldn’t resist looking the man over—no matter how intriguing the contrast between his dark hair and skin and his deep blue eyes. “I have specialized belly dancer training so it’s okay.”

  His dimples deepened. “Nice.”

  “Thank you for your help Mr…”

  “Johnson.” He kept his arm on her back and wrapped his other hand around her elbow. His hands were strong and warm and she couldn’t help but notice how nicely he smelled, a great combination of musk and man. “Come up to my office so I can check both of you out.”

  Haley bristled. The only men she let tell her what to do were her dad and her brother. Scratch that, the only men who ever tried to tell her what to do, but failed, were her dad and her brother. She shook him off. “Sorry, not going to some strange dude’s office and nobody needs to check me out.”

  He laughed. “My apologies, ma’am, but I’ve already checked you out.” He pumped his eyebrows and she was struck by the fact that he was much too attractive and much too friendly. “I’m not that strange. I… work for the hotel. I need to file a report and I want to make sure your son is okay. If you think he needs it I’ll call the EMTs or we can run him to the medical center, it’s less than half a mile away.”

  I can’t afford another medical bill. How much will EMTs cost? Haley pulled Taz closer, hating that her first thought was about money, but she’d barely paid off the medical bills for Taz’s last set of stitches. She hugged her son and wished for the millionth time she could afford decent insurance, but being self-employed didn’t give her that luxury. “No EMTs, please. I think he’s okay.”

  Fear suddenly gripped her. He didn’t have any visible injuries besides a little goose egg forming on his head and the rug burn on his elbow. What if there was something wrong with his back or neck from when he hit the wall and her pride and tight pockets made him suffer? She couldn’t do that to her boy. Eyeing the tall, strong man by her side, she didn’t feel comfortable just letting him take over. She was the one responsible for her son, but she was so tired from the drive yesterday and not sleeping well last night. One more emergency with her boy was more than she could handle right now.

  She sighed and quietly admitted, “I don’t know what to do.” It was hard to allow this capable and handsome man to see her uncertainties as a mother. Usually, she pretended that she had everything under control.

  “We’ll look at him and then decide.” He started walking up the steps, escorting her along.

  A wiry man with spiky blond hair stood off to the side of the staircase, staring at her intently. He reminded her of Brad Pitt, but for some reason the look in his hazel eyes disturbed her. She glanced away and allowed Mr. Johnson to escort her up the stairs past the luggage strewn everywhere.

  “I’ll have someone get that to your room,” Mr. Johnson said. “I apologize that you were carrying it yourself. Didn’t anyone offer to take it for you?”

  “They did, but…” she ducked her head and admitted, “I told them I was a tough chick and could handle it.”

  She risked a glance at him. His brow furrowed as if he couldn’t understand why she would do that. You try being a single mom running your own business and worrying about every cent you spend, she wanted to yell at him. Whatever this man’s job was at the hotel, his clothes were made out of the kind of expensive material that screamed he would never comprehend such a thought as not wanting to spend a few dollars tipping the bellhop.

  “I’m sure you could handle it,” he said with a gracious smile.

  Haley nodded her appreciation.

  They made it to the top of the stairs. Haley’s legs wobbled from Taz’s extra weight, but she wasn’t ready to let him go, not after that scare.

  “Jace,” Mr. Johnson called to a bellhop.

  “Yes, sir,” the young man hurried to them.

  “We’ve had a little collision, please get Ms…” He glanced at her left hand as if to reassure himself that she was a Ms.

  Haley arched an eyebrow up at him, wanting to give him a bit of a challenge. She got the impression he wanted to know her marital status for something more than this interaction and it scared and exhilarated her. His eyes laughed at her and she spit out the name before reason could stop her, “Ms. Turnbow.”

  “Ms. Turnbow’s luggage to her room.”

  “We haven’t checked in yet,” Haley explained, as if the pile of luggage on the stairs wasn’t explanation enough.

  “Put her in the Tropical Suite.”

  “Down the hall from yours, sir?” Jace’s voice squeaked.

  Haley swallowed hard. “No! We’re fine with a regular room. We might get lost in a suite.”

  Mr. Johnson smiled down at her and Haley had to admit those dimples really drew her in, giving his smile a mix of mischievousness and empathy.

  “Please. You don’t need to upgrade us.” She tried again without the sarcasm.

  “Oh, but I do. After our less than perfect first impression, I need to keep a close eye on you two and make sure your experience at the Hotel Del Sol is an excellent one. You’ll love the ocean view and Taz will love the space.”

  “I’m on it, sir,” Jace said.

  Haley shook her head, at a loss for words. This man reminded her of her bossy pants brother, Isaac, and she didn’t like it. Well, maybe Mr. Johnson had a few qualities that appealed to her, such as the obvious muscles under his short-sleeved dress shirt, but she came on vacation to get away from men who had her best interests at heart. Her dad, her brother, and worst of all, Taz’s father, Brad. No, Brad didn’t have her best interests at heart, only his own, and he tried to get her to buy into his lust-filled train any chance he found.

