by Judy Angelo
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It was an exhausted couple that trudged down to the kitchen that morning. Ryder looked like he was still half asleep and Blake felt like her eyes were full of cotton wool. They’d gotten up after only three hours of sleep and they were both dog-tired but there was nothing to be done except to push the weariness into the background and get to work. The customers would be pouring in by seven.
To Blake’s relief, when Chris walked through the door he had his sister with him. “She’s ready to roll,” he said with a huge grin. “Let her at ‘em.”
“Thanks so much for coming, Samantha.” Blake went over to greet her. “I hope you’re a trooper like your brother because we’re going to work you like a dog. Are you up to it?”
The slender teenager laughed. “As long as you’re paying, I’m your gal.”
And so began a day that was no less hectic than the one before. Todd arrived shortly after Chris and Samantha and they immediately got to work. By the time the first customer walked in they were ready and when the last one walked out after lunch they were worn out but satisfied.
“You did great, Sam. For someone so small you can really handle those trays.”
Obviously pleased with Blake’s praise, Samantha beamed. “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow,” she said. “See you.” She gave Blake and Ryder a quick wave goodbye and then led the way out the door, the two teenage boys behind her.
Blake turned to Ryder with a sigh. “What a day. I thought it would never end.” She pulled out a chair as she spoke, with every intention of plopping her behind on it and taking a load off her feet.
It didn’t happen. Her bottom was halfway to its destination when the bell over the front door tinkled and somebody else walked in.
“Oh, no,” Blake groaned and threw Ryder a look of desperation. “Not another customer.”
“I’ll handle this.” Ryder moved from behind the bar where he’d been putting away the drinking glasses and headed toward the front entrance but a cheery voice slowed him to a halt.
“Hello, there. Pretty busy today, huh?”
When Blake saw who it was she grinned and dropped down onto the chair. This was not someone who was going to disturb her rest. “Sarah, what brings you over?”
The buxom gray-haired woman walked into the middle of the room and put her hand on her hips. “I came over to tell you that you cost me a customer.”
Blake’s brows shot up. “What are you talking about?”
“Jerome Slater. Yesterday he came to the house in a heck of a hurry, packed up and flew out of town like the hounds of hell were after him.” Sarah laughed. “And I don’t mind at all. Peggy told me about him, that he’d been causing you some kind of trouble. Well, good riddance to him.”
“You’re sure you’re not mad? Like you said, I cost you a customer.”
“Oh, please. I’ve got my hands full with those guys from the phone company. I’m just sorry I let that beast of a man stay at my place, but I didn’t know.” She shook her head. “He came across as so nice but he was nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“He’s good at that, fooling people…” Blake let her voice trail away. She glanced at Ryder who’d returned to the bar and now stood watching them. “Could you do me a favor and pour a drink for Sarah?”
“Not at all,” the woman said, waving a dismissive hand. “I’m not staying. I just wanted you to know he’s gone.”
“Thanks, Sarah. I appreciate it.”
“No problem,” she said breezily. “I’ll catch you kids later.”
After she’d gone through the door Ryder walked over to Blake’s table, pulled out a chair and sat down beside her. “You’ll have to prepare yourself,” he said. “This will have to go through the courts.”
Blake gave a soft groan. “Just what I need. A bunch of lawyers to suck me dry. I don’t have that kind of money right now.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ryder said, his tone nonchalant. “My team of lawyers can handle that.”
“Your team?” When Ryder said nothing Blake followed up with a second question. “Tell me something. That exchange you had with Jerome about owning a dairy business, what was that all about?” She tilted her head toward him, intent on giving him her full attention. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, except I’ve been so darn busy.”
Ryder shrugged. “I own a business in Des Moines. Kent Dairy Industries.”
“And that big brand Jerome spoke about. What is it?”
“Cozy Cow.”
“Cozy Cow. That’s you?”
He nodded.
“Wow,” she said in a reverent whisper. “That’s huge. And here I have you washing dishes, being my short order cook and waiting tables.” She chuckled. “Am I going to get a citation from one of your big shot lawyers?”
Ryder laughed out loud and when he gazed at her again there was a look of relief in his eyes. “I won’t tell them if you don’t.” The next instant his face turned serious. He got up and went around the table to take her hand and pull her to her feet. “I’ve had a heck of a time with you as my boss.”
“Yeah, right.” Blake gave him a mocking smile. “What kind of boss was I, when you never let me pay you? Both times I left your paycheck on top of your dressing table you left them behind.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Now I know why.”
Ryder tightened his fingers around hers and pulled her closer. “There’s something else I want you to know about me.”
Blake’s heart fluttered and she felt a shiver of trepidation run through her. “What?”
“I love you.”
Three words, so sweet, so simple, so softly spoken, but they were three words that made Blake’s heart soar.
But could it be true? Had Ryder fallen in love with her? “Are you telling me the truth?” she demanded, glaring up at him, willing him to be nothing less than honest.
“I’ve never lied to you.” His voice was quiet, his face solemn. “I’m not going to start now.”
