by Emmy Eugene
“Sit down,” Griffin hissed, pulling on Rex’s sleeve. He practically fell backward into his seat, and his face heated.
“Pay attention, baby,” his mom whispered to him, and Rex tried to focus on what was happening in front of him. The pastor spoke about nice things, about keeping the lines of communication open, of working through problems instead of letting them fester into bigger things.
Mille and Travis each read vows while the gentle spring breeze blew under the tent, and then the pastor pronounced them husband and wife. Travis grinned at his new wife, dipped her though she squealed, and kissed her.
Rex cheered and clapped the loudest, as always. He knew he had a loud voice, and he didn’t even try to quiet it. The new bride and groom went down the aisle to the applause, and everyone stood up.
It seemed like a whole lot of work for a ten-minute ceremony. At least to Rex, and he once again found himself thinking about the simplicity of his marriage. He’d known it wasn’t what Holly wanted, but with the time and money constraints they’d had, it was all Rex could give her.
Now that his bank account was considerably bigger, he wondered what kind of wedding they’d have now.
You’ve got to stop, he told himself sternly. Most days, he did just fine not thinking about Holly and the baby that wasn’t meant to be. He’d kept the secret from everyone he knew for five long years, and if he didn’t think about it, the burden was easier to carry.
But weddings—especially his brother’s—had really brought back the memories in full force. He followed his parents down the path toward the butterfly gardens at Serendipity, thinking he’d probably like an outdoor wedding now too.
That so wasn’t banishing the thoughts of marriage and weddings and Holly from his mind, but Rex couldn’t help it. He stayed quiet, his cowboy boots making the most noise as they walked through the gardens and out to the parking lot.
Jenna had a sprawling patio that was heated and cooled, and the wedding dinner would take place over there. After that, Millie and Travis had decided to forgo any type of formal dance, and instead, they’d rented a couple of hot air balloons for guests to enjoy as they celebrated with an ice cream bar for anyone who hadn’t been invited to the family dinner.
Rex hadn’t had a reception either, and his frustration with himself grew.
“See you over there,” his mother said, and Rex looked up from the ground to find Griffin helping her behind the wheel of the minivan she drove now. Daddy couldn’t drive with his leg, and most of the time, Rex thought his mother shouldn’t be driving either.
“Ready?” Griffin asked as he closed the door behind their mother.
Rex handed him the keys in response. “You drive.”
“What’s goin’ on with you?” he asked. “You’ve been real quiet during all of this.”
Rex shrugged, because he didn’t want to say what was going on with him. Maybe he should just try calling Holly again. He’d done that for the first few months after she’d left, and she hadn’t answered once. He hadn’t known if her number was the same, and he was certain it wasn’t now.
He didn’t know if she was still in the state, though he suspected she was. She’d been born and raised in the Texas Hill Country, and she’d told him once during their year-long relationship that she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
“Not even Dallas or San Antonio?” he’d asked.
“Definitely not,” she said. “I’m a country girl, Rex.”
He’d laughed, because he was a country boy too, and he sure had loved Holly Rasmussen. With effort, he pushed her out of his mind and focused on the radio station Griffin had set.
He liked country music as much as the next red-blooded cowboy, but Rex’s tastes were more on the modern side than Griffin’s. He didn’t reach over to change the station, though, something he’d done in the past. He and his brother could argue the whole way to the ranch about what to listen to.
“I’m going to apply for that camp counselorship again,” Griffin said, and Rex looked over at his brother.
“Is it that time already?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Applications are due by April fifteenth. Do you want to do it with me?”
“Maybe,” Rex said. He and Griffin had both gone to Camp Clear Creek out near Lake Marble Falls and Horseshoe Bay in the Hill Country. It was beautiful country, and Rex liked being outside. He’d had a group of six boys every two weeks for three months, and he loved boating, hiking, fishing, and hunting.
“Just fill out an application with me,” Griffin said. “You can change your mind later.”
“You don’t need to fill out an application,” Rex said. “You can just email Toni.” He swung his gaze to his brother and found Griffin’s face turning bright red. He burst out laughing, connecting all the dots in an instant.
“What?” Griffin asked, obviously not amused.
“You still have a thing for Toni.”
“I do not,” Griffin said. “First of all, the word still is all wrong. It implies I had a thing before and now I still do, which is totally not true.”
“Mm hm,” Rex said, because he knew Griffin better than anyone. And whether or not Griffin admitted that he’d had a cowboy crush on their boss last summer didn’t mean he didn’t. Because he totally did. “Well, I’m sure she’s always looking for good counselors.”
“So maybe you shouldn’t apply,” Griffin quipped, and Rex laughed again. “Besides, I heard she left Clear Creek, which is why I do need to apply.”
“All right,” Rex said. “Apply then.”
“You don’t want to?”
Rex watched the last of the town go by before Griffin started down the curvy road that led to the ranch. “You know what? I’m going to stick closer to home this summer. I’ll handle all of your chores at the ranch.”
Griffin snorted. “Right. You’ll hire someone the moment you can. You can’t even get out of bed before nine-thirty.”
