To Love A Cowboy: A Billionaire BWWM Western Romance (2 page)

The thought made Kate giggle. "I would love that."

Lunchtime conversation was not filled with talk of work and for once,
that was refreshing. Bruce's parents were expecting them to come up
to the ranch soon and Bruce was asking her to pin down a time when
they could make that happen.

"I'm thinking that maybe we can do that next week."

"Sounds like a plan. My mother was just going on and on about
you. Saying something about having you help her do some gardening?"

Kate nodded. "I did promise her that I would help with the
planting this Spring. Thanks for reminding me."

They finished lunch and opted to skip the dessert. Kate had a few
more appointments that afternoon and she made herself a promise that
she would be on time for dinner.

Bruce walked her to her car, they were hand in hand. It was the
little things that he did that made her feel like the luckiest girl
in the world.

Looking into his deep blue eyes, she felt a warmth that let her know
all was right with the two of them.

"Dinner is at seven. Sharp. Be ready."

"I will." After all this time, being so close to Bruce
still made her dizzy.

"And where something sexy."

His lips brushed hers and for a split second, she contemplated going
back home with him to spend a little time in bed. But work awaited
her.

"Until tonight, my love."

Kate wiggled her fingers, waving goodbye as she drove off back to
work.

*****

Kate knew that there was no wiggle room this evening. She had to be
early in order to be on time for her date with Bruce.

Her last appointment ended at four, just in time for her to get home,
squeeze in a little yoga, shower and dress for her date. Luckily, she
did not live far from the boutique, so she did not have to worry
about L.A. traffic.

A car service showed up to her home at quarter to seven. She was
happy she did not have to make the car service wait, as she usually
did when she was running behind. Bruce was right, in that she needed
a bit of time to relax her mind and switch off work mode.

She did as Bruce asked and put on something sexy. Wearing his
favorite color was sure to get his attention. Her red dress fit all
of her curves and paired against her mahogany skin perfectly. She
wore her hair in an upswept ponytail and spritzed on some of the
peony scented perfume that he could not resist.

Giddy with excitement, Kate tried to figure out where her destination
could possibly be. Bruce was always so full of surprises. She loved
the fact that he was so spontaneous. It was a great balance to her
usual by the schedule, by the book way of living.

The ride took her outside of the city. She knew that she was most
likely going to the small town where Bruce grew up. His family owned
a ranch about thirty miles outside of the city. It was peaceful and
quiet where they lived, actually quite charming. Taking her away from
the hustle and bustle of L.A. life was exactly what she needed.

The car winded through the small town streets, bringing them to the
downtown area. Once they pulled up, there was Bruce, standing there
with a large bouquet of flowers and a heart shaped red box. He was
dressed casually in a pair of dark slacks and a button down shirt.
For a moment, she felt over dressed.

He came to the car and opened her door.

"I could not wait for you to arrive."

He handed her the flowers, white long stemmed lilies, taking one from
the bunch and handing it to her directly.

"These are absolutely beautiful. Thank you."

Hand in hand, he twirled her around, admiring her beauty before
leading her away from the car as it drove off.

"You are ravishing tonight." The way that he bit his lip
and stared at her made her feel like he was going to devour her.

She smiled.

"You look pretty dapper yourself."

He brushed his shoulders playfully. "I try my best."

"What is this?"

A horse drawn carriage pulled up in front of where they stood.

"I thought that I would take my sweetheart out on a special
night on the town."

He held his hand out to usher her into the carriage. Once he was
seated next to her, he passed her the heart shaped box.

Already knowing what was inside, she opened it.

"This is how I know you love me," she said as she savored
the taste of the caramel covered in milk chocolate.

"Is that the only way you know?' he teased.

"Well, there are a few other moments here and there when it is
apparent."

They both laughed.

"I thought it would be a good idea to get out of the city. Slow
down a bit."

As they rode through the tiny town streets, the hooves of the horse
clip clopping on the pavement, Kate's heart swelled.

"No one has ever done anything like this for me before. This is
wonderful."

The warm arