The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride (BBW Romance - Billionaire Brothers 5)

by Jenn Roseton

  For a second her mind went blank. Then her brain kicked in. “I brought my own.” She patted her large purse.

  For a split-second she could have sworn he looked disappointed.

  “What about dinner?” The corners of his mouth tilted up slightly.

  She responded with an answering smile. “No, I didn’t bring that.”

  “Good.”

  They walked the short distance back to the house. Once inside, Sophie settled at the kitchen table, dragging out her laptop from the bag and placing her store-bought sandwich and bottle of juice on the table.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mitch putter about the kitchen, fixing his own lunch. His worn blue jeans fit him like a glove, and her stomach fluttered when he had his back to her, his tight butt looking like it belonged on a jeans commercial.

  He seemed to be assembling a grilled cheese sandwich. Telling herself to focus on her work, she pulled up her favorite search engine and started to research native Wyoming plants. A couple of minutes later, her stomach rumbled at the same time Mitch sat at the table.

  The aroma of the melted cheese and thick crispy bread made her stomach water. Closing the laptop, she unwrapped her sandwich. It would be rude to keep working while he ate at the same table, she reasoned. Besides, she was hungry.

  Although her turkey and salad sandwich tasted okay, she couldn’t help eyeing his lunch once more.

  “Want some?” He broke the untouched half into two and offered it to her.

  “No, that’s okay. Thanks.” She ordered herself not to blush. Obviously she hadn’t been as discreet as she’d thought, if he’d noticed her envying him his meal.

  After she finished her sandwich, she unscrewed the bottle of orange juice.

  “Want some coffee?” he offered, looking unimpressed at her beverage.

  She shook her head. “I’m fine.” Hoping he hadn’t noticed her wince when he mentioned coffee, she took another sip from her orange juice.

  “Guess I can buy some girlie instant coffee for you tomorrow.”

  Was that a teasing glint in his eye? No matter, she’d definitely take him up on his offer.

  “That would be great.” She smiled at him.

  The warm humor left his gaze as he stared back at her. Sophie held her breath, aware that the mood had suddenly changed.

  “Be right back,” he muttered, picking up his empty plate and heading to the kitchen sink.

  Exhaling softly, she wondered it if was a good idea to stay here. Surely it would be more professional if she continued to overnight at the inn, no matter the long commute each day?

  She heard him run the water in the sink, then splashing noises as he washed his lunch plates. Maybe he didn’t have a dishwasher, or else he thought it wasn’t worth using it for only a couple of plates.

  Telling herself to focus on her work, she cast one last glance at him, watching the flexing and stretching of his shoulder muscles, delineated through the thin cotton of his shirt, as he finished up at the sink, then turned back to her laptop.

  “Tell me if you need anything,” he said gruffly, heading past the kitchen table to his computer desk.

  She’d almost succeeded in concentrating on the screen in front of her. Looking up, she answered, “Okay.” Her intention had been to only look at him for a split-second, but she found it hard to drag her gaze away from his.

  He cleared his throat and half-turned from her, sinking down into the ergonomic chair.

  Get back to work. Sophie brought up another search engine, determined to turn her attention to her plant research. And for some of the afternoon, she was successful. But every now and then, she couldn’t resist sneaking a peek at him. She tried to be subtle. Casting a glance at him from under her eyelashes, she was sure he hadn’t noticed. But each stolen glance seemed to last a little longer than the previous one.

  And when she was able to focus on her work, despite yawning a few times, she felt the strangest sensation, like Mitch was watching her. Don’t be silly, she told herself. Of course he’s not looking at you. Her stirring pulse didn’t believe her, though.

  Toward the end of the afternoon, her eyes grew tired from staring at the screen. When she wasn’t peeking at Mitch. Saving the last of her notes, she shut down the laptop and stretched.

  “Finished?”

  She jumped at his voice. Although they’d worked in the same room for the last few hours, they hadn’t exchanged words.

  “For today. I’ll have to do some more research tomorrow.” She stood, trying not to fidget as his hooded gaze swept over her. He still sat in the computer chair. “I thought I’d go for a walk and clear my head.”

  “Good idea.” He wrenched his gaze back to the computer. “I’ve got some work to finish up, then I’ll make dinner.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Got it covered. Thanks.” He started typing furiously.

  Sophie took the hint and walked out the back door. Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees. Despite Mitch’s presence making her distracted, she had gotten a fair bit of work done this afternoon. Hopefully she’d be finished her research tomorrow, and then she could present him with a list of plants to choose from.

  Walking in the front garden, she envisaged how it would look a few weeks - hopefully - from now. Of course, it would take time for some of the plants to reach maturity, but she was confident in a few years’ time the garden would look absolutely spectacular. And in the meantime, it would be a big improvement on what existed now.

  She smiled as a bumblebee buzzed past her to the next wildflower. Although she didn’t care for ordinary bees, watching a fat black and yellow bee bumble past always lifted her mood.

  Sophie wandered through the front lawn, gazing into the distance. A horse whinnied and she turned her head toward the sound. Hero trotted into view, along the fence line of the paddock, dipping his head as if to say hello, then cantered toward the vast expanse of pasture behind the house.

  She wished she could see the rest of the horses. Maybe Mitch would allow her to one day?

  Just thinking about the man made her tummy quiver. But a repeat of the kiss yesterday couldn’t happen again. Apart from the fact that she wouldn’t be his type, what would happen if he discovered that she wasn’t a qualified landscape designer? She didn’t want to deceive him, but she’d been advised not to tell him the truth. Alex Trask hadn’t seemed to care she wasn’t qualified, as long as she did a satisfactory job. And Janet, her boss, had encouraged her to call anytime for advice and to send photos if necessary. So far, it hadn’t been necessary. Pride sparked inside her. Up till now, she thought she’d done a pretty good job of handling things. She just hoped she could continue to do so.

  ***

  As soon as Sophie left the house, Mitch stopped his fake typing. Raking a hand through his short hair, he scowled at the computer screen. He hadn’t been able to get any work done this afternoon. Because of her. Sophie. All he could think about was holding her in his arms and kissing her again. And again. Then taking her into the bedroom and not letting her leave until morning. If then …

  He’d snuck glances at her all afternoon, even when he told himself not to. But he hadn’t been able to resist.

  And each time he’d looked at her, the attraction he felt toward her intensified.

  He’d hated seeing her so tired this morning. Before he could stop himself, he’d practically commanded her to stay here - with him. And she’d agreed - eventually. But now, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea if it meant all he could think about was her, and not his work.

  Before she arrived, turning his world upside down, his new book had been on schedule. His release date was next month, and he’d already told his list of email subscribers he’d send them another email on the actual release day. But now, if he didn’t get a handle on his feelings, his book would be late and to him, that meant failure.

  Get a grip.

  After his last disastrous relationship, he’d become distrustful of
women. Content to live alone with his writing and horses, he’d thought he’d been happy with his life. Until Sophie had knocked on the door. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

  ***

  Dinner had been interesting, Sophie mused, as she got ready for bed. Mitch had made spaghetti Bolognese with rice, instead of spaghetti, because he was out of pasta. For dessert, they’d had the last of the cookies and cream ice cream lurking at the back of his freezer - two tiny spoonfuls each.

  He’d asked her if she wanted to watch some TV, but by that time she hadn’t been able to stop yawning. After giving her a pair of pajamas to wear - soft flannel like the pair she wore the other night, she was ready to curl up in the comfortable bed in the guest cottage and go to sleep. Dreaming of Mitch.

  She slipped in between the clean sheets, blue this time, instead of white - Mitch must have changed them since the first night she’d slept here. He really was domesticated - he could cook, the house seemed tidy, and he took care of the sheets and towels in this cottage. But he couldn’t make the kind of coffee she liked. Nobody was perfect, though.

