Shit Kickers & Stilettos (Heiresses In Aprons) Read online

  SHIT KICKERS & STILETTOS

  Copyright © Rita Sawyer, 2013

  Cover Design by Rebecca Sawyer 2013

  Cover Photograph by Jenn LeBlanc/Illustrated Romance

  Edited by Rebecca Sawyer

  Electronic Publication Date: February 2013

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without permission, except for use in reviews. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other measures without permission is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in electronic piracy. Your support in the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  For more information about this or any of the author’s other works please visit http://www.RitaSawyer.com

  Dedication

  To my husband David, for having enough faith in me to encourage me to follow my dreams. Without your support I would still be telling myself stories instead of letting others read them.

  Acknowledgements

  Many thanks go out to those who helped with the creation of this book. Becca, Matt, and Rachel you guys rock.

  Chapter One

  Rosie Crestmont, heiress to the Crestmont Hotel conglomerate, sat alone in the back of the black town car that turned onto the half a mile driveway. It led to the big old farmhouse that used to be one of the happiest places on earth for her. Now she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Maybe someday, once she got past the pain she’d find the joy she’d always experienced when she visited. Right now the place was too full of memories to think about anything but getting through today.

  Her uncle had truly loved the place and practically rebuilt it from the ground up. Restoring the house, the stables, and the beautiful little guest cottage had been his passion before she came along. He had shown Rosie the photo albums he’d kept during the restorations. The property itself was fifteen well maintained acres with plenty of wooded trails for riding and hiking.

  The house had been a mere shell when he started and now had lots of upgrades. It was her uncle’s main showcase. It was a three story Victorian style farmhouse. On the first floor when you walked in you found yourself in a massive foyer. To the right was the dining room which led to the kitchen. On the left was the staircase that curved like a snake all the way to the third floor, and the doorway to the huge living room. Further down the entryway was the door to the library/study. There was also a bedroom that her uncle had turned into an office of sorts, and a bathroom.

  The second floor had four large bedrooms. Two with their own bathrooms and the other two shared one. The third floor had three rooms and a small bathroom. One room was used for storage. The others were empty the last time she looked, but that was five years ago. There was no knowing what her uncle might have done to them since then.

  She looked out the window and through her tears she saw the huge Weeping Willow tree the driveway looped around up ahead. An old memory flashed into her mind. Her uncle had taken her for a weekend while her parents went away to check on one of the hotels the family owned. He’d hung a swing on the thickest branch of the tree. He pushed her for over an hour, both of them laughing themselves silly. At seven years old she hadn’t known any better and had insisted on pushing him too.

  Back then he hadn’t had the heart to tell her no, hell he still had trouble with that. The rope had been strong enough to hold her, but snapped under his weight. The board and her uncle had slammed to the ground. They both laughed, but she clearly remembered the way her uncle had hobbled around for the rest of her visit. Never once had he complained, or blamed her for the pain.

  The car rolled to a stop and Rosie pulled her mirror from her purse. She’d managed to hold back the tears throughout the wake and funeral, but once she was alone in the car she’d let them fall. She dabbed her cheeks with a tissue and stuffed it and the mirror back into her bag. She took a deep breath and slid her sunglasses on to hide the damage the tears had done. There was no sun out to shield her eyes from, but the glasses would keep anyone from noticing how red her eyes were.

  Her parents would be humiliated by her public show of emotions. They’d be alarmed by any show of emotions since they preferred not to show them ever. Unlike her uncle, who always showed his emotions, and any he needed to manufacture to convey the feelings he wanted others to see. But she’d never seen him in a truly somber mood. He believed in living life to its fullest and having fun while he did it. Her cell phone buzzed and she scrambled for it.

  “Sweetie, you doing okay?” Her friend Sophia asked in her ear.

  Rosie gave such a slight shake of her head that her long blonde waves of hair that hung well past her shoulders barely moved. “No, but only time will change that and it’s something I just don’t have.”

  “Hold tight honey this day won’t last forever. Tiffany, Nicolette, and I are waiting right inside the door.” Sophia assured her.

  “I’ll be there in a minute.” Rosie disconnected the phone on a sigh.

  Damn she wished they could have driven with her. Maybe then she would have been able to keep it together. The door opened and she accepted the drivers hand and let him help her out of the car. The staid black dress she’d chosen to wear slid easily across the leather seat. Her four inch heels sank into the ground as she walked to the stone path that led to the house. With the first step on the stones the loud click of her heel had the heads of the people standing on the porch turning in her direction. There had to be close to a hundred people there today. Luckily only a dozen or so were milling about outside.

  She was used to the attention and usually was prepared to deal with it under normal circumstances, but today wasn’t supposed to be about her. It was about her Uncle Teddy, whom she’d never see again. She felt the tears threaten to fall again and she paused in the middle of the walkway. Rosie closed her eyes and tilted her face up toward the sky hoping gravity would help keep them from spilling.

