Enticed by the Billionaire Cowboy [Wives for the Western Billionaires 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Paige Cameron

  When he stepped outside, the sheriff asked Grace, “How are you holding up?”

  “The note shook me, but I’ve recovered.”

  “Here’s the package and note.” Graham handed them to Sheriff Grady and Sylvia stood to look over his shoulder.

  Grace explained about Fred’s mother trying to give her the wedding dress. “I didn’t take it, and she left in a huff. Fred was angry, and then shortly afterward I gave him his ring back. The whole evening was terrible for both of us. But I’d never have believed Fred would react so violently.”

  Sheriff Grady frowned. “He’s become a serious and dangerous stalker. And I’d guess he’s either here or headed this way. Graham’s right. You have to be protected at all times.”

  “I thought Sylvia might go with me to Wagon Wheel. I need to get a little furniture for Gab’s place where we’re staying. She can protect me. Is that all right with you, Sylvia?”

  “I’m not much for shopping, but I don’t mind riding along, if the sheriff agrees.”

  “Sure. Go on. It’ll keep you from worrying so much. Graham, get one of your brothers to stay with your mom. He could strike at Grace through her.”

  “I’ll get Rand to talk with the others. I’ll go by Mom’s and take her home with me.”

  “Good idea. I’m going to bring in one of my men from patrol and have him walk the streets, just in case the guy has the nerve to show up in daylight.”

  “We think he’s dyed his hair black and is wearing clothes to fit in,” Grace added.

  “You two go on,” Sheriff Grady said. “We’ll take care of things here in town. But call if you get any suspicion you’re being followed.”

  “Will do. Let’s go, Grace. Shopping is probably my least favorite thing to do. I was so relieved when you handled doing the choosing and buying for Sam’s house.”

  Sylvia drove her truck and headed out of town. Grace sat beside her, thinking. Then she turned to look at Sylvia. “You and I talked about Gab on another trip we made. I’d like to talk with you about some of my thoughts.”

  “Gina would be the sister for discussing love and all that stuff. I’m not good with lovelorn advice.” She smiled across at Grace. “I had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that I’d fallen crazy in love with Sam.”

  “But you’re happy?”

  “Absolutely. Sam’s the best.”

  “During the summer Gab and I dated, I had visions of a wedding and a house, all the stuff teenage girls imagine. Until Gab said something the other day I never realized he didn’t make any promises. We didn’t plan our future together. It was in my head, and apparently not in his.”

  “Honey, men in their early twenties seldom think about settling down. They’re ready to explore the world as Gab did. I expect he saw more of it than he wanted, with the war and all, and matured a lot since he’s been away.”

  “I didn’t want to see it at first, but he has. He built the dream house I drew for us. I never expected he’d remember or keep the copy I gave him.”

  “Boy, he’s showing some serious caring about you.”

  “It blew me away when he drove me to the house. I recognized it before we went inside.”

  “The furniture you want to buy is for that house?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to marry him?”

  “I’m pretty certain that I am, but I’m not telling him yet. I will when this is all over.”

  “Why wait?”

  “I suffered for years. A week or so more will be good for him.” She grinned.

  “Remind me to not make you mad.” Sylvia smiled back.

  * * * *

  Sylvia kept Grace by her side. They walked to the back corner of the minute market, and she called the sheriff. “We were driving by a gas station on Grace’s side. She saw a man who looked like the one she’d seen in town with black hair and the same clothes on. We pulled in to get a better look. He stayed where we couldn’t see him well, but her gut is saying it’s Fred.

  “No, we won’t leave Wagon Wheel. You’re right he might try to wreck us and get hold of Grace. Yes, we’ll stay in the middle of town and wait for you.” She listened a minute and hung up.

  Sylvia put her hand on her gun and glanced out the window as they walked toward the door. “He’s gone, or he’s waiting out there somewhere for us. But we don’t know if he saw you.”

  “What did the sheriff say?”

