To Love A Cowboy: A Billionaire BWWM Western Romance (6 page)

"Twist my arm why don't you. I am starving. The fruit and
muffins I had this morning is over."

"Great." When Fancy spoke, her ponytail bounced.

Kate could not tell how old Fancy was. She had a baby face and a
youthful spirit. Kate assumed that she was in her early to mid
twenties. They would be somewhere around the same age.

The walk to the restaurant was short. It was a warm day, the sun was
shining brightly. Kate loved the fact that people in Paris filled the
sidewalks, casually strolling. It was not clear whether there was a
destination at hand, because everyone looked to be deep in
conversation with one another or in love, soaking up the spirit of
the city.

They were seated in a section that allowed them to sit out in the
open air and watch the passersby.

Kate ordered a coffee, craving the caffeine. It was nearly lunch
time, so she opted for a sandwich and soup.

"So, is this your first time in Paris?" Fancy asked.

"It is. I have always dreamed of coming here, at least just for
leisure."

A huge grin came across Fancy's face. "And now look at you. You
are here, in Paris, working on a huge pop star where your work will
be seen on the red carpet. Pretty damn amazing."

Kate laughed at Fancy's cheeky remark.

"Very true. Life has been good and I have no complaints."

"Me either."

Kate finished her soup. "This was wonderful. I love soaking up
every second of the ambiance."

"You'd better. Paris is beautiful. Really, France is beautiful.
It's the kind of place that you should come to with your love."

Swirling her straw in her soda, she thought about the irony of that
statement.

"Paris is the city of romance, true. But it is also one of the
fashion capitals of the world."

Fancy shook her head. "Don't make that mistake."

"What?"

Fancy began to stare into this far off place. Kate could tell that
she was caught in the moment and she may have needed a second to
process whatever she was thinking and feeling.

With a sigh, Fancy replied. "This life," she enunciated by
holding her hands up, looking around. "This life is nothing
without the one that you love. Nothing."

There was gravity in Fancy's answer. Kate wanted to know more about
her experience.

"I hear you." Kate wondered if it would be the right moment
to disclose that she was here with her love.

The two women sat there, in their own thoughts.

"Look. I'm going to tell you something. All of this fame and
fortune, it is nothing without love. You need to think about that."

"It sounds like you have first hand experience," Kate
commented.

With a nod, Fancy confirmed. "It takes a long time to get to the
point where you are hot as a music artist. I have been working now
for about ten years."

When Fancy laughed, Kate knew she must have worn what she was
thinking on her face.

"I am older than they let me admit to being," Fancy
replied.

"Sorry."

"No. Really. It's ok."

"So, Fancy. How do you manage all of this? Career. Love. And
just life in general. I mean, coming to Paris I have had the craziest
schedule. I came here to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams of working
in fashion in Paris. My love is here with me, and I have not had the
time for him that I would have liked to."

Fancy placed some money on the table to pay for their lunch. "You
will figure it out."

"Fancy, you make it all seem so simple."

"Oh, I did not say the answer was going to be one that you
necessarily like."

Standing up, Fancy beckoned for Kate to walk with her.

"I was with this wonderful man. He was sweet, kind, supportive.
Loved me even when I was not at my best. It was obvious he was the
one. But I was on an upward climb in my career. At the time, I was
being pulled this way and that. All over the place. A showcase here.
An interview there. I was willing to go wherever I needed to be in
order to do what was needed for my career. My manager had me spread
so thin, I prayed there would be two of me in order to be everywhere
all at once.

"Success began to snowball. One event turned in to another
event, turned in to another booking. I was getting all I wanted in
life. The sacrifice? My love life. At first, he was alright with me
showing up late to lunch. That turned in to me missing dinner dates.
We tried traveling together, but I spent much of that time working.
There was this one time I had to do a show in Colorado. He came with
me thinking he would put together this romantic evening for us. We
had plans to have a spa day, an intimate dinner, and then well,
whatever else."

"So what happened?"

Fancy choked back a tear. "Nothing the way I wanted. My career
moved forward. I chased it and in that pursuit, I sacrificed the man
I loved."

The two women stopped at a railing, leaning and over looking the
river.

"Surely he still loves you." Kate tried to think of
something encouraging to say.

"Love sometimes is just not enough."

There was a vulnerability in Fancy's response.

"I always thought it would be."

"That would be ideal. It's what all of the fairy tales tell us.
Love conquers all right?"

That tear finally fell.

"Well in real life, someone leaves. It is hard to stick around
when one person can't give while the other waits to receive. Love
does not mean you have to be together. It does not always mean you
can be together."

Kate leaned on the railing. "That does not give me much hope.
What happened to all of the love you sing about in your songs?"

"It's hope. It's what everyone wants. Their own personal fairy
tale and happy ending. The alternative is singing about heartbreak.
And you just can't be heartbroken all of the time."

They shared a laugh.

"I know that was not the most encouraging advice. I never
claimed to be a motivational coach or anything."

"Dually noted."

"So what are you going to do about Prince Charming? I assume he
is back at the hotel or wherever you two are staying?"

"He is."

Fancy nodded. "It's not going to be easy. And the choice you
have to make is not going to please everyone."

"I've felt that coming for a while."

Fancy clasped her hands together. "I think we better get back to
the hotel. We have a lot to get done this week. Duty calls."

Kate took one final glance at the city. She wanted to share it all
with Bruce. But she was not sure how to make all of that happen.

*****

Kate was not sure what time it was when she finished. Fancy suggested
at the last minute that she attend the red carpet along side her,
just in case any fashion mishaps were to occur.

