by Helen Lacey
The Cattleman’s Proposal
Cover by
Karen’s Web Works
The Cattleman’s Proposal
Helen Lacey
Joley McBride had no interest in Nate Garrigan…even though he’d made it crystal clear that he wanted her. The rich and handsome rancher was the kind of man she'd sworn off years ago. But now, part of her beloved flying school was in his hands and Joley would do anything to get it back—including agree to his arrogant demand that she spend a month on his isolated cattle property.
Still feeling the sting of a bitter divorce, Nate knew what he wanted—a wife, children and a life void of any romantic nonsense. And he wanted it with the spirited and beautiful Joley McBride. With the help of a little blackmail, he might just get it. Only, he hadn’t anticipated that Joley would challenge his logical approach to relationships and unexpectedly touch his toughened heart.
About The Author
Helen Lacey grew up reading Black Beauty, Anne of Green Gables and Little House on The Prairie. These childhood classics inspired her to write her first book when she was seven years old, a story about a girl and her horse. She continued to write with the dream of one day being a published author. Now she is published by Harlequin®™ Enterprises Ltd. She loves creating stories about cowboys and horses and heroine's who get their happily ever after.
Praise for Helen Lacey’s books:
“… contains great characters, pulse-pounding dialogue and heated encounters that will keep readers rapt.” RT Book Reviews
4.5 Stars for Marriage Under The Mistletoe
“...richly satisfying romance filled with shivering intensity…”
Praise for Marriage Under The Mistletoe Fresh Fiction Reviews
“Lacey’s down-under, second-chance romance is an emotional journey worth taking. Her couple’s road back to love is a bumpy ride but one that’s worth every heart-wrenching moment, and the love scenes are a sensual delight.”
4.5 stars for Date With Destiny RT Book Reviews
Acknowledgements
Thank you to author and fabulous CP, Bec Sampson, who’s read and then re-read many versions of this story.
To my brother Gareth Lacey who was on hand to help me with piloting and airplane advice—any mistakes are mine.
And thank you Nas Dean, whose generous spirit helped bring this story to life.
Dedication
For Robert
Who keeps me grounded…
And lets me fly…
Chapter One
Rose petal pink was absolutely not her color. But as bridesmaids had very little say in the matter, Joley McBride put up with the plucked in waist, tight bodice and totally over-the-top heels. She downed another glass of champagne to help dull her senses and obliterate the jabbing sensation behind her ribs.
The ceremony was over. The speeches done. The three-tiered cake had been cut and the dancing had begun. And I’m standing alone near the entry to the kitchen, cursing my sore feet, this awful dress and have to watch my best friend in the whole world lock lips with his new bride.
She wasn’t unhappy for Patrick. Not exactly. And she wasn’t jealous either.
She was…what? Alone. Abandoned. Swapped for a pretty girl with a wide smile and hair the color of treacle. Okay, so she wasn’t really swapped. They’d never dated. Patrick was her friend. Her best friend.
Now he was married to Gabby and no longer her white knight. She couldn’t call him up in the middle of the night and talk. She couldn’t take him along to parties as her date to avoid being set upon by someone she had little or no interest in. She couldn’t get him to change light bulbs or replace faulty washers in her small suburban brick and tile. He was now another woman’s husband. End of story.
She took another glass from a passing waitress and weaved a discreet path around the back tables, navigating her way as far from the dance floor as she could. Once she was outside, she found solace at the edge of the patio in the wake of a large cycad fern. She leant against the balustrade and took a deep breath.
This was better. She could think. And damn it dwell.
When Patrick Cohen, her closest friend since they were kids and business partner of ten years had announced he was getting married just months after meeting the gorgeous and vivacious Gabby, Joley hadn’t believed him. Carefree, playing the field Patrick had never done anything so out of character.
Except this one time.
And this was a biggie.
Because Patrick’s marriage had forced Joley to think about her life. About her future and what she wanted. Somehow, she’d always thought he would be around. For her. And available to keep her grounded. To keep her safe. Which was stupid, right? She didn’t need protection. She didn’t need anyone. Wasn’t that her catch phrase?
She swallowed half the champagne. Maybe she should take a vacation? Somewhere far away from Brisbane. Far away from Queensland. Far away from Australia. Somewhere cold, with snow, where she could wrap up and sit in front of a big fire, read Jane Austen novels and forget how lonely and alone she suddenly felt.
Because something had happened to her recently. Since Patrick had announced his intention to settle down with Gabby, she’d recognized a shift in her thinking. It was a change Joley hadn’t expected. A sound with an unfamiliar peal was ringing in her head at the strangest times. And it sounded way too much like her clock ticking.
Impossible.
