The Billionaire Rancher's Christmas Wife

by Marian Tee

  Isla’s whole body turned cold.

  “You already had your chance with the billionaire anyway, and it didn’t work out. If you had consulted me over this, I would have saved you grief and told you so. But what’s done is done…” Isabella shrugged. “We can only move on.”

  Isla dug her fingers into her palms. Please don’t say it. Please don’t. Please.

  “I’d like you to contact your former fiancé. Make up some excuse – I don’t care what it is. Just be sure to have him meet your younger sister, and India will do the rest.”

  Her younger sister let out a trilling laugh. “You make it sound so innocent, Mother.” She cast a spiteful look at Isla. “But just so we’re clear, I intend to seduce him, and trust me, sweetie, he’ll fall for me the way he didn’t fall for you.”

  Isla felt sick. How could India be so cruel? And why were her parents letting her get away with it?

  The haunted look in her daughter’s eyes had Isabella bristling and hiding her guilt behind a cold veneer of rage. “You have no right to look at any of us like that,” she snapped. “You owe it to us, do you understand?”

  “What did I ever do to you?” Isla asked tremulously. “Why can’t you love me?” She hadn’t planned to say the words, and she wanted to weep as soon as she spoke the words. Was she fated to ask this question over and over? Was it time to accept that no one could love her?

  Isabella furiously rose to her feet at Isla’s words, and the loud thud of her chair falling to the floor masked the sound of the front door opening. “A parent will always put her own child first,” Isabella spat. “Do you understand it now, or are you such an idiot that I have to spell it out for you?”

  Isla jerked.

  “We were forced to adopt when we thought I wouldn’t be able to conceive naturally. The writing was always on the wall, but you just didn’t want to see it---”

  “Then why didn’t you just give me up,” Isla asked brokenly, “when you had India?”

  “Oh, we wanted to,” Isabella assured her coldly. “But our hands were tied. We didn’t want people to talk.”

  And that was all that mattered to them, Isla thought dully.

  Emptiness filled Isla as everything became clear. Her whole life, she had worked so hard to earn a place in this family – and they had let her even knowing it could never have been possible. They had never wanted her, and they never would.

  As Isla shakily stood up, she heard a distinctly familiar voice say, “I’d like to speak with Isla privately, so can you all get the fuck out?”

  Chapter 14

  Sean stood by the doorway, tall, dark, and handsome, and looking every inch the billionaire he was, despite his days-old beard. He had on a frighteningly expensive suit, but even more terrifying was the look on his face. He looked fit to kill, his expression so intimidatingly furious a sane person would have known he had better chances of surviving if he were to fight a lion barehanded than if he were made to face the billionaire’s wrath.

  Looking at him, Isla was tempted to pinch herself. Was it really Sean?

  She saw his hazel eyes move to her younger sister and unthinkingly drew her breath. A part of her waited and even expected him to be bowled over by India’s looks. He might be a billionaire used to being surrounded by women, but India was so dazzling she could hold her own with anyone anywhere.

  In the corner of her eye, she saw India straighten, and a sick feeling burst out in the pit of her stomach at the way her sister pushed her breasts up. It was clear India was going all out to seduce Sean –

  But all it achieved was have Sean glance at her with disdain before turning his head away in dismissal.

  His indifference shocked her, and she vaguely noticed that the rest of her family had the same reactions.

  It took everything of Sean not to snatch Isla up in his arms and get her as far away as possible from the good-for-nothing humans she had the misfortune of calling family. He had already known before meeting the Bouchards that he would find them despicable, but the vitriol he heard Isla’s mother spew out was even worse than he expected.

  Reining his temper in only for Isla’s sake, he dealt Isla’s parents and sister a look of cold anger. “Didn’t you hear me? I want all of you out of this fucking house.”

