The Billionaire's Cowboy Groom (Sweet Billionaires Book 4)

by Lorana Hoopes

  Philippe’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open, but no words escaped.

  “Carrie, you belong with Cal. Perhaps you weren’t supposed to be together six years ago when you first married, but I saw you when you came back. You were different, happier. You belong with him.”

  Carrie blinked. How was this possible? Her best friend was ruining her ceremony. “Gwen, I told you he’s with someone else.”

  “He’s only with her because he thinks he lost you,” Gwen pushed.

  “You can’t know that,” Carrie said. “You haven’t even met him.”

  “He sent you a letter every year on your anniversary. That’s not the actions of a man who would jump into another relationship. Those pictures prove nothing-”

  “Wait, what pictures?” Philippe had found his voice and it was filled with confusion and maybe a hint of anger.

  “I-” Carrie glared at Gwen before turning to Philippe. What should she say? Opening a branch there had made sense at the time, but Carrie realized how awful it would look now. She decided on the truth. Gwen was right. Lies of omission were just as bad as outright lies. They had created quite a mess. “A few days ago, I wrote to Dixie, the inn owner, about opening a shop there. I wasn’t planning to run it, just find someone who would. In the letter, I also asked her about Cal. I suppose I was having reservations, Philippe.” She shook her head unable to believe these words were coming out of her mouth. “I was certain I didn’t care for Cal, but when I saw pictures of him with someone else, feelings surfaced or resurfaced, I guess. My brain wanted to convince my heart I hadn’t cared for him all these years, but the truth was that I loved him and that’s why I ran from commitment before.”

  Philippe opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by a voice from the guests. “I object too.”

  Carrie turned to see Sierra standing and making her way to the stage. “I can’t let this marriage happen either.”

  “Why not?” Carrie had no idea if the words issued from her mouth, Gwen’s, or Phillips’s as they all seemed to speak at the same time.

  “Carrie, you can’t marry him. He’s only marrying you for your money.”

  “What?” This time the word clearly came from Philippe, and he was indignant.

  Sierra glanced nervously at Philippe before continuing. “Don‘t get me wrong, he might really care for you, but I overheard him outside the shop one day talking about how he was pushing up the wedding date to gain access to your money. Evidently his company isn’t doing so good.”

  Carrie turned to face Philippe. “Is that true?”

  His face paled and his Adam’s Apple bobbed several times as he swallowed. His eyes shifted to the left and right before finally landing on Carrie’s. “It’s true that my company is having some financial issues, and I do care for you, but I proposed after I got wind of your net worth increasing.”

  “You proposed the very night I found out, how could you have known?” Carrie’s mind reeled with this knowledge. Philippe didn’t love her. She had divorced a man who loved her and almost married a man who didn’t. What was wrong with her?

  “I had someone keeping tabs on your business. You had more orders coming in and your stock was rising, so I figured it was a good time to propose. I wasn‘t positive until I found the letter you stashed under the register.”

  Carrie’s mouth dropped open. “You snooped in my shop?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t snooping. I was confirming suspicions. You shoved something under the register that night when I entered your shop. Figured I’d take a look at what you didn’t want to show me. I hoped as a billionaire you wouldn’t mind helping your husband’s company out, but to tell you the truth, I’m glad your assistant said something. I really don’t want to be shackled in a marriage.”

  Shackled? Who was this man in front of her? She opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, another voice spoke up.

  “I object to this marriage.”

  “Oh, good grief,” the minister said throwing up his hands. “What now?”

  * * *

  Cal blinked up at the expansive white building looming in front of him. He hoped it had an elevator because even in his good condition, it would take him way too long to get to the top if he had to take the stairs.

  He opened the door and scanned for the elevator sign. Thankfully, he found it near the back of the room. With wide and purposeful steps, he strode that direction, his boots echoing on the marble flooring. He pressed the button, surprised to find his finger shaking.