And as Blake gazed into his eyes she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she could believe his every word. And so, knowing how he felt about her, she was now brave enough to reveal the secret she’d carried inside her heart. “And I love you, Ryder. I love you so much.”
At the sound of those words he smiled and bent his head to give her a kiss, so loving, it felt like in that kiss he put his heart and his soul. This time when he drew his lips away it was to whisper in her ear. “Whether you’re loving me or bossing me, I want you in my life for always.”
Her heart swelling with love, Blake wrapped her arms around Ryder’s waist and laid her cheek on his chest, right where she could listen to that wonderful rhythm, the beautiful beat of his heart.
“I’ll be only too happy to boss you,” she whispered, “any time you want.”
EPILOGUE
It was the most joyous sound in the world - church bells ringing on a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon, calling everyone to the happiest of occasions.
Bubbling with excitement, Blake rushed from dressing table to vanity to bed and back again, doing the last of her titivation before she had to run out. One last glance in the mirror and she was all set.
Hurrying down the stairs she called out, “Come on, darling. Let’s go. We’re going to be late.”
“Ready and waiting, ma’am.”
Blake stopped midway down the stairs, surprised to see Ryder already waiting at the door, looking stunningly handsome in black tuxedo and ivory-white shirt. As he stood there gazing up at her, so tall and so wickedly gorgeous, she felt that familiar flutter of her heart. She’d known Ryder more than six months yet he never ceased to make her heart race.
Ryder drew in his breath as he stared up at her, his gaze taking her all in, from the coils and soft tendrils of her hair, to her chiffon-light dress, to the toes of her satin slippers. “You’re so beautiful.” It was a hushed whisper that made her want to run into his arms. Ryder was never stingy with his praise and each ti
me he gave it, it made her heart sing. It was so good to be loved by him.
Holding on to the banister, her eyes trained on him, Blake descended the stairs then walked up to wrap her arms around the man she loved. “And you’re the most handsome man in the world. My man.”
He smiled at that but then he reached down and took her hand. “Come on,” he said. “The church bells are ringing.”
Blake gave a happy laugh and they walked hand in hand out the door and toward Ryder’s waiting Jaguar. When they got to the church it looked like all of Pequoia was already there. The ladies from the sewing circle had pride of place in the front row. Sarah, Barbara, Beth and Bridget, all looking radiant in their soft pink bridesmaid dresses.
And at the front of the church, looking handsome in his dark tuxedo, his face reflecting a mix of excitement and nervousness, stood Ted. Beside him stood Doug, the best man, looking even more nervous than the groom. When the minister glanced at Doug then shook his head Blake could not suppress a smile.
But then there was no more time to admire the party standing in front of the altar. At that moment the organist struck the chord and the wedding march began. Up the aisle, on the arm of a beaming Chris, came the beautiful bride. Blake’s lips parted in happy surprise when she saw her friend. Peggy was stunning in a soft white gown that curved in at the waist and flowed over her hips to end just below her knees in a frothy mist of soft waves. On her head was an elegant white hat, tilted just so, giving her a coquettish look that would steal any man’s heart.
As she walked up the aisle it was clear that whoever had prepared Peggy to charm her husband-to-be had done an excellent job because, at the sight of her, Ted’s brows flew up and his eyes stayed glued on her until she came to stand before him.
Soon it was time for bride and groom to exchange wedding vows and as the words flowed from their lips, heartfelt expressions of their love for each other, Blake’s eyes misted with tears. It was all so beautiful…
…so beautiful that she reached down to clasp hands with the man by her side. As she leaned into him he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze then tilted his face so he could whisper in her ear. “Soon, my darling, it will be our turn.”
His sweet promise thrilling her heart, Blake lifted her face to gaze up at him and when he saw her tears he shifted his lips so he could kiss her there. As he kissed away her tears the world faded away and all she could see, all she could feel was his unquestioned love for her.
“Soon,” he whispered, “you will truly be mine.”
With a sigh, Blake reached out to wrap her arm around Ryder’s waist. She rested her cheek against his shoulder as she held him close.
He’d promised that she would be his, and she could hardly wait.
Thank you for reading!
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BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES
Volume 1 - Tamed by the Billionaire
Volume 2 - Maid in the USA
Volume 3 - Billionaire's Island Bride
Volume 4 - Dangerous Deception
Volume 5 - To Tame a Tycoon
Volume 6 - Sweet Seduction
Volume 7 - Daddy by December
Volume 8 - To Catch a Man (in 30 Days or Less)
Volume 9 – Bedding Her Billionaire Boss
Volume 10 - Her Indecent Proposal
Volume 11 - So Much Trouble When She Walked In
Volume 12 – Married by Midnight
Volume 13 - The Billionaire Next Door
Volume 14 - Babies for the Billionaire
Volume 15 - Billionaire's Blackmail Bride
Volume 16 - Bossing the Billionaire
COLLECTIONS
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES, Coll. I - Vols. 1 - 4
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES, Coll. II - Vols. 5 - 8
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES, Coll. III - Vols. 9 - 12
BILL. COLL. IV - Vols. 13 - 16 (Bill. Bros. Kent)
HOLIDAY EDITIONS
Rome for the Holidays (Novella)
Rome for Always (Novel)
The NAUGHTY AND NICE Series
Volume 1 - Naughty by Nature
COMING SOON
THE CASTILLOS
Book 1 - Beauty and the Beastly Billionaire
MEET THE BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES
FROM COLLECTION IV
VOLUMES 13 - 16
(The Billionaire Brothers Kent)
THE BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR - Vol. 13 (The Billionaire Brothers Kent, #1)
Ransom Kent - The owner of a multinational construction company who lives a simple, peaceful life. Or, so he thinks, until he moves next door to the most cantankerous woman he's ever met.
