Sweet Stallion

Naomi scoffed, apparent attitude evident in her voice. “The Perry Group?”

Patrick nodded. “Yes. They’re a locally owned investment company. Very well established and they—”

Her eyes narrowed as she snapped, “We know who they are.”

Patrick looked from one sibling to the other, feeling the rising tension that wafted between them. Frowning in confusion, he dipped his head in a slight nod. “Well, I head their legal department and our planning and development group thinks this would be a great location for their next strip mall project.”

“Were you behind the recent efforts to rezone this area?” Naomi asked, remembering the land assessment that could have potentially put her out of business.

“We weren’t behind it, but we supported it. Bringing more commercial business to this area would greatly benefit the entire community.” He took a slight step toward her, closing the space between them. The rise of her perfume teased his nostrils, the sweet scents of vanilla and patchouli wafting through the air. A wave of heat rose from deep in his midsection, erupting through every nerve ending in his body.

“Not really,” Naomi retorted as she took a step back, widening the divide again as she took a deep inhalation of air. She exhaled it slowly past her glossed lips.

Patrick gave her an easy smile. “So, I take it you didn’t agree?”

“Not at all. In fact, I opposed it vehemently.” She skated her gaze across his face, noting the intensity of his stare. It was heated and unnerving, and she was suddenly anxious to be free from it.

“I’d be curious to know why,” he said, seeming intent on drawing her into a lengthy conversation.

Naomi hesitated, then shrugged. “If I had the time, I’d tell you, but that’s a long conversation and my brother and I need to get back to work.”

“What do you do?” he asked curiously.

Naomi shot him a look, pausing for a second time before she answered, “I own that farm next door.”

Patrick’s expression lifted in fascination. “So, you definitely have a concerned interest in who acquires this land.”

“I do, and I definitely don’t want to see it go to the Perry Group.” There was the faintest hint of bitterness in her tone.

He nodded but didn’t respond, watching how her long dreadlocks waved effortlessly with every movement of her head. Her hair was thick and abundant, falling to her midback, and he found himself resisting the sudden temptation to twist his fingers in the lengthy strands. He clenched a tight fist against his pant leg.

Noah’s expression was smug as his gaze shifted back and forth between them. He extended his hand a second time. “It was nice meeting you, Patrick. And good luck. You’re going to need it,” he said matter-of-factly.

Patrick chuckled, his head shifting in amusement. “It was a pleasure meeting you, too, Noah,” he answered. He looked back at Naomi, his smile widening. “I hope to see you again, Naomi. Maybe at the auction?”

She glanced at him one last time, noting the eagerness in his stare and how the bend of his mouth pinched dimples in his cheeks. There was something about the way he was looking at her that intrigued her, but Naomi pushed the rising sensation away. She took a deep breath and held it, counting silently in her head before blowing it softly out again.

With a slight nod she turned toward the real estate agent who’d been standing in wait with a handful of pamphlets and papers. As the two walked off, Noah hesitated, then tossed Patrick a wide grin, shrugging his broad shoulders. “She’ll be there,” he said with a light chuckle. “She will definitely be there.”

* * *

Naomi didn’t find her brother’s teasing as humorous as he did. He’d been giving her a hard time since they’d finished walking the property. Usually the too-serious sibling, Noah was suddenly the life of the party, his quips and banter more like something she or Natalie would share. She cut her eyes at him, the look expressing her annoyance. But this action only made him laugh harder.

“It really isn’t funny,” Naomi said, her tone snarky.

Noah laughed. “No, it’s actually hilarious. That man had you speechless!”

She rolled her eyes. “He did not.”

“He had you something.”

“He had me irritated. How could anyone want to work for the Perry Group? He said it like it was something to be proud of.”

“He can be proud if he wants,” Noah said, his goofy smile turning into a deep frown. “They’re a good company. People who work there can’t help the kind of man their employer is.”

Naomi sighed, her eyes rolling one last time. “Whatever.”

“So, what are you going to do if they outbid you? Have you thought about that?”

“The Perry Group is not going to beat me. There is no way I’m going to let that happen.”

“I imagine they have access to resources you don’t have, Naomi. You might not have a choice.”

She scoffed, waving a dismissive hand in her brother’s direction, and otherwise didn’t bother to respond.

Noah continued, his tone softer, consoling. “Be smart about this, please. Don’t let your emotions get in the way of making a wise business decision.”

Naomi met the look Noah was giving her with one of her own, both understanding that nothing else needed to be said.

* * *

By the time Naomi was ready to settle down for the night, there wasn’t much that she didn’t know about the Perry Group. It was a large conglomerate of mixed-use shopping centers and mall ventures. If they were successful, outbidding her at auction, the land they were both interested in would become just another residential and business project added to their portfolio.

The company had been founded by Nolan Perry and was currently under the leadership of his son, Garrison. Both were renowned not only for their business acumen, but also for their philanthropic efforts in the community. On paper Nolan Perry was a pillar of the community, beloved by the church he had pastored for many years, and a loving husband and father. His son was following in his footsteps.

