Make Me Whole (Brothers From Money #3) Page 4

  “Hello, Margie. How are you today?” Elizabeth said, putting a huge smile on her face.

  “I can’t complain, business has been a little slow, but what can you expect these days.” She said, gesturing to the empty store.

  Elizabeth knew exactly what to expect when she came in here. Produce that was almost rotten, meat that had been sitting around for too long, and dusty canned food that hadn’t moved for months. The store smelled of dust and old food, a smell that made her want to turn around and leave right then. The only reason the store was still open was the amazing fudge that Margie made, if not for that, Elizabeth would have never stepped foot in the door.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m here. I need some groceries, I’m having company.” Elizabeth said, wandering into the back of the store to give Margie a few minutes to stew over her comment.

  She tucked a few items into her basket then wandered back up to the front. “I’d love some of your peanut butter fudge if you have any left, it’s my favorite.” Elizabeth said, putting her basket on the counter.

  “I only have a pound left, but it’s all yours. If you’re having company, you’ll want to make sure you have plenty around. Who is lucky enough to be visiting Pleasant Valley?” Margie asked, not able to control herself.

  “My boyfriend, he’ll be here for a month at least. I have to stock up on food, you know how men eat.” Elizabeth said.

  “Oh, how exciting. Is he thinking about moving here?” Margie continued to dig.

  “No, he works with the same environmental group I used to work for. He’s just taking some time off, they make you do that from time to time.” Elizabeth said with a shrug of her shoulders.

  “Isn’t that nice. I hope you enjoy your visit, it must be hard to be separated for so long.” Then she actually patted Elizabeth’s hand.

  “We’re used to it.” Elizabeth said, wanting to pull her hand away. Instead she added. “I would love that fudge and these things as well.”

  Margie’s mind must have been buzzing with the information she just learned, she rang up Elizabeth’s items and rushed her out of the door. “Have a great day, I hope I get to meet your young man.”

  As Elizabeth walked out the door, she turned her head slightly and wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Margie pick her phone up. Her mission accomplished, she loaded her purchases into the car, satisfied that by the time she reached the other market in town, the news about her house guest would have spread through half the town.

  Since she had no idea what Donovan liked to eat, she got a wide selection of breakfast and lunch foods, as well as the ingredients for a couple of meals. They would have to come back for more supplies later, but for now she’d have enough food to feed them both for several days.

  She took her purchases to the front beginning to become concerned that Margie was losing her touch. None of the women she met and chatted with in the store had said a word about her visitor. But when she got to the front of the store, she saw that the cashier was a woman involved in the water pollution case.

  Her husband was having some health problems that were most likely linked to the water pollution because their well showed some of the highest levels of pollution. The last time Elizabeth had talked to her, she’d been pleased to hear that he was doing better, but they had a pile of medical bills and no idea how to pay for them.

  It was a common problem she’d found with the town’s people who had been affected by the water pollution. As she approached the woman’s checkout counter, she realized just how difficult it was going to be not to tell these people what was going on. They were all worried about how they were going to pay their bills and the law suit was supposed to help them with that problem.

  She’d have to discuss that with Donovan, it wasn’t fair to keep these people waiting while they investigated. There had to be something they could do in the meantime to help them out. It wasn’t their fault they were victims just as much as Terrell Industries was. Besides, after some research, she’d found that the Terrell’s were worth billions, they could afford to help these people out.

  As she approached the woman, she recognized Elizabeth and motioned her over to her register. “That’s a lot of food for just one person. Having company?” She asked, trying to sound innocent, but Elizabeth knew that Margie had done her job.

  “Let me guess, Margie has already spread the news about my boyfriend coming to visit.” She said, shaking her head and laughing.

  “You got it. But seriously, give me the scoop.”

  Thrilled that the plan was working, she was happy to give out a few more details. “We’ve been dating for a couple of years, but it’s hard when we don’t see each other much.”

  “How did you meet then?”

  “We worked a case together in the Amazon. But we haven’t worked together since then. I’m so excited to see him, it’s been months.”

  “Guess we won’t be seeing too much of you around town then.” The woman said with a wink.

  “Well, I still have to work, but I’ll be taking it easy. He’s going to be here for a whole month, we’ll have plenty of time together.” Elizabeth said with a big smile.

  As she walked to her car she marveled at how fast gossip could travel in a small town. The first step of their plan was in action, now she just had to prepare herself for Donovan’s arrival. It was a good sign that she’d thought of him as Donovan, this might not be so bad after all, if she could just control her hormones around him.

  When she got home she unpacked her purchases and put a pot of chili on the stove, that way dinner would basically be ready when Donovan got here. Looking at the clock above the kitchen sink, she realized that she didn’t have much time before he would be here. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought about Donovan in her house.

