Buch lesen: «Convenient Cowgirl Bride»
It’s a marriage of convenience for this sexy tycoon!
Barron Entertainment CEO Chasen “Chase” Barron needs a wife like he needs a hangover. But when his latest escapades land him in the tabloids, he faces an ultimatum from the Barron family patriarch: pick a wife or one will be picked for him.
That’s when perfect stranger Savannah Wolfe shows up, out of the blue, in his bed! It’s all a mix-up, but how convenient. The feisty cowgirl fits the bill for a fake wedding. Chase’ll help her with her rodeo career if she plays along. But how inconvenient if he falls for Savannah for real in the process...
The bedroom door swung open soundlessly and he didn’t bother with lights.
Stripping out of his clothes, he slid between the Egyptian cotton sheets and rolled toward the center of his bed. Where he encountered a warm body.
His palm dipped into a nipped-in waist before smoothing over the curve of a hip. Tucker must have hustled to get him this coming-home present. He dipped his head and nuzzled the sweet spot behind the woman’s ear.
The next thing he knew, the woman had rolled, tucked her feet into his chest and kicked. Chase flew off the bed and hit the carpeted floor with a soft thud.
“What the hell!” The woman scampered to the other side of the bed and turned on the lamp. “Who are you?”
He stood up, naked and unembarrassed. “I might ask you the same thing, wildcat.”
“Oh, my God, you’re naked. Get out!”
Before he could move, she nailed him in the chest with a boot. A Western boot. Covered in mud and... He sniffed the air.
“Get out of here, you pervert! I’m calling security.”
“Good idea, since I’m throwing you out.”
“What? You can’t do that.”
“Sure I can, kitten. This is my apartment.”
Her jaw dropped and then her full lips formed a perfect O.
* * *
Convenient Cowgirl Bride is part of the Red Dirt Royalty series: These Oklahoma millionaires work hard and play harder.
Dear Reader,
Rodeo is a thing. A big thing. It’s both a lifestyle and a business. Cowboys and cowgirls who compete on the pro circuit work hard and are on the road almost constantly. There’s an order to the rodeos and winning points in order to compete in the big daddy of them all—the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. And there are the rodeos that stir the public’s imagination: Cheyenne Frontier Days, Calgary Stampede, San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver to name a few.
Under normal circumstances, I do a lot of research and make sure places and dates are realistic in my books. In this instance, I admit to fudging Savannah’s schedule for the sake of the story. Hopefully, you’ll be swept up in the romance and won’t begrudge me the poetic license.
I had fun writing this book, revisiting my youth when I trudged out to feed horses no matter the weather, or hooked up the trailer and loaded my horses to head to a rodeo. I was never dedicated enough to make it on the rodeo circuit so I’ll admit to living vicariously through Savannah while I wrote her story.
And now that you know my secret, I hope you enjoy Savvi’s story, and the love Chase wants to share with her, even if she’s a bit more inconveniently convenient than he bargained for.
Happy trails!
Silver James
Convenient Cowgirl Bride
Silver James
SILVER JAMES likes walks on the wild side and coffee. Okay. She LOVES coffee. A cowgirl at heart, she’s been an army officer’s wife and mum, and worked in the legal field, fire service and law enforcement. Now retired from the real world, she lives in Oklahoma, spending her days writing with the assistance of two Newfoundlands, the cat who rules them all and the characters living in her imagination.
MILLS & BOON
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To every reader who is a cowgirl at heart, to the man who taught me about the soul of a horse and to the marvelous Harlequin team who make it easy to let my imagination gallop across the page.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Introduction
Dear Reader
Title Page
About the Author
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Epilogue
Extract
Copyright
One
Chasen “Chase” Barron needed a wife like he needed another hangover. Dark thoughts winnowed through his mind as he surveyed his world from the window of his Gulfstream jet. Below him, Las Vegas looked like a necklace of sparkling neon jewels strung on ribbons of car headlights. Vegas never slept. His kind of place.
