Her Billionaire Hero

Chapter One

Chapter One

Baldwyn

Letting up off the gas, my stomach churned nervously as I entered Carthage, Texas, with my four younger brothers.

Patton, the second oldest, sat in the passenger side of my Lincoln Navigator, leaning in to look at the ever-slowing speedometer. “What’s up, Baldwyn?”

Gripping the steering wheel, I clenched my jaw, unsure of what to say. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders.

My youngest brother, Stone, spoke up. “He’s getting the bubble guts because we’re about to meet men we’ve never met before and use our ‘in’ as their second cousins to see if we can get a huge business loan.”

Cohen, the second youngest brother, nodded. “Yeah, Patton, what’s not to understand? I’m grinding my teeth back here.” Sitting alone in the third-row seat, he cracked his knuckles as he took a deep breath.

“The worst thing that can happen is that they say no,” Warner, the middle brother reminded us all. “We’re not destitute, you know. We all still have our jobs. If they say yes, then cool. If not, then no biggie.”

“They’re billionaires.” Cohen punched Warner in the arm then sat back in his seat. “It’s just nerve-wracking is all.”

Rubbing his shoulder, Warner’s narrow eyes caught mine in the rearview mirror. “The Gentrys have only been rich for about a year. I’m sure they haven’t been corrupted by the money yet. Plus, their mom told our uncle that they’ve been looking to invest in something other than the ranch their grandfather left to them. And since we all have extensive experience in the hospitality industry and most of us have gotten education to back that experience up, our business venture is pretty much as solid as they come.”

Patton took offense right off the bat. “An associate degree is education, Warner. My interior design degree has let me in the door of many of Houston’s finest spas and resorts. My freelance business is doing quite well. Not many thirty-two-year-old men can say they’ve done so well in the interior design biz.”

Stone chimed in. “Yeah, Warner. Patton’s right. My culinary arts degree might only be considered an associate degree, but it’s given me access to work with many renowned chefs. I’m not embarrassed by what I’ve made out of myself at only twenty-four. And I’ll be damned if any of these long-lost cousins of ours make me feel inadequate for not having more education.”

I had to stop them all before the whole thing disintegrated into a sibling bashing fest. “Look, guys, we’re all educated, and all of us have the experience we need to make this spa and resort thing work. Plus, I doubt our cousins have gained any education in the period of only a year. From what Uncle Rob said, his cousin married a man who gave up the money and ranch he stood to inherit. Our cousins grew up without much money at all—hence why they put the word out about wanting to invest in businesses to help out some of the family they never knew.”

Cohen smiled proudly. “We’ve got what it takes to make this work. And I’m sure Tyrell, Jasper, and Cash Gentry will see fit to finance our project. Even if they don’t, that’s okay. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be. The most important thing here is that we’re going to meet relatives we never knew existed. If nothing else comes of this, we’ve gained more family. One can never have too many family members.”

“You’re right,” Stone agreed. “Family is more important than money. And we should start out by saying that, Baldwyn. Make sure to let them all know that no matter what they say about the deal, we’re still family and always will be.”

“Of course I’ll start with that.” Biting my lip, I chewed it as I turned onto the road that led to Whisper Ranch. “I sort of hate that the first time meeting them, we’re asking for money. But what other choice do we have? Uncle Rob said we needed to get out here before the vultures came to take away their money.”

We had plenty of relatives who would lie to get their hands on some of our newly rich family members’ money. Family members who’d never met any of their relatives. Family members who might be a bit naïve about people they should be able to trust.

Our father’s side of the family wasn’t exactly made up of the best people in the world. Uncle Rob was an exception—he was completely trustworthy. He had mentioned that the reason behind his cousin running off to get married to the wealthy rancher’s son had everything to do with where she’d come from—the wrong side of the tracks. And that was where our father had also come from. Only, Dad had made something out of himself. He’d married a nice woman he met in college and started his life in Houston.

An enormous gated entrance loomed ahead of us and my stomach rumbled. “s**t, this place is really something, isn’t it?”

