Make Her Mine E-Book

Scarlett King

• Herausgeber: Michelle Love
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

I’m the boss around here, a billionaire cowboy who doesn’t take orders from anyone.
But this little filly—she’s got a way of getting under my skin.
Her teasing drives me wild, and her innocence calls to something deep inside me.
She knows exactly how to push my buttons. I want to tame her, to show her who’s in charge, but she’s not making it easy.
Every time I think I’ve got her figured out, she throws me for a loop.
In my dreams, I make her mine completely. But this is real life, and the stakes are high.
One thing’s for sure—she’s worth the risk.
Will I break her or will she break me? Only one way to find out.

Keywords: Guaranteed HEA, no cliffhangers, happily ever after. billionaire, bad boy, office romance, steamy romance, contemporary romance, love books, love stories, new adult, alpha male, romance, action, adventure, steamy romance, small-town secrets, hot, alpha hero. free book, free novels, romantic novels, and sexually romantic books.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

MAKE HER MINE

Copyright

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Blurb

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Epilogue

Sneak Peek Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Other Books in This Series

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MAKE HER MINE

Billionaire Boss Romance

(Irresistible Brothers Book 1)

Scarlett King & Michelle Love

©Copyright 2022 by Scarlett King & Michelle Love

All rights Reserved

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights are reserved.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

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Blurb

Telling my boss my BIGGEST secret was just one of many mistakes…#1 I revealed that I was still a…you know what.#2 I also confessed I’d never experience the big O.#3 I don’t even have to spell it out do I?Look, I NEVER expected him to make it his mission to help a girl out,But I can’t say I haven’t fantasized about it.Even when I want to slap his arrogant face,I wouldn’t mind tearing his suit off in the process.As much as I want to let him take me in every way imaginable,My mission to find the big O,Quickly turns into Oh shit!Falling for him wasn’t part of the plan…or the agreement.Will I always just be another conquest for my billionaire boss?Or can I fall out of his bed and into his heart?

Chapter One

Tyrell

Carthage, Texas – Panola County

January 1st

The limousine moved slowly, almost stoically, through the newly fallen snow that covered the road. My younger brothers and I were on our way to a new life. A life we’d never even imagined.

On Christmas day I got a phone call from an Allen Samuels, an attorney in Carthage. My family came from Carthage—that much I knew. What I didn’t know were the reasons we’d never met our grandparents.

Later that day, Mr. Samuels sat in front of us in the limo looking through a folder he’d brought with him when he picked us up at the airport. A private plane had brought us to Carthage from Dallas. Being that Dallas wasn’t that far from Carthage, we all wondered why the extravagant lift was necessary.

“The whole of the estate that includes Whisper Ranch, a thirty-thousand square-foot mansion, and all the vehicles, including the Cessna Citation II you came in on, belongs to you three gentlemen now.” The attorney looked over his shoulder, then tapped on the dark glass that separated us from the driver. The window rolled down with a quiet swish. “Davenport, we need to make a stop at Mr. Gentry’s bank, please.”

“Sure thing, sir.” The driver rolled the window back up, giving us privacy once more.

Mr. Samuels looked at me, probably because I was the oldest. “Tyrell, what have you been told about your paternal grandparents?”

“Not much.” That was no lie. My parents rarely spoke about either set of their parents. “My mother’s famous quote was that if one couldn’t say anything nice about a person, they shouldn’t say anything at all. We’d assumed our grandparents weren’t very good people.”

Jasper took over, “Yeah, we stopped questioning Mom and Dad when we were very young. Just asking them who our grandparents were put them in a foul mood.”

“I see.” He looked out the window as we pulled into the parking lot of the Bank of Carthage. “Here we are. You will become the Ranch’s accountholders. We can transfer the remainder of your grandfather’s funds into accounts each of you will open here.” His eyes scanned us all. “If that’s okay with you. Certainly, you can open accounts elsewhere if you’d like to. Your grandparents used this bank exclusively for years. I can assure you that the president appreciates Whisper Ranch’s business and does everything to keep their customers happy.”

Looking at my brothers who flanked me on either side of me, I shrugged. “This bank seems as good as any. What do you guys think?”

