The Cowboy Billionaire

by Lorana Hoopes

  “What’s changed?” Daisy asked, trying not to fan the spark of hope that flickered in her chest. Though she still wasn’t sure she was ready to fully open her heart, she wanted him to say that it was meeting her that had changed him. That maybe it would even be enough that he would consider moving here.

  He stopped and turned to face her. “I have this beautiful apartment in the city, but you know what I do most nights?”

  Daisy shook her head.

  “I grab takeout on my way home from work or have something delivered. Then I sit in my big beautiful apartment by myself and eat dinner while I watch TV.”

  “That sounds sad.”

  He chuckled. “I didn’t think it was until I saw you and Fanny and Cody. Don’t get me wrong, I have friends there who I hang out with on occasion, but family dinners haven’t been in my life for a long time. Long enough that I didn’t realize what I was missing.” His smile faded as he stared into Daisy’s eyes. “I know I don’t know you well, Daisy, but you’ve changed my perspective on things, on life, and I’ll never forget that.”

  The look he was giving her sent her heart thudding in her chest, and her mouth suddenly felt as dry as the Sahara. “You’re welcome,” she managed though the words felt like sandpaper in her throat. Electricity crackled in the air between them, and as Hunter held her gaze, she wondered if he wanted to kiss her. Did she want him to kiss her?

  “Daisy…”

  “Yes?” Her throat was so tight that the word came out little more than a whisper.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Daisy? There you are. I need to speak with you.”

  Daisy blinked at the intrusion of the voice. Was that Sheriff Gillespie? What could he possibly want? She turned to see the man hurrying toward her, his expression a storm cloud.

  “Daisy, I need a word with you,” he repeated when he reached them. Fire flashed from his eyes as he looked at Hunter.

  “What is it, Sheriff?”

  “I’m assuming this is your writer friend.” Condescension dripped from his voice, and a hardness that she’d never seen before distorted his features.

  “It is.” Daisy looked to Hunter and was surprised to see his posture stiffen. “What’s going on?”

  “Do you want to tell her, Hunter, or should I?” The sheriff emphasized Hunter’s name, making it sound more like a sneer.

  “Daisy, I… I was trying to tell you.”

  “Tell me what?” Daisy was seriously confused now.

  “That his name isn’t Hunter Goldsby,” the sheriff said. He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and rocked back as if proud of what he’d found out.

  “What?” Daisy whirled on Hunter. “What is he talking about?”

  “His name is Hunter Garrison.” The sheriff emphasized the last name and paused for a moment as if to let it sink in. “If that name sounds familiar, it should because he’s the owner of the firm trying to buy your land.”

  The words felt like a punch to Daisy’s gut. Here she’d been thinking maybe she could open her heart again, but he’d only been pretending, trying to get her to lower her walls so he could get her to sell her land. “Is that true?”

  Remorse and sadness flickered in his eyes. “It is, but it’s not what you think.”

  “Are you trying to deny that you came here to convince her to sell?” Sheriff Gillespie asked. His hands dropped from his belt loops and his shoulders squared back as if preparing for a fight.

  “No,” Hunter said with a sigh. “He’s right about some things. My name is Hunter Garrison, and I do own the company offering to buy your land. I was sent here to try to convince you to sell, but I couldn’t do it.”

  As she listened to him lie, a burning heat ignited in her stomach. With hot talons, it clawed up her neck, sending a flash of red over her cheeks. Tendons in her neck bulged as her jaw clenched and sparks flew from her eyes. Her posture grew rigid, except for her hands, which clenched so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white, and divots developed in her palms from her nails. Then, a trembling took over her body as if every ounce of concentration was being used to keep from blowing up at him. “And I’m supposed to believe that? You lied to me. You didn’t even tell me your real name, and I’m supposed to believe you couldn’t do your job because why?”

  “Because I saw how much the ranch meant to you. Because I saw how many people depended on you. Because I saw the relationship between you and Cody and Fanny. Because I fell for you.” He reached out to touch her arm, but Daisy yanked it out of his reach.

  “Don’t,” Daisy spat. “There’s no need to keep lying to me now.”

  “I’m not. Look, I spoke with the partner who sent me and tried to convince him to let you keep your land, but he wouldn’t agree.”

  Daisy crossed her arms and scoffed. “He wouldn’t agree? I thought you owned the company.”

  Small lines formed around his mouth as his lips pursed. “Technically, I do, but my father put a provision in his will that the company isn’t really mine until I prove myself.”

  “Prove yourself? Is that what this was about?” Anger surged in Daisy’s body sending a hot flame up her neck.

  Hunter shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant. Look, according to Goldman, the partner who sent me here, my father wanted to buy your land to build a dude ranch. That’s why I was asking if you had ever considered it. I was trying to come up with a solution that would allow you to keep your land and also satisfy Goldman.”

  “Well, I don’t need your help,” Daisy said, sticking out her chin. “You can go back to your big city and tell your boss that I’m not selling. No matter what.” Having said her piece, she turned and stormed away from the two men.

  “Daisy, Daisy, wait up.”

