From her small town...

...to the dazzling lights of NYC!

In this The Missing Manhattan Heirs story, the first time Leni Long meets investment tycoon Nick Kourakis, she’s dressed as a Christmas elf. Then he gives her the staggering news she might be heir to a fortune! Adopted small-town girl Leni’s completely unprepared for a life of New York luxury, yet Nick’s determined to open her eyes to the possibilities... But will that new life also include him?

SUSAN MEIER is the author of over fifty books for Mills & Boon. The Tycoon’s Secret Daughter was a Romance Writers of America RITA® Award finalist, and Nanny for the Millionaire’s Twins won the Book Buyers’ Best award and was a finalist in the National Readers’ Choice awards. She is married and has three children. One of eleven children herself, she loves to write about the complexity of families and totally believes in the power of love.

Also by Susan Meier

The Spanish Millionaire’s Runaway Bride

The Missing Manhattan Heirs miniseries

Cinderella’s Billion-Dollar Christmas

And look out for the next story

Coming soon

Manhattan Babies miniseries

Carrying the Billionaire’s Baby

A Diamond for the Single Mum

Falling for the Pregnant Heiress

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Cinderella’s Billion-Dollar Christmas

Susan Meier

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09187-9

CINDERELLA’S BILLION-DOLLAR CHRISTMAS

© 2019 Linda Susan Meier

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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For Mikie.

I still miss you every day

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

LENI LONG STARED out the big front window of the Family Diner in Mannington, Kansas, watching snow cover the sparkly gold Christmas bells hanging from the town’s eight streetlights. With the breakfast rush over and the red-and-white-themed diner empty, a hush had fallen over the tiny town.

A black SUV pulled into a parking space a few feet down from the diner. A tall man in a charcoal-gray overcoat exited. His broad shoulders hunched against the snow-laced wind, but there was a strength, a power to the movement. Maybe because of his size. He had to be over six feet and was built like someone who’d spent time in the military. Snow dotted dark hair that had been cut in a sleek, sexy way that sharpened the angles of his handsome face.

A thrill ran through her. Mannington didn’t have any men that gorgeous, that male, and he was heading toward the diner.

She raced behind the counter as his long strides ate up the sidewalk between his SUV and the door. It opened. He stepped inside, turning to close it behind him before he faced her.

His gaze cruised from her candy-cane-print blouse, red apron, short green skirt and red tights to her black patent leather buckle shoes.

Damn it! The first fabulous-looking man to come to Mannington in decades and she was wearing an elf suit.

Oh, well. That was life in a small town. Waitresses dressed like elves. The cook sat outside on the back steps smoking. And her mom, the second waitress for the breakfast shift that morning, hadn’t thought twice about calling to say she wouldn’t be in until after ten. This was one of those mornings she needed to stay with Leni’s dad, making sure he was okay because his head injury from a work accident was now causing small seizures.

Gorgeous Guy peered at the name tag on her blouse. “Leni?”

It wasn’t unusual for an out-of-town customer to read her name tag and call her Leni to be friendly, but something about the way he’d said it hit her funny. As if he were disappointed.

“Yes.” She smiled. “That’s my name.”

He ambled over to the counter. “You’re the only waitress here?”

She grabbed a nearby cloth and ran it along the worn white countertop. “Yes. The other waitress is coming in later.”

“How much later?”

That was a stupid question. Why would he care what time her mom came in? “She’ll be here any minute now.” She laughed. “But really, it’s fine. I can take your order.”

“Okay.” He sat on one of the round red stools at the counter. “I’ll have a cup of coffee.”

“Sure.” She turned to the pot sitting on a two-burner warmer behind her. “And you should know that it might be after ten, but the cook makes breakfast all day.”

“Sorry. I had breakfast.”

Drat. That was her only angle to keep him here. Now he’d drink his cup of coffee and race off—

She frowned. Unless he planned to wait for her mom?

Fears about insurance adjusters and private investigators sent by At Home Construction to spy on her dad raced through her. After two years, the company was arguing his workers’ comp and questioning medical bills because they believed he could perform light-duty tasks and come back on the job.

But if this guy wanted to catch her dad working around the house to prove he was no longer disabled, he wouldn’t come looking for her mother.

Would he?

No. He’d spy on her dad.

Feeling guilty for thinking the handsome stranger was a private detective, she swiped the cloth down the counter again. “Maybe you’d like a cinnamon roll?”

He laughed. “No. Thank you.”

His words were kind, but precise. Leni smiled. He didn’t need food and sometimes customers didn’t want to talk. She would leave to him to his coffee.

She turned to walk away, but he said, “Nice town you have here.”

She faced him again. “Mannington’s okay.”

His dark brows rose. “Only okay?”

Maybe he did want to talk? And maybe a few minutes of personal time with him would stop her from being suspicious? His brown eyes lit with a hint of amusement and this close he was so gorgeous it was fun just looking at him.

No harm in enjoying that.

“No. Mannington’s a great place, but I’ll be moving soon. I just finished my degree and I’m probably going to have to relocate to Topeka to get a job.” She shrugged. “That’s the way it is sometimes. If you want to work, you go to the big city.”

“I’m from New York. My family owns a money management firm. I always knew where I’d be employed. Went through a bit of a rebellious phase, but I think everybody does, and here I am.”

In Mannington, Kansas?

A guy who owned a New York City money management firm was in Mannington, Kansas, where no one had any money?

Her suspicions rose again. But at least they were talking. Maybe with a little good old-fashioned waitress chitchat she could get him to tell her why he was here?

Especially if he was looking for her mom.

