The Billionaire’s Christmas Contract by Laura Haley-McNeil

Chapter 5

Sunday morning, Leah and her parents escorted the four boys to the youth group in the church basement. She wondered if Bryg would come. She hadn’t heard from him in two days, though she’d heard plenty about him. Whenever his private jet flew in and out of the community airport, local tongues wagged. She never commented. She wasn’t interested in what he did, though she listened to every word when it came to Bryg Winslow.

Frankie, who had dressed carefully in his new-to-him clothes, made an entrance that caught everyone’s attention, including the cute blonde he always sat next to. He rushed to her and spun around, then spread his arms wide as if ready to accept her admiration. She laughed shyly, the color rising in her cheeks making Frankie stare at her as if she were the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

The other boys dashed across the room to join friends, except Zeke. He stood in the doorway. Surprise, then obstinacy, covered his face. He’d still be in bed if Leah hadn’t explained he wouldn’t just miss church, he’d lose privileges. That got his attention. Now the stubbornness returned.

“Where are you going?” Zeke’s mouth set, and he lifted his dark gaze to Leah.

“To the church service in the sanctuary,” Leah said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Pastor Chuck.” She tipped her hand to a broad-shouldered man standing at the front of the room and talking to several of the kids.

“Pastor?” Zeke’s surprise gave way to a slight smirk.

A deep voice sounded from the end of the hall, Bryg’s voice, and Leah sucked in a soft breath. She hadn’t realized she’d made a sound until Zeke’s face came up. He looked past her, surprise rising in his face. He cast Leah a questioning look. She smiled and hoped she looked as if Bryg’s coming to church was the most natural thing in the world. She’d invited and believed him when he said he’d come, but his being here still caught her off guard.

Several feminine voices blended with Bryg’s, and Leah realized he’d caught the attention of several women. She couldn’t blame them. His perfect features looked as if they’d been chiseled by a master sculptor. Everything about him radiated profound and stunning masculinity.

Bryg smiled and chatted with the women, but looked over their heads and nodded at her as if confirming he’d join her soon.

Leah’s palms went damp, and she took a deep breath. She was glad Bryg had accepted her invitation, so why was she suddenly nervous? Even when she’d presented her dissertation before an unsmiling faculty, she hadn’t felt this uneasy. Her throat suddenly dry, she swallowed. Bryg was a friend―sort of―not a faculty member who could make a decision that would impact her career.

She felt an intense stare. Glancing to the side, she saw Zeke’s narrowed gaze studying her.

“Ready to go meet Pastor Chuck?” she asked. She forced a smile⸻a feeble attempt to rein in her emotions. She wouldn’t let Zeke or anyone else know how Bryg’s presence affected her.

“I’m not going in.” Zeke’s jaw jutted.

“Do you want me to stay in here with you?” Leah understood Zeke’s reluctance. He’d come from a tough Denver neighborhood and had probably never met anyone like these farm and ranch kids. He wasn’t the first boy who’d resisted going to church. He wouldn’t be the last.

“I’m not a baby.” Zeke’s eyes narrowed coldly.

“No, you’re not,” she said on a soft exhale, her heart aching for the pain she saw in Zeke’s face. “Let’s go upstairs. We can sit in the sanctuary.”

“I’m going home.” Zeke kept his voice low, but his dark look attracted glances from the surrounding kids.

And from Bryg. Leah saw him excuse himself from the group of women. His stride purposeful, he crossed the room to Leah and Zeke. He greeted Leah, then extended his hand to the teen. “Zeke, how’s it going?” He spoke gently, his eyes warm and with an interest that showed Zeke was important to him.

Zeke’s head came up. He blinked in surprise, and his anger seeped away. “Okay.” He looked around as if confirming Bryg spoke to him. Slowly, he slipped his hand into Bryg’s and shook it.

A lump rose in Leah’s throat. This billionaire wasn’t just charming. He had a heart.

“What are you doing here?” Zeke gave Bryg a suspicious look.

“Probably the same as you.” Bryg looked straight into Zeke’s large and vulnerable, brown eyes, his smile kind and compassionate. “I was invited.”

