The Billionaire Bull Rider

by Kate Pearce

“Then go for it.” Fascinated, Yvonne stepped back and sat beside Graham.

  Rio approached Paul. “I just read the proposal you and your team put together for the restaurant franchise.”

  “I thought you weren’t involved in your father’s business empire anymore?” Paul said, glancing nervously over at Graham.

  “He asked me to take a look at it.” Rio nodded at his father. “Thanks for that.”

  “You’re welcome.” Graham cleared his throat. “Which particular part of the proposal made you turn up here in a rage, I wonder?”

  “Well, in the first place, the assumptions about the growth and volume of the business don’t add up considering he is basically an unknown in the USA.”

  “Agreed,” Graham said.

  “And secondly, his remaining in the USA for any length of time relies on him retaining his green card through his American wife.”

  “Ha! That’s why he came here!” Yvonne jumped up and waved her paper in the air. “Then he’s screwed!”

  Rio looked over at her. “What?”

  “Chase hurried the petition along for me!” She gave it to Rio. “Look.”

  A slow smile emerged on his face as he scanned the paper, and then handed it over to Paul. “Looks like you might have a problem here, buddy.”

  Yvonne faced Paul. “I knew you weren’t really interested in getting back together with me, but I couldn’t quite figure out why you were even trying. I should’ve known it was all about your wants and needs.”

  “Says the woman who made me leave my family and friends in France just so she could have her own little business in California,” Paul snapped.

  “Paul, that’s not true. I loved you. You wanted to come to this country, you voluntarily went through that whole green card process with me.” She hesitated. “Unless you’re saying that even then you did it just to gain residency here?”

  “My father thought it would be a good idea for me to come to the USA,” Paul said sulkily. “He was keen to expand our family business interests here.”

  “That’s why you didn’t want me to stay in Morgantown, isn’t it?” Yvonne shook her head. “Your family wanted you to be in New York or San Francisco or somewhere you could help them, not me.”

  She took the paper out of his unresisting hand. “Was your decision to delay getting our marriage dissolved also based on your father’s recommendation? Was he the one who told you to lie and string me along for four years?” Her voice broke. “I thought we were already divorced, and you just hadn’t sent me the details out of spite.” She pointed at Rio. “I dragged a good man into a situation where he believed he’d been lied to, when the only liar around was you.”

  “My father controls the money, Yvonne. You know that.” Paul avoided her gaze. “If I don’t do what he says I’ll be cut out of his will.”

  Yvonne’s gaze flew to Rio, who shrugged.

  “Never stopped me doing anything I wanted to.”

  Graham sighed. “You are celebrating your own stubbornness now?”

  Rio pointed at Paul. “You’d really want me to be like this guy?”

  Graham considered Paul. “No, not really.”

  “Good,” Rio said. “Because being spineless isn’t really my thing.”

  “That’s hardly fair,” Paul protested. “I’m the youngest in my family. It’s been hard for me to make my own way in France. They didn’t want me to marry a nonentity like you. I almost lost everything once by defying them, and I wasn’t willing to do it again.”

  “With all that money and name recognition behind you?” Yvonne asked sweetly. “You expect me to feel sorry for you?”

  Paul took a hasty step toward her. “Why not? You’ll obviously be fine, regardless, won’t you? Dump me, and latch on to a man who just happens to be richer than dirt!”

  “I’m not rich.” Rio stepped right in front of her, blocking Paul’s path. “My father is. Unlike my father, I grew up in a world where, if you don’t shut the hell up right now, I’m going to take you down.”

  “No, you’re not.” Yvonne put her hand on Rio’s rigid arm. “If you hit him, Paul will call the cops, and I don’t want my name plastered all over the Internet, thank you very much.” She smiled up at Rio. “Not that I don’t appreciate you standing up for me.”

  “Any time. So if I can’t deck him, I’ll go for a more civilized route.” He turned to his father. “My recommendation to your board is not to go ahead with the Giresse project.”

