The Billionaire Bride Test

by Elle James

  An image of Jane standing outside the barn in her new blue jeans and sunglasses flashed through his mind. What were the chances of her making it through the day without breaking a fingernail or getting dirty?

  His lips spread across his face in a grin. Wasn’t that what he wanted? A woman who didn’t care if she got dirty? One who didn’t care if she broke a fingernail?

  Not that he’d go out of his way to make that happen, but four-wheeling on the ranch in and of itself was dirty. If she was following him, his vehicle would kick up dust in her face. She’d get dirty, all right. Some women would be appalled and angry. How she handled it would be revealing.

  Max found himself hoping she’d be okay with it. Ranching life was dirty but rewarding. If she didn’t see it that way, she wasn’t the right woman for him.

  Chapter 5

  Jane stood outside the barn, looking around, wishing she knew more about ranch life and wishing she’d had more time to break in the new blue jeans. Thankfully, they had spandex in them and stretched when she moved. But they looked so dark and blue compared to the softly-worn look of Max’s jeans.

  She shrugged and tried not to worry about the little things. The fact she’d be driving a four-wheeler by herself was something she wasn’t all too sure about. She hoped it was as easy as he purported it to be. Otherwise, she’d fail that particular test on their first date.

  She was beginning to feel as if this date was a kind of obstacle course. If she made it through, he might ask her for a second date.

  The thought made her a little angry and a whole lot more determined to show him that she could hang with the best of the ranch girls. She hadn’t known the world of modeling when she’d jumped in at a very young age. She’d made a career and a fortune from her hard work, intelligence and determination. Surely, she could ride a simple ATV without crashing.

  She could hear the deep hum of male voices inside the barn, but not what the men were saying.

  Just as she had decided to enter the barn, she heard a dog bark.

  Her head jerked around to the corner of the barn where a large, gangly hound raced around the side of the building, chased by a beagle with brown, floppy ears.

  The lead dog spotted her and charged directly toward her.

  Not used to large dogs, Jane held her hands in front of her and backed up a step, and then another.

  The dogs didn’t slow, barreling toward her.

  Jane didn’t have time to think. She braced herself for impact.

  The hound veered to the left as he passed in front of her, but not soon enough to avoid clipping her leg with his big body.

  Jane let out a squeal. The force of impact sent Jane sprawling across the hardpacked dirt, knocking the sunglasses from her face. She landed hard on her side and lay still for a moment, wondering if she’d broken anything.

  Before she could rise to a sitting position, the hound and the beagle doubled back and converged on her face, licking her cheeks and eyes.

  “Hey, I’m okay. You don’t have to lick me.” Shoving the animals back for a moment, she managed to push to a sitting position and grabbed her sunglasses. She slipped them in place.

  The dogs resumed their apologetic and slobbery kisses.

  Jane looped her arm around the hound’s neck. “Really, I’m fine.”

  The roar of an engine sounded in front of her, and Max drove what appeared to be a frighteningly large ATV out of the barn, stopping it in front of her. He leaped off and squatted beside her. “Jane? Holy cow. What happened?”

  “I think I just received the barnyard welcome.” She pushed the larger dog’s face out of hers. The beagle leaped up and swiped a long, wet tongue across her chin.

  “Down, Lulu.” Max said in a stern tone, lifting the beagle off Jane’s lap and setting her on the ground beside her. He pointed a finger at the dog. “Sit.”

  For a moment, the beagle sat, her tail making a dust fan in the dirt.

  The hound renewed his kissing attack on Jane’s face.

  Jane laughed and shoved him away.

  “Down, Blue,” Max said and shoved the animal away. He shook his head and pushed to his feet. “The only way to get them to back off is to get you back on your feet.” Max extended a hand to her.

  She placed hers in his, and he yanked her to her feet so quickly, she couldn’t get her feet under her before she crashed into his chest.

  His arms wrapped around her, and he held her until she was steady. And then a little longer. “Are you okay?” he said, his voice rich and resonant, causing shivers to ripple across her skin.

  Blue bumped his nose against her thigh, and Lulu jumped up on her calf.

  Max frowned down at the dogs. “What is wrong with you two? You’re never this friendly with strangers.” He gave her a crooked smile. “They must like you.”

  She rested her hands against his solid chest, her breath still caught in her throat. She didn’t often meet men who were taller than her or as muscular as this one. He had broad shoulders that could carry any burden easily.

  “I’m glad,” she said, her thoughts muzzy. Was she glad the dogs liked her, or that Max’s shoulders were broad? Perhaps both? She liked being pressed against this big guy. A little too much. A lot too soon. Jane pushed back until Max’s arms fell to his sides.

  He bent to scratch behind Blue’s ears. “Blue is friendly with everyone. But Lulu…” Max shook his head and reached out to fondle the beagle’s ears. “Now, she has more discerning tastes. It usually takes her a couple of hours to warm up to anyone new.” He stared up at Jane. “You must be a dog person.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve never had a dog as a pet, but I’ve always liked other people’s dogs, and they seem to get along with me.”

  He nodded. “Good. I hope you’ll forgive their manners. I never got around to teaching them any.”

