The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “Please, give me some time to think about it?”

  Disappointment covered his face and his shoulders slouched in defeat. “Okay,” he said quietly.

  “Thank you.” I gave him another quick kiss and opened my door, slipping out of the car. I bent down, looking at Ken. “I’ll see you later?”

  “Yes. Tomorrow I’m busy, but how about the night after?”

  “Sounds perfect.” I nodded.

  “I’ll pick you up.”

  “I’ll be waiting for you,” I promised as I closed the car door.

  When I stepped into the house, my heart dropped. I heard the kettle whistling right before my mother took it off the stove.

  Shit.

  It might have been a whole since I had lived with my mother, but I still knew her better than she thought I did. I sucked in a deep breath and turned for the stairs, hoping I could slip up them before she noticed.

  “Come have a cup of tea with me.”

  Crap. I winced as I heard her voice. I sighed and walked toward the kitchen. I sat down across from my mother, and she stared at me, waiting. A smile spread over her lips.

  “So?” She took a sip of her tea, waiting.

  I didn’t know what I was supposed to tell her. I didn’t want to get her hopes up, but I didn’t want to let her down, either. I blew on my tea before taking a sip. “Honestly, I’m not sure. It was a very nice house. I just … I’m not sure this would be a good fit for me.”

  “Why not?”

  Because I always said I’d move away from here. It was my first thought. I didn’t say it out loud though, because a second thought stopped me. What’s to say I can’t move back? Let’s face it, things had been better since I moved here than they had been in a long time. I’m not going to admit that to her. I took another sip of tea to avoid having to say anything just yet.

  Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Because I’m not sure this is where I want to be.”

  My mother nodded. “I see.”

  I didn’t miss the hurt in her voice. I felt bad, but I didn’t know what else I was supposed to tell her. I sighed and took a deep breath. “It would be nice to stay here, I guess. But what if I change my mind?”

  My mother shrugged. “Then you change your mind and you move. You’ve done it once before, I’m sure you can manage to move away from here again if that’s what you decide.”

  “But the house …” I bit my tongue, remembering my mother didn’t know Ken wanted to buy it for me.

  “We’ll sell it. Or rent it out, or something. I can help if you.”

  “No,” I said quickly. Probably a little too quickly, but I didn’t care. It was one thing for some guy to help me out, it was a totally different thing for my mother to be burdened. She had paid my bills before, and I wasn’t going to make her do it again. I never will. “I’ve got that part figured out already,” I said with a wide smile.

  My mother’s brow furrowed. “So you have thought about it?”

  Shit. I had just gotten caught and I knew it. I nodded. “Yes, of course I’ve thought of it. But don’t get your hopes up; that doesn’t mean I’m going to put an offer down on the place. Okay?”

  My mother nodded. “Of course not.”