Cash, the youngest at twenty-two, ran his hand through his thick, dark hair that hung to his shoulders in waves. “Sounds fine to me. It’ll be my first bank account anyway.”

Jasper, only a couple of years younger than me at twenty-five, shrugged. “Sounds fine with me, too. All I’ve got in my bank is about twenty bucks. Hell, I might not even have that. I bought a bottle of Jack before getting on the plane that might’ve overdrawn my account, actually.”

“This bank will do for us, Mr. Samuels.” We started getting out of the car since the driver had opened the door for us. “Thanks. Your name is Davenport, right?”

The older man nodded. “Yep. I can also drive the various tractors and trucks at the ranch. You need a ride, call me, and I’ll get you there.”

I thought it kind of funny that the man was clearly a farmer and not a chauffeur at all. And to be called Davenport seemed on the comical side. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your first name?”

“Buddy.” He smiled at me. “Your grandfather liked to put on airs.”

“We’re not like that. Mind if we call you Buddy instead?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. It would be nice, in fact.”

Jasper clapped the man on the back. “Nice to meet you, Buddy. I’m Jasper, this is Tyrell, and the feller there is Cash, the youngest of the Gentry family.”

None of us were kids anymore, and Cash always took offense at how Jasper teased him. “Jasper, you’re the littlest out of all of us, you jerk.”

Flexing his left bicep while threading his fingers through his dark hair, Jasper replied, “By a smidgeon of an inch, Cash. You’re shorter.”

“Also, by a smidgeon of an inch.” Cash walked ahead of us. “This bank is pretty fancy.”

“It’s the best one in town,” Allen said as he hurried to get in front of Cash to open the door. “Here we go. Mr. Johnson is the bank president; he’ll handle this for us.”

“The president will handle all of this?” That was unorthodox. “How much money are we talking about?”

Cocking his head to one side, Allen looked confused. “Are you telling me that even with the jet, the mansion, and the ranch, you still don’t understand how much capital your grandfather was worth?”

“Not a clue,” Jasper said as he stepped into the bank’s lobby. “Whoa. Posh.”

As I stepped in behind him, my eyes went to the chandelier in the center of the ceiling. “I haven’t seen many banks with a thing like that hanging above peoples’ heads before.”

“This bank deals with a lot of exclusive businesses here in Carthage.” He led us to the back of a large open area as all eyes inside soon fixed on us. “They can afford certain luxuries other banks cannot.”

A lady sat at a desk inside the first office we came to. “Hello, gentlemen. You must be the Gentrys.”

I reached out to shake her hand. “Tyrell.”

Jasper nodded. “Jasper.”

She smiled at Cash. “Then you must be Cash.”

“Yes.” He shook her hand and gave his most charming smile. “And you are?”

“Sandra, the executive assistant.” She let go of his hand to lead us to her boss’s office. “And if you gentlemen will follow me? Mr. Johnson will get things started.” As she opened the door, her eyes scanned me. “Judging by the blue jeans and t-shirts, you all will be greatly surprised by what you’re about to inherit.”

I figured we’d be lucky to get a million bucks and a hefty amount of debt from the Ranch. From what Dad told us before we left Dallas, our grandfather had been making more enemies than friends when Dad and Mom left town. Dad also said not to get our hopes up for what we were about to inherit, which might be more problems than profit.

The man sitting behind the large desk smiled and got up as we came into his large office filled with furniture that looked as luxurious as it was stunning. Mounts of various game animals adorned the walls. “Bryce Johnson, at your service, gentlemen. Please take seats anywhere you’d like. May I offer a cigar? They’re Cuban. Or a drink perhaps? A thirty-year-old Scotch would be perfect for this occasion.”

My brothers and I sat down on a sofa that felt a lot more like a cloud than a piece of furniture, and then I got right down to it.

“Okay, Bryce. We’re quite certain this ranch is swimming in debt right? And we’re not even close to being ranchers. Our father’s advice was to find a buyer for it and move on.”

Cash looked at me with narrowed eyes. “I’d love a Scotch, Tyrell. Let the man handle this meeting, will ya?”

“Scotch for everyone then,” the bank president told his assistant who hurried off to fetch them. Turning his attention back to us, he asked, “So, Allen hasn’t informed you?”

