Grumbling, David shuffled into the hospital room. He blinked at Elizabeth sitting on the bed by the window. “I forgot you were in here. That whole thing is a terribly long ordeal.” He moved toward his bed and glanced curiously at Elizabeth, taking in her pale features and the two high points of pink on her cheeks. “You okay? Do I need to loan Sylvia to you?”
Elizabeth moved slowly, her hair slipping around on her shoulders with as much grace as the rest of her. She was a beautiful woman. Her beauty only enhanced by the traits most women ran from as they aged – the soft lines around her mouth and eyes, the lighter coloring in her hair.
She softly cleared her throat and blinked at him, pressing her lips together. “I… I mean, excuse me, your daughter, Taylor, was just in here. She ducked out… to water the flowers she brought you.” Her voice softened more. “She asked me to let you know.”
David’s mouth went dry. He glanced at the door as he approached his bed and turned to sit down. “Taylor is here?” He’d expected to see Lily that afternoon. If he’d known Taylor was coming, he never would have offered his room for Elizabeth to shore up in while she waited to be picked up.
“Yes, and I don’t think she was overly fond of seeing me.” Elizabeth glanced at David with a gentle gaze. “I’m sorry. I know… Our families are supposed to be fighting and mortal enemies, but I’ve always regretted what happened between our homes.” She softly shook her head and then folded her hands on her lap, careful to keep the heart pillow the hospital had given her by her chest.
David kept his gaze trained on the doorway, unwilling to show even a flicker of weakness or bending in case his daughter came in and caught him. “For what it’s worth, I think things ended up just fine. Your boy is married and happy and my girl is living a good life. There’s not much more we could have asked for, now, is there?”
They’d already gotten caught up and while he knew about Roman’s marriage, he’d never tell Taylor. There was no way he could break her heart further with that kind of news. Making Elizabeth’s life miserable wasn’t the way he wanted to go.
Elizabeth dropped her gaze to the foot of the bed and sighed. “Well, I don’t know. Roman was the first to run off to find himself. He was the only one to get married and, now, he’s the only one to get divorced.” Elizbeth’s tone dropped lower into sadness. “There’s nothing I can do to help him, either.”
“No, divorce?” David shook his head, shifting until he was more comfortable on the hospital bed. It wasn’t his memory foam mattress at home, but it would do.
Divorce was the worst word you could say in their industry. Matchmakers wanted their clients, friends, and family to find happy-ever-after as in forever, not just until things got rough. “I’m so sorry, Elizabeth.” Plus, to have your child go through that kind of pain was even harder to bear. David himself had gone through the painful process and he still wasn’t quite sure what had happened.
Elizabeth waved her fingers in the air, her lips pursed. “It’s… life, you know? He might have been happier here or there, but now we’ll never know. I think that was the biggest mistake he could have made, leaving your daughter like he did. But who am I? I’m just the mother.” She offered a sad smile. “No one ever asks for my advice.”
“Are you feeling any better?” David leaned toward her, glancing more at the door, but also concerned about Elizabeth’s state.
“I’m fine. It might be just the thing to get the boys in line. Who knows?” She shrugged and then reached up with her right hand and rubbed at her left shoulder. “I need to stop shrugging. It doesn’t feel well.” She grimaced, the fine lines around her lips slightly disappearing as she did so.
“Do you think Taylor is freaking out?” David really only mumbled it to himself, but he wouldn’t mind if someone else had the answer.
“I wouldn’t blame her. That’s the problem. I know my children aren’t perfect, but…I honestly don’t like the positions that our families have taken. I want to see Mistletoe united and this makes it hard to move forward.” Elizabeth’s tone gathered strength. “We need to be able to fix this, David. If not for ourselves or the town, then for our families.”
Sighing, David leaned more fully against his pillows and stared up at the ceiling. She was asking a lot. Her own husband had passed away in a logging accident a few years back. Maybe she didn’t remember what it was like to have her heart broken.