  “That’s totally unfair!” Paul protested. “You’re making your decision on a purely personal basis.”

  “I sure as hell am,” Rio said. “Would you prefer me to return to option one?”

  “Rio . . .” Yvonne gave him her best glare. “Will you please drop it?”

  “I’ll certainly consider your opinion, Aurelio,” Graham intervened. “Of course, it would make things a lot easier if you took your seat on the board, and could tell everyone yourself.”

  “We can talk about that later,” Rio said firmly. “I’m not discussing family business in front of Paul Giresse.”

  “Because you’ve already said quite enough,” Yvonne murmured.

  “And just to make things clear, Paul, I promised you an answer as to whether I’d consider ever getting back together with you before you left.” She paused until he had the guts to look her in the eye. “My first response was hell no, and my second remains the same.”

  “Then don’t expect my family to honor any financial demands you make on us since we are now officially divorced,” Paul snapped.

  “I haven’t asked for a penny, and I don’t intend to do so,” Yvonne said evenly. “You’re free to go. You and your family don’t owe me anything.”

  Paul tried to stare her down, but she was having none of it. She’d loved him once, she’d learned to live without him, and she had no regrets about either decision.

  With one last glare, Paul left the room, slamming the door behind him. Yvonne sat down abruptly in the nearest chair.

  “Are you all right, Yvonne?” Graham asked gently.

  “Not really.” She gulped in some air. “I just realized that the whole of my marriage was one big scam.”

  “No, remember Paul just admitted he loved you enough to marry you against his family’s wishes.” Rio crouched down in front of her, and took her hand. “The fact that they eventually overwhelmed him with their needs and demands, and he let them, is totally on him.”

  “I feel pretty damn stupid right now,” Yvonne whispered.

  “Did you want him back?” Rio asked.

  “No.” She shuddered. “When I saw him, I felt nothing.”

  “Then that’s okay, isn’t it?”

  She studied his patient features. “I suppose so.”

  “What Aurelio is trying to say, my dear, is that your feelings for Paul are entirely appropriate, and that he appreciates that you are not hung up on the past.”

  Rio gave his father an exasperated look. “Who asked you?”

  “I am just trying to help, son.”

  “Then please stop.”

  It was Yvonne’s turn to frown. “There’s no need to be so rude to your father, Rio. It was very sweet of him to consider my feelings.”

  Graham smiled at her. “He’s a good boy at heart.”

  Rio groaned and rose from his crouch in front of Yvonne. “Now, see what you’ve done by encouraging him? He’s gone nuts.”

  “You are a good man,” Yvonne insisted. “I said it myself earlier, I—”

  Graham and Rio’s cell phones buzzed at the same time, drowning her out.

  “Is it a weather warning?” Graham reached inside the jacket of his suit. “Oh, obviously not.” He looked up. “Do you know a lady by the name of Ruth Morgan, Aurelio? She’s insisting that we all come to her ranch for a late supper.”

  Rio glanced at Yvonne and shrugged. “She asked me to give her my father’s number in case he needed a bed at the ranch. I just got the same message. Are you up for it?”
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  Yvonne stood and mentally shook herself down. The night couldn’t get any stranger. She wouldn’t be able to sleep, and she certainly wasn’t going to let Rio and his father alone to bicker all night. It wasn’t good for either of them.

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “Great. We can all go together in my truck,” Rio said. “I’ll bring it round to the front of the hotel, and pick you both up.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  The Morgans were the closest thing Yvonne had to family. If anyone could make her feel better about being played for a fool by her now officially ex-husband, it would be Ruth.

  * * *

  Rio pulled into the circular drive at the ranch, and glanced over at Yvonne, who had taken the back seat, allowing Graham to sit up front. She looked more composed now, but his heart hurt for her, and he still really wanted to kick Paul’s ass.

  “Okay, let’s get this over with.” Rio bailed out and went to open Graham and Yvonne’s doors. To his surprise, by the time he got around there, Yvonne was helping his father out of his seat.