  As the door opened and he stepped inside, he practiced the words he would say in his head. Nothing sounded right, and by the time the doors opened, he had decided simple would be best.

  A small sign announced the Bliss Caron wedding outside a room with large oak doors. Praying he wasn’t too late, Cal pulled the doors open. “I object to this wedding.”

  As the silence fell, Cal took in the enormous room for the first time. There had to be hundreds of people in the room and every eye focused on him.

  “Cal?” Carrie’s voice carried from the stage and Cal focused on it. She wasn’t holding hands with the groom, so perhaps he wasn’t too late. Camera bulbs flashed as he made his way up the red carpeted aisle, but he ignored them. He was nobody, so he imagined they wouldn’t care about him nor did he care if they ran an article about him.

  “Carrie, I hope I’m not too late, but you can’t marry him. I may have signed the divorce papers, but I never should have. Without you, I’m lost. Even more so now that I got to have you back in my life for a few days. I’ll do whatever it takes to show you that we belong together.”

  Carrie’s lips twitched and then broke out into a full grin. “I feared I had lost you, Cal.”

  “Lost me? What are you talking about?”

  “I wrote Dixie asking about you. She sent me pictures of you with some blond.”

  Cal’s lips twitched into a sideways smile. “That was Ginny. She’s a sweet girl and Stacy convinced me to give her a chance after you left, but there was nothing there. My heart belongs to you. It has since that night in Vegas.”

  Carrie’s eyes filled with moisture. “My heart belongs with you too. I was stubborn and didn’t want to believe it, but I see it now.”

  “Great, is someone going to get married today?” the minister asked.

  “We don’t have a marriage license,” Carrie began.

  “But we could have a ceremony and make it official later,” Cal continued.

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Carrie flashed a conspiratorial wink at him.

  “Fine, can we do the ceremony then? I do have another engagement to attend.”

  “Philippe, would you mind taking a seat?” The words came from the redheaded woman next to Carrie, and Cal figured it had to be Gwen. He had never met the woman, but he liked her spunk.

  “Gwen!” Carrie was clearly shocked at her friend’s behavior.

  Gwen simply shrugged. “You aren’t marrying him. Cal needs a place to stand.”

  Cal ducked his head as a laugh bubbled up inside of him. Though Carrie had spoken of Gwen, she had failed to mention the spunk of her friend. Philippe turned a shade of red, but he took a seat in the congregation along with his two groomsmen.

  “Drew and Max, why don’t you come stand up here for Cal?”

  Cal turned to see who Gwen was talking to. Two men from the front row stood up. One held a baby in a pack on his chest. Both were dressed nicely in designer suits.

  “Hey, Cal, nice to meet you. I’m Drew Devonshire. I belong to the feisty one.” He flashed a wink at Gwen before shaking Cal’s hand.

  “You have your hands full,” Cal said softly.

  Drew chuckled. “You’re telling me.”

  The man with the baby stepped forward next. “I’m Maxwell Banks. I’m married to Alyssa there.” He pointed at the beautiful brunette standing beside Gwen.

  Cal shook his hand. “Thank you both for standing in.”

  “Our pleasure. These
three are thick as thieves now. If you’re marrying into this den, then we’ll see a lot more of each other.”

  A brief moment of hesitation flashed through Cal. These men were a different class than he was. He couldn’t imagine much commonality existed between them, but Carrie was his focus. If these men came with her, then so be it. He would acclimate to whatever he had to.

  The men shuffled into place and Gwen stepped back behind Carrie. Cal took the newly vacated spot next to Carrie and grasped her hands. The minister raised his eyebrow as if asking if they were ready. Cal and Carrie nodded and then shared a smile.

  “Okay, so even though this won’t be a legally binding ceremony, we are gathered here today to witness a wedding between Carrie Bliss and-” he paused before leaning toward Cal - “I didn‘t catch your name.”

  “Cal Roper.”

