by Jenn Roseton
The Cowboy's Mail Order Bride (BBW Romance - Billionaire Brothers 5)
by
Jenn Roseton
Copyright © 2015 by Jenn Roseton
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
This is a sexy contemporary romance novella.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
EPILOGUE
Other Titles by Jenn Roseton
PROLOGUE
The sun sparkled on the lake behind Cole Trask’s cabin outside Cheyenne, Wyoming.
In spite of the early May sunshine, the conversation between the four eldest brothers held a hint of frustration.
“I’m telling you, we’ve got to do something,” Cole growled. “Mitch is practically a hermit.”
“You’re not telling us something we don’t already know,” his brother Garrett reminded him. “But he’s a grown man. He can do what he likes.”
“Within reason,” Logan Trask added.
“He’s still our baby brother.” Alex Trask sighed. “How long has it been since we’ve seen him?”
The four men looked thoughtful.
“Christmas,” Garrett replied. “But before that …”
“And we had to practically drag him onto Alex’s plane.” Logan shook his head. “You’d think he’d be happy to visit Mom and Dad with us for Christmas.”
“Instead, he spent half the time writing on his laptop and the other half calling his neighbor to check on the horses.” Alex frowned.
“Something’s got to be done,” Cole commanded. “We don’t want him turning into a grumpy old man. It’s time he got married.”
“Like you did?” Alex quirked an eyebrow.
“Like we all did.” Garrett broke into a grin. “And we all know that marrying our wives was the best thing that ever happened to us.”
His three brothers nodded in agreement.
“Speaking of which,” Alex cleared his throat. “I promised Laura I’d take her out to dinner tonight. She’s been dying to try a new Italian restaurant in San Diego.” He looked at his gold Rolex. “So I need to fly back in a couple of hours.”
“I wonder what our wives are doing right now.” Garrett’s gaze flickered to Cole’s log cabin.
“Probably trying a swanky dark chocolate with pink Himalayan salt crystals and gold leaf flecks,” Cole replied knowledgeably.
His brothers stared at him.
“I pay attention when my wife talks to me.” Cole tried to look modest but failed. “Phoebe’s joined a fancy chocolate of the month club and she said she couldn’t wait to share this month’s chocolate with Maddie, Laura, and Ellie.”
“Okay.” Logan looked at his brothers. “So how is Mitch going to meet a woman? He’s holed up on his property all year. I don’t think he even goes to town for groceries.”
“If he’s not even leaving the house, maybe we should send him a mail order bride,” Cole joked.
There was silence for a moment, then all four men spoke at once.
“Hey, that’s--”
“It could work--”
“I think it would--”
Alex cut in. “That’s not a bad idea.”
They all nodded.
“But how?” Garrett rubbed his chin. “Send him a housekeeper?”
“A secretary?” Cole suggested.
Alex smiled slowly. “Landscape designer.”
“What?”
“Are you crazy? That place is overrun with horses.”
“And that’s why he needs a landscape designer.” Alex whipped out his phone, punched a few buttons and showed his brothers a website. “Laura and I have been thinking of buying a house.”
“Getting tired of your billionaire condo?” Cole asked good-naturedly.
“We’re planning ahead for the future. When we start a family,” Alex informed him. “And once we started looking at houses, Laura fell in love with one of the gardens - the house, not so much. So she found out who the landscape designer was, and we made an appointment a few days ago to discuss our future needs. Laura really wants a garden designed by Janet Andell when we buy a house. Not only is Janet talented, but her assistant and secretary, Sophie, had a lot of input into the project. Gentlemen, here may be Mitch’s mail order bride.” He scrolled down the page.
All four men stared at the small headshot of a young woman, early to mid-twenties, with a girl-next-door face, ash blonde hair, and warm smile. Sophie Matthews, said the text under the photo.
“That could work,” Logan said slowly.
“You bet it could,” Cole growled.
“I spoke to her, looked at some of her drawings, and I think she could be the perfect person for Mitch. She’s studying landscape design at night school so she should be able to manage the job. It’s a small firm.” Alex tapped the small screen. A photo of an older woman appearing to be in her early sixties with the name Janet Andell underneath the image featured alongside the potential mail order bride’s picture.
“If they’re small, will they be willing to consider a live-in job?” Logan frowned. “And how long will the job be?”
“As long as it takes for Mitch to fall in love.” Cole dug out his phone. “I can do a background check on her and make sure she’s suitable. No husbands or boyfriends.”
“And Laura seems to like her, which is good,” Alex said. His brothers looked at him. “Our wives get along, right?”
“Right,” Garrett confirmed.
Cole and Logan nodded.
“So it’s important that at least one of them like Mitch’s bride. I’ll talk to Laura tonight and sound her out. If Laura approves of her as a prospective sister-in-law, then I’ll arrange the job and cover the costs.”
“Sounds good.” Garrett speared his hand through his dark hair. “But what if Mitch doesn’t like us interfering?”
