Matched With Her Cowboy Billionaire Ex-Fiance

by Bonnie R. Paulson

  She approached, a soft smile on her face as she held out her hand to Olivia. “Hi, Olivia, I’m Taylor Dean. I’ll be on the other team matching you. I didn’t get a chance to meet you at the announcement, but I wanted to make sure and introduce myself before we get started.” Taylor continued ignoring Roman.

  Olivia graciously took Taylor’s hand in hers and inclined her head. “Thank you, Taylor. It’s nice to be here. Roman was just saying the funniest things.” She shook her head and shot him an intimate look.

  Roman furrowed his brow and looked at her questioningly. He hadn’t said anything funny. In fact, He hadn’t said much of anything. Where was Olivia getting the humor from?

  Taylor reclaimed her hand from the woman beside Roman. She smiled politely. “How do you know each other?”

  Olivia wrapped both hands around Roman’s upper bicep and she leaned in, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. “Roman and I are longtime friends. We’ve been there for each other through a lot.”

  Roman shifted uncomfortably on the bucket style seat. What was Olivia getting at and why did it feel like she was trying to establish her territorial rights? None of what she was saying was completely accurate. They weren’t close. They’d never been there for each other and he couldn’t figure out why she was leaning on him.

  Olivia’s next words broke through Roman’s thoughts. “How do you know Roman? He’s never mentioned you before.” She scanned Taylor from head to foot and then blinked. “I mean, I can see why. I’m just not sure I understand the connection.”

  The insult seemed to roll off Taylor’s back since she didn’t even flinch. Roman didn’t want Olivia focusing her negative attentions on Taylor. He placed his fingers over Olivia’s on his arm and laughed. “Taylor is a girl I grew up with. We were friends once upon a time. Even longer than you and me, Olivia.” If Olivia had focused her eyes on Roman, there was no way she was going to leave Taylor alone, if she found out who Taylor was or used to be. He had to protect Taylor from the things Olivia could do and be.

  Olivia’s tight grasp loosened and she laughed. “Oh, you’re a childhood friend. That’s… quaint.” Olivia’s phone buzzed and she pulled from Roman. “Excuse me.” She turned to the side, answering the call with a soft murmur.

  Roman glanced at Taylor and froze. Unadulterated pain created a small line between her eyebrows and her green eyes had darkened to a deep jade from betrayal. She pressed her lips together into a thin line and her nostrils flared as she breathed.

  “I…” Roman leaned forward, his hand stretched out before him like he was going to be able to stop her from hurting.

  She shook her head, plastering a fake smile on her lips, even as her eyes accused him of so much more. “Don’t worry about it. Everything is very clear.” She turned away, glancing at her clipboard clutched tightly in her hands.

  “Taylor, do you want to sit with me? I have a spot open. We all had some more questions for you.” A fairly good-looking guy with a nametag that read Bryson placed his hand on Taylor’s shoulder. He led her toward the group of guys again, shooting a questioning glance past her head and narrowing his eyes at Roman.

  There was no way Taylor would go for the type of guy Bryson was.

  Roman determinedly ignored the clean cut, strong-jawed look Bryson had going on. Not to mention he seemed very respectful and even attentive to Taylor. Nah, that wasn’t the type of guy any woman wanted.

  Except… Roman knew that’s exactly the type of guy most women wanted.

  But was Bryson the right one to win the competition? If nothing else, redirecting Bryson’s attention onto Olivia would be a good move. That had to be a good thing for everyone involved. Another man moved to Taylor’s other side and in seconds she was absorbed back into the group of potential dates. For Olivia.

  Roman had the feeling that everyone there was missing the point on just who was getting matched to whom.

  Olivia finished her call and the meeting continued. Roman focused on the way the men acted around Olivia and Taylor and the stark differences. They seemed more comfortable around the curvy red-head whereas Olivia came across as unapproachable She didn’t even seem interested in the other sixteen men who were supposed to be there for her.

