Wives for the Western Billionaires 9
Enticed by the Billionaire Cowboy
Grace Brodie’s current boyfriend insists she meet him after work. He surprises her with a birthday party and a proposal. How can she say no and embarrass him? Her night gets worse when Gabriel Forrester arrives. She’s never forgotten Gab, although she’s tried.
Gab is stunned to find her engaged. He’s recently realized he loves her. She isn’t married yet. He’ll work hard to change her mind.
After Grace breaks her engagement, her ex-fiancé becomes furious. His anger fuels a desire for revenge and an evil side he’s kept repressed. He follows her to Frontier City, Montana and stalks her.
Gab moves back to Frontier City. When he suspects Grace’s ex-fiancé might harm her, he calls a meeting of her family to discuss keeping her safe.
Grace has to worry about a stalker, and Gab keeps trying to convince her to trust and marry him. Her body weakens each time Gab touches her, but her mind struggles with trust issues.
Genre: Contemporary, Western/Cowboys
Length: 41,217 words
ENTICED BY THE BILLIONAIRE COWBOY
Wives for the Western Billionaires 9
Paige Cameron
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic
ENTICED BY THE BILLIONAIRE COWBOY
Copyright © 2013 by Paige Cameron
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-299-6
First E-book Publication: July 2013
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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DEDICATION
This is dedicated to my dear friend, who’s strong and has worked hard to recover from a serious illness. It’s time for that lunch date I promised.
ENTICED BY THE BILLIONAIRE COWBOY
Wives for the Western Billionaires 9
PAIGE CAMERON
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Grace Brodie closed her eyes for a second. I’ll call and cancel my date. She punched in the number for Fred.
“You’re late,” Fred said.
“A last-minute job. I’ll be on my way in a few minutes, but I have a headache. Couldn’t we meet tomorrow night instead?”
“I need to see you, and talk to you about something. It’s important. I’ll have a glass of wine waiting for you.”
She flipped her phone shut without saying good-bye. Whatever he wanted must be important to him. He’d totally ignored what she said.
Grace put the finishing touches on the evening dress for the inter line. Her back ached, adding to her foul mood. She wanted to go home, turn on her favorite classical music, and sip a glass of Chablis, not meet her boyfriend, at a restaurant in midtown. He never inconvenienced himself to meet her outside her work place.
I’m being silly. I agreed it didn’t make sense for him to come all this way when he was already there. Still, I know my brothers would not have let their date go alone, especially in the evening.
She shook her head to clear it of the negative thoughts. After putting the last pin in the dress, she studied the mannequin. She’d leave a note to the seamstress to tell her this was how the bodice needed to be sewn.
Her heels clicked loudly on the concrete floor as she left the building where she was a design assistant. The guard met her, and walked her out.
“You’re the last one tonight, Miss Brodie. I’ll flag a cab for you. A pretty lady like you shouldn’t be out alone this late.”
“Thank you. You’re right, but I always seem to find something I have to do before morning.” More like something my supervisor says I have to do. Grace rubbed the back of her neck where a headache was forming. A cab stopped. She got in and waved to the guard as she headed off.
The ride seemed to last forever. She wanted to get this over with and go home to crawl into her bed. Most of her working days were ten to twelve hours long.
When she saw the restaurant, she sighed with relief. The taxi drew to the curb. Grace paid the cabbie and hurried inside. The sooner she got this over with, the better.
The hostess recognized her. She motioned for Grace to follow. They wove their way around the tables and toward a side room. This was strange. At the door to the reserved room, the hostess smiled. “Go right on in.”
Grace’s heart jumped. She hesitated, and then opened the door. The room was dark. Then the lights came on, and a cheer went up.
“Happy Birthday.” Friends and co-workers grinned as they sang the song to her. Darn, I’ve been so busy this week I hadn’t even thought about it being my twenty-fifth birthday.
Fred handed her a glass of Chablis. She took a big sip.
He smiled. “I knew you’d be surprised.”
“You arranged all of this?”
“I did with the help of Rita.” He nodded to one of her New York friends
.
Rita waved, and Grace forced a smile. She hated surprise parties. Still, she’d be a good sport. Grace started toward the nearest table, but Fred took hold of her arm.
“Wait. I have one more surprise.” The others had sat down. They watched Fred and her closely.
“I’ve been thinking about us all week,” Fred said. “I know we’d planned on waiting until we had a certain amount saved before getting married. But I’ve changed my mind. We should get formally engaged and plan our wedding.”
“What?” Grace blinked her eyes. Had she heard wrong? “You were the one insisting we needed to have healthy bank accounts before taking this big step.”
“I know. But after visiting your family and seeing your happily married brothers and their wives, I changed my mind.”
Fred got down on one knee, and her heart dropped. He wouldn’t. Oh yes, he would. Fred held a ring in his hand.
“This is why I couldn’t wait to see you tonight. I’m excited to ask you to be my wife.”
Grace stared at the solitaire diamond ring. Her head pounded. None of this made sense. Why the suddenness? He’d been satisfied to put off any commitment for an indefinite time. Confusion held her silent, but Fred had a happy smile on his face waiting for her answer.
“Grace, you know I love you. Will you marry me?” he asked.
Her heart palpitated. She was certain at any moment she’d faint. Everyone watched her and waited for her answer.
“How can I say no?” Her voice sounded weak to her ears. But the group stood, clapped, and yelled congratulations. Fred pushed the ring onto her finger. He hugged her, and kissed her as she stood in shock.
She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter. They’d had an understanding for several months and might as well be engaged. She forced a smile as her stomach roiled.
* * * *
Gabriel Forrester, better known as Gab to his friends, had answered his cell phone on his way out. He’d be late for Grace’s birthday. He tried to end the call, but his client kept talking. Gab motioned to his secretary for them to get going. He continued to soothe the irritated client on his way out.
Stella, his secretary and friend, was going to the surprise party with him. He wanted Grace to meet her. Grace’s friend, Rita, invited him and had said it was all right to bring Stella.
He waved down a cab and finally they were on their way to the restaurant. Gab assured his client they’d take care of his issues in the morning. He clicked off his phone as the cab pulled to the curb and stopped.
He threw a twenty at the cabbie and he and Stella hurried inside.
A couple had arrived just ahead of them, and the hostess picked up menus to take them to their table.
“I’ll be right back,” she said to Gab.
“No problem. I know the way.” He led Stella around tables to the reserved room. They heard cheers and shouts from outside the door. Gab cracked the door, and they slipped inside.
Grace stood at the front of the room, beside a blond-haired man slightly taller than her. She looked pale and had a stunned expression on her face. The man raised her left hand. Gab saw the flash of a diamond, and his heart sank.
Fred picked up his glass of wine and raised it in a toast. “To the future Mrs. Fred Vine.”
The group cheered again. Gab shut the door behind him and sank into the nearest chair. Stella sat and reached across to pat his arm.
“Are you all right?”
“Sure, I’m fine,” he lied through his teeth. The woman he loved and was determined to win back had just accepted another man’s ring. Hell no, I’m not fine. He wanted to knock Fred’s arm from around her and carry her out caveman style to his condo. Then he’d finally make love to her, and convince her to agree to return Fred’s ring.
Everyone crowded around the couple, congratulating them. Gab watched for a minute. Then he stood. Stella pulled on his hand.
“Don’t make a scene you’ll regret.”
“I won’t. Come with me. I’ll introduce you.”
“No. This isn’t the time.”
He shrugged and got behind the other well-wishers. Fred beamed and kept his arm tight around Grace except when one of her friends hugged her. Gab was at the end of the line. When Grace saw him, her face went even paler.
“Congratulations, you two.” He grated out the words between his clenched jaws. “I didn’t realize an engagement was so imminent.” He stared into Grace’s sherry-brown eyes. They looked tired and pained. Gab turned to Fred. Gab’s mom had mentioned Grace having a boyfriend named Fred at one of the Brodie parties. “I’m Gabriel Forrester. I think you met my parents at the Brodie house.”
“Yes, I did.” Fred looked irritated.
“What are you doing here, Gab?” Grace asked.
“Rita invited me and my secretary.” He pulled a small box out of his coat pocket. “Your birthday gift. I’m busy tonight and can’t stay long, but I wanted to stop by for your quarter-century birthday.”
