by Hope Moore
No, she told her mother but that was the only person she would ever tell. She didn’t even plan to tell Ginny. This was too personal for anyone else to know.
When they walked in the door of the hotel, Wade checked them in. It was obvious the receptionist knew who Wade was and she handed him a large business envelope.
“This came for you, sir.”
“Thank you,” he said, a look of relief on his face.
He turned back to her and, placing his hand at the base of her spine, he let her go ahead of him. Allie wondered what was in the envelope. When they reached the top floor, they were in a large suite with a king-size bed and a couch with a pullout that Wade quickly pointed out he could use. She didn’t want him to use it but she didn’t say so.
Wade laid the big tan envelope on the long desk that protruded from the wall, breaking the large room into two sections. “Allie, I wanted to talk to you and I didn’t want to do it here in this hotel room but this is something that needs to be talked about in private and I don’t want to wait.”
Allie didn’t know what was going on. He had such an earnest look on his face. “This is fine. What’s wrong? You’re worrying me.”
He gave her a reassuring smile. “I don’t want to worry you. But, come here.”
She took two steps to him and he took her hands and led her to the blue couch. They sat down, angled toward each other with their knees touching and he continued to hold her hands.
“Allie, I have been torn up these last few weeks. You see, I have a problem. I needed a woman, any woman, to sign a business contract with me and marry me. It seemed so cut-and-dried: she’d get what she wanted and I’d get what I wanted—my dream and the most important thing in the world to me—at the end of three months. At which time the contract would end with a divorce and both our freedoms.”
She inhaled, fighting emotions at how non-personal it all seemed.
“Complicated but simple also—if no emotions got involved. And I never dreamed I’d have emotions to deal with. But, Allie, it didn’t take long at all for me to have feelings. You came into this with your good, beautiful heart and showed me that everything I believed about women was wrong. That there are good ones out there—I’d just had the misfortune of not finding them. They don’t matter, anyway. The fact that you were in my life does. The only problem is I gave my word in that contract. I gave my word that this was strictly business and that is what I felt like you needed too. You had so much on your plate. Ginny reminded me that I didn’t need to take advantage of your vulnerable state—”
“I’m not vulnerable anymore.”
He placed a finger on her lips. “Shh, I know. I heard you tonight with your mom. I didn’t mean to hear, but I did, and I heard the strength of your words. And I also heard them when you talked about your plans for the future. You are a strong woman who has found her way, I believe. But, for me, there is still that darned contract. I had thought that I could wait until the contract ended and then I would come for you. But tonight I realized the truth. Allie, there are divorce papers and a new contract in that envelope that honors your end of the deal. Your mother continues to get the care she needs and you keep the money you are supposed to get. But other than that, we’ll be divorced.”
“But I don’t understand.” She couldn’t believe what he was saying. “If we divorce, you lose your ranch. You lose everything you ever wanted.”
He smiled. “No. I lose the ranch and the oil shares.”
“But, still, that’s what you love most. And also your brothers lose it too. I can’t divorce you yet. We’ve come so far.”
He went down on one knee and she was completely lost. “What?”
“Allie, my brothers will be fine. They don’t need the ranch anyway. It’s mine to lose or to keep and I have something much, much more important to hopefully bring into my life. You taught me almost from the moment that I met you that people matter. You quickly took over my heart and I realized tonight that I can’t wait until the end of the contract. The ranch isn’t the most important thing to me—it’s you. And you need to know that. I don’t care about the ranch. I want you and only you. I’ll stand by you now and forever if you’ll have me. I love you, Allie, and I want you in my life, as my real wife and not with some crazy contract in our way.” He paused and reached for the contract and held it out to her. “It’s all there. If you don’t feel the way I do, sign it and there is no more obligation for you. You don’t need to go through any more days with stress and obligation hanging over you. I’m here for you no matter what, but I hope you’ll marry me for real. We can start a new ranch anywhere. I’m not broke. I can’t help who I am but you are more important to me than the ranch.”
Allie closed her eyes. He wanted her. More than he wanted his ranch. Tears pricked her eyes. She opened them to see his unwavering gaze. She took his face into her hands. “Wade. This doesn’t make sense. I love you.” She said the words then laughed with relief at finally getting to say the words. “I love you. And no, you can’t change who you are. And you can’t change the rules about the marriage either. Because, for one, I’m not divorcing you. Ever. And this ranch is going to be yours forever if I have anything to do with it. But also, because when I said those vows, and you kissed me that day, I gave you my heart. Almost from the very start. And I’m not taking it back. You’re stuck with me.”
The look in his eyes brought her to tears.
“Thank God. I can’t lose you, Allie. You mean so much to me. Nothing, and no one, has ever mattered to me as much as you do. When I heard you with your mom, worrying about losing her but willing to let her go if she was ready to go, it killed me. I am not willing to let you go. Not now—not ever. Though I know when our time is up, it’s up and we don’t really get a say in that. But I do get a say in right now. And right now, I want to spend every day with your smiling face next to mine in the mornings. And with you in my life every day that we are blessed with. I want to show you every day how much I love you and how much you have changed my life.”