  India’s mouth gaped open like a blowfish at the combination of contempt and revulsion in the billionaire’s eye while Isla’s mother bristled in offended rage. “How dare you order us around,” Isabella hissed. “This is our house---”

  “It won’t be for long,” Sean cut in ruthlessly, “if you and your family don’t leave in the next five minutes.”

  Isabella let out a gasp of outrage. “Who do you think you are---”

  “Wrong question,” the billionaire interrupted in a hard tone. “But it’s only to be expected. Your daughter – the real one, mind you – has the reputation of an idiot and she could have only taken after her mother, can she?”

  India’s jaw dropped open. “Excuse me?” Her tone was shrill, her gaze incredulous. It was more than evident she hadn’t expected any man – much less someone like the billionaire – to speak of her so disparagingly.

  Unfortunately for Isla’s family, it was just the start.

  As her mother and sister started to squawk angrily, the billionaire silenced them with a single look from his cold hazel eyes. “Before any of you waste more of my time, I want you to think long and hard about the countless ways I can destroy you.”

  Isla watched with a numb sort of fascination as all three of them turned white at Sean’s words.

  “I know you’re all dumb, but I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m hoping your pea-sized brains will understand how futile it would be to cross me.”

  Isabella sent her husband a furious look. “Are you going to just sit there and say nothing?”

  “Of course he would,” Sean answered for Thomas. “Your husband might be a spineless ass, but he’s no idiot.” Thomas started to open his mouth, but the billionaire said pleasantly, “No need to speak, old man. Just nod your head like the wimp that you are, and I’ll endeavor to leave your law firm alone.”

  At the implied threat, Thomas, who was indeed a spineless ass but no idiot, nodded as asked, and profusely, too, for good measure. It had his wife screeching in outrage and threatening to call 911 and report the billionaire for coercion while India, confident in her ability to win any man over, let out a sob of mortification. Her big eyes filling up with tears, she sent a look of appeal to the billionaire. “You’ve been fed lies, Mr. Northwood. Isla has always been jealous of me---”

  “Shut up.”

  India was livid, and her tears miraculously dried in an instant.

  “Isla doesn’t need to tell me anything. You only have to open your mouth once, and I already know you’re a traitorous, selfish bitch and your mother a pretentious snob.” Sean leveled an impatient look at the older woman, who had again started screeching. “Get your wife to shut up, Thomas.”

  “Of course.” And ignoring the way his wife’s face nearly turned purple with rage, Thomas said reasonably, “You must listen to him, dear.”

  “Absolutely not,” Isabella spat. “He’s---”

  “Rich enough to ruin us,” Thomas finished.

  Something in her husband’s gaze must have effectively communicated the seriousness of the situation, with Isabella reduced to throwing Sean a venomous look of hatred.

  Sean was unimpressed. “Frankly speaking, dealing with you is a waste of my time, but it’s evident to me that you’re the kind of idiot who needs to have things spelled out very clearly. So let me warn you just this once. From here on, Isla doesn’t exist for anyone of you. You are not to talk about her, search her out, or even think of her. If people ask you about her – and trust me, by tomorrow’s time, people will be asking the right questions – you will say nothing. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut where she’s concerned.”

  Isla struggled to keep her face exp
ressionless as she listened to Sean’s threat. It was obvious that Sean had clearly heard enough of Isabella’s revelation to know how little she mattered to her adoptive family – and how the billionaire had used the knowledge to execute the perfect revenge against them.

  “He’ll leave you, too.” It was India who suddenly spoke out, her voice filled with malevolence as she glared at Isla. “You’ll never be able to keep a man like him. No man can ---”

  Sean’s face went rigid when he saw anguish flit over Isla’s face at the other woman’s words. “Get the fuck out,” he grated out. “This is my last fucking warning, and in case you’re bigger idiots than I give you credit for and you think any kind of distance will prevent me from finding out if you ever disobey me – be my fucking guest.” His tone turned into a dangerously soft snarl. “Just know that one mistake will cost you everything – and life as you know it will be over.”