Nick Kourakis couldn’t stop staring at the woman behind the counter. He’d been sent by the estate of Mark Hinton to find Elenore Long, probably the waitress who hadn’t yet arrived, and instead he’d run into the most naturally beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

She had an exquisite face, a perfect figure that her goofy elf suit couldn’t hide and big green eyes that shone with humor—

Until he’d asked when the other waitress would be coming in. Then she’d gotten quiet. But now that they were talking about her getting a job, things had perked up again. It didn’t matter what he told her or what she told him. They’d never see each other again. That was the beauty of a conversation with a stranger. It was pointless. Exactly the diversion he needed while he waited for Elenore Long.

“So, you think you’ll be moving to Topeka?”

She shrugged. “Probably.”

He gestured at the candy-cane blouse. “Gonna take the elf suit?”

She laughed. “I doubt they let social workers wear them.”

He loved her laugh. He loved her flowing hair. He loved that a little small talk had brought back her smile. “That’s a tough job.”

“I know.”

“But it should be fairly easy to find work.”

Her smile grew into a grin. “I know that, too.”

“Well, there’s just no fooling you, is there, Leni?”

She smiled again. Her full lips lifting and her green eyes sparkling.

He swore to God his heart turned over in his chest. He’d been single for so long that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this kind of reaction to a woman. Not just an instant connection, but a welcome connection, as if the small talk he thought so pointless was a door to something—

Looking at her beautiful face, big eyes, high cheekbones, perfect nose, and lips just made for kissing, he almost suggested she search for work in New York, but that would be as pointless as a conversation about the weather. Why would he ask a beautiful woman to make such a drastic move for him, when he knew nothing would come of it?

The diner door opened and he turned. A woman in an elf suit just like Leni’s walked in.

The other waitress. Most likely Elenore Long.

His eyes narrowed as he studied her. She was fifty, at least. Her chestnut hair curled around a square face and her eyes were blue. His heiress was the first of three children fathered by Mark Hinton, who’d died two weeks ago at the age of sixty. This woman was too old to be his child, even his firstborn.

He rose from his stool. “You’re the other waitress?”

The woman began unbuttoning her coat. “Yeah.”

“I think he’s been waiting for you, Mom.”

Nick swung to face Leni again. “Mom?”

“That’s my mom. Denise Long, Mr. Owner-of-a-Money-Management-Firm. If you think we got a settlement to invest after my dad’s injury, you’re wrong. We can barely get the insurance company to pay his medical bills.”

He fell to the round red stool again. “I’m not after your dad’s money.” He took a quick breath and caught Leni’s gaze. “Your last name is Long?”

“Yeah.”

Not taking any chances, he said, “And Leni is a nickname for something?”

He waited for confirmation but deep down he already knew the answer.

“Elenore.”

He ran his fingers along his brow. “Elenore Long.” He shook his head. If he hadn’t been so blinded by her bedroom eyes, glorious mane of hair and sexy little body, he probably would have figured that out. “You’re Elenore Long?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Is there someplace private you and I can talk?”

She pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m the person you’re here to see?”

“Yes.”

“Why? I could barely get student loans. I don’t have anything to hand over to a money management firm.”

“Seriously. We have to talk someplace private.” He caught her gaze. “Now.”

Leni had never seen anybody’s mood shift so quickly. He went from cute and flirty to serious in under a second. But that was fine since she was totally confused by him. First, he wanted to talk to her mom. Now he wanted to talk to her?

“The only people in the diner are you, me and my mom. George, the cook, is outside smoking.” She glanced around. “We can just go to one of the booths in the back.”

“Okay.” He pointed to the last booth in the farthest corner. “We’ll sit there.”

He walked behind her until they reached the table. Then he slid onto the bench across from her.

“My name is Nick Kourakis. I work for a money management firm in New York City.”

“So, you said. And I told you my family doesn’t have any money to invest.”

“I know.”

His eyes darkened as he studied her. With all his attention centered on her face, she had to hold back a shudder. She had never seen a man this good-looking. But as she thought that, she noticed that his gray overcoat was stunningly made, and his white shirt and tie looked expensive. As big as he was, he wore both effortlessly, as if he was accustomed to luxury. Maybe even made for it.

She suddenly realized he wasn’t gorgeous so much as he was a combination of the whole package. Expensive clothes. Sparkling clean. Handsome.

And wealthy.

Probably so rich, she couldn’t even fathom the amount of money he had.

“I’m not selling anything. I’m not even here on behalf of the money management firm. I was sent here to retrieve you.”

“Retrieve me?” His sultry brown eyes held her captive, sending warmth swimming through her blood, confusing her, almost hypnotizing her.

“Because I have some exciting news for you.”

“Oh, yeah?” She fought the strange sensations assaulting her with sarcasm. “And what would that be?”

“First, what I have to tell you has to remain confidential.”

Some of her equilibrium returned. “Okay.”

He leaned back on the bench. “Have you ever heard of Mark Hinton?”

More of her confidence came back. Enough to put starch in her spine. “No.”

“He’s a billionaire...or was. We have reason to believe you are one of the people mentioned in his will.”

“Oh...” Her composure took a tumble. Imagining herself getting as much as ten thousand dollars and paying off some of the bills that had accumulated since her dad’s injury, she told her wishful-thinking brain to stop before she got her hopes up. “That’s good. Right?”

“It could potentially be wonderful.”

“Dude, wonderful to me is enough money to pay my dad’s medical bills.”

“It’s more than that.”

New thoughts scrambled around in her brain. Like buying her dad the service dog he needed because of his seizures, and not worrying about the company forcing him back to work.

But as quickly as her good thoughts set up shop, some bad thoughts came tumbling in. Adopted at eight, after a year in foster care when her biological mom gave her up, she’d always believed she was not a lucky person. The way she’d struggled for eight years just to afford her basic bachelor’s degree backed that up. “What’s the catch?”

“Before I say another word, I need your promise that you won’t talk about this with anyone until I tell you that you can.”

A laugh bubbled out. “You want me to take a vow of silence?”