His latest escapades had landed him back on the front page of the supermarket tabloids—much to his old man’s disgust. Chase wasn’t a bad guy. Not really. It was just that as head of Barron Entertainment, he was surrounded by beautiful women. And he was definitely a man who enjoyed beautiful women. Frequently. How was he to know the gorgeous actress—who’d told him she was separated—was still very much married to a powerful studio head? Or that she’d invited the paparazzi to record her tryst with Chase in order to... Just thinking about it made his head hurt.
He’d left LA for Nashville to deal with some problems in setting up Barron Entertainment’s new country and Western record label, and there were two cute, young singers who wanted an edge. Being seen getting it on with the CEO of Barron Entertainment was their ticket to glory. Who knew those selfies they took would go viral? Yeah, he definitely should have confiscated their cell phones. Water under the bridge now. And lesson learned.
Despite the social media storm, his trip to Nashville had been productive. The new company, Bent Star Records, had launched, making headlines by signing superstar Deacon Tate, and his band, the Sons of Nashville, as the first act. That Deke was Chase’s cousin was beside the point. Family did business with family. Which brought him back around to the situation at hand.
Waking up, predictably hungover, to his father’s edict to marry the very disagreeable daughter of a business associate, Chase figured there was only one way out—head back to Las Vegas with all speed and ignore his father’s demands. Besides, the old man hadn’t called in his brothers for a family intervention, right? Or maybe dear old Dad was finally getting the message now that Chance, Cord and Clay had all defied the old jackass, married the women they loved and were living the lives they wanted without his permission.
Chase admired his older brothers. He’d fallen in with the old man’s edicts during the family confrontations, but had secretly rooted for his siblings. Now if he could just figure out what was going on with his identical twin. Cash had been a coiled snake ready to strike every time Chase had seen him lately. And he was worried. They used to be so close they knew what the other was thinking. Not anymore.
But solving the mystery of his twin’s behavior would have to wait. Chase had his own problems—mainly figuring out how not to get engaged to Janiece Carroll. While pretty enough, courtesy of a personal trainer and a skilled plastic surgeon, Janiece was High Maintenance, capitalized and trademarked. The former debutante had a voice like nails on a blackboard and the social skills of a spoiled toddler. Yeah, he needed to figure out a way to dodge this particular bullet.
On the ground, he traded the jet for his Jaguar F-type convertible. Once the top was down, he cranked up the sound system and the strains of Deacon’s newest hit, “Heading Home,” filled the hangar. He pulled out, maneuvered off airport property and headed into Las Vegas proper. The dazzling array of lights and throngs of people on the Strip felt like home.
Downshifting the powerful Jag, he coasted to a stop at a traffic light. Two women in spangly minidresses barely covering their butts sauntered by in the crosswalk in front of him. They watched him, their invitation plain in their expressions. Part of him was tempted. Part of him wanted only to hit his bed in the penthouse apartment at the Barron Crown Hotel and Casino. The light changed and the opportunity was lost. He wasn’t disappointed. He’d had enough female manipulation for a while.
Chase cruised down the street debating whether to pull into the main entrance of the hotel or head around the block to the employees’ parking garage. He hadn’t shaken the headache so he decided to forgo the casino’s clamor. The guard on duty at the garage nodded to him and opened the gate with a quiet “Good to have you back, sir.”
After parking in his spot near the private elevators, he snagged his satchel and overnight bag. Having semipermanent residences in both LA and Nashville made for light travel. He rubbed his jaw as he rode up in the elevator.
Cash had upgraded security and it took Chase’s thumbprint to get to any of the secured floors, including the top floor, where he resided. His card key was in his hand when he stepped into the beautifully appointed foyer. His apartment took up a third of the floor. Three suites—the smallest and cheapest going for ten grand a night—occupied the rest of the space.
Everything about the Crown was five-star, including his apartment. He card-keyed the door and stepped inside, as soft lights slowly brightened. Motion detectors meant he never walked into a darkened room—except the master bedroom. The light switch in there was the old-fashioned kind.
He moved into the open living area and hit the wet bar. He skipped the bottles of top-shelf liquor and grabbed a cold bottle of beer from the fridge instead. Mail was stacked on his desk and he checked it with a bored eye. His vice president of operations would have already handled anything important. Tucker was his cousin and he trusted the man implicitly—again, it was that whole family-doing-business-together thing.
