“So you understand why I need a woman?” Trace asked Chloe casually.
What. The. Fuck?
Gabe had entered the middle of the conversation, but he knew it couldn’t be good.
“Chloe isn’t available,” Gabe growled.
“He wasn’t trying to recruit me,” Chloe said with a smile.
“On the contrary,” Trace answered smoothly. “I would if you were willing.”
“She’s not,” Gabe answered roughly. When in the hell did Trace get so damn charming? It was actually pretty damn nauseating, but Chloe seemed to genuinely like his cousin.
“You’d be perfect,” Trace answered charmingly.
If that bastard doesn’t quit smiling at her, I’m going over the table for him! I’ll give him five seconds to back off her.
One…Two…Three…
“He needs a fiancée,” Chloe told Gabe, turning her smile to him.
Four…and fucking Five!!
“Touch Chloe and I’ll kill you,” Gabe told his cousin in a dangerously feral voice. He was finally losing his patience, and he wasn’t letting anyone take his woman. Trace could find his own female, and it wouldn’t be Chloe.
Chloe gaped at Gabe, and then finally turned back to Trace. “I love my job here, but thanks. If I think of anybody who can help you out, I’ll let you know. I hate to think about you going it alone.”
“Thank you,” Trace told her politely as he went back to his meal.
While he was relieved that Trace had moved back from Chloe, Gabe still wanted to fly over the table at his cousin and strangle him. What the hell did he need a woman for? He had women literally throwing themselves at him. He was rich, supposedly handsome, and he was usually immaculately dressed in a custom suit, wearing the mantle of a billionaire much better than Gabe did.
“Trace was just telling me that he needed to hire a fake fiancée for the holidays,” Chloe told Gabe casually.
“Fake?” Gabe asked, confusion permeating his jealousy.
“He needs someone to play the part because he doesn’t want to deal with his ex. It was an honest job offer.” Chloe emphasized the last part of her comment. “If I knew someone, I’d tell him. I wish Ellie was here…”
Gabe’s anger fled as he heard the pain in Chloe’s voice. There was still no sign of her best friend, and Gabe knew that wasn’t good. More than likely, she was dead, the chances of finding her alive after all these months pretty damn slim.
“Any news on her?” Gabe asked quietly.
“None,” Chloe answered with a shake of her head.
“The woman who disappeared?” Trace asked curiously. “I saw the information in the paper quite some time ago. You knew her?”
“She’s my best friend,” Chloe confirmed sadly.
Trace shot Gabe a questioning look, and he knew what his cousin was thinking. The same thing he was thinking: that the outcome of the case was probably going to end in tragedy.
Gabe shook his head discreetly at his cousin to discourage any more discussion. Chloe had already been through so much. The last thing she needed was for the police to find her best friend’s body dumped in the woods somewhere.
“Doctor Colter?” The questioning male voice came from the entry of the dining room.
Gabe’s head turned to see his general manager, Calvin, standing at the doorway of the room, looking anxious.
“Yes. What’s wrong, Cal?” Chloe asked as she rose from her chair.
“We got a mare that injured herself on the fence. Her leg is cut,” Cal told Chloe, sounding apologetic for interrupting her meal.
“Work calls,” Chloe said hastily, moving quickly toward Cal.
“I’ll go with you.” Gabe started to rise from his chair.
“You stay here,” she demanded. “Trace is only here until later tonight. It’s a simple suture job, right?” She looked at Cal.
“Looks like it,” the manager answered affirmatively.
“I’ll be back when I’m done.” Chloe gave Gabe a stern look. “No need to interrupt your visit with your cousin. I’ll see you soon.”
Gabe watched as Chloe hurried out of the room with Cal, already asking for details about how the mare was injured and where the cut was located.
“She’s pretty, smart, and nice,” Trace observed. “You’ve got it bad for her.”
Gabe wanted to argue, but he couldn’t. “I suppose I do.” He was tired of fighting his attraction to Chloe. Every day, it was a little bit harder…literally and figuratively. Every day, he found one more thing about her to like. Every day, Gabe tried to convince himself that he couldn’t have her. It was getting old quick, and his reasons for not pursuing her were becoming less and less important.
Trace shrugged. “What’s the problem? I think it would be nice to know that a woman isn’t after you for your money.” His voice held more than a little bitterness.
“Which problem do you want me to start with?” Gabe answered, knowing he wouldn’t give up Chloe’s secrets. “She just got out of a bad relationship, and my best friend is her older brother.”
“If her relationship sucked, I’d think he’d be happy that you’re with her now,” Trace observed, dropping his fork on his plate and pushing the empty dish away.
There was so much more to Chloe’s situation, but he wasn’t about to tell Trace anything else. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his cousin, but Chloe was too damn personal to talk about with anybody. “It’s complicated,” Gabe finally grumbled. “So what’s the deal about you needing to hire a fiancée?”