“You are the first of three potential heirs to Mark Hinton’s estate. A huge estate. You can tell your parents, but that’s it. And they have to promise to keep this news to themselves. Frankly, it’s a matter of your personal safety.”

It all seemed to so preposterous that it couldn’t sink in. As good as it would be to be rich, she was much too practical to believe in magic or miracles. It had to be a joke or a mistake.

When she said nothing, he sighed. “Do you have your phone?”

She pulled it out of her apron pocket.

“Search Mark Hinton.”

She did as he said, though she mumbled, “Anybody can put up a fake website.”

But her phone produced eight thousand results for Mark Hinton. Her gaze leaped to Nick’s. “What is this?”

“Information on his life.” He paused for a second before he added, “I was sent here by the law firm handling your dad’s estate. The attorney in charge is stuck in court today. He’s a friend of mine, and my family’s firm manages your father’s fortune, so I was picked to come in his place.”

She barely heard anything after he said “your dad’s estate.” Her breath stumbled. “My dad’s?”

She struggled to take it all in. Her biological mom hadn’t told her anything about her father. She would always say he wasn’t important, and they didn’t need him. At seven, she’d known that wasn’t true when her mom couldn’t afford to keep her anymore.

“According to the estate lawyer, the paper trail says Mark Hinton is your father,” Nick said. “But they’ll be getting DNA.”

She leaned back in disappointment and disbelief, her voice dull when she said, “My biological father was rich.”

“One of the first multibillionaires.” Nick shifted. “If you let this get out before the estate has a chance to protect you, you will be mobbed by people who want money. You’ll be a target for scam artists and kidnappers. I came here not merely to tell you, but to take you to New York so the lawyer can make the process of vetting you easier for you.”

Something Leni couldn’t define or describe fluttered through her, tightening her chest, making her head spin. She looked at the eight thousand results to her search and saw the words billionaire, reclusive, oil and gas prodigy and missing heirs.

Her heart stopped then burst to life again with such a frantic beat she thought she’d faint. This would be more than enough money to care for her dad.

“You think this guy is my father and I’m one of these heirs?”

“The estate lawyer is fairly certain you’re one of the heirs. He says the paper trail is solid. But they’ll do a DNA test to confirm it.”

Her voice came out as a squeak as she said, “Okay.”

“For confidentiality purposes and for your safety, you have to go to New York now.” He paused long enough to catch her gaze. “Will you come with me?”

Ten minutes ago, that offer probably would have scrambled her pulse. Now? The happy, flirty guy was gone. A businessman had replaced him.

She almost missed the flirty guy. But her brain had been captured by the idea that she might be wealthy enough that her parents would no longer have to worry about money.

Still, she wasn’t going to New York with a man she didn’t know, based solely on his word. “Give me a day?”

“The plan was to leave as soon as we told you.”

She shook her head. “I want a day. Twenty-four hours to explain all this to my parents and to check you out.”

“I can provide you with references—”

“No thanks. I’ll find what I need on my own.” She’d check every dark and moldy corner of the internet if she had to, to make sure he was for real.

There was no way she’d leave for New York with a stranger. And no way she’d get her parents’ hopes up for nothing.

CHAPTER TWO

NICK KOURAKIS LEFT the diner, a mix of disappointment and confusion slowing his steps. He should have been focused on the fact that this unexpected trip was a chance to convince Leni Long to keep her dad’s money with his money management firm. But Danny Manelli, attorney for the estate, didn’t want him making a pitch to her. A clause in the will could give the estate trouble, and Nick could make it worse by talking about money before Danny could properly explain the clause to Leni.

Now that he had given her the basics that would get her to New York to start the process of vetting her, Nick wasn’t supposed to talk about anything except the weather and football. Two things Danny was sure wouldn’t accidentally tip them into talking about the estate.

That was good, sound logic. And normally Nick would be totally onboard with it. Instead, he was gobsmacked. Leni Long was the first woman he’d been overwhelmingly attracted to in a decade. But it was more than that. Something about her clicked with him. And that was so odd he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Telling himself that was absurd, he walked down the sidewalk and jumped into the passenger seat of the SUV.

Behind the steering wheel, Jace MacDonald, owner of Around the World Security, said, “Where’s the girl?”

“She wants a day to investigate us.”

Jace shook his head, then shifted to face Nick, the gun beneath his black leather jacket visible when he turned. “It’s going to be difficult to keep an eye on her here. Even for twenty-four hours.” He motioned outside. “Not only are the houses and businesses spaced in such a way that an extra person sticks out like a sore thumb, but so do cars. You should have seen the people sniffing around the SUV while you were in the diner. A strange vehicle parked on a street where everybody knows everybody else’s car? That’s like a neon sign.”

“I don’t care. You heard what Danny said. That woman is worth more money than the gross national products of several small countries combined. If the wrong people find out, she’ll be a target.”

“Yeah, of banks that want to compete for her business.” Jace snickered. “You do realize Danny’s keeping you from an excellent opportunity to convince her to keep her share of the estate with you?”

Nick peeked at him. “You’re not allowed to pitch your company either.”

Jace raised his hands in disgust. “Got the same sermon you did.”

“Then you know the problem with the will. After a few charitable bequests, Mark divides the remainder of his estate between his first child and any subsequent heirs. A good lawyer could argue that that gives Mark’s first child half, with the other half split between the other two kids. Danny wants to be the one to explain it to Elenore.”

Jace sniffed. “How the hell can pitching our companies’ services affect that stupid clause?”

“He just wants to be sure we don’t accidentally say something we shouldn’t.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Jace growled.

Nick totally understood his frustration, but he didn’t want to do anything that could make trouble for Danny. “Look, you knew Mark. He was a good guy. Nine chances out of ten, he wanted that estate distributed equally among his heirs. I’m sure Danny has a plan to get all three of Mark’s kids on board with that. That’s why he doesn’t want us talking to her. Muddying the waters.”

