Page 32 of The Billion Heirs Boxed Set

“I’m not weak,” I say instead. “I’m broken, but I’m fixing myself.”

“Carly, you’re not br—”

I hold up a hand. “I am. I’m broken, but I’m getting better. A little at a time. Last night…” I roll my eyes. “God, last night helped with that a lot. Because you thought I was just Carly. Not Broken Carly like Chance thinks of me. Like Lexie and the entire town.”

He sighs and reaches out and strokes a hand over my hair, tucks some strands that have come loose behind my ear. “Baby, shh.”

Pet names. I don’t like them. But I no longer seem to mind.

I close my eyes and revel in the feel. In his lack of more words.

When he drops his hand, I look up at him. Does he know about the hidden spring? Probably not, since he only arrived a few days ago. Funny. I didn’t want to share that place with anyone.

Except now I do.

I want to share it with Austin. Want to share more with him.

“Okay. Come on,” I say. “I want to show you something. We have to drive for about ten minutes to get there.”

He steps back to let me out of the room. “Drive into town?”

I step out into the central hallway of the stable. The tang of horses is stronger out here. The sliding doors are open at either end of the building, allowing natural light and fresh summer air in.

“No. To the edge of your property.”

“Can’t we just walk?”

I laugh then. A big belly laugh, and damn, it feels good. “You have no idea how large your ranch is, do you? Come on. I’ve got a secret to share.”

9

AUSTIN

I’ve got a secret to share, she said. I didn’t expect this.

I’m in awe.

When I first learned to fly and had a birds eye view of the sky from the cockpit of a small plane, I fell in love with its beauty. Even during a storm, it’s still magnificent, with its blues, grays, and subtle greens. Flashes of lightning. Then after a storm, when a rainbow is visible from high above. Incredible.

Nature is awe inspiring.

I’ve never felt quite the same way about anything on the ground. Oh, I love the coasts and the mountains as much as anyone, but seeing it all from above… there’s nothing quite like it.

Until now.

Carly stops the car at a random spot on the side of a dirt road and then we walk about a quarter mile to a small clearing.

Now I’m gaping. Fucking gaping at the majesty before me.

“Holy shit.”

I see out of the corner of my eye that Carly grins.

A small waterfall splashes down gray rock and into a pool. The overflow trickles down into the lush grass in a wandering, slow path. Tiny evergreen trees sprout up from the dirt between the stones, and a large cottonwood offers some shade. Yet this water source isn’t part of the creek. It’s separate, as if it magically comes from the ground. A spring.

It’s pure splendor…yet it pales in comparison to Carly. How, here at her secret place, she looks happy. Content. Like her troubles and brokenness melt away.

She’s wearing her sable hair up in a high ponytail, which accents her perfect cheekbones and ears graced only with the tiniest gold studs. Her green T-shirt is tight, showing her curves—God, those amazing tits—and her ass is as delectable as ever in bootcut denim.