The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “Are we going much further?” I called ahead of me.

  “Nope. Just a little longer.”

  Good. I liked riding the horses, but I wanted to get off. I wanted to stop and be able to get a good look around.

  We made our way up the hill. I gasped at what I saw. I hadn’t realized just how high the hill was as we made our way up it, but at the top I felt like I could see miles around us.

  “Wait … is that,” I pointed towards a group of buildings, “is that the town Chris and I went to?”

  “Yup.” Jeff hopped off the horse. He turned to me and strode over. I dismounted carefully, yet still managed to stumble when my feet met the ground. Jeff caught me, his hands against my hips. He grinned as he looked me up and down. His lips touched mine for a fraction of a second. “And that over there is the ranch.” He pointed towards another group of buildings, this one much smaller.

  “Wow.” I shook my head, trying to take everything in. It was crazy. I felt like I was on top of the world.

  My head snapped towards the sound of hooves walking away. The horses were already a few feet from us and heading down the hill. “Sh –”

  “It’s fine.” He cut me off.

  “But they’re going to run away, aren’t they?”

  “Nope, this is all fenced in. They will be fine. We’ll just have to walk home if we don’t find any along the way.” He didn’t seem to mind, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it. I wasn’t going to voice it, though.

  “It’s gorgeous up here,” I said, stepping away from Jeff so I could look around. I’m so lucky he brought me up here. And then the thought hit me. Maybe I wasn’t all that lucky. Maybe this was the norm. My brow furrowed.

  I hated the idea of being a notch in his belt. I hated the idea he did the same thing with dozens of other women. Not because I didn’t like knowing he’d been with other women, but because I didn’t like feeling played. And if this was some sort of routine he had worked through billions of times, that wasn’t going to work for me. I didn’t want him to use his play book on me.

  On the other hand it might be nice to just go back to the ranch. Maybe I could spend some time with Chris. I could ask.

  I should. I knew I should. But … what if it didn’t go well? I knew this probably was a routine and I knew it would be a hard topic to discuss if he was going to be honest, so why ruin a good time, right?

  I turned back to him and my jaw dropped.

  I stared at the ground where he sat. A blanket was laid out and food was sitting on the blanket. He’d kicked his shoes off and was stretched out. “Well, are you going to come sit with me or just stand there the whole time?”

  I stared. I just stood there and I stared. Not because of the blanket and the food, but because he had his shirt off and oh good God, it was a sight to see.

  I’d already seen it, of course, but somehow seeing it in the light just made it so much better. It was like … like a real cowboy, I thought. A grin spread over my face.

  “Yeah, I’ll come sit with you.” I skipped over to the blanket, kicked my shoes off, and stretched out.

  “Water,” I said and he handed me a bottle. I took it from him and cracked it open. “You really have this down pat.” The second I said it I regretted it. I said I wasn’t going to bring it up. I said it wouldn’t make anything better. I said there was no point. I cringed as I saw the look on his face.

  He blushed. “Down pat?” I could tell the comment took him off guard. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Nothing bad,” I said as quickly as I could. I took a long swig of my water hoping he would fill the silence. He didn’t, and when he didn’t, I felt like I should say something. “Just … you know, I’m not naive. I mean, you do this every time don’t you? With all the girls? And it’s nice. I’m not saying it’s not, I’d have it as a go-to if I were you, too.”

  “Actually,” I was thankful he cut me off before I dug myself into a deeper hole, “I’ve never brought anyone up here until now. Well, except Jamie but … other than her … no one. I thought you might like it, though.”

  “Oh.” It was just about the stupidest thing I could have said, but it’s what came out of my mouth. The second it came out, I regretted it. I closed my eyes. “I mean, it’s really nice. It is gorgeous and I do like it.”

  A smile touched his lips. Not much of one, but a little one at the very least. “I’m glad to hear it.”

  We sat there in silence.

  I didn’t know where we were supposed to go after that, so I just sat there. Eventually I took another sip of water so I didn’t feel like I had to speak.

  “Just so you know, I’ve never actually spent more than one night with someone at the ranch.”

  His words took me off guard. I didn’t know if I was supposed to be happy or confused, but my body decided to go with both. “But … we …” Yes, we’d slept together more than once. So why was he saying he didn’t normally do it?

  “Yes.”

  “But … I’m a guest at the ranch. I’m –”

  “Not normal, I guess.” His eyes locked on mine.

  I stared. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do or say, so I just stared at him. My mouth fell wide open, and I finally forced it closed.

  “Oh. Okay.”

  I knew it was pretty lame, but I didn’t have anything else to say. He dumped a lot on me.

  “Would you like something to eat?”

  His question shocked me almost as much as his last statement about me not being like his normal girls. Was that it? He was just going to change the subject to food? Sounded fair to me.

  “Sure.”

  Together we started to go through everything he had brought. Cookies, bread, salads, chili, cake, and a couple different types of drinks. The man had come ready, that was for sure.

  I took a cookie from the container and looked at Jeff. He closed his eyes and smiled as the sun beat down on him.