“Right.” Jace pulled the gear shift out of Park and headed toward the interstate. “There isn’t a hotel or even a bed and breakfast in this town. I’ll drive you up the highway until we find one, then I have to get back here to figure out a way to hide myself and this boat of an SUV we rented so I can watch her tonight.”

Nick winced. “Sorry. I couldn’t talk her into leaving today.”

“Not to worry. I’ll deal with it. How are you going to handle the fact that she wanted time to check you out?” He laughed. “What’s she going to find when she does a search on you?”

Nick faced the window. “Nothing.”

“You’re sure? The guy they call the New Wolf of Wall Street doesn’t have a skeleton?”

Nick said, “No skeleton,” but he lied. He’d talked his only brother into going out on a night when the roads were icy. A former Navy SEAL, he counted on himself to be one of the best drivers in unusual situations. But a combination of icy roads and other cars had bested him that night, and his only sibling had been killed.

But that was five years ago, and he didn’t think the story even popped up in internet searches anymore.

“Come on. Nobody meets a guy like Hinton without a story.”

“I did.”

That part was true. He’d met Mark Hinton in Dubai. They’d gambled. They’d skydived. They’d talked money. Especially investment strategy. In Nick’s world, there was nothing special about any of that. After Mark decided to trust Kourakis Money Management with most of his fortune, they’d had meetings on his yachts or while fishing in the Florida Keys. They drank tequila, talked about his financial goals and even about the kids who were now Mark’s heirs. Though never while Mark was sober. Powerful men didn’t admit weakness or failures without a nudge. Mark’s nudge was alcohol. With enough tequila, Mark would talk about his kids—without mentioning their names—and Nick would nurse his regret and sorrow over his brother’s death. That was why Mark was comfortable with Nick. Even with a thirty-year age difference, they understood each other. Understood mistakes. Understood regret.

Even now, it trickled from his subconscious to the front of his brain. He’d been too confident, cocky even. His brother hadn’t wanted to go out that night. His parents hadn’t wanted them to go. But he’d been so sure—

He was always so sure.

After Joe’s death, he’d had to stop jet-setting, return to New York and take over the family business.

But he was still the same guy deep down inside. Instead of taking risks on the slopes or in the sky, he played with money.

And no one beat him.

Ever.

He’d gotten so good at what he did that he liked it. Until he recalled the reason why he was the “New Wolf.” Even now, the grief of losing his brother sent guilt oozing through him.

He didn’t understand what had happened to him in that diner that he’d forgotten Joe, forgotten his guilt and laughed with someone he barely knew. But when they returned to New York, he’d be focused again, diligent. If he was going to lose even part of the Hinton money when the estate was settled and one or two of the heirs decided to hire new money management, he’d have to find big investors to replace it.

He would not let his parents down twice.

Leni’s mom only worked until two o’clock, but Leni’s shift didn’t end until three. Having evaded her questions about Nick Kourakis, taking Nick’s warnings seriously about the complications of people finding out she might be an heiress, Leni raced home and found her parents in the kitchen.

“Hey.”

Sitting at the center island, her dad looked up from his newspaper.

Her mom glanced over from the stove. “Hey. Finally going to tell us what the guy in the overcoat wanted?”

Leni forced a smile. Denise and Jake Long had adopted her when she was in the gangly stage for a little girl. No longer an adorable infant or cute toddler, with a bit of a history of being difficult at school, most potential parents overlooked her. The Longs had given her a home, made her their daughter. Now she didn’t merely know she had a biological mom out there somewhere who had given her up; she might have had a rich dad who hadn’t wanted her at all.

Once again, she thanked God for her adoptive parents.

She took a seat beside her dad. “First, what I’m about to say is a secret. So, you can’t tell anybody.”

Her mom said, “Okay,” as her dad nodded.

“The guy in the overcoat was Nick Kourakis. He owns a management firm in New York, and he told me that I might have inherited some money.”

Her dad’s weathered face brightened. A lifelong construction worker, he had wrinkles around his eyes that appeared when he smiled. “Well, that’s great!”

Her mother gasped and walked over from the stove to hug Leni. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not assured. I have to go to New York. There will also be a DNA test to confirm my identity. Honestly, I won’t quite believe all this is true until DNA says I’m an heir. So, our not mentioning this to anybody protects me from embarrassing myself if it doesn’t pan out.”

Part of her almost wished it wouldn’t. If her biological father had been a struggling factory worker, she could have understood him not being able to take responsibility for her, but a guy who was rich and not paying child support, forcing her mom to give her up when she got sick? When it was a decision between the medicine she needed and feeding her child?

It was demeaning, insulting, infuriating.

She’d have to deal with that if Mark Hinton really was her biological father. Those feelings would all go away if he wasn’t.

Her dad leaned back in his chair. “It’s always good not to get your hopes up, Kitten. But maybe this family’s due for some good luck?”

And that was the catch. Part of her would like to tell Nick Kourakis to take her biological dad’s money and shove it. She was educated now. She had a career path. She would be fine.

But her parents wouldn’t.

They’d never ask her for a dime, but she wouldn’t make them ask. If she’d inherited enough money to care for her dad, she wanted it.

“Okay.” She slid off her chair. “I’m going upstairs to do some investigating into everything. I’m not getting on a plane with a guy I don’t know.”

Her dad smiled. “That’s smart, my girl.”

The simple comment hit her right in the heart. She was his girl. His girl. Not the child of some sperm donor who’d never even checked to see if she was okay.

That was not a father.

Almost twenty-four hours from when Leni had met him, Nick Kourakis and a man she didn’t recognize pulled into the driveway of the Long residence in the big, black SUV. Nick had looked up her parents’ home phone number and called her the night before to say they’d be leaving at ten o’clock. He’d given her time to research him and his firm, to talk to her parents and to pack for a couple weeks in Manhattan, but that was it. They needed to get her safely to New York.

