Chapter One
Eva had about fifteen minutes to convince West that she was the most irresistibly attractive and charming woman on this planet before her daddy caught up to her.
How hard could it possibly be?
If she didn’t, West would send her straight back home! That was a fate worse than death as far as she was concerned.
She was going back to Harvest Ranch if it killed her.
West was gorgeous and Eva was… bored, bored, bored without him. Sure, Eva had to slide her phone under her leg so she didn’t have to see the number of messages from her daddy flashing across the screen. Sure, she had to pretend to be deaf every time West asked her if it wasactuallycool for her to come along. So what?
Her chin snapped up to attention as he came down the aisle of his private jet with his phone glued to his ear. He’d taken off his suit jacket, wearing his expensive dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar and his shirt sleeves pushed up to his elbows.
Fiftieth reminder of the day of how incredibly hypnotizing he is!
The veins stood out against West’s muscular forearms as he dropped into the seat across from her in the middle of a heated conversation: “I don’t care if a stampede of beef cattle come charging through your office, Carl, I want that information on my desk when I get back or you’ll face the bull.”
She hid a giggle at his funny way of talking. West hadn’t strayed too far from his roots. Her man was raised to be a rancher, though he’d abandoned the family business for his true passion: crushing her father’s enemies.
So hot. Besides that, West is an absolute doll.
Daddy just worried too much. Eva was the only child and heiress to Devlin Trout, Tennessee’s wealthiest oil tycoon, and the way that exasperating man babied her always worked against her, especiallynow. He’d tried everything to keep her away from West. That street-smart cowboy might work all of Trout’s multi-billion dollar business deals lately, but that didn’t mean he could be trusted with his daughter.
Too bad, Daddy! I’ve made up my mind. We’re made for each other.
Eva sank back into the butter soft seats in West’s private jet. What else could a woman do when she was super in love, except smile dumbly up at her daddy’s right hand man in her most moonstruck way? She straightened in sudden alarm.
Yeah, she looked like a crazy person. This wasn’t how West was catching her when Daddy rained the fireworks on them. She was a Trout, after all! She was raised to smile for the cameras. Ever since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, she’d been used to ducking the paparazzi. As her father moved from one woman to the next, she was the only constant female in his life. All eyes were on her, and when they weren’t? She turned them on herself with the lift of her phone.
Even she wasn’t sure why she did it sometimes.
Eva ran her fingers through her hair, trying to perfect her woman-of-the-world act while still hoping to be absolutely adorable. West argued through her efforts, letting whoever was on the other line know, in no uncertain terms, that he was in charge.
Poor man! He had no idea they were here to have fun. She’d convince him otherwise… as soon as he quit working! Eva was finally able to relax in cutoff jeans and an oversized tee shirt, for once free of her formfitting dresses—not to say that her shirt wasn’t of the finest Egyptian cotton and cut. It was altogether too hard being an influencer on TalkieTalk where everyone scrutinized her every move.
Daddy had told her to cut back on the social media. Their family was too high profile and respectable to be put on cheap display like those needy celebrities. He’d hate to see anything happen to his little princess, but quite honestly, why couldn’t Eva get her own little kickback from all this fame she’d never asked for?
The likes and shares were her only excitement as she grew lonelier and more isolated at the exclusive parties held by Devlin Trout Enterprises. It didn’t matter if she was surrounded by adoring fans or if conventionally attractive, though equally boring, men were dying to make her their girlfriend of the hour.
No one understood her… until she’d met West’s haunting eyes.
Ooh West! He made bad boys look bland in the face of his passion and without even trying! He’d painted the dull world from a faded black-and-white movie into every vivid color imaginable. From the moment he’d walked into her daddy’s office, he made up into down, turned everything on its face, and pulled what was left of her heart inside out.
Daddy couldn’t talk anyway! After all of Devlin Trout’s infamous love affairs throughout the years? Ha! He couldn’t say a thing.
Well, he shouldn’t anyway!
West’s adorable labradoodle puppy sniffed at their drinks on the table, his long snout pushing through important papers to find food. West’s phone conversation didn’t skip a beat as he leaned over to pick up his puppy from upending any critical contracts.
She melted even more at the sight.
West had meant this puppy for his children, and even though his ex-wife refused to take in the cute little tail-wagger, he brought the little pet along every time he went to visit Charlie and Pip.
Eva suspected that his momma’s failing health wasn’t the only reason West came home so often. The softie!
This time, West was taking his children for the week. His ex was having her baby with her new husband.
That was kind of awkward.