“I have. Not the exact numbers, but I’ve told them about everything they now own.” He sighed and looked a bit put out. “They don’t seem to get it, Bryce.”

Sandra came back with a tray of crystal glasses half-full of a dark liquid. “Here you go, gentlemen. Enjoy.” She held the tray out for us to grab a drink, and we each took one.

“A hell of a lot of hoopla, don’t ya think?” I asked as I pulled the glass to my lips.

“You’re all worth it,” Sandra said before putting the tray down on a nearby table then taking a seat on a chair that looked spoke of affluence.

Bryce picked up some documents from his desk, then handed one to each of us. “I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.”

When I looked at the page, there were more numbers in a row than I’d ever seen before. “Not sure how to say this number,” I admitted. “And not sure I understand what it even means. Our father told us there has to be debt the ranch has built up.”

Laughing, Bryce shook his head. “Whisper Ranch is one of the most profitable businesses this bank deals with. What each of you are looking at is your allotted third of the money Collin Gentry had in his personal accounts.” He handed one paper directly to me. “This is what’s in the ranch account.”

Again, more numbers in a row than I’d ever seen before. “If I’m seeing this right, the ranch is worth millions.”

Bryce shook his head. “You’re not seeing it right. Look again.”

“Oh, thousands.” I squinted trying to make sense of the numbers.

Cash sounded out of breath as he said, “Tyrell, the ranch is worth billions, and we’ve each inherited fifteen billion dollars.”

That didn’t sound right. “Dad said there’d be more money to pay than receive.”

“Your father was wrong,” Bryce informed me. “Your grandfather went from raising cattle alone, to raising racehorses. You might’ve heard of some of his famous horses. The General’s Son? Old Faithful? Coy’s Burden?”

“We’ve never followed horse racing, sir,” Jasper let him know. “I guess those horses are on the estate?”

“They are. And they all are prize-winning stallions,” Bryce acknowledged. “Your grandfather began selling their semen and making a good penny from it. Those sales, along with the cattle, and the racehorses have made him a pretty penny. Pennies that now belong to the three of you.”

It hurt me to think our grandfather left his only child out of his will. “Our father isn’t mentioned?”

Allen looked at me with compassion. “Look, it may be difficult to understand, but let me show you in writing why that is.” He pulled a paper out of the files and handed it to me. “Your father signed a statement that he wanted nothing from Collin or Fiona Gentry from that date forward. He wasn’t forced to sign it. Coy did it to prove a point to his parents when they refused to acknowledge his marriage to Lila Stevens.”

What is he talking about? “Wait. What?”

Bryce took over, “Your grandparents wanted to make the Gentry name something akin to royalty around here. But your father fell in love with a female from the wrong side of the tracks. A woman whose family lived on welfare. A girl who’d once worked as a maid at the ranch house.”

My brothers were just as confused as I was. “Why would they never tell us about that?”

Allen had the answer, “Most likely because they didn’t want you to know what they walked away from. They chose love over money and over their families. Your mother’s family was just as against their marriage as the Gentrys were.”

“Wow,” that was all I could muster up. “Seems our parents hid a hell of a lot from us.”

“There’s one more thing you need to know about the will, gentlemen,” the attorney said. “It stipulates that neither your mother nor father is ever allowed on the property. And your grandfather’s money can never benefit your parents in any way. If you so much as hand your parents five dollars, the entire estate will revert to the state of Texas.”

“Harsh,” Cash muttered.

“Yeah,” Bryce agreed.

“Your grandfather was considered to be a harsh man. So harsh that most people think your grandmother died at the age of forty-five, only two years after your father left the ranch, because of his hard ways.”

What the hell?

Chapter Two

Ella

“Ella, get your hind end in here, girl!” Mom shouted for me.

Hurrying to see what she wanted, I knew today wasn’t the day to screw things up. Sliding into the foyer that I’d just cleaned every nook and cranny of, she was eyeing a spot up very high on the ceiling. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

“Girl, I know you can see that up there on the chandelier.” Her blue eyes met mine, a tad of aggravation in them. “They’re coming today. For the first time ever, those boys are going to see the domicile their father declined in order to be with their mother. This place has to shine, sparkle, dazzle. You know what I’m saying, right? You do get it, don’t you?”

