Cowboy's Curvy Nanny (Cowboy Billionaires #1)

by J. P. Comeau

  But still, I apparently hadn’t been as present of a husband--or as present of a father--as I thought I had been. Because if I had been, I would’ve seen all of this. I would’ve seen the pictures on Instagram and the fake smile she plastered all over Facebook. I would’ve seen it with my own eyes had I not been working so damn much and just said ‘no’ to a rodeo or two in order to spend the weekend with my family.

  You’re an idiot, Bryce.

  After her social media profiles yielded nothing regarding the man she had left me for, I started a new Google search. The search? ‘Private investigator near me.’ And that’s all it took. The very first entry was for a man by the name of ‘Detective Ryan Peterson’, and judging by his testimonials, he was very good at what he did. I looked around his website before finding the contact form down at the very bottom, and I sent him a quick inquiry.

  …At almost one in the morning.

  “Jesus,” I sighed.

  I gave him a brief rundown of the situation: the fact that my wife had left me for another man. Abandoned her daughter, and was nowhere to be found. I let him know a bit about our situation, that we got married after a one-night stand left her pregnant, and I had tried to do right by her. But, when it came time to state the outcome I wanted for this investigation, I drew a blank.

  What did I want to come from all this?

  Did I want Patricia back? My heart didn’t, no. I mean, I respected the woman. She was the mother of my child. But did I love her? No. If I was being honest with myself, I didn’t. I never had. I had love for her, but I wasn’t in love with her if that made any sense. And as I stared at the blinking cursor, it occurred to me. For once in my life, I knew what I wanted.

  I wanted to figure out if Patricia wanted anything to do with our daughter.

  After hitting ‘send’ and watching the inquiry whoosh off into the nethersphere of the internet, I slowly turned around in my chair. I stared at my massive bed that seemed emptier than usual, and a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me. I leaned back in my leather chair and ran my hands down my face. The only thing I could do right now was exactly what I’d just done, and for some reason, that made me angry again. After everything I’d done for that woman and everything I had sacrificed, the only thing I could do was send a message pouring my heart and soul out to some random asshole on the internet before I had her stalked to figure out what the fuck she was doing that was more important than her own damn daughter.

  I stood to my feet as my hands trembled with rage.

  Without anything better to do, I changed into my bathing suit. I ripped a towel out of my linen closet and made my way downstairs, not stopping until I got outside. I tossed my towel down onto a lounge chair and raked my hand through my hair. The full moon hovered heavily in the sky, casting a soft glow of radiant blue around my backyard. I watched the stars twinkle on top of the water in my pool as I reached my foot over toward a red button. And when I pressed it, the hot tub beside me roared to life.

  Then, I dove straight into the pool and started swimming some laps.

  I took all my pent-up energy and threw it into swimming. I paddled and kicked as hard as I could, feeling my heart rate skyrocket. I heaved for air every time I turned my head, then I dove underwater and pushed off the wall again. Every time the hot tub stopped roiling with bubbles, I jumped up enough to slap that damn button with my hand. And after swimming until I couldn’t catch my breath, I pushed myself up onto the edge of the hot tub that connected to the pool and tumbled in headfirst.

  When I came up, though, a flickering light caught the corner of my eye. I continued to pant for air as I sat on the bench against the wall of the hot tub, my eyes trailing over to the guesthouse. I watched another light turn off, and I furrowed my brow tightly. And as I watched a shadow pass quickly by a window before turning off the last light, I paused.

  What in the world was Willow doing up at this hour?

  Is she all right?

  As the bubbles burst against my skin, my mind started to run away from me. Maybe she’d been watching me swim. Maybe I’d woken her up with my furious swimming, and she had come to take a peek at me. A grin spread across my face at the idea. Maybe she wanted to get in with me and swim but was too timid to come out of her own volition. Should I go knock on her door and invite her out?

  Could I even stand to see those thick curves of hers in a swimsuit?

  You’re still married, Bryce. Cool those jets.

