Rachel couldn’t look away from the image. The longer she stared, the more mesmerized she became by that dark stare, those heavy lids, that white cotton shirt plastered in all the right areas.
But Matt wasn’t just the sexiest man she’d ever known. He’d been her friend; he’d come to her defense in front of Billy more than once when her late husband had disrespected her. Matt had kept his needs to himself for a decade. Who the hell did that?
Were those the acts of a man in love? Had he loved her in that way? She didn’t even know how to analyze all of this information without going absolutely insane.
Right now she had to push her emotions aside, no matter how difficult the task might be. She had a speech to prepare and bachelors to introduce tomorrow during the press conference. Damage control was just part of marketing, and this whole situation sure as hell gave her much-needed experience...she just wished her heart hadn’t been part of the experiment.
* * *
Matt pounded the hammer once more, driving the nail home. He came to his feet and surveyed the brand-new porch and roof he’d spent the better part of two days installing.
And no matter how much demolition or renovation he did of his grandfather’s home, nothing had exorcised those demons from him.
Rachel still consumed every part of him. He missed the hell out of her. But it wasn’t just Rachel; he missed sweet Ellie. The two females had slithered right into his heart and taken up so much real estate, he had no idea how he’d ever lived without them.
He did know one thing: he’d managed to sell off his 51 percent early this morning when Eric finally came up to Matt’s asking price. The weight lifted somewhat, but still there was something missing.
The sale would take time to finalize, but Matt wasn’t worried about it falling through. He’d make sure it happened so he was free to move on to...whatever the hell he wanted.
Who knew? Maybe he’d take up residence here in Royal and make this old homestead his farm.
Something akin to a blast erupted inside of him, and Matt’s breath caught in his throat. He’d called off his contractor, stating he wanted to do the initial work himself. He wanted the grunt work, the outlet for his frustrations, and a way to get back to his roots when he’d bonded with his grandfather. He would have his guy come in and take over soon enough, but for now, this was his baby to nurture.
He’d brought Rachel here and she’d helped. The most precious times of his life were spent right here in Royal...both past and present.
How the hell had he not seen this before now?
Matt stared up the two-story home once again, now looking at it in a whole new light. He instantly saw the place transformed. He imagined Ellie on the steps playing with dolls and Rachel swinging on the porch with her belly swollen with his child. He saw love and he saw a family he never knew he wanted...but couldn’t live without.
Matt checked the time on his cell and calculated. He had just enough of a span to put his plan into motion. There was no way in hell he was letting Rachel get away. He’d waited this long for her, and now that he realized his true feelings, the future he wanted with her, he couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by.
She was his best friend, but he wanted more. He wanted everything, and Matt Galloway never stopped until he got what he wanted.
Eighteen
Rachel set her notes on the podium in the TCC clubhouse. She’d opted to use the back gardens as the area for the auction, and that was still being revamped. She wanted to keep the reveal of the changes a surprise. But she’d peeked in when she’d first arrived, and Austin Bradshaw was doing a fabulous job. She couldn’t wait to see the end result.
As she glanced over her notes once more, she cursed her shaky hands. She just wanted to get this press conference over with so they could focus on what was important. The actual charity event. If they didn’t bring in the projected goal, Rachel would never forgive herself. She only hoped she hadn’t blown it with the whole kiss scene that had been plastered all over.
“All set?”
Alexis came up the aisle of chairs with a wide smile on her face. Her long hair spiraled down around her shoulders and she had on the prettiest floral dress with boots. If she didn’t watch out, some man would make a bid for her.
“As ready as I can be,” Rachel stated, stepping down from the stage. “It’s almost go time. Is anyone out there?”
Alexis laughed. “Honey, this is the hottest thing in Royal and any surrounding town right now. There are hordes of people from several media outlets, plus some prominent citizens outside those doors.”
“Well, that didn’t help my nerves.”
Alexis closed the distance between them and took Rachel’s hands. “I figured you’d want to know what you were dealing with.”
With a shaky breath, Rachel nodded. “You’re right. I’d rather know what I’m facing.”
Alexis gave a gentle squeeze. “You know, it’s not too late to adjust those notes and have sixteen bachelors instead of seventeen.”
Considering Matt hadn’t contacted her since she drove away, she’d have to disagree. Not that she’d reached out to him, either. Apparently they were truly over and she’d just have to suffer through the auction in a few months and watch some lucky woman buy him up and whisk him away.
“Whatever we had, it’s over.” Maybe if she kept repeating those words out loud, and even in her mind, she’d start to believe them. “He hurt me and I just think we started off like Billy and I did. Maybe I mistook lust for love.”
Liar, liar.
“You love Matt and he loves you.” Alexis dropped her hands. “If you don’t bid on that man, I’ll bid on him myself.”