Wandering into the gourmet kitchen, Chase tried to decide if he was hungry. A plastic-wrapped tray of meat, cheese and a variety of artisan breads occupied one shelf in the Sub-Zero refrigerator. His pilot would have alerted Tuck of their pending arrival, and as usual, his cousin had taken care of him before shutting down for the night. The tray was perfect. He slid it out onto the granite top of the breakfast bar and hitched a hip onto the wrought iron bar stool. He ate and drank, watching the play of lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows bracketing the living space.
A few minutes might have passed, or a few hours. He wasn’t sure and didn’t care. His headache had receded and he finally felt drowsy. He covered the tray and shoved it back into the fridge. As he stepped into the hallway leading to his bedroom, the lights behind him faded while the sconces in the hall flickered on. He’d left his briefcase at his desk and his overnight bag in the hallway. Housekeeping would deal with it in the morning, after he went to his business office on the third floor.
It was only one in the morning. He should have been fired up to hit the casino floor, or to check out one of the shows playing at the hotel. He should have hit his office, but he was tired. That fact might have worried him but he was too tired—or too bored—to care.
The bedroom door swung open soundlessly and he didn’t bother with lights. He could navigate this room in the dark. After stripping out of his clothes, he slid between the 1200-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets and rolled toward the center of the bed.
Where he encountered a warm body.
Reaching out, he found the soft cotton of a T-shirt. Chase wondered briefly if it was one of his. His palm dipped into a nipped-in waist before smoothing over the curve of a hip and down to the bare skin of a muscular thigh. Tucker must have hustled to get him this coming-home present. He dipped his head and nuzzled the sweet spot behind the woman’s ear as his hand cupped her full breast.
The next thing he knew, the woman raked her nails down his arm, rolled, tucked her feet into his chest and kicked. Chase flew off the bed and hit the carpeted floor with a soft thud.
“What the hell!” The woman scampered to the other side of the bed and hit the on button for the lamp on the nightstand. “Who are you?”
He stood up, naked and unembarrassed. She was in his bed in his apartment in his hotel. He had nothing to be embarrassed about. “I might ask you the same thing, wildcat.”
“Oh, my God, you’re naked. Get out!”
Before he could move, she nailed him in the chest with a boot. A Western boot. Covered in mud and...he sniffed the air. Bending, he snatched the boot and stared at it, barely ducking in time when a second boot sailed toward his face.
“Get out of here, you pervert!” She snatched the phone and began dialing. “I’m calling Security.”
“Good idea, since I’m throwing you out.”
“What? You can’t do that.”
“Sure I can, kitten. This is my apartment.”
Her jaw dropped and then her full lips formed a perfect O. Chase liked the looks of that. And it showed. Her eyes dropped and she flushed before tilting her chin to face him eye to eye. She stood on the far side of the bed and he got a good look at her.
She wasn’t too tall—maybe five-six or five-seven—and while the baggy T-shirt covered most of her attributes, he could scope out her legs—long and muscular. Then he caught the saying emblazoned on her shirt: Sometimes A Cowgirl Has To Do What A Cowboy Can’t. Reading the message stretched across her chest didn’t help calm his libido. He dragged his gaze to her face, which was surrounded by a thick curtain of black hair, sleep tousled and begging for a man to run his fingers through it. Brown eyes bored into him from behind thick lashes that swept her high cheekbones with each blink.
“You’re one of the Barrons,” she murmured, her eyes still fastened on his face. Her tongue darted out from between her lips and he had to bite back a groan. “Can you, uh, put on some pants or something?”
He turned and walked to the chair where he’d dropped his jeans. Stepping into them commando, Chase glanced over his shoulder, only to catch her staring at his butt. His libido immediately whispered sweet nothings in his ear, but he’d already been burned twice in the past month. That shut up his libido and his body calmed down immediately.
“You wanna explain why you’re in my bed?”
“I’m Savannah Wolfe.”
She said it as though he should know the name. He didn’t. “Yeah, and?”