When Zeke looked at Leah, she lifted a shoulder. “I did invite him.”

Bryg looked past the teen to the kids milling about the open area. Most stood in groups and talked. Some helped Pastor Chuck set up the props he’d use for his let’s-get-acquainted mixer, something he did for the Rendell foster kids since the local kids knew each other. He also used props for his sermon.

“Should we find a place to sit?” Bryg arched a brow at Zeke.

“I guess.” Zeke looked over his shoulder. He watched the kids for a moment.

The uncertainty in the teen’s eyes made Leah press her lips together. He’d been taken out of his surroundings and introduced to a group of kids who wouldn’t know what his life had been like, and he knew nothing about theirs. Glancing at Bryg, she saw he hadn’t missed the doubt clouding Zeke’s face.

“Will you join us?” Bryg smiled at Leah.

“I’d love to.” Leah couldn’t hold back the joy she felt at seeing Zeke warm up to Bryg. Too bad he wouldn’t stay. Hopefully, by the time he left, Zeke would accept he was in Mardale to stay, at least for a while. “I’ll tell my parents that I’m staying down here so they don’t wonder where I am, but I’ll be right back.”

Leah raced up the steps greeting friends and neighbors as she strode to the sanctuary, but in the back of her mind pounded the question, who was Bryg Winslow? How many times had she seen photos of the billionaire flashing a confident smile for the cameras? Never had she seen him without a stunning woman on his arm.

A twinge of shame squeezed her chest, and the flush rising in her cheeks made her want to fan her face. She was judging him. She’d only known Bryg the man for two days. Bryg the billionaire she thought she knew, but his interaction with Zeke shattered her preconceived notions. She had assumed the almighty dollar ruled his life. She hadn’t expected him to accept her invitation to attend church, but here he was and sitting in a youth group with dozens of hyperactive teens.

After telling her parents she and Bryg would attend the youth service, she rushed downstairs. In the lower room, she saw Bryg standing in the center, a group of teens surrounding him. Zeke stood next to him, a pleased look on his face.

When Pastor Chuck asked everyone to take a seat, Bryg asked Zeke where he wanted to sit. Zeke seemed surprised that his opinion mattered, but led the way to where the other foster kids sat.

The pastor opened with prayer, then engaged the youth group in a whirl of games and conversations that brought laughter and amusement. Leah watched Zeke, and her heart lifted when he seemed to enjoy himself.

It wasn’t until after the service that Leah found herself standing next to Bryg. She noticed he watched the boys chat with friends, and she couldn’t help smiling when she saw Zeke had found someone he wanted to talk to. Had Zeke turned a corner? Would he accept the ranch as his new home? Her heart buoyed inside her chest. She hoped that wasn’t too much to ask.

Several volunteers set up tables and set platters of cookies and punch bowls on top. Families from the sanctuary and the children’s ministry crowded into the room.

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Bryg’s voice was quiet.

When Leah lifted her gaze to his, the concern in his eyes scooped air from her lungs. A faint smile curved his mouth.

“I think about all the boys, but yes, I’m thinking about him.” With reluctance, she looked back at the boys. “They’ve endured a lot in their short lives. I’m so proud of my parents for devoting their lives to these lost boys, but …”

“But you’re concerned about the toll it’s taking on your parents,” Bryg said, compassion in his tone.

“Yes, I’m glad I have this opportunity to help them, but next quarter I’ll return to Braxton,” she said softly, then looked at Bryg. “I’m glad you came today, not just because of Zeke.”

“I’m glad I came, too,” he said, a distant look in his eyes as he looked over the families laughing and talking. “It’s been awhile … a long while.”

She watched him, not just because he was handsome, so handsome she found it difficult to breathe, but because of the way his intelligent eyes took in the relaxed atmosphere—probably a far cry from his high-powered board meetings.

As if he felt her gaze, he looked at her, his expression bemused, questioning.

“Sorry.” She felt the heat rise into her cheeks. She was twenty-eight years old, had a doctorate and still blushed. “I didn’t mean to stare.” She just couldn’t help herself.

“I like that about you.” His mouth twitched.

“That I stared at you?” She gave a nervous laugh. How could she have been so rude?