  India and her parents turned white.

  The billionaire made a furious slashing gesture towards the door. “OUT. NOW.”

  A chaotic mix of emotions burst inside of Isla as she watched Isabella actually trip over her feet in her haste to leave, while Thomas was left to drag a sullen-looking India off with him. There was pain and horror, there was even laughter, but curiously enough, there was also a sense of closure that brought Isla intense relief.

  She knew she would never see any of her family again after this, and while the realization hurt, Isla also realized that she was fine with it. Her time with the Bouchards was over, and now…it was time to close another chapter of her life.

  I can do this, Isla told herself but even the thought alone had her throat clogged up with unshed tears. I can do this. She forced herself to lift her gaze to his – and that was all it took. That was when she knew.

  She couldn’t do it after all.

  Isla tried to run away. She knew it was a shameful, cowardly, thing to do, and she hated herself for it, but even so – she had no choice. It hurt too much to look at him, be in the same room with him, and know that he didn’t love her.

  Unfortunately, she only managed a few steps when Sean’s big, powerful body suddenly blocked way, and she had to force herself into a blundering, awkward stop to avoid crashing into him.

  Sean’s fists clenched at the way Isla had her gaze resolutely fixed on the floor. “Isla?”

  She heard the unspoken question in his voice and shook her head to it. “Thank you for defending me,” she said tonelessly. “You didn’t have to, but thank you.”

  “I’d always defend you.” His voice was taut. “Always.”

  Silence.

  “I know you saw the draft---” She flinched, and he cursed under his breath. “I would never have used it, Isla. I didn’t even fucking remember it existed until Oscar came to my office---”

  Her head jerked up at the mention of his lawyer’s name, and Isla let out a small cry when she saw the look on his face. Memories flashed in her mind – of how she had cried in Oscar’s office, of how she had been so damn obvious with her desperate feelings of love for Sean – and a sickening sense of shame filled her.

  “You k-know, don’t you?”

  She saw his jaw clench, and it was enough.

  She knew he knew.

  Oh God, he knew.

  He knew she loved him –

  A sob escaped Isla. She saw Sean whiten at the sound, but she didn’t care. Pride was all she had to cling to when she left him, and now he had taken that away from her, too.

  “Why are you here, Sean?” she asked brokenly.

  “Because I fucked up.” His voice was hoarse, and Sean had to clench his hands against the urge to pull her into his arms. “I fucked up big time, Isla.” He wanted – needed – to hold her, but she looked so damn fragile he was terrified one small mistake on his part would have her shattering into pieces. “And I didn’t even know it until it was too late and you were gone. I didn’t realize---”

  “That I loved you?” Hysteria tinged her words, and she let out a shaky, crazed laugh. “And when you did know – what then?” Laughter turned into tears, and she hugged herself tightly as despair threatened to tear her apart. “You s-suddenly realized you loved me, too?”

  “It’s not like that, dammit.” Agony ripped into him as he saw her shoulders shake at her silent tears. “I know it’s hard to believe me after everything, but God, Isla, it’s not---”

  “But it is, Sean.” Tears rushed down her face, and Isla struggled to keep herself upright as pain attempted to swallow her whole. “Do you what I couldn’t stop thinking about after leaving your lawyer’s office? It was all those times I talked to you about our f-future---” She choked back a sob. “You let me plan our future, Sean! You listened to me plan for a future t-that didn’t even exist---”

  He could see her literally breaking down in front of him, and he could no longer take it.

  “I’m so damn sorry, Isla.” He snatched her into his arms. “I just didn’t fucking know how much I was hurting you.”

  “You made me feel so stupid, Sean. So d-damn stupid.” She was sobbing as she beat his chest and tried to shove him away, but he didn’t let her go. He would never let her go.

  “I’m so sorry.” He felt her slowly sag against him as the burden of her emotions weighed her down. He felt her breaking, and he felt himself break with her. “I’m so goddamn sorry.”

