Billion Dollar Cowboy

by Carolyn Brown

  “See that woman in the red dress with the cheesy arms?”

  Laura tilted her head enough to call it a nod.

  “Now look at the hunky bodybuilder next to her.”

  “Her son?” Laura asked.

  Tootsie whispered, “Son, my ass! That’s her fifth husband. They get younger every time and she puts on more and more makeup. I swear the next one will come straight out of high school and she’ll put on her makeup with a putty knife.”

  Laura checked the couple out again and sure enough the man had his arm thrown around the lady in a possessive husbandly fashion.

  “What about the one in the gold dress with all that sparkly jewelry?” she asked.

  “Oh, that’s fake, honey. He probably hired her from one of the local hooker unions, but he’s finally woke up and got some smarts about him. Last two wives almost cost him his ranch and his oil wells.”

  By the time dinner was finished and the band started playing, Laura had forgotten all about how uncomfortable she’d been when she first arrived. When Colton stood up and asked her to dance, she put her hand in his and looked back at Tootsie.

  The old girl shook her finger at Laura. “Don’t you dare sell a single piece of your body without calling me first. I’m richer than any of those other three.”

  The lead singer in the country-western band strummed a guitar and started a Blake Shelton tune, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking?” Laura stepped into Colton’s open arms and when the second verse started the crowd parted. When she realized she and Colton were the only ones on the floor, she felt like she did at the church potluck when the preacher told her and Colton to head up the buffet line.

  It was all even more surreal when Colton looked right into her eyes and sang along with the singer. The words said that he had not tasted all her cooking and he wondered who she was when he wasn’t looking. She could answer that easily enough by simply saying that what he saw was what he got. Yes, she did break things when she got mad and she would eat a whole box of chocolates when she was sad, just like the lyrics of the song. He must have known women a whole lot better than most men because he asked if she left a path when she undressed and if she sunk to her nose in a bubble bath.

  The song ended and the crowd all clapped. The singer went right into a George Strait song and Colton kept his arms around Laura.

  “Who are you, Laura, when I’m not around?”

  “I am who I am and I do leave a path of clothes when I undress just like he says in the song,” she whispered.

  “I haven’t seen you break anything when you are mad,” he said.

  “You haven’t seen me mad. And I really do all the things that he sang about except callin’ my momma when all things fail. That’s when I call my sister, Janet, or my best friend, Brenda.”

  “Why?” Colton asked.

  “Because as unstable as she is, Janet is all I’ve got. I’ve been getting her out of trouble since we were kids and she’s been my responsibility that long. And Brenda is the only friend I had in high school. She lives in California now and has three kids, but we try to call on birthdays and holidays and play catch-up.”

  ***

  Colton had a million questions and he scarcely knew where to start or how fast to go. He drew her close enough to his chest that he could hear her heart pounding. No wonder she and Roxie hit it off so well. They were cut from the same bolt of denim.

  Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to find a grinning cowboy who asked if he could cut in.

  “I’ve always been a big admirer of Marilyn’s and my friend is going to take a picture of me dancing with her for my website,” he said.

  “What kind of donation did you make?” Colton asked.

  The cowboy’s grin got bigger. “For two dances, I bet my donation will have another zero on it.”

  “Colton Nelson! I’m not for sale!” Laura said.

  “Of course not, darlin’.” Colton stepped back. “I wouldn’t dream of selling you. I’m too selfish.”

  He joined Tootsie and Bunny at the table and watched the cowboy dance with Laura from a distance. He was smooth on his feet and she kept up with every step.

  “You are an idiot,” Tootsie told him.

  “A damned fool,” Bunny said.

  “Why are you two ganging up on me?”

  “We didn’t get her all dolled up for nobody but you. Everybody has seen her. She’s danced with you. Now take her up to y’all’s room. Do we have to spell it out for you?” Bunny asked.

  “And put a ring on that girl’s finger before the next meeting,” Tootsie whispered.

  “Whoa! I’m just now getting used to a girlfriend,” he countered.

  “Women like her don’t come along every day, boy. She’s one of those that heads the list of, ‘What money can’t buy.’ She’s the type that don’t care if all you got is two dimes to rub together in your pocket or if you got enough money to buy the whole state of Texas,” Tootsie said.

  “Tootsie, you are so right,” Colton said. “I think I will go find something more interesting to do than dancing.”

  All of Bunny’s chins wiggled when she nodded. “She’s a keeper, son. We’ll expect you to bring her back to play with us next year and it really would be good if she came with diamonds on the right finger. We really did like her and we can’t wait for Blanche and Dottie to meet her.”

  He waved at the ladies and reclaimed Laura just as the second song ended.

  They two-stepped to an old Conway Twitty tune and he moved closer to the door with every drumbeat. “You ready to get out of here or do you want to stay and dance some more?”

  “You mean we don’t have to stay until the last dog is dead?” she asked.

  “I’ve done my duty, written my check, and I can go anytime,” he answered.