  “Jeff, tell me about yourself.” I couldn’t believe I was going to do it, but there I was asking the man to tell me things about him. And I wanted to know. This was one of those things I always said I would never do, because it lead to feelings.

  Feelings have gone out the window now. Let’s face it, this was more than just sex. We’d shared secrets with each other. We’d shared ourselves. And once that happened there was no room for pretending that it was just physical. There are feelings involved now. Why not make the most of them? After all, it wasn’t long until I would be leaving. How attached could I get?

  “What do you want to know?”

  “All the interesting stuff?” I offered, never knowing how to answer that question. At least it got a soft laugh from Jeff.

  “Well, I grew up not too far from here, a few hours depending on which one of us is driving. My brothers and I worked hard our whole lives. We got it in our head we wanted to be able to afford whatever we wanted. I went to law school and I worked as a lawyer for a little while until Alex saw this place. We went to look at it in person and then … well that was that. We fell in love with it.”

  I was confused. Wait, wait, wait. I held my hand up to stop him. “Hold on. You own this place? And Alex is your brother?”

  I felt like I should have known that, but really why would I? My mind raced to process everything.

  “Oh, yes. We’re brothers and, along with our youngest brother, we own the place. Then we employ a few others just to keep things running smoothly.”

  “Wow.” I had no clue. Wait… That brought me back to something he said last night. I chewed the inside of my lip. Did I really want to know how old he was? He knows how old I am. The thought hit me. Maybe I should know.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t even think to tell you. It’s just such a norm for me. Plus, let’s face it, most of the girls don’t really care. It’s been a very, very long time since someone asked about me.”

  I knew what he meant by that. I knew he meant the last girl to ask him was Jamie. He didn’t need to say it. I
saw the look on his face and I put two and two together.

  “How long have you been at the ranch?”

  “A long time, honestly.”

  “And you like it?”

  “I love it. There is nothing I’d rather be doing. It took a lot of money up front and a lot more time and even more learning, but it’s been worth it.”

  I smiled listening to him talk about it. I could tell how passionate he was. I liked it, honestly. It was nice to hear. Better than any of the dates I’d been on in the recent past.

  “Hey … I gotta ask …” I trailed off. I was nervous, but if I didn’t ask I’d just be wondering for the rest of the time we were together. “How old are you?”

  “Thirty-seven.” He looked away from me when he said it. I felt my heart do a backflip. He was that much older than me? Wow.

  But it didn’t matter. I shrugged. “You’re not the oldest guy I’ve slept with.” He was the oldest I had feelings for. Feelings.

  The thought still freaked me out more than I was willing to admit, but there was no denying it. I had some sort of feelings for the man. I wanted to know about him, I wanted to chat, I wanted to spend time with him, and do more than just have sex. Yup, there were feelings somewhere in here.

  “I’m not?” I felt and heard the jealously in his voice. My cheeks flushed a little.

  “Am I the youngest girl you’ve slept with?” I knew the answer without having to ask. I watched his cheeks flush. “Anyway, let’s not beat around the bush. You’re the kind of guy who has slept with lots of girls and I’m the kind of girl who has slept with lots of guys.”

  Jeff stared at me. “But you’ve slept with someone older?”

  “I think so.” I shrugged. I wasn’t quite sure, but the guy definitely looked older than him. He acted like it, too. “I don’t normally get the age of guys I sleep with,” I admitted. I mean, it’s not like I had much time to get to know them. Not like with Jeff. It wasn’t normally more than one night. I gave him a small grin; one he returned.

  Jeff leaned over and kissed me softly. “But am I the best?”

  “Oh, are you sure you want the answer to that question?” I teased.

  “Yes, because if there is something I’m not doing that other guys are, I want to know their secrets.”

  I barked out a totally unsexy laugh. I loved his answer. I loved his honesty. “Well, if it makes you feel better, you are the best I’ve slept with.”

  “A little disappointed, to be honest. I was looking forward to some good tips.” His grin widened.

  I laughed.

  Is this a date? I wondered. It had been a long, long time since I had been on a date, and I didn’t quite know how to feel about it. Damn it. Things had to get complicated. I was here to have fun, and I wanted to do more than have fun. I wanted to be with Jeff. I wanted to spend my time with him and have fun and go on more dates. I bit my lip trying to clear my mind. It didn’t matter, right? It was just a couple more days and then it was over. I’d have to get over him. If I had left feelings out of this I wouldn’t have to worry about that last part.

  I took a cookie as I looked at him.

  “Will you make dinner with me tonight?” he asked.

  “Um, sure.” I loved the idea of it. We’d talked about my cooking while I was here, but I hadn’t expected him to ask me to cook with him. Actually, I had just assumed he was being polite when he said I should cook. I hadn’t expected him to go for it at all. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I’m not sure. Do you have anything you like making?”

  “Well, I’m more of a baker than anything else, but I can whip up a mean chicken dinner.” It was what my family always requested.

  “We’ve got a ham in the freezer and you’re welcome to it.” Jeff smiled as he reached for his own cookie.