  This silly crush was going to be the death of her if she didn’t get it under control. Donovan Terrell was definitely not the kind of man she was usually attracted to, in fact she’d never even dated a man who wore a suit to work every day, let alone one who was a billionaire. A billionaire who made his fortune exploiting the land, and the Terrell fortune was certainly based on exploiting the land.

  Besides that little fact, was the certainty that she wouldn’t begin to fit into his world. The super rich had their own circle and she would be sadly out of place with those kind of people. Elizabeth knew the kind of women he did date, society girls with perfect bodies and carefully sculpted faces. They would smell like expensive perfume and spend their time shopping and visiting the spa.

  No matter how you looked at it, Donovan was not the man for her, too bad her body didn’t seem to agree with that decision. But, she reminded herself, this was a one sided attraction, it was laughable to think that a man like Donovan would be attracted to her. She couldn’t begin to compete with those skinny women, nor did she really want to. She liked herself the way she was, any man who didn’t like that, wasn’t the man for her.

  She’d just have to keep reminding herself of that while Donovan was here, it shouldn’t be that hard, as long as she kept her distance. As these thoughts were running around in her head, she heard a vehicle pull up in front of her house. Her heart beat began to race as she crossed the kitchen and went through the living room to the front door.

  Chapter 4

  Opening the door she saw a beat up red truck parked out front, then Donovan wearing old jeans and a tee shirt stepped out of the door. As he unfolded himself from the little truck, he looked around himself taking in the pine forest her little house was nestled in. She’d chosen this spot for its isolation, her nearest neighbor was almost a mile down the road. Her house was the last on the road, giving her the feeling that she was alone up here.

  He took a deep breath of the pine scented air, then stretched slowly, working the kinks out of his muscles. Elizabeth could barely breathe as she watched him, flutters of desire racing from her middle out. Turning, he caught her staring at him, his eyes meeting hers across the yard. For the briefest mo
ment she thought that her attraction was mirrored in his eyes, but then his face split into a huge grin.

  “I should have known that you’d find the most isolated place in Pleasant Valley. It’s a great house though, makes me think of home.” He said, grabbing his bag and crossing the yard to where she stood.

  “I always wanted a log cabin in the mountains and I was lucky enough to find this one. I bought it the day it went on the market, probably spent too much but it’s my first home.” She said, gesturing for him to follow her into the house.

  “I grew up in a cabin much like this one.” He said, following her into the house.

  “I very much doubt that your house was as small as this one, but I don’t need much space. Come on, I’ll give you a tour, it won’t take long.” She said, leading him back to the bedrooms.

  She showed him his bedroom, where he left his bag, then her bedroom across the hall and the bathroom. “We’ll have to share, I only have one.”

  “No problem, I don’t take up much space in the bathroom.” He said, following her back up the hall to the kitchen. “Something smells good, I’m starving.”

  “I made us a pot of chili, hope you like it. I stocked the kitchen today, but if there’s anything you want we can hit the store again tomorrow.” She said, going to the stove and stirring the pot of chili, trying to calm her heart. Donovan smelled good and looked good, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the feelings he was stirring deep inside her.

  “Sounds great. I’m not picky, but please tell me we won’t go into Margie’s, that place is sad. I keep thinking she’ll retire so we can get someone new in there, but she’s showed no sign of that.” He said, sitting down at the table.

  “Probably because then she wouldn’t be in all the gossip in town.” Elizabeth added, laughing.

  “I see you’ve met her, she’s quite the lady, but that store should be closed down.”

  “But then we wouldn’t have her wonderful fudge. There’s stuff to drink in the fridge help yourself.” She said, dishing up two bowls of chili and taking them to the table.

  “Please tell me that’s what we’re having for desert.”

  “Peanut butter.”

  “You really know the way to a man’s heart, it doesn’t get much better than chili for dinner and peanut butter fudge for desert.” He said, digging into his chili.

  His words flustered her, so she took a bite of her own. They finished their meal in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Elizabeth was trying desperately to calm her racing desire all through the meal, with little success. Donovan too was lost in his thoughts, he should have been worrying about the coming investigation, but instead he was thinking about Elizabeth.

  He’d been thinking about her since the day they met in his office, the instant attraction had taken him off guard. Then she’d stood up to him, increasing his desire almost immediately. He’d recently realized how tired he was of the women he found himself dating, they might have been what society deemed attractive, but frankly he liked a woman with some curves.

  The last time he’d been on a date with one of those women, he’d taken her to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city, he’d had little choice really. The silly woman had all but demanded that he take her there, she went on and on about the food until he’d finally made a reservation.

  But when they’d gotten there, she’d spent all her time trying to make sure she’d been seen there dining with him. The food had been some kind of fancy French cuisine that he couldn’t pronounce. It had been good, but his date had only ordered a salad, then picked at it. He’d ordered desert, which she’d then eaten, complaining the whole time about how long it would take to work all the calories off in the gym.