  Just because he was good looking, capable, and his physique from under his clothes looked like it would be forged from powerful muscles that made her spine tingle with excitement, was no reason to think there was a possibility of romance between them.

  Besides, she didn’t have time for a boyfriend right now, even if Mitch might possibly find her the tiniest bit attractive. Between work and night school, she barely had any spare time for herself, let alone a man. And how would the long distance thing work?

  No, she told herself, turning on her e-reader, it was far better to keep things professional between them. She’d just have to push her attraction to him to the back of her mind and focus on designing his garden.

  The e-reader screen lit up, and she noticed that Wi-Fi was enabled. Frowning, she recalled Mitch’s words to her today. He’d said there was no Wi-Fi in the guest cottage.

  Touching the screen, she placed the book she’d finished a couple of days ago into her cloud collection. Yep, definitely Wi-Fi.

  An image of Mitch’s desktop computer flashed through her mind. When she’d said goodnight, she’d noticed it was still on. Perhaps the internet connection extended to this cottage and he didn’t realize?

  She couldn’t remember having Wi-Fi on her e-reader when she’d fallen asleep over her book a few nights ago. Had Mitch’s internet connection been turned off then?

  Why would he lie? Sophie couldn’t keep her mind on the short romance she’d planned on reading. Why didn’t he want her working on her laptop in this guest suite? Did he want her to work in the house with him? Did he want her company? Her eyelids drooped as she fell asleep, her last thought still puzzling over the situation.

  CHAPTER 5

  The buzz of the alarm woke Sophie the next morning. Although she and Mitch hadn’t discussed what time they were leaving to go to Elk View, she assumed breakfast would be at eight, just like it had been the other morning. At the thought of the breakfast Mitch had given her last time, her stomach rumbled.

  She hopped into the shower. Wrinkling her nose when she put on yesterday’s clothes, she sniffed the garments, but they smelled okay.

  After leaving the bathroom, she folded up Mitch’s warm pajamas. Her fingers lingered on the flannel collar. On the first night she’d stayed here, she’d been worried his PJs wouldn’t fit her, but in fact they’d been a little large. Now, she was reluctant to give them back to him. Telling herself not to be silly, she finished folding the pajama top. Although she’d been warm and cozy in them last night, she hadn’t been able to detect Mitch’s scent of clean hay at all. Perhaps this was an old pair he didn’t wear anymore.

  Picking up the nightclothes, she headed toward the house. The aroma of bacon frying tantalized her sense of smell. Trying not to quicken her steps, she knocked briefly on the back door, then pushed it open.

  “Hi,” she called out, stepping into the kitchen.

  “Hey.” Mitch turned from the stove.

  For a second she couldn’t think of what to say. His dark brown eyes looked warm and inviting, and so did he. Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, his biceps invited her to run her fingers along their tanned flesh. Under the thin cotton of the shirt, she could see the outline of his muscular chest. Her pulse quickened. All she had to do was reach out and stroke her finger along his upper arm, then slide her hands onto his chest, to prove that the planes of his chest felt as good as they promised through the T-shirt. And then …

  Heat simmered through her. She blinked fiercely, hoping to jolt herself out of her sensual daydream.

  “Something in your eye?” He looked concerned, and started toward her.

  “No,” she almost yelped. If he came a little closer, he’d realize what she’d just been thinking. About him. And how those thoughts had affected her pulse … among other things. Belatedly, she held out the pajamas. “Thanks for the loan.”

  He eyed them for a moment, then took them from her. “The nights can get cold here. Are you sure you don’t want to keep them? While you’re here,” he added.

  “I’ll be okay,” she assured him. If she turned into a pile of mush just holding his PJs, what would happen to her if she wore them every night? She’d be fine wearing her own pajamas, pale pink dotted with lavender sprigs.

  “Okay.” He placed the nightwear on a chair. “Breakfast will be ready in a few.”

  “Thanks. Can I do anything to help?” She tried to look everywhere except him, not wanting him to know how his presence affected her.

  “Nope. Go and sit down.” He turned back to the stove.

