The Billionaire Cowboy's Carolina Girl (Contemporary BWWM Romance) (2 page)

"Tell me about it." Our last millionaire had done that, acting like a spoiled child who hadn't gotten what he wanted for his birthday. It ended up alienating some of our best new female clients, and we'd had to plan an entirely new event. "I've got four women in mind. I'll see who can come to a happy hour."

"Well, that's the thing. He needs it to be tomorrow."

"Of course he does." I rolled my eyes and made a list of the things I'd need to do that day to get the place ready for an event. I would have to work into the night to make it all happen, but I would. This was the business that would lead me to my future, and I'd plan it all perfectly. Just like I always did. I walked back to my desk and started organizing, going into the zone as I called each of the women and got our caterer on the line. We'd have a classy affair with heavy h'ors d'oeuvres and wine. Since we knew barely anything about Joseph, we could keep it generic. There was no reason to use any theme for the evening. And maybe, just maybe, it would all go off without a hitch.
 

I closed the place down long after Eleni and Danielle had gone home, wondering about Joseph Wootton's long lost romance and what it might mean for the woman he'd choose on the following night. Was his heart meant for someone else? Or could he learn to love again in that practical sort of relationship he was seeking?
 

"I wonder if I could too," I said aloud as I turned the lights off at Million Dollar Matchmaking. Thoughts of Billy came to me as I got into my beat up old Civic, heading for my little house in Sun Valley. My foster cats and dogs would be happy to see me, and I'd have the companionship I needed for the evening in them. I would go to bed that night with dreams of Billy, and I would wake wondering if fate would ever lead us together again.

"Come on Anita, stop daydreaming. The caterer is here, and it looks like she's got the stuffed mushrooms for tonight's happy hour." Eleni's voice came to me as if from far away. I didn't quite know what had gotten into me, but I'd been thinking about my own long lost love that day. I couldn't quite shake it, and I'd spent part of the day trying to research Joseph Wootton to see if he had any ties to Billy. It was silly. It was useless. And the more I thought about Billy, the worse my mood became.
 

"Okay," I sighed. I stepped over to the back entrance of the event space. I'd picked out one of my nicer dresses for the evening, just in case this billionaire from Texas did know anything about Billy. It was a maxi dress from Anthropologie, and it looked like it had been dyed with dark blue starbursts. The low neckline accented my curves just so, and I wondered what Billy might have thought of it, a long time ago. Absently, I took the boxes from the caterer, nearly stumbling and falling over my long hemline. My foot that had been broken so long ago still hurt sometimes, and my ankle would often twist out. Just another one of my dreams that would never come true. I put the food our on our bar, carefully arranging the h'ors d'oeuvres so that our guests could chat without focusing too much on the food. Danielle and Eleni hurried around, setting up separate chairs and tables so that the billionaire could chat individually with each of his dates.

"Alright, it looks like our women have arrived," said Danielle, stepping up to the front of the warehouse and letting in three leggy women in very short dresses. Eleni and I had picked some of the most flexible and resourceful women we could find — after all, Joseph seemed dead set on sweeping his chosen lady off to Texas at the first opportunity. I rolled my eyes. The women all seemed to look exactly the same — blond or brunette with blond highlights, busty but very thin, and wearing almost identical dresses. Suddenly, I felt very conspicuous in my long, flowing dress. Like a flower child at a classy night club. I shook off the feeling and went to shake each of the women's hands.
 

"Welcome to Million Dollar Matchmaking. My name is Anita, and this is Danielle and Eleni. The three of you are very special. Tonight, we have our second billionaire in MDM history, and he specifically requested professional women who are interested in marriage and children. And in Texas." Two of the women laughed, and the third grinned. If someone had told me they were sisters, I would have believed it in a heartbeat. I stifled a groan and continued with my welcome speech. "We have our men and our women follow the same rules — no kissing on the first date, no sex before engagement, and no moving in together before marriage."

The women nodded. They were smarter than some of the other girls we got in here. I usually heard a chorus of, "But what if I really like him?" complete with a Valley Girl accent.
 

