Billionaire's Second Chance (Billionaires #16) - Jennifer Hartley Page 0,3

Part of it, I was sure, was because of having had to hide my feelings away for such a long time just so that Scott wouldn’t find out. It was hard to keep it from him, and I felt guilty about keeping a secret from my best friend, especially when it had to do with his own sister. But Scott’s biggest flaw had always been how overprotective he was of Clara, and that had only gotten worse since their parents died. I always felt like it could ruin our friendship and maybe even his relationship with his sister. So, I did what I needed to do in order to pine after her in painful silence, always trying to catch a glimpse of her whenever I went over to their farm.

As my commute neared an end, and I began the drive up through the dirt road that led to the Wiley Ranch, I was holding my breath in the hope that Scott was gone again. Not that I didn’t want to catch up with my buddy, but I wanted to get Clara alone for a second time first. I was disappointed when I pulled up at the farmhouse and saw Scott standing outside, giving me a wave. I waved back and flashed a wide smile as I parked the car and got out.

“Hey, man,” Scott said as he walked over and threw his arms around me in a big brotherly hug.

I hugged him back—hard. Scott and I had been friends forever, and I loved the guy.

“Sorry I wasn’t here the last time you stopped by,” he said. “Clara told me that you came to visit while I was in town. I hope she made you feel right at home.”

My thoughts immediately turned toward the late-afternoon orgasm with his sister that day, which quite literally had rocked my world, and I had to calm myself down before I ended up looking like I was hiding something.

“Yeah, of course, she did,” I said with a casual chuckle. “She always does.”

“It’s been too long,” Scott said as I walked with him into the house. “Damn tractor was on the fritz again the last time you came by, which is why I wasn’t here. What’s new in your neck of the woods?”

“Not much,” I said as I sat down at the table and Scott grabbed us a couple of cold beers. “Work is keeping me busy, as usual. How about here? Things running smoothly here?”

Scott made a sort of snorting noise that was a cross between a laugh and a huff. He cracked his beer and took a long, refreshing swig of it. I could tell that he’d been working outside all day. He looked hot, and the sweat stains were seeping through his shirt.

“Do things ever run smoothly on a farm?” he asked sarcastically.

“You got me, man,” I said as I shook my head. “I couldn’t tell you the first thing about farm life. I always did think it would be cool, though. It seems peaceful and quiet, not like the rat race of the corporate world.”

“I’d trade you in a heartbeat,” he said. He acted like he was just talking off the cuff, but it sounded like there was a bit of seriousness in his voice, too. “At least in the rat race, you don’t have actual rats.”

I laughed and took a sip of my beer. There was something about having an ice-cold beer in a farmhouse that just made the beer seem to taste better. It was probably just an aesthetic illusion, but it didn’t matter. The beer was still delicious.

“And you get paid in dollars instead of vegetables,” he added.

“Dude, getting paid in vegetables sounds much cooler,” I chuckled.

I was just about to ask him how the tractor was running now and if he needed any help with anything since my stay in town was going to be a bit longer this time, but I got completely derailed from speech when I saw Clara coming inside. I stared out the large picture window in the kitchen and watched as she walked from the field toward the house. By the time she had reached the door, I had inadvertently guzzled down half of my beer. She walked in through the door, sweaty and glistening, and looked surprised to see me there. For a second, she stood stuck in the doorway.

“Hi, Clara,” I said to her.

Say something.

Scott watched the two of us curiously. I always kind of wondered if he ever knew that