Take It Slow Read online

  Take It Slow

  Texas Billionaires Book One

  Scarlett Brooks

  Copyright © 2020 by Scarlett Brooks

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Untitled

  1. Emily

  2. Levi

  3. Emily

  4. Levi

  5. Emily

  6. Emily

  7. Levi

  8. Emily

  9. Emily

  10. Emily

  11. Levi

  12. Emily

  13. Levi

  Untitled

  Take It Slow

  Texas Billionaires Book One

  A Texas Forever Love Story

  Scarlett Brooks

  1

  Emily

  I drove down the road looking for the stray dog I’d been called out to find. My windows were down and I could feel the hot Texas sun on my skin. It was just another Saturday.

  The rescue was constantly taking calls like this. Just me in my little sedan, rolling down the streets of Austin, searching for a dog I may never find. It wasn’t that I minded these calls, I knew they were important, but I didn’t like to go alone. Also I didn’t have a big SUV or truck to pick up a larger dog, mostly I had to find the smaller ones. And those suckers were hard to find! Behind trash cans and under houses. The dirtiest parts of Austin were my playground.

  During the week I was a normal nine to fiver. I worked at a bank. It wasn’t that exciting, but we hadn’t grown up with much and it was nice to have a steady paycheck. Sometimes I wished my sister Gwen would get past our differences and we could live together, but she wouldn't hear of it. She liked having her own space. She always blamed me for our mom’s problems. How she pretty much abandoned her, but took decent care of me. But I was just a kid when it happened, it wasn’t my fault. I knew deep down she understood that, but it didn't make our relationship any easier.

  As I was stopped at a light my phone rang. I was hoping it wasn’t another stray, I’d already been looking for this one for two hours with absolutely no sign of him.

  “Hello, this is Emily.”

  “Hey it’s Lauren, are you free to talk for a little while?”

  “I’m about to head back to the rescue, this dog they sent me to find, I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist.”

  “Well, it’s lunch time. Do you have a lunch break today?”

  My eyes fell to the clock in my car and I sighed. It was twelve thirty. And my stomach was empty. And I did really want to sit down with Lauren, the all-too-cheery girl that volunteered at the rescue. She was my friend.

  “I could really use some help,” Lauren said in an unusual tone for her.

  I’d never be able to deny someone who needs help.

  “Sure. I can meet up for some lunch. Where do you want to eat at?” I asked.

  “Lemon And Lime? Downtown?” Lauren asked.

  “I’m about thirty minutes out from a place like that.”

  “That’s fine. I can wait.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Are you already there?”

  She sniffled. “Possibly.”

  I cranked up my car. “On my way!”

  I raced through town, calling the rescue and telling them I was taking a break for some food and to meet up with Lauren. I wasn’t sure why she had that hitch in her voice, but something was off.

  Something wasn’t quite right.

  I pulled into a parking space at Lemon And Lime, then promptly walked inside. I scanned the room, looking for that head of red hair that always defined Lauren whenever she walked into a room. I blew past the hostess desk and walked around the brightly-colored restaurant. Suited only for her and the one other person in my life I considered anywhere near a friend.

  Who also happened to be my half-sister, Gwen.

  “Emily?”

  I heard Lauren’s voice pipe up from the corner.

  I whipped around. “Hey there.”

  “Wanna come sit down? I ordered a pitcher of lemonade.”

  I walked over and slid into the booth seat in front of her, watching as she played with a napkin in her lap.

  “Hello, and welcome to Lemon And Lime. Can I get you started off with anything?” the waitress asked.

  “I know a pitcher of lemonade has already been ordered. That’s fine,” I said.

  “Anything to eat?” the waitress asked.

  “Whatever she’s having,” I said.

  “She hasn’t ordered yet.”

  “Then, when she orders, I’ll have whatever she’s having.”

  I cocked my head and looked hard into Lauren’s eyes before she sighed heavily.

  “You always do that, you know,” she said.

  “I know,” I said flatly, mostly because I wanted to get to the point. Besides Lauren knew I was vegetarian, she’d order something delicious and I wouldn’t have to worry about it for once.

  “Could I have your grilled spinach sandwich with some tomato soup, and a cinnamon roll?” Lauren asked.

  “That’s fine with me,” I said.

  “Two spinach sandwiches with tomato bisque soup and two cinnamon rolls! I’ll get it in,” the waitress said.

  “Extra frosting,” I added. Then, I turned my attention back to Lauren.

  “What’s going on? You look very blue for a woman about to get married,” I said.

  Lauren sighed as she continued playing with her napkin. “I’m not sure if I should.”

  Well that was a shock. “Any particular reason why?”

  Lauren shook her head.

  “Has Lucas done something?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “So, things are okay with you two?”

  “Mhm.”

  “Did something happen with the wedding planning?”