  The minister nodded and leaned back again. “Between Carrie Bliss and Cal Roper. I don’t know these two well, but it appears they have a history and are not entering this union lightly. May God bless this union and may no one else object.”

  A titter of laughter spread through the guests. Though probably not the wedding Carrie had dreamed of, Cal could think of nothing better. It was real and imperfect, just like the two of them.

  “Carrie, do you take Cal to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, to honor and cherish, forsaking all others until death do you part?”

  “I do.” Carrie accented her words with a light squeeze on his hands.

  “Cal, do you take Carrie to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold, to honor and cherish, forsaking all others until death do you part?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you have the rings?”

  Carrie’s eyes widened. “Oh no, the rings.”

  Cal grinned as he held up a finger. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the simple silver bands they had gotten married with in Vegas six years ago. “I know it’s not much, and I promise I’ll get you a better ring soon, but these hold a lot of promise.” He handed his ring to her.

  “You kept them all this time?” Her eyes sparkled with the wet sheen filling them.

  “I told you I knew then, and I hoped one day you would wear it again.”

  “Take notes kid,” he heard Max say softly behind him, “that’s how you win a girl’s heart.”

  “Carrie, please place the ring on Cal’s hand and say, with this ring I thee wed.”

  Carrie slid the band on Cal’s finger. “With this ring I thee wed.” Her voice was choked with emotion and so soft that Cal doubted many in the audience heard it.

  “Cal, will you do the same?”

  Cal slipped the silver ring on Carrie’s finger and repeated the phrase.

  “Well, without a marriage certificate, I have no authority here, but I believe that soon this union will be legal, so I pronounce you man and wife to be.”

  Another chuckle circulated through the crowd and Cal felt laughter bubble up inside him as well.

  “You may kiss the bride.”

  Cal wasted no time in pulling Carrie to him, circling her waist and claiming her lips.

  Chapter 18

  “I was thinking it would be amazing if we flew back to Vegas to get married legally,” Carrie said as they danced across the hardwood floor.

  After the ceremony, they had walked across the hall to the reception area. The room was set up with a full bar and tables with elegant white cloths and fine china. They enjoyed a dinner of prime rib and vegetables before stepping onto the dance floor for their first dance.

  Cal bit his lip as he turned Carrie around. He had been hoping to avoid this conversation as long as possible, but as she brought it up, he figured it was time to come clean. “Carrie, there’s something I need to tell you. It was a rough year last year. It forced me to take an extra loan out from the bank. I don’t have the money to repay it much less take a trip to Vegas.” He looked down at her surprised to see her smiling. “What? Why are you smiling?”

  Carrie chuckled. “Cal, look around.” He scanned the room wondering what he was looking for. “I paid for this, Cal. The room, the food, the flowers.”

  “You mean your mother paid for it.” Cal’s brow wrinkled in confusion.

  “No, Cal, I mean I paid for it. I’m a billionaire. So is Max and so is Drew.”

  Billionaire? The word did not compute in his rancher brain. How much money formed a billion anyway? “A billionaire? I knew you had money, but I had no idea.”

  Carrie nodded. “Yep, I have more than enough money to pay off your loan and fly us to Vegas.”

  The chivalrous need to take care of his wife flared within Cal. “But, I can’t let you pay off my loan. That was my own fault.”

  “Technically, we were married when you accrued that debt, so what’s yours is mine. Besides, you’re not letting me do anything.” Carrie placed a hand on his cheek. “My money is your money. You know two become one and everything.”

  Cal still didn’t feel right taking her money, but he also knew he wouldn’t win this argument. She had a stubborn streak, and he was man enough not to let money ruin their relationship. “I still plan on working,” he said with a smile.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way. You are quite sexy on the back of the horse, and I’d like to keep seeing that image.”

  His face clouded. “That reminds me, Carrie. We do need to talk about living arrangements.” They’d been so caught up in the wedding that they had forgotten some of the real details that could pose a problem. Like the fact that she lived hundreds of miles away, and he didn’t want to give up his ranch.