  By the time the meet and greet wrapped up, Roman’s irritation and frustration had reached an all-time high. Olivia left and the men left for a photo shoot to show the stage they were in for the contest, leaving Roman alone with Taylor.

  The long table they’d ended up at could have been a mile long for all the conversation they engaged in together. When in reality, Taylor was only two seats down from Roman on the opposite side. They were essentially sitting across from each other!

  She wrote furiously with a mechanical pencil, flipping pages on her clipboard and checking information on previous pages.

  Roman watched her for a moment, grateful she didn’t see him staring. He couldn’t help it. There was a spunky strength in the curve of her neck and in the way she held her shoulders. Even the tilt to her nose suggested she wasn’t going to take anything sitting down.

  Taylor glanced at him, slowing the movement of her pencil as she blinked and caught him staring at her. “What? Do I have something on my face?” She lifted her hand with the pencil and felt around her cheeks and forehead while also trying not to write on herself.

  Roman shifted on his seat, shaking his head. “No, not at all. I was just thinking you’re putting in a lot of work for a contest you’re going to lose.” He’d meant to say it with a teasing tone, but his frustration with the men made him sound more serious than he’d intended.

  All emotions drained from her face and disappointment twisted her lips. “Well, then I better get to work on losing, right?” She sighed and grabbed a tote bag she’d stacked under her chair and pulled it onto her lap, shoving the clipboard inside.

  Roman blinked. He hadn’t meant to be offensive or even call her out on anything. He was teasing, but how did he try to make her understand that? She was already standing to leave.

  She made it halfway to the door and then stopped, reaching up to wipe her cheeks. Was she crying? Had he hurt her again? Then she turned back to him, her face flushed. “I don’t know why you’re back, honestly. Things are fine without you. We really take this competition seriously. You don’t and that’s fine. But you need to be ready for our meetings and for the dates. I have on the schedule that we need to get together to discuss the dating schedule by this coming weekend. If you can’t put your distaste and hatred for me aside, then send someone else.”

  Roman’s lips parted as he stared at her and what she was saying sank in. He stood from the table, holding her challenging gaze with his as he rounded the end of the seating area and approached her. About three feet from her, he stopped and tucked his hands into his jeans pockets. “I don’t hate you, Taylor.”

  She scoffed, looking to the side and then back at him. “Look, it’s not a big deal, Roman. I get it. You and I saw each other differently. That’s fine. It’s all in the past. I think we can agree that right now is important to both our families. If you want to fight, fine. We can, but I can tell you right now that this competition will be a lot easier on everyone involved if we can at least work together. So, suck up whatever it is you don’t like about me and deal with it until Christmas. Okay?” She lifted a hand and then dropped it back to her side. She shook her head and turned, not waiting for his reply as she strode from the building with surprisingly long legs for someone of her petite height.

  Roman stood there unsure what to do next for a few minutes. Once he snapped out of it, he got in his truck and returned to Kringle Ranch.

  Being back in Mistletoe was definitely not for the faint of heart.

  In the sitting room looking out over the back deck and pastures, Roman stared at the silhouettes of the mountains in the distance. He’d once believed he and Taylor would get married and climb around the cliffs looking for a place to make theirs, just theirs so they never had to see anyone else. She wa
s the only thing he’d ever wanted. The only person he ever wanted to be around.

  His dad had been a matchmaker, too. He’d worked with Roman’s mother and they’d made a strong name for themselves. Where the Deans had matched Roman and Taylor from a very young age, Roman’s father Simon had said from the beginning that Deans and Wilsons weren’t a good match. Nothing good ever came from a match of matchmakers.

  The night before Roman was supposed to marry Taylor, his father had pulled him aside and said the best thing for the both of them was to take some time and explore the world. If they got married, they’d be divorced sooner rather than later and the Wilson matchmaking name would be tarnished. Not to mention, Olivia would always blame Roman for making her miserable and no one wanted that.