Rachel smiled. “Well, that would make your grandfather happy.”
Alexis tipped her head. “He would be a gift to you.”
“Then save your money or bid on Daniel.”
Alexis stiffened. “There’s nothing going on there. I wish you’d quit bringing it up.”
Rachel shrugged. “Then drop Matt and we’ll call a truce.”
After a long pause, Alexis nodded. “Fine. But you have nothing holding you back from taking what you so clearly want. You might never get a chance like this again.”
Her friend turned and headed toward the doors leading into the clubhouse. Rachel closed her eyes and willed herself the strength to get through this press conference. She needed to sound convincing when she laid her claim that she and Matt were friends and the kiss was nothing.
Perhaps they wouldn’t know she was lying to save her own ass.
Moments later the loud chatter enveloped her, and Rachel pasted a smile on her face as guests took their seats. This was the most pivotal moment before the auction because she would be quoted. And, to take the pressure off her and Matt and the scandal they’d created, she had visuals of the bachelors to hopefully get the media to focus on the auction and not the infamous kiss.
A kiss she was still feeling. Because no matter how much she tried to ignore her emotions, she couldn’t get Matt out of her mind, and every moment she thought of him, her body heated.
Damn man had too much power over her. She fell in love with him easily; maybe she could fall out of love just as effortlessly?
If only flipping emotions on and off were a possibility, she could save herself more heartache.
Once everyone was seated, Rachel glanced toward the back of the patio area as Alexis closed the doors and gave her the nod to begin.
Gripping the edge of the podium, Rachel cleared her throat. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate you all taking time to be here this evening. I have several points to address, but I promise to keep this short.
“There has been some chatter and misinformation spreading like wildfire,” she went on. “I’d like to address that first.” She took a deep, bracing breath, then continued. “Contr
ary to what you may have heard, Matt Galloway is still in the bachelor auction. We are thrilled he’s contributing, and not only is he offering up his time for a fantasy date, he’s also writing a check matching the winning bid for him.”
The crowd murmured and a few clapped, just as she’d hoped. So far, so good.
“The picture of Matt and I kissing was harmless,” she added with a fake smile as she lied through her teeth, but she pushed on. “We have been friends since college and he’d invited me for lunch to catch up.”
After I’d spent the night in his bed.
“The timing was unfortunate and we do hope this will erase any doubt about him being in the auction. That kiss was meaningless and—”
“Nothing about that kiss was meaningless.”
The crowd gasped in unison as they turned toward the back of the patio. Rachel shifted her focus as well and spotted Matt striding down the aisle. His dark suit screamed power and she wished she had her camera to capture that intense look on his face...a look all for her.
Her heart thudded even faster. What the hell was he doing here, and why was he sabotaging her press conference?
He stepped up to the stage and stood right next to her, reaching for the mic and angling it toward him.
“What Ms. Kincaid meant to say was there will now only be sixteen bachelors in the auction because I am removing myself.”
“What the hell are you doing?” she whispered through gritted teeth.
Completely serious, he shot her a glance. “Saving us.”
All at once, reporters shouted questions and came up out of their seats. Rachel glanced at the hyper crowd and in the very back stood her best friend with a wide smile on her face.
“I will take questions, but one at a time, please,” Matt requested with so much dignity and authority, she wanted to smack him for...well this. How could she do damage control and hate him for lying when he was literally standing up for her?
“How long have you and Ms. Kincaid been seeing each other?” one reporter shouted.
Behind the podium, he reached for her hand. That was solely for her benefit, she knew, because nobody could see his actions.
Her heart tumbled.
“Like she said, we’ve been friends for years. We recently reconnected when I came to Royal for a getaway.”
“Are you two getting married? Will you both live here?”
Matt laughed and the low, sensual tone sent shivers of arousal through her. He was making things nearly impossible for her when she just wanted to be angry. Why couldn’t he let her be?
“Well, you’re jumping the gun,” he replied. “I have every intention of asking Rachel to marry me, but I’d hoped to get her alone.”
The crowd erupted in cheers and Rachel froze. “You what?” she croaked out.
Matt turned toward her, ignoring the loud crowd. “I want to marry you, Rachel. I want to raise Ellie with you. I want to stay in Royal with you.”
He threw those statements out like he was serious. He looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. The way he held her hands and waited for her to say something...was he serious?
“Matt—”
“Give me another chance, Rachel. I’ll still make a donation to the charity—just name the amount. I love you, and I don’t see a future without you in it. Without our family. I want to have more children with you and I hope you’ll help me with the farmhouse, because I think it’s the perfect place for us.”
Well, now he’d gone and done it. Rachel’s eyes swelled with tears and she glanced down to their joined hands. “I love you, too,” she whispered. “But how can I trust you?”