“Well, that.” He spoke with such tenderness. “I’m glad there’s something you find worth looking at, but a woman who blushes is quite refreshing.”

Leah wanted to fall through the floor. How many times had she blushed in Bryg’s presence? A lot, but she hadn’t thought he’d noticed.

He noticed. He didn’t miss anything. He hadn’t missed Zeke’s agitation.

“I thought I would’ve outgrown that by now, but I am doomed to blush.” She shook her head and offered a smile that felt dry.

“I find it charming,” Bryg said, and his mouth curved.

She gave a soft snort and looked away. At least he did.

“What will you do this afternoon?” she asked. She wanted to get the attention off herself.

“I have some papers to review.” The response sounded automatic, and she wondered if he’d been reviewing papers for so long he hadn’t even thought about what he said. Did he enjoy reviewing these papers, or was this a way to keep from thinking about something else?

“If you want to take a break from all those papers, stop by the house,” Leah said. “We have a late Sunday lunch.” The invitation was out before she could stop herself. The caution in her inner voice made her wish she’d kept quiet. The wound Charlie had marked on her heart was still fresh and raw, yet she couldn’t deny her attraction to Bryg, which was just that―an attraction. He was nice and engaging, and interested in buying land for a business deal that would add to his wealth.

She couldn’t retract the invitation. Her family always had an open door for neighbors and strangers and boys trying to find their place in this world.

Bryg’s eyes flickered, and she thought he’d decline the invitation. She held her breath.

“I’d like that.” The gentleness in his voice was almost her undoing. “What time should I come?”

“We eat around three, but come whenever you want.” She inhaled deeply to quell the shaking in her stomach.

“All right,” he said, “I have a few calls to make, and then I’ll come by. What can I bring?”

“Just yourself. Mom and I usually prepare more than we can eat. With four boys in the house, we have to be prepared, so come hungry.” She uttered a soft laugh. She was feeling nervous again. She lectured to packed auditoriums. Hundreds of students enrolled in her classes. How could she feel nervous talking to one man?

A silly question. She knew why. When she was near Bryg, the thin grasp she had on the emotions rising inside her snapped.

“Then I look forward to having lunch with you and everyone else,” Bryg said. He gave her a smile that made her want to sigh.

“Where are you going?” Zeke stood between Leah and Bryg, his hard stare zeroed in on Bryg.

Leah had noticed him standing with Frankie and talking to a group of kids she’d seen around town. Actually, Frankie talked. Zeke stood next to him, his gaze moving over the other people in the room. Leah hadn’t seen him say anything, but he’d seemed more engaged than she’d seen him since he’d arrived in Mardale.

“Back to the house I rented.” Bryg said. When Zeke frowned, Bryg said, “It’s where I’m staying while I’m here, but I’ll see you at lunch. “

Zeke blinked, then relaxed into his that’s-cool stance.

Bryg extended his hand to the teen. “You’ll be there?”

Zeke shifted his gaze to Leah, then shrugged. “I guess.”

Frankie and the other boys raced over to Bryg and crowded around him, all asking questions at once. Bryg’s face glowed, and he patiently answered their questions―his smile easy, his eyes filled with interest.

Leah’s chest filled with a heartfelt intensity. She was relieved that Bryg had earned the boys’ trust. When they raced off to talk to other kids, Bryg told Leah he’d see her at lunch, but Leah had a sense he didn’t want to leave. That made this feeling rising inside her even more concerning. She didn’t want to feel anything toward Bryg or any man.

She watched Bryg walk up the stairs, his stride purposeful and decisive. He greeted several people as he left.

Leah needed to take a breath. When she turned away, she saw Zeke watching her, his gaze narrowed.

Her heart kicked up a notch. She smiled at him. “Ready to go home?”

Zeke said nothing but stared at her. What did the boy see? Something she didn’t want to admit to herself?

“Sure,” he said, and turned and walked toward the other boys.

Leah released a slow breath. She’d get her emotions under control. She’d done it when she’d set her engagement ring on top of the bookcase in Charlie’s office.

She’d fallen in love once, and for that her heart had been broken.

Her jaw set.

Never would she let her heart become vulnerable again.