She walked over to the pond benches and sat down, humming “Que Sera, Sera” while the parrot kept practicing his rendition of the tune up in the tree. Libby laughed. “Maybe we could do a duet?”
“Hello, Miss Perkins?” Skip’s voice came over the phone.
“Skip, hi, I’ve been thinking about Ranger. I would like you to look into purchasing a mare that we can breed with Ranger. I’m thinking of one of the Camarillo Whites. See what you can find.”
“I think it would be interesting to breed him with a white,” replied Skip. “As a palomino, Ranger could give us some interesting coloring in the offspring.”
Libby felt wonderful taking charge of things in her life, particularly making decisions about her homestead property. That land along the river had been in her family for generations. She loved it there and felt a responsibility to continue what her ancestors had started. She was going to learn all she could about the whole business and run things competently.
She put the phone down just as Carson and Raelyn walked out into the garden. “Oh, hi, did you see Chad? Is he okay?”
Carson sat down on one of the benches.
Raelyn walked over to look up at the parrot. “What’s he singing?”
Libby laughed. “He’s copied me. I was singing ‘Que Sera, Sera…’”
“What a very clever bird. Everything is going to be fine with Chad.”
Carson stretched back. “He’s on a plane to Houston right now. We made a deal with his creditors.” Carson raised his eyebrow when he said the word. “I paid a portion of his debt, the amount he actually owes without penalties, and he has signed paperwork to pay me back in installments. The minute he stops going to counseling for his addiction, the full amount comes due.”
“How did he look, was he beaten badly?” Libby leaned forward toward Carson.
“No. He was badly shaken up. I think he’s going to be fine, and if he changes his behavior, he has a great life ahead of him. By the way, he admitted to drugging you. He was so desperate when he realized you were going to end the engagement he wanted to compromise you into marrying him. The creditors were leaving him alone with the promise of your wealth to cover his expenses.”
Raelyn leaned down to give her a hand up. “Let’s go get you packed. We’re leaving for the airport. A friend has offered us a ride on his jet. You’ll not want to miss this jet. It was built for comfort.”
They got ready and headed to the airport.
Libby was amazed at the jet they took back to Houston. The plane had individual compartments with curtains for privacy. Then there was a main lounge where you could socialize if you felt so inclined. She was back at the Rio Lago Ranch in no time. She almost felt like it had all been a bad dream.
When she stepped out of the truck, Michael ran up and gave her a hug. “You scared us, Libby.”
“I’m so sorry.” Then Libby looked over to Jacob.
He was standing, leaning back against the corral fence and chewing on a piece of long grass. His cowboy hat was tilted forward, almost covering his eyes. He had a slight smile on his face as he looked over at Libby. The searing heat she felt from that look brought chills to her back. Her heart started beating faster as she took steps toward him. Signs of the boy she once knew were gone, and instead there stood a confident man. She smiled and walked closer to him. She stopped a few steps from him. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her into his arms.
She melted into the folds of his embrace. This was home.
“Libby.” Jacob buried his face into her neck and hair. “I can’t let you go again.”
“Good.” Libby looked up into his face as he leaned down and kissed her. She heard Michael whoop as she swooned into the kiss.
Epilogue
Six months later…
Libby, Jacob, and Michael decided that their companies should merge. The wheat and the ranch equipment industries were a perfect fit. The lawyers from both companies met the following week at the Rio Lago Ranch and hammered out a merger.
When everyone was happy with the results, Jacob took Libby outside and proposed a merger of his own.
“Jacob, are you happy with the prospects of our future?” Libby leaned her head into his chest as they sat on the bench swing.
“Yes, everything is more than perfect. I am sad we never got to know our grandfather. In his will, there was a letter to us. He expressed his regret at not getting to know us. He said he thought about us every day but was just too stubborn to make amends with our father.” Jacob turned and looked at Libby. “Where do we want to live? I’ll have to spend time in Minnesota close to Duluth, but I’m not too keen on the winters there.”