“I... I have permission to be here. Kade—”
“No one has permission to be here.”
“But—” Her face flushed as her temper flared. Chase discovered he liked putting that color in her cheeks.
“No one, wildcat, especially not you.”
“Stop calling me that.”
He showed her the four red marks on the inside of his forearm. “I think it fits. However, as much as I’d like to play, you’re not staying. Get your stuff and get out.”
“But—”
“We can do this like civilized people or I can call Security and have you arrested for trespassing.”
“But—”
He pulled his cell from his hip pocket. “Tired of the buts, cat.”
“I—”
He hit a button and she dropped her gaze.
“Fine. Get out so I can get dressed.”
“Not happenin’, girl.” He snagged her boots and tossed them to her. She caught them easily.
“Fine. If you get off on watchin’, then you are a big ol’ pervert.” She strode over to another chair and grabbed her jeans and a plaid shirt. An old canvas duffel bag slouched on the floor next to the chair. She had her shirt on but not buttoned and one leg in her jeans when Security hit the doorway.
“Problem, Mr. Barron?”
“Not anymore. Please escort this woman off the premises.”
The dark-suited security officer didn’t give Savannah a chance to get dressed. He snagged her bag, draped it over her shoulder, grabbed her boots and jammed them into her chest, gripped her arm and frog-marched her out. Sputtering and cussing, the girl did her best to get her jeans on. Chase followed them to the door and out into the foyer. He was grinning in the face of her scowl as the elevator doors closed. Pink polka-dotted panties. Now that was a sight he wouldn’t forget any time soon.
Two
Savannah had never been so mortified in her life. She was going to kill Kaden Waite the next time she saw him.
“Chase is in Nashville until after the rodeo,” Kade had told her, knowing money was tight and she’d probably be sleeping in her truck or in Indigo’s stall. “No one will be there. I’ll call the hotel and set it up.”
He had. She’d checked in that night with no problem. The desk clerk had barely looked at her. Either Chase Barron had strange women asking for his card key all the time or Kade had totally smoothed the way. Before her ignominious exit, things had been great. She’d gotten Indigo settled into his stall at the Clark County Fairgrounds and had enough grain left to feed him well. She’d unhooked her horse trailer and parked it in the designated area near the barn before driving to the Strip.
She’d found a place in the Crown Hotel and Casino’s parking lot and locked up her old truck. Not that it would take more than a twist of baling wire to pop the locks. Even with the odometer logging 200,000 miles, the old Ford still got her from rodeo to rodeo. She even had half a tank of gas—hopefully enough to last until she won the barrel event that weekend. And she had to win. She had a total of $175.00 in her checking account and twenty bucks in her pocket.
Then she’d woken up to a strange man in bed with her. The man who lived in that penthouse suite. Chase Barron. All six-plus feet of sexy male with his lean, I-run-on-the-treadmill-every-day body, his silky dark hair and those coffee-colored eyes. She jerked her thoughts back and remembered she’d nailed him in the chest with her boot. He deserved it. He was the world’s biggest jerk.
The security guy mostly ignored her, but the walls of the elevator were polished to the point they might as well have been mirrors. She struggled into her jeans, got them buttoned and her belt buckled. He didn’t give her time to dig a pair of socks out of her duffel. Marching her barefoot across the lobby to the obvious entertainment of everyone they encountered just added to her now miserable night.
Security shoved her through the entrance, held open by a smirking doorman. Savannah stumbled a few steps, found her balance and moved to a granite planter. Plopping her butt on the edge of it, she glared at the man standing over her, ready to snatch her up to keep her moving. “Hold your frickin’ horses, dude. I’m putting on my socks and boots.”
It took her a minute to stamp her boots on. Straightening to her full height, chin up, she offered him her glaringest glare. “I can find my way out.”
Turning on her heel, head still high, she stomped across the valet drive and headed into the crowded lot. Her truck was parked in the far corner. She kept walking, and about three rows in, her escort dropped back, then stopped altogether. She ducked behind an RV, and when she peeked back, he was returning to the hotel.
