The Billionaire Bull Rider

by Kate Pearce

  He was staring at her ass. “Don’t bend over.” He gestured down at the towel around his waist. “I won’t be able to get my jeans on.”

  “Sorry.” She took the second towel he handed her, and wrapped it around her torso. She pushed him gently toward the door. “Why don’t you go and get dressed out there while I finish up?”

  * * *

  Rio barely got inside the door of the suite before his mother started on him.

  “Aurelio Fatima Maria Martinez! Where have you been all night?”

  A snort from behind him made it clear that Yvonne had heard the full list of his birth names and found it as amusing as almost every other American. He’d had to fight for his life when he’d started school....

  “Fatima Maria?” She nudged him in the side. “Nice.”

  “I’m sorry, Mamae. I thought Josie would’ve told you where I was going.” Rio came forward, took his mother’s hand, and kissed it.

  “I did tell her,” Josie piped up. “She’s just doing this for dramatic effect.”

  Isabelle swatted at her daughter. “I knew you had accompanied Yvonne back to her hotel, but I didn’t realize you were intending to spend the night there.”

  “Neither did I.” Rio shrugged. “It was one of those things that just happened.”

  Isabelle looked expectantly from him to Yvonne, and clasped her hands to her bosom. “You are in love? You will marry quickly, and give me lots of grandbabies?”

  “Er . . . not quite. Let’s not scare Yvonne away, Mom,” Rio hastened to answer Isabelle. “I’ll let you know how it goes, okay?”

  “Well, it is certainly a step in the right direction!” Isabelle beamed at Yvonne and drew her into a hug. “You are just perfect for my son, just perfect.”

  Rio tried not to make eye contact with Yvonne. It was easy for them to agree that their relationship had no strings attached, but it wasn’t so easy to explain that to his mother. . . .

  “I’ll go and pack,” Rio said. “Are you ready, Josie? Chase is expecting you.”

  “Yup! I’m all ready to go.” Josie nodded. “And Mom’s got Graham’s chauffeur coming to pick her up, and cosset her through the airport.”

  “Will you be okay, Mamae ?”

  “Don’t you worry about me, son.” Isabelle blew him a kiss. “I am perfectly used to traveling by myself.”

  Isabelle drew Yvonne down to sit beside her on the couch and started chatting. Rio really did appreciate how well Yvonne got on with his mother and sister. If they were able to remain friends, he hoped that would continue.

  He pictured Yvonne smiling up at him as he slowly entered her body . . . and walked right into the closed door of his bedroom. No strings attached. All the freedom a man was supposed to require with the woman he desired. He was one lucky guy. . . .

  His smile died as he found his suitcase and opened the closet doors. He’d never had a relationship like this before. All he could hope was that when it ended—probably went he went back on tour—that he and Yvonne could still remain friends. Even after only knowing her for a few weeks, he’d miss her terribly.

  His cell buzzed with an incoming call from his father, and he reluctantly answered it.

  “Aurelio?”

  “What can I do for you, Graham?”

  “Do you have time to come into my office before you leave this morning?”

  “Not really.”

  “Is that the truth, or are you just avoiding me?”

  “What’s up?”

  “It’s not the kind of information I want to share with you on the phone.”

  “Right . . .” Maybe Graham planned to trap him in his office and never let him out again. “Then maybe I’ll catch up with you when you’re ready to negotiate on Mom’s ranch.”

  “I’m leaving for the East Coast on Saturday.”

  “Then I won’t see you for a while,” Rio said evenly. “So either spit it out or suck it up.”

  There was a long silence.

  “Your language is appalling,” Graham stuttered.

  “You know what I mean. I don’t have time to hang on the phone right now, and I’m sure you’re busy.”

  Graham sighed. “I’ll try and amend my schedule so that I can meet you in the next week or so.”

  “Okay.”

  “Wish your mother and sister a safe trip home from me.”

  “Will do.”

  Rio waited for his father to repeat his plea for him to join the business again, but Graham signed off, leaving Rio listening to silence. That was weird. It wasn’t like his father not to take an opportunity to hammer his point of view home. Graham had sounded . . . tired.

  Resolutely pushing thoughts of his father to the back of his mind, Rio packed his suitcase and stowed his laptop, and other valuables, in his backpack. The nice thing about traveling with Chase was the ability to walk through shorter security lines and, hopefully, from Yvonne’s point of view, no restrictions on carry-on baggage.

  * * *

  “Josie could’ve stayed with me,” Yvonne pointed out as Rio followed her up the stairs to her apartment. “I’ve got a sofa bed.”

  “No, she couldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  Yvonne opened the door and walked into her sunny kitchen. Someone had put some flowers and a sticky note saying Welcome Home! on the countertop, in January’s familiar handwriting.

  “Because I don’t want to have to worry about my baby sister hearing us making passionate love every night.”

  “Oh, there is that.” Yvonne put her keys away. “Every night?”

  Rio dropped the bags by her dining room table, and straightened his back. “Well, whenever you choose to let me in your door.”

  “I could just give you a key.” She paused. “But that would make things seem more permanent, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yeah. Let’s not go there.” He walked over to her side. “I have to go back to the ranch, and get Josie settled in.”

  She leaned in to kiss him. “Okay. Then I’ll see you soon. Bring Josie in for coffee.”

  “I will.” He kissed her back. “Thanks for everything.”

  She frowned. “That sounds very final.”

  “It’s not meant to.” He hesitated. “I mean it. Thanks for the best few days of my life.”

  “Better than winning that world championship?”

  “Right up there.”

  She smiled, and just allowed herself to enjoy the moment. “Thanks.”

  He tipped his hat. “You’re welcome.” He set off down the stairs, leaving Yvonne staring after him. A minute later, his truck started up, and he was gone.

  A minute after that, someone clomped up her stairs.

  “Hey!”

  Yvonne turned around to see Nancy grinning at her.

  “That was fast.” Yvonne put on some coffee.

  “I saw lover boy leave in his truck, so I thought I’d come over before I start my shift at the bar.” Nancy sat on the couch with a bounce. “Did you get me anything in the big city?”

  “How old are you?” Yvonne asked and pointed to a rainbow-striped bag. “Your gift is in there.”

  “Ooh!” Nancy abandoned the couch and reached for her gift. “Wow, hair colors, earrings, makeup, and a ton of samples from all the fancy store brands. Thanks! You rock.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “How did your trip go?”

  “It was interesting.” Yvonne checked the refrigerator and was delighted to see that January had restocked it with fresh milk and cream. “I met with the executive board of Tasty Treats, who want to do the cooking show with me, and I spent some time with Rio’s family.”

  “You did? Are they as nice as he is?”

  “Lovely. His mom is petite and dramatic, and you’ll get to meet his sister Josie, as she came back with us.”

  Nancy placed her gift bag on the countertop, and hopped up onto one of the stools. Today, her hair was silver and black and tied up in two high pigtails like a Japanese anime charact
er. Yvonne gave her a mug of coffee, and Nancy added way too much sugar and cream.

  “How have things been around here?”

  “Pretty good. Marley Hayes has been keeping everyone in line at the café, so there haven’t been any real issues.”

  “Great. Maybe I should go away more often.” Yvonne sipped her black coffee.

  “With the hot cowboy?” Nancy asked. “Or for this business opp?”

  “Maybe both. Rio really backed me up well at the meetings we attended.”

  “Who’d have thought someone who looked like that, and is a world-champion bull rider, would also have a brain?”

  “I know. It’s kind of unfair on all the other guys, isn’t it?” Yvonne smiled at her friend.

  “And I assume he’s good in bed, considering that satisfied look on your face.”

  Yvonne winked. “Not telling.”

  “So you’re a couple now?” Nancy asked. “Matt’s going to be so sad.”

  “We’re not officially a couple. We both have too much going on at the moment to deal with that kind of pressure.”