  I drew in a sobering breath and decided to head back inside because if I stayed out here any longer, I’d end up doing something absolutely stupid. It didn’t matter that Patricia had left. It didn’t matter that she had another man on the side, and for God only knew how long, too. All that mattered were my morals. And until I was at least separated officially from her, there wasn’t a woman that could get me to touch her.

  I still felt my mind wandering, though.

  “Time to get out,” I murmured to myself.

  As the bubbles slowed to a stop, I pushed myself out of the tub. I walked quickly over to my towel half-hanging on the ground and scooped it up as I made my way toward the porch. I forced myself not to look over my shoulder. I forced myself to keep my eyes straight. Because the last thing I needed was to question myself enough to double-back and knock on her door.

  Oh, how I wanted to, though.

  I made my way upstairs and dried myself off, slipping out of my bathing suit. I hung it up in my bathroom before tossing my towel into the dirty clothes hamper, then jumped back into bed. I pulled the covers over my naked body and closed my eyes, trying to will myself to go back to sleep. And even though the exhaustion from swimming had me dead tired, Willow’s saucy curves kept me awake.

  The idea of her warmth against me kept my muscles locked.

  The delectable outline of her thickness made my mouth water. My hands tremble. My cock stiffened.

  Horses. Think of horses, and Will training them. Mud. Mud is dirty. Mud isn’t hot at all. Unless Willow’s rolling around in it.

  My eyes snapped open, and I cursed myself for being so weak. And as I laid there, my body begging my brain to shut off, I watched the sheet over my body slowly tent itself.

  Seemingly unaware of the fact that I was still a married man.

  Fuck.

  9

  Willow

  Bwomp! Bwomp! Bwomp! Bwomp! Bwomp!

  I groaned as my eyes slowly slid open. My hand reached over and slapped the screen of my phone, shutting the damn thing off. I groaned as I laid there, trying to get my tired body to move. But, because of my unintentional late night last night, it was hard to move, especially after falling asleep with Bryce on my mind.

  Nevertheless, I forced myself to sit up. It didn’t matter that I’d only gotten four hours of sleep. The only thing that mattered was the fact that I needed to be in the house and upstairs in less than an hour. Thank the Lord, I showered before I went to bed last night. My snooze alarm went off again, filling the room with that blaring sound that always rattled me awake with a start. I reached for my phone again, turning the alarm off completely. Then I started to get into my clothes for the day before making it through the back patio doors around 6:45.

  As I carried the baby monitor with me, I made my way into the kitchen. Marie Lee hadn’t gotten up yet, so I took the liberty of starting a pot of coffee. I knew that after Bryce’s late-night swim, he’d need a cup, and I sure as hell needed one, too. So, after getting it started and filling the kitchen with the decadent smell of imported coffee from Ecuador, Marie Lee started whining over the baby monitor.

  So, I rushed up the stairs and barreled into her room.

  “Good morning, pretty girl,” I said with a smile.

  Marie Lee looked up at me with tired eyes. “Eggs?”

  I scooped her out of her bed. “Sure, we can have some eggs. Wanna go wake Daddy up first?”

  She smiled sleepily. “Da-da in bed.”

  I giggled. “Yes, he is. Daddy is in bed.”

  A
s I bounced the beautiful little girl in my arms, I went and knocked on Bryce’s door. Right at seven, just like he wanted, and I knocked away until I heard him shuffling around. A grumble sounded behind the door, and his gravelly voice sent a shiver down my spine. Nevertheless, I kept my voice as even as I could.

  “Wake up call, Bryce. I’ve got coffee on downstairs.”

  He groaned. “Thanks.”

  I grinned to myself as I made my way back downstairs. With Marie Lee resting her head against my shoulder, I pressed my cheek softly against her tangled curls. I heard the front door open just as I crossed through the foyer, signaling to me that Maria--the wonderful cook and impeccable cleaner of the household--had arrived.

  “And what will we be having for breakfast?” Maria asked in that thick Spanish accent I loved so dearly.

  I smiled. “Eggs for the little one.”

  She smiled. “And for the big one?”

