Mandisa walked slowly along through the open path that began in the back of Slade’s house. After two weeks at Havenheart, she’d become familiar enough with the land to walk unaccompanied on some parts of the grounds.

She’d kissed a sleeping Slade this morning, pulling herself from his naked warmth to walk amongst the foliage. It was painful leaving him there, especially when her body wanted nothing more than to snuggle closer to him.

Her mind had shaken her awake with an amazing idea that was scratching at the back of her consciousness. It was there, something brilliant, but she could only make out the blurry edges of the image right now.

This always happened when her chemist’s mind began to build something unique and beautiful. But she needed to work out the details by embracing solitude, freeing her mind from the need to think. Her skin prickling with creativity, she’d thrown on some walking clothes, grabbed her fully charged cellphone, and headed for the wild of Slade’s backyard.

She walked until she reached the first line of trees in her sight. She pulled the cellphone from her pocket, opened a note-taking app, and used the phone’s stylus to write out plans and sketch designs for this new thing, coming together one component at a time in her head.

She’d just saved her work to the cloud when an unknown number flashed on her screen.

“Hello,” she answered with the slightest bit of annoyance in her voice. She wasn’t out here to talk to anonymous folks—she just wanted quiet. Unfortunately, her fear of missing out didn’t allow her to ignore notifications like ringing cellphones for very long.

“Doctor Avery, this is Bull Hamilton. How are you doing this morning?”

Mandisa released the breath she’d been holding while waiting for her caller to identify himself. That’s what happened with anonymous calls. They could be anything from a telemarketer to emergency services. Not knowing which she was going to get always kept Mandisa edgy until the anonymous caller made their identity and purpose known.

“Mr. Hamilton, did we exchange numbers?”

He laughed loudly, the sound making her skin prickle with restlessness.

“Sweetheart, a man like Bull always knows how to contact a beautiful woman he has his eye on. I hope I’m not calling at a bad time, but I figured I’d better catch you before you get started with your busy day.”

She caught the sly reference to Slade’s flimsy excuse for refusing the man’s company during their last meeting. Bull obviously knew it was bogus, and he didn’t appear gracious enough to let it go, either.

“Is there something you needed, Mr. Hamilton?”

“I was hoping to invite you to dinner this evening. It would give me an opportunity to see how negotiations are going between our two companies.”

Negotiations were going great as far as she was concerned. She’d spent the better part of last night “negotiating” her way up and down Slade’s pole. She was certain he wasn’t referencing those particular events, so she forced her mind back on the conversation at hand, trying to keep her lecherous memories in check.

“Slade has been very easy to work with. We’ve made a lot of leeway in the last two weeks. I’m looking forward to the culmination of dialogues next week.”

“Good, good. I’m glad to hear it,” he answered. “But I’d be remiss as the head of Logan Industries if I didn’t spend any time with such a valuable asset. I insist you have dinner with me tonight.”

His words brought a chill to her. She didn’t like the weight he put behind the word “insist.” It made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. It also made her want to ask him, “Who the hell you think you’re talking to?” She checked her Brooklyn long enough to attempt to feel things out.

Bull Hamilton was a very important man in the world she worked in. Having a bad interaction with him could cause irreparable damage to her reputation and her business. Two things she could ill afford to have happen.

She smiled to herself when she heard her mother’s voice in her ear. Play the man’s game, but play it better.

Mandisa smiled as she pressed the phone against the side of her face. “We’ll be more than happy to have dinner with you, Mr. Hamilton.”

“We?”

“Yes, Slade and I, of course. This way you’ll be able to get a complete picture of where we stand right now.”

The pause filling the line told her exactly what she needed to know—she’d won this round. Bull found his voice a few moments later, agreeing to her suggestion and providing her with the address to the restaurant they’d be meeting at. She gave her salutations to the business tycoon and thought about what she was doing.

If history was any measure, Slade wasn’t going to be happy about this dinner meeting.

Slade, big, burly and lovably loud. It was almost comical how those same qualities could probably be applied to Bull too. Maybe that was the problem between the two men? Maybe there was too much tension between them because they were so alike.

Mandisa rubbed her arms with her hands, trying to get rid of some of the chill Bull’s phone call had left her with. Slade was going to be pissed, but maybe this dinner was an opportunity for her to do some good with her remaining time in Texas.

Let’s hope.