Libby sat up, smiling. “I would love to do that, and why don’t we come down to my homestead along the river in the winter months?”
“I would like to see some children enjoying the playhouse along the river.” Jacob thought back to the dolls Libby carefully carried back up to the house when she found them there. He smiled; his life could not be happier.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“I was thinking maybe we could rustle up a game of spin the bottle?”
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Chapter one of Her Billionaire in Hiding
“Are you sure you want to do this Mate?” Coop’s mate had been his best friend since he turned four years old. Jerry handed Coop the luggage and his dog leash.
“I see no other option. The Paparazzi are in full court press. I will not be used this way. They are like bees swarming around a hive anytime I go into public these days. Now that Clara has died it’s much worse. Every magazine front cover has my picture. “Eligible Bachelor Ready for Fun”; “Bachelor Shakes Free of Engagement”. “What is wrong with these people?”
Coop climbed down into the hole of the ship where his quarters were. His mate, Jerry, carried one of the suitcases. “Coop taking this ship seems a bit extreme when you have a fleet of jets at your disposal.” The ship was dark and smelly. He had paid with cash, no id required. His mother was from the States so he had a US passport but the less he used it the better. He planned to sneak in to the country and leave no records. He brought a suitcase full of American bills so everything he paid for would be in cash. The news world had become sophisticated in their search for sensational headlines. They’d been chasing him since he was twelve, when his Dad died. If he went off the grid like this, they would try to find him. He planned to make it hard.
“I can’t trust the pilots to keep quiet. “ Coop handed Jerry the package to give to his mother.
“I will not say anything of course, Coop, but they’re gonna hound me for a time. I might go down and see family in New Zealand.”
“I trust you with my life. You can talk if you want to. The last place you saw me was on a ship in Brisbane harbor. You do not know where I am going specifically. America is a big place.”
“Listen Mate, I am sorry about Clara. It’s not going to be the same without her. I loved her too. ”
“Yes, I know, life isn’t turning out the way we all planned.”
Coop shook his hand and Jerry turned to leave. “Nor I, good luck mate, see you when you get back.”
Coop called his dog, Chase, up onto the bed to sit beside him. “We are doing it Chase, we are going to escape.” Chase was an Australian shepherd dog, one of the fastest cattle dogs he had ever owned. This one was special, they had bonded, he went everywhere with Coop.
Clara knew the plane was dangerous. Clara why didn’t you just listen for once. She had been out in her ultra-light plane checking the cattle. She loved flying but ignored her Dad’s reservations about it. Coop agreed with her father but she had laughed about his worry. The search planes found her crash site the next day.
Coop covered his face with his hands. Chase got up and nuzzled him until he turned on his tablet to a country western station from the states. “Well Chase, I guess we better brush up on our T
exan.” A haunting melody came through his tablet. The voice was sweet and clear and a great peace descended upon him. Coop had been traveling all night and fell asleep to the melody with a tentative smile on his face. Chase nestled down beside him as the ship left the harbor.
The crowd cheered as Cassie Forester began her next song, a favorite. This had been a whirlwind summer traveling from one booking to the other. She remembered clearly the joy she felt when she signed her first contract with a big recording studio. She was on her way, doing what she loved. It was such a thrill the first time she heard her songs on the radio. The crowd was crazy tonight, she did a second encore. Their excitement filled her with energy she didn’t know she had. Finally the curtains shut for the last time and her crew escorted her to the RV waiting outside. Once they had all the equipment loaded onto the truck, they drove off into the night and to the next show. Alone in the RV she came down from the high of screaming fans and fell exhausted onto her bed. She couldn’t sleep, the excitement was energizing. She lay there, looking at posters from her concerts, not quite believing what was happening in her life.
Growing up in her small town, Cassie had been singing at church picnics and State Fairs since she was sixteen. While in her sophomore year at college an agent asked for a meeting. He praised her voice and the songs she had written. Eventually after two more meetings she had an appointment to meet with the producer of the recording studio. The agent flew her out to LA and put her up in a 5 Star hotel. It all seemed like a dream. On the day of the meeting Cassie felt wary but decided it was just nerves.