  I glared at her playfully. “Hey, I’m working on it.”

  “You don’t have to do a thing, Miss Willow. You’re perfect the way you are.”

  “You know you can call me ‘Willow.’ No ‘Miss,’ if you don’t want to.”

  She snickered. “Habit, Miss Willow. But, if it makes you feel better, you can call me ‘Miss Maria.”

  “Miss Maria, it is. And for breakfast, I usually just have coffee.”

  Maria shook her head. “I’ll make you some eggs, too. And toast?”

  Marie Lee’s head shot up from my shoulder. “Butter bread!”

  Maria pointed to her. “Butter bread it is, sweet girl.”

  I kissed the top of Marie Lee’s head. “Let’s go get ready for the day, and then we’ll come eat. Sound good?”

  She smiled at me, and my heart melted. “Yeah.”

  I kissed the tip of her nose. “Great. Let’s go. Because your breath stinkies.”

  She giggled. “Stinky winky! Stinky winky!”

  I laughed all the way back up the stairs and slipped into the bathroom across the hall from Marie Lee’s room. And as I helped the small girl brush her teeth, I heard Bryce lumbering down the hallway. I forced myself to keep my focus on his daughter, despite the fact that I felt him pause at the bathroom door. What he was doing, I wasn’t sure. But, as Marie Lee spit out the toothpaste into the sink, I felt my cheeks flushing.

  It felt like Bryce was staring, but I didn’t have the guts to turn around and see if my gut was right.

  “Beh-fast time!” Marie Lee exclaimed.

  I picked her up. “Yes. After we get you dressed, okay?”

  She pouted. “Buh, butter bread?”

  I booped her nose. “After we get dressed. I’ll even let you dress yourself. How does that sound?”

  Her eyes lit up. “Dress! Pink!”

  I nodded. “Your pink dress, it is.”

  I carried the excited little girl into her room and let her run around, picking out her outfit. She brought me a beautiful pink sundress with rainbow-colored shoes and a black bow to put in her hair, and I obliged without a second thought. She was so wonderful and so independent and so funny at such a young age, and I wanted to encourage that within her. I wanted to encourage that fiery spirit I’d gotten to know my first full week here at my new job.

  But, when we went back downstairs to have breakfast, I found Bryce sitting at the table. Right next to my plate of food. Sipping a cup of coffee while he read something on his phone.

  And as I stared at him with his daughter in my arms, I couldn’t shake the memory of him last night.

  He looked absolutely amazing, swimming around in that pool. His muscles, dripping with water. His hair, trickling down his forehead and leading my eyes to his strong jawline. His body, slick with water while the lines of his muscles glistened in the moonlight. Oh, how I had wanted to join him last night. Oh, how I had wanted to get in that hot tub with him and just soak. But, I hadn’t wanted to impose on him, nor did I want to make the same mistake twice.

  He was my boss. And after staying up last night crying over Dr. Morris, the last thing I needed was to get involved with yet another one of my bosses. The rejection alone hurt enough. But, I didn’t want to compromise Marie Lee with my selfish actions. If it was just me who might have gotten hurt, I would’ve taken the opportunity. There was an innocent soul at stake here, though. And I wanted to do right by her.

  Plus, I had enough on my mind. The memory of Dr. Morris and how he looked at me with disgust broke my confidence down last night enough to make me poke at my curves in the mirror before I fell asleep. Which was big for me, because I had always prided myself in my thickness. In the way, men stared at me while holding the hands of their skinny little girlfriends. Men could pretend all they wanted, but they loved the way I was shaped. The way my hips swayed. The way my thighs blossomed and the way my breasts sat heavily against my chest—no man passed by me without looking at least once. But, for a brief moment last night, I let Dr. Morris’ words get inside my head.

  Causing me to poke at my curves instead of admiring them.

  Thank the Lord sleep did me some good.

  “Willow!”

  I jumped at the sound of Bryce’s voice. “Yes?”

  He furrowed his brow. “Your food’s getting cold. Want me to heat up your coffee?”

