Her Billionaire Cowboy's Fake Marriage

by Hope Moore

  “Hello, Mama,” Allie said, softly, taking her hand ever so carefully in hers. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone all week. You look good, though. And I brought my husband, Wade, to see you. We’re going to try to move you closer to us so I can come see you more. Isn’t that great?”

  Her voice trembled and he slipped his hand onto Allie’s shoulder and squeezed gently. Leaning forward, he spoke softly. “If you’re okay, then I’m going to let you sit here and just visit and I’ll go get started on seeing what we can do.”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  He passed Ginny in the hallway.

  She paused to look at him. “I have to give you credit. You’re not as dumb as I took you for. This is a good thing. They don’t know if Mrs. Jordan is going to pull out of this. If something happens to her while Allie is at your place, it will kill Allie that she’s not here close and hadn’t seen her mother. I mean, you might be distracting her with your ranch and all that, but there is a part of her that needs to be there for her mother. I applaud you that you’ve realized that.” She tipped her lime-green hat at him and then strode down the hall and into the room with Allie.

  Wade hadn’t even had time to say anything. He was just thankful that he had overcome his dumbness and hopefully got this fixed because everything Ginny said was true.

  By the time they arrived home that night, it was late. Allie was exhausted, amazed, and thankful. Her mother was still holding her own, with no changes though. However, the doctors had given the okay for her to be moved to a rehab facility that was little over an hour away from her. It came highly recommended and she would get excellent care there and Allie could go every day to see her if she wanted. Wade had made it all possible and she was being transported the following week when the room would be ready for her. He had assured her if her mother hadn’t come out of her coma by the end of their three-month contract, he would have her transported back to Tyler or wherever Allie wanted to take her.

  She was still confused by that but the main thing was she would have her mother close again. Ginny, to Allie’s shock, had said Wade had done good. And that was high praise coming from a sharp-tongued Texas gal.

  When they finally walked inside the house and walked down the hall to their rooms, Wade paused at her doorway. “You look weary. I hope you get some sleep and that this helps ease more stress off your shoulders.”

  She looked at him. “Thank you. It does. But, Wade, you know you won’t always be able to keep the stress off my shoulders. Besides, I’m tougher than I look and tougher than I get credit for.”

  He smiled. “I know that. I happen to think you’re one of the strongest people I know. You’re quiet about it but you’ve got grit, and that was evident from the first moment I met you.”

  “Really?”

  He cupped her chin. “Really.” And then he kissed the tip of her nose. “Now go get your sleep.”

  Allie slipped into her room but didn’t go directly to sleep. Instead, after showering and slipping on a pair of sleeping shorts with matching shirt, she curled into the thick plush chair near the large window of her room and stared up at the huge moon and let the emotions she’d been struggling to control release. She had known Wade McCoy for such a short time, and yet, her heart was already in danger.

  She would never be able to repay him for what he’d done for her. And it felt odd being in a relationship so lopsided. But, she reminded herself, she wasn’t really in a relationship. She was in a business transaction and he had told her he would do whatever was needed for her mother because she’d married him. And he’d done that.

  It might not have been personal. But it had felt personal.

  So what was she supposed to do?

  Wade hadn’t slept well. He’d had his wife on his mind. His wife who was sleeping in the room across the hallway. He told himself thinking of her as his wife was walking in dangerous territory. But yesterday she had felt like his wife. It had felt good to do something for her that was meaningful. He hadn’t really ever felt that before. Not like that.

  He walked into the kitchen earlier than usual because he couldn’t take lying there any longer. He stopped short when he found Allie at the stove with her back to him as she fried bacon in a skillet and hummed softly as she worked. The table was set and there was even a small vase holding a couple of roses from the bushes outside by the patio. His heart stumbled and a feeling of contentment stole over him. It was so strong that he had to force himself to swallow the lump in his throat. He had the almost overwhelming need to walk up behind her, press a kiss to her neck and put his arms around her and whisper good morning in her ear. In his vision, she spun in his arms, and planted a kiss on his lips then murmured good morning to him.