David’s wife had abandoned him around the same time, in fact just a few months after the Wilson patriarch had passed. David’s wife had declared she didn’t believe David was the one she should have been matched to. Now she had set up her own matchmaking business on the east coast and the last thing David had heard she was married to her third husband. David was her first. Each husband was younger than the last.
She hadn’t reached out to her six daughters since she left.
The door opened slowly and Taylor poked her head into the room hesitantly at the same time Sylvia came from the bathroom. Taylor smiled at the nurse and stepped to the side; her arms overburdened as she waited for Sylvia to step out of the room.
Taylor’s auburn hair had been pulled back into a tight braid, her side-swept bangs tucked behind her ear or softly framing her face. She was the daughter that looked the most like him with her always-ready-to-smile mouth and the side dimple in her cheek.
She wasn’t smiling now, though. Her gaze darted between David and Elizabeth, questions furrowing her brow.
She took a breath, her shoulders rising and falling. David watched her, silently hoping she got her courage about her. He understood what she was going through as she faced the woman who would have been her mother-in-law. She glanced at David, blinking as she studied him. “Dad, are you okay?”
David knitted his eyebrows together. “Of course. This hip is ready to take me home. I can’t ride horses for a little bit, but I can ride the couch and watch some Tombstone and Eastwood work.” He chuckled, more out of nervousness than humor. He lamely motioned in the direction of Elizabeth. “You remember Mrs. Wilson, don’t you?”
The question triggered a pause in the ambience of the room as the two women stared at each other.
Taylor nodded tightly, licking her lips. “Mrs. Wilson, hello.”
“Hello, Taylor. Please, call me Elizabeth. I think you’re old enough for that now, don’t you?” Elizabeth’s soft voice seemed welcoming and genuine.
But something in Taylor’s eyes reflected a deep-seated pain. She winced. “It’s been a long time. Yes, I’m a lot older.” She cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders and stepping further into the room. Holding a vase of roses aloft, she moved toward David’s nightstand. ‘I brought you some flowers. Sounds like we’ll be taking you home tomorrow. The physical therapist wants you walking up and down the steps on your own before we can take you.” She seemed to create a border around David and his bed with her mind as she didn’t allow her gaze to move anywhere but there.
“That was thoughtful of you, thank you.” David watched her, dropping his gaze to the bag in her other hand. “What’s in the bag?”
Setting the vase down, she lifted the bag and stared at it for a moment as if she had no idea how that got in her hand. She blinked at it, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, I forgot. Cari sent you some cupcakes disguised as bran muffins.” Taylor rolled her eyes. “The only thing she did was put chocolate frosting on them and then write in dark brown sprinkles bran.”
David chuckled, grateful for his daughter’s thoughtfulness. “Cari always thinks of my sweet tooth.”
“I brought you a Tom Clancy novel, but then I remembered you were in the middle of a L’Amore, so they’re both in there, just in case. And there’s some bison jerky along with salt and vinegar flavored cashews in there, from Amanda.”
“Well, let’s give them a try. I’d hate to turn down any delicious-sounding gifts like those.” David glanced over at Elizabeth, motioning toward the bag Taylor rested on the bed and emptied onto the table. “Do you want some? My
girls all have the best taste in treats – sweet or otherwise.” He wiggled his eyebrows invitingly at her, but not because he was flirting. No, he would never flirt with a Wilson.
“I’m okay. Your girls didn’t send that to share with me.” Elizabeth laughed, waving her hand in the air toward David.
“No, it’s okay. Here.” Taylor picked up an offering from each item and took it over to rest on the side table beside Elizabeth’s bed. She smiled nervously at the older woman and returned to the side of David’s bed like the spot was home base.
“That was thoughtful of you, Taylor. Thank you.” Elizabeth picked up the cupcake and licked at the brown frosting, her eyes widening as she shot a surprised glance at David and Taylor. “Wow, this is amazing. Is that a brown sugar frosting? I would pay someone for that.”