  Her smile told she was already getting her hopes up. I bit my lip. I don’t want to hurt her.

  ~~~~

  The next evening I was pulling my hair into a bun, securing it in place. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. My heart raced as I stared down at the name on the phone. I’d given the realtor my number just in case he needed to get a hold of me, but I hadn’t actually expected him to call.

  I answered the phone quickly and lifted it to my ear. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Sarah. I just wanted to call and let you know –”

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  “– I had someone else interested in the house. They’re putting in an offer. It seemed like you were interested too, but you needed some time to think. I wanted to give you a heads up.”

  While my mind raced, my mother answered the door. She and Ken both stared at me.

  “Thank you,” I said. I felt crushed. I hadn’t realized how badly I wanted the place and now … here I was being told someone else was probably going to get it.

  There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “The other person plans on offering the asking price.”

  “Oh … um, okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

  “Have a good day.”

  “You, too.”

  I cleared my throat as I hung up the phone. Why am I so upset? I hadn’t even decided to move here. I thought about the idea, yes, but I knew it was crazy.

  “What’s wrong?” my mother asked.

  “Someone else is putting an offer in on the house.” I stared at Ken. His eyes locked on mine.

  “Do you want me to go call my realtor?”

  Yes!

  The thought came without me even realizing it. Without hesitating, I nodded.

  Three months later

  I looked up from where I was eating my breakfast and saw three horses standing by the fence.

  “I swear, it’s like they know when they need to come get me.”

  I laughed as Ken drank the last of his coffee. It had taken a little getting used to, but I was loving our new home. Yes, ours. Of course, he’d bought it, so no matter what it was is, but more and more his stuff was starting to take up space in the rooms. His work clothes sat in a pile on the laundry room floor right now. I’ll have to do those up for him.

  We hadn’t really meant to move in together. It just happened. Ken pulled me into his arms and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

  “Do you need me to come up and help with anything?” I asked, taking a sip of my tea as he slipped into his work boots.

  “I’d love some lunch.”

  “It will be a little late. Mom and I are going out this morning.” I made a promise I’d go to coffee row at least once a month with her, and today was the day.

  “Okay.” He laughed softly. “I’ll be expecting you in the afternoon. Maybe if I’m done with my work by then, you can stay and we can go fishing.”

  That hadn’t stopped. We still went fishing often, and I loved it. I nodded. Sounds perfect to me. I’d email my client and tell them I had to reschedule. I wasn’t worried; after all, I was only working because I wanted to. Not because I needed the money anymore.

  I watched as Ken headed out the back door, my eyes trailing to his butt for a fraction of a second.

  He was gone most days. He worked hard, and since we started living together, I was beginning to realize that. Still can’t believe this is my life. I watched as he climbed over the fence and made his way over to one of the horses. My smile widened as I watched him climb onto the brown mare and head off for a day’s work.

  Finally, once he was out of sight, I stood up and walked up the stairs to the bedroom, slipping out of my robe and changing. The faster I got coffee row out of the way, the faster I’d be able to go see Ken.

  Ken

  The Private Club

  Vol. IV

  Sarah J. Brooks

  Shane

  “Wait, what?” I stared at my best friend. He had to be full of shit. Right? There is no way they would hire a girl.

  Ken shrugged. “We have to keep up with the demands of our clients. Not all girls are into guys. We have to have a little eye candy for them, too.”

  I shook my head as I took one look at her. She wore a black skirt, black stockings, black flats, and a white shirt.

  “Dude, she’s wearing white.” Don’t get me wrong, it was cute – but that wasn’t going to fly here. I shook my head. “She can’t get out of her car without getting dirty. It’s not going to work. She thinks it’s going to be all nice and cute and flowery. She’s going to scream the first time she sees a bug.” I was willing to bet on it, too.

  I can’t believe you’re hiring her. Maybe one of the guys just wanted to score with her. Better not be Ken. I
glanced at him. I was pretty sure Sarah would kick his ass if he tried to hook up with another girl. Same for Jeff or Alex. Not that their girlfriends were close by. I had no clue what kind of relationship the guys had. For all I knew, their girlfriends could be into that kind of stuff. I sighed.

  “Whatever, fine.” What else could I say? I couldn’t let Ken down and say otherwise. And not just him. All of the Winsten brothers.

  They were like family to me. They had been kind enough to give me a shot, and I had promised myself all those years ago I wasn’t going to let them down. So, here I was being stupid and agreeing to train this girl. She’s going to be dumb. She’s going to be a pain in the ass.

  I didn’t say it out loud. I won’t complain.

  “Thanks,” Ken grinned. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t want to make Josh do it. You start tomorrow bright and early. She said she’ll be here at six.”

  I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t believe it, but I didn’t voice that. “I hadn’t realized we were looking for new staff.”

  “With the renovations, we’ve got to account for it.”

  The contractors were coming next month, and they’d be staying here while they got the work done. Even though it was off season, we’d have our weight to pull around the ranch. It was just a few of us, really. Normally we used this time of the year to get stuff done before the busy season. Now, we’d have to worry about feeding crews of people while doing all our regular work.

  I knew Ken made a good point. We’d need the extra help. That being said, I still didn’t think it was going to go anywhere.

  I shrugged, knowing I couldn’t voice it to my friend. “I just hope she knows what she’s getting into.”

  Gabby

  I stepped out of the car the next morning. Early, just like I planned.

  My stomach turned. I felt like I was about to puke. Oh, just relax. It was only a new job, nothing crazy. I’d started jobs before and each time it had gone fine. I took a steadying breath and forced myself to keep my cool.

  Doors to the main office opened, and a guy stepped out. He wasn’t one of the ones who had interviewed me. Damn. I had kinda been hoping they would be the ones training me, since I had already met them. I forced myself to relax as he came to a stop in front of me.

  “You’re the new girl?” He looked me over and he didn’t look impressed at all.

  I, on the other hand, was impressed as I looked him up and down. He was just a little bit taller than I was, with light hair that reflected the early morning light. He looked muscular under his sweatshirt, which was a bonus. But it was the steel blue eyes that really did it for me. Shit. He’s said something. I needed to react.