  “So basically you’re still a commitment-phobe.” Nancy raised an eyebrow. “But you’re having sex?”

  “Quite possibly.”

  “So . . . ?”

  Yvonne gave her best French shrug. “That’s what we’re doing.”

  “Okay.” Nancy finished her coffee and pushed her mug back across for a refill. “So tell me about the deal with Tasty Treats.”

  * * *

  “I hate to sound like some terrible cliché, but this town is so cute!” Josie said. “I’m like waiting for a posse to sweep around that corner, and belly up to the saloon to drink some whisky and start shooting.”

  “Yeah. It’s definitely got character.” Rio smiled down at his sister. “The town planners are trying to keep it that way, too.”

  “Then maybe they should get rid of some of this traffic.” Josie had to shout as a big rig muscled its way through the narrow street.

  “That’s on the agenda.” Rio pointed toward the post office. “Yvonne’s place is over there.”

  “With the pink and black striped awnings?”

  “That’s the one. Come on, I’ll buy you a coffee.”

  Josie had loved the old ranch, and the Morgan family had taken her in as easily as they’d absorbed him. She was already an excellent rider, and had offered to help out if the family needed an extra pair of hands, which had won her even more friends.

  She’d spent the early morning riding with Billy and his granddaughter Maria and then helped with the chores without being asked. Maria was already hanging on her every word....

  “Look, there’s Yvonne.” Josie pointed across the street.

  Rio paused to admire the sight of his friend with benefits leaning gracefully over a guy’s shoulder, pointing out items on the menu. She wore her usual black dress, white apron, and lace collar, and looked composed even in the midday sun. The guy wasn’t concentrating on the menu; he was staring down Yvonne’s cleavage with an idiotic smile on his face.

  Rio took a menacing step forward, only to have Josie grab his sleeve.

  “Watch out, idiot! There’s a truck coming!”

  He waited impatiently for the road to clear, and then strode across, Josie beside him. By the time he reached the café, Yvonne had gone back inside, so he contented himself with giving the jerk at the outside table a pointed stare as he walked by.

  “Hey, Rio!” Lizzie greeted him with her usual sunny smile. “Did you have a good trip? Yvonne said she had a great time!”

  “It was great,” Rio agreed. “May I introduce you to my sister, Josie? She’ll be staying at Morgan Ranch for a couple of weeks.”

  “Nice to meet you, Josie.” Lizzie beamed at his sister. “Now, what can I get you, or did you just come in to see Yvonne?”

  “Coffee would be great,” Rio said. “And anything Josie wants.”

  His sister was already salivating over by the glass counter, so he suspected she was way ahead of him. He found a table and sat down while Josie discussed the merits of each confection with Lizzie, who obviously took her job seriously and had tried them all.

  “Hi!”

  He looked up to see a vaguely familiar blond woman smiling at him. She wore a bright blue skirt and a white frilly blouse, and carried a clipboard.

  “I’m Margery. I was wondering if you’d like to sign my petition.”

  She thrust the clipboard right under his nose. He just about made out some words about housing before he pushed it gently away from his face.

  “What exactly is it for?” he asked.

  “Oh, I’m sorry—don’t you read English? My bad.” She took the seat opposite him.

  “I read English just fine, but not that close up,” Rio said evenly. After that comment, whatever she was selling she definitely wasn’t getting his vote.

  “I’m trying to stop the Morgan family dictating everything that goes on in this town.”

  “From what I recall, the town only exists because of the Morgans, so maybe they feel they have a duty to support it?”

  “Not by bringing in cheap housing with all that implies,” Margery snapped.

  “What exactly does it imply?”

  She leaned closer. “You know, undesirables . . . people who can’t afford to buy their own places.”

  “Like most millennials, you mean?” Rio asked. “From my perspective, the best way to get good workers and families to stay put in a town is to provide them with affordable housing.”

  She sighed. “So you’re just like the Morgans then.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  She stood and clasped the clipboard against her chest. “Luckily, not everyone in this town agrees with you. If Chase Morgan thinks he can buy himself some votes on the county board, I have enough names on this petition to say differently.”