Her breath frosty in the cold, last-day-of-November air, she hugged and kissed her short, curly-haired mom and balding dad, saying goodbye at the front door of their house, her conflicted feelings about Mark Hinton dogging her.

Nick handed Danny Manelli’s business card to her parents, telling them that he was the lawyer in charge of the estate and if they had any questions, they could call him. Then he introduced her to Jace MacDonald, the guy in the black leather jacket who directed her to the back seat of the SUV. Nick got in beside her.

She frowned at the empty passenger’s seat in the front.

“Jace owns Around the World Security. He’ll be your bodyguard while you’re in New York.”

She gaped at Nick. “Bodyguard?”

Jace caught her gaze in the rearview mirror. “Trust me. If you’re worth billions, you’ll need one.”

She huffed out a breath. “Billions?”

Nick laughed. “Yes. Mark Hinton had billions. With an s. Plural. As in many billions.”

“I know. I researched him last night, too. It’s just so hard to believe.”

She shook her head and looked out the window. The guy had billions and he had left her mom so broke she’d had to put Leni into foster care.

The insult of it stiffened her spine.

Jace made a few turns and they headed north. Twenty minutes later, he pulled the SUV onto a private airstrip. When they drove up to a sleek red and silver jet, she gasped. “Holy cow.”

Nick laughed. “That plane is nothing. I’m just a simple billionaire.”

She knew that, too. She’d spent forty minutes the night before reading about how successful the investment arm of his family’s money management firm was. What she hadn’t expected was that they’d be riding in his plane. Not when her biological father was supposed to have so much money.

Something about that just seemed off.

She faced Nick again. “This plane is yours?”

“Yes.”

He glanced over, catching her gaze, and her breath shivered.

Damn it. Now was not the time to be feeling that stupid attraction she had to him. Not only did he seem to be in charge of her, but she was too confused about her potential biological dad to add an attraction into the mix. Plus, there was something wrong with Nick using his own plane to get her. This was not the man to be attracted to.

Jace exited the SUV and came around to her door to open it. She climbed out at the same time Nick did.

Nick led her to the small stack of stairs and into the jet. She had to hold back a gasp when she stepped inside. Three small groupings of white leather seats were arranged around the large cabin. The little windows had elegant gray shades. A silver and black bar sat discreetly in a back corner. A rich red carpet covered the floor.

She took a slow, measured breath. She could not be a country bumpkin about this. She had to stay sharp.

Pretending a calm she didn’t feel, she stopped by the first group of seats and slid out of her worn leather jacket.

Behind her, Nick said, “The flight’s about three hours. Then, because we use an airstrip outside the city, we’ll have about an hour-and-a-half limo ride.”

“Limo ride?” She swallowed, picturing her blue-collar self, in her ancient leather jacket and worn jeans, getting into a limo.

He took her coat and handed it to the flight attendant who scurried to the back of the jet with it.

“Don’t worry. You’ll acclimate. After a day or two in New York, you’ll realize a limo’s the easiest way to get around the city. Just like this jet is the most comfortable way to get from place to place.”

He motioned to the rear of the cabin. “The first room you walk into back there is a kitchen. If you want a snack you just ask Marie, but she’ll be serving lunch at noon. So, a snack might not be a good idea. Beyond that is an office-slash-den, complete with a pullout bed. Jace will probably go back there once we take off.” He winced. “He stayed up most of the night keeping an eye on your house. He’ll need the nap.”

“He stayed up all night?”

“That’s his job, remember?”

She did. She simply hadn’t connected him being a bodyguard to him sitting in his SUV all night watching her house.

“You’ll get used to it. For now, settle in. Get accustomed to the convenience that’s your new lifestyle.”

She couldn’t fathom riding in a limo let alone owning a jet. “If I’m an heir.”

“The lawyer for the estate all but said your DNA test is only a formality.” He pointed to the rear of the plane. “I have some work to do, so I’ll be back there if there’s anything you need.”

He turned to leave but she said, “Why are we in your jet instead of one of my dad’s?”

Nick faced her again. “What?”

“Why are we using your jet instead of one of Mark Hinton’s?”

“We’re not using one of Mark’s jets because we’re not using anything belonging to Hinton Holdings.”

“Why?”

He sighed. “We don’t want to alert anyone that we might have found an heir before we confirm you.”

“Because?”

This time he pulled in a long breath, obviously losing patience with her questions. “This estate is worth so much money that everyone in the world is curious about who you are. Danny devised a plan to find the heirs and keep you safe. Not using estate property is part of it. If we start using jets or houses and cars, people will know something is up and begin snooping. The longer we can keep the press and curiosity seekers at bay, the better.”

She held the gaze of his dark eyes for a second, then she shook her head. She didn’t think he was lying. But she did know he hadn’t told her everything. Until her DNA results were back, she probably didn’t have the right to push him. But she would watch him, pay attention to every word he said, because there was definitely something going on with him.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he headed to the seat in the back of the plane. He didn’t mind her questions. They were generic enough that he could answer them. It was her nearness that threw him for a loop. He was smarter than this, more in control. His whole body shouldn’t buzz just because they were standing close.

He reached the plush leather seat, but before he sat, he realized he’d forgotten his briefcase. He returned to the front and opened the overhead bin above the seat Leni had chosen.

She glanced up at him, her thick lashes blinking over her sultry green eyes, her long brown hair sort of floating around her.

“Forgot my briefcase,” he explained, trying not to stumble over his words. “I kept it on the plane, thinking we’d be leaving yesterday.”

She smiled in acknowledgment and his heart went from pitter-patter to a drum solo in one breath.

