Travis stared down at the squirming pig in her arms. It was the size of a small dog. Bulldog, even. That was where the resemblance ended, though. This thing had hooves and a snout. The pig’s little tail wagged at a rapid pace, and he grunted as he burrowed in Risa’s arms. She scratched his back, rubbing him.
Travis just stared. This was why the local shelter wouldn’t take the damn thing.
Well, goddamn. What the hell was a CEO supposed to do with a pig?
To say that Travis Jesson wasn’t pleased would have been an understatement. Risa knew the moment he laid eyes on the pig that he’d never known that his grandmother’s beloved pet was porcine rather than canine. But that couldn’t be helped—Risa loved the pig but she couldn’t keep him. And Pearl had wanted Travis to have Gregory.
“That boy works too much,” Pearl had said time and time again. “He needs something other than work to occupy him.”
Of course, Pearl always assumed that everyone would just do what she’d wanted. She probably hadn’t anticipated the enormous scowl on Travis’s handsome, unsmiling face.
It was a face that Risa had dreamed about ever since she’d met Pearl Jesson four years ago. Travis Jesson had interviewed her before Pearl had, and she’d been too intimidated by his brusque manner to really pay much attention to him. Pearl, however, had been one of the nicest, friendliest people she’d ever met. She needed an assistant, she’d explained, because her grandson worried about her, especially after she’d broken her hip. They’d instantly clicked over a comment about daytime television, and Risa had the job.
She hadn’t been Pearl’s assistant for more than a week before Travis had swung by again to see how his grandmother was settling in with her new assistant.
Risa had been dazzled by the handsome man this time. Now that she wasn’t being interviewed by him, she could relax and study him from across the room. And Travis Jesson was gorgeous. He was cool, and self-assured, with a strong jaw that never seemed to smile and a serious, almost stern mien. She’d half fallen in love with him that day, watching him as he fussed over his grandmother, making sure that she had the best of everything available to her. Insisting that she rest and get well.
He was kind and thoughtful and devoted to Pearl.
Of course, he hadn’t even known that Risa existed. She wasn’t surprised. Back then she had been a size eighteen, tall and a little too curvy. She was freckled and wore glasses, and kept her long black hair loose around her face. And since she’d been tending to his grandmother, she’d worn her usual wardrobe of jeans and a T-shirt. Travis Jesson, a divinely handsome man, hadn’t even glanced at her except to inquire about his grandmother’s health.
To him, she was a vague, uninteresting piece of equipment at his grandmother’s house. Back then he’d no more strike up a personal conversation with her than he would the toaster. She’d realized that after blushing and stammering over her words the first time she met him, only to be crushed when he’d paid her not the slightest bit of attention.
And on his next visit, he’d brought a girlfriend.
After that, she learned, his business had blown up. His Web innovation company had developed a new piece of coding essential in online networking, and it had been bought for a ridiculous amount of money. Travis Jesson was no longer just a CEO—he was a billionaire.
He’d turned right around and started developing new technologies. Something about tablets or SmartPads or something. She didn’t know much about it—just that he’d started another company and his visits to Pearl had become less frequent.
Pearl had noticed his absence, though she’d never chided him for not having the time to visit. He was successful and driven, and she understood it even if she worried about him. It wasn’t his fault, she’d explain, that she was an old lonely woman. He was a busy man and had better things to do than to look in on his grandmother.
Still, Pearl had been depressed, Risa had realized. She didn’t have anything to look forward to. Travis’s parents were terrible at checking in. They called every few months and regaled Pearl about all the exciting things they were doing as they sailed around Europe in the sailboat Travis had bought them. Risa had seen Pearl sinking into a depression and had been unsure what to do.
Inspiration had struck at last year’s Bluebonnet Fall Festival. They’d seen the pet micro pigs for sale there, and Pearl had taken one look and fallen in love. Risa had, too. The pigs were clean, smart, and adorably funny; and the cutest piglet came home with them that day.
And if he wasn’t quite as good as visits from her beloved grandson, well, Pearl never complained.
Risa missed Pearl. The woman had been employer, friend, and grandmotherly figure all in one. She’d taken the job with Pearl out of necessity, but it had turned into a labor of love as they’d developed a close friendship.
But that chapter of her life was closed, Risa supposed. Time to pack up and move ahead with her life, which meant returning to the city and looking for a job in her field of expertise—teaching.
And that meant no Gregory, since her Dallas friend had cringed at the idea of a pig in her downtown apartment.
Watching Travis Jesson stare down at the pig with his lip curled in disgust, though, it was hard to imagine that they’d get along like Pearl had anticipated.
“He’s a very good pig,” Risa said lamely, hitching her towel closer to her body. How embarrassing that he’d seen her in her swimsuit and without a stitch of makeup. God. She was worse than invisible right now. He probably thought she was hideous. “We’re very careful with his diet so he doesn’t get fat, and he doesn’t bite. He’s litter trained, too.”
“What the f**k am I supposed to do with a pig?” His voice was cold and clipped as he pulled a phone out of his pocket.
She studied his suit uncomfortably. Armani, probably. Or Versace. Or something equally pricey. He didn’t look like a man that was here to go through his grandmother’s things. He looked like a man late for a meeting. An uncomfortable sensation curled in her stomach as he punched in a number on his phone with his thumb and then raised it to his ear. “Amy? Have I had any calls? Uh-huh? Good. Okay. Tell them I’ll call back shortly. I need you to do something. I want you to call every animal shelter in Houston and find one that takes pigs.”
Risa sucked in a breath. He wasn’t going to do that to such a sweet pig, was he? Even now, Gregory rubbed and leaned against her bare arm, wanting to be scratched. He was such a good, well behaved pet, and so smart. Which Travis would know, if only he’d give him a chance.