  “You two okay?” he asked.

  “We’re good.” Yvonne waved at him to go on. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell Ruth we’re here?”

  After one last puzzled glance backward, Rio did what she’d suggested, and bounded up the steps to the side door. Ruth appeared in the hallway and beckoned to him.

  “Did you bring your father?”

  “Yes, he’s just coming.” Rio paused to study her face. “Excuse me if this sounds impolite, but are you up to something?”

  “I might be.” She winked at him. “Is Yvonne there as well?”

  Just as he went to answer, the screen door opened behind him to reveal his father and Yvonne. Graham looked exhausted, and doubt shook through Rio. His father was out of his usual time zone and hated traveling. The last thing he probably should be doing was having a late supper.

  “We’re here, Ruth,” Yvonne called out.

  “Then come on through to the kitchen. I’ve made pie and chocolate cake.”

  * * *

  “It was very kind of you to invite us to the ranch, Mrs. Morgan.” Graham put down his mug. “I hope Aurelio has been behaving himself while residing here.”

  Ruth smiled. “He’s been a great help. In fact, I’ll miss him terribly when he goes.” She pushed the plate of pie toward Graham. “Do have some more. I made plenty.”

  “Thank you. It is absolutely delicious, but I’m completely full.” Graham smiled across at Ruth.

  “I hear there was a bit of a fracas at the hotel this evening.” Ruth turned to Yvonne. “Was everything all right?”

  Yvonne winked at Graham. “You’ve heard of the Oracle at Delphi? This is the Morgantown equivalent. Nothing gets past this woman.”

  “So I see.” Graham used his napkin. “I was asked to dinner by a man named Paul Giresse. You might have heard of him? After we’d eaten, we retired to the bar for a brandy, which was where first Yvonne, and then my son, turned up to confront my dining companion.”

  Yvonne leaned in. “To put it in a nutshell, Paul lied about our divorce because he wanted to invest in the USA, and needed to keep his green card by marriage.”

  Ruth shook her head and tutted. “That was a horrible thing to do.”

  “I think we can all agree on that,” Graham said. “And seeing as I’m the one who currently controls the board of Howatch International, I can assure you that his dreams will not be realized using my money. If his family really thinks it is a good idea, they can finance it themselves. I suspect they aren’t completely convinced of his success either.”

  “Good.” Ruth contemplated her mug of coffee. “What else do you use all that money for?”

  Graham raised an eyebrow. “I have a charitable foundation, if that’s what you are asking.”

  “And how does that work?”

  “I invest in infrastructure projects both here and overseas that benefit local communities.”

  “That’s right. Josie told me about it.” Ruth nodded. “Do you ever invest in low-cost housing?”

  Rio locked gazes with Yvonne, who shrugged.

  “Occasionally. Why?”

  “Because I have an investment opportunity for you right here in Morgantown.” Ruth smiled at him. “After breakfast tomorrow morning, you can sit down with my oldest grandson, Chase, and talk it through.”

  “I wasn’t aware I was staying the night,” Graham murmured.

  “Of course you are. I dragged you all the way out here, so it’s the least I can do to make amends.” Ruth reached over and patted his hand. “I’ve made you up a bed in my parlor.”

  Rio held his breath, and waited to see how his autocratic father would deal with the unstoppable force of Ruth Morgan.

  “That is very kind of you. Seeing as my helicopter is currently parked up on your airstrip, it will make my return journey much easier.” Graham rose to his feet. “In fact, I’d rather like to retire, if that’s all right with everyone?”

  “Of course.” Ruth rose as well. “Let me show you the way.”

  Rio contemplated the closed door his father had just gone through and sipped his coffee. “That was weird.”

  Yvonne looked over at him. “Ruth trying to go into business with your father? Yeah.” She sighed and shoved the hair out of her face. “What an unbelievable night.”

  “Can’t argue with that.” He caught her yawning. “Are you going to stay here, too?”

