“We’re trying to be a model for the rest of the world.”
“Why not just rule the world?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Douglas blinked at him. “Are you for real, cousin? Don’t you know how much your bride is worth?”
When Angus didn’t answer him, Douglas shook his head. “Win Lisle, daughter of Vienna Josephine Manners, daughter of Andrew Manners, founder of Manners Corp and the Manners Foundation. And that’s just on her mother’s side. The Lisles aren’t slouches either. From what I found online, Win’s family is worth several hundred million dollars. The Manners Foundation’s endowments exceed that. Julian Lisle is a California representative. Two years from now he’ll be governor. Eight years after that he’ll be running the whole damn show.”
Angus’s confusion must have shown.
“President,” Douglas exploded. “Man, have you not an ambitious bone in your body? Win Lisle is going to be the president’s daughter—or she would have been if she hadn’t decided to slum around here with you.”
Angus could only stare at him. He knew Julian Lisle was a representative, of course, and he’d seen something online about him considering a run for governor. Win had never mentioned president, though. She’d been prepared to give that all up—for him?
Understanding crashed over him and with it, a horrible clarity. All the time he’d been blaming her for being selfish for going home to help her mother, he’d had no idea what she’d given up to come here in the first place—
“You seriously didn’t know?” Douglas paced away from him. “I can’t decide if that’s better or worse. Didn’t you bother to get to know the woman you want to marry?”
“I thought I had.”
They stared at each other.
“Does it change anything?” Douglas said witheringly. “Are you going to wake up and see the chance staring you right in the face?”
“What chance?”
Douglas rolled his eyes again. “Your bairn is going to be grandson to the president. Wake up, man! You could have any position you wanted in the government if you just started playing your cards right. Win’s family hates Base Camp. They want her home. Take her there, and you’re golden.”
“I can’t leave. Not until we’ve won at least.” And he wouldn’t go then, either. From what he could tell, Win’s family liked to bully her into doing their bidding. They didn’t respect her for herself. He wanted no part of that.
“Play your cards right, and maybe you’d be president someday.”
“I think there’s a rule in the constitution that prevents immigrants from being president,” Angus pointed out.
“Fine, but you could make a million contacts just hanging around that family. You’re going to waste it all.”
“And you think you’d do better?”
“I know I would. I’m not stupid,” Douglas went on. “I know your lass doesn’t want any part of me, and that’s too bad, because I’m damn sure I’m the kind of man her family wants for her, not someone like you. But if you’re going to toss this opportunity to the wind, the least I can do is salvage something for me and the rest of the family. Like I said, I saw that ad Leslie placed. I’m sure a thousand other men saw it, too, and had a similar idea. You’re lucky one of them isn’t here seducing your woman.”
Angus didn’t know what to say to that. He supposed Douglas was right, but that didn’t make his presence any easier to bear. “Don’t you dare pressure her to get in touch with her family. They’ve hurt her enough already,” he said.
“I won’t push, but I won’t turn away any opportunities, either, to patch whatever’s gone wrong between them,” Douglas said. “I guess that’s where you and I differ, cousin. I think family is worth fighting for. You just let people walk away.”
“Thank you for the excuse to get a break from everyone,” Win said to Riley and Boone three days later as they worked together to wash the dinner dishes. They’d kicked out Kai and Addison, telling them to take the night off, and had barred Douglas, Angus and Leslie from joining them, Boone finally shutting the kitchen door in their faces firmly. “I don’t think I could have stood another minute with that crowd.”
“I noticed Douglas is sticking pretty close to you.” Boone took his place in front of the sink and stuck his hands in the sudsy water. Win got out a cloth to dry them while Riley moved around the room straightening up and putting things away.
“And Angus is sticking close to him, and Leslie is sticking close to Angus. It’s maddening.” Win picked up the first glass Boone set into the drying rack and began to wipe it.
“Do you like Douglas?” Riley asked curiously, scraping food scraps into a little compost bin and stacking up dirty dishes on the counter near Boone.
“He’s fine in small doses. I have to admit he’s intelligent,” Win said. “Follows American politics avidly,” she added gloomily. “Haven’t heard so much about elections since I left home. My parents would love it if I married a man like him, although they’d prefer it if he came with a big bag of cash.”
“I get the feeling Douglas would be willing to make that match,” Boone said.
“Ah, but he wouldn’t stay here. Douglas isn’t interested in Base Camp,” Win told him. “He’s not all that interested in me, either. He’d love to marry my parents, though.”
Riley laughed, then made a face. “Sorry.”
“Maybe I should find you a better backup husband,” Boone joked.
“Are you trying to drive Angus around the bend?” Riley asked him. “You should concentrate on what you’re going to do when the thirty days are up and Angus goes back to Win. Leslie’s going to blow her top.”
“Leslie’s not capable of blowing her top,” Boone said.
Riley looked at him askance. “Are you kidding? When that girl goes off, it’ll be nuclear. Mark my words.”
Boone finished washing a plate, mulling that over.
“Do you think she loves Angus?” Win hadn’t let herself think about the possibility before.
Riley shook her head slowly.