“Sure is,” Patton agreed. “But we’ve got to remember that we’re here to meet our family and the other thing is just a passing question.”

“Yeah, that’s how we’ll do this thing. The money isn’t everything. The business idea isn’t the be-all, end-all. The important thing here is the men we’re related to. Family.” I reached out to push the button on the keypad I’d stopped next to. “Okay, so here we go. Let’s see if they even let us in.”

“Welcome to Whisper Ranch,” a man greeted us over the intercom. “How can I help you?”

“We’re the Nash brothers.” I tried to speak with pride, hoping to convey faith to the man on the other end of the speaker. “We’re the Gentry brothers’ second cousins. We’re here from Houston. Our uncle, Robert Nash, said he called to let Tyrell know that we were coming today.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll buzz you guys in.” The gate buzzed as it opened.

I let out a sigh of relief, but the nerves weren’t gone yet. “Here we go, guys. This might be the best day of our lives. Or it might be just mediocre.”

Patton grinned as he looked at everyone in the car. “It’s gonna be great no matter what. New family—right, guys?”

Everyone agreed as we drove up the long driveway. Cattle ate grass, some horses looked our way, and one of them galloped alongside of the car for a bit before taking off in the other direction.

Stone stared out the window, mesmerized. “A real ranch. I have to admit I hadn’t realized it would be like this. It’s nice. Grand. Cool.”

“I hope they’re nice,” Cohen said quietly.

“I’m sure they are.” I pulled up behind an expensive-looking truck and put the car in park, then shut off the engine. “K. Let’s go.”

Before we even got out of the car, three men came out a side door of the ranch house and headed toward us. “Hi there, cousins,” the tallest of them called out. “Welcome to Whisper Ranch.”

“They seem nice,” Warner said as we got out. “Hi there. I’m Warner Nash.” He extended his hand.

But the tall guy pushed it to the side, then hugged him. “Tyrell Gentry, Warner. And family hug.”

“Jasper,” the man right behind him said as he took me in for a hug.

Laughing at how nervous I’d been before, I hugged him back. “Nice to meet you, Jasper. I’m Baldwyn.”

Patton came around the front of the car, then was hugged by the last brother.

“I’m Cash.”

Hugging the man back, my brother smiled. “Patton.”

Stone and Cohen stood there, as if waiting for their turns to get hugged. Cash and Jasper grabbed them up as I introduced them.

“Come on inside the house. We’ve got some sweet tea ready.” Tyrell led us inside.

We entered a small alcove with a coatrack full of raincoats and cowboy hats. It was the only stick of furniture in the small space. Wonderful smells wafted through the air as we headed toward what seemed to be the kitchen.

“It smells good in here,” I said. “You guys have an awesome place.”

“Thanks,” Cash said. “We do like it here.”

Passing the kitchen, Tyrell led us to a dining area where more than just iced tea waited on a side table. Several platters of finger foods sat along each side of the large dispenser of tea. Jasper gestured to the serving table. “Help yourselves, gentlemen.” He grabbed a glass of ice and filled it up with tea then took a small plate and began filling it. “We had lunch a couple of hours ago, but I’ve got room for more.”

None of us could pass up the food and we all loaded our plates before taking seats at the long table. “Thanks, guys.” I held up my glass. “And here’s to finding long-lost relatives. May all our future years be happy ones.”

“Cheers,” everyone said as we clanked our glasses.

“How was the trip in from Houston?” Jasper asked.

An hour of light chit-chat followed, making us all a lot more comfortable with each other. It wasn’t until now that the time felt right to bring up our business idea.

So, I went for it. “Our Uncle Rob told us that you boys are looking to make some investments.”

“We are,” Tyrell confirmed. “But before you go any further, let me tell you that we’re not going to be handing money out for just anything. We all must agree on the investment. And I’ll let you know right now that we rarely agree on much.”

Shit.

