Cowboy 12 Pack
Page 25
Sadie opened her mouth to protest, but Jake silenced her with another knee-weakening kiss, then swung her up in his arms and carried her to his horse. She rode back to the ranch the same way she’d come—tied up. But this time the ride was much more enjoyable.
Epilogue
‡
SADIE RAN HER fingers over the braided leather bracelet around her wrist. Jake had made it himself and given it to her as a reminder of the leather strap that had been so important in bringing them together the day they’d first made love. It was as beautiful and meaningful as the wedding ring he’d put on her hand that afternoon.
She still couldn’t believe they were married. The two months since he proposed had seemed like a lifetime. Regardless of her declaration about not needing him to court her, Jake had done so anyway—he’d wanted to keep up appearances even though everyone on the ranch already knew about them—before he officially “proposed.” Sadie would have married him the very next day but Isabella would have none of it. She insisted Sadie have a proper wedding with all the trappings, and that included a beautiful wedding dress, something her housekeeper needed time to make. While waiting to become Jake’s wife had been torture, the look on his face when he saw her walk down the aisle in the dress made it all worth it. Sadie was so in love with him it made her heart ache sometimes.
She lifted her head to look up at him. After the reception, Jake had put her on his horse and climbed up behind her, but refused to tell her anything.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I told you. It’s a surprise.” His mouth twitched at her impatient groan. “We’ll be there soon. Close your eyes.”
Sadie thought he was kidding, but then realized he was serious. She sighed and closed her eyes.
“Keep them closed until I tell you to open them.”
She fidgeted, but obeyed. A few minutes later, the horse came to a stop. Jake dismounted, then put his hands around her waist and lifted her down. Putting his arm around her waist, he urged her forward, then stopped.
“Go ahead and open your eyes.”
Sadie did, opening them wide when she saw where they were. It was the hay shelter where she had given herself to Jake that first time. He’d covered the hay bales with soft blankets and pillows, and hung flowing curtains all around it to keep out the night breeze.
She whirled around to face him. “When did you do all this?”
“While you were getting ready for the ceremony.” He took her in his arms. “Do you like it?”
“I love it. It’s the sweetest, most romantic thing you could have done for me.” Smiling, she put her arms around his neck. “Though I have to wonder if you brought me here so you could spank me.”
His eyes turned molten in the setting sun. “The thought did cross my mind.”
Sadie couldn’t think of a more perfect ending to a perfect wedding day.
*
SADIE SNUGGLED CLOSER to her husband, sighing as her freshly strapped bottom rubbed against the blanket. She didn’t think it was possible to be any happier than she was right now.
“Before the ceremony Ned asked me if we were going to still keep ranching.”
Jake’s voice was soft in the darkness, his fingers almost hypnotizing as they ran up and down her arm.
“What did you tell him?”
“That I’d have to talk to you.”
She chewed on her lower lip. The gold had already made them extremely wealthy, so there was no need to keep ranching, but it didn’t seem right to give it up. Not when her father had worked so hard to build the ranch from the ground up. When she told Jake as much, he agreed.
“Besides, we need cattle to give us an excuse to go on another drive next year,” she added, lifting her head to look at him.
He raised a brow. “You really want to do that again?”
“With you leading the way, Mr. Wagner? Definitely.” She gave him a flirtatious smile. “As long as we stop at that same river we did the last time.”
Jake chuckled. “Count on it, Mrs. Wagner.”
Sadie could hardly wait.
The End
About the Author
Paige Tyler is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kickbutt heroines who fall in love with them.