  She grimaced. “If Ruth’s reduced to stashing your father in the parlor, I doubt there’s any room left for me.”

  “There’s my bed.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I don’t have to be in it with you.”

  “That’s very sweet of you, but—”

  “I’ll wake you up in time to get back to the café to bake.” He tugged gently on her hand. “Come on, you’re exhausted. Let me do this one thing for you.”

  She allowed him to pull her to her feet, her green eyes unusually solemn as she studied him. With a soft sound, he came around the table and gathered her in his arms.

  “It’s okay.”

  “It’s not, and you know it.”

  He smoothed a hand over her hair as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “I know it feels like everything is wrong at the moment, but just sleep on it, and things will get better, I promise you.”

  Her sigh ended in a shuddering yawn as he continued to hold her. “Come on, go to bed. I’ll check in on you later, okay?”

  “But where are you going to sleep?”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll sort something out.”

  He drew her toward the door. When she dawdled, he simply swept her up into his arms, and carried her right up to his bedroom, kicked the door open, and deposited her gently on his bed.

  She gazed up at him and he kissed her mouth. “Sleep, okay?”

  She cupped his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. “Boa noite, querida.”

  “Querida means darling, right?” she said sleepily.

  “Yes, because that’s what you are to me.” He paused as her eyes closed and he drew the covers up over her. “Cada dia que passa eu me apaixono mais por voce.”

  “That sounds lovely. What does it mean?”

  Rio hesitated and then bent to whisper in her ear. “With every day that passes, I fall in love with you more.”

  “Oh . . .”

  He waited hopefully for another few seconds to see if she’d react to what he’d said until he registered a tiny snore. He found himself smiling into the darkness. It was eleven-thirty, and well past Yvonne’s bedtime. He didn’t blame her one bit for falling asleep on him. Now that he’d said the words out loud, he wouldn’t take them back even if she’d missed them.

  Next time, he’d make sure she was upright, awake, and listening.

  After one last kiss on her cheek, he drew the curtains, tiptoed out of the room and down the stai
rs. Ruth was just coming out of the parlor, and she turned to wait for him.

  “Is Yvonne up there?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled at Ruth. “I hope you don’t mind. She was exhausted.”

  “Not at all.”

  Rio gestured at the closed door. “Was my father all right?”

  Ruth hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

  “Do you think I should go check on him?”

  She met his gaze. “Yes. I think that would be an excellent idea.” He went to move past her, and she put her hand on his arm. “And, Rio? Try and listen to him, okay? I know it’s hard, but maybe it’s time to give him a chance.”

  Rio knocked on the door and went in to find his father sitting up in bed, a glass of water, and a collection of pill bottles that rivaled a pharmacy, at his side.

  “What’s all this for?” Rio pointed at the side table.

  Graham looked up from his tablet and took his glasses off. “Vitamins and other things my doctor insists I need at my age.”

  “I’m not buying it.” Rio dragged over a chair and sat down right in front of his father. “You look like crap. What’s going on?”

  “Before we get into that, I meant to tell you that I’ve accepted your offer for your mother’s ranch.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve accepted your offer. My lawyers are drawing up the paperwork for you to sign. I’ve proposed two ways to pay. Either in full right now, or if you do decide to join my board through a series of deductions to your dividends.”

  “That’s . . . very good of you.”

  Graham shrugged. “It seemed fair.”

  “You’ve never cared about fair in your dealings with me and Mom. It’s always been about winning.”

  “Then maybe you won this round.”

  “No, that would mean you lost, and you don’t play that game. What’s going on? You’re starting to worry me now.” Rio pointed at the pills. “Does it have something to do with all the drugs you’re taking? Are they making you behave differently?”

  A slight smile edged Graham’s lips. “You could say that.”

  Rio straightened in his seat as something tightened in his gut. “Tell me.”

  “I have a hepatocellular carcinoma.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Cancer of the liver. I am lucky in that it was spotted fairly early, but—”