Second Chance Billionaire
Ann B Harrison
Copyright © 2020 by Ann B Harrison
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
Contents
Author Information
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Author Information
Second Chance Billionaire
Ann B Harrison is the internationally best-selling author of thirty-five plus romance novels including her fabulous Watson Brothers Romance stories published by Tule Publishing Group.
For information on new releases, covers and to win exclusive members-only content, follow Ann on Facebook.
To get alerts for new releases, follow Ann on Amazon and BookBub.
Chapter 1
Ruby checked the time again, wishing for a fleeting moment that she’d worn her dress watch instead of the trusty black heavy duty one because that matched her likewise, practical black tux. She needed to look the part but fancy and frills was never her thing.
“Stop it.” Carly nudged her. “You’ll be fine. You’ve done this before and look how well we did. We got heaps of donations.”
She picked at a piece of imaginary fluff on her jacket sleeve and glanced nervously at the door of the rented hall. “But this year we enticed bigger sponsors. Or at least people we wish were sponsors.” She’d been horrified when Carly had told her how many invites she’d sent out and to whom. She still couldn’t be convinced that any of these business people would want to invest in or donate to her rescue organization. Talk about punching above your weight. Not that they had any choice. When things were as close to the line as they were now, nothing was off limits.
This ball was a make-or-break evening. Still, she was in panic mode.
Carly smiled as she spoke. “I’m glad you let me organize the guest list this year. I’ve invited bigger companies to contribute. We can’t rely on Facebook and posters in shop windows forever. And if that company who keeps donating blankets and dog food closes up, we’re screwed. Anyone is fair game as far as I’m concerned. Lots of big corporations make healthy donations to local ventures. I’m sick of being on tenterhooks every time the lease becomes due.”
That was Ruby’s goal, even if it was reaching for the stars. To own their own premises so she didn’t have the risk of being kicked out when the property owner figured out they could raise the rent to keep up with the market. Three times over the last seven years, the shelter had to move.
She drew in another shuddering breath. “Right, let’s go do this.” Ruby slipped her hand through Carly’s arm and walked out into the hall to greet their guests.
The mirror ball on the ceiling spun around, casting little sparkles over the people already there. Couples stood together with champagne in hand, talking and laughing. Some congregated around the large display Ruby had set up showing photos of their rescue babies awaiting adoption and another large display proudly showed off animals which had been adopted. The before and after photos were confronting but Ruby didn’t believe in sugar coating anything. It was amazing how much one person could change an animals life. It was what she lived for. Those feel good moments when things went right for her dogs.
People were cruel and she was out to make a difference. If she could save every animal, she would but even Ruby knew she was losing the battle.
She made her way over to the door and greeted more people as they walked in, doing her best to push down the nerves and make everyone comfortable.
“Hello. How nice of you to come tonight.” She shook hands with others.
“Thank you so much for coming.”
A few asked questions about her adoption rules and showed an interest which made the night worthwhile. She handed them a card with the office number on it to encourage them to make an appointment during the week.
The wishing well they’d set up beside the display already held plenty of bank notes. People were so generous and her eyes welled because of their kindness. Carly grinned as they met up.
“Told you this was going to be great. Just wait until the auction starts and you see the prizes that’ve been donated. It’ll blow your tiny little mind, girl.”
Ruby couldn’t hide the panic no matter how much she tried. Big events made her nervous. She hated the thought of stuffing up. Thank goodness Carly was a social butterfly and knew how to keep her calm. “I can’t wait. You’ve done an amazing job. I’m so grateful to call you my friend.”
Carly blushed and hugged her. “Ditto, kid.”
“Miss, excuse me.” An older man in a stunning suit tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re the one who runs this shelter?” His silver moustache twitched as he observed her.
“Yes, I do.” She held out her hand, he looked vaguely familiar. “My name is Ruby. How can I help you?”
He took her hand and shook it but didn’t let go. “I want to donate to your cause.”
“Thank you so much.”
He squeezed her fingers before letting go. “My wife has one of your dogs. I got it for her after a tragic incident a couple of years ago. She’s still not able to get out as much as she’d like. Rather home bound actually.” He paused for breath and when he spoke again, he had a check on his emotions. “I came in and adopted a little mixed breed for her. It gave her new life and she’s starting to improve.” He cleared his throat. “I just wanted to thank you personally. I doubt she would’ve survived after the death of our son without Bubbles by her side.”
Ruby reached out and hugged him. This is what she worked so hard for. To share the healing