  “He said he and two of your brothers are headed this way, but Gab’s already driving to Wagon Wheel. When he heard you’d come with only me for protection, he came after us.” Sylvia smiled. “I’m a bit insulted. He obviously thinks I can’t keep you safe.”

  “We’ll show him he’s wrong.”

  “I’ll drive us to the town square. There’ll be too many people about for Fred to take a chance on grabbing you. Don’t look for him,” Sylvia warned when they stepped outside. “We want him to think we’re not aware of him.”

  Once in the truck, they drove to the downtown area. Grace kept a watch out her side window. “About four cars back, I see a dark green sedan like he was driving.”

  “I noticed it, too. There’s a place to eat lunch right up the street. We’ll park in front if there’s a spot.”

  “Won’t we put others in danger?”

  “He isn’t such a fool. He’ll wait until we leave, and Gab and the others will be here before we finish.”

  “I hope you’re right. He’s not acting like a reasonable man at this point.” She and Sylvia walked into the crowded restaurant.

  “We have a table by the back wall,” the waitress said.

  “That’ll be fine for us,” Sylvia said.

  Sylvia sat with her back to the wall and faced the door. Grace sat to her left. She didn’t want to be constantly watching the window. After being seated, they studied the menus and ordered. Grace played with her fork. “I don’t think I can eat.”

  “Don’t worry, you can pretend to while we wait for reinforcements.”

  Their burgers and fries were delivered promptly to their table. “The one time I wish for slow service, we get fast.”

  Sylvia grinned at Grace. “Smile, talk, if somehow he’s got an eye on us, we want to act natural.”

  Grace nibbled on her fries and occasionally turned her head and glanced at the door from the corner of her eye. She sensed when he stood in the doorway, and saw she was right.

  “He’s here.”

  “I know. Don’t turn your head. He’d coming our way.”

  “Well, if it isn’t my old girlfriend,” Fred spoke in a jolly voice.

  “What are you doing here?” Grace asked.

  “I came to see you. What a surprise when I gassed my car and saw you in the truck. It saved me a trip to Frontier City.”

  He moved closer to Grace and Sylvia put her hand on her gun. “You’d better leave. We don’t want company while we eat.”

  Fred sat in the chair across from Sylvia and moved it closer to Grace. “I’m not company. We’re almost family. Did she tell you about our very short engagement?”

  Grace heard the sarcasm in his voice and saw the hate in his eyes. She fought to keep her fear from showing.

  “She mentioned it.” Sylvia kept her eye on Fred. Suddenly, Fred moved and a long-bladed knife was in his hand. Sylvia had pulled her gun, and held it just above the table.

  “You wouldn’t shoot in this crowded restaurant, but I can gut her and not hurt anyone else. You are going to let us get up, and walk out.” He held the sharp blade against Grace’s side.

  The diners at the next table glanced across and saw the gun. They jumped up. “The woman has a gun,” they yelled on their way out. A stampede of people rushed the door. Within minutes, they were alone.

  “Guess it’s a standoff. I can shoot you without worrying about the other customers. The staff all went in the back, and the police will be arriving soon. I saw several people with cell phones. What’s your next plan? I’m ready to shoot the knife out of y
our hand.”

  “Don’t waste a bullet on the knife, go for the heart.” Gab had come in the back way and held his rifle pointed at Fred’s chest. “Give me a reason to shoot you.”

  Grace had never seen the expression on Gab’s face. His eyes had narrowed, and he held his mouth tight. A muscle twitched at the edge of his jaw. He glared at Fred, daring him to move.

  “You won’t shoot me,” Fred boasted, but Grace heard the quiver in his voice.

  “I told you not to dare me.” The rifle went off. Fred grabbed his leg dropping the knife in the process.

  Gab tackled Fred and threw him on the floor. He pulled his fist back. “I wanted to kill you, but I didn’t want to traumatize Grace any more than you already have. Don’t ever think of messing with her again. Of course you won’t have much chance in prison. This is to remind you she’s mine.” Gab struck him hard in the jaw.

  Fred curled into the fetal position holding his jaw with one hand and his bleeding leg with the other.

  Sheriff Grady and another tall man with a sheriff’s badge stormed into the restaurant followed by several deputies.

  “Darn, you didn’t let us have any of the fun,” the tall sheriff said. “By the way, who the hell are you?”

  “He’s Gab Forrester, the man I told you had started out ahead of us. I called you as soon as my deputy”—he nodded at Sylvia—“called me. Gab got to town quickly.”

  “I’m Sheriff Jake Daly.” He put out his hand. “Thanks for the help. We’ve been searching the town for these two. I started here as soon as I heard about a gun in the restaurant. I figured it was your man.”

  Fred moaned from the floor. “Get me help. I’m bleeding to death.”

  “Here come the medics. Don’t worry, you’ll live to stand trial.” Sheriff Daly frowned at him. “We don’t take kindly to men threatening our women. Sheriff Grady says he has the evidence to put you in jail and keep you there for a long time.”

  “It was all a joke. I wasn’t going to hurt her.”

  “See if you can convince the jury.” Sheriff Daly glared at Fred.

  “Sorry, you’re in our way, Jake.” One of the medics pushed him to the side.

  Gab squatted in front of Grace. “Are you ready to come home, honey?”

  “We don’t have any furniture.”

  The men laughed. “Sounds just like my wife,” Sheriff Grady said. “The world could be ending, but she’d want to shop first.”

  Gab leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “I guess we’d better choose a bed.” Grace’s face flushed. Gab kissed her. “And at least one chair for you to sit in, and a table and chairs for the kitchen. We can get the rest later. Are you up to shopping?” he asked in a louder voice.

  “Of course.”

  “You get the honors.” Sylvia pushed her chair back and stood. “I was dreading going from store to store. Give me a good gun fight any day.”

  “Woman, there’s something not natural about you,” Sheriff Grady teased. “But you make a damn fine deputy.”

  “I don’t know. Gab didn’t trust me.”

  “I wouldn’t have trusted anyone. It wasn’t just you. When I saw your truck in front of this restaurant, I decided to join you. I got a bad feeling in my gut when the sheriff said the two of you were headed here. I never ignore those warnings.”

  “No, I don’t either,” Sylvia agreed with him. “So, I forgive you.”

  The others gradually left the restaurant. Gab paid their bill to the shaken proprietor and gave him extra for the damage to the chair Fred had been sitting on when shot. Then he picked Grace up and carried her to his vehicle.

  “I can walk.”

  “I want to feel your warm body against mine to know you’re really alive and well. When I saw him holding the knife against your side, my vision blurred. I was furious. All I saw was red and him. I had to calm my trigger finger. Inside I really wanted to shoot the sucker in the heart.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t.”

  He smiled down at her and kissed her lips before placing her on the seat. “I’m glad I didn’t, either. It’s best to be in control when handling a gun. I’ve never come as close to losing it. When I shot his leg, I figured he’d drop the knife, and I’d have my best chance to grab him.”

  She reached out and touched his hand. “When you arrived, I knew I’d be safe.”

  Although Gab stood in the open door of the truck, he managed to gather her in his arms. “You’ll always be safe with me.” Then he pulled back, closed the door, and walked to the driver’s side.

  “Where do we start shopping, darlin’? I want to get home and try out the bed.”

  Chapter Twelve

  They found the bedroom set at the second furniture store, along with the perfect dining set. “Do we need to shop more today?” Gab asked.

  “There’s one more place where we might find a family room set. Then Mr. Craddock has the best tables and lamps, and I can order curtains from him.”

  “I’ll make a suggestion. Why don’t we go home and tomorrow you can come back with one of your sisters-in-law.”

  “Hmm, what’s in it for me to stop and wait until the next day?”

  Gab hugged her. “Some real serious loving.”

  “I guess I can wait.”

  The salesman walked back from where he’d gone to check on delivery. “We can have the items delivered later today, but it’ll cost one hundred and fifty dollars.”

  “I don’t care. Deliver them. We’re leaving. Have your men call when they’re thirty minutes away.” Gab wrote a check for the purchases and delivery.