Joley didn’t have a biological clock. She had her business and her much flouted independence. Only…Patrick’s marriage really had made her think about having other things too. For the moment at least. Monday, she was certain, things would get back to normal. The hideous dress would be tucked away in the robe never to be seen again, and Joley could concentrate on trying to figure a way out of the financial mess Patrick had landed them in. With creditors snapping at their heels, she knew she had to do something soon. Or else she might lose everything. Patrick insisted he had it under control, but he was leaving for his honeymoon the following Tuesday and Joley wanted more than his smiling assurances. The flight school was everything to her father. And to me. She wouldn’t, couldn’t see it go down without a damned good fight.
“So, as you’ve discovered tonight, a heart doesn’t actually break.”
Joley spun around and almost toppled off her stupid heels.
She sucked in a breath. Nate Garrigan. The bride’s half-brother. A big, broad-shouldered, good-looking cowboy from somewhere out west. Joley didn’t like him one bit. He unnerved her, and he knew it.
“E—Excuse me?”
He grabbed the champagne flute in her hand and put it on a nearby table. “Looks like you’ve had enough of that.”
Joley flashed him a hard stare. “I think I’ll know when I’ve had enough.” She moved quickly to retrieve her glass but he blocked her path. “Would you please get out of my way?”
He didn’t budge. He just looked her over with slate gray eyes. He looked at her in a way that made Joley’s blood simmer, as though he saw every flaw. And there were plenty. The ridiculous dress did little to flatter her ample curves. Her full breasts piled high over the top of the bodice, forced upwards by the ill-fitting satin garment. And her hips got similar treatment. It was the wrong dress on the wrong woman.
“I’m impressed,” he said after a moment. “You held it together all evening and acted the role of a perfect attendant to my sister.”
Joley stood still as a statue. “And why wouldn’t I?” she shot back, feeling more than a little unsteady on her feet. “I am the bridesmaid. It’s my job.”
“A job you didn’t want?”
“Of course I did.” She raised her brows as her hands moved over her hips. “Do you think I’d miss out o
n wearing this unbelievable dress?” She smiled sarcastically. “No chance.”
“Unbelievable is about right,” he said with a laugh as he looked her over again. Joley wondered if she imagined the way his steely-eyed gaze lingered on her overly generous cleavage and she felt immediately self-conscious. He had a way of doing that to her. She’d met him several times over the previous months and each time she got the distinct impression he knew something about her. She experienced a kind of latent, slow burning awareness when around him. It wasn’t a feeling she liked. He felt like a threat…a threat she didn’t want.
She thought about his first comment and frowned, then glared until her simmering rage got the better of her. “And I don’t know what you think you—”
“Patrick,” he said quietly, cutting her off. “Who is now married to my sister and firmly out of your grasp.”
Joley almost laughed out loud. He thought she was pining after Patrick? Most of the time she swung between adoring her friend to despairing him. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” he challenged. “Isn’t that why you’re out here alone, doing your best to get plastered?”
Joley glared at him. “You don’t know anything about me, so I’d prefer you kept your opinions to yourself.”
Both his brows shot up. “I don’t?” He crossed his arms over his broad chest and Joley did her best not to look at him in an admiring way. “Let’s see—Jolene McBride, thirty four, never married, lived in Brisbane your entire life. You’re an accomplished pilot, a lousy cook, you own a horse and you like to paint in your spare time.”
She hated that he’d summed her up in two sentences. And hated that all she knew about him was that he was good looking, wealthy, and owned a huge cattle station a million miles away from civilization. Gabby blabbered on about him during the last few months, but Joley had switched off. It seemed safer. Although he clearly knew about her, probably compliments of his sister’s constant chatter.
“Actually, I’m not a lousy cook,” she lied, defiant and too proud to admit her failing. “And my horse or painting is none of your business.” She took a sideways step, but he was so well built she still couldn’t pass without bumping into him. She certainly didn’t want to end up pressed against that rock solid chest. “Would you please move out of my way?”
“Dance with me,” he said quietly and grasped her hand.
“D–dance?” Joley had no intention of dancing with him. She looked up. Standing beside him, she felt tiny. Stupid, she never felt even remotely small. She always thought herself over-sized. Big boned, her mother said. Voluptuous. Not exactly over-weight, just very well covered.
“Dance?” he said again and held her hand firm.
Joley didn’t immediately pull away. He half smiled and it crinkled the corners of his eyes. It made him even more attractive.
Idiot…I don’t like him. And I will not think he’s attractive. I won’t.
Uber sexy and charmingly macho men like Nate Garrigan were nothing but trouble. She knew that, right? And had the emotional scars to prove it.
“There are at least half a dozen women inside who would no doubt jump at the chance to dance with you,” she said, way too sweetly.
“But not you?’
“That’s right…not me.”
He looked directly at her. “Still determined to dislike me?”
Joley’s skin turned scarlet and she pulled herself free. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do,” he said. “Every time we meet you barely look in my direction.”
She drew in a breath. “That’s some ego you’ve got. If I’ve ignored you it’s because you don’t interest me in the least.”
He laughed and the sound made her stomach flip over. “Are you always this unfriendly?”
“Are you always a self righteous know it all?”