Still seething, she found her truck, only to discover the front tire was flat. That made her choice easy. Rather than driving back to the fairgrounds to sleep in Indy’s stall, she’d sleep in the truck. She was too tired to change the tire tonight. Crawling inside, she swiped at her cheeks. She didn’t have the spare time or energy to waste on tears. She would be back here in Las Vegas come December, competing in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but that meant she had to be at her best for this week’s qualifying rodeo. February was a late start but she was determined.
She pushed her duffel against the passenger door, stretched across the bench seat and jerked the Indian blanket off the back of the seat to cover her legs. She would deal with everything in the morning, including calling Mr. Kaden “I’ll fix it” Waite to tell him not to do her any more favors.
Savannah sat straight up, cussing. She couldn’t call Kade. She couldn’t call anyone. Her phone was plugged in, charging on the nightstand, next to the bed belonging to the jackass who lived on the fiftieth floor of the monster hotel looming just beyond her windshield. Dammit. She would have to face the man again in the morning. With her luck, the jerk face would just throw her phone away when he found it, which would suck because she didn’t have the money to get a new one.
Snatching a baseball cap off the headache rack behind the seat, she put it on and pulled the bill over her eyes. She had to sleep or she’d be sluggish tomorrow. She needed to work Indy in the arena because he’d been off training for three weeks. Her horse needed to settle and be in shape to get a good time for the first round. If her time wasn’t fast enough, there wouldn’t be a second round and she’d be in a world of economic hurt. She was already two rodeos behind on getting points and winnings.
Savvie thumped her duffel and sought a more comfortable position. She eventually drifted off.
* * *
Just before dawn, Chase found the woman’s phone, when it buzzed on his nightstand. Irritated, he rolled over and grabbed it, ready to throw it against the far wall until he saw Kaden calling on the screen. It was the ranch manager of the Crown B. Curious, he answered.
“Yeah?”
“Uh...is Savannah around?”
“No.”
“Where is she?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Who is this?”
“Chase Barron.”
Silence stretched for a long moment before Kade replied. “Chase? Kaden Waite. I thought you were in Nashville.”
“I was until last night. Found someone in my bed, Kade.”
“Damn. I’m sorry. Chance and Cord told me it’d be all right if Savvie stayed in your place while you were gone. They expected you to be in Nashville for at least another two weeks. The rodeo is over Saturday night and Sav would be back on the road Sunday.”
“She your girlfriend?” Chase didn’t expect the burst of laughter from the other man.
“Kissing her would be like kissing my sister. Our mothers were tight and we grew up practically next door to each other.”
“So she’s Chickasaw?” That would help explain the sleek, black hair, carved cheekbones and snapping brown eyes.
“Nope. Choctaw. Is that a problem?” Kade’s voice took on an edge. “Look, Chase, I was trying to help the kid out. She’s living on a shoestring and has big dreams about being the next All-Around Cowgirl. She was gonna sleep in her truck or her horse’s stall, so I figured since you were gone and your brothers said—”
“Yeah, yeah. I rained on her parade by coming home early. Not a big deal, Kade. Look, she’s out right now. Forgot her phone. I’ll have her call you.” Chase was lying through his teeth. He wasn’t about to explain he’d kicked her out last night.
“That’s okay. She’ll just get pissed because I’m checking up on her. I worry about her being out there alone, ya know?”
“Gotcha. Anything else? I gotta go, man.” Yeah, he had to go find her before Kade found out.
“Thanks, Chase.”
“Anytime, bro.” And that last slipped out before he could catch it. Luckily, Kade hung up without comment. Chase was convinced Kade was a product of one of the old man’s liaisons. The guy didn’t act like he had a clue and he always kept an employer-employee barrier up between him and the Barron boys. Still, they all had their suspicions.
At the moment, though, figuring out Kade’s parentage was less pressing than finding the girl Chase had tossed out like yesterday’s garbage. He realized, belatedly, that she’d tried to explain her presence, and he never gave her the chance. Plus, he’d forced her into a walk of shame with Security—with everyone in the lobby there to witness every step. He could be a right bastard sometimes. He called Tucker about sending someone to the fairgrounds later to locate Savannah, and arranging a comped room for the girl.