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Other Books by Paige Tyler
SERIES
X-OPS Series
Her Perfect Mate
Her Lone Wolf (RT Award Nominee for Best Paranormal Romantic Suspense)
Her Secret Agent (a FREE Novella)
Her Wild Hero
SWAT (Special Wolf Alpha Team) Series
Hungry Like the Wolf
The Badge Bunnies Series
Seducing Officer Barlowe
Two Cops, A Girl and a Pair of Handcuffs
A Cop, His Wife and Her Best Friend
Ride-Along
Hands-On Training
The Buckle Bunnies Series
Ride of Her Like
Team Roping
Ride ’em Hard
Alaskan Werewolves Series
Animal Attraction
The Cutler Brothers Series
Cade
Madoc
The Cutler Brides
Modern Day Vampires
Vampire 101
The Friends Series
Spicing Up Her Marriage
Taking Her Friends Advice
It’s Just a Job
INDIVIDUAL BOOKS
Paranormals
Dead Sexy
Just Right
The Magic Spell
Contemporary
Security Risk
The Postman Always Comes Twice
Good Cop, Bad Girl
Erotic Exposure
Unmasked
Librarian By Day
Protective Custody
Samantha and the Detective
Nosy By Nature
All She Wants for Christmas
The Trouble with New Year’s Resolutions
Austin Malone, Private Eye
The Girl Next Door
Western
More Than a Cowboy
Karleigh’s Cowboys
And the Ranch Hand Makes Three
Kayla and the Rancher
Bridezilla
A Date for the Wedding
Sci-Fi
The Ambassador’s Daughter
Not the Man She Thought
The Billionaire’s Husband Test
Billionaire Online Dating
Elle James
‡
also writing as Myla Jackson
This book visits Myla Jackson’s
Ugly Stick Saloon
Welcome Back!
Copyright © 2012, Elle James. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Editor: Layla Chase
Cover artist: Elle James
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with a
nother person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Chapter One
‡
“DON’T LEAVE LOVE up to luck. With the help of my firm and heavily tested computer algorithms, you will have a ninety-nine point nine percent chance of finding your perfect match.” The attractive young woman, wearing a soft gray business suit and standing in front of the white board, clicked a hand-held remote control. A picture of a couple embracing at sunset on a beach materialized on the white surface. “What do you think? Willing to give my program a shot?”
“I don’t know.” Cooper Johnson sat at the conference table with the other members of the Billionaires Anonymous Club. “Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?”
“Mr. Johnson—” Leslie Lamb began.
“Call him Coop. All his friends call him that.” Maxwell Smithson grinned.
“For the sake of argument, give my friend Leslie the benefit of the doubt.” Taggert Bronson rose to stand beside the presenter. “Think about it. Didn’t we all make the same plans? Work hard, work smart, make our first million by thirty, start a family by thirty-five…We’re all on track—only better–instead of millions, we made our billions by thirty.” Tag pointed to Gage Tate. “How’s that media empire going?” He nodded toward Sean O’Leary. “Your oil speculating has you sitting pretty, doesn’t it, Sean? And Coop, you and I are making billions on our financial investments. Have any of you even thought about the next step in our plan? How many of you are even dating?”
Sean raised his hand. “I’ve been dating.”
“The same girl more than once?” Tag asked.
“Using a computer to find a mate just doesn’t seem right.” Coop pushed back his chair and rose. “When I find the woman I want to marry, I’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”
Tag snorted. “And meet her at a bar?”
“Any of you have any luck lately going to a bar and not being slammed by the paparazzi?”
Gage sighed. “Though I hate to admit it, the man has a point. I can’t step outside my condo without being hit by at least a dozen cameras, much less go to dinner with anyone without being bombarded.”
Leslie smiled. “That’s the beauty of BODS—”
“Seriously?” Sean shook his head. “BODS?”
The woman drew herself up to her full five-foot-three inches and stared down her nose at Sean. “Billionaire Online Dating Service—BODS. It’s an acronym, so sue me. As I was saying, the beauty of the system is that the communication is all done anonymously. You meet real woman, not money-grubbing, limelight-seeking gold-diggers.”
Gage frowned. “They won’t know that we’re loaded?”
“Financial status is not one of the questions we ask on the online data collection system. I perform a background check on each entrant and the computer does the matching.”
Tag spread his hands. “Don’t you love it? And the match is all based on your own personality profile.” He dropped his hands when none of the others spoke. “What have you got to lose?”
Shaking his head, Coop grumbled, “Our dignity. Participation is admitting we’re hopeless at finding a date.”
Leslie shook her head. “Not at all. The program gives you a better chance of finding someone who truly fits the life-style of your dreams. Tell you what. As my first customers—”
Gage shot to his feet. “Whoa, wait a minute. First?” He stared across at Tag. “I thought you said this system was proven?”
“It is…on volunteers.” Tag held up his hands. “Leslie hasn’t yet charged for her services. Calm down.”
Coop crossed his arms, ready for the meeting to be over. “I don’t relish being someone’s guinea pig.”
“You aren’t.” Leslie sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Tell you what, how about I let you use my service free? If you find the woman of your dreams, then you pay me what you think the experience was worth.”
“Can’t get fairer than that.” Tag grinned. “Who wants to be first to sign up?”