* * *

It had been a few days since Aaron had left for New York. Slade hadn’t heard a word from him since he’d departed. Constantly wondering if something was going on was making him jumpy, and if he didn’t get a handle on it, Mandisa was going to notice. Hell, Mama Indy already had. Shaking her finger at him, telling him Slade’s dirt would come to light sooner or later.

He hoped to hell that wasn’t true. He was trying to protect Mandisa and save his company at the same time. She didn’t need to carry around this stress—that’s what he was for.

“So where’s that no-’count scoundrel been hiding at?”

Slade looked up from his cup of coffee, blinking until he’d processed what Mama Indy had said. “Who, Aaron?”

“How many other no-’count scoundrels you know on this ranch?”

Slade laughed. He’d never get enough of watching his mother and his best friend.

“Mama, why are you so hard on Aaron? You know he loves and respects you just as much as I do.”

“Hush. This is just how we are. That boy knows I love him. Now tell me, where is he?”

That certainly wasn’t an easy question. Partly because Slade didn’t truly know where Aaron was, not specifically anyway. Slade had been Mama Indy’s son long enough to know she wouldn’t be pleased with whatever he and Aaron were mixed up in. She’d begged Slade to leave Bull be a long time ago. Let the old coot have the business if he wanted it.

Slade wished it was that simple now—just a matter of letting Bull have what he so desperately appeared to want. But Slade couldn’t, not now. His legacy aside, Slade couldn’t place Mandisa in that man’s clutches. If Slade walked away now, there would be no one there to protect Mandisa from Bull’s manipulations.

“Boy, I know you hear me talking to you. Where is Aaron, Slade?”

“He’s taking care of some business for me. With Mandisa leaving next week, I didn’t want any more of my time with her to be lost on Logan Industries business. Aaron is just handling something for me.”

His mama watched him closely. Like she had when he was a kid, and she was attempting to gauge if he was telling the whole truth of a matter. “You care for that gal, don’t you?”

Slade grabbed for his coffee cup, using it as a small barrier between him and the all-seeing woman sitting before him. Although he hated when she used her skills on him, he couldn’t curse her ability to read non-verbal cues. Hell, she’d taught him to read people, a trick that proved useful in both his professional and personal lives.

The eyes will always tell the truth, even when the lips lie, Slade. Always watch the eyes.

He pulled his gaze from his coffee cup and allowed Mama Indy to see his truth. She placed a hand over her heart as she walked closer to him, pulling his head into her bosom as she cooed, “Oh, baby, you’ve gone and fallen for that pretty thing. Haven’t you?” She didn’t wait for Slade’s response—she already knew it was true. “You know she’s leaving next week. What are you going to do when she leaves?”

“If she leaves, Mama. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I’m hoping one of them will get her to see I’m worth giving up New York for.”

His mother sat in the chair in front of him, keeping her eyes locked on his once she was comfortably seated.

“Slade, you are worthy of her staying for you. She knows that, and you should too. But that girl has a life of her own, one she seems deeply attached to, one you knew about before you brought her here.”

She was right, he’d been aware of Mandisa’s life when he’d made that wager. He’d questioned his own sanity in making that bet, wondering why he would go through so much trouble to get Mandisa on his own turf.

He could lie to himself and say it was all about winning. But the truth was, he hadn’t thought about business at all when he’d begged her to take him up on his offer. The only thing filling his mind were thoughts of their one night together, and the emptiness that threatened to smother him when he thought of never having her near him again.

“Slade?” Mama Indy’s voice was filled with love as she called his name. It was a balm meant to soothe the raw spots in his soul.

“Mama, I know what I’m doing. Whether she stays or not, we’ve both agreed to keep seeing each other. She wants this, and I want her.”

Indira nodded and patted a time-weathered hand over his. “I know you care for her, baby. I knew you did the moment you brought her home. But I don’t quite get the feeling that her life will be easily dismissed. She doesn’t seem wrapped up in that shallow glitz most city folk seem to be so concerned with. It runs deeper than that, bone deep in fact. You and I both know the only thing that runs that deep is family. If she’s anything like you, she’s never gonna leave her family.”

Slade saw truth in the old woman’s gray-blue eyes. Her truth rang through his soul, summoning a sadness he didn’t want to acknowledge. A sadness that beckoned to swallow him whole whenever he thought of Mandisa’s impending departure.

The sound of wood creaking behind them let Slade know Mandisa was entering the room. He ran a hand through his hair and took a fortifying sip of his coffee. “Whatever her decision, I’ll deal with it when the time comes. Right now, I’m going to enjoy every second I have left with her and figure out a way to make this work for the long-term.”