Off paper, only a few knew the truth about the man many still called Pastor. But Naomi was aware and so were her siblings. They knew his darkest secrets. They knew, because they were his darkest secrets. The five of them. Noah, Natalie, Nicholas, Nathaniel and she were Nolan Perry’s biological children. The kids he had never wanted to know. The children he had never bothered to love or provide for.

Naomi stared at the image of her father and his family that looked back at her from her computer screen. Pastor Nolan Perry sat with his beloved wife by his side. Their three children, a son and two daughters, smiled obediently behind them. The Perry children had all benefited from private schooling and a privileged upbringing. Growing up, they had never crossed paths with any of the Stallion siblings, who had lived and gone to school on the other side of the economic tracks. If she were honest with herself, Naomi was glad for it. She would give almost anything to keep it that way, having no interest in a relationship with that side of her family.

She sighed loudly as she finally shut down the laptop, sliding it to the nightstand beside the bed. Naomi had vague memories of her father and his visits to see their mother. The two had been lovers for many years, but she and Noah had been too young to understand why he came and went so sporadically. There had been a time or two when he’d come with candy and sweets for them, but very little else. As a family, they had struggled, more often going without than not. Hunger had been common, new clothes nonexistent and toys a luxury their mother could never afford, raising five children as a single parent.

Growing up, all they’d known about their family was that their mother, Norris Jean, had come from humble beginnings. She had been a teenager herself, pregnant with Noah, when she’d followed their father, a traveling minister, to Utah from Dallas, trusting the promises he’d made to her. Those promises had been broken when Norris Jean discovered the man of her dreams had a wife and another family who were more important to him.

After Noah and Naomi were born, a second string of promises, which had never been fulfilled, led to the birth of the twins, Nicholas and Nathaniel. Their mother should have known better by then. But it wasn’t until Natalie had come into the world that Norris Jean finally accepted that the man she loved with all her heart had never loved her enough.

Naomi had never understood their mother’s fascination with the man, but Norris Jean Stallion had loved Nolan Perry with every fiber of her being. Sometimes, Naomi thought, she had loved him even more than she had loved her own children. She had loved the tears he made her cry, the pain that had pierced her spirit, the heartbreak that had been the foundation of their illicit relationship. Norris Jean had often prayed for him, begging God to bring him back to her, feeling abandoned when those prayers hadn’t been answered. For years, her longing for Nolan Perry had bordered on obsessive.

Naomi imagined that her mother would have always been satisfied if Nolan had kept coming back to her. If he had allowed her to remain hopeful about the two of them having a future together. But then, just like that, he stopped coming, discarding her and her babies as if they had never been anything to him at all. After that Norris Jean became bitter, anger fueling frustration, disappointment tainting her spirit. The woman’s heart hardened and what little joy she’d known had evaporated like mist under a summer sun.

Naomi and Noah had been old enough to remember the storm when it had come crashing down upon them. They remembered the mother who had laughed often, light filling her face. And they remembered when she was gone, stolen from them, leaving them with the mother who had been a semblance of her former self. Despite her best efforts, the younger three had gotten the Norris Jean who’d been broken and shattered, their memories of her dark and tainted.

Noah had wanted to know their father more than Naomi ever had. He’d searched him out once, only to have the door slammed in his face, Nolan refusing to even meet with him. Nolan hurting her big brother had only further fueled her hatred for the man. She’d believed Norris Jean when her mother had said that he was evil incarnate and lower than scum. Naomi saw him as a sperm donor and very little else. Now he wanted to take something else from her, without even knowing she wanted it. Not knowing Naomi would do everything in her power to keep him from it.

She twisted a dreadlock around her index finger. She needed to make an appointment with her stylist to have her hair conditioned and the new growth twisted. She moved to the oversize mirror above the dresser, staring at her reflection. For a woman who’d recently turned thirty-six she didn’t look half-bad, she thought. Her complexion was crystal, not one blemish marring her skin. She had a natural glow that made makeup unnecessary and she attributed that to her organic diet. She wasn’t supermodel stunning like her sister, Natalie, but she didn’t look half-bad, she decided as she suddenly found herself wondering what Patrick O’Brien might have thought about her. Had he found her attractive? Did he like her dreadlocks? Would he like her?

She gave herself a mental scolding. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by any man. Especially a man who probably hadn’t given her a second thought. Thinking about dinners and dancing and dating wasn’t something she had time for with anyone. Imagining a man in her life, fantasizing about finding love and lust, was a luxury she couldn’t afford. Besides, she had a business she was building, and despite wanting to expand that business into Utah, her life was in Arizona. Patrick O’Brien’s life was here in Salt Lake City. It wouldn’t work in any case, and luckily, she didn’t want it to. Or did she? She released another sigh, the question spinning with a vengeance through her mind.

Brushing the thoughts aside, she took one last look at her reflection and turned in the direction of the bathroom, suddenly desperate for a cold shower.