  Roman hadn’t slept after that, tossing and turning all night. If his father didn’t think they were a good match, then maybe they weren’t. Simon was one of the most successful matchers in the history of the family. His match rate was over 95% and no one questioned him.

  Who was Roman to start rebelling or doubting the things his father said? Roman’s dream of owning the mountains with Taylor had dissipated behind him as he’d run the other way – both to protect her and save her from a life filled with regret.

  “Did you miss it?” Brock’s deep voice snapped through Roman’s thoughts.

  He startled, shooting a look to his right toward his brother and adding a smile to his expression. “Yeah, sure. But they aren’t the only mountains in the world, you know?” He’d never tell anyone that they were the only mountains that seemed both safe and dangerous at the same time when he could have lost himself in them and found himself all at the same time.

  “How’s the competition going? Anything I can do?” Brock moved forward, leaning his shoulder on the doorjamb of the slider, and folding his arms across his chest. He studied his older brother like they hadn’t had an ocean between them for the last two decades.

  Roman sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Taylor is… brutal. She said we’re supposed to get together and plan things? I don’t know why everyone is making this so hard about matching. Either you pick someone that is going to work or you don’t.”

  Brock shook his head. “No. It isn’t that simple with the competition. The rest of our matchmaking and the Deans as well, is like what you’re saying, sure. We have to listen to our instincts, match who we think. But with the competition, we have to follow procedures. This is really hard on Taylor because… she ignores all the rules for matchmaking. Not for anything else, of course.” Brock chuckled and then waved a hand in front of him. “Not that I’m commiserating with the enemy, but I do understand where she’s coming from. If any of the rules aren’t followed, that team forfeits.” Brock considered Roman a moment and then continued. “Are you going to be able to work with her or is she going to be a distraction?”

  A distraction? Roman turned from Brock and stared out at the mountains again. Everything about Mistletoe was a distraction. Wasn’t that why he’d come back? But he knew what Brock was asking. “No. I’m not interested in her like that anymore.” He was lying and there was nothing he could do about it.

  “Maybe you could convince her otherwise. Maybe what you should do is distract her.” Brock narrowed his eyes at Roman.

  “I’m not going to cheat, man.” Roman wasn’t sure he could fake anything with Taylor besides the fact that he had to lie and act like his heart didn’t scream for her every time they were around each other. He had to fake that. His pride demanded it. “What are you saying?” Roman turned to face Brock. “I need you to spell it out for me.”

  “I think you need to try to distract her from the competition, by… being wrapped up in her again. I think it might be the best thing for our team.” Brock widened his eyes meaningfully at Roman, his context clear.

  “Wouldn’t that be cheating?” Roman narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t amused that Brock had pretty much said Roman wasn’t good enough to go against the Dean family in the contest. Add to that the expectation that Roman was going to need to cheat and he was less than amused. “I’m a solid matcher, Brock. I don’t need to swing the competition to win against anyone.” Hadn’t he proven that over the years as he’d grown his branch of the business?

  “Not necessarily. I mean there are no rules that say contestants and even matchmakers can’t fraternize. That’s all I’m saying. Distract her. If you want to win, it might be what it takes, you know?” Brock shrugged and shoved off the doorjamb. “It’s just an idea. Not a big deal. I’m sure you’ll do fine either way.”

  But Roman could hear it in his brother’s words.

  What Brock didn’t understand was just how dangerous it would be to pretend to be in love with Taylor Dean. His heart wouldn’t recover when it found out he’d put himself in that kind of position again only to tear himself away. There was no way he could have her back.

  But maybe mild flirtation to distract her would help secure the competition.

  Something. Anything had to help.

  “I’ll think about it.” Roman didn’t add that he’d think about a lot of other ways to win the match as well.

  Chapter 8

  Elizabeth

  Elizabeth had missed the meet and greet as well as the kickoff. Her whole Christmas season was going to be off without attending those. Some people got into the holiday spirit with music, decorations, or even those ugly-as-sin Christmas sweaters.