Stifling a groan, he headed to the rear of the cabin again, eager to return to New York to lose these crazy feelings he had around her. Part of it had to be surprise over how pretty she was. Mark Hinton wasn’t even a five on a scale of one to ten, but apparently Leni’s mother had been a twelve.

The other part was just plain attraction. Serious lust. Something biological that sprang up before he could control it.

So, it was wrong.

Had to be.

He didn’t get out-of-control feelings and he sure as hell never let emotions rule him.

A movement in the front caught his attention and he peeked up to see Leni get out of her seat to put her purse in the overhead bin. Her head fell back as she reached up, sending all that thick, shiny hair bouncing.

This time he allowed himself an internal groan.

This was crazy.

For the first time since Danny had laid down the rules for Nick’s trip to retrieve Leni, he was glad he’d been ordered to keep his distance from her. Because whatever he was feeling, he didn’t want it. He had priorities, a company to run, parents to keep happy. He couldn’t afford the weakness of a hellishly strong attraction.

He put his head down and went to work and didn’t look up until hours later when the jet began to descend. Choosing not to go up to the overhead bin again, he secured his briefcase under his seat, fastened his seat belt and waited for the jet to slide onto the ground, relieved that he only had a little over an hour more in her company. He would leave her with Danny and never look back.

CHAPTER THREE

GIVEN THE TIME difference between Kansas and New York, it was almost three o’clock when they landed in New York. Leni had eaten a fabulous lunch, served by Marie, prepared by a chef hiding somewhere in the back. Leni hadn’t seen her luggage since climbing into the SUV in Mannington, but she suspected someone had handled it. Nick had said to settle in and get comfortable with luxury...but, come on. A chef who had flown from New York to Mannington and from Mannington back to New York, just to make lunch? On a jet? For her?

It boggled the mind.

They boarded a limo and headed for the city, Leni feeling totally out of place in her worn jacket and jeans. Though Christmas decorations in shop windows, on streetlights and clinging to parking meters gave the area a familiar feel, she had never seen so many buildings in such a small place.

But she didn’t mention it. She didn’t want to be attracted to Nick or to mistrust him. But, unfortunately, she felt both things, and mistrust trumped attraction. She wouldn’t say anything around him that she didn’t have to.

When they pulled up to a building so tall that she couldn’t see the top of it, Nick said, “Our first appointment... Your lawyer.”

“My lawyer?”

“The lawyer for the estate.”

She gasped. “I’m in jeans! You should have told me I’d be meeting him this afternoon. I thought I was only flying here today!”

“You’re fine. You’re a blue-collar woman who’s just been told she might be a billionaire. You don’t have to put on airs.”

“Lucky thing, since I hadn’t given a thought to trying that.”

The driver opened the back door. Nick climbed out first and extended his hand to help her exit the limo.

Light snow fell around him, and he pulled her out into it. The shiny white flakes collecting on his dark hair reminded her of seeing him getting out of the SUV and walking to the diner, huddled against the falling snow. All the feelings from the day before came tumbling back. Her attraction. Their small talk. Laughing together.

Close enough to kiss him, she fought the magnetic pull that tried to lure her in, but it was her mistrust that fluttered away. Before she’d known who he was, she’d told Nick about needing to move to Topeka and he’d told her that his family owned a money management firm and he’d had a rebellious streak.

They’d formed a connection and she felt it again, as clearly as if they were still in the diner.

She stepped back, trying to get rid of it and the fears that rushed at her when she realized where she was and why. It didn’t work. All her worries tumbled out, even as the sense of connection to Nick held on.

“All I can think about is being embarrassed or scared when it’s announced that I’m an heir. Doing something stupid, making a fool of myself—”

He stopped her by putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. “You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. And as for being scared, from the couple of hours I’ve known you, I can tell you’re strong. You can do this.”

His dark eyes had sharpened with a strength that sent a shot of attraction from her chest to her toes. This was the Nick she’d made a connection with. The nice guy. The guy she’d liked.

She had to swallow before she could say, “Okay.”

He took her elbow and directed her toward the building. She swore heat from his touch seeped through her worn leather jacket and to her skin. She didn’t know what it was about him that seemed to draw her in, but whatever it was, it was powerful.

A tiny part of her whispered that her feelings were right. That she could trust him. That she should trust him.

She really wanted to believe that, especially walking up to a building with so many floors jutting up to the sky she couldn’t count them, fancy pillars carved into the exterior walls and a sophisticated medallion resting over the entry like a royal crest.

When they reached the revolving door, her knees wobbled and she was grateful for Nick’s hand at her elbow. He released her when they stepped into a lobby with marble floors and red and white poinsettias scattered about. No plastic wreaths. No gaudy ornaments. No blinking lights. Just tasteful flowers. And twenty or thirty people dressed as sophisticatedly as Nick.

Her thoughts scrambled again. He only touched her when she needed help, barely spoke, had ignored her on the plane. He might be the guy from the diner, but he wasn’t always nice. He had a job to do—get her to New York—and he was doing it.

She had to stop imagining good things about him.

They walked past a bank of elevators to another row hidden around a corner. These elevators had keypads and Nick had to punch in a series of numbers on the third one for the doors to open.

A man in a power suit came out of the second elevator, followed by a woman in a pencil skirt and silky blouse, visible because her fancy wool coat was unbuttoned. Like people on a mission, they bounded around the corner and off to parts unknown.

She sucked in a long breath, straightened her old jacket and smoothed her hand along the high collar of her turtleneck, hoping it looked newer than it was. Because, man, she was seriously underdressed.

When they stepped out of the elevator into an office, she didn’t just think it. She knew it. A wall of glass behind the desk displayed a view of Manhattan that made her breath stutter. The buildings looked close enough to touch. And with so much glass surrounding the room she felt like she was walking on air.