She was speechless. But it turned out she didn’t need to say anything because he pulled her into his arms like a cherished prize and he kissed her, long and slow and well.
And all the weeks of worry, of insecurities about them melted away. He was hers. Really hers. As convoluted and crazy as his attempt at trying to give up his ranch for her was, he’d proved to her that she was the most important thing to him. That he needed her as much as she needed him.
She sighed against his lips and gave in to his love. Willingly, totally, completely.
Epilogue
“Mama, look at you,” Allie said, four weeks later as she walked into her mother’s room at the rehab center. Clair Jordan had pulled through that night that Wade had declared his love for Allie and then, a week later, she had come out of the coma and started to improve. It was miraculous and marvelous. And Allie was thankful every day for more time with her mother. Time, she had realized, was precious. So very precious.
“Look at you,” Clair said back. “You are beaming, sweet girl.”
Her mother was still having a few issues. It would take a little while for her strength to come back and she was able to walk on her own. But she was expected to make a full recovery.
“I’m taking you home today. Are you ready?” All of her rehab could now be done with a specialist coming to the ranch and Allie was so excited to get her mother settled into the home that would be hers as long as she wanted. Wade had made it clear that his home was hers or when she was well, there were other options for her—whatever she wanted. Allie knew her mom, and knew that she was independent and would want her own place as soon as she was able. And that was fine, as long as she was happy. And hopefully near. But for now, she was coming home to the ranch.
Wade came in the door, smiling, and gave Clair a kiss. “Ready to go? Because we’re ready to get you out there into the fresh air and sunshine. Might even put you on Ladybug at some point if you want.”
“Lad
ybug? Is that the horse Allie told me about? The gentle one,” Clair asked, knowing full well it might be a little while before she could get on a horse.
“That’s her, and she’s ready to take care of you and show you the ranch from the saddle perspective.”
“I always did want to learn to ride but never had the opportunity.”
Allie’s heart was full as Wade pushed her mother’s wheelchair from the room. It just seemed too good to be true.
He smiled at her over his shoulder. “You coming?”
She nodded and smiled so big her face hurt as he winked then took up the conversation with her mother, telling her how Ladybug was the perfect horse for her to learn on and that they’d have her in the saddle before long.
Allie walked behind them, so happy she could explode. The contract had ended that morning, and Wade and she both were free to do as they pleased and they pleased to be together forever.
She had had all kinds of disasters hit her life that had put her working in that truck stop that fateful night that Wade had walked in and told her those crazy terms of the will.
As they walked out into the sunshine, she felt that sense of wonder…and gratitude that she had been there that night when he’d walked in and changed her life.
As he got her mother settled in the backseat of the truck and then placed the wheelchair in the bed of the truck, she placed her arms around his waist and kissed him.
He smiled against her lips. “What’s that for?”
“For being you. I love you, Wade.”
He looked into her eyes and she saw her future there.
“Darlin’, I love you too. And I’m so glad today is here and we are free from all that craziness.”
“Craziness that brought us together. Because if it hadn’t been for your granddaddy, we wouldn’t have found each other.”
“True. I’m forever grateful to him. And I know he’s smiling.”
“I think so too. When does the next domino fall?”
He grimaced. “We have to be at Mr. Emerson’s tomorrow. And we’ll see what the next step is.”
“Who do you think it will be? Todd or Morgan?”
He laughed. “I’m not sure but I can tell you that neither one of them is going to be happy.”
She smiled. “It should be interesting to watch. I kind of like the way Granddaddy thinks.”
Wade grinned and kissed her. “I do too. But they don’t, so the fireworks will be something fierce, I think. But I don’t care—I’ve got my prize and wouldn’t change anything.”
She wouldn’t either.
Check out the next book in the McCoy Billionaire Brothers series,
HER BILLIONAIRE COWBOY'S WEDDING FIASCO
About the Author
Hope Moore is the pen name of an award-winning author who lives deep in the heart of Texas surrounded by Christian cowboys who give her inspiration for all of her inspirational sweet romances. She loves writing clean & wholesome, swoon worthy romances for all of her fans to enjoy and share with everyone. Her heartwarming, feel good romances are full of humor and heart, and gorgeous cowboys and heroes to love. And the spunky women they fall in love with and live happily-ever-after.
When she isn't writing, she's trying very hard not to cook, since she could live on peanut butter sandwiches, shredded wheat, coffee...and cheesecake why should she cook? She loves writing though and creating new stories is her passion. Though she does love shoes, she's admitted she has an addiction and tries really hard to stay out of shoe stores. She, however, is not addicted to social media and chooses to write instead of surf FB - but she LOVES her readers so she's working on a free novella just for you and if you sign up for her newsletter she will send it to you as soon as its ready! You'll also receive snippets of her adventures, along with special deals, sneak peaks of soon-to-be released books and of course any sales she might be having.
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Her Billionaire Cowboy's Fake Marriage
Copyright © 2019 Hope Moore
This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.