Shrugging, I knew I had to accept a negative response if they gave us one. “Let’s hope you can see the big picture of what we’re proposing here.” Looking at Warner, I began to give our credentials. “Between Warner, myself, and Cohen, we’ve got a couple of master’s degrees in business and a bachelor’s. Stone has a degree in culinary arts and Patton’s got one in interior design. We’ve all been working in the hospitality industry for years now. There’s well over a decade of experience between us.”

Jasper held up a finger to stop me. “So, your business idea has something to do with the hospitality industry then?”

“It does,” Warner answered. “We’re interested in the Austin area.”

Stone took over. “The diversity in the capital city is why we’ve chosen that area.”

Cash nodded. “There are a lot of people there. But there are a lot of businesses there for you to compete with. What gives your idea the edge it’ll need to take some business away from some of the other ones?”

Cohen said, “First, you should know that our idea is a resort and spa.”

Carefully, I pulled the short version of our business plan out of my briefcase and handed it to Tyrell. “Here’s the business plan. The basics. We do have a detailed plan as well. But it’s a hundred and seventy-five pages long, so I thought we’d start with this.”

Tyrell looked it over, then handed it to Cash who sat next to him.

Cash took a few more minutes to check it out than his older brother had, before passing it to Jasper.

Jasper’s eyebrow c****d as he browsed, and then he looked at me. “You really think you can get people to pay over a thousand bucks a night to stay at this place?”

“It’s all-inclusive. That amount covers the room, the meals, the spa treatments, and whatever else they might want. I currently manage one similar to this. I know people will pay that price.”

“Interesting,” Tyrell said as he took out his phone and started tapping away on it. “If you booked even half of the hundred rooms you’ve got on the plan, then you’d still come out pretty good.”

“I’m not sure about the all-inclusive idea,” Cash said. “You’ve got two bars in that plan. People can drink in Texas, Baldwyn. You could go broke giving out unlimited alcohol.”

“The fine print is where we take care of that. There are limits. We will not offer buffets or open bars. Our one and only restaurant will offer meals. Our bar will offer up to five free drinks. After that, if our guests wish for more, it will be added to their bill. The same goes for any food they want over their included meals.” I wasn’t new to this game. I’d done it for years. “I’m thirty-five now and started working at a Houston resort fresh out of high school. As an errand boy, I learned my way around the place as I went to college and learned how to run the place. I went from one resort to another, gaining experience as I went.”

Patton patted me on the back. “Our oldest brother made the industry sound so interesting that we all took jobs at the various hotels, restaurants, and resorts in our city. We all eventually went to college to gain degrees to help us move up. And its paid off. We’re all doing very well. And, as you can see, the oldest of us is only thirty-five. Stone’s the youngest at twenty-four and he’s worked with world-class chefs. We can make this work. And that means you will make even more money if you decide to finance this endeavor.”

Jasper’s brow furrowed. Tyrell sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. Cash tapped his fingers on the table. None of them wore a frown, which I found promising.

Standing, Tyrell gave me a nod. “Can you give us a minute? We’ll be right back.”

“Of course.” I stood and smiled as they began to leave. “Hey.” I wanted to make sure they knew how we all felt. “No matter what you come back here and tell us, we’re very glad to have met you and this won’t affect the relationships we hope to build with you men, as our cousins. So, don’t feel like you have to say yes to us.”

Patton stood up next to me. “But don’t think we don’t want to hear a yes from you.”

Stone added, “We can make this work. I have faith in that. But what matters most is that you know you’ve got family. Family understands the word no. At least some of us do.”

Nodding, they left us alone.

We sat in silence until they returned. I honestly had no idea what the verdict would be. But I was ready for anything. Or so I thought.

Sitting down, the three of them looked at us all before Jasper said, “Let’s do this, gentlemen.”

Stunned, we all sat there looking at the men who sat across the table from us.

Cash said, “We’re going to give you all the money you need to make this a success.”

I felt the room tilt, then spin. Then a solid clap on my shoulder brought me back to earth.

Cohen stood behind me with an answer for our cousins. “Thank you. We graciously accept your offer. Together, we will make this work for all of us!”

I’m going to be a business owner. I’m going to have my own resort!