"Quick question," said Arabella, a professional artist with bright blond hair. "So this guy is a billionaire... but I couldn't even find his picture online. What gives?"

"We don't know much about him either," I said. I'd expected this question. I'd spent part of the night trying to find out more about him, but I hadn't been successful. "But that's what makes this event very special. And it's what makes the three of you very special as well. We know you are all the type of women who can easily gain a man's attention — and maybe even his heart. We might not find the right fit for Joseph right away, but with your help, we can all learn more about him." I saw a stretch limousine pull up outside, as shiny and tacky as any of the limos I'd seen pull up at Million Dollar Matchmaking. This guy was trying to make an appearance. I stifled a grin and hurried the women back to the event space.
 

"Is that him?" Another one of the women stayed behind me to look out at the limo. It just sat there, the doors remaining closed.
 

"I'm guessing it is," I said, putting my hand on the women's back and leading her through the doors to the bar. It was a tradition for the client to come in and see his or her dates standing in the event space. "But we'll be back here for now. He'll come when he's ready." Eleni stepped into the room, hand on her growing belly. She didn't care that she'd broken all the rules with Josh — MDM still had its set of rules, and she was intent on getting the women to follow them. I smiled as I watched her, but I was unable to shake that strange feeling I'd had all day. Even thinking about Billy had made me feel sad and lonesome once again. Eleni began reviewing the rules with the women, and she arranged each of them by hand, making sure they stood where our billionaire could see them best. Quietly, I slipped up the stairs to the lounge space above the event space. Tears stung my eyes — I knew that this event shouldn't be making me feel like this, but so much had reminded me of Billy recently. I sat down heavily in one of the overstuffed chairs, wiping away my tears so that my mascara wouldn't run.
 

"How did you come to this?" My voice rang out in the empty room. But of course there was no answer. There never was. I stared at the wall, listening to the people chatting below. From the sound of it, our Texas oil billionaire had arrived. His loud voice rang almost through the ceiling. Something about it reminded me of Billy. The cadence of it. His accent. But that was silly... wasn't it? I got up and went to the bathroom, adjusting my makeup. I'd have to go back downstairs eventually, but maybe Danielle and Eleni wouldn't notice me for now. I combed out my lashes with the Covergirl mascara that I favored, and I brushed out my hair, letting it fall over my shoulders. I looked pretty good for a washed-up ex-dancer. "And anyway, it doesn't matter what you look like. This man isn't here to meet you." Whenever I was upset, some of the Carolina twang came back to my voice. I couldn't help but smile. Billy had teased me so mercilessly about my accent... it was hard for us to even talk sometimes without laughing so hard we couldn't breathe. Even though we were from different worlds, we had our strong Southern accents in common. I took a deep breath and smoothed my hands over my dress, willing myself to step back out into the apartment. Just then, I heard steps coming up the back stairs.
 

"Anita! Anita, are you up here? This man is crazy." I heard Danielle's voice calling out to me.
 

"Great," I sighed. "Another diva. I swear, these men are all crazy," I said. "Alright, Danielle, I'm coming." I opened the door, and Danielle's tired face appeared before me. " What brand of crazy are we dealing with?"

"Well, I don't know, Nita. He came to me and told me that he didn't want anything to do with any of these women.
Right away
. Said they weren’t what he’d been looking for. He was very polite and nice, but... I'm thinking he's going to be a problem for us. He might even... go to the other agency."

"Can't Eleni talk to him? I'm not really in the mood..."
 

"You know Eleni would just tell him off, even though she's found her own romance these days." I laughed. She probably would.

"Okay, fine," I said, putting a hand on Danielle's shoulder. "We'll go sort this billionaire out. And we'll make him sure that he needs to stay with Million Dollar Matchmaking." I patted Danielle on the shoulder and followed her down the stairs, sighing deeply and wondering just how we would convince this man to stay. We'd already gotten some of our loveliest women out here, and we
were
the best in the business. As I descended the stairs, I caught a glimpse of the man in question. He had his back turned away, and to my surprise, he was chatting nicely with one of the women and drinking a glass of wine. I glanced over his broad body, nearly laughing out loud when I saw that he was wearing jeans and a plaid button-down shirt. Something about him was eerily familiar. Lost in thought, I stepped down on my bad foot, twisting my ankle again.
 