BABIES FOR THE BILLIONAIRE -Vol. 14 (The Billionaire Brothers Kent, #2)
Rafe Kent - The software entrepreneur, adventurer and rolling stone who finds his new calling in life, one he would never have thought he could manage - taking care of a whole lot of babies.
BILLIONAIRE'S BLACKMAIL BRIDE - Vol. 15 (The Billionaire Brothers Kent, #3)
Ridge Kent - The oil tycoon who blackmails his love interest into marrying him, only to find out...you'd better be careful what you wish for. You just might get it...and it may not be as 'sweet' as you thought it would be.
BOSSING THE BILLIONAIRE – Vol. 16 (The Billionaire Brothers Kent, #4)
Ryder Kent – The dairy industry giant who ends up at the mercy of bold and independent Blake Beaumont...who, in no uncertain terms, let's him know who's the boss.
MEET THE BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES
FROM COLLECTION III
VOLUMES 9 - 12
BEDDING HER BILLIONAIRE BOSS - Vol. 9
Rockford St. Stephens - The owner of a newly acquired luxury vacation business who finds himself boss to an executive assistant who can't stand him...but who he finds impossible to resist.
HER INDECENT PROPOSAL -Vol. 10
Sloane Quest - The media mogul who's rocked back on his heels when his top competitor, the lovely Melanie Parker, makes him an offer he can't refuse.
SO MUCH TROUBLE WHEN SHE WALKED IN - Vol. 11
Maximillian Davidoff - The cosmetics giant turned NASCAR entrepreneur who's bowled over by the most ornery woman he's ever met.
MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT – Vol. 12
Reed Davidoff – The fashion mogul who gets caught up in a fairy tale romance that makes him wish he could reverse his past. After the mistakes he’s made, can he win the hand of the princess?
Click to get:
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection III, Vols. 9 - 12
MEET THE BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES
FROM COLLECTION II
VOLUMES 5 - 8
TO TAME A TYCOON - Vol. 5
Enrico Megalos - A shipping tycoon with a big problem but one which 'lion tamer', Asia Miller, is determined to fix.
SWEET SEDUCTION - Vol. 6
Jake McKoy - Billionaire author, philanthropist and recluse - a man with a past that is tearing him apart. Will Samantha Fox be the woman to pull him out of his shell?
DADDY BY DECEMBER - Vol. 7
Drake Duncan - Billionaire investor and a man determined to win the love of his life: a woman who is just as determined...to stay the heck out of his way.
TO CATCH A MAN (IN 30 DAYS OR LESS) - Vol. 8
Stone Hudson - Owner of Hudson Broadcasting Corporation, Stone is thrown for a loop when he meets a woman gutsy enough to laugh at him. And then she turns into a temptress. How can he resist?
Click to get:
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES COLLECTION II, VOLS. 5 - 8
MEET THE BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES
&
nbsp; FROM COLLECTION I
VOLUMES 1 - 4
TAMED BY THE BILLIONAIRE - Vol. 1
Roman Steele - The business tycoon who has the daunting task of taming the spoiled princess.
MAID IN THE U.S.A. -Vol. 2
Pierce D'Amato - The software billionaire who thinks he's in control but instead finds himself at the mercy of an angelic four year old and a dark-eyed French beauty who steals his heart.
BILLIONAIRE'S ISLAND BRIDE - Vol. 3
Dare DeSouza - The owner of a line of Caribbean resorts who tries to teach our beloved heroine a lesson she'll never forget...but then ends up learning the greatest lesson of his life.
DANGEROUS DECEPTION - Vol. 4
Storm Hunter - He loves motorcycles, fast cars and now he's got to add one more item to his list of loves: Danielle Swift. Dani has a charm he tries to resist but this committed bachelor is no match for this bold and independent woman who's like none he's met before.
Alpha males at their best - which one will you fall in love with?
Click to get:
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES COLLECTION I, VOLS 1 - 4
NOVELLA - ROME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
TALK ABOUT SEXY AS SIN...
Arie Angelis is floored when she lays eyes on the handsome hunk seated at the head table at the holiday event she's catering. She literally can't take her eyes off him. She's always prided herself on being the consummate professional, but not this time. But, attracted or not, when she finds out who he is she realizes he's way out of her reach. But you can't stop a girl from dreaming...