  “Don’t people hunt with hounds and beagles?” she asked. “Is that why you have them?”

  He laughed. “Not Blue and Lulu. They’d be hopeless hunting. Most likely, they’d scare everything away within a mile.” He straightened. “They’re rescues from a local shelter.”

  A man who loved animals and rescued them from shelters…? Jane’s heart warmed to Max.

  He turned toward the four-wheeler he’d brought out of the barn. “Ready for your first lesson?”

  She fought a grimace and nodded. “Let’s do this.”

  “It really is easy.” He led her over to the ATV and tipped his head toward the seat. “Hold onto the handle and hop on.”

  She gripped one of the handles and swung her leg over the seat. Once she was in place, she looked up at Max. “Now what?”

  “You turn the key to the on position.”

  She did and frowned. “Nothing happened.”

  “Because you have to hit the start button.” He showed her where the button was. “But make sure you have your foot on the brake down by your foot.”

  After he showed her the foot brake, gear shift, the hand brakes, throttle and start switch, he stood back. “Ready?”

  Jane wasn’t ready at all. She forced a smile and nodded. “Ready.”

  “Start your engine.”

  She checked that the shift was in neutral, turned the key and pressed her foot on the brake. “This button?” she asked, her finger hovering over the starter.

  He nodded.

  “It won’t jump when I hit it?” she asked.

  “Not if you keep it in neutral and have your foot on the brake.”

  She checked again to see that she was still in neutral and pressed her foot hard on the brake. Then with a deep breath, she pressed the starter button.

  The ATV’s engine roared to life and rumbled beneath her. A smile spread across her face.

  “Good. Now, all you have to do is push the shift into gear and give it some gas.”

  Jane released the handlebar and shifted into drive. The four-wheeler leaped forward. She squealed and almost threw herself off the vehicle. Before she could, Max jumped on
to the back, reached around her and grabbed the handles and steered the vehicle away from the barn. The ATV didn’t go more than two feet before it stopped.

  Jane’s pulse raced, and her hands shook. “What did I do wrong?”

  “You have to keep your foot on the brake when you shift from Neutral to Drive. As long as you’re not on a downhill slope, you won’t go far unless you give it more gas.”

  She leaned against him, happy he’d jumped on and certain he’d saved her from plowing into the side of the barn. “I’m not sure I can do this,” she said.

  “You’re doing fine,” he assured her. “Now, take it around the barnyard.” He let go of the handlebar. “Go on. You can do this.”

  She curled her fingers around the rubber grips and rested her thumb against the throttle lever. “Like this?” She was sure to keep her foot on the brake pedal.

  “Remember, you can use the hand brakes as well.”

  She nodded and reached her hands around the metal levers. Then, slowly pressing her thumb to the throttle lever, she eased the ATV forward.

  “That’s right,” Max said, his breath stirring the hair around her ear. “Give it a little more gas and make a circle around the yard.”

  She did, amazed at how easy it was to maneuver the gas, brakes and direction. By the time she’d circled and came to a jerky stop in front of the open barn door, she felt infinitely better. “That was fun.”

  “I’m glad you think so, because we’ll need either this form of transportation or horses to get to where I want to take you.”

  Her eyes widened, and she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “I think I can handle this better than a horse at this point. At least the ATV doesn’t have a mind of its own.”

  “Exactly.” He slid off the back of the vehicle. “Think you can handle it by yourself?”

  She nodded, although she would have preferred him riding on the back, in case she did something wrong.

  “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the barn and returned a couple minutes later riding another ATV, just like the one he’d left her sitting on. He also carried two helmets. Pulling to a stop beside her, he dismounted and held out the helmet for her. “Safety first.”

  “Gladly,” she said, and slipped the helmet over her head. Without makeup, she’d felt more exposed than she had in a very long time. Even more exposed than when she strutted the runway in bikini panties and a fancy bra.

  Her face, sans makeup, was plain, almost boring. At least, that’s how she saw herself. Now, it was probably covered in dog slobber and dust.

  Oh, well. If he didn’t like this Jane, they weren’t meant to be. She’d keep looking for the man of her dreams. One who would accept her the way she was. Her modeling days were coming to an end. Beauty faded. The man had to look past the outside shell to the person and the heart beneath. Otherwise, he’d be disillusioned, when beauty faded, and they grew old.

  Max settled his helmet on his head and tightened the strap.

  Jane tried but couldn’t figure out the strap beneath her chin.

  “Allow me.” Max brushed aside her hands and quickly adjusted the strap snugly beneath her chin.

  The entire time his knuckles rubbed against her skin, she held her breath, butterflies fluttering against the insides of her belly and heat coiling lower.

  Having Max so near set a firestorm of feelings akin to fear that shot adrenaline through her system. But more than fear, she felt a kind of heady anticipation.

  Jane told herself it was anticipation of riding a four-wheeler cross-country when she’d never done that before. But she was only kidding herself. The anticipation had more to do with the man she’d be following.

  He intrigued her, and his rough, working-man’s hands made her wonder what they’d feel like skimming across her naked body.

  Max climbed onto his ATV and led the way to a gate. He opened it without getting off the vehicle and waited for her to maneuver her way through.