  Sophie sat on the chair next to the pajamas. She could do this. She could live in the guest cottage for the next two and a half weeks and create a great garden, without her attraction to Mitch getting in the way. She was a grown woman, for goodness’ sake, not a teenager in high school.

  But when Mitch deposited the breakfast plates on the table, she sighed inwardly. Who was she kidding? She’d never felt this way about a guy before - not so quickly, anyway. How was she going to get through the rest of her time here?

  Breakfast was the same as last time - bacon and toast. Concentrating on the simple but delicious meal, she listened as Mitch told her he’d do the grocery shopping while she packed up her stuff at the inn.

  “Is there anything you need?” he inquired, watching her as he gulped down the last of his coffee.

  “No thanks.” She shook her head. If he forgot about the instant coffee, she could pick some up when she went to town to visit the plant nursery.

  Mitch took care of the dishes after breakfast, then they were on their way.

  “We’ll take my vehicle,” he informed her as they left the house.

  She nodded, following him to the garage where a large gray SUV was parked.

  He looked at her, then at her small rental car parked outside the house. “We can probably fit your car in here as well when we get back.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled. After the pelting rain the first day she was here, she’d been a little worried about leaving the rental exposed to the elements. But what could she do? Now, she had one less thing to fret about.

  Sophie looked out the window as Mitch drove to Elk View Corner. It was fun being a passenger for once, instead of the driver. Taking special note of the trees as they whizzed by, she dug out her notebook and pen and started writing down what she thought she recognized.

  Although absorbed in her note taking, she was conscious of Mitch’s occasional glances. Her cheeks heated as she pretended not to notice.

  Finally, they reached Elk View Corner. They pulled up outside the inn, Mitch keeping the engine idling.

  “I’ll pick you up in about forty-five minutes.” He quirked an eyebrow, as if daring her to say it wouldn’t be enough time.

  Looking at his strong, tanned fingers on the steering wheel, then switching her gaze to his face, she nodded. “That’ll be fine.” That should be plenty of time.<
br />
  Unfastening her seat belt, she tried to hop down gracefully from the truck, not sure she succeeded. Mitch pulled away from the curb, lifting a hand in a brief farewell.

  Sophie went up to her room and quickly packed her suitcase. After checking she had everything, she eyed the clothes in the case, then looked down at her outfit. Swiftly changing to a pair of cargo pants cut to flatter her curvy figure, and a soft berry top that draped and skimmed over her curves, she took a last look in the mirror, checking her hair looked okay.

  Looking at her watch, she realized she’d have time for a cup of coffee before Mitch came to pick her up.

  Luckily, checking out at the front desk only took a couple of minutes, including receiving a refund for her canceled stay, then she was free to have a little time to herself. The manager said he’d look after her suitcase for her while she was in the café.

  Sinking down at a table with an iced gingerbread latte, Sophie closed her eyes in pure bliss as she took her first sip. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to cut down on these, she mused, as she spooned up the whipped cream that she found hard to resist. But there wouldn’t be any fancy desserts or coffees at Mitch’s ranch, so it was perfectly okay to indulge this last time.

  She brightened, thinking she might even lose a couple of pounds by the time she returned to San Diego. Instead of her thoughts turning to what awaited for her back in San Diego - work and school, an image of Mitch flashed in her mind. He could be gruff and grumpy sometimes, but she wondered if it was an act. She could understand him not being thrilled about her interrupting his quiet life, but she couldn’t deny her attraction to him. He’d been kind, too - lending her the pajamas, letting her stay overnight in the guest cottage the first day she’d arrived, and now insisting she stay for the rest of the three weeks so she wouldn’t have to make the long commute back to the inn each day. She’d heard her boss’s stories about demanding clients, but she couldn’t put Mitch in that category.

  Whenever she saw him, her pulse accelerated and a tingle of awareness cascaded down her spine. And that kiss … She kept telling herself to forget about it, as it was very unlikely it would happen again, no matter how much she desired it to. But the man could surely kiss.