  The entire experience had cured him of any desire to date another one of the skinny, self-absorbed women he seemed to always find himself with. Elizabeth on the other hand, was all woman, and had the curves to prove it. She wasn’t concerned with other people and being seen in the right places. Frankly, it was like a breath of fresh air to be around her.

  When they’d finished eating, he offered to help her clean up, at first she refused but then relented when he insisted. Standing together at the sink, they were both aware of the other, Elizabeth even getting goose bumps when his arm brushed hers. Donovan didn’t miss her reaction, since he had one much the same.

  He felt like a silly teenager, hoping that their arms would brush again. It was probably not the best idea to become involved with Elizabeth, considering the situation, but he was powerless to stop the attraction he felt for her. When the last dish was clean and put away, he dried his hands on a towel, then crossed the kitchen to where Elizabeth was standing by the cupboard.

  He stepped up to her and said. “I probably shouldn’t do this, but I can’t help myself.” Then he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips.

  It was like a fire erupted in her loins when his lips met hers. Her breath came out in a whoosh as the desire raced through her. He pulled back and looked in her eyes, desire shining in his when their eyes met. She felt the blush rising on her cheeks, but without a though she stood on her tip toes and kissed him back.

  She had only intended to give him the same kind of chaste kiss on the lips, but he took over, parting her lips with his tongue and exploring her mouth. His arms came around her and he pulled her close. Part of her knew how wrong this was, but another part of her was glorying in the sensations of that kiss. His strong arms encircled her, bringing not only tremors of desire, but a sense of security.

  As Donovan deepened the kiss, she arched her back wanting to get closer, his hands roamed over her back in long sensuous strokes, she could smell his musky scent, and feel his erection against her leg. Suddenly realizing what they were doing, she pulled back breaking the kiss.

  “Donovan, I don’t think this is a good idea, we’re working together.” She said, breathing a little faster than usual.

  “I don’t know about that, we’re supposed to be involved, just think of it as staying in character.” He said, still standing close enough she could smell him.

  “There is no one here to see us staying in character.” She said, stepping off to the side and retreating to the living room. “We have work to do.”

  “Okay, but I’m not done with that conversation.” He said, giving her a steamy look that made her heart sing with pleasure.

  It took her a moment to collect her thoughts, so she just stood there staring at him. Finally, she just shook her head at him and pulled out her notes. “We’ve got a full day tomorrow, it’s not just a matter of going from place to place taking samples. We have to spend time with these people, listen to their troubles. I have to warn you it can be emotionally draining, but it’s the only way to do it.”

  “Okay, so how long will it take us to get the samples together? A few days?” He asked, sitting down beside her on one of the comfy couches she’d placed around the fireplace.

  “That’s about right. How long will your lab take to process the samples?” She asked, very aware of how close he was sitting to her.

  “If they rush the results we can have them in 24 hours. But we really don’t need to wait for those results to start charting the contaminated wells. We can get that process started right away.” He said, draping his arm across the back of the couch so that just the tips of his fingers could brush the back of her neck.

  She’d put her hair up in a high bun when she’d gotten home and the feeling of his fingers brushing that sensitive spot sent shivers up her spine. Trying to keep her thoughts on track she asked. “How small of an area do you think we’ll be able to cut it down to? There’s a lot of forest out there.”

  “If we’re lucky a couple hundred square miles. I’ve got some great topographical maps in the research material and they can help us narrow it even further. That stuff has to be buried, so any rocky or uneven ground can be eliminated.”

  “I’d really like to know what we’re dealing with, but
that kind of knowledge is far beyond my education. What we need is someone who knows about this stuff that we can trust.” She said, running through her contacts in her mind.

  “The only people I know with that kind of expertise all work for Terrell Industries and we can’t afford to tell anyone up here what we’ve found.”

  “I might know someone we can trust. It will be tricky because he’s in the Amazon, but Professor Mitchell might be able to help. He’s been working the rain forest causes for the last few years, but he worked several of the Superfund sites early in his career. I bet he’ll be able to help.”

  “Good, knowing what we’re dealing with might be a big help, especially if he can give us an idea of how much toxic waste we’ve got to worry about. A small amount might be harder to find, but much easier to clean up, and we will have to clean it up.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that. I knew you would, but it helps to hear it out loud. What about all the people who are sick? We have to help them too.”

  “I’m working on that. Give me a couple of days and I’ll have a solution that should help, if only for the short term. This town is important to me, I can’t help but feel that if I’d been around more this could have been avoided.”

  “I don’t know if you can blame yourself. Someone wanted to make a bunch of money and found a way. Have you thought about who would have both the access to the land and the desire to so this. It almost has to be someone from right here.”

  “I thought the same thing and there are a few people who come to mind, but I don’t have any concrete suspects right now.” He said, getting up and pacing around the room. He did feel some responsibility, he couldn’t help it.

  “Getting upset about something that’s already done isn’t going to fix the problem, you can’t go back and change the past, only work to change the future.” She said, getting up and crossing the room to where he was standing.