  Concentrating on not crashing into the posts on either side, or running into Max’s ATV, Jane made it through before she drew another breath.

  Once Max had closed the gate behind them, he took off across a pasture, turning every so often to see whether she still followed.

  She did manage to follow, though she was certain he slowed down just for her. She actually liked it better when he left a longer gap between them. When he was too close, he kicked up a cloud of dust. She was sure by the time they arrived at their destination her skin would be several shades darker, with layers of dust coating it.

  The farther they went, the more comfortable she got with the brakes and the throttle. Her first challenge was descending into a shallow creek with water running through it.

  Max sped up on his way down and threw up a giant wave of water before climbing the bank on the other side and coming to a stop. He grinned from the other side and waved her on.

  Jane studied the banks and the water and decided, if Max could do it, she could, too.

  Letting off the hand and foot brakes, she applied her thumb to the throttle and sent the ATV down the bank and into the creek. As she descended, her thumb eased off the throttle lever.

  Water splashed up around her, soaking her from head to toe. She came to a stop in the middle of the creek before she remembered to give the ATV some gas. When she did, she gave it a little more than usual, causing it to leap forward, nearly leaving her behind.

  She held on, struggling to remain seated and climb up the other bank to stop beside Max.

  When she did, she looked back at the creek, and then to Max, and smiled. “That was amazing! Can we do it again?”

  He laughed. “There’s another creek to cross. And you’ll get to do it again on our way back.” Max took off again, moving a little faster.

  Jane applied her thumb to the throttle lever and raced after him, feeling a little wild and free. Who knew she’d like riding four-wheelers and splashing through the water? Never had she been on a date quite like this.

  Though she’d wondered at his choice of locations and activities, Jane was glad Max had decided to take her on an adventure. She couldn’t think of any other date she’d liked better…so far. With the joy of being outdoors and riding with the wind in her face, she wondered what other surprises Max had in store for her. If he truly was putting her through a test, she hoped she would pass. She hadn’t had this much fun in…well, ever!

  Chapter 6

  Max had yet to catch a glimpse of Jane’s eyes, but her smile rivaled the sunshine.

  When she’d gone down into the creek bed and almost stalled out, he’d thought he would be pulling her out of the water when the ATV bogged down with water in the carburetor. But she’d quickly hit the accelerator and climbed out of the creek and up the bank with the biggest grin splitting her face.

  Her smile was catching, and he found himself returning it. She was like a kid at her first Christmas, marveling at all the wonder and excitement.

  She wasn’t a model with every hair in place and makeup hiding her true appearance. Actually, what he could see of her face was covered in dust. But before it was covered in the fine powder from trail riding, it had been clean of all that stuff women liked to wear.

  He’d found it refreshing. Now, if he could get her to take off those darned sunglasses, he’d like to see her eyes.

  Would she have blue eyes to match that corn-silk hair? Or that reddish-brown, the color of cold root beer on a hot day? Maybe she had green eyes like the leaves in spring or like moss on a tree on a snowy winter day.

  When they got to their picnic spot, he’d be sure to find a shade tree to spread the blanket beneath. Then he’d see those eyes.

  What was the saying?

  Eyes were the windows into a person’s soul.

  The thought of eyes reminded Max of the model he’d caught in Vegas. Those violet eyes had stuck with him even though he’d seen them only once.

  He shook off the image of the sexy model lying in his arms and focused on
his requirements for the woman he hoped to marry someday.

  Jane might not be as outdoorsy as he’d prefer, but she was showing that she could be game to try new things, including four-wheeling in the hot Texas sun.

  And she’d passed the Lulu test. Lulu had never been that friendly with any of the other women Max had brought to the ranch. Blue didn’t know a stranger, so his opinion didn’t count. But Lulu was usually hard to win over.

  They passed through another small stream and stopped to open and close another gate before heading through another field.

  Max glanced over his shoulder at the woman on the ATV behind him. She wasn’t smiling, but that was a good thing. With as much dust as was flying up behind him, she’d end up with a mouth full of mud if she dared open her mouth.

  Thankfully, he was headed for the creek where he liked to swim in the nude on a hot summer day. They could wash hands and faces in the clear, clean water before they settled down for the fried chicken Cookie had provided in the picnic basket.

  At the top of the next hill, he slowed to a halt and waited for Jane to catch up.

  She pulled to a jerky stop beside him. When she glanced down at the valley and the stream below, the grin returned. “Are we going through another creek?”

  He shook his head. “No, that’s where we’re having lunch.” His gaze swept the green, grassy valley. Trees lined a creek snaking through the middle. Water reflected sunlight through the gaps in the trees.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice soft.

  “It’s one of my favorite places to come when I need time away from everyone and everything. Or when I want to take a dip to cool off after working in the heat.”

  “Sounds amazing.” She shot a glance his way.

  He nodded and gave his ATV a burst of fuel, sending it down into the valley. He led her to a quiet copse of trees overhanging a grassy glen beside a wide pool formed in the rocks by the creek.

  Max stopped his four-wheeler, shifted into neutral and switched off the engine. He removed his helmet and set it in the front basket before getting off the ATV.