  ***

  Laura looked around at the ballroom one more time, memorizing all the details to tell Janet and Roxie about later. She might never get to be Cinderella again. It wasn’t midnight and she could stay, but she’d already captured the prince—at least for that night. Her cowboy boots weren’t made of glass and she didn’t intend to lose one of them on her way out of the ballroom. The cowboy that all the women kept staring at was leaving with her. It just flat-out didn’t get any better than that. For the first time in her life, she was walking on clouds.

  “Well?” he asked.

  “I’m ready anytime you are,” she said.

  The twin chandeliers were sparkling crystal. The tables were covered in white and the centerpieces were red roses. The floor was hardwood, and Western artwork covered the walls. Yes, she could tell Janet the details, but she could never explain the feeling in her heart or what that whole day had meant to her.

  Colton’s hand was warm on the small of her back, downright hot by the time they reached the elevator. He guided her inside and used the key card in his jacket pocket to take them to the penthouse. Then he looped an arm around Laura’s waist and bent her backwards for a Hollywood kiss that came close to frying her boots right there in front of the mirrored elevator walls.

  “I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he said.

  He raised her up and she snaked both arms up around his neck and kissed him passionately. “And I’ve wanted to do that all night.”

  The doors opened and he walked her backwards into his bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind them—fancy dress, jacket, shirt, boots, pants, underpants all in a line from elevator door to the edge of the bed where the last item was her boots.

  “You are as exquisite without clothes as with them,” he said just before he tumbled her back on the bed.

  “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  “Never said it before in my life. Is it a good line?”

  She kissed him and nipped his lower lip. “It’s a good line.”

  S
omething in her mind reminded her that tomorrow morning she was going to wake up and throw a pillow over her head again, that two times in his bed would be asking for even more trouble and heartache. But right then, she was the rebellious child who didn’t listen to common sense when it spoke. She wanted what she wanted, and that was Colton.

  He returned the favor and they quickly went from teasing kisses to searching ones and then to the hot, steamy kind that left them breathless. Her hands caressed his muscles and moved lower. His teased her body into an arch that begged for more without her having to say a word.

  “Just looking at you all evening made me hot,” he whispered.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “I thought my zipper was going to bust when you reached over and laid a hand on my thigh during dinner,” he said.

  “It was payback.”

  “What did I do?”

  “You put your arm around my naked shoulders and made circles on my upper arm with your thumb.”

  He even had a deep, sexy drawl when he chuckled. “That made you hot, did it?”

  “Let’s just say I missed a juicy bit of gossip that Tootsie was telling me because my whole body was humming.”

  He grinned and her heart did a couple of flips.

  His hands moved slowly from neck to knees. “Is it humming now?”

  She grabbed a handful of hair and brought his lips to hers. When the kiss ended she said, “It’s singing at the top of its lungs.”

  She’d never flirted like that before. Talking during sex had never happened before. Looking back, she wasn’t sure she’d even known what a real climax was until the night before.

  With a wiggle she freed herself from him, pushed him back on the bed, and straddled his body. “My turn, cowboy.”

  It only took a shift and another wiggle and he was planted firmly inside her and she started the slow ride. When he could stand no more, he groaned and circled her waist with his big hands.

  “Laura, darlin’, this isn’t going to be a two-hour movie.” He flipped her over on her back and took control, bringing them both to the top of the game in just a few strokes.

  She buried her face in his shoulder. “It was better than a movie. It got right to the point and now I can’t breathe.”

  He propped up on his elbows. “Is this afterglow?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve never had afterglow, but it’s sure wonderful.”

  They snuggled together under the covers, taking up only a small portion of the king-sized bed. Laura intended to rest her eyes for a minute and then go over to her own room. It wasn’t healthy to spend two nights in his bed. One was excusable since they were both tired and had had a few drinks. Two and she’d be thinking that was where she belonged. Just a few seconds to enjoy the pretty warm feeling surrounding them like a furry blanket in a snowstorm and then she’d sneak out of his bed and go to hers. His soft breathing said he was already asleep.

  She cuddled up next to him and fell fast asleep. They both slept that deep sleep reserved for those lucky folks who have just had mind-blowing sex.

  Chapter 12

  She awoke the next morning angling for a fight. If they had a rousing good argument it would put a screeching stop to her feelings. Happiness didn’t last forever and it was smart to clip it in the bud before it faded like yesterday’s lilies.

  Breakfast was awkward. Packing to leave was hurried. The ride down the elevator was quiet as she tried to make sense out of all the mixed emotions rattling around inside her body and mind.

  The trip from penthouse to lobby was over in a flash, but when the doors opened, Melanie, Bunny, Tootsie, and Karen were there, arguing as usual. Colton let go of her hand and brushed a kiss across her lips. The magical weekend was over. When she had awakened that morning, her robe waited on the end of the bed and Colton was singing in the shower.

  “Good morning. Glad y’all got here before we left so we could say good-bye,” Karen said.