  I nodded and opened my mouth, forcing myself to sound normal. “I’m Gabby.” I stepped forward and held my hand out to him. He shook it, matching the firmness of my handshake.

  “Strong handshake,” he remarked. He almost sounded impressed.

  I smirked. “My daddy raised me right.” My father was one of the reasons I applied for this job. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t feel confident I could handle the work. But really, how much harder was it going to be than growing up?

  “Okay, let’s get started. We’ll take a break around nine for something to eat but until then, it’s all work and no play. Unless you really need to sit down. If that’s the case, let me know.”

  The smirk fell from my lips. The thought hit home as I realized what was going on. He doesn’t think I can do it. I hated to admit it hurt me to think he doubted I could pull my weight. Instead of saying anything, I locked eyes with him. It wasn’t a cute, flirty kind of look. It was a stare down. I gave a single nod, waiting for him to lead the way.

  His eyes locked on mine for a fraction of a second, then he looked away. He probably thought I was trying to seduce him or something. As fucking if. Yeah, he was cute, but I couldn’t stand people like him.

  He finally turned on his heel. “We’re going to start off with cleaning the stables, getting the horses their feed, and grooming them. After that … well, we’ll see how long that takes.”

  I snorted quietly. He wasn’t meant to hear it, but based on the way he looked at me … I think he did.

  Shane

  I hated them for making me do this. Did she just snort at me? What, did she think she was too good to clean out horse stables? Damn it, if she’s going to act like a princess, I’m going to fire her within the hour. And I didn’t even have authority to do that.

  I didn’t care, though. If she was going to be a pain in my ass, I was going to fire her. Then I’d deal with the guys being mad at me.

  “Yo, Shane!” I looked up to see Alex heading toward us. He stopped in front of me, but it wasn’t me he was looking at. “Hi, Gabby.”

  “Hi!” She smiled widely.

  “How’s it going?”

  “Good, thank you. Yourself?”

  “I’m good, thanks. Is he working you hard yet?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  She grinned when she said it. I almost rolled my eyes. That wasn’t the attitude she had when I told her about mucking out the stables. I didn’t voice that, though. It would make me look unprofessional.

  I turned to her, not paying much attention. “The stables are just around the corner. Why don’t you go get started.” It wasn’t a question, it was an order, and thankfully she knew it. She nodded, not saying a word. Then, she turned to Alex.

  “I’m sure I’ll see you around.” She waved and started to walk away.

  “See you later, Gabby!” he called after her.

  We both watched as she left. It wasn’t until she was out of ear shot that I turned back to Alex. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re grumpy today.”

  “You would be too if you were stuck with her.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. His head shook, but he was smiling.

  “I’m serious, Alex. She hasn’t even been here long and already she’s …” I trailed off trying to find the right word.

  “Did she arrive on time?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s a good start.”

  I nodded. I’d give him that. “But she snorted when I told her we’d be mucking stalls. Snorted.”

  “Maybe she was practicing her horse impression.” Alex laughed at his own bad joke. I didn’t. “Look, just give her a chance. You decided yesterday you didn’t like her because we’re making you train her. Give the poor girl a shot before you decide you hate her, okay?”

  “Yes. Fine.” I heaved a sigh. I knew he had a point, but I still didn’t want to do this. “But if I fire her, I don’t expect to get in trouble.”

  “Fine. Fire the girl if you want, but give her at least a day first. Okay?”

  “Agreed.”

  I planned on holding him to his word, and I was sure Alex knew I would. At the end of the day, I’ll be able to fire her. I had no clue how the guys thought a girl like her was going to work out. She’d only been here less than an hour, and her attitude was less than desirable.

  “So, why did you come over here?” I asked Alex. I guessed it wasn’t just to chat with Gabby. The way he looked at her told me he wasn’t interested, but I was willing to bank on one of the guys wanting to get laid. Not that I blame them. As much as I was sure she was a princess, she was gorgeous. The princess thing was an issue, though. The white shirt yesterday, the stockings. Not to mention the nails. I’d caught sight of them. I mean, it was hard not to. They were long, pink, and glittery.

  “I came over to tell you that if you don’t fire her, make sure to let her know where she’ll be staying. We’ve got her set up right next to you, so it makes the most sense for you to show her to her room. You can tell her we moved her car to correct spot, which she agreed to yesterday.” He added the last part quickly, before I could bring it up.

  “Okay, fine.” This all depended on if I didn’t let her go.

  “And be a little easy on her, okay? Remember you do this every day and hav
e been for years. She might actually have talent. Give the girl a chance.”

  “I’m trying.” Okay, that was a lie. I hadn’t been trying, but I would. “And you’re right, it’s her first day. But I’m still making her help muck out the stables. If that’s going to be an issue with her, it’s just a sign she won’t be a good fit here. I know you guys really want to have a girl around, but you might have to interview someone else. We can’t just pick the first girl who comes in if she’s not the right fit for the ranch.”

  Even though I didn’t own the place, I cared more about it than I could put into words. This was something the brothers and I had done together. We’d been in it from the beginning, and even though at the time I didn’t have the money to pitch in, I’d gotten the farm equipment from a friend for a good price.

  I blew out a deep breath. Let’s go see how she’s doing. I promised myself I would give her a shot. I won’t decide anything until noon. Even if I did decide to fire her, I’d give her the rest of the day to prove me wrong – if she could.

  Gabby

  I couldn’t believe it.

  I could not believe he thought this was going to take us a while. It was barely anything. When I got to the stable, I quickly found the tools I needed. By the time I heard his footsteps, I was on the last stall.

  “Holy shit,” I heard him mutter.

  I smirked, glad he was swearing and glad I had managed to surprise him. I didn’t look up, though. Instead, I just kept working on what I was doing. I only had a little more to go. Just a couple more piles. I sucked in a deep breath; honestly, the smell didn’t bother me anymore. I forced myself to keep working. I listened as he came over to me. I still didn’t look up.

  I could feel his eyes on me, but I kept shoveling shit. Just like he’d told me to do.

  “You’re a lot faster than I thought you would be,” he said.