  “It’s actually not going half bad,” she said.

  “Then, what’s your hesitation?”

  Lauren sighed. “Do you think it’s too soon?”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve never been concerned with stuff like this before.”

  “I mean, I’ve only known him--what?--less than a year? He proposed two months after knowing me? Or something like that?”

  “Or something like that,” I said shrugging her off. Ever since she met Lucas she’d been happier than a pig in mud, this really felt like it had come out of left field.

  “Do you think it’s too soon, Em?”

  “Do you love him?”

  “I do.”

  “And he’s done nothing wrong?”

  “He’s been perfect.”

  “He hasn’t cheated. Or hit you. Or talked down to you in any way?” I asked.

  “Um definitely not!” She looked scandalized. “Lucas isn’t that kind of man.”

  “And you’ve moved in with him, right?”

  “Yeah but like not as soon as some other people I know.”

  I leveled my eyes with her. “We’re talking about you right now.” I had a past of falling for boys too quickly, she and my big sister Gwen liked to remind me of it constantly. But I had been single for over a year now and it had been great. I didn’t have time to date and that was a-okay with me.

  Lauren nodded her head. “Marriage is serious stuff.”

  “It is, yes.”

  “Do you think I’m rushing into it?”

  “How do you feel when you wake up to him every morning?”

  Lauren’s eyes lit up. “I lay there and stare at him sometimes. He looks so peaceful when he’s sleeping. I hardly want to move, so I don’t wake him
up.”

  “How do you feel when he comes home from work?”

  “I practically run and jump at him. I miss him when he works all those late hours at the firehouse,” she said, giggling.

  “Mhm. How do you feel when the two of you fight?”

  “Oh, we don’t fight.”

  I quirked an eyebrow, and it caused Lauren to laugh.

  “Okay, we’ve fought once. There was a bit of voice raising. Some accusations. Then, we talked it out like adults and… made up,” she said, grinning.

  “So, you worked it out like adults do,” I said.

  “We did. Very much so,” she said, blushing.

  “Sounds to me like you’ve got nothing but cold feet.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so. You love him, Lauren. And I know you’re so excited to get married. I know you’ve enjoyed the planning process at every single step. I don’t think you’re worried about getting married.”

  “Then, what am I worried about?”

  I sat back into my seat. “I think you’re worried about losing him if you do get married.”

  I watched Lauren’s eyes fall to her lap. “What if it doesn’t work, Em?”

  “You’re never going to know if it’ll work until you let it work, Lauren.”

  “He’s everything. He’s… Lucas completes me in ways I never thought possible. In ways I never thought I’d find. He’s my dream. He’s a dream, really. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself because I look at him and think, ‘how can this man possibly be real?’.”

  “I think you’ve found the root of your issue with your cold feet. You want to get married, but you’re still scared it won’t last,” I said.

  “What do I do about it?” she asked.

  The pitcher of lemonade was delivered to the table and I filled up both of our glasses.

  “You get married, Lauren,” I said.

  “But--.”

  “Listen to me, and don’t argue. You love Lucas. And when he proposed, did you feel any hesitancy in your ‘yes’?”

  “None,” she said.

  “He’s the one for you. The way you get past cold feet is to fight through it. You love him. He loves you. The two of you fit one another like pieces of a puzzle. Marry that man, Lauren, and let him show you he isn’t going anywhere.”

  “You know what? You’re right, Emily.”

  I nodded. “I try my best.”

  “This is all so silly anyway,” she said.

  “Sometimes it can be, yes.”

  “I mean, I love Lucas.”

  “You do.”

  “And I want to marry Lucas.”

  “You really do,” I said.

  “He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Why would I want to give that up?”

  “Don’t let fear control your life.”

  “You know what? I’m not going to,” she said.

  I nodded my head. “Good.”

  Our food was set down in front of us, but I saw that Lauren still wasn’t done. I gave her space to take a few bites of her food, and I could tell by how big her bites were that she hadn’t been eating lately. I wanted to ask her how long she had been having this anxious issue, but I didn’t want to reopen something I had just sutured shut.

  Then, Lauren’s eyes came back to mine. “Has anyone talked with you about the rescue?”

  I took a bite of my sandwich and shook my head. “I mean I was there today, chasing some dog around a park that didn’t exist.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Oh, well. This isn’t going to be fun,” she murmured.

  I reached for my drink. “What isn’t?”

  Lauren sighed. “The rescue is running out of money, we’re probably going to have to shut down.”

  “What?!?!”

  “Yeah. I went by a few days ago and volunteered some time to help balance the books. And I found a note that said Carlyle Whitaker had passed away.”

  “Mr. Whitaker is dead?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Why in the world am I just now finding out about this? Does Gwen know?” My sister was even more involved in the rescue than I was. I helped around the place but she did major equine work for them. She was going to freak out.