"Jimminy Cricket," I yelped, nearly falling forward on Danielle. The pain shot through me, and I had a brief, distant thought. Wasn't Billy's middle name Joseph?

Slowly, Joseph Wootton turned around, his blue eyes sparkling.

"You okay ma'am?" The drawl poured from his mouth like warm honey, and instantly, I was transported back in time to that swimming hole in Asheville.
 

"Billy?" I asked, my voice coming out in a tiny sigh. My brain tried to take in the image I saw before me. "My mind must be playing tricks on me," I mumbled, shaking my head back and forth.
 

"As I live and breathe. Anita Lee Taylor," said Joseph Wootton. "I never thought I'd see you again. It's been... it's been so long." He stepped towards me, his face sparking every sweet memory I'd held onto for the past eight years. It was the last thing I saw before I toppled backwards, the sparkling lights of the room going black before me.
 

I slowly opened my eyes, my head spinning. My sister's beautiful face was right before mine, and strangely — surreally — Billy's face appeared beside hers.
 

"Anita, Anita. Are you okay?" His accent was as thick and rich as I remembered, and I smiled broadly, trying to pull myself to my feet. My ankle throbbed and didn't seem to want to hold me up. Billy Joe — or was he Joseph Wootton? — turned to my sister. "She is Anita, isn't she?" Eleni nodded, opening her mouth to say something and then thinking better of it. The vision of Billy's three dates shifted and swayed before my eyes. I tried to stand again, my ankle twisting out before I could fully stand.

"Dammit."

"Your ankle, Anita! You can't hurt your ankle... that's not going to be good for dancing." The deep concern in Billy's eyes nearly made me swoon again. Hot tears stung my eyes. There was so much he didn't know... so much of each other's lives that we'd missed. It would probably be better if I disappeared right then and there, sinking into the exquisite hardwood floor and disappearing as he took on a new romance... one that he could take home to mom and dad. Eleni looked at Joseph again, her eyes growing wide.

"Who
are
you? And how do you know Anita? She broke her foot seven years ago, just after she joined the Los Angeles Ballet..." Tears rolled down my cheeks as Billy looked at me, the shock showing on his face.
 

"Oh Anita," he sighed. He knelt down beside me and took my ankle in his hand, cradling it. The tears poured down my face, the warmth of his touch reverberating through my body. Eleni brushed off her dress and smoothed her hair down, just like she did whenever she was nervous. This billionaire's date hadn't exactly gone as planned. Eleni got up and turned her attention to the three female guests, glancing back to see Billy gently turning my ankle to see if it was moving properly.
 

"Alright ladies, it looks like this date is a wrap for now. My sister..." Eleni glanced back at me again. "Has injured herself. Let's get you all home, and we'll call you up if Mr. Wootton decides to return to the agency."
 

"Looks like he found his date," one of the women muttered. The three of them tottered on their heels, headed for the door. Danielle met them at the door, adding a little finesse to the situation. That's what Eleni kept us around for anyway — a little bit of the finesse she couldn't give.
 

"Billy Joe," I said, woozily raising my hand to his cheek and tracing my fingers over his stubble.
 

"It's Joseph nowadays, or Joe,“ he said, smiling. "And it looks like you're still Anita." He gently turned my ankle, and I gasped again. "Do you think you can put any weight on it?" I shook my head, looking to my ankle to see it starting to swell.
 

"I'll get you to the hospital," said Danielle, stepping towards me and looking at Billy Joe with suspicious eyes.
 

"Don't you even think about it, Miss Danielle," said Billy. "I'll get her there." Danielle put her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at Billy.
 

"And who might you be? All we know is that you have a bunch of money and live in Texas. So excuse me if I'm a little bit confused about all this..." She waved her hand, gesturing at me and Billy, whose hands still held up my ankle.