“You do what you feel is best, Slade. But be careful. Understand that isn’t just an old mama’s concern for her son, that’s my concern for Mandisa as well. That beautiful soul doesn’t deserve the hurt that could come her way if this ends bad.”

“Good morning,” Mandisa sang as she stood in the doorway of the back door. She walked into the kitchen. She looked around the room for a second, then offered Mama Indy a warm smile as she approached. “I see you haven’t started breakfast yet, Mama Indy. I was hoping you’d be okay with me making breakfast for you this morning.”

Slade regarded Mama Indy carefully. This kitchen was her domain, and she didn’t allow anyone else to tinker with it. Slade almost felt sorry for the letdown Mandisa was about to experience.

“Mandisa, honey,” Slade primed. “Mama Indy doesn’t allow anyone in her kitchen.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t if her only choices are you and Aaron. I’ve seen you fumble with the microwavable popcorn in the evenings when Mama Indy isn’t here to serve you. But unlike the two of you, I actually spent my formative years at my mother’s side as she cooked.”

Slade watched Mandisa kneel between them, turning her gaze to Mama Indy’s as she spoke.

“I know it’s not easy to let someone you don’t know into your space. But you’ve been so kind to me, serving me and waiting on me hand and foot since I arrived. I’d feel terrible if you didn’t allow me to repay the favor at least once before I left.”

Mama Indy placed careful eyes on Slade, a gentle smile cresting slowly on her lips as she stared at him. Her truth shone through the shimmer reflected in her eyes. He wasn’t going to be the only one missing Mandisa if she left this place. His mother would feel her loss too.

Mama Indy closed her eyes briefly, as if she needed a moment to gather her emotions. After a few soothing breaths, she opened them again. She then took her hands and placed one on each side of Mandisa’s face, rubbing her thumbs across the apples of Mandisa’s cheeks.

“Your mama raised you right, chile. Now come on and let me show you where everything is in the kitchen.”

* * *

Ten minutes later Mandisa was fully entrenched in her meal preparation. While mixing a buttermilk coating, she heard the slide of Slade’s chair as he stood up. With a few long strides he was standing at the kitchen counter with Mandisa and his mother. He kissed Mama Indy on the cheek and then dipped his head to place a chaste kiss on Mandisa’s lips.

It was a quick peck, but the fact that he’d kissed her on the mouth in front of his mother made all sorts of bells ring inside her. That one act meant more to her than any words Slade had given her since they’d met. No man kissed you in front of his mama unless he was serious about having you around.

When he’d asked her to continue their relationship beyond her three weeks here in Texas, she’d thought it was just the heat of the moment driving him. But sharing such a simple gesture with her in the presence of his most treasured family member—that meant something.

“I’ve got to handle some things with the hands in Aaron’s absence. I should be back in time for breakfast. Looking forward to it.” He smiled at her, then nodded to Mama Indy before leaving through the back door.

Mandisa went back to preparing the ingredients for their meal by rote. Her mind was still replaying Slade’s display of affection in front of his mother and the significance of it.

“He really cares for you. You know that, don’t you, Mandisa?”

Mandisa’s smile sobered. She recognized the beginnings of the what-are-your-intentions-toward-my-son conversation that hung in the air.

“I know,” Mandisa responded shyly. She kept her gaze fixed on the bowl in front of her as she hyper-focused on stirring its contents. “The feeling’s mutual.”

Mama Indy placed a gentle hand on hers, bringing her power-stirring to a halt, forcing Mandisa to look up from her task and face the older woman.

“Please understand I don’t mean no harm when I say this. But, you’re leaving in a little over a week. I can’t help but see the heartbreak waiting for the two of you.”

Mandisa closed her eyes, trying desperately to hold on to the simple joy of a few moments ago. Reality had arrived right on schedule, waiting to burst their little dreamy bubble.

“I know, but Slade and I have both agreed we want to try to build something. There’s only a four-hour plane ride between us. We can make this work. More importantly, we both want to make this work.”

Mandisa could still see skepticism coloring Mama Indy’s eyes. She understood. Long-distance relationships didn’t have a reputation for working out. She couldn’t be upset with Mama Indy’s forwardness. She was protecting her son.

Mandisa recognized how deeply this woman loved Slade when she’d first arrived at the ranch. But standing in front of Mama Indy, watching her struggle with liking her son’s choice in a woman but hating the circumstance that would rip them apart, solidified any doubt Mandisa could ever hold that this woman—despite her lack of shared biology with Slade—was his mother.