  Jeff

  I knew it was risky to do this today, and I knew it was stupid to ask her to join me for dinner. I knew it was dangerous to get attached to her like this, but come on, I already had. I knew I had feelings for her and I wanted to pretend I didn’t, but what was the point? I missed her when she wasn’t around.

  So, I’d spend as much time with her as I could. And then she’s going to leave and it’s going to crush you. I hated the thought.

  “You know, if you’re that good of a cook, we could always use another one during the summer months when things get busy.”

  I watched her cheeks turn red. She looked away from me. “I don’t know if that would be a good idea.”

  My brow furrowed. “It’s good money.” We paid better than most people around here.

  “And I’m sure it’s very busy and would be a great experience. But …” she trailed off.

  I didn’t get it. It sounded like she understood how good it could be for her, so why wouldn’t she take the job? I opened my mouth to ask, but maybe I didn’t want the answer. Maybe she was looking forward to not seeing me. No.

  That’s not how she acted. But maybe she’s a really good actor. I had no clue how to feel. I tried not to bother worrying about it, but I couldn’t help it. “It’s just a thought. Keep it in mind, and if you decide to do it, you can call me. I’ll put in a good word for you, and Alex will be more than happy to hire the extra help. With us adding yoga to the schedule this summer, it’s going to be even busier than normal.”

  “Yoga?” Natasha turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes.”

  “Oh … well, that sounds interesting. You’ll have a yoga instructor here? I’m sure she will be very popular.”

  My brow creased. “Actually, we’re hiring a male one. After all, we appeal to female clientele. Once we expand and focus on wedding parties, we’ll consider hiring a female one as well. But, let’s face it, most guys won’t go to yoga just to see a pretty girl. We’d be better off hiring a female ranch hand.”

  “You sure do look at it from a business perspective.”

  She didn’t sound offended, which I had to give her credit for. Most girls would have blasted me for saying we’d basically hire a girl for eye candy. But it was the same with the yoga teacher. We had already found him. He was a mix of insane talent with a little dash of ‘hot’, and we knew the girls would love him. That was our job here. To make girls happy while they were on vacation.

  “It is a business to us. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun –” I paused, realizing the hole I’d just dug. “Er, you’re not about business. Just so you know. You’re… you’re what I want.”

  Natasha

  He said that now. But during the summer months when things were super busy, I guessed that might not be the case.

  I bit my lip. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to take the job, and I wanted to have a reason to be around him. But how long would it last until he slept with someone else? I wasn’t dumb. That was what he was into, and it wasn’t going to change.

  Lying down on the blanket, I stared up at the sky. What am I doing? This was stupid. It was crazy and if I wasn’t careful, I was going to get in way over my head.

  You already are in way over your head. I didn’t like admitting it, but I did. I should be able to take the job offer, but I couldn’t stand the idea of him being with other women while I watched.

  “If you do take me up on that job …” I wouldn’t. “We’d have to sort out some sort of living arrangements, but I mean… you could always stay in my living area.”

  My head snapped toward him. “What?” I said quickly.

  His cheeks turned a deep shade of red. “I mean –”

  “With you?”

  “Uh, yes. That is kinda what I meant.”

  “Oh.” I got it. I looked away. “Because you spend so little time there, right?”

  “Trust me, if you were there, it would be the only place I’d want to be.”

  My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.

  “I’m asking you to come stay here because I want to see more of you, Natasha. I want more than to fuck a couple of times.
Haven’t I made that clear?”

  I opened my mouth but my voice wouldn’t work. I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with me. This whole speechless thing didn’t happen very often – until now.

  I had no clue what I was supposed to say. Do I want to give it a chance? Did I want to give me and Jeff a shot? I had spent a long time deciding relationships weren’t good for me. But that had been years ago. Maybe I had changed. Maybe it would be worth it with him. Maybe … “I don’t know what to say,” I finally admitted.

  “Well, you know where I stand. You can decide if you want to try or not.”

  He didn’t sound angry, which made me feel even worse for not knowing what to say. I sighed. This wasn’t anything I was used to, and I didn’t know how to react. I sucked in a deep breath and tried not to let it get to me. I’m scared. What if I decided to trust him, and he proved he was just like every other guy I’d met? If I gave someone a chance, I needed to know they weren’t like everyone else.

  “And what if things don’t work out?” I voiced the question I couldn’t stop asking myself.

  “Then they don’t. But at least we know we tried. That’s worth something. Isn’t it?”

  ~~~~

  I thought about that for a long time. Even though the conversation turned to lighter topics, I could tell it was still there in the back of his mind. It was for me, too. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to give it a shot. But … was I really tough enough to risk getting my heart broken? I was pretty sure I knew the answer to that question, and I didn’t like it.

  We ended our date and walked back to the ranch. By the time we got there, it was about time to get started on dinner. I hadn’t seen Chris at all today, and I was a little worried.

  “Could I get mine to go?” Alex asked as he walked in to the rec center. I nodded, not turning to see him, too focused on stuffing the chicken in front of me. “And, um, Christy’s as well.”

  I stopped and spun to look at the man in front of me. “You’re having dinner with her?”