Taylor chuckled. “I’ll let Cari know. She’s the cake artist in the family, but only does the treats for us. I’m avoiding anything she’s touched for now.”
“You look like you’ve lost some weight.” Elizabeth slowly lowered the cupcake. “Maybe I need to stay away from these.” She narrowed her eyes and then glanced at David. “How do you get away with not being heavy?”
David laughed, shaking his head. “Nope, I work a lot of the land when I’m not at the desk. These girls give me so much food, I usually hope and pray my horse can carry me.” He laughed, the sound deep and sincere.
Taylor laughed and flipped out her phone, pressing some buttons and then glancing at her wrist watch at the same time.
David inhaled, certain Taylor needed to get going. She had her life planned out for the next few years down to the minute. The family didn’t run well without Taylor’s planning in place. Everything worked like a well-oiled machine when she was around. “What is the time frame you planned for this visit?”
Taylor had an obsession with time. It was the only thing she could truly control and it had gotten worse since Roman had left her at the altar. David had stopped worrying about it once he realized over-scheduling was Taylor’s coping mechanism with stress.
“Well, yes, ahem, I need to get back to the office. My plans are almost ready for the carnival.” Taylor shot a surreptitious peek at Elizabeth and then turned back to David.
“Well, if you need to go, don’t let us keep you.” David reached out and patted his oldest daughter’s hand. “I don’t want to get in your way, honey.” He knew how lonely she’d been over the years and the last thing he wanted was to mess up her routine when she was also obviously uncomfortable around his temporary roommate.
But Taylor shook her head and blinked rapidly at her dad. “Okay, so here’s the thing.” She took a steadying breath and folded her arms across her chest. She paced back and forth from beside David to the foot of the hospital bed and then back. She turned, glancing again between her father and Elizabeth. “Okay, so here’s what I have going on.”
She swallowed and lifted her chin. “The thing is… Okay, so, we have a new client and none of the girls can take the job. Especially me.” She tilted her head to the side, her breathing a little bit faster.
David watched her. “Who could it be that none of you girls can take the job?” He blinked and glanced at Elizabeth. “Does the Wilson family have limitations on their jobs?” What in the world would prevent any of his daughters from taking on a match?
Elizabeth shook her head, taking another dainty bite of the cupcake. “No. The only way we wouldn’t take a job was if it pertained to one of us.” Her motions stilled and she slowly lifted her gaze.
David turned back to Taylor. He lowered the jerky he’d been taking a bite from. “Who is it? Why can’t we do the job? Is it Amanda? Is that why she sent the snacks?” He dropped his gaze to the cupcakes. “No, it’s Cari, right?” He shook his head, certain Cari was the one Taylor had come to ask him about. “I don’t know. I mean, Cari is amazing, but do we really want to find her a match? Things don’t always turn out in our family.” Did he need to point out what happened to Taylor, herself?
Taylor clenched her jaw and breathed through her nose. Her cheeks pinked even more. “Um, well, to be honest, it’s…” She cleared her throat and lifted her chin even higher, if that was possible. “It’s me. I need you to match me.”
David inhaled sharply, blinking in disbelief. “I’m sorry. You want me to match you? You’ve never been interested before.” He’d offered many times over the years, but only half-heartedly. She’d had her match and everyone agreed. Roman was the one who was meant for her. The abandonment had been out of character for either of them and the pain around the event prevented the Dean family from openly discussing what happened with Taylor. The entire situation required sensitivity which usually led to avoidance.
Taylor shook her head. “No, Dad. I don’t want just you to match me. I want both of you to match me. I’m planning on covering the competition for you and I won’t have any time to focus on this. I’ll need everything to go through you. I’ll do whatever you both recommend, but I need help and I need it from the experts.”
Elizabeth leaned forward, her eyebrows raised as she studied her previous future-daughter-in-law. “You want us to work together?”