“Mama Indy, I care so much for Slade. He’s such a wonderful man. But I can’t break my promise to my mother. I can’t just abandon my company and my employees. I’m not saying I’ll be in New York forever. I don’t get the feeling that I could stay away from Slade indefinitely. But I can promise you I’m going to do all I can to take care of him, to keep his heart safe.”

The sorrowful look marring the older woman’s face told Mandisa she wasn’t exactly thrilled with her answer. But the gentle nod she gave Mandisa implied her acceptance.

Mandisa wiped her hands off on a nearby towel and pulled Slade’s mother into a full embrace. Hoping the hug would give the woman reassurance that her son’s heart was in careful hands, Mandisa held tightly to the matron in her arms.

“Now, these chicken and waffles aren’t going to make themselves,” Mandisa chided. “So you go rest while I get to work.”

Mama Indy gave Mandisa one more squeeze, then headed off in the direction of the family room.

Mandisa lost herself in the preparation of the meal, her mind still buzzing with nervous energy. Slade walked through the door just in time to see her plating up the food. He washed his hands, dropped another quick kiss on her lips, and carried the heavy platters in to the table.

There wasn’t much conversation. Slade seemed to be very engaged in cleaning his plate, and Mama Indy seemed equally interested in her food. Relieved her meal had passed inspection, Mandisa relaxed enough to eat too.

When they were done, Mandisa watched Slade rub his stomach, a sure sign that he was happy and satisfied. She took a fortifying sip of Mama Indy’s coffee before she began speaking. Hoping to somehow keep the mood light and pleasant, she shared her news.

“When I was out on my walk, I received an interesting phone call.”

Slade cleared the table and headed for the sink to rinse the dishes. He turned to the side so he could still provide eye contact as she spoke to him. “Yeah? Who was it?”

“Your dad.”

Mandisa and Mama Indy looked at one another when they heard a loud clattering noise in the sink. Mama Indy stood up, leaving Mandisa at the table, and shooed Slade out of the way as she took care of the dishes.

Slade motioned for Mandisa to follow him into his office. His movements were stiff and calculated, obvious displeasure coursing through him. He remained quiet, stoic, not speaking a word until the door was closed behind them and he was leaning against his heavy wooden desk that sat in the middle of the room.

“How did Bull get your number?”

She shrugged. She honestly didn’t know.

“What did he want?”

“To invite us to dinner.”

Slade crossed his arms against his chest and lifted a skeptical brow. “He wanted to invite us to dinner, or you?”

Busted.

“Look, Slade, the man has a vested interest in talking to me. I can’t ignore him. Even if this deal collapses, I still need to make certain I walk out of this thing with my name intact. I don’t see where sharing a meal with the man will cause any harm.”

“Of course you don’t see, because you don’t know anything about my father. I specifically told you I didn’t want Bull anywhere near you. Why couldn’t you just respect that?”

Fire began to simmer in her blood, and not in the usual sexy way his words often incited. Especially the way he’d said the word, “told.”

She took a few steps closer, meeting his gaze with her head slightly titled. “You told me?” Her words were quiet but sharp. She didn’t want to argue, but she wasn’t about to let Slade believe he could say shit like this without any opposition. “Do I look like one of your lackeys, or better yet, your child? The man called my damn phone, Slade. What exactly did you expect me to do?”

“How about telling him to go to hell?”

Mandisa looked around the room, searching for the hidden camera that had to be recording her. This had to be some ploy created to catch her acting out of character. When her perusal of the office yielded nothing, she took a long look at Slade’s carved features, the stiff set of his angled jaw screamed how serious he was.

“I can’t believe you’re acting this way, Slade.” Her statement seemed to throw him. He shook his head and stood up from his desk, his full height towering over her.

“Mandisa. You’ve got to believe me. You don’t know Bull. I’m trying my best to keep these negotiations on track. Bull’s way of doing business isn’t something you want to deal with. Just let me handle it.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

She threw her hands up before he could answer. This conversation was veering left, and she needed to yank it back to the middle of the road before they ended up crashing and burning.

“It doesn’t even matter. I promised the man we were having dinner with him. Show up, or don’t show up, but I’m keeping my word.”

She stormed out of the office, making sure to give it a good hard tug as she made her way to the front door and out of the house.

If Slade wanted to be an overprotective jackass, she’d let him. But what she wasn’t about to let him do was ruin her chances of succeeding in the business world. Like she’d told him in the beginning—no piece of dick was so good that she’d let it rob her of her family’s legacy.