the burn.
"Lester Fallon?The oil tycoon ?" Wes roared in disbelief.
Her chin dropped to her chest and she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yeah, that Lester Fallon."
Good God, the richest man in Texas wanted this woman to marry him? And she was refusing? Even though he was a lot older than her and said to be an abrasive ass, most women would jump at the chance to marry the old bastard and live the high life. To date, four other women had done just that and were now former Mrs. Fallons.
But Leigh Ann just told him the wedding was off, and obviously not for the first time. Smart girl. "How do you know Lester Fallon?" Wes asked gruffly.
To his knowledge Rocky, and by relation her sister, did not come from a moneyed background. Lester Fallon traveled in those circles. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous circles. He had bodyguards, hung out with celebrities, so it was unlikely that someone not in his circle could access him. That made Wes damned curious about how Leigh Ann Baker wound up in the position of almost marrying him.
"He's a friend of my mama's and because I won--" she stopped midsentence and her eyes made two slow blinks, before they widened as her lips pinched together.
"You won what?" Wes asked when he realized she wasn't going to finish.
"Um, my mama introduced us, and wanted me to marry him," she corrected and through the hazy smoke he saw her cheeks redden.
"How does your mama know him?"
"Uh, I'm not sure," Leigh Ann lied, and he knew she was lying, because he could see it written on her beautiful face. What the hell is she hiding?
"Is he harassing you?" Wes asked, still not convinced that his son wasn't in danger.
Lester Fallon had the money to do just about anything he damned well pleased, and Wes had heard he was a shark of a businessman. Not many people crossed the man, but it looked like Leigh Ann Baker had done just that.
"It's no big deal, he just isn't used to someone telling him no, to not getting what he wants," she said with a flutter of her hand.
"And he wants you."
"Apparently, so," she agreed with a huffed breath. "Go sit out on the porch and keep that ice on your arm. I'll clean up in here," Leigh Ann insisted as she shoved him toward the patio door.
Maybe if she could get him outside, he would stop asking questions she couldn't answer. Leigh Ann had promised Roxanne she wasn't going to tell him she was a former Miss Texas, and it was a promise she was going to keep, even if it meant lying to Wes Jepson. But damn, she felt guilty about it. He was helping her, letting her stay here, giving her a chance to start over again, and here she was lying to him. He had to know she was doing it too. Leigh Ann was a terrible liar, because she didn't do it often enough to be good at it. And because she hated liars. Now she was one.
Wes held the towel at his hip, as he walked toward the patio door. Leigh Ann couldn't keep her eyes from following his tight butt. They traveled up his broad muscled back to the sexy wet curls at the nape of his neck, then back down over his rear, down his firm thighs to his bare feet. She had never before thought a man's feet were sexy, but his were. Everything about the sweet man was sexy. And off limits.
Roxanne said Leigh Ann needed to focus on reinventing herself, getting her life together, not catching a man. She was right, but this man, the first she had actually been attracted to in years, was entirely too tempting. If he were interested, she would definitely be interested in him. But Wes Jepson hadn't sent her one signal he was interested in her. He was avoiding her like she had a communicable disease or something.
He probably thought she was a ditz, and she couldn't blame him. Other than spit-shining his house and cleaning out some of the clutter, the best thing she had done for him while she was here was almost burn his house down.
Or it could be because of what his ex-wife had done to him.
"Lester Fallon?The oil tycoon ?" Wes roared in disbelief.
Her chin dropped to her chest and she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yeah, that Lester Fallon."
Good God, the richest man in Texas wanted this woman to marry him? And she was refusing? Even though he was a lot older than her and said to be an abrasive ass, most women would jump at the chance to marry the old bastard and live the high life. To date, four other women had done just that and were now former Mrs. Fallons.
But Leigh Ann just told him the wedding was off, and obviously not for the first time. Smart girl. "How do you know Lester Fallon?" Wes asked gruffly.
To his knowledge Rocky, and by relation her sister, did not come from a moneyed background. Lester Fallon traveled in those circles. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous circles. He had bodyguards, hung out with celebrities, so it was unlikely that someone not in his circle could access him. That made Wes damned curious about how Leigh Ann Baker wound up in the position of almost marrying him.
"He's a friend of my mama's and because I won--" she stopped midsentence and her eyes made two slow blinks, before they widened as her lips pinched together.
"You won what?" Wes asked when he realized she wasn't going to finish.
"Um, my mama introduced us, and wanted me to marry him," she corrected and through the hazy smoke he saw her cheeks redden.
"How does your mama know him?"
"Uh, I'm not sure," Leigh Ann lied, and he knew she was lying, because he could see it written on her beautiful face. What the hell is she hiding?
"Is he harassing you?" Wes asked, still not convinced that his son wasn't in danger.
Lester Fallon had the money to do just about anything he damned well pleased, and Wes had heard he was a shark of a businessman. Not many people crossed the man, but it looked like Leigh Ann Baker had done just that.
"It's no big deal, he just isn't used to someone telling him no, to not getting what he wants," she said with a flutter of her hand.
"And he wants you."
"Apparently, so," she agreed with a huffed breath. "Go sit out on the porch and keep that ice on your arm. I'll clean up in here," Leigh Ann insisted as she shoved him toward the patio door.
Maybe if she could get him outside, he would stop asking questions she couldn't answer. Leigh Ann had promised Roxanne she wasn't going to tell him she was a former Miss Texas, and it was a promise she was going to keep, even if it meant lying to Wes Jepson. But damn, she felt guilty about it. He was helping her, letting her stay here, giving her a chance to start over again, and here she was lying to him. He had to know she was doing it too. Leigh Ann was a terrible liar, because she didn't do it often enough to be good at it. And because she hated liars. Now she was one.
Wes held the towel at his hip, as he walked toward the patio door. Leigh Ann couldn't keep her eyes from following his tight butt. They traveled up his broad muscled back to the sexy wet curls at the nape of his neck, then back down over his rear, down his firm thighs to his bare feet. She had never before thought a man's feet were sexy, but his were. Everything about the sweet man was sexy. And off limits.
Roxanne said Leigh Ann needed to focus on reinventing herself, getting her life together, not catching a man. She was right, but this man, the first she had actually been attracted to in years, was entirely too tempting. If he were interested, she would definitely be interested in him. But Wes Jepson hadn't sent her one signal he was interested in her. He was avoiding her like she had a communicable disease or something.
He probably thought she was a ditz, and she couldn't blame him. Other than spit-shining his house and cleaning out some of the clutter, the best thing she had done for him while she was here was almost burn his house down.
Or it could be because of what his ex-wife had done to him.
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