  Daisy heard the sheriff’s voice, but she was in no mood to talk to him either. Tears burned at the back of her eyes, and all she wanted to do was go home, eat a bowl of double fudge ice cream, and berate her stupidity for trusting Hunter and letting him in her life, even if only for a few days.

  “I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you,” the sheriff said when he caught up with her, “but I heard he was spending a lot of time with you.” Daisy managed a nod but kept her pace brisk and her eyes on the ground. “I couldn’t let him get away with it.”

  “I appreciate it, Sheriff, but I’d rather not talk about it right now.” With that, Daisy hastened her steps until she heard his footsteps fade behind her. She made it to her car before the tears escaped. Glancing around, she swiped the wetness from her cheeks before sliding into her car.

  Why am I crying over him? It’s not like we were dating or anything, she thought to herself as she placed the key in the ignition. But she knew the answer. For the first time since Ethan’s death, she’d felt an attraction to another man. For the first time since his death, she’d seen Cody relate to a man and display a genuine smile once again. Most importantly, for the first time since Ethan’s death, she’d thought about opening her heart again. Only to have it shut down once more.

  15

  Hunter

  Hunter shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked back to the inn. What was he going to do now? He couldn’t go back to Goldman empty handed, but he doubted Daisy would listen to any of his ideas. He should have told her the truth from the beginning.

  “Whoa, why the long face?” Dixie asked as he entered.

  Hunter sighed. Though the story was none of her business, he felt the need to talk to someone. It might as well be Dixie. “I messed up.”

  “You look like you need to take a load off. Why don’t you come into the kitchen and I’ll get us some coffee?”

  Hunter nodded and followed her into the homey kitchen. He took a seat at the small table while she began brewing a pot of coffee. Normally the smell and the sound of coffee percolating brightened his day, but he wasn’t sure anything was going to help right now.

  “So, how exactly did you mess up?” Dixie asked as she set a mug and some sug
ar in front of him.

  “I lied.” He held her gaze to gauge her reaction as he stated the two simple words.

  She lifted one eyebrow and blew on her mug. “Okay, lying isn’t good. What exactly did you lie about?”

  “Who I am.”

  Hunter expected her to get angry or kick him out, but she didn’t. Instead, she took a slow sip of her coffee. “Okay, you’ve got my attention. Who are you?”

  “My name is Hunter Garrison, and I was sent here to try and get Daisy Keller to sell her land to the Garrison and Son corporation, so we can build a dude ranch on it.”

  “Your corporation?”

  “Sort of.” Hunter shrugged his shoulders as he took a sip of coffee. “I worked there with my father. When he died, he left me the company.”

  Dixie’s brow furrowed. “So, why don’t you just find other land?”

  “Well, he left me the company, but in name only. I don’t really have any power in decision making until I prove myself, but I don’t know how to do that. He didn’t specify what he was looking for in the will.”

  “I see. That is a pickle. So, what are you going to do?” Dixie asked.

  Hunter shook his head. “What can I do? When Daisy found out, she stormed off. I wanted to try and brainstorm ways for her to keep her ranch and satisfy my company as well, but there’s no way she’ll listen to me now. All I can hope to do is go back and convince Goldman not to continue to pressure her to sell.”

  “Do you think that will work?”

  “No, but I don’t know what else to try.” A sick feeling settled in Hunter’s stomach. Not only had he lost the deal, but he’d lost Daisy too, and he wasn’t sure which one bothered him more.

  “Have you tried praying about it?” Dixie asked.

  “I’m not really much of a praying person,” Hunter answered, shifting in his seat. This conversation had just taken a turn for the uncomfortable.

  “That’s okay, I wasn’t either at one time. But here’s what I can tell you. I’ve faced a lot of things that felt too big for me, that probably were too big for me, but nothing is too big for God. Right now, you see no way out of this, but He might have a plan. If you get stuck, you could always try asking.”

  “Yeah, I guess I could,” Hunter said, but he had no plans to follow through. He was pretty sure even God couldn’t fix this. Tomorrow he would pack up and return to the city. Hopefully, he could convince Goldman to let it go.

  Hunter took a deep breath before pulling open the door to the firm the next day. He’d thought about what he was going to say on the entire drive back, but he still wasn’t sure how Goldman would react.

  “Mr. Garrison, you’re back,” Brie said with a bright smile. “It hasn’t been the same without you.”

  “Thank you, Brie.” Hunter returned the smile but could not muster his normal flirtation. “Can you call Mr. Goldman and see if he can see me?”

  Brie’s smile faded as she processed his tone and change in demeanor. “Sure, one moment, sir.” She tapped a button on her phone and paused. After a quick exchange with the person on the other end, she ended the call and nodded to Hunter. “You can go ahead and go up.”

  Hunter returned the nod and headed toward the elevators. As the door closed behind him, he took a few deep breaths and tried once again to formulate his thoughts. How would Goldman react when Hunter refused to go back? What could they do to punish him if they couldn’t fire him?

  Goldman’s secretary waved him through as he entered the large office foyer. “He’s expecting you,” she said, barely glancing in his direction.