“I don’t care how you do it. I want both of you matching me. Work together or against each other, I don’t care. I just want to be matched and married by Christmas.” Taylor smiled tightly. “I’ll pay you both, of course. I’m not expecting this to be a pro bono assignment. But I do want it to be discreet. I don’t want anyone else to know anything about the match. I’ll treat the dates like I’m interviewing for the competition. That would be the best, I think. I’ll forward my file to both of you to research. Sound good?” She reached up and smoothed her hair with a shaking hand.
That’s when it hit David just how hard that had been for his little girl to ask for help. She must really be lonely.
He nodded, meeting Elizabeth’s gaze with his own. “I’m speaking for myself when I say that I’d be honored to help you find a match, Taylor.” The fact that she even asked was huge. She wasn’t the type to ask for help. Especially when that suggested she couldn’t control the situation. She must really be lonely to even consider it.
Elizabeth inclined her head, her eyes somber as she spoke with sincerity. “I couldn’t agree more. I’d be delighted to work with David to find you someone to be your partner.”
Taylor’s smile finally seemed less stressed and more like she had received a hopeful response to a bad diagnosis.
David just hoped he didn’t let her down. He was one of those people who believed there really was only one true love for everyone. One perfect match.
Just one.
And Taylor had already lost hers.
Chapter 3
Roman
Roman Wilson rubbed his thumb over the base of his bare wedding ring finger. He’d had a ring on that finger for a couple years but the symbolism never mattered to him. Just like mistletoe on Christmas when he’d grown up in a town named after the holiday plant. There was nothing romantic about kissing underneath a plant hung strategically like a trap.
And there was nothing romantic about marrying a woman to try to get the one from your past out of your head. Especially when you get drunk one night and tell her the truth. That memory was enough to make Roman close his eyes in shame for a brief second. He had to be a glutton for punishment. What else could it be?
Hiking the strap of his bag higher on his shoulder, Roman sighed. He’d been standing in the taxi line for a while and it didn’t seem to be moving much at all.
His phone dinged as it reset from airplane mode. The small airport didn’t take long to get from concourse to taxi line. Roman usually turned the cell back on and then tucked it in his pocket, but there in Butte, Montana, the reception was questionable. He had no doubt that most of Montana was like that.
How many times had he been talking to one of his brothers about business and their phones had dropped the calls?
More than he could count.
He’d
made it to the cab line before the phone started receiving information. Pulling out the cell, Roman stepped forward as he cast a quick glance around the loading zone.
Three other people stood in front of him, one man and two women. They were dressed like they’d never seen rain or wind. The man even had one of those hats with floppy furry pieces over his ears.
Another cab pulled up and took the man, leaving two women behind and Roman. The front woman turned and sized up Roman, then turned back to the front. As if she hadn’t taken note of what she’d seen when she’d looked before, she swiveled again and scanned him from head to toe, smiling appreciatively as she met his gaze with hers. “Do you want to share a cab?” She tilted her head toward the absent cab space.
Roman nodded, returning the appreciation. She had a pastel knit hat pulled down over her ears, but her blonde hair was easy to see as the majority of her tresses tumbled around the shoulders of her pastel pink down jacket. He side-smiled, one of his trademark traits that got him the women every single time. “Thanks, I’d like that.” She wasn’t a redhead, that was a good thing as far as he was concerned.
Roman had some time before he had to be in Mistletoe. Roughly two days. That wasn’t enough reason to rush things. He could take his time there in Butte, get to know the woman with the pink clothing and try to get his nerves under control that he was heading home. Where Taylor lived.
No reason to rush things at all.
“I’m Felicity. Bateman. Are you on a business trip or…” The blonde woman pressed closer to him, batting dark eyelashes at Roman. She looked pointedly at Roman’s inner jacket pocket as it beeped some more and then buzzed and then beeped. All of the noises indicated something else – texts, emails, voicemails, and was that a page? He hadn’t been paged in years. He’d connected the paging system to his cell as a joke. The only person he’d told about the paging capabilities was his brother.
Matched With Her Cowboy Billionaire Ex-Fiance Page 2