Walking into the producer’s office was unreal; she couldn’t keep her eyes off of the walls covered with pictures of recording stars she recognized. The office was huge, a large sofa sat against the wall and the picture window viewed all of Los Angeles valley. The producer was a rather large older man who asked her to stand up and turn around. She felt weird about it but they explained they needed to get an idea of how she would look on stage. She smiled and rolled over, “I do look good on stage, who wouldn’t in these beautiful costumes.”
She to the meeting prepared to sing some of her music but wasn’t asked to sing any of it. Cassie was then ushered to the waiting room while her agent continued the meeting without her. In just a few minutes he returned all smiles with a contract. Cassie was thrilled to sign the 8 page document. I am 20 years old and I have a contract with Cardinal Records! Life was sweet. The agent said he would take care of everything. The studio provided the band, the costumes and the RV as well as all the advertising. All she had to do was be ready for a summer tour. Her mind was whirling as she left the office. There was so much to think about and do. Back at the hotel Cassie called her parents. “Mom they gave me a contract!!” She yelled and ran around the room taking a flying leap onto the bed.
“Darling, that is wonderful. Dad wants to talk.”
She knew what was coming. “That is great Cassie, what about your schooling?”
“So far Dad, it’s just summer tours.” She hoped that would calm his worries. “I can’t wait to see you. I will be home tomorrow!”
Cassie flight landed at the Houston airport. From there she got a taxi to the bus station where she purchased a ticket to her small home town on the Texas-Louisiana border. She was sitting by the open air coffee shop when a beautiful Australian shepherd dog came running over to her and sat right in front of her. When she looked down at him he put his front paw on her lap.
“Oh my goodness you are beautiful.” She petted the dog which only encouraged him and he rose higher to try to lick her face. “Wait a minute puppy, we have only just met.” She laughed as she pushed him back down.
Just then Coop ran up and grabbed the leash. “I am so sorry. He never runs away like this. He has certainly lost his manners. It must be all the excitement of traveling.”
Coop looked up from his dog into Cassie’s eyes and stared for an uncomfortably long time. She smiled. “I love your dog, he is so friendly.” At that moment Chase tried to get right up into her lap. “Oh my goodness he is very friendly.”
“All I can say is he knows a beautiful Sheila when he sees one.” Coop pulled his dog back down again.
“Sheila?” Cassie straightened up her skirt.
“Oh sorry, girl. Sheila is a girl. ” They called his bus and he tried to leave pushing his luggage cart and pulling Chase who had put all fours stiffly forward trying to pull backwards. “What is wrong with you?” He looked back at Cassie apologetically and smiled lifting his hand in farewell. “Come on, dog!!!!”
Cassie had to laugh at the spectacle they were making. She loved the dog and the man was not too bad either. He had neatly trimmed dark hair that was sun bleached in front. He looked like he worked outside his tan was so dark. Cassie couldn’t help noticing his physique under his fashionably tight shirt. She loved tall men and he was probably 6’6”. But what she remembered most was his beautiful but sad eyes and the open inquiring look on his face. That look asked a question; it felt like the world passed between them then. She had never experienced anything like it and when he left she had an impulse to call him back. “Wait, don’t go.” But she didn’t. She just waved as he climbed on his bus.
Her bus was then called; she shook her head in wonder at the whole experience and got up to leave. Could love at first sight be a real thing that actually happened to people? She couldn’t explain the feelings she was having or the sorrow at seeing him leave. Now he was gone and she felt like part of her went with him.
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Other Books in the Texas Ranch Romance Series:
Her Billionaire Cowboy
Her Billionaire Protector
Her Billionaire in Hiding
Her Billionaire Christmas Secret
AND The Billionaire Royals
The Heir
The Crown
The Duke
The Duke’s Brother
The Prince
The American
The Spy
The Princess
Lost Billionaire Heir: Billionaire Cowboy Sweet Romance (Texas Ranch Romance Book 8) Page 11