A short, slender woman opened the door on the far left and peeked inside. “Hey, Nick. Could you come into my office for a second?”

Nick glanced at Leni and she forced a smile. “I’m fine. Maybe I’ll go over to the window and try to see inside the office across the street.”

Nick stifled a laugh, but just barely. Leni had to be the most naturally funny, most open person he’d ever met. He couldn’t help comforting her when she’d admitted how afraid she was, but he’d kept his solace short and simple. Because in another ten minutes, he’d be back on that elevator, heading for his own office. His favor for his friend completed. His sanity restored.

He followed Danny’s assistant, Mary Catherine, into her office. She pointed at the phone on her desk. “I have Mr. Manelli on the line.”

Confusion stopped him where he was. “On the line? He was supposed to be here waiting for us.”

She skirted her desk and headed for the hallway. “Why don’t you let him explain?”

When she was gone, Nick picked up the receiver of the desk phone and said, “Where the hell are you?”

“Stuck in court. Remember the trial I told you I would be getting a continuance on? The reason I needed you to be the one to retrieve Elenore Long instead of me? Well, the judge didn’t go for the continuance. I’m stuck here.”

“Stuck there?”

“The judge thinks there’s no reason to postpone a trial that won’t last more than a few days. It’s corporate stuff. Everybody’s prepared to the max. It will take a day or two to get through it.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because we can’t let Elenore Long sit alone in a hotel room this afternoon, tonight and all day tomorrow.”

“Danny, I agreed to do this favor for you mostly because Mark was my friend and I knew how he felt about his kids’ safety. But that was it.”

“That was all I needed when I called you on Saturday, but through no fault of mine, things changed. That’s life. You remember life? If something can go wrong, it usually does.”

Understanding that a little better than Danny knew, Nick blew his breath out on a frustrated sigh. “What about Jace? He’s the bodyguard. He should be with her. Not me.”

“Jace had an emergency come up. He and most of his men are on their way to El Salvador.”

He gaped at the phone. “El Salvador!”

“Yep. So, we’re down to you. You know all the information about the identity of the heirs and potential heirs has to be kept as quiet as possible. The fewer people who know, the less chance someone will accidentally slip a name to their wife or girlfriend. Besides, you’re the most closed-mouthed person I know.”

“I’m not a bodyguard!”

“You don’t need to be. As long as no one knows who she is, she’s just another New York tourist.”

“And what the hell do I do with her for the next day...or two?”

Danny’s voice lifted with hope. “Anything you want. New York’s a big city. As long as you stay away from talking about the estate, you could very easily entertain her for a week.”

“A week!”

“Tops. I swear.”

Nick squeezed his eyes shut. “You owe me.”

“Big time,” Danny agreed.

As his friend gave him the name of the hotel he’d booked for Leni, Nick looked through the glass separating Mary Catherine’s office and Danny’s. Leni stood by the wall of windows staring at the Manhattan skyline, obviously a fish out of water.

And she’d already admitted to being afraid.

He passed his hand down his face. The part of him that wanted to help her was the part he wanted to squelch, destroy, kick so far out of town he wouldn’t even think about being attracted to her anymore. He’d planned on doing the eviction tonight with a bottle of scotch and four hours of work. Danny and Jace weren’t the only ones with commitments.

Danny sighed. “Look, get her settled in the hotel and take her for a nice dinner.”

Nick blew his breath out in exasperation. “I’m serious about this costing you one big, fat favor.”

Danny laughed. “Why? Does she look like Mark?”

“No, I’m guessing she got the cocktail waitress’s genes.”

Danny guffawed. “That good, huh?”

Nick gazed longingly at Leni again. “Better.”

“Okay. I’ve got to go. The judge is back from recess. And I swear I will end this trial as quickly as possible.”

As Danny hung up, Nick took a long, slow breath. He didn’t want to spend any more time with a woman he was already attracted to. Work was his life now. Besides, she was way too nice for him. Innocent. Sweet. He wasn’t any of those. Still, he was helping Danny because Mark had been his friend. He resisted women all the time. This one would be no different.

He walked into Danny’s office and straight to the private elevator. “Let’s go.”

Leni scrambled after him. “Where?”

“The lawyer is stuck in a trial. I’m taking you to your hotel and then to dinner.”

They stepped into the elevator. “I can’t go to dinner with you.”

He peered at her. “You’re ditching me?”

“No. I’m just not going out with someone dressed like you,” she said, pointing at his black suit and charcoal-gray overcoat. “When I look like this.” She motioned down the front of her jacket.

“We can buy you a dress before we go to the hotel. In fact, we can get you anything you want. There’s a slush fund for vetting potential heirs. It’s there to get you anything you need while you’re in the city.”

She gaped at him. “I’m not letting you buy me clothes.” Though she almost wished she could. Her old jeans and jacket firmly announced her as someone not from Manhattan. Which made her stick out in the crowd milling about in the building lobby. The people who’d seen her walking out of the private elevator for a lawyer’s office probably thought she was a petty thief.

“I can’t pay you back if I’m not an heir.”

“I told you, there’s a slush fund. You’re in New York at the estate’s request. While you’re here it’s our responsibility to get you anything and everything you need. No paybacks. It’s part of the process. We’ll be putting the exact same amount of money into slush accounts for all potential heirs.”

“You might have to pay for the hotel and the limo, but you’re not buying me clothes.”

A muscle in his jaw jumped as he motioned to the revolving door. “Fine.”

She could see she’d aggravated him, but she didn’t care. She walked through the door, out into the snow and into the limo again. They took a short ride and exited the limo onto the busiest street Leni had ever seen. The jumbotron, lights and videos were the familiar backdrop of an early morning news show.

She reverently whispered. “Times Square.”

Nick pointed to the right. “Your hotel is this way.”

The only hotel she saw to the right was way down the street. She glanced back at the limo. “We’re walking?”