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Forrester.”

  Gab swung Grace into his arms and took long strides out the door. She pushed against his chest.

  “Stop carrying me everywhere. People will think I can’t walk.”

  “No, they won’t. Look at those women. They know I’m capturing you and taking you to my lair.” Several women smiled at them and laughed hearing his words. He put her in the car and headed toward the ranch.

  “You’re driving fast,” Grace commented on their way.

  “Am I frightening you?”

  “No. There isn’t much traffic today.”

  Since his ranch was closer to Wagon Wheel than coming from Frontier City, it didn’t take long to get back. Grace gave a deep sigh when she saw the house. Gab parked and came around to her door. “I suppose you’re going to carry me again.” She pretended to be annoyed.

  “You bet.” Once inside the house, he headed straight to the master bedroom.

  “We have no bed and no curtains at the windows.”

  “Darlin’, you aren’t going to let a little inconvenience stop us now, are you?” His blue eyes glinted with desire.

  “It’ll only be a few hours, then at least we’d have a bed.” She bit her lip to keep from laughing at his expression.

  “The rug is soft. I had extra padding put down.”

  She couldn’t hold in the laughter any longer.

  Gab frowned. “You were ribbing me.” He laid her on the rug and straddled her body. “Did you forget I know all your ticklish spots?” He bent down and blew on her neck, making her wiggle trying to get away from him. Then he found every vulnerable place on her body until she was howling with laughter and begging him to stop.

  He leaned back, grinning. “You give up?”

  “I do.”

  “And you aren’t going to worry about beds and windows?”

  “Not as much.”

  “Honey, there isn’t anyone near the house. The men are moving cattle into a field far from here, and Dad and Mom are at home. They wouldn’t look in the windows anyway.

  “You are so beautiful.” Gab’s fingers traced sensuously around her face and across her bottom lip. “When I saw you in danger, my heart stopped for a second. I wanted to physically take Fred down and beat the hell out of him.”

  “I’ve never seen you look so fierce.”

  “Did I scare you?”

  “You migh
t have if you directed it at me, but you didn’t.”

  “And it won’t ever be.” His fingers continued their sensuous slide against her neck and down to her blouse. Her body shivered in response.

  “You reminded me of a movie hero who comes bursting into the room and takes down the bad guy.”

  His sexy mouth curved upward. “A movie hero, I like the description.”

  “Don’t let it go to your head.” She took a sharp breath when he unbuttoned her blouse and his cool fingers trailed across her chest. He outlined the curve of her bra. Then he unsnapped the fastener and pushed the silky material aside.

  Just his look made her breasts swell in anticipation. His hands caressed her, and his tongue tantalized the rosy nipples peaked and desiring his touch. An ache of desire settled in her lower abdomen and her juices flowed, wetting her panties. Grace was totally overwhelmed by her handsome, sexy, cowboy.

  Gab radiated a vitality that drew her to him, like a moth to a flame. If she was wrong about him this time, she’d crumble in the ashes of her love.

  “I can feel your withdrawal. What’s wrong?”

  “Silly memories trying to spoil the moment. Don’t stop. Your touch feels so good.”

  He bowed his head, and then looked straight at her. “What more can I do to gain your trust?”

  “I trust you. But I spent years telling myself I hated you, and I kept that anger stoked. Whenever I heard your name, it became a raging fire to protect my heart. My fury replaced my love for you, or so I told myself. It’s difficult to let go of all the protective layers I’ve wrapped around myself to keep the hurt away.”

  “Our relationship won’t work unless you can let go.”

  “I know, and I will.”

  Gab got up and took her hand to pull her upright. “Get undressed. I’ll go turn on the shower and have the water nice and warm. Join me?”

  “Of course.” She stepped on her tiptoes and pulled his head down to kiss him. “I’m sorry I spoiled the moment.”

  “We’ll work it out. I love you.”

  Grace watched him walk across the room. His graceful movements were surprising in such a large man. He’d never seemed to go through an awkward stage growing up. And on the football field his movements made him the best quarterback in the state.