  “I don’t know. And when I started talking with people about it, it seemed as if no one knew. I’m not sure who took the note, but apparently it was someone new. Someone who didn’t know who Mr. Whitaker is.”

  “How can someone who volunteers at the rescue not know who our largest donor is?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I took it upon myself to give the family a condolences call. A few days too late, if I do say so myself. I went over there and hugged the children. Helped them around the house with a few things. But then they sat me down and told me the only thing they can do with Carlyle’s estate is divide it up and sell it off.”

  My jaw gawked. “But that property is beautiful. That house is breathtaking.”

  “And apparently, too much upkeep for them. They said they’d throw as much money at us as they could, but once the estate is sold off and the money is divvied up, it’s at the hands of the individual children.”

  “And not all of them are on our side, I know that much.”

  “We’ve got a few months, maybe. And that’s really stretching it and hoping for the best.”

  I took a bite of my sandwich, but I no longer felt hungry. That rescue was everything. It was the only of its kind in the Austin area. It provided help to farmers and families who needed it the most. We also had a volunteer crew that went into homes that were reported to be neglecting animals and saved them from their abusive owners. Nursed them back to health. Fostered them and covered all expenses until a permanent home was found.

  “It gets worse,” Lauren said.

  I sighed. “It always does.”

  “In order to elongate the usage of money a little further, they’re thinking about cutting the horse program.”

  “What?” I asked flatly. Gwen was going to lose her freaking mind if that happened.

  “The horse program is the newest program, but it also sucks up the most money.”

  “But horses are, by far, the animal that dominates this area. It doesn’t make sense not to provide them with help,” I said.

  “I’m just relaying what I heard.”

  I ran my fingers through my dark curls. “We have to do something.”

  “Unless we can find another donor to fund us the way Carlyle was, I’m not sure if--.”

  Lauren stopped mid-sentence and I watched that look appear in her eye. The look of ‘holy shit, I’ve got an idea’. And usually, most of her ideas were far-fetched, at best. But in that moment, I was willing to accept anything.

  The rescue couldn't drop my sister’s horse program.

  “What if we host a fundraiser?” Lauren asked.

  “A fundraiser,” I said.

  “Yeah. Like, a massive event. I could talk to Lucas about it. I’m sure some firefighters would be willing to help.”

  “A one-time fundraiser isn’t going to give us money we need to stay open.”

  “But it will help us get along until we find that donor. And who knows? With the guest list Lucas’s connections can come up with, maybe we’ll find that donor at the fundraiser! Like the mayor or something!”

  “I don’t know if I’ve got time in my schedule to--.”

  “Oh! Me! I do! I can put it all together. I’ll decorate and find the perfect venue. I’ll do food and drinks, and you and Gwen can help me with the guest list. We get the right people through those doors, and we’ll rake in the funds for the rescue,” she said.

  “Have you ever thought about being a party planner?” I asked.

  “All the time,” she sighed.

  “Okay, I’m in. Just tell me what needs done and I’ll do it.”

  “Well first, someone has to tell your sister.”

  I looked down at my soup. “Shit.”

  2

  Levi

>   I locked up my office and made my way onto the sidewalk. The good thing about having an expensive set-up downtown was that I had a nice place to meet for my business and I was within walking distance from every major food and drink establishment that put this place on the map. Most of my time these days was at the ranch. We handled cattle, angus beef, some of the best in Texas. But I kept the place in Austin to meet with grocery store owners and restaurant managers.

  The humidity was stifling as I walked, but the summer breeze made the walks bearable. I slipped my hands into my pants pockets and walked along the sidewalk, taking in all of the things I had come to associate with my home.

  I took in the brick sidewalks and the lush green grass that lined the sides of the road. Flowers bloomed in blues and pinks and yellows and whites. All crafted by a city-contracted landscaper that took great care in his work. Hedges were trimmed into shapes and trees had been groomed of their lower branches. Providing shade for lovebirds that sat against the massive trunks and fed one another food. Gross.

  I took in the small storefronts that advertised everything from barrels of candy to newly-acquired moonshines. There were chalk advertisements on windows and fold-out blackboards sitting next to wrought-iron fences of restaurant facades. I came upon the intersection the bar sat on. I pressed the button for the crosswalk and tilted my head towards the sky. The blue was dotted with wispy clouds that accented the blaze of the summer southern sun.

  I felt sweat permeating the nap of my neck.

  The crosswalk blinked in my favor and I strode across the street. I went and took a seat underneath the awning of the bar’s own storefront, right by a fan that would cool us both off. I raised my hand and motioned for two beers. Any beers. Their strongest beers. Because by the sounds of Lucas’s voice over the phone just a half hour ago, things weren’t well between him and his fiancee, Lauren. He begged me to meet him here, and Lucas was one of my best friends. I’d do nearly anything for him.