  The tall blonde at the front desk watched them. Haley tried to smile at the woman, but she was still feeling pretty shaken so it probably came across like a scary-looking grimace.

  She glanced around at the beautiful flower arrangements on the desk and side tables and the cascading, enclosed waterfall behind the front desk. That waterfall would be amazing in a client’s house. She wondered how much they cost, probably too much to stock in her store.

  “Can I help you, sir?” the blonde asked Mr. Johnson, winking with a suggestive smile on her face. She was a beautiful girl, but had to be ten years younger than Mr. Johnson. The tone of the blonde’s “sir” made it seem like he was her boss. The young girl shouldn’t have been flirting with him. Haley watched Mr. Johnson carefully to see his reaction.

  “Thank you, Katie. Just make sure Jace gets Ms. Turnbow’s room ready and send up a welcome gift basket with their luggage, will you?” He continued walking past, seeming oblivious to the way the girl’s smile drooped. “Also, comp her room an
d put five-hundred dollars on her room service and spa tab. She’s my guest.”

  “Oh, of course, sir.”

  “You are not comping our room or paying for our room service and I’m not going to the spa. Can you imagine this little dude in a spa?” Haley shook her head, heat creeping up her neck. She’d never ordered room service in her life, but she knew it was expensive. The thought of visiting a spa was so foreign she wouldn’t give it a second thought. “Besides, we won this trip.” She was embarrassed to admit that to this man, who could’ve been on billboards or magazine covers for the perfect image of the young, good-looking, and successful businessman. From the soft-looking material of his short-sleeved shirt that highlighted his nicely formed chest, shoulders, and biceps to the way his dress pants draped just right. His incredible look reminded her of the way Brad always “dressed for success”, but she had to admit Mr. Johnson wore it extremely well. Better than Brad could dream of looking.

  “Oh?” He arched an eyebrow at her. “That’s great. You’ll just get an upgrade then.” He smiled and continued to direct her past the front desk. His large hand seared heat through her thin sundress. She wondered how those fingers would feel if he touched her face or maybe trailed them down her neck. Okay, time to stop thinking.

  Mr. Johnson scanned a card and they went through a door and down a brightly-lit hallway.

  “When can we go swimming, Mama?” Taz asked, breaking a very uncharacteristic silence.

  “As soon as we make sure you’re okay.” She shifted him higher into her arms, not used to carrying him around like this.

  “I’m toughs, Mama, like Unca Isaac. I just need a Band-aid.”

  Mr. Johnson held out his arms. “How about I carry you little man, give your mom’s arms a break?”

  Taz launched himself at the stranger as Haley grasped for him and came up with air. He poked his finger in one of Mr. Johnson’s dimples.

  “Taz,” Haley reprimanded.

  “Sorry.” Taz smiled his impish grin, his dark curls bouncing. “‘Cept why you gots holes in your face?” he asked.

  Mr. Johnson smiled and continued down the hallway. “I don’t know, little man. Jesus put them there.”

  “They look funny.”

  “Taz.” Haley shook her head. “Sorry. Your dimples definitely don’t… look funny.” More like make you look sexier than any man in her recent past. “He says anything he thinks.” She tried to cover up for Taz’s insult and her fumbling response.

  “He’s great. Wish we were all so trusting.”

  Trusting? She wished for that too, but it was easier said than done. Haley met his gaze, tripped on the carpet, and would’ve gone down if he hadn’t steadied her. He pulled her close to his side and Haley felt the air whoosh out of the wide hallway and her stomach began to smolder. His touch and the interested look in his eyes were doing crazy things to her. He was holding her child, giving her all kinds of benefits for this hotel, and rescuing her. Who was this guy and why was he being so nice?

  She pulled away and smoothed down her sundress. “Mr. Johnson?”

  “Cal, please.”

  “Cal?”

  He nodded.

  “I don’t like you…” He arched his eyebrows and she felt the need to finish although she kind of liked the uncertainty flickering in his blue eyes. “…doing all of this.” She’d fought the past five years to not be a charity case. The only help she’d taken was the old house on her father’s ranch that she’d worked hard to fix up, a loan for her business that she’d almost paid back, and free babysitting from her dad and brother. She wasn’t about to start taking handouts from some guy she didn’t even know.

  He escorted her into a large office with sparse furnishings besides a huge desk and some chairs, the only decoration a large framed picture of a young girl with long, dark hair kneeling on a beach, holding a fish as big as she was. The grin on her face was priceless. Haley looked closer, excited to see it was one of her friend Alyssa’s pictures. The A.A. in the corner was distinctive. She knew Alyssa was famous so it made sense to see her work, but she also knew how spendy Alyssa’s pictures were. Haley wasn’t stocking them at the store, that was for sure.

  The huge windows overlooked the beautifully landscaped pool area, beach, and water beyond and more than made up for the lack of decorations in the office. Haley sighed at the view. She loved the ocean. Born, raised, and stuck for life in Colorado, she didn’t get much chance to see, smell, and hear the waves.

  “Your little guy got hurt in my... jurisdiction. I take that seriously,” Cal said with a very convincing smile.