  He must have made some kind of noise or she just sensed him because she turned and smiled. “Good morning. I thought I’d show you my skills while I could and try to show my gratitude for yesterday.”

  Move. He stepped into the room and walked toward the coffeepot. “It smells amazing. I didn’t even think anything about it until I walked in and spotted you. Nelda is always here frying bacon, so my brain…anyway, you look good—I mean, at home in the kitchen.” Did women take it as an insult if you told them they looked good in the kitchen? He didn’t want to insult her but she did. And she looked as if she liked being there. He filled the mug of coffee to give his hands something to do because they were itching to wrap themselves around her waist or to take her hand and tug her close. He took a sip of coffee and studied her over the brim. “You don’t owe me anything. Like I said, it was part of the deal. And, I should have done it sooner.”

  She breathed deeply then smiled. “I won’t keep harping on it then.” She turned back to the stove and began moving the bacon to a plate covered with napkins. Then she stepped over to the oven and pulled the door open. After grabbing a mitten from the counter, she pulled a tray of biscuits from the oven and something else…cinnamon rolls. He’d smelled cinnamon lightly but once she’d opened the oven door, the scent filled the room and his stomach growled.

  “I wasn’t sure if you like cinnamon rolls, so I made biscuits too.”

  “You are showing off. I love both.”

  She smiled. “Wonderful. Ginny’s grandmother taught both of us how to make these and I can’t take credit for what you are about to experience. They are amazing.”

  He grinned. “You baked them.”

  “Yes, I did. But it’s the technique and the ingredients that make them. Both I got from Mimi—that’s Ginny’s grandmother’s name—and if the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, you are about to fall in love with her.”

  He wasn’t sure about her logic but a few moments later, when he bit into that cinnamon roll, he knew it was true: if the stomach was the way to his heart, he could definitely fall in love. But it wouldn’t be with Mimi. It would be with the one who’d taken the time to bake them just for him.

  “What’d I tell you?” She beamed at him from her chair then took a bite of one herself. “Mmm, that is so good.”

  He took another bite and felt as though his mouth had gone to heaven. “You should open a bakery.”

  She laughed. “Not with the hours they keep. No, thank you. I just plan to amaze my kids and husband one day…I mean, my real husband. The one I’m going to have kids with one day.”

  He stopped eating. “Right.” He lost his appetite. “They’ll be lucky to have you. Doing that,” he managed.

  She smiled. “Thanks.” She set the last of her cinnamon roll down and looked down, as if thinking.

  “Allie, do you mind if I ask why you were working at the truck stop? I mean, nothing wrong with it but I’m just wondering.” She could have been baking, if nothing else. Even though she didn’t act as though that was something she’d wanted to do.

  She looked hesitant. “Well, it was a job that worked for me while I was spending so much time at the hospital with Mama. And I’d waitressed there part-time when I was in college. After my florist shop I owned
burned down.”

  “You owned a florist shop and it burned down?”

  “Yes, not too long before my parents’ wreck.”

  “It all hit about the same time.” He looked at her curiously. “Why didn’t you build your business back?”

  “Because I didn’t have the money to build back. Anyway, that was the past. I guess I better go feed my babies. Are you going out in the field today?”

  “I am. Do you want to come?” She had avoided answering all of his questions. What had happened? Because something told him there was more to the story.

  Her head came up. “Yes. That would be great. I promise not to get in the way.”

  He liked seeing her excitement. “You won’t be. We’ll go on the four-wheeler, if you don’t mind riding with me.”

  “No, I don’t. But why not the horse?”