“I can,” Rex said. “I just don’t like to.”
“You’re not even a real cowboy,” Griffin said with a chuckle.
“Getting up at the crack of dawn isn’t a characteristic of a cowboy,” Rex said, reaching up and settling his hat on his head. He had all the proper attire to make him a cowboy, and that was good enough for him.
Griffin eased up on the gas pedal, and Rex looked over at him. “What?”
“I don’t know where my phone is.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” Rex started lifting up the sunglasses cases in the console between them. “It’s not here.”
Griffin was notorious for losing his phone. Leaving it places. Not knowing where it was. Another round of annoyance pulled through Rex, especially when Griffin slowed and pulled over. “I know where it is. I left it in the groom’s dressing room. On the windowsill.”
“Do you need it right now?” he asked
“Yes,” Griffin said, no room for negotiation.
“We’re going to be late,” Rex said.
“Text Seth with your phone,” he said. “It’ll be fine.”
“Fine.” Rex scoffed and pulled out his phone and texted their oldest brother. He was so changing the radio station while Griffin ran back inside the fancy building at Serendipity Seeds to get his device.
Several minutes later, Griffin pulled up to the curb and dashed off without even closing the driver’s side door. Rex promptly leaned over and changed the radio station to something that played more of the country rock he liked and sighed as he settled back into his seat, reaching to put his window down so the breeze would blow through the cab of the truck.
“Come on, baby doll.” The woman’s voice stirred something in Rex, and he turned to look out his window.
A little girl had crouched down on the path, her dark hair curly and wispy as she examined something on the ground.
Rex couldn’t see her mother, but he heard her say, “Sarah, come on. We’re going to be late.”
That voice.
Rex got out
of the truck and looked further down the path to find a dark-haired woman standing there, wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with a lightning bolt on the front.
“Holly?” he asked, his voice barely meeting his own ears. But it couldn’t be Holly. Not his Holly.
She sure did look like her, though, and Rex took another step toward the little girl. “Hey,” he said, making his voice as gentle as he could. The girl, who’d ignored her mother completely, looked up at him. She was beautiful, with deep, dark eyes and the same olive skin Holly had possessed. She couldn’t be older than four or five, as her face still carried some of the roundness that chubby babies had.
“What’re you lookin’ at?” He crouched next to her, the sound of the gravel crunching as the woman came closer.
“Sarah,” she said, her voice almost a bark.
Rex straightened, and now that Holly was closer, he totally knew it was her. Number one, his wounded heart was thrashing inside his chest, screaming about how this woman held the missing bits of it.
“Holly,” he said, and it wasn’t a question this time.
Pure panic crossed her face, and she fell back a step, one hand coming up to cover her mouth. He still heard her when she said, “Rex.”
He looked back and forth between her and the little girl, beyond desperate to know what in the world was going on. But for maybe the first time in his life, he stayed quiet, giving his ex-wife the opportunity to explain.
Sneak Peek! Chapter Two of The Cowboy Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Holly Rasmussen stared at the tall, dark, deliciously handsome cowboy in front of her. Rex Johnson, the man who’d been haunting her for five long years. The man she saw every time she looked into her daughter’s eyes. The man she’d hoped to never see again.
“Well?” he prompted, and Holly blinked her way out of the trance she’d fallen into.
“How are you?” she asked, but he shook his head.
“Try again.”
She reached for Sarah’s hand, the tears coming more easily than her daughter did. Thankfully, the little girl slipped her dirty hand into Holly’s, and she glanced down at her. She’d just turned five, and if Holly’s memory was right, Rex was very good at math.
And her memory was right.
“Baby doll,” she said, her voice tight, scared. She hated that seeing him made her feel this way. He’d once made her feel loved and cherished, like nothing in the world could go wrong.
She’d showed him, though. With her, disaster always struck.
“This is Rex Johnson,” she said, and the little girl looked up at her father. “Rex.” She cleared her throat, cursing herself for agreeing to come to Chestnut Springs. She knew Rex was from this town, but she’d reasoned that she’d be here for less than a day, and surely she wouldn’t run into him.
“Holly,” her mother called, and Holly pressed her eyes closed. Wow, she didn’t want her mom to see Rex. Everything started crashing around her, every half-truth she’d told. Every lie. Every secret. Every day for the past five years.
She turned around and said, “Go tell Gramma I need a minute,” to Sarah. She gave her a quick kiss, glad when the little girl did what she’d asked.
“Gramma,” Rex said. “She’s your daughter.” He took a step closer to her, those dark-as-midnight eyes sparking and catching hers. “Is she my daughter?”
Holly couldn’t lie about this. She also couldn’t vocalize it, so she just nodded.
Rex searched her face, more and more anger entering his expression than Holly liked. She’d expected it, of course. Or had she? She’d never imagined seeing Rex again, and she honestly didn’t know what to expect next.
“You didn’t lose the baby?” he asked, his voice hoarse and cut to shreds.
“No,” she whispered.