  “Then good luck with it.” Rio stood as well and tipped his hat to her. “It is, after all, a free country.”

  She turned away, and almost bumped into Yvonne, who didn’t back off.

  “Margery, I think you’ve already been asked not to come in here six times a day to badger my customers.”

  “I have a right to come into this space anytime I want,” Margery huffed.

  “Actually, that’s not true.” Yvonne paused. “I can go and fetch Nate Turner if you’d like him to explain the law to you?”

  “Typical!” Margery snorted. “Threaten the innocent!”

  “I understand that you are passionate about this, Margery, and I commend your civil spirit, but I can’t have you disturbing my customers.” Yvonne sounded way more sympathetic than Rio would’ve been. “Marley told me she’s had several complaints over the past few days.”

  “Marley Hayes is an extremely bossy young woman.”

  “She was just doing her job,” Yvonne said firmly. “Now, I’m asking you nicely, as a neighbor and fellow business owner, to leave my café unless you intend to purchase something.”

  Margery turned and went out, her head held high, and attempted to slam the door behind her.

  “Merde, that woman.” Yvonne sighed and sank down into the vacated chair opposite Rio. She looked tired. “I don’t know what’s up with her. Her husband died last year, and her son’s gone off to university, so maybe she’s lonely or needs a hobby or something.”

  “She’s a Realtor, right?”

  “Yup, she rents the property next door.” Yvonne pointed to her right.

  “So I guess she doesn’t want to mess with the high house prices around here.”

  “Got it in one.” Yvonne pushed an errant curl behind her ear. “I’d respect her more if she just came out and said that rather than suggesting it’s an environmental issue.”

  “That wasn’t how she put it to me,” Rio said. “She suggested low-cost housing would bring in undesirables.”

  “Well, Chase does have the money to finance new construction, so I hope he goes for it, and is ready f
or a fight.”

  “I’d bet on Chase over Margery any day.” Rio smiled into her eyes and immediately forgot what he was going to say next. All he wanted was to throw her over his shoulder, take her up the stairs to her apartment, and make love to her all day. He reached for her hand....

  “You look tired.”

  “Are you suggesting I take a nap?” She briefly closed her eyes. “That sounds really appealing right now.”

  Rio leaned in close. “Well, not exactly a nap—”

  “Hey, Yvonne,” Josie squealed, making him jump as she pulled out the chair beside him. He hastily retracted his hand. “What’s up? Did you really bake all those goodies yourself?”

  Rio reluctantly sat back and let his sister chatter away. This just-friends thing was proving a lot more difficult than he’d anticipated.

  “So Ruth asked me to tell you that she’s expecting you for Sunday lunch tomorrow,” Josie said.

  “That would be lovely.” Yvonne smiled at his sister. “I’m planning an early night tonight, so I’ll be fresh and ready to go in the morning.”

  An early night . . . Rio looked up hopefully, but she gave a minute shake of her head.

  “I’ve got a lot of baking and prep to catch up on after San Francisco, so I’m planning on working through until nine, and then going straight to bed.”

  “I’ll come and pick you up if you like,” Rio offered nonchalantly.

  “Sure! That would be great.” Yvonne smiled at him. “January usually brings me, but it will save her a trip.”

  “Or I could come,” Josie suggested. “You’d lend me your truck, Rio, wouldn’t you?”

  “Hell, no.” He smiled sweetly at his sister. “You can help Ruth cook. I’ll do the chauffeuring around here.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Right, manly man, whatever you say. I’ll just stay in the kitchen.”

  Yvonne was smiling at them both and shaking her head. “You two crack me up.”

  “Why?” Rio asked.

  “Just because . . .” She rose to her feet and smoothed down her apron. “I’ve got to get on. It was nice to see you both. Enjoy the cakes, Josie. They’re on me.”

  “She’ll bankrupt you,” Rio called out as she turned away, and received an elbow in the ribs from his sister.