  “Because they’re moving the horses out of a ravine and it just works better for me for this job. Plus, I don’t want you on a horse by yourself in that area. I’d rather have you with me.” He held her gaze. He didn’t want her on a horse because he wanted her on the four-wheeler holding on to him. He had a problem and it was that he wanted to feel her arms around him. And if this was the only way, then so be it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The night of the party, Allie stood in front of the mirror and studied herself. It was a little more daring than what she normally would have bought but Caroline had really urged her to buy it. And in reality, she really loved the dress. The neck dipped down just a little bit farther than what she would normally wear but it wasn’t indecent. It just had the most beautiful skirt that swirled around her ankles, and they had bought a beautiful pair of shoes to go with it, the heels a little bit higher than she normally wore. And Caroline was going to come over and help her do her hair.

  She had been shocked to know that Caroline, as much of a cowgirl as she was, said she was really good with hair. Allie was so nervous that she would take any help she could get and it was nice knowing that Caroline was in her corner. She stared at the dress that she was holding on its hanger in front of her and wondered what Wade would think of the dress. She’d been thinking about that a lot. She’d been thinking about him all the time. They’d had a wonderful week, but it had been filled with tension. She thought he was feeling emotions toward her and she knew she was feeling things for him that were going to make it so hard to leave when he let her go.

  Would he let her go?

  He’d said he would and nothing she’d said this week had had him saying otherwise. They had officially made it a month and still had two to go. She could only hope that during that time he might fall for her like she had fallen for him.

  She heard the doorbell and she laid the dress on the bed and hurried downstairs to let Caroline in. She was in Wade’s bedroom with the dress, having to go through the charade even with Caroline that they were actually married. She felt bad about the lie but it really wasn’t anyone’s business, so she didn’t feel terrible.

  She swung the door open and Caroline stood there with her hand on her hip, grinning at her. Caroline wore a beautiful silver dress that she had bought that had no swirling skirt; it was just straight and came right below her mid-calf. She wore a pair of glittery heels with it that made her look like a million bucks. Allie couldn’t help but be a little bit startled; she had seen her in the dress when they were shopping but now Caroline had pulled her hair up in a very careless but cascading look and she had applied her makeup beautifully. She was stunning.

  “Come in. You look gorgeous. I’m so nervous, I can’t hardly stand it. Wade’s not here yet. He’s running late, but he said it wouldn’t take him long to get dressed. They had some kind of emergency and needed him somewhere—in the south pasture or something like that. They’ve been moving a lot of cattle lately.”

  “There’s always something. So just get used to it. But if he says he’ll be here, he’ll be here. That’s one thing about Wade—he usually always does what he said he was going to. I’ve never known him to really deviate from that. He’s very reliable.”

  As they headed up the stairs, Allie’s mind stuck on Wade. She was falling for him and tonight they were going to pretend they were really married for the benefit of all the people at the reception. She was the one who had wanted this and now she wasn’t sure she could handle it. He was going to hold her in his arms and dance with her. She thought of the day that she’d ridden the four-wheeler with him to herd cattle. She’d had to hold on to him pretty much the entire time and by the end of the day she had barely been able to not throw herself at him and beg him to kiss her. Because she couldn’t trust herself, she’d run to her room as quickly as possible, saying she was worn out. And she had been—worn out from wanting him to kiss her.

  How was she going to hide her feelings tonight?

  “Okay, girlie. Sit down here.” Caroline patted the chair in front of the bathroom mirror.

  Allie sat down and looked at Caroline in the mirror. “What are you going to do to it? I’ve never actually worn my hair up before. I mean, I’ve pulled it up in a ponytail but like dressy—I’ve never done that. Yours is beautiful but I think that’s a little too much for me, don’t you think?”