He stepped back and blew out his breath. “You just didn’t tell me. You disappeared in the middle of the night. You hated me that much?” He shook his head, his fists clenching and unclenching. “You know what? I don’t care.” He leaned closer and closer, his fury a scent in the air. “You’re a terrible, terrible person. I can’t believe I’ve wasted six years of my life thinking about you.”
Footsteps sounded behind her, but she couldn’t move. You’re a terrible, terrible person, rang through her entire soul.
He wasn’t wrong.
She just hadn’t expected to hear him say such things. Her mother certainly had. Her grandmother. Everyone. But Holly couldn’t explain herself to them, because she didn’t understand why she’d done certain things either.
“Ready?” a man asked, and he joined Rex’s side. He definitely belonged to Rex, and Holly guessed he was one of his four brothers. She’d never met any of them, and Rex had basically given up everything to be with her.
“Who’s this?” he asked, and Rex shook his head, his jaw clenched.
“No one. Let’s go.” He turned away from her, and Holly flinched. Wow, that hurt. No one.
You started it, she thought, and she felt like she’d gone backward five years in only five minutes.
The two cowboys walked away from her, Rex’s brother casting a worried look over his shoulder as he went. Rex got in the truck, almost immediately opening the door and coming back toward her.
“Is she really mine?” he asked in a loud voice from several paces away.
“Yes,” Hollly said.
“Then I want to see her,” he said. “What’s your number?”
“I’m only in town for a wedding today,” she said.
He laughed, the sound high and cruel. “Get a hotel, then, Holly. Because if she’s my kid, I’m suing you for custody.”
“There’s no if, Rex,” she said, finally finding her voice. “You’re the only man I’ve ever been with.”
“Not comforting,” he said, holding his phone out. “I’m serious. Give me your number.”
Holly looked helplessly at the other brother, who’d come closer too. “What’s going on?”
“She’s my ex-wife,” Rex practically bellowed. “And she told me she’d lost our baby. But I just met her.” He glared at her. “I want your number, and if you leave town, I’m filing kidnapping charges.”
Tears streamed down Holly’s face, but she nodded. She recited her number, and Rex tapped it into his phone. Her device in her back pocket buzzed, and he said, “I just texted you. Text me where you’re staying, and I’ll come pick her up in the morning.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“My brother got married today,” Rex said. “So I’m going to keep everything real quiet for right now. And then I’m going to make sure I get to see my daughter whenever I want.” He took one menacing step toward her. “You stole five years from me. I gave you everything.” He broke then, and Holly’s heart wailed and wailed.
She watched him cover his emotions with that furious mask again, and he said, “If you don’t text me, I’ll call the police.”
“I’ll text you,” she said, wondering how she was going to explain having to stay in town to her mother.
He turned back to his brother, who wore a look of complete shock on his face. So Rex had kept their secret this whole time. Rex marched past the brother and got in the fancy pickup truck parked at the curb. The brother stared at her, so many questions in his eyes.
Then he turned and got behind the wheel, driving away in the next moment.
Holly watched the truck go, and then she collapsed onto the nearest bench and sobbed.
“I don’t know, Momma,” she said later that night, after the wedding. “But I’m staying for a bit. I have a place for me and Sarah.” She glanced around at the tiny studio room she’d gotten for the next week.
“Who’s going to take care of Sarah?” Momma asked. “You’re really going to get a job up there? Why?”
Holly drew in a deep breath. “I ran into Rex today.”
For maybe the first time in her life, Momma had nothing to say. When Holly had taken Rex to meet her parents and tell them she
was pregnant, her mother had had plenty to say. A born-and-raised Texan, she didn’t hold back her opinions.
“He knows about Sarah,” Holly continued.
“Dear Lord in Heaven,” her mother said, her voice breathless.
“I’m ready, Momma,” she said. “I’ve been telling you that for months.”
“I know,” Momma said. “But I thought you’d start easy. Get a job, and I’d take care of Sarah during the day.”
“Well, I’m going to get a job up here,” she said. “They have daycares and stuff here.”
“You can’t afford that,” her mother said. “Where are you even staying? You can’t afford anything in Chestnut Springs.”
Holly pressed her eyes closed against the questions. Her momma had fired them at her like this when she’d shown up five years ago, divorced and six months pregnant. She’d been living with her parents ever since, fading in and out of depressive episodes that didn’t leave her much time to learn how to be a mother.
But she’d been doing really well for a long time now. Over a year. Once her father had passed away and Holly had seen her mother start to slide, she’d pulled herself together and gotten help. She still talked to a therapist every day through an app, with weekly video appointments.
And she was ready to be the mother Sarah needed. Her mother had been resistant, because she loved playing the hero. And if Holly got back on her own feet and started taking care of herself and her daughter, Momma couldn’t give herself a medal at the end of every day.
“Momma,” she said, when she realized her mother was still talking. “I’m thirty-one years old.”
You’re a terrible, terrible person.
“I can do this,” she said. “It’s time to come clean. Tell the truth. Move on.”
“In Chestnut Springs?”
“I owe Rex a proper apology and explanation,” she said quietly, powerful guilt moving through her. “Aren’t you the one who always says that?”