  “Please, I don’t like charity.”

  Cal looked her over as if understanding exactly how she felt, but he couldn’t possibly understand. “It’s not charity, just a simple upgrade. Very standard in the hotel industry and nothing for you to worry about.”

  Haley started to protest but Cal turned away from her and set Taz on the mahogany desk. He proceeded to look over every inch of her boy, checking the goose egg on his head. “Wow, dude, you’ve got a tough noggin.”

  “What’s a noggin?”

  Cal tapped his hand on Taz’s head. “This rock solid head of yours.”

  Taz laughed. “Told you I was toughs.”

  “I know.” Cal leaned in and stage whispered in Taz’s ear, “You’re too tough, I’m just looking you over for the mama.” He winked at Haley.

  Haley almost felt herself relax as Taz grinned at her, but she was fighting the impulse to push Cal’s capable hands away from Taz. She still didn’t know what Mr. Johnson’s role was here at the hotel.

  “I’ve got some bad news, little man.” He pulled out a plain Band-aid from his desk. “We’re all out of Ninja Turtles.”

  “Bummer.” Taz’s lower lip jutted out as Cal pressed the Band-aid into the right spot.

  “But I’ll make sure there are good treats in your room to make up for it.”

  Taz’s grin was restored. Making her little boy happy definitely raised this guy’s impressiveness in Haley’s eyes.

  “Look straight at me, bud.”

  Taz obeyed and Cal checked out his pupils, giving Haley a nod. “No signs of concussion. Did he hit his head hard?”

  “It banged against the wall. It seemed hard to me.”

  “Didn’t hurt,” Taz insisted.

  “Moms have to watch out for us though.” Cal ran his hands carefully over Taz’s head, neck, and back. Haley looked on, holding onto the desk with white knuckles so she didn’t interfere. Cal seemed to know what he was doing.

  “Are you trained in medicine?”

  “A bit. My adopted grandfather was a surgeon and we spent a lot of time in Island Park, Idaho, middle of nowhere. He taught me the basics. Mostly it was patching up the dog, she liked to fight with bears and mountain lions.” He winked at her then cocked his head to the side and smiled at Taz. “You’re looking good, little man.”

  “Can I swim?”

  Cal chuckled. “That’s up to your mom.” He glanced over at her and she really liked the way his blue eyes seemed to take her in, not leering but definitely welcoming. “That was an impressive ride down the stairs,” he said to Taz, “but you’re so tough it didn’t hurt anything besides that elbow.”

  Taz puffed out his little chest. “I am toughs.”

  Cal nodded his agreement then focused on Haley again. “If you’re concerned in the slightest I can call the EMTs or you and I can run him over to the clinic. The hotel will cover the bill, of course.”

  Haley swallowed, embarrassed that he’d noticed how tight money was for her. It ticked her off that he kept offering to pay for things. She loved the ocean so much that she and Taz scrimped and saved to visit her friends, Maryn and Alyssa, in California every year. It had been a dream come true when she’d won this week-long vacation package, to a place she’d never be able to afford on her own, on the radio station.

  “He’s not acting like he has a concussion? You didn’t feel any back or neck injuries?”
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  “Nope. Not on this tough guy.” He ruffled Taz’s hair on the opposite side of the small goose egg and Taz giggled.

  “Okay. Well.” She wasn’t sure what to do next. For some crazy reason she wanted to stay with Cal longer. That hadn’t happened with another man in quite a while. “We’ll just, get to our room.”

  “Sure. I’ll show you the way.”

  Haley was equal parts drawn to and repelled by his confident, take charge personality. Cal acted like he owned the place or something, but a massive hotel like this had to belong to a big corporation of some sort. Besides, he was way too young. He must be in management, at least, to have a nice office with a beautiful view like this. Walking them up two flights of stairs and to their room he didn’t say much, just listened to Taz prattle on about the beach and how much he loved to swim and how there was still snow on the ground in Colorado even though it was April.

  Cal listened patiently, smiling so kindly at her son Haley found herself drawn to him, even if he was a bit too commanding and in control. That same level of confidence in a man had always been intriguing to her, which was why she’d fallen for Taz’s father and look how that had turned out.

  He used his key to open her door and that wigged her out. “Why in the heck do you have a key to my room?”

  “This is an all-access key. Your keys will be on the entry table.”

  She didn’t like him having access to her room. Thankfully the door had a deadbolt and a chain. She’d use those whenever they were in here. It wasn’t like they had much of value, especially anything that a classy guy like Cal would want.

  Dragging her eyes from the depth of his blue gaze, she glanced around the room and gasped. It was a huge suite with a kitchen, living room, and what looked to be two bedrooms. The windows overlooked the pool and the ocean beyond. Sliding glass doors opened onto balconies in the main area and master suite. The woodwork and slate in the kitchen were probably worth more than her entire house. Plush rugs covered the hardwood floor in the living room. The decorations were fun—beach paraphernalia that really fit with the vacation feel. She could live here forever. “This is too much,” she protested quietly. “Taz isn’t even hurt.”