She called Bruce to let him know her plans for the evening changed,
but they spent the next hour playing phone tag. Once she got a text
through to him, he responded that it was okay and she went off to
work. Feelings of guilt crept in shortly, but by the time she and
Fancy reached the red carpet, all of the guilt dissipated and
exhilaration set in. Her first red carpet event.

Fancy's manager slid Kate a media pass and gave her a few pointers
about being on the carpet. Cameras flashed incessantly, practically
blinding Kate in the process. There a low hum, people chatting, air
kissing, hugging, news correspondents interviewing.

When Fancy stepped in front of the cameras, she was a contrast to the
vulnerable woman that was at lunch with Kate. Fancy was charismatic
and commanded attention. People wanted to know who she was wearing.
She noted the name of the designer and threw in a bonus.

"My stylist Kate Walker always finds me the best pieces."
Fancy turned to Kate and winked.

Some of the correspondents turned in Kate's direction, but were
quickly distracted when another starlet came rushing in to grace the
carpet.

Fancy's manager gave Kate a pat on the back. "Fancy must really
like you. You my dear, are about to experience a major boost in your
career."

Kate was full of pride. All of her hard work culminated to this
point. Here she was, not only on a red carpet, but in Paris, living
out her dream. It almost brought tears to her eyes.

She waited around backstage until after the awards so she could take
the car service back to the hotel where Fancy would get dressed for
the after party. Fancy jumped in the car.

"What an amazing night! Kate, I hope you are prepared to become
a household name."

"I would love that."

"It's coming."

Kate ushered Fancy into the hotel, helped her dress, and wished her
well.

Kate's body was exhausted, mentally she was spent. She was too tired
to even think. The car service returned her to the cottage. It was
after two in the morning. All she wanted to do was slide in to bed
and snuggle up next to Bruce.

But she knew an apology was in order. She had been gone all day long
and she was dying to know how Bruce spent his day.

Turning the key in the lock, a bit of anxiety crept in as she walked
into the room. The television was on, a low hum of background noise.
The lights were low. The candles burning were practically melting in
their own wax. A table was set with two place settings. The food that
was obviously for dinner was set aside, covered with a silver dome.

Kate sulked, walking over to see what was under the dome. Salmon,
couscous, and cauliflower, all of her favorites.

How was she going to be able to make this up to Bruce? It was obvious
he had gone through much care to make this a special night. She
stepped out on the balcony to try to find where Bruce could be.

"Bruce?"

There was no answer. Just the silence of being on the balcony alone,
the warm breeze enveloping her. The grounds were breathtaking at
night. The balcony to Bruce and Kate's room faced the gardens in the
back of the cottage. There were white lights strung in the tree
branches and a vintage lamp post illuminating the walk way through
the gardens.

Tonight would be the perfect time to go for a walk. If only she knew
where Bruce was right now.

Kate waited around for a few minutes, and when Bruce did not come
through the door, she decided to give him a call.

His phone just rang, no answer, leaving her to wonder if he just
could not answer the phone or if he was ignoring her on purpose.

As she blew the candles out, Kate tried her best to formulate what
she would say to Bruce when she saw him. Somehow a basic apology did
not seem to suit the situation at hand. She knew she would have to
work hard in order to get back in Bruce's good graces.

She wanted to cry. Her thoughts went back to her conversation with
Fancy. How was she supposed to balance everything? She knew the phone
calls and the inquiries about her services would begin soon. It would
be just as crazy as Fancy predicted, and she knew she would have to
find a way to make it all work out.

The problem was that she did not have the magical answer as to how
all of it would go. She just knew that she did not want to lose
Bruce.

Kate was alone with her thoughts for too long. She was sure she was
over thinking the situation. Maybe Bruce was not angry with her.
Maybe he understood more than she gave him credit for.

Or maybe it was the opposite. Maybe he was fed up with her and the
fact that she put work and her career first. But she was sure the two
of them would be able to work things out. That they would be able to
deal with the stress that her upwardly mobile career was putting on
the relationship.

She needed to clear her head and since it was so warm outside, Kate
decided to go for a walk in the gardens. Sure it was after two in the
morning, but going for a walk just felt right.

Kate tried once more to reach Bruce by phone, and when she did not
reach him, she left out of the room, head hung low. Her heart was
aching.

The breeze comforted her, and there among the quiet of the garden,
she had the opportunity to think and calm herself down. Twirling
around in her mind were ways she could make things right, just in
case Bruce was bothered by what happened that night.

She knew an apology was in order, and with apologies usually came
make up sex. That would be enough to make sure they were back on
track.

Kate made a note to make sure before they left to come out in the
garden and eat breakfast. The floral scent was invigorating. It
reminded her of her mother's perfume.

All of the chips were falling in to place for once in her life, then
this. She did not want to rock the boat, but she did not want there
to be any type of resentment or any kind of awkwardness between them.

"What are you doing out here?"

She knew that voice all to well.

Turning around, she replied, "I got back to the hotel and you
were not there. You did not answer your phone, so I decided to take a
walk. I could not sleep."

Bruce stood there, hands in his pockets, alternating his glance
between looking at her and staring off at nothing in general.

"I could not sleep either. I mean, I know you had to be out
late, but I'm not used to that. So I could not rest until you got
in."

"I'm sorry about that." It was all Kate could think to say.

Bruce shook his head. "Don't apologize. You were out there
working, chasing your dreams. Don't apologize for that."

The silence that settled between them was awkward, so Kate began
walking slowly. Bruce began to stroll beside her.

"There is no manual for this," she blurted out. "I
really don't know how to balance all of this."

"You are right. There is no manual to help you figure out how to
handle all of this. But you have to do your best to balance all of
it. Give every part of your life equal time."

"Equal time with only twenty four hours in a day. There in lies
the problem. What do you suggest?"