  Not Elizabeth.

  She needed the competition to remind her that Christmas and the surrounding holidays were all about the ones you were with. Or more specifically the one you were with.

  Her last phone call with Roman didn’t sound optimistic with the contest, but that didn’t mean all was lost.

  She picked up the phone where she sat on the couch in her living room. Before dialing David, she called out, “Is anyone in here?” The resounding silence reassured her no one was in earshot. Most of the boys were out working on some fence line along the northern border.

  The only reason she’d stayed on Kringle Ranch after Simon had died was because of the boys. They’d rallied around her, doing everything they could to help her with the ranch and staying there. No one had actually asked what she wanted. They’d all assumed she wanted to stay at the huge ranch in the middle of the huge mountains in a not-so-huge town.

  Not that she was complaining. On the contrary. Having the boys back home was like a dream come true, but at the same time, Elizabeth wasn’t stupid. Women didn’t want to marry a man who still lived with his mother – no matter how good looking or rich they were.

  As much as she loved her boys, she wanted grandchildren and she wasn’t going to get them unless they got married. She had to take a role in their love lives or so help her, she’d never have a grandbaby to hold. That just wasn’t going to be acceptable.

  Pressing David’s avatar on the contact list, Elizabeth waited for him to answer.

  He picked up on the third ring. “Elizabeth, what do I owe the pleasure?” His deep voice and good humor were easy to enjoy. The man never failed to disappoint her with an easy-going demeanor and polite mannerism. He wasn’t too hard on the eyes either.

  Elizabeth cleared her throat, embarrassed at the direction her thoughts had taken. “David, I hope you’re feeling better. We took on this matching business for your daughter and I’ve been thinking a lot about it. I wanted to get your thoughts before I wrote up a proposal.” Elizabeth didn’t want to be blunt with David, but she found that was the best way to communicate with men. Subtlety didn’t seem to be the way to get what you wanted.

  Directness was the name of the game.

  “I went over her profile and I’m not going to lie; I didn’t know most of that about my daughter. Were you aware that there are that many emotions associated with sadness?” David sighed as if he wasn’t sure he could separate himself from the match and get his own biases away from the matching. “What are your thoughts?”

  Elizabeth looked out
the window, taking in the long driveway lined with trees. At night it was magical and by day, the trees promised protection from the winds as well as led the way to the beauty of Kringle Ranch.

  As much as she practiced directness, how did she say what she was really thinking?

  Just say it. She had to just say it. “Okay, David I’m just going to say it. Watching Roman and Taylor together in the hospital and then on the videos of them at the meet and greet and the kickoff… I think we need to match them together.” She rushed on, before he could argue. “I know. He’s already blown his chance with her. I understand that. I want them back together. I don’t know what happened, but I think we have a chance to right an egregious wrong that was committed.” She fell silent.

  What was David thinking? He probably thought she had no right to suggest her son for his daughter after everything Roman had done.

  David exhaled on a whoosh; the sound surprisingly loud. “I’m so glad you said that.”

  Elizabeth blinked in surprise, her lips falling partially open. “You are?”

  “Yes, I was watching them, too. There’s something there, even though on the surface, it looks like they hate each other. Is it too much to hope we can keep this match in house?” David coughed but not too loud and he muted it with his hand.

  “I don’t think it’s too much to hope at all.” Her heart pounded a little too hard. She would have to learn how to calm down. “So, it’s agreed? That’s who we want for our match?” Elizabeth’s lips curved with excitement as she waited for his agreement.

  “Yes. I think that will be the best thing for the families and for them. This stupid Dean and Wilson feud needs to end. If we can work together, I think Mistletoe will be that much stronger for it.” David’s tone was businesslike but there was a smile in his voice.

  “I agree.” Elizabeth sighed in relief. The hardest part about working with someone on a match, was agreeing on who the pairings would be.