“Sure, some brats are coming to live in their rich, old grandfather’s mansion. And we’re their servants.” I rolled my eyes so hard it actually hurt.

“I’ve told you about them, Ella.” Mom put her arm around my shoulders. “They aren’t moneyed. Well, now they are, but they weren’t before inheriting Mr. Gentry’s riches and this ranch. Look at it this way; they don’t have to keep us if we can’t make this place look as great as it can. Got me?”

“Sure, to keep this great job, and I’m being sarcastic just in case you can’t read my tone, Mom, I’ll get up on that loathsome sky-high ladder and dust that damn crystal monster overhead.” I hated dusting the lighting in the house. There were so many chandeliers it made my job miserable.

“This is a great job, young lady,” Mom chastised me. “Not many maids earn what you do.”

“A whopping fifteen dollars an hour, Mom?” I didn’t believe her. As the house manager, she oversaw the hiring and firing of the house staff. She employed my older sister, Darleen, for a few years until she went to college to become a vet. If the wages were so great, then why’d my sister quit?

“Most maids make minimum wage,” she told me. “You’re making over twice that amount. You should be thankful.”

Looking up at the shiny crystal that hung from the ceiling, I thought the wage wasn’t nearly enough for all the hazardous duty that came with keeping the place pristine. “Thankful, huh? For what? For having to climb up on a ladder, then carefully wipe down each and every little crystal teardrop up there?”

“Yep,” she said matter of factly. “And hop to it, child. The new proprietors will be here in about an hour. This room, in particular, needs to shine. It’s the first one they see.”

With a huff, I strolled to the back to get the indoor ladder out of the shed. I grumbled and growled as I carried the heavy thing inside, all the way into the lobby to set it up. “I don’t get it. Who cares if it has a little dust on it? These guys aren’t used to seeing things like this anyway. They won’t even give it a second look. They’ll be so overwhelmed by this place that they won’t look too hard at anything.”

After getting one half of it cleaned up, I climbed down the ladder to move it over to reach the other half. The front door opened as I was halfway up, and I nearly lost my balance supposing it must be the new owners. “Shit!”

“Classy, Ella,” my brother Kyle commented as he came in. He looked up at me with a grin. “You missed a spot.” He pointed at the half I was about to clean.

“You missed the bus.” What did that mean? It came out just the same. Often, I just said what came to my mind, whether it made any sense or not.

“Whatever that means.” He passed the ladder, stopped and took a step back, putting his hands on either side of it. “What if I gave this a little shake? What would you do, baby sister?”

“Kick your ass.” I held on tightly because he’d shake it and laugh as I screamed for mercy.

“Kick my ass?” He gave it one shake. “You sure about that?”

Shrieking, I glared at him. “Stop! If you make me fall, Mom will kill you for getting this floor all bloody. And God forbid my head bust open and my brains get all over this floor, Kyle Finley!”

“Yeah, the new owners might slip on your gore and fire us all.” He laughed, then walked out of the room.

Kyle worked with our father who has been the foreman on the ranch since before any of us were even born. He and Mr. Gentry were as close to being friends as that old bastard ever got to be with anyone else. Perhaps ‘cause Dad understood the cranky old man.

The door opened again, and I chastised myself for not having the job done yet. Luckily it was Dad who walked inside.

“You better hurry the hell up, Ella. They should be here any second now. The only reason I came inside was to greet them when they arrive. And I can see up your skirt. You need to wear bigger knickers, young lady.”

Using one hand to dust and the other to hold my skirt closer, I muttered, “I don’t want to wear bigger panties. I want to stop wearing this stupid maid’s uniform and wear jeans, a t-shirt, and some freaking tennis shoes. These dumb maid shoes look horrible. And I’d love it if my job never entailed getting up on a ladder in the first place so people could see up my damn skirt.”

“Try your best to curtail your sass, Ella.” Dad gestured for me to get down. “Come on, that’s good enough. I know your momma thinks every little thing needs to shine to impress these men, but they won’t give a lick about a little dust. And their first impression shouldn’t be one where your undies are showing.”