“I think you should be.” Cooper pinned Tag with a challenging stare.
“I’m already in the system and aiming for a date next Friday.” Tag’s eyes narrowed. “How about it, Coop? Or are you afraid?”
Hell yeah, Cooper was afraid. What kind of loser would the computer match him up with? Then again, he wouldn’t admit to any of them that the idea of dating was worse than public speaking…and he hated public speaking. That’s why he worked the financial market and stayed behind the scenes. He lived on his ranch, raised his horses quietly—no fanfare and no paparazzi as long as he didn’t step out on a date. So far, the arrangement had been very lucrative with no distractions. Lonely, but lucrative, about summed up his life.
“Look, Leslie is in a situation no different than we were when we started out.” Tag continued, “Give her business a chance. One date. That’s all she’s asking.”
“Fine,” Cooper said. “Anything to get this meeting over with.”
Leslie’s face bloomed with a huge smile. “I’ll take you in Tag’s office, one at a time to enter your data and show you the ropes. The process won’t take long and you’ll have your match. You won’t regret your decision. I promise.”
Cooper was already regretting his agreement, and he hadn’t even been matched yet.
*
EMMA JACOB’S CELL phone vibrated, indicating a text message. Sitting at a stoplight, she glanced at the message and sighed.
Set an extra plate at dinner. The message was from her oldest brother, Ace. More than likely, the guest was another attempt at fixing her up with a man. For the past month, all four of her brothers had taken it upon themselves to find Emma a husband.
Great, that’s all she needed, more husband candidates forced on her by the worst matchmakers ever in Jacobs family history. Granted, her four brothers meant well, but really? If she’d wanted another man in her life, she’d have gone out and chosen one herself.
Truth was she was happy just the way things were. Well, almost. She’d have been much happier if the love of her life had lived long enough for them to be married, have children and grow old together. But that hadn’t been in the cards. Not once Marcus was deployed, got hit by an improvised explosion device and died before being transported back to the states.
Her throat tightened and she twisted the diamond engagement ring on her finger. For two years, she’d been mourning his death. You’d think her brothers would let it be, instead of telling her she should get back in the saddle.
Emma slipped the ring from her finger and tucked it into her wallet. Maybe removing the ring would lead her brothers to think she was ready to move on, even if she wasn’t. That and her trip to Dallas and a meeting with the one friend, Leslie Lamb, she’d made in her grieving group, would set her plan in motion. Emma had a special favor to ask of her friend. One she hoped would solve all her problems with her brothers.
“You want what?” Leslie leaned across her desk an hour later, tapping her pen against the notepad she’d been scribbling on.
“I want you to set me up on a date with a man that will completely fail to impress my brothers.” Emma ticked off on her fingers. “He has to be nice looking. That fact will throw off the boys. Preferably someone who makes his living sitting behind a desk.” She’d pictured a pasty computer geek, but didn’t want to be that crude in front of Leslie.
“Let me get this straight. You want this date to fail?” Leslie shook her head. “I’m building a business, not tearing it down. How will that look to the guy I’m setting you up with if I match him with someone totally wrong for his preferences?”
Emma sat back, frowning. “Hmm, sorry. That’s pretty narrow-minded, thinking only of myself.” She chewed on her lip for a moment. “I guess I could go find some other online dating service and play Russian roulette.” She sat up. “I’m sorry, Leslie, the idea was stupid.
Just forget I asked. I know how hard you’ve worked to put together the business plan and line up investors for your dating service. I wish you lots of luck.” Emma gathered her purse and stood. “I have to get back to the ranch before feeding time.”
“Wait.” Leslie left her chair and rounded her desk, laying a hand on Emma’s arm. “Do me a favor first and fill out a form on my computer. Be honest, don’t fudge the data and let’s see what happens.”
Already shaking her head, Emma backed toward the door. “I don’t want to set you up for failure. I’m really not interested in finding love. I had it.”
Leslie squeezed her arm. “I know. Thinking of loving anyone else is hard, isn’t it? I know exactly where you are. I haven’t even tried, yet.”
“Yet. At least you might some day.” Emma shook her head, pain pinching her throat. “Not me. I had the love of my life. I don’t want second best.”
“At least, give the system a chance to find a match that closely suits you. Give him one date, and maybe your brothers will get off your back.”
“I don’t know. I don’t like leading someone on when I don’t want it to go anywhere.”