She realized the room had gone silent. No doubt every reporter had their phones out trying to record this moment, but Rachel couldn’t worry about them or what they might or might not put out to the masses.
“I’m terrified,” he admitted, resting his forehead against hers. “I’ve never done love before, but I want to do it with you. There’s nobody else, Rachel. You’re it. You can trust me with your heart, because I’m trusting you with mine.”
The tears slid down and she could do nothing to stop them at his bold, heart-flipping statement.
“I’ve never known you to be afraid of anything,” she laughed. “What about Dallas?”
He tipped her chin up so she looked directly at him. “Nothing matters but you saying yes.”
“What exactly are you asking me for?”
That signature heart-stopping, toe-curling smile spread across his face. “Everything.”
She slid a glance to the crowd only to find each and every person had scooted closer to the stage. Rachel laughed as she turned back to Matt.
“I need to finish the press conference.”
Matt’s eyes studied her, but then he took a step back. Rachel turned back to the podium, glanced down to her useless notes and flung them in the air.
“Bachelor Seventeen is officially off the auction block,” she declared.
The hoots and shouts were deafening and Rachel squealed when Matt wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her neck as he spun her around.
“I knew you’d end up with me.” He smoothed her hair back from her face. “I hate to say I told you so, but...”
Rachel wrapped her arms around him and smacked his lips with a kiss. “I don’t mind. You’re mine, Matt Galloway. My very own bachelor.”
He kissed her back, pouring promises and love into each touch.
“As you can see, we’ve lost another bachelor.”
Rachel laughed against Matt’s mouth at Alexis’s statement to the crowd.
“I assure you all, we will have plenty of available men to choose from,” Alexis went on, her voice echoing into the mic. “Rachel prepared a wonderful presentation, but she and Matt will be slipping out, and I’ll be taking over and answering any questions.”
Matt wrapped his arm around Rachel’s waist and ushered her down the steps. They attempted to wade through the aisle, but kept getting high fives and hugs and smiles from each guest. Rachel wasn’t sure how she’d gone from explaining why Matt was the greatest bachelor for the auction to removing him and agreeing to be his wife in the span of ten minutes.
That pretty much summed up their courtship, though, didn’t it? He’d swept back into her life, dredging up emotions she never even knew she had and then forced her to see this second chance she’d been given at a lifetime of happiness.
Of course, to her this had been fast, but to him, he’d had feelings for a decade.
Once they reached the inside of the TCC clubhouse, Matt pulled her down the hallway toward the offices.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I have something for you.”
Intrigued, she followed him into the office at the end of the hall. Matt closed the door and went to the desk.
“I brought this with me because I didn’t want to wait.” He pulled something from the drawer and turned back to her. “I’m sorry I hurt you, after Billy’s death and again the other day. That was never my intention. Hell, Rachel, I’d do anything for you and Ellie.”
The fact he always included Ellie warmed her heart. The small box he held in his hand had her heart catching in her throat.
“I didn’t want to do this out there,” he admitted, closing the space between them. “But I have this ring that belonged to my grandmother. I’ve had it since my grandfather gave it to me just before his death. He made me promise I would only give it to someone I loved.”
Matt opened the blue velvet box and revealed a bright ruby with smaller diamonds flanking each side. Rachel gasped, her hand to her mouth as she tried to control her emotions.
“I know it’s not the biggest or the flashiest,” he went on. “I’ll buy you anything you want. Hell, you wanted an island. I’ll get you one of those,
too.”
Rachel shook her head, causing even more tears to spill down her cheeks. “No. I want this ring and I want your island.”
Having something from his past made her feel even more special.
Matt pulled the ring from the box and slid the band onto her finger. “It fits,” he said, relief flooding his tone.
“Of course it does.” She admired the vibrant red stone. “We fit.”
Matt circled his arms around her waist and tugged her against him. “Let’s go get Ellie and head back to my penthouse.”
“Were you serious about staying in Royal at the farm?”
Matt framed her face and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “If that’s okay with you. We can escape to Galloway Cove any time you need a break, but I want you to finish that degree. Who knows, maybe we can start up a company together. What do you think?”
Rachel smiled. “I think we’d be a hell of a team.”
* * * * *
Will Gus and Rose succeed in keeping their
grandchildren apart? Will the bachelor auction go off without a hitch?
Find out in Million Dollar Baby by USA TODAY bestselling author Janice Maynard!
When Heiress Brooke Goodman rebels, her wild one-night stand turns out to be her coworker at the Texas Cattleman’s Club! How will she resist him? Especially when the sexy Texan agrees to a temporary marriage so she can get her inheritance and she learns she’s expecting his child...
Don’t miss a single installment of the six-book
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for these rich ranchers?
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Most Eligible Texan Page 15