  “I t-tried to tell myself you’d soon realize that you loved me---”

  “I did,” he said fiercely.

  “But it just kept hurting. Sleeping in your arms, loving you, and k-knowing that you d-didn’t l-love me---”

  He felt her shudder, and it tore at him.

  “Why couldn’t you love me, Sean?”

  God. That he would make someone so sweet and selfless ask such a question –

  He cupped her face and forced herself to look at him. “I love you. I loved you from the first day---”

  “Please d-don’t lie---”

  “It’s not a lie,” he denied violently. He grabbed her hand and slammed it over his chest. “Do you feel that, Isla? You owned it the moment I saw you. It’s only been beating for you since then. I was just too much of a fool to realize it---”

  Terror gripped him at the way Isla kept shaking her head.

  “Listen to me,” he said urgently. “Just…listen.” His grip tightened on her hand. “Everything about you was perfect. You were different from the rest, and you made me feel things no one else had. I couldn’t get enough of you, and when we made love the first time, it was beyond perfect…and I couldn’t make myself accept it. My heart knew then it was love at first sight, but my brain refused to accept it. I kept telling myself that it was impossible. That it couldn’t be real because it didn’t make sense. But then you left---” Even now, the memory of how he felt when he first saw his house empty and shorn of even a single remnant of her presence was devastating, and Sean had to inhale sharply in an effort to get past the fear and pain.

  “Life without you makes even less sense, Isla. I’m nothing without you. You’re my life---”

  “S-Stop it.” Isla squeezed her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to deny what she was hearing, but it was futile.

  “You’re my love. You’re my everything---”

  “Stop, damn you.” She was so, so afraid of getting hurt again. “Nothing you say will ever make me believe you---”

  “I love you, Isla.”

  A heavy sob racked her body.

  “If having you back means the world will think I’m a fool for believing in love at first sight----”

  Oh God, why wouldn’t he stop?

  “I’d gladly shout it to the world then. I’m a fool. I’m a fool for you, Isla, and always will be.”

  She watched him bring her fingers to his mouth, and the feel of his lips touching her skin made her bite back a cry. It was like coming to life – because, despite everything, he, too, was his life.

  Her emerald gaze met his, and Sean swallowed hard at what he saw
in it.

  Forgiveness.

  Love.

  And a promise of a future so damn sweet that it took his breath away –

  “It’s okay now.”

  Sean felt his own eyes start to sting. God. It was just like her – so damn like her to forgive so easily. Even when she had the right to make him suffer, even when they both knew she was better off without a fool like him –

  “How did I get so lucky?”

  Isla couldn’t help crying at the raggedness of his tone, and she cried even harder at the way his hands shook as he touched her face, his fingers moving with such hesitation it was as if he was trying to assure himself she was indeed real and not some damn hallucination his desperate mind had conjured.

  This man loved her.

  And she had finally found a place where she belonged.

  Epilogue

  It was the twenty-fifth of December, and the hotel where the Bouchards were forced to spend the night before had cheerfully prepared for the advent of Christmas with all the seasonal trappings: a festively decorated tree at the lobby, wreaths and mistletoes all around, and Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber singing All I Want for Christmas Is You in the background. There was also a hotel employee dressed as Santa’s elf stationed next to the elevator, and she greeted the Bouchards a Merry Christmas as she handed them complimentary of sugar cookies and candy canes.

  “Err, thank you.” Thomas stared blankly at his bag of treats. While he didn’t particularly hate the idea of Christmas, he didn’t like how the holiday forced him to confront the emptiness of existence.

  Isabella, however, had very strong feelings against it, and she didn’t hesitate to return the bag to the hotel employee, saying coldly, “No, thanks.” She had always found Christmas and everything that went with it – such as singing carols and giving each other gifts – too disgustingly emotional and pedestrian for her tastes.