Nate knew one thing. He wanted Joley McBride. Ever since their first meeting months earlier, he’d been bombarded with thoughts of her. Something about the way she held herself, her camellia clear skin, her vivid blue eyes…it reached him. She wasn’t text book pretty, but her features were put together in such a way that made her striking. Along with the mane of glorious brown hair and a body so incredibly lush, he knew he could get lost in…she was just about the sexiest woman he’d ever met.
The fact that she didn’t seem to like him or anyone else other than her saintly Patrick Cohen just made her more desirable and a complete challenge. Like the spirited filly he was currently breaking for the show circuit. Yes, Joley was all energy and resistance and he had a purely male reaction to her.
She crossed her arms and the movement pushed her breasts upwards. It took every ounce of his self-control not to ogle her creamy skin. He couldn’t remember ever responding to a woman on such a primary level before. Not even Allyson and he’d loved her—until she’d bailed on their brief marriage and ended their relationship.
“Dance with me?” he said again.
“To what end?” she asked in a husky sort of way that made his insides contract. “Let’s say I did head back inside and danced with you…what would that prove?”
“It might prove to Patrick that you’re over being in love with him.”
She dropped her arms. “I’m not in love with Patrick,” she denied hotly. “We’re friends, that’s all. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”
Nate didn’t believe her. He’d bet his boots she fancied herself in love with his sister’s new husband. “Okay, you’re not in love with him. Dance with me anyway.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Because when I want something I don’t stop until I get it.”
She stared, wide eyed. “And what is it you want?”
Nate met her gaze. “You.”
“Are you serious?” she spluttered.
“Serious about dancing with you, of course.” Nate could see her mind spinning, wondering about his motives.
She shrugged and said, “I’m not interested. In dancing or anything else.”
Her rebuttal was like a red flag to a bull and he reacted instinctively. “You’d rather stay out here alone with your champagne and your misery?”
“I’m not miserable. And how much champagne I drink is none of your concern.”
Nate wasn’t convinced. “Drinking alone isn’t good for you.”
She raised her chin, beautifully defiant. “And you know what is, right?”
“I might,” he said and fought every urge to kiss her.
“I really do think that ego of yours need some serious deflating.”
He smiled. “And you’re just the woman to do it, is that what you’re saying?”
Her brows rose dramatically. “Not if it means spending any more time in your company.”
He laughed softly. “Too bad for me then. Although,” he said and looked her over. “It might take your mind off your problems.”
She raised her chin. “What problems?”
“Patrick’s marriage.”
She raised her chin. “If I were in love with Patrick, do you think I’d be even remotely encouraged to talk to you about it?” She asked with a tight smile that made Nate want to kiss her all the more. “And I really don’t care to discuss it any further.”
“Good,” he said and grabbed her hand. “Me either. So, dance with me and that will put it to bed once and for all.”
The moment he said the word bed, Joley had a startling image in her head of Nate Garrigan in bed and naked. Over her. Around her. Inside her. Heat suffused her skin, travelling up her ribcage, over her breasts and along her chest and neck. She wondered if he saw it, if he knew, and if he’d figured out she was aware of him in such a raw and purely physical sense.
It’s been a long time since I felt this.
Too long.
One dance wouldn’t hurt, right? She wasn’t about to get swayed by his good looks and simmering sexuality. She could handle being around a man like Nate Garrigan and not get carried away.
“Okay,” she said quickly. “We’ll dance.”
He grinned, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. His big hand enveloped hers and gently linked their fingers. A strange sensation hit Joley way down low and she swallowed hard. She wanted to pull away, to deny the sudden attraction filling her blood. Without a word, he drew her closer and led her back inside. Couples filled the dance floor and the slow melody played by the D.J meant slow dancing.
His arms came around her and Joley waited for the crush, the unwanted grope, the inappropriate touch. But none came. Her usual expectations weren’t realized. His hands remained above her waist and he held her slightly away from him. Okay, so he’s not a letch. She still didn’t like him. Even if he did fill out his suit like it been hand tailored, had lovely broad shoulders and clear gray eyes. So what? She wasn’t about to fall for a good-looking cowboy she’d probably never see again once the wedding was over. And she certainly wasn’t looking for a quick roll in the proverbial hay.
She didn’t do casual. She’d had three lovers. The first had been a disaster. The last forgettable. She hadn’t had sex for a long time…long enough to count in years, she realized. It had been two years in fact, since Paul had unceremoniously dumped her for lack of interest. Her lack of interest, in him, and in them. So, what did that make her? Not exactly a virgin…well, maybe a slightly used virgin.
“You’re frowning,” Nate Garrigan said, moving a little closer. “Did I tread on your foot?”
Joley managed a brittle grin and tried to dance even though her legs felt like lead. “No. Just thinking.”
He motioned to another couple on the dance floor. “About Patrick?”
Joley hadn’t even noticed the bride and groom swaying together just a few feet away. “I thought we weren’t going to discuss that anymore? Actually, I was thinking about when I can take off this stupid dress and these ridiculously high heels,” she said through tight lips.