“Too bad,” Cole said gruffly. “In a few months he’ll be thanking us.”
Alex and Logan nodded agreement.
“Okay. I'm in.” Garrett glanced at the website. “Let’s hope Sophie Matthews is the right woman for the job.”
CHAPTER 1
Sophie Matthews drove along the deserted Wyoming road. She’d already checked into the cozy inn at Elk View Corner, and was now on her way to the client’s ranch. Her first client.
It seemed crazy flying all the way from San Diego to a small Wyoming airport, hiring a rental car and driving to Elk View Corner, a small town that boasted an adorable inn.
And then driving for another ninety minutes through the flat Wyoming landscape with looming mountains in the distance, to her client’s ranch. It was still light in early May, although it was almost six p.m.
Butterflies jitterbugged in her stomach. Could she pull off this job? She knew a lot depended on her completing the task to the client’s satisfaction. But what if he didn’t think she was good enough?
Almost a week ago, her boss, Janet Andell, announced that billionaire businessman Alex Trask wanted Sophie to design a garden for his brother Mitch. Janet’s eyes lit up with excitement as she explained that Alex had insisted
Sophie come to Wyoming to work on the project, offering to cover all her costs, including plane tickets, car rental, accommodation, contractor fees and daily expenses.
The fee Janet specified made Sophie’s eyes widen. It was far more than her boss’s usual quote for a complete garden design, but the small firm would be inconvenienced by being one person down, with Janet having to do all the secretarial work for the three weeks Sophie would be in Wyoming.
“This job could really help us,” Janet had said. “And there’ll be enough money to pay you a bonus.”
Sophie knew the business was struggling; although she assisted Janet on some jobs, her actual job title was secretary. She opened the mail, banked the checks, and paid the bills. She also knew the balance of the firm’s checking account. Her boss was right. This job could really help them. And her bonus would come in handy for paying the fees for her night classes.
Luckily, night school was taking a two-week break right now, and Janet had promised to give her some time off when she returned, so she could catch up on her studies.
For as long as she could remember, Sophie had wanted to have a career working outdoors. But since her parents paid for college, they’d insisted she take practical, business-based courses, instead of landscape design classes. Although she had a reasonable head for business, she yearned to feel soft, crumbly earth beneath her fingernails, breathe in the heady scent of roses or the distinctive fragrance of lavender, and spend her days relishing the feel of the sun kissing her skin and a soft breeze whispering through her hair.
Once she’d graduated from college, she’d managed to find the position as secretary with Janet. And, when her boss had realized Sophie could talk knowledgeably about soil textures, microclimates, and that she’d already started night classes in landscape design, she’d encouraged Sophie’s ambitions, taking her out on jobs and filling in the gaps in her knowledge.
Now was her big chance to show Janet and the client exactly what she’d learned in the last two and a half years.
Her estimated time of arrival at Mitch Trask’s ranch was four o’clock. But the flight had been delayed and she’d taken a wrong turn after checking in and leaving her luggage at the inn. She’d tried to call him to let him know she was running late, but she couldn’t get a signal on her phone.
She just hoped it wouldn’t be dark on her return trip to the inn.
Her mind drifted to the meeting she’d had with Alex and Laura Trask a week ago. Alex had received an urgent phone call and had excused himself toward the end of the interview. But Laura had remained.
Sophie had immediately liked the other woman who seemed to be in her late twenties with dark brown hair and a curvy figure, and had enjoyed their conversation that had started off about gardening and had ended with chocolate, men and books, after Alex had left. Sophie had suppressed a twinge of envy when she’d seen Laura’s huge and unusual lilac diamond engagement ring and her aura of happiness when she was with her husband and whenever she mentioned him.
A large wooden gate loomed before her. Sophie pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and picked up the instructions from the passenger seat. This could be it. She squinted at the number on the gate. Yes, 5637. Taking a deep breath, she drove through the open gate and along a rutted driveway. Towering pines shadowed each side of the narrow gravel road. Sophie slowed to a crawl, unfamiliar with driving on such a rough surface.
She drove for almost two miles before she saw anything besides trees and shrubs, and breathed out a whoosh of relief when a wooden A-frame house came into view. Made out of what appeared to be pine, it blended into the rural setting. What looked like a tiny cottage made from the same kind of wood stood several feet away, along with a matching garage.
Scrubby grass dominated the front garden - or what Sophie assumed was the garden. The whole area looked wild and overgrown. And what about the rest of the ranch? Possibilities flickered through her mind. The area was a blank canvas, just waiting for her to put her own stamp on it.
Her heart skipped a beat, excitement about what she could achieve tingling through her. She could do this.
Turning off the ignition, Sophie trod through the grass to the front door. There was no gate, no fencing, not even a path made out of cement or stepping stones to reach the porch. Not exactly what she’d expected for the brother of a billionaire. She raised a hand to knock on the front door. No doorbell or knocker either, she noted.