She held the box gingerly like it might be a time bomb ready to go off. Gab couldn’t resist smiling. “It won’t explode, but it can’t compete with your diamond engagement ring.”
Grace glanced down at the ring as though she’d just seen it. Something was definitely amiss here. Gab nodded at Fred and moved on. Rita was cutting the birthday cake. He walked to her side.
“Did you see this as a cruel joke?”
“No. No one expected this, not even her. Fred placed her in an awkward position where she had to say yes, or at least not no. I’m sorry, Gab. Her friends don’t care for him. I’d hoped when she saw you it would rekindle the old fire. I believe she still has feelings for you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m a big boy. I can take a few knocks. And I haven’t given up on her. This is an engagement. She’s not married yet.”
“Work fast. I have a feeling he’s going to push for the wedding to be soon.”
“I’ll take two of those pieces of cake to go.”
“Sure. Here you are.”
* * * *
Grace noticed when Gab and his tall blonde left. He’d said she was his secretary. When he’d walked in the door, she was certain the night couldn’t get worst. Then he’d got in line to congratulate her.
She’d been wrong. The night had turned awful. The last man she wanted at her birthday-engagement party was her old boyfriend. No matter how she tried to deny it, her heart had never let her forget him. She trembled when he got close enough that she could smell his intoxicating scent.
Fred had glanced at her, and then at Gab. His arm had tightened around her waist. Grace hoped she’d acted normally in the brief time they spoke. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears she barely heard what he’d said. She had breathed out a sigh of relief when he left.
The next hour seemed an eternity. She smiled and opened presents. Her headache got worse, and her stomach threatened to rebel when she ate the cake. The closed room stifled her. She had to get out in the fresh air.
“I’m feeling sick. I have to go. I’m sorry to break up the party. Thank you, everyone, for the wonderful gifts, but tonight I feel a quarter-century old.”
Her guests laughed, but concern shown in their eyes. “Take care of yourself,” they yelled out.
Grace grabbed her purse from the table and fled. When she glanced back, Fred gawked after her.
The cooler air outside helped her unsettled stomach. Thankfully, a cab swerved to a stop in front of her and a couple got out.
“Grace,” Fred called to her.
She looked and saw him hurrying out the restaurant door. She jumped in the taxi.
Fred leaned in. “Shall I come home with you?”
“No, I’ll be fine. As soon as I get home, I’m going to bed.”
“I insist. You shouldn’t be alone if you’re sick.”
“Please go back inside and join our guests.” Grace managed to close the door, but Fred stood staring after her. His brows were drawn together in a frown. She had her money ready t
o pay the cabbie when he stopped. Maybe she’d get home before her stomach rebelled completely.
The sight of her condominium building had never been so welcome. She paid the driver, and the doorman opened the taxi door.
“Good evening, Miss Brodie.” He walked with her inside the foyer. “Are you all right, madam?”
“Yes, but thank you for your concern.” She hurried to the elevator, got off on the twentieth floor, unlocked her door, and relocked it. Then she ran to the bathroom before being sick. The sandwich she’d eaten at work must have been bad. She seldom got food out of the machine and never would again.
Shaky and tired, she undressed and fell onto the bed in her underwear. The soft bed caught her, as she tumbled into sleep.
* * * *
Fred frowned at his fleeing fiancée. At least she’d accepted the ring. She was such a baby and spoiled by her family. He’d had headaches and never complained or ran away. His mother and father had instilled a strong sense of worth and determination in him. His present resolve was to get Grace Brodie down the aisle, and soon. Once they’d married, half of her vast fortune would be his.
When he’d met her brother Clay and realized she was part of that Brodie family, he knew he’d finally struck gold. Oh, he was attracted to her, sort of. When they met, he’d decided she’d be perfect for what he needed. He wanted his bosses to know he and his girlfriend had an understanding and would eventually marry.
His company had an old name, and they were conservative. If Fred hoped to go far, he needed a proper fiancée. Grace filled that requirement. Then he met her family and knew luck had come his way.
Enticed by the Billionaire Cowboy [Wives for the Western Billionaires 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 1