  She smiled and shook her head. “No, we don’t. I told you I wrote Dixie to ask about you, but that was only part of why I wrote her. I asked her to search around for a shop I could purchase so I could open a branch in Soda Spurs.”

  Cal blinked at her as he let the information sink in. “You planned to come back?”

  “No, I planned to hire someone to run it, but I think the women of Soda Spurs need someone who knows the beauty of the town.”

  Cal didn’t know what to say. His heart felt like it was going to burst. He had only dreamed of this day for six years, and the reality was so much better. He pulled Carrie closer to him. “I love you, Carrie Bliss.”

  “I love you too, but I believe the name is Carrie Roper now though I may have to keep Carrie Bliss on my designs.”

  Cal chuckled as he lowered his lips to Carrie’s. Always the business head with her, but he didn’t care what name was on her designs as long as he got to call her his wife.

  * * *

  “Is everybody in?” Carrie asked as she looked around the limo. After the wedding, she had decided she didn’t want to wait to marry Cal again and had asked the wedding party to join her on a quick trip to Vegas. What better way to remarry the man of her dreams than recreating their first marriage?

  After a quick stop in Soda Spurs to pick up Stacy and her family, they had re-boarded the jet and landed in Vegas a few hours later. Their first stop had been to get the marriage license which thankfully went off without a hitch. Now, they were on their way to the strip. Though Carrie wasn’t sure the original minister who married them was still practicing, she was certain the chapel would still be open.

  “Where to?” the driver asked.

  “Chapel of the Heart,” Cal and Carrie said together and shared a smile.

  “I’ve never seen so many lights,” Annie said her face pressed to the window.

  “Yeah, this is pretty cool.” Peyton’s face was also pressed to the window right next to Annie’s. The two had become fast friends on the plane ride over and Carrie was fairly certain a reunion existed in their future.

  “There it is,” Trevor shouted as a large neon red heart with a white cross through it came into view.

  Carrie squeezed Cal’s hand as the limo pulled to a stop. “You ready to do this?”

  “I’ve never been readier for anything in my life.”

  The
doors opened, and the group piled out. Carrie laughed at the sheer size of their party. She doubted the chapel was used to having this many people there.

  “Can I help-” the woman’s voice stalled as she looked up from the book she had been writing in. “My, there’s an awful lot of you.”

  “But just two of us to get married,” Cal said stepping forward. “Can you tell me if Dave Nichols is still a minister here?”

  “You remember his name?” Carrie asked quietly.

  Cal smiled at her. “I remember everything.”

  “Yes, Dave Nichols is still here and working tonight as it turns out,” the woman said.

  “Great. We’d like him to marry us as soon as possible.”

  The woman smiled and consulted her book. “Well, how about right now? Give me five minutes and I’ll ready the chapel.”

  She disappeared into the room and a few minutes later the door swung open. The chapel was almost exactly as Carrie remembered though the carpets looked newer like they had been replaced recently. She took her place next to Cal at the front and clasped his hands.

  “I may be getting older, but I tend to remember the names of the couples I have married, and I seem to remember that I already married you two once. Is that right?”

  Cal laughed, and Carrie dropped her eyes to the floor as a heat crawled up her neck. She hadn’t expected the minister to remember them. “You are correct, Sir. We were serious the first time, but life kind of got in the way. However, we have straightened out the life part, and we’d like you to marry us again.”

  The minister smiled. His face looked exactly the same under his Elvis wig though his jumpsuit seemed to fit a little tighter. “Well, I am not one to stand in the Big Guy’s way. How about we get this remedied?”

  The wedding party circled around Cal and Carrie as the minister began the ceremony. What a stark contrast from The Manhattan Penthouse she had been at just hours before, but Carrie wouldn’t change it for the world. Somehow, this seemed right - the perfect place for her marriage with Cal to begin. Again.