Silence. The only sound she heard was a bird’s trill in the nearby trees. Just as she was about to try knocking again, the door swung inward. She looked up. A tall, muscular man wearing a navy T-shirt and faded blue jeans stood in front of her. Short dark brown hair, grumpy brown eyes, and a ferocious scowl on his face greeted her.
“Yes?” he bit out.
“I’m … Sophie Matthews. Your landscape designer?” She inwardly winced at the upward inflection on the word “designer”. But she couldn’t help feeling nervous. And the way the guy looked at her, like she was responsible for ruining Christmas … even though the festive season was seven months away.
He shook his head. “You’ve got the wrong address.” He started to close the door.
“Wait! Is this Mitch Trask’s house?”
The door stopped moving.
“Yeah. I’m Mitch.” He stared at her suspiciously.
“I’ve been hired to design your garden.” She pulled out the printed email from her purse and handed it to him.
He scanned the piece of paper. “I didn’t order this. There’s some mistake.” He held it out to her, clearly expecting her to take it back.
She shook her head. “Alex Trask hired me - us - our firm. To completely redesign your garden.” Sophie gestured to the wilderness behind her.
He raised an eyebrow. “As you can see, I don’t have a garden. It’s fine the way it is.”
“But,” she drew in a deep breath. He hadn’t seemed to hear her when she’d mentioned his billionaire brother. “Your brother hired us - me - to work on your garden. And he’s already paid for it.”
That had been another reason why her boss had been so keen to take this job. Alex Trask had paid upfront, including her estimated daily expenses, and had told her to bill him for any expenses outstanding once the job was completed. Having that money in the firm’s checking account now, instead of having to wait weeks or even a couple of months after the job was finished to get paid, had been too tempting for her boss to resist.
“Did you say my brother?” His eyes narrowed. He finally seemed to have listened to her. Snatching the piece of paper from her, he skimmed it once more.
“Yes.” She nodded.
“Why would he do that?”
“He said he wanted to surprise you.”
“You spoke to him yourself?” He looked skeptical.
“Yes. And his wife Laura. Then Alex hired our firm.”
“And they sent you.” He cast her an appraising look.
“Yes.” She tried to look confident, hoping he couldn’t read her innermost thoughts. Could she pull off this job? Could she keep this strange fluttering feeling in her stomach at bay? It seemed to happen when he spoke or looked at her. And was it possible that he wasn’t grumpy all the time?
“You can tell my brother I don’t want it. Tell him to redesign his own garden.”
Rain suddenly pelted down, the hard, clattering sound making her jump. When she’d arrived a few minutes ago, it hadn’t seemed overcast at all. Now it looked like the rain would never stop.
He looked at her and sighed. “You better come in.”
She followed him down a dark hallway until she entered a pine-clad kitchen.
“Take a seat.” He gestured to an old, scratched pine table surrounded by four equally old matching chairs.
Sophie gingerly sat down, surprised at how comfortable the chair actually was. Trying to hide her nerves by glancing around the kitchen, she wondered if it was possible to suffer from pine overload. The interior walls and kitchen cupboards all s
eemed to be made of that particular wood.
Looking down at the floor, she noticed with a sigh of relief that the wooden floorboards were a darker brown hue.
Adjoining the kitchen was a study nook. Screensaver images rolled and somersaulted on a computer screen, and the large wooden desk was littered with papers. The only other pieces of furniture were an ergonomic chair and a huge bookcase, cluttered with books.
Natural light shone through the large windows in the kitchen and study areas. Although the light was gloomy right now, Sophie couldn’t help imagining how bright the two rooms would be when the sun was shining. Definitely better than the dim hallway she’d passed through.
“Look, Miss …?” Mitch Trask finally spoke.
“Sophie Matthews.” She tried to project confidence in her voice. Would he be able to tell this was her first job?
“Miss Matthews. I’m not interested in your services. I’m happy with the garden the way it is.” He folded his arms across his chest, standing on the other side of the table.
“But it has so much potential!” She waved a hand in the direction of the front of the house. “Just tell me what you want and I’ll do it. It’s such a big job and …” she trailed off, hoping he hadn’t misconstrued her words, and cursing the blush heating her cheeks.
He looked so tough, so capable. The soft cotton of his T-shirt revealed the outline of his muscular chest, while his worn jeans molded themselves to his sturdy thighs. Even though she spent time outdoors with her boss and met men who spent most of their working life outdoors, none had appealed to her like this man did. And she’d only just met him. He didn’t even seem to want her - or her firm’s - services.
Perhaps it was her curves. Maybe he didn’t think she could do a good job because of her figure. Although she helped Janet with some of the jobs, especially when a landscape contractor let them down and her boss was on a tight schedule, the physical activity didn’t seem to do a thing for her shape. She might be able to use a wheelbarrow, dig into the earth and plant bulbs or shrubs, but she hadn’t lost any weight at all. Her breasts were still generous, her hips wider than she liked, and her tummy was still rounded.