“Traffic was backed up at the hotel entry. It’s not far.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“You want to get back into the limo and wait out the line?”

Not really. Cool air massaged her warm face. The noise of Times Square and the crowded street took her attention away from Mark Hinton and money and the handsome guy walking with her who seemed to have gone from annoyed to angry. No sense poking the bear.

“Yeah. Walking’s good.” Shoving her hands into her jacket pockets, she peered around again. “I like seeing everything.”

He pointed across the street. “My office is in that building there.”

Gray brick with black slate accents. Long, thin windows. A doorman.

“Wow.” She fought the question that automatically rose as she shuffled along beside him, but it bubbled out anyway. “What’s it like to work here?” She gestured around her. “In all of this noise and people?”

“Our windows are soundproof.”

She laughed. “Seriously? You know what I mean. You saw where I live. There are about fifteen hundred people in our entire town, and I’ll bet there are three thousand on this street with us now. You can’t know everybody. How do you decide who to trust?”

He peeked at her. “Reputation.”

She skipped twice to catch up with his long strides. “Reputation? If you don’t know someone, how do you know their reputation?”

He shrugged. “I always know somebody who knows somebody who knows them. And, if they are high enough in a corporate structure, there will be things written about them.”

“Written about them?”

“In professional journals, but I do search the internet sometimes to find out things about them.”

“Did you research me?”

He gave her the side-eye. “That was Danny’s job.”

“This Danny—the lawyer—is pretty important?”

“His firm is handling the Hinton estate. He’s the boss. Any mistakes are on him.”

Things began to fall in to place for Leni. Nick never lied to her, but she was beginning to understand why getting a complete answer out of him was close to impossible. She was the problem.

“Like mistakes you make with me?”

He stopped walking and studied her for a few seconds before he said, “Yes.”

That ill-timed thrill ran through her again, and she knew why he’d stopped walking, why he was still looking at her. Their initial conversation at the diner had been flirty and fun and she wasn’t a thirteen-year-old girl wondering in the boy next door liked her. She knew the signs. But he’d had to squelch those feelings. Because of the estate? Because of not wanting to make mistakes?

“You aren’t allowed to get too chummy with me, are you?”

“No.”

“And the reason you keep acting all stuffy is because we sort of already did make friends in the diner?”

“Yes. And that’s wrong.” He shook his head. “You’re funny and you have a warmth about you that’s very appealing. But there are things in my life that prevent me from even considering a relationship, and you could potentially be inheriting tons of money which will completely change your life. You shouldn’t want to get involved with me any more than I want to get involved with you. Which means we shouldn’t even try to get to know each other.”

She’d thought the same thing herself. Except her thinking had run along the lines of not being able to trust him. And hadn’t she already figured out he had secrets? Though, it did intrigue her that he’d admit there were things in his life that prevented him from even considering a relationship. That had to mean there was more to his backing off than keeping his professional distance. Which was good to know. A woman who had been a little girl in foster care, wishing her next set of parents would love her enough to adopt her, didn’t need to be wondering why he ran hot and cold with her or why he sometimes downright ignored her. Insecurities like that ran deep and popped up when she least expected, but his explanation tamed them.

She was glad she’d asked. Knowing would keep her from worrying every time he clammed up or ignored her. “Okay.”

A laugh burst from him. “Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. See how easy that was? You told me the whole story and now I understand all the weird things you’ve done since you realized who I was.”

“I didn’t do any weird things.”

She raised her left eyebrow as she gave him an “Oh, really?” expression.

“Name one.”

“Well, when we met, you talked a lot. Once you found out I was the person you were looking for, you barely said anything. In the diner, you were also kind of funny.”

He laughed again. “I was funny?”

“Not hysterical but...” She shrugged. “You know. Silly?”

“My parents would not believe you if you told them that.” He turned and started walking again.

She raced to catch up with him. “Which means I have to tell them. If only because they’ll get a chuckle out of it.”

“You’ll probably never meet them.”

She sighed. He was back to being careful again. She understood, but if they were stuck together for the rest of the day and he didn’t talk, their time together would be insufferably boring.

“Are we really going out for dinner tonight?”

“Yes. One thing about New York City, there are a million wonderful restaurants I can take you to.”

She glanced down at her worn jeans. She did have one dress packed. She’d planned on using it for the meeting with the lawyer, though. “Just don’t get too fancy.”

“Maybe we should go look for a dress?”

“I don’t take charity.”

“There’s an entire slush fund at your disposal. That’s not charity.”

“You see things your way. I see them mine.”

“Look, the bottom line is I don’t want any attention being called to you. Neither does Danny. Dressing to fit in is a good idea.” He pointed ahead of them. “There’s a shop a few blocks down. It’s where I get my mom’s Christmas and birthday gifts. I’m going to have Danny set up an account for you. That way, after tonight, if you feel like you want a dress or shoes or something, you can get what you want or what you feel you need while you’re here. No pressure.”

“You want me to shop where you get your mom’s clothes?” She laughed. “No thanks.”

He sighed. “It’s a nice place. It’s got things for younger people, too.”

“If you expect me to shop there, it better.”

“It does.”

She quelled the flutter in her stomach. She longed to look like the woman wearing the pencil skirt and silky blouse...but she also didn’t have any money. Didn’t have anywhere to wear something like that when she got home. Buying pretty things would be a waste. A waste of the money of a man who had hurt her. Money she didn’t want—except to help her dad. She was only here on the chance she was an heir and she could help her parents. They were the ones who’d plucked her out of the system and saved her. She didn’t need fancy clothes. Especially if she wasn’t an heir.

“But don’t get your hopes up. I’m not going shopping.”

“You never know.”

“I know.”

“No. You don’t.”

She shook her head. For a guy who wasn’t supposed to talk to her, he never seemed to let her get the last word.

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