  Caroline gave her the are-you-kidding-me look in the mirror. She picked up the curling iron that Allie had heated up. “You just let me do this hair. Actually, I don’t know what I’m going to do until I get started. But we’re going to do some long curls and put a little bit of it up at least. That will make you look all sexy and everything. This is, after all, a wedding reception party—you want an updo, just like you would have done if you were getting married. I can tell you that if Wade’s granddaddy was still alive, he would have thrown you a party. A huge party. Penny is trying her best to do it up like he would have. But it will be hard to do.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yeah. This ranch has seen some monstrous parties. Great Uncle J.D. loved a good party and through the years, they got bigger. But when we were younger and they were simpler, he would string lights across the decks and they’d clean out one of the stables and have huge dances when me and the boys were growing up. And I can tell you, Wade knows how to dance. So do his brothers. Morgan is a really good dancer but Wade and Todd can burn it up too. Wade, he’s a good two-stepper. You’ll have fun. And he can waltz, too. Have you already danced with him?”

  Allie’s stomach felt a little wobbly and the butterflies were nose-diving in her chest just thinking about dancing with him. She felt a little hot all over. “No, I haven’t and I’m not a very good dancer.”

  Caroline smiled. “He’ll teach you. You just let him do the leading and you’ll be fine.”

  She watched Caroline as she finished curling the different strands of hair in big looping curls that, when she let them go, hung down Allie’s back in soft, gentle waves. It made her eyes look even bigger but the end result she liked, even though she was a little bit uncomfortable.

  “Ta-da,” Caroline sang. “We’re done. You look amazing. Wade is going to be one happy fella.”

  Allie stared at herself and her hand touched the exposed section of her neck. “I do look a little different, don’t I?”

  “You look beautiful. Like Cinderella looking for her fella.” Caroline slapped a hand to her hip. “Something tells me you don’t believe that.”

  “I never have had much confidence. But you—you made me beautiful.”

  “No, I enhanced what the good Lord gave you. Everyone can enhance.”

  Allie sighed. “I’m really nervous.”

  “Nothing wrong with nerves. Just don’t give in to them. Now go put that dress on.”

  She went to the next room, slipped into the dress and then put the shoes on. Caroline had done such an amazing job with her hair so she put a layer of base on, not needing much because being in the sun had given her skin a golden glow. She put a little extra blush on, then mascara, and finished with a little lip gloss. And then she stared at herself. She felt a
little bit like a fairy-tale princess. She told herself that was a silly way to feel. But she could not get rid of the feeling that Wade was like a fairy-tale prince to her. She’d been in such a situation and he had waltzed into that truck stop and changed her life. At least for now.

  Wade was running late. He had brought the truck to a screeching halt and practically dove out of the truck and hit the gravel jogging. His boots pounded on the gravel; then the grass and in seconds he was on the patio. He had the back door open within thirty seconds of pulling to a halt by the house. This was supposed to be their wedding reception dance party—or whatever the heck they called it—and he was running late. She hadn’t said anything but he thought Allie was really looking forward to tonight. He was and he wasn’t. He would get to hold her, using dancing as an excuse. He wasn’t too late yet but if he didn’t get changed and showered quick, he would be. He stripped off his shirt in the washroom, yanked his work boots off and left them in the hallway. As he practically jogged through the living area of the house in his socked feet, he wondered where Allie was. He knew Caroline was coming to do her hair, so he assumed she was probably already dressed as he jogged up the staircase.

  He called out to her, “Allie, I’m home. Where are you?” He did a tap on the guest door and pushed it open. “Allie, are you in here?” No answer. Maybe she was outside on the back porch or maybe she had gone with Caroline. Surely not. Maybe she was in his room. He opened the door and stopped short. “Allie,” he said, stunned.

  Allie stood in the center of his room, looking like a vision straight out of one of those magazines. She had her back to him as he walked in and as she spun toward him, the skirt swirled about her legs, emphasizing her small waist and her gracefulness. Her big eyes met his and took his breath away. He had startled her and she’d gasped and her hand went to her heart. He smiled. His stomach felt as if he had a flock of birds going crazy in it. “You look beautiful.” He pretty much gasped himself. He was not doing well when it came to words.