Her Cowboy Billionaire Bachelor

by Liz Isaacson

  “Who are you seeing?”

  “A work crisis counselor,” he said. “She’s here in town. Her name’s Toni Thompson.”

  “And you like her?”

  “I do.” He looked at Rose. “And I got a dog.”

  “You did not.” She grinned and burst into laughter. “That’s so great, Liam.”

  He smiled too. “She’s great too. She’s a former therapy dog, and her name’s Daffodil. Felt like we were a perfect match.” He wasn’t sure if she’d get the significance of the name, but the way her eyes shone, he thought she did.

  “Daffodil,” she said. “That does seem perfect.”

  “And I moved.”

  “Out of the summer cabin?”

  “That’s right.” He popped the T and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You want to come see?”

  “Of course I do.” She stood like they’d leave right then.

  Liam chuckled and looked up at her. “Right now?”

  “Yes, right now.” She tugged on his hand until he stood. “We can have pie and coffee when we get back. Why didn’t you bring your dog with you?”

  “I wasn’t sure if I could.”

  “Of course you can. There are dogs wandering all over the place here.” She started for the steps, and Liam went with her. She told Celia where they were going, and they went outside.

  Liam drove slowly down the canyon, and not because the roads were terribly bad. They weren’t, as it hadn’t snowed a ton in Coral Canyon yet. But because his stomach felt like he’d eaten way too much turkey.

  He wasn’t sure why he was worried about Rose liking his new house or not. Dr. Thompson would’ve told him that was something outside of his control, and he shouldn’t focus on it. So he pushed away the anxiety and drove right past Prospect Lake Road.

  “I came up here once,” she said. “Just to make sure you hadn’t left town.”

  “Oh yeah? Why would you think I’d left town?”

  “I’d heard you quit at the clinic, and I couldn’t believe you’d stay here if you weren’t doing that.”

  Her gaze on the side of his face felt like a ton of bricks. He looked at her, finding her blue eyes so open and honest. So questioning.

  “It was very hard to leave the clinic,” he finally said, turning at the stop sign at the bottom of the canyon. “And it took me some time to realize that you were right. I might have a medical degree, but being a doctor does not define who I am.”

  “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

  “Sometimes the truth hurts.” He gave her a smile so she’d know whatever had happened between them was fine. In the past. Over. “Anyway, I bought a place closer to town. I got a dog. I work in the garden, and take Daffodil into the mountains, and I do some online medical consulting with a couple of research organizations, just to fill my time.”

  “Wow,” she said. “I had no idea you knew how to garden.”

  “Well, I took a class at the nursery.” He tossed her another smile. “Apparently, you’re not the only one who can sign up for a class.”

  She laughed, and he pulled into a modest, brown-brick rambler and cut the engine. “This is it.”

  “This is it?” She got out of his SUV, but Liam took a moment to take a deep breath of the interior of the car. Yep, it smelled like her floral perfume, and a blast of happiness hit him hard.

  He joined her as she walked slowly up the front sidewalk. “I put in a lot of bulbs this fall, so next spring, these flowerbeds should be spectacular.”

  “I can’t wait to see that.”

  He led her up the steps and through the front door. It was a typical rambler, with a small foyer, an expansive living room which connected to the dining room and kitchen. Daffodil came clicking over, her claws on the hard floor always announcing her presence.

  “This is Daffodil.” He scratched the dog behind the ears and got a goofy smile from the animal in return. He loved her, and she loved him, kept him company, and listened to him talk things through without judgment.

  “Oh, she’s beautiful.” Rose knelt in front of the black lab and started rubbing her down. “Have you been taking good care of Liam? Have you?”

  Daffodil gave him a look like, Why don’t you ever pet me like this? and leaned into Rose like they were old pals.

  Liam just laughed and took Rose down the hall toward the three bedrooms down there. “This is my room. It has a bathroom. This is a guest bedroom. This, I think would be nice for a nursery. Bathroom here.” He went back the way he came, saying, “There’s a basement too. It’s not as nice as the lodge’s, but I love spending time down there.”

  He paused, realizing Rose had not come with him. He retraced his steps and found her still standing outside the bedrooms. The doors all sat across from one another, like a crossroads or a game of Which room shall I choose?

  “Rose?” he asked.

  She looked at him, her eyes wide and her chin trembling. “Nursery?”

  “Yeah.” He approached and drew her into his side, facing the smallest of the three bedrooms up here. “Now that I’m not a crazy person, working a million hours a week, I think I could be a decent dad.”

  “You don’t want kids.”

  “Well, Doctor Murphy didn’t want kids.” He looked at her again. “But I would very much like to have a lot of little girls that look just like you.”

  Her tears fell then, and Liam pulled her into a tight hug. She cried for only a few moments, and then she collected herself and said, “All right. Let’s go see the basement.”

  Liam had never felt so lucky. He’d never been more grateful for the gift of forgiveness. He could only hope that he’d continue to be able to make Rose understand that he was the kind of man she wanted and needed, and that he could be that man for her.

  The following day, every retail establishment on the planet was having a sale. Liam had decided to take full advantage and go into the only jewelry store in Coral Canyon. Rose liked surprises, and he wanted to have a diamond in his pocket every day until he felt like the time was right to ask her to be his wife.

  He was fairly confident she’d say yes, but he wanted the moment to be perfect. And to do that, he needed the perfect ring. He’d seen her wear more gold than silver, and she wasn’t afraid of big pieces, long, dangly earrings, or lots of jewels.

  After explaining all of this—and the fact that it could not be common knowledge that he’d bought a ring—the saleswoman took him over to a case of engagement rings that she thought might be appropriate.

  “These are nice,” Sandi said, pulling out a long, thin tray of rings. “They’re larger, with thicker bands, and some of the cuts and arrangements are one-of-a-kind.”

  Like Rose was. Liam had a panicked thought that she should be here with him to ensure she got exactly what she wanted. But he also had a desire to choose something he thought she’d like. So he looked, and he asked questions, and in the end, he purchased a ring that looked a lot like a flower, with dozens of smaller gems inlaid around the main diamond.

  Now all he had to do was find the perfect moment to surprise her.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Rose became the one with no time over the next few weeks. If she wasn’t working at the daycare, she was up at the lodge helping with Vi’s wedding plans. She’d opted to get married at the reception center in town, and the sisters were making all the centerpieces, bouquets, and other flower arrangements themselves.

  All the nieces and nephews needed matching clothes, and Rose sat with her mother while she sewed dresses for the girls and ties for the boys. She listened to Vi talk about moving into Todd’s house, selling another home, and starting her new life.

  And Rose was happy for her. She saw Liam in the evenings, when he brought Daffodil to her house with a box of pizza or a couple of bags of Chinese takeout.

  “We’re decorating the lodge and tree tomorrow,” she told him about a week before Christmas. “If you want to come. The Christmas traditions are kind of a big deal up a
t Whiskey Mountain Lodge.”

  “I’ve heard,” he said, as Rose had told him about her last two Christmases there.

  “So you should come,” she said. “It’s great to see everyone working together and getting along.”

  “All right,” he said. So the next day, they drove up to the lodge together, where the Christmas spirit was already going strong. Holiday music played through the whole lodge, and the scent of chocolate and cider hung in the air.

  Graham, Beau, and Andrew hung the highest ornaments on the tree while Todd hung the garland above the fireplace and down the railing, under Vi’s watchful eye. Rose, Liam, and Lily hung the lower ornaments, and Celia called everyone into the kitchen for homemade doughnuts and hot drinks before the work was finished.

  Rose basked in the familial love these people had for each other, for their strong traditions, and for their willingness to let anyone in to experience it all. Becca started a batch of gingerbread cookies with Bayley and the other kids, and Rose went back into the living room to put out the nativities with a couple of other people.

  With everyone working together, it didn’t take long for the lodge to come to life with holiday spirit.

  She turned to find Liam in an engrossing conversation with Lily, Vi, and Becca, and her radar went off. Loudly.

  “Hey,” she said. “Are we going down to town for lunch?” That had been the plan, but it looked like this quad had just come up with a different idea.

  Vi stepped in front of Liam, who wore a look halfway between anxiety and excitement on his face. “Rose, we have something we want to talk to you about.”

  “Yeah,” Lily said, joining Vi and making a wall of protection for Liam.

  “What’s going on?” Rose asked, more wary than anything else.

  “I bought you a ring,” Liam said, muscling his way through the other two Everett sisters. He produced said ring with a flourish, and Rose sucked in a tight breath at the sight of it.

  “It kind of looks like a rose,” he said. “And I’ve been holding onto it for a few weeks now, watching for the perfect time to ask you to marry me.”

  “And I told him he should do it quick so you could get married with me,” Vi said, hipping him sideways a couple of inches.

  Rose looked back and forth between them. “What?” The word came out as mostly air, because what they were saying made no sense.

  “We have the best venue,” Lily said. “All the plans have been made. Everyone will already be there, well.” She looked at Liam. “Besides Liam’s parents, but he just got done saying they’d come if he called them.”

  Rose blinked and took a moment to get control of her emotions. “But Vi’s getting married in ten days.”

  “And you should be too,” Vi said. “You two love each other, and trust me when I say it’s torture to have a long engagement.”

  Becca finally stepped into the conversation, and said, “Then you can get started on having all those babies you want.”

  Heat filled Rose’s whole body. “I can’t get married in ten days. It’s absurd.”

  “Why not?” Liam asked. “You told me the other night you don’t care what your wedding is like, as long as I show up. And I’ll already be at Vi and Todd’s wedding.”

  “Vi,” Rose said with a note of pleading in her voice. “This is your big day. You don’t want to share it with me.”

  “I told you,” she said to Lily. “Rose, let’s talk for a minute, okay?” She put her arm around Rose’s shoulders and led her away from the group. In the dining room, they found Todd, who glanced up from his phone.

  “Everything set for the double wedding?”

  Rose’s mouth dropped open. “You’re in on this too?”

  He chuckled and gave Vi a quick kiss on the cheek. “Honestly, Rose. We don’t care about having the day to ourselves. We just want to get married, and Vi’s convinced that’s all you want too. She thinks you might elope with Liam at the courthouse, and she doesn’t want that to happen.”

  Rose looked at Vi, really trying to understand. “You don’t?”

  “Of course not,” Vi said. “I want to be at your wedding, celebrating with you.” She took both of Rose’s hands. “Come on, Rose. All you need is a dress, and we can get one of those today.”

  “Today?” Everything was happening so fast. Too fast.

  “Didn’t Liam show her the ring?” Todd asked, pure confusion in his voice.

  “I think we hit her with too many surprises at once,” Vi responded. “Let’s give her a minute.” She trailed her fingers along Rose’s arm and said, “We’ll send in Liam.”

  Then she and Todd left, and Rose stood in the dining room, wondering if she was living in her reality, if she was asleep, or if she’d somehow entered an alternate dimension.

  Then Liam was there, and he got down on one knee and held out the ring. “I love you, Rose. Will you please marry me in ten days?”

  Gazing down at that huge diamond, and those gorgeous eyes, Rose found she couldn’t think of a single reason why she couldn’t. So she said, “Yes,” a slightly maniacal laugh following the word.

  Liam grinned, chuckled, and stood to put the engagement ring on her finger. “This is going to be great. You’ll see.”

  After the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which Charlie and Chrissy led, and the delicious Christmas Eve dinner, and the stocking gift exchange, Rose gave herself a day off. Then she was right back to finding the perfect pair of shoes and discussing how she should wear her hair for her wedding.

  Her wedding.

  A year ago, she’d been nothing but jealous of her sisters, lamenting the fact that she still lived in Nashville, and wondering when she’d ever find the just-right man for her.

  She couldn’t believe how much things had changed in only a year, nor how much she’d changed. She hardly recognized her life, or herself.

  She was so much better than she’d ever been, and happier, and she couldn’t wait to marry the man of her dreams.

  Then one morning, she woke up, and it was time to do exactly that. She let her mother help her into her dress, which was simple in the fact that it was form-fitting, without lace or fancy buttons. A zipper up the back, a veil over her curled and pinned-up hair, and a bouquet of red roses.

  Roses for Rose. It was all she’d ever wanted, and as she stood in the bride’s room with Vi, she almost started crying.

  “Vi, you’re so kind to let me do this with you,” she said, her voice breaking on every other word.

  “Rose, don’t cry yet,” she said. “Okay? You’ll ruin your makeup, and then Beth will be so upset.”

  Beth was Vi’s makeup artist, and Rose had just tagged along, paid her extra, and got her makeup done too.

  She took a deep breath. “All right.”

  Her mother knocked and came in, and said, “Rose, come with me quickly.”

  Rose moved, knowing she only had a matter of a minutes to get out of this room and into a waiting room that had been set up for her to watch Vi get married. The event coordinator at the reception center would then come for Rose.

  Her mom led her down a hall and opened a door, saying, “I’ll see you in there, dear,” before rushing off.

  Rose went in the room, glad she didn’t have long skirts or anything fancy that she needed help with. She’d taken two steps into the room, the door just closing behind her when she realized she wasn’t alone.

  Liam turned from where he stood in front of the monitor showing Todd standing at the altar, waiting for Vi.

  “Oh, no,” Rose groaned. “I’m not supposed to see you before the wedding.”

  “It’s okay,” he said, walking forward, his dark-as-midnight tux seeming like it had been made just for him. Of course, it probably had been. “We’re watching in here together.” He grinned and took her hand, standing back as he drank her in.

  “I am the luckiest man in the world.”

  Rose almost started crying again. “Stop it.”

  “Let’s go wat
ch,” he said as the wedding march started to play. She stood beside him, this man she adored, and watched as her sister said her vows and kissed her husband. She dabbed at her eyes, the happiest she’d ever been in her life.

  “Our turn,” Liam said softly, lifting her hand to his lips. He took her out of the room and down the hall. He peeked through the door, while Rose had expected someone else to do all of this. She realized that Liam had been busy planning behind her back—again.

  “My whole life from now on is going to be a series of surprises, isn’t it?” she asked him.

  “I certainly hope so,” he said with a mischievous grin. “I think they’re ready for us. Are you ready?”

  Was she ready to be Liam’s wife?

  “I was born ready,” she said, linking her elbow through his.

  He chuckled, pressed his lips to her forehead, and said, “I love you.”

  “And I love you.”

  Then he opened the doors, the wedding march played, and Liam walked her down the aisle to the altar.

  Yay! Liam and Rose found their happily-ever-after! Leave a review now!

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  Read on for a sneak peek at HER LAST FIRST KISS, Book 1 in the Last Chance Ranch Romance series, coming in January!

  Sneak Peek! Her Last First Kiss Chapter One

  Scarlett Adams wiped her dirty hands down the front of her jeans, wondering what her life had become. She’d only been at Last Chance Ranch for two weeks, but it felt worlds different than the life she’d left in Los Angeles, only thirty miles away.

  That couldn’t be right. Thirty miles?

  She sighed and scraped her sweaty flyaways off her forehead. Surely this place was at least three universes from the life she’d known on Earth.

  This was your choice, she told herself as she surveyed the room holding more stuff than she’d ever owned in her life. Yes, her mother had called her and said her grandfather needed help. And Scarlett had seized the opportunity to leave the city, something she’d been wanting to do since her divorce had become final last year.