  “I’ll get the valet to bring the truck around. You’ve got a few minutes to talk to the ladies,” he said.

  She smiled at the ladies. “I figured y’all would be gone. We were running so late.”

  Tootsie smiled. “I remember back when we used to be late on the day after the dance. Enjoy it, darlin’. You’ll get old soon enough and all you’ll want to do after a meal and a couple of dances is put on a comfortable gown and go to sleep.”

  Karen hugged her and tucked a business card into her shirt pocket. “Our dear husbands have to get our vehicles brought around and the luggage loaded. If you are back in Dallas before the next board meeting, call one of us and we’ll do lunch, or better yet, a day of beauty.”

  “You were the talk of the party last night,” Bunny said.

  “Really?” Laura said.

  “Good talk. Everyone says Colton did well when he found you.”

  “I hope they are right. We have a big barn party going on next Saturday. It’s going to last all day. If y’all are free, please come up to Ambrose and join us,” Laura said.

  “I just might do that,” Tootsie said.

  Laura hugged her. “Call me if you want to come the night before and you can stay at the ranch. Got to go; there’s our truck.”

  Sunday morning traffic was sparse. At eleven o’clock folks were either sleeping off the effects of Saturday night parties or else sitting in church. Either way, they weren’t on the road that morning.

  Lightning streaked through the sky and thunder rumbled. Rain, so hard that it obliterated the skyline, was the last view that Laura had of the hotel.

  “Weekend used to last forever. This time it was too short,” Colton said.

  “We had a good time, didn’t we?”

  He reached across the seat and laid a hand on her knee. “We had a wonderful time, Laura. Thank you for going with me and for everything.”

  Was she supposed to tell him that he was welcome? Was that what pretend girlfriends that got too involved in the make-believe world did? She looked out the side window at the hard rain and didn’t say anything.

  The lyrics from Brad Paisley’s song a few years back came to her mind. It said that hard rain don’t last. The man was a prophet for sure because by the time they’d made it up the highway to McKinney, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and she could actually see the white lines on the highway. A few miles farther and there was barely a drop to the acre, but water still stood in puddles and the ditches along the road were flowing.

  “I hope we got some of this,” Colton said.

  “All the hay baled?”

  It was time to forget the hot sex and go back to ranching, evidently.

  “Rusty was finishing up with it yesterday morning. A good rain will be real good on the next crop that just went into the ground. And your flower gardens,” he reminded her.

  The weekend had been a figment of her imagination. It hadn’t really happened or they wouldn’t be talking about hay, rain, and flower beds. Did Cinderella feel like this after the ball when she went back to scrubbing floors and living in the attic?

  Laura blinked several times to keep tears from rolling down her cheeks. She’d felt beautiful but now it was time to go home to the ranch and go back to work. She’d go to her apartment at the end of the day and he’d go upstairs to his bedroom. They’d hold hands and even brush light kisses across cheeks and foreheads, but the fire was gone now, leaving nothing but cold, gray ashes in its place.

  She noticed the Ross store where she’d bought her inexpensive little red dress. She should have worn it instead of letting Melanie talk her into charging the white dress to the hotel room. She would definitely make Andy take the price of it from her final paycheck. She didn’t intend to owe anyone for anything when she left. She loved that dress, loved how it made her feel when she wore it, and in the future she’d take it out of the zippered bag and remember the most beautif
ul weekend of her life.

  One tear escaped but she quickly brushed it away.

  Colton’s phone rang and he hit the speaker button. “We’re about ten minutes from the ranch,” he answered.

  “You didn’t stop and eat, did you?” Maudie asked.

  “No, we didn’t.”

  “Then I’ll set the table for y’all too. Chester made chocolate cake before he left yesterday. I can’t wait for you to get here and tell me all about the weekend.”

  “We’re on the way. Bye, now.” Colton touched the phone and the truck cab was quiet again.

  All about the weekend?

  She could tell them about the hotel, the dinner, the spa, and even the ladies, but never about what was tucked away inside her heart. It was impossible.

  ***

  Colton had spent two days in another world. It had gone by like a flash of lightning zipping through the sky, but now that he was back on the Circle 6 it seemed like he’d been gone a month.

  He hiked a leg on the rail fence and looked out over a pasture full of Angus cattle. The air was fresh from the recent rain, but the warm sun had brought on humidity. Even with the sticky weather, Colton was glad to be home and even happier that those events were only a couple of times a year.

  Rusty propped his elbows on the fence beside Colton. “So did she do all right in the big city?”

  “She did fine.” Colton removed his cell phone from his shirt pocket, touched the screen, and brought up a picture. “See?”

  “Who is that? Did y’all have movie star look-alikes this year?” Rusty asked.

  “Look closer.”

  “That’s a Marilyn look-alike but I don’t recognize the cowboy. Is he supposed to be Josh Turner?” Rusty asked.

  “We didn’t have a movie star thing. The guy is some multibillionaire who paid out the ass for a couple of dances with the lady.”