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Twenty-Four
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Loving a Tycoon Twenty-Five
Nicole’s body ached. Even her hair hurt. But at least she was alive. When she’d seen that black truck coming straight at her, and her swerve causing her to run off the road and roll down the ravine, she thought she was a goner. She couldn’t remember anything after the car stopped. But then she had a very strange dream. She remembered seeing Poppie. They were in a white room… or in the clouds. But he wore a white suit. No longer was he sick. In fact, he looked like she remembered from when she was a child. Her grandfather had been a very handsome, robust man. In her dream, he’d walked up to her, smiling. “I love you, Nikki,” he’d said. “But you no longer have to worry about me. I’ll be very happy in Heaven. So please, don’t be sad, but live your life to the fullest. Never forget, you are a wonderful person with a loving heart.” When he gave her a hug, she’d felt his love so intense, it brought tears to her eyes… tears of joy. There was love all around them, and it was as if the roo
Loving a Tycoon Twenty-Six
Nicole couldn’t wait to get out of the hospital bed and into her own bed. The only thing making her stiff and sore now was the horrible old hospital mattress. Thankfully, the doctor promised he’d release her before the funeral started. Mary had come to help her get dressed. Of course, Nicole didn’t need any help, but it was nice to have her friend here, anyway. For the past two days, everyone walked around her like they were stepping on eggshells because of Poppie’s death. She wished they’d stop. Her grandfather wasn’t in any more pain, and that made her happy. She’d miss him, but she had so many memories to cherish in her heart. She was anxious to see Mick again. He promised he’d meet her at the gravesite. The family purposely postponed the funeral until she was out of the hospital. As she sat on the edge of the hospital bed, Mary jabbered on about the argument she and Kent were having at the moment, as she applied Nicole’s make-up. She prayed her friend didn’t cake on the eyeline
Loving a Tycoon Twenty-Seven
Many people came to the gravesite service. Mick recognized people he’d known when he was a boy but had lost contact with. Some were still friends with Mick’s mother even though she lived in Long Island now with her new husband. The clouds decided not to block the sun during the service, but a breeze from the east came through and made the weather a little chilly. Nicole stood next to her mother, both wearing solemn expressions as they stared down at the casket. Nicole wore a lovely black dress. Nothing was fancy about it, except the fact that it fit her petite frame, and she looked amazing in it. Occasionally, she shivered. He wanted to stand beside her to keep her warm, to comfort her, and to show the town that he was in love with her, but he thought it best to stand back with the others. The minister read the eulogy which was perfect for James. Mick thought highly of the man, and he deserved the best tribute. Nicole wiped tears from her eyes before laying a rose on her grandfather
Loving a Tycoon Twenty-Eight
Mick held Nicole’s hand as they sat across from James Adkins’ lawyer. The middle-aged man wore the same suit as Mick. Armani was the best. But what worried Mick wasn’t the man’s fancy clothes or that the man colored his hair black to hide the gray, it was that the lawyer had a hard time meeting Mick’s gaze. The man’s attention was even skittish around Nicole. “Thanks for coming so soon after the funeral,” the man said. “Mr. Kennedy,” Nicole said sweetly, “I’m just glad you were able to see us so quickly. I’m anxious to take over as president. There’s so much that needs to be done, and there’s no time like the present.” Mr. Kennedy smiled at Nicole, but then his focus dropped to the papers in his hands. “Miss Adkins, your grandfather’s will was amended just the other day. He’d called me in for an emergency meeting. He was very adamant about fixing something in the will.” Nicole’s forehead creased, and unease settled over Mick. Why did he have the feeling that she wasn’t going to li
Loving a Tycoon Twenty-Nine
She hit her fist against the wall. Why was he playing with her heart? None of this made sense. Why would a billionaire love someone like her? And… why on earth would a billionaire want her grandfather’s measly company? It was hard not to doubt everything Mick had ever told her. Nicole shook off the confusion and pain as much as she could and logged into her computer to check her emails. There were so many! But as she scrolled through them, it softened her heart to know that there were many people who cared about her accident and gave sympathy for her grandfather’s passing. Several were from Mick, but she deleted those without reading them. An hour passed by, and nobody came to her door. She’d sent her secretary a message to let her know that she didn’t want to be disturbed. So far, her day was looking better. But her gut still twisted, wondering when Mick would try to see her. She moved away from her desk and to her window to peek through the blinds. The parking lot was filled, whi
Loving a Tycoon Thirty
Mick lifted his arms over his head, stretching out the kinks. He’d been on his laptop for several hours now, looking for a place to live. He had townhouses all over the United States, but he wanted to make his home here in Maple Springs… with Nicole by his side. He knew her attitude lately stemmed from her grandfather’s will, and the stress that she’d been under, but Mick hoped she would forgive him for inadvertently swaying James’ mind about the company. He had no doubt Nicole would be able to take on the challenge he’d issued this morning and run with it. Nicole was a smart woman, and she needed a little shaking up to get her to start thinking on the right track. It was going to be very hard for him to sit and do nothing for the next seven days. Wherever he saw a need, his instinctive reaction was to try and help. Yawning, he stood from the hotel’s small kitchen table and moved to the even smaller refrigerator to grab a cold bottled water. After unscrewing the lid, he gulped down
Loving a Tycoon Thirty-One
Mick wouldn’t let Nicole out of his sight, although she insisted that he not come in her bedroom last night. He grinned. Cuddling with her was a great temptation, which was why he’d slept on the couch. The next morning once they were both up and dressed, he drove her to work. As he sat in her grandfather’s office, Mick’s mind spun with ideas. He hadn’t slept well, mostly because of memories resurfacing of when he’d worked with his father. Mick had always known his father was deceitful, but he’d never known the extent of it. But two deals they’d worked on together several years ago had popped into Mick’s mind and he couldn’t let it go. Mick had kept his notes from when he’d worked on the Steele Construction case. What bothered him about this takeover was that he couldn’t find any reason why Steele Construction had fallen on hard times in the first place. They were a thriving company in Montana, and yet, his father had scoped the company out for a few months before swooping in and pou
Loving a Tycoon Thirty-Two
Nicole couldn’t stand the wait. It had been almost a week. She’d made her pitch to Peaking Design’s president, who appeared to be very interested, but she’d not heard anything since. And to top off her frustration, Mick still awaited word from his lawyer about the incriminating evidence found that would throw Carl Remington in prison for embezzlement. She doubted his billions would be able to get him out, especially when she filed charges against him and Tara Browning for attempted murder. Mick had asked Nicole to keep things hushed for now. Carl and Tara didn’t need an excuse to run, especially now. But Nicole wasn’t a patient woman. Things were not happening fast enough, in her opinion. But, just as her grandfather had once told her, she trusted God to help her. To help both her and Mick. Nicole had convinced Mick that she would be safe to drive around town during the day where people could see her and be witnesses, just in case. And today, Nicole had to run some personal errands
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