  A big hand slipped on her lower back and a soft deep masculine voice said, “I know for a fact that Teddy told you no tears today. So suck it up, Baby Girl, paste that amazing smile on your lips, and get your ass in there and charm your uncle’s friends that he bragged about you so much to.”

  Hearing her uncle’s nickname for her she did smile. Before she could thank whoever had tried to bolster her reserve he gave her a little shove forward. Rosie practically marched along the stones and up the stairs. As promised the second she stepped inside the house her friends flanked her sides. They escorted her into the main living room where a lot of the guests had converged.

  There were actors and actresses, business people, and her uncle’s closest neighbor, a major rock star and his band mates there. She looked around at all the pictures of her uncle that had been spread around the room. Some were from his acting days, others with prominent political and business people. Everyone was laughing and telling stories about him. This was the type of send off he would have wanted.

  She looked to where her mother and father sat across the room acting. Lillian and Joel Crestmont looked as if they were holding court, a normal position for them. Rosie knew they wouldn’t approach anyone. They’d sit there and wait for people to come to them.

  Rosie let out a very soft unladylike growl. It was one of only a handful of times her parents had even come to her uncle’s house and they could have tried harder to fit in. She knew they would have preferred
to have his funeral in the city, but thanks to her uncle’s advanced planning they had no say in the matter.

  “I need to find Dade and thank him for getting this all organized.” Her heart felt like someone was squeezing it in their fist. “I should have been here.”

  “Rosie, don’t beat yourself up. Nobody could have seen that accident coming. Dade and Teddy know you had to be there at the dedication, but more importantly present for the board meeting afterward. Heck Teddy is the one who placed you on the board in his stead.” Tiffany was right, but it still hurt that she wasn’t there to take care of Teddy’s final wishes herself.

  “So is this Dade cute?” Nicolette asked trying to lighten the mood.

  “Um… I’m not sure.” The last time Rosie had seen him he was riding a horse across the pasture, and the time before that he’d been covered in mud.

  “He lived with your uncle for fifteen years, and you don’t know what he looks like. What about all those times you came here to visit?” Sophia asked.

  “He was away at school for a while and then whenever I came Teddy said he was off handling business of one kind or another.” She’d never pushed her uncle for more information. “He was his right hand man and that must have kept him pretty busy.”

  “I think it’s kind of weird that you and him never met.” Nicolette gave a shrug of her shoulders.

  “I didn’t say that. We met when he was younger and yeah I think he was cute then, but I haven’t actually seen him in years. We’ve talked on the phone at least once a month, and email three or four times a week.” She left off that she figured if his deep sexy voice was anything to go on he was probably a damn good looking guy.

  At that moment her uncle’s attorney Mr. Grest started walking her way. The man was on the shorter side and balding, but his smile gave him a pleasant air.

  “Ladies,” he said with a nod in their direction. “Ms. Crestmont can I see you for a few moments in your uncle’s study?”

  “Sure.” She handed her purse to Sophia and started to follow him down the hall.

  “Rosalind Jane.” Her father’s strident voice brought both her and Mr. Grest to a halt.

  “What?” She managed to hold back the groan that usually came afterward.

  He glanced at the lawyer and then back to her. “Where are you going?”

  “I’ve asked your daughter for a moment of her time.” Mr. Grest gave her father a look that she couldn’t read.

  “Is this something that we should all be aware of?” She should have known her father wasn’t concerned for her, but more afraid that he might miss something.

  “No. This is a matter that involves only Rosie and Mr. Sebastian.”

  “Sebastian? What could you possibly have to discuss with my daughter and that man? They barely know each other.”

  “Be that as it may this is between the two of them. Now if you’ll excuse us.” With his dismissal he waved his hand in the direction of the study and Rosie didn’t look back as she walked away from her father.

  Mr. Grest opened the door and she walked inside. She stopped short when she spotted the guy sitting behind her uncle’s desk. His hair was short, dark brown, and it seemed there might be a slight curl to it if it wasn’t cut so short. The material of his charcoal gray suit was stretched across his wide shoulders. He lifted his head from whatever he was reading and their gazes met and held. Neither of them spoke, but his lips curved up into a smile. He went from ruggedly handsome to sinfully sexy in a heartbeat.

  The lawyer came in behind her and closed the door. The loud click broke the connection between them. The guy, who she assumed was Dade Sebastian, got to his feet and rounded the desk. He was a good two inches taller than her, okay six if she was barefoot.

  “Dade, glad you’re here. I’m not sure if you two have met. Rosie, this is your uncle’s assistant Dade Sebastian. Dade, this is Teddy’s niece Rosalind Crestmont.”

  “Nice to see you again.” Rosie offered him her hand.

  His big hand wrapped around hers. “You too.”

  Rosie gasped more because she recognized his voice from when she arrived, than the tingle she felt from his touch. Both were enough to make her ease her hand out of his grip. She glanced down needing a second to get herself under control. Rosie noticed the shiny black and gray cowboy boots he had on and remembered that her uncle had a similar pair.

