Page 12 of The Billion Heirs Boxed Set

“I’ll get someone else to see to Maverick. I want to show you the kennels.” Her eyes light up. “We’ve got a litter of pups that was born a week ago, and one of them is having trouble latching on. Would you like to feed him?”

“Of course. Let me put Ivory in her stall.” I try to conceal my disappointment.

I love puppies, and bottle-feeding one sounds like heaven, but I’m qualified to do so much more. How can I get Lexie to understand that?

I follow her out of the stables and toward a Jeep.

“Get in.” She thumbs to the passenger seat.

A short drive later, we arrive at the kennels, near the main house.

The Bridger house.

I’ve seen it, of course, as it’s on the edge of the property and visible when driving through the small town. It’s made of local light stone. It’s only one level, but because it’s situated on some higher ground, everyone in town gets a good look at it.

And it’s sprawling, meant for a huge family, not just the two men who have lived there until recently. Now I know it’s three half brothers who share the space.

I’ll probably never see the inside of it. This is as close as I’ve ever been, and it’s spectacular. My family’s ranch is a good size, even with the animals sold off, but it’s nothing like this.

Austin Bridger lives there. In that huge house.

He sleeps there. In a bed.

God, a bed with Austin Bridger in it. All six feet plus of him. I wonder if he sleeps naked. I imagine that body beneath crisp white sheets. Like one of those calendars where he’s Mr. February with the bedding barely covering his hips.

My nipples tighten.

Unbelievable. My libido has been dormant for so long that these feelings surprise me. I could do it. With Austin. If I can feel like this from just talking to him, my God… What would it be like if he touched me?

A touch of panic sets it. Would I freak out?

No. It’s been long enough. I want to be with a man like Austin—a gorgeous man who’s attracted to me. Who wants nothing more from me than pleasure because he doesn’t know about my past.

I steady myself as I get out of the Jeep. I have one job here—to care for animals—but I can still lust after Austin Bridger. I could sleep with him, cross the first-time-since sex off the list, but I have a feeling I’d still be lusting. He’ll just be that good. It’d be a step toward being myself again because I’m sure a guy as attractive as Austin would know what to do.

I follow Lexie toward the large building which houses the kennels. Barking sounds through the air.

“Chance breeds Australian Shepherds,” Lexie says. “They’re great with all the animals here. True working dogs.”

“I’m sure,” I say.

“Duchess is nesting with her pups in a separate area.” Lexie bypasses the building and leads me to a smaller structure next to it. She opens the door. “Come on in.”

A puppy nursery greets me. The puppies are so tiny, and they’re snuggled against their mother, a gorgeous blue merle with one blue eye and one brown eye.

“Hey, Duchess,” Lexie says in a soft voice. It’s easy to tell how much she cares for the animals.

Duchess wags her tail.

“Carly, could you mix up the formula?” Lexie points to a canister on a counter and a jug of distilled water.

I nod. “Sure thing.”

I read the directions on the formula and mix it into the small bottle.

Lexie brings me the tiny pup and I tuck him into the crook of my arm. He’s a soft and warm little blob and I can’t help but smile.

Lexie gives his tiny ear a small scratch. “He doesn’t have a name yet, but do you see the slight deformity on his bottom lip?”