A shower and a cup of coffee later, Chase dressed in an impeccable suit and custom black boots, then stood staring out the window. Activity in the parking lot below drew his attention. Red and blue flashing lights. Police. Members of hotel security. And a beat-up old truck. He slammed his mug on the counter and headed to the door at a trot.
Downstairs, the doorman got the heavy glass door open half a second before Chase would have slammed it open himself. He ignored the valet and strode into the parking lot. As he approached the knot of cops and security personnel, he heard the woman’s indignant voice.
“But I wasn’t soliciting that dude. He came on to me!” Her fisted hands hung stiffly at her sides and she had a smear of grease across one cheek. “I was just changing my tire.”
Chase noticed the jack, the flat tire and the sorry state of the old Ford truck in general. Kade hadn’t lied about her circumstances. And now that Chase wasn’t pissed off and worried he was being set up again, he realized how gorgeous she looked, even in the same faded T-shirt from last night. She also had on a plaid shirt, faded jeans, muddy boots, and her face was dirty. She barely kept her temper in check, and Chase had the insane desire to find out what would happen when she snapped. Instead, he pushed into the group.
“I see you’re still here, Miss Wolfe.”
She glared, and he had to bite back a smile.
“You know her, boss?” Bart Stevens, head of hotel security, stepped up beside him.
“Kade called this morning,” Chase said to her, without answering his security chief’s question. He held out her phone. “You left this behind last night.”
Savannah stared at him but didn’t reach for the phone. Her expression reminded him of Miz Beth, the woman who’d helped raise the Barron brothers, staring at a rattlesnake—as if she didn’t know whether to be afraid or take a hoe to his neck. He stepped closer, unsnapped the flap on the pocket over her left breast and slipped the phone inside. Turning to Stevens, he added, “Call the garage and have them send someone over to change the tire and move the truck.”
“I can change my own tire,” she growled at him, and he was reminded again of her wildcat tendencies.
“I’m sure you can, Savannah. But I’m paying people to change tires whether they are changing them or sitting on their butts. Grab your stuff and come with me.”
“No.” Her fists were now planted on her hips, her face darkening as her eyes narrowed. “Don’t do me any favors, Mr. Barron.”
Oh, yeah, this was going to be fun. “Do you really want to do this in front of an audience?” He gestured toward the three uniformed security guards, his suited security chief and the four LVPD officers circling them.
“No. I just want to change my flat, get in my truck and get to the fairgrounds so I can work my horse.”
“While the hotel garage is servicing your truck, I’ll take you to the fairgrounds and you can work your horse.”
Savannah glanced around before she stepped close to him and snarled into his ear. “Why are you being nice? You threw me out on my ass last night.”
“I apologize.” He said it quietly, his gaze covering the other men. “Long story. I’ll explain later.” He stepped back and said more loudly, “C’mon, Savannah, I’ll buy you breakfast and then we’ll head out to Clark County.”
He offered his most appealing smile, the one most women begged to get. This woman just rolled her eyes, pivoted and reached into her truck to grab the duffel. She jerked her keys from her front pocket and dangled them from her fingers. Chase nodded to one of the guards to take the keys. A second guard reached for the duffel. Savannah relinquished it after a short tussle.
“I can carry my own stuff,” she muttered.
“Yes, but this is my hotel and guests don’t carry their own luggage.”
She arched a brow at Chase. “Guest?”
“Come back to my apartment for breakfast and we’ll talk.”
Her gaze raked over him from his face to his boots and back to his eyes. “You don’t impress me as a man who talks much, unless he’s issuing orders.”
Chase threw back his head and laughed. He dropped his arm across her shoulders and drew her along with him. “You think you have my number, wildcat. C’mon.” When they had a modicum of privacy, he lowered his head closer to hers. “You can grab a hot shower and clean clothes while we’re waiting for room service.”
“Your bathroom better have a lock on the door.”
He snorted and another deep belly laugh erupted as he squeezed her in a side hug. She tensed and tried to lean away, but he didn’t let her. “I promise to be on my best behavior. Besides, Kade would probably beat me up if I tried anything.”
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