I nearly had it done anyway. “Dad, I’m almost finished. Momma will send me back up here to finish the job. And you dang well know she’ll do it, too.”

“Well, just scurry then.” He left the lobby, shaking his head as he mumbled, “That girl is going to be the next to go. I just know it.”

Like I cared if the new guys fired me. I could get another job. Most likely one with better pay. Of course, I hadn’t gone to college after graduating from high school. That shouldn’t be important in getting a great paying job.

My parents had been asking me since my twenty-first birthday a month ago about what I’d like to do for a profession. When I told them it would be fun to be a stand-up comedian, they laughed at me. That proved I could be successful as a comic since I’d made them laugh without even trying.

However, I hadn’t really meant that. I didn’t know what I wanted to be. So, for now, a maid was it. One day that would change—I just knew it would.

“And this is the ceremonial entrance to your new home, gentlemen,” came a voice from behind me.

Looking back, I saw that lawyer Mr. Gentry had around the place a lot during the last year when he was sick. He was bringing the new owners through the back entrance, and they caught me with my guard down.

“Oh, shit!” Scrambling down the ladder, I skipped a rung and began a fall that was sure to leave me looking like an idiot as my body splayed out on the granite floor.

Only I didn’t hit the floor. Instead, a pair of strong arms caught me. “Got ya.”

Opening my eyes, which I had squeezed shut while falling, I saw his eyes first. Blue like the sky, they twinkled as he looked down at me.

“Put me down! I didn’t ask for your help.” Damn, he’s hot! Too hot! His dark hair made those blue eyes really stand out. And talk about muscles! Whoa!

I looked at the three new owners and found them all pretty damn devastating. But the one who caught me really shook me up. And I don’t get shook up. Not ever.

“Sorry if I offended you by saving your neck.” He placed my feet on the floor.

Straightening out my shirt and skirt, I then ran my hand through my pony to make sure it was on point. “You didn’t save me.”

The man’s eyes scanned me. “I, at the very least, saved you from an embarrassing fall. Some people would say thank you.”

“I have cat-like reflexes. You’d have seen them in action had you kept your meaty paws to yourself.” Going to take the ladder down, I found the man stepping in front of me, taking it down himself. “I…”

“No, I’ve got this.” Tucking the ladder under his arm, an arm with a massive bicep bulging under the long-sleeve brown tee he wore, he kept his eyes on me. “I’m Tyrell. And you are?”

“The maid.” I reached out to take the ladder from him. “If my mom, who’s also the house manager, catches you taking that out she’ll kill me. I don’t need that today. Not with you guys here.”

The lawyer seemed taken aback as he said, “Who the hell are you?”

Mom and Dad walked into the room, both with ashen faces as my father said, “That’s Ella, our youngest.” He looked at me with a grim expression. “Get that ladder and work elsewhere, Ella.”

The man who caught me shook his head. “She’s much too small to be carrying this around. I’ll put it up. Come on, Ella. Show me where this thing goes. And by the way, these are my brothers, Jasper and Cash. ”

“Duh.” I led the way out of the room, ignoring my parents’ dropped jaws. “Come on. I’ll show you. What did you say your name is again? I missed it.” He kind of made me all wiggly inside, including inside my brain.

“Tyrell,” he said with a southern drawl. “Tyrell Gentry. And you are Ella?”

“Finley. My parents have run this place forever. I think my dad was your grandfather’s only friend.” Opening the door to the back, I pointed to the shed. “It goes in there. Thanks, Tyrell Gentry.”

“For catching you?” His eyes sparkled again.

Damn, he’s too hot for his own good. “Sure. Even though I didn’t need your help.”

“Next time I’ll let you fall.” He kicked the door shut behind him as he walked out. And I watched him walk away through the window next to the door, my mouth watering as well as other parts of my anatomy.

Chapter Three

Tyrell

Cash, Jasper, and I decided to tour the rest of the house on our own, preferring to scout out our new digs alone. “You wasted no time, did ya, Tyrell?” Jasper asked as he opened a door with a movie theater behind it. “Would you look at this?”

“Doing what?” I leaned in to see what else was in our private movie theater. “Wow, I wonder if we get Netflix.”

Cash laughed as he slapped his thigh. “Seems we’ve died and gone to Heaven.”

