When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek #1)(64)
Author: Brenda Novak

“You keep moving.”

“Oh. Sorry,” she said, but shifted again—to bring their hips into full contact.

She noted his surprise as she glanced up at him, felt his irritation fall away as he came almost instantly to full attention. She’d attracted his interest; she could tell by his growing erection. He opened his mouth to say something. Then the doorbell rang.

“No way,” she grumbled.

He rolled onto his back and covered his face with one arm. “Already?”

She pulled her cell phone closer to check the time. It was barely eight.

“Who do you think it is?” he asked without looking over.

“Probably Kathy,” Gail guessed. “She said she’d bring us copies of the fully executed real estate contract, but I don’t know why she has to do it this early. I’m sure she couldn’t wait to see you again. I’ll get it.”

As soon as she left the sleeping bag, Simon got up, too, and went into the bathroom. She heard the door close just as she peered out the window. But the person on her porch wasn’t Kathy. It was a man.

Did she know him? There was something familiar about him, but he was turned away from her….

“Who is it?” she called through the door.

“Tex O’Neal.” At the sound of her voice he’d turned back to face her. It was Simon’s father.

“Oh, God,” she muttered. “Simon?”

She’d had to whisper his name. Simon probably couldn’t hear her over the running water. In any case, he didn’t answer.

“I need to talk to Simon,” Tex called.

Gail pivoted to head down the hall. She wanted to check with her husband before letting Tex in. She knew he and his father weren’t on good terms. Their relationship had always been rocky, more so in recent years. But what was the point of asking Simon whether or not to let him in? They couldn’t sit inside their house and refuse to open the door when she’d already given away the fact that someone was home.

Self-conscious about her appearance, since she’d come straight from bed, she smoothed her T-shirt and cautiously opened the door.

Simon’s father wasn’t nearly as attractive as Simon. He didn’t have the same bone structure—the kind that made Simon almost as beautiful as he was handsome. Simon had inherited those features from his mother. But his father’s face was interesting the way Clint Eastwood’s was. Shrewd. Tough. Unflinching. Despite their visual differences, father and son had the same powerful personalities, however—the same magnetism and keen intellect. At least that was Gail’s impression.

“I want to see my son,” he said without preamble.

His gaze swept over her, then shifted away as if he found her wanting, which made Gail regret her courtesy in answering his knock. “He’s in the bathroom. If you’d like to come in, he’ll be out shortly.”

She stepped back, half expecting to hear the jingle of spurs as Tex walked in. He’d taken a lot of acting parts over the years, but none fit him better than that of a hardened gunslinger; that, of course, was where he’d gotten his nickname. He’d been called Tex for so long she couldn’t remember his real name. Even now he was wearing a pair of fancy snakeskin cowboy boots and a hat. No doubt he’d come straight from the ranch he owned somewhere farther north.

Was it near the town of Chico? Gail couldn’t remember that, either.

Simon came out of the bathroom, froze as soon as he saw his father, then flipped his hair out of his eyes and ambled toward him. “What a surprise,” he drawled.

Tex acknowledged him with a brief tilt of the head. “Must be, considering you disappeared without letting anyone know where you were going.”

The belligerent attitude that had become synonymous with Simon over the past couple of years reasserted itself. His eyes glittered; his chin jutted forward. The transformation was so marked and immediate it caught Gail off guard. Obviously just seeing his father was enough to drag him into a dark place.

“So…how did you find me?” Simon asked.

“Ian finally got tired of me busting his balls and gave me the information I was after. But he said not to tell you it was him.”

“So of course you out him first thing.”

His father studied him for a second. “I’m not in the business of protecting Ian.”

“No, that would require looking beyond your own concerns. But I’m afraid harassing my business manager was a waste of your time. It would’ve been smarter to call me.”

“Why would I bother?” he said. “You won’t pick up for me.”

Simon shoved a hand through his hair. “Most people would take that as a sign and not show up on my doorstep.”

“Ordinarily, I’d leave you in peace. You’ve made your wishes clear where I’m concerned.” He tipped his hat to punctuate his words. “But this isn’t personal. It’s business. If you weren’t my lead actor, I’d be banging on someone else’s door.”

A muscle flexed in Simon’s cheek. “Your lead actor? What the hell are you talking about?”

With a condescending chuckle, Tex stepped forward. “You don’t know? Man, you really have been in a world of hurt. I’m bankrolling your next film.”

“No. Frank and Jimmy Kozlowski are bankrolling it.”

“Together with a few other investors, and I happen to be one of them.”

Nostrils flaring, Simon clenched his jaw. When he spoke, it sounded like he forced each word through his teeth. “You put up money for Hellion? Your name has never been mentioned in connection with the project.”

Tex gave a careless shrug. “Ian knew when I came on board. I’ve never made a secret of it.”

Gail felt her fingernails curve into her palms. Good old Ian, playing both ends against the middle. What had he been thinking? That Simon would never find out his father was involved?

That wasn’t realistic. He must’ve been hoping the movie would be done by the time Simon learned. That was certainly possible. When there were a number of producers, a group of investors, not all of them had a say in the actual making of the film.

“Why?” Simon asked. “There are so many other projects, so many other actors. Why are you involved in this?”

“Frankly, it was the kind of opportunity I didn’t want to pass up. A script like this doesn’t come around every day. And you couldn’t be more suited to the part.”