  With a final deep breath, Hunter pushed the door open. Goldman looked up from the papers on his desk and motioned him in.

  “You’re back sooner than I expected. Were you able to convince her to sell?”

  “No, sir, I wasn’t.”

  Goldman put his pen down and folded his hands. “And why not?”

  Hunter thought about using the excuse that his cover had been blown before he could convince Daisy, but he knew that was just an excuse. “Because it’s not right.”

  Goldman’s brow lifted. “Excuse me?”

  “Look, maybe it was my father’s last wish.” Hunter wished he knew that for sure. Not that it would change his decision now. “But Daisy needs that ranch. She lost her husband last year, and she’s running it by herself. She has a son and an elderly aunt who lives with her. Plus, she employs people in the town. She’s had to let some of them go, but I refuse to make her have to fire any more.”

  Goldman leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. “That is not our concern. Our concern is buying the land and making a profit.”

  “Well, that shouldn’t be our concern. I know my father and I didn’t always see eye to eye, but if I’m going to take this firm over one day, I want to do it differently. I want to help people. People like Daisy.” Hunter pressed his lips together to keep from rambling any further. He’d said his piece and now he just had to wait to see what Goldman would say.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  Hunter’s mouth parted and he blinked at the man. Was he really going to listen to Hunter’s ideas? “Daisy mentioned opening a horse youth camp. What if we did that in conjunction with a dude ranch? We have the land on either side of her, right?”

  Goldman nodded.

  “So, what if we opened one on each side of her? We could open the youth camp and employ even more of the townspeople. She’s right. There isn’t much that kids can do in that town, but with our money, we could bring in horses for them to ride and learn how to care for them. Maybe we could even add some sort of game hall for them to have a place to safely hang out.”

  “How would we make money on it?” Goldman asked.

  “Obviously we would charge a fee for use. We could also have a fee for the game hall, but I think most of the money would come from the dude ranch on the other side. It will be a little smaller than we’d originally hoped without Daisy’s land, but it can be done.”

  “You care enough about this woman to accept lower profits?”

  “I care about her and the town. It’s small, but it’s a good place to unwind. With a few more tourists coming in, the businesses there could thrive. They specialize in festivals and people come from all over for them. We could add to that and really grow the town.”

  Goldman stared at him so long that Hunter wondered if the man had suffered a stroke or seizure. Finally, a wide smile broke across his face. It had been so long since Hunter had seen him smile that it took him off guard at first. Had the man lost his mind?

  “Congratulations, Hunter,” Goldman said, standing and extending his hand.

  Hunter stared down at the man’s hand in confusion. “Congratulations? For what?”

  Ignoring his rude behavior, Goldman leaned forward and grabbed Hunter’s hand, pumping it vigorously. “For proving yourself. You just met your father’s condition. The company is now yours completely.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Goldman smiled at him the way a grandfather would. “Your father wanted you to learn that there are things more important than money, and he wanted you to have a vision for the company.”

  “So, the money is all mine?”

  Goldman’s smile faltered. “It is, but I hope this doesn’t change your desire.”

  “No, not at all,” Hunter answered quickly, “I just wasn’t expecting this when I came in here.”

  “To be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d ever meet your father’s requirement. I was afraid I’d have to run the company forever, but now I can finally retire. This is the happiest day of my life.”

  Hunter left Goldman’s office in a stupor. On one hand, he was glad that he’d finally met his father’s requirement, and he was glad that Goldman could move on with his life. But what did this mean for Hunter? True, he had the money now, more than he could probably ever spend, but what he really wanted was Daisy. And she still felt completely out of reach.

  16

  Dai
sy

  “Why the long face this morning?” Fanny asked as Daisy pushed her eggs around on her plate.

  Daisy sighed. She hadn’t felt like talking when she’d gotten home last night, and she wasn’t sure she felt like it now either, but Fanny deserved an explanation. “It turns out Hunter isn’t who he said he was.”

  “What do you mean?” Fanny pulled out her chair and sat down across from Daisy.

  “His real name is Hunter Garrison, and he owns the firm that’s trying to buy the ranch.”

  Fanny’s eyebrow quirked. “Did he say why they wanted to buy the land?”

  “Evidently, the company wants to open a dude ranch, but does it really matter? He lied to me, and he lied to you,” she added, knowing how much Fanny hated being lied to.

  “But he never pressured you to sell, did he? I mean I wasn’t out there, but I never heard him mention it.”

  Daisy thought for a moment. “No, it never came up, but I’m sure it would have.”

  “Are you?”

  “Of course I am. He was probably just trying to get me to relax my guard before he brought it up. Whose side are you on anyway?”

  “All I’m saying is that maybe he came here under false pretenses, but changed his mind once he got to know you.”

  “That’s a nice thought, Aunt Fanny, but there’s really no evidence to back that up. Besides, even if he did, I doubt he’ll stay after last night. I was pretty adamant in my anger when I left him.”

  “Left who?” Cody asked, bounding into the room. “Was it Hunter? When is he coming today? I want to show him this picture I drew.” Cody held up a drawing of four stick figures standing next to a house.