“Real cool, Cash,” Jasper said with a frown. “Our grandparents did die and go to Heaven, or we wouldn’t have this. And I meant how you fondled that cute, petite housekeeper in the foyer, Tyrell.”

“You mean caught and saved her life, not fondled.” I followed my youngest brother, ignoring my pain in the ass middle brother.

Cash walked down the corridor to the next door. “If Mom and Dad hadn’t given up their fight, we would’ve grown up with this.”

“To be fair, we have no idea how hard that fight was,” I said as I looked into the room Cash had just opened. “Nothing but theater supplies in here. Popcorn, pickles, hot dog buns, we’ve got it all. We could make a living just selling tickets to movies and snacks here.”

Jasper chuckled as he walked down to the door across the hallway. “We could add that one to all the other ways our grandfather already made money from this place. Hey, a sauna!”

We all hurried to see it and found he’d made the entire room into a steam room. I couldn’t believe it. “We may never have to leave home, guys.”

Cash shook his head. “Unless one of these doors has some single women behind it, then we certainly have to leave, at least every now and then.”

“We just barely got here, Cash,” Jasper reminded him. “We should settle in and get to know the locals before looking for chicks. Otherwise, we may end up with the loosest women in Carthage, of which I believe are aplenty.”

Cash laughed as he walked away to see what we’d find next. “What’s wrong with loose women, Jasper? I’m not picky. If they want to give it, I’ll take it.”

“And their diseases?” Jasper asked as he raised one dark brow. “I think not, little man.”

Cash grabbed his crotch. “I’ve got your little man, Jasper.”

“That you do.” Jasper chuckled as I opened the next door we came to. And we all went silent.

Red walls, black carpet, and chains hung on one wall. Something like a bed, but it had no mattress, was at the end of the rectangular shaped room.

“You know what this is, don’t you?” Jasper asked.

“This is going to be locked up, then boarded up.” I pulled the door closed only to have Cash open it again.

“Don’t be so quick to make hasty decisions, Tyrell.” He walked into the room. “Gramps was a freak. Who would’ve ever guessed?”

“You boys finding everything alright?” a woman’s voice came from behind us.

We turned to find an older version of the young maid standing there. “You must be Ella’s sister,” I said.

“Correct. I’m Darleen.” She was about a foot taller than tiny Ella, but just as pretty with long dark hair and eyes as cobalt as the ocean. “Ella’s older sister. And you must be Tyrell, Jasper, and Jasper, the new owners of Whisper Ranch.”

I introduced us all. “I’m Tyrell, this is Jasper, and that’s Cash. Do you work here?”

“Nope.” She grinned. “So, you can’t fire me. I do live here though. So, I guess you could evict me. I’m going to college. I’m specializing in cattle and horses. Hopefully, I’ll be able to charge you for my services. Much the same way your grandfather did. But that’s our little secret, ’kay?”

Cash started coughing, Jasper’s jaw dropped, and I asked, “Do you mean that you and he,” I pointed to the room, “in this room, here?”

She nodded. “Yep. And I’m still available if any of you have that particular calling. Your grandfather paid for my college education. But I could use a new car.”

Our grandfather had been one hell of an old man! “I’m afraid none of us are into that sort of thing, ma’am. Sorry.”

Unexpectedly, she burst into gales of laughter so hard that tears filled her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. “You guys are too easy to fool. Really? Would you really think I’d do something like that? Oh, hell. That was fun.”

“So, you didn’t go at it with our gramps?” Cash asked.

“No,” she assured us. “Not in a zillion years. Not even if he’d left this place to me. But he did provide work for someone for this room. She left when he got sick last year. Hilda was his mistress for about twenty years. He took her on after your grandmother died, is what my mother told me.”

“But he never married her?” Jasper asked.

Shaking her head, she looked into the room. “Nope, just some sadomasochism when he felt like it. He did pay her well for it. She got a very nice home and quite a bit of funding for her trouble. He wouldn’t have married her anyway. He never took her out in public. She wasn’t in his class.”

“Like our mother,” I said looking at the floor, wondering what it must’ve been like back then. “To think that Mom was looked down upon makes me kind of hate this man we never met.”