  “Why don’t you two have a seat and we’ll get right to it.” Mr. Grest waved his hand at the two empty chairs as he took a seat in her uncle’s chair.

  Dade waited for her to sit before he did. Good looking and manners, so far the guy had two things going for him. The lawyer pulled a stack of papers from a folder on the desk and flipped a couple of pages. He smiled and tapped a spot obviously finding what he was looking for.

  “It seems that Teddy has decided to do things a little differently, which to anyone that knew him won’t come as much of a surprise.” His friendly chuckle had her relaxing a little.

  She smiled and glanced at Dade, who hadn’t even cracked a grin. Rosie wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign. Dade had spent more time with her uncle than anyone she knew. Sure, whenever she came to visit he’d made himself scarce, but she always figured he was somewhere close by. Her visits had been few and way too far in between lately, but she had made sure that her and her uncle talked at least once a week by phone or video chat. Teddy hadn’t talked much about Dade other than to say ‘that kid is the best, almost as good as you’. He must have been otherwise her uncle wouldn’t have trusted him the way he did.

  “I thought we weren’t reading the will until tomorrow?” Dade finally said.

  “See that’s the tricky part. Teddy left two versions of his will.”

  “Why would he do that?” Rosie asked.

  “Your uncle has a special request for you and Mr. Sebastian, if you decline then I’ve been instructed to go ahead with the second reading tomorrow.”

  “He knew damn well he wasn’t going to need that second adaptation.” Dade’s response made it sound like he was ready to do whatever it was her uncle asked.

  Rosie figured he was right, but she knew her uncle wouldn’t put her in any position without giving her a choice. “What does he want us to do?”

  “Actually I’m going to let him explain it to you.” The lawyer got up and walked over to the TV.

  He pressed a few buttons on the remotes and her uncle’s image filled the screen. Blond hair, lightly tanned skin, and fabulous smile he was such a handsome man. He’d been a movie star in his younger days, and had still made random cameos right up until his death. It never failed to strike her that her father and uncle looked so unlike. Opposite sides of a coin, light and dark. Still maybe if her father smiled more he’d be just as handsome.

  “Baby Girl.” She thought she’d never hear the deep cadence of her uncle’s voice and the tears it brought to her eyes stung. “I know you’re sad, but I don’t want you to be. So please try to be happy, and don’t worry I’m going to help you.”

  Rosie was pretty sure she thought she heard Dade groan. She chose to ignore him and focus on her uncle. “I’m not going to be the only one either.”

  “Dade, I know you’re there too since I made sure you’d be seeing this together. I hope you managed to find a couple of showgirls or something to liven things up.” She glanced at him and he quickly shook his head.

  Too bad she would’ve loved to see how her parents handled that. “So I need you two to keep quiet until I’m finished. You both mean the world to me so when it came time for me to decide what to do with my money and my company it was simple. I decided that I want both of you to have it. My proposal is this, the two of will live here at the farmhouse for six months. You’ll be able to leave for no more than forty-eight consecutive hours at a time, unless it’s an emergency and the other goes with you. All decisions, business and personal will be made together.”

  Rosie hadn’t had to answer to anyone for a really long time. Hell, she had people t
hat answered to her. Dade had worked for her uncle so he might be used to reporting back to someone, but just looking at his stoic profile she didn’t think so.

  Her uncle went on to say, “Dade has been running the business side for the past few years while I goofed off learning to play golf, and Rosie you’ve handled all the charities and foundations so between the two of you there shouldn’t be anything you can’t handle together. If either of you fail to meet the requirements or just doesn’t want to do this then Grest has been instructed to destroy this codicil and proceed with the reading of the will.”

  Mr. Grest pressed the pause button the DVD remote. “I’m supposed to step outside and give you two exactly ten minutes to talk things over and come to a decision.”

  A dozen thoughts rushed through Rosie’s head. It came as no surprise that her uncle wanted to leave half his estate to Dade. She’d actually thought he was going to get it all, which would have been fine with her. Though she was sure her father would have had an issue with that. Especially once her father learned her uncle had business dealings he was totally unaware of. Her parents were going to be furious when they found out about her uncle’s request. If Rosie spent six months at the farmhouse it would be a welcome vacation from them since they had no reason to go there.

  She could work from the house just as well as anywhere else. The two day rule would allow her to go to any of the charity functions she needed to attend.

  Rosie wanted to do this for her uncle. She always tried to do whatever he asked her to do, but she wasn’t sure about living with Dade. She’d never lived with anyone other than her parents and Sophia while they were away at school. Living with a sexy single guy could go wrong in so many ways. She didn’t know squat about him. Was she going to have to deal with a parade of women traipsing around the place? Before she agreed they needed to discuss things and set some ground rules, other than the ones that her uncle had already set forth.