  I looked over at my food. “No, no. It’s fine. Marie Lee? Ready to eat?”

  I peeked over at the beautiful little girl and saw her nodding her head vigorously. And the sight of her beautiful bouncing curls made me giggle.

  “All right,” I said as I walked her over to her seat, “let’s get you some food, then.”

  But, it wasn’t long before I sat down beside Bryce that he piped up next to me.

  “I saw your lights on last night while I was swimming. You okay?”

  His question warmed my heart, and it almost sounded as if he cared. “Yeah, just up late.”

  He snickered. “Trouble sleeping?”

  I reached for my coffee. “It happens sometimes. Just got a lot on my mind.”

  He shook his head. “Sounds like me last night.”

  I looked over at him. “Are you all right?”

  And when his eyes met mine, I saw pain rushing behind his stare.

  It gave me pause as I gazed into his gorgeous baby blue eyes. Marie Lee had inherited those eyes, and I couldn't turn away from them. The soft smile on his face might’ve painted a different picture, but I knew that look. I knew that gaze. He was hurt, and rightfully so. And it hurt my soul that such a beautiful man had been wronged in such a horrible way.

  “I’ll be fine,” he said, his gaze falling quickly back to his phone.

  I sipped my coffee. “Fair enough.”

  We all ate in relative silence as Maria started cleaning up the kitchen first. I knew her routine already like the back of my hand, which allowed me to tailor Marie Lee’s schedule to hers. After breakfast came reading time in the living room while Maria cleaned the back patio. And after Maria came inside, Marie Lee and I headed up to her room where we did our reading and learning time. It didn’t take long for me to get this beautiful little two-year-old on a schedule that worked for her. But, today? Things felt a little different.

  Namely, I felt Bryce watching me more than usual.

  Granted, it was a Saturday, and it was one of the very few Saturdays where there wasn’t a rodeo going on in town. I still figured the man would have work to accomplish, but apparently not. Because every room Marie Lee and I occupied while Maria worked, Bryce seemed to be there. If we were outside, he was sitting on the back porch. If we were in Marie Lee’s room, he was walking up and down the hallway between his study and his bedroom. If Marie Lee and I were watching a movie in the living room, he was in the kitchen, rummaging around for something.

  And all the while, I felt his eyes on me.

  I wanted to ask him several times if he wanted to join us. But, I resisted the urge. Partially because I didn’t want to throw Marie Lee off her routine, but mostly because I wouldn't have bee
n asking Bryce to join us for her benefit. I’d be doing it for me, and that wasn’t fair. I liked the fact that Bryce wanted to watch me. I liked the fact that Bryce kept finding himself in our presence with every step of the day. I liked the fact that he kept gravitating to me, whether or not he realized it.

  What I didn’t like was how much it tempted me. What I didn’t like was how much I wanted to cave to it. And what I hated was how eager I was to lay Marie Lee back down tonight.

  Because I knew if I got Bryce alone again, I’d have more balls than I did last night.

  Which wouldn’t bode well for anyone involved.

  10

  Bryce

  I felt my brother’s eyes on the back of my head as I continued typing away at my computer. It had been a couple of weeks since I’d hired Willow to help me, and my brother had been giving me the side-eye ever since. Why? I wasn’t sure. But, I wouldn't give into his game. Either he brought up the topic on his own, or it didn’t get discussed.

  And in good ol’ Will Remington fashion, he talked around it.

  “So, how have things been since Patricia packed up?”

  I bit back my disgust. “Fine.”

  He pulled up a chair next to me. “Just fine?”

  I continued typing away. “Yep.”

  “Right. And… and I take it you’re trying to figure out who this man is that she left you for?”

  “Either spit it out or leave it, Will.”

  He sighed. “I’m just trying to get you to talk to me, Bryce. That so bad?”

  I swiveled away from my desk and looked him straight in the face. “No, you’re not. You’re trying to get confirmation or denial based on the things you’ve heard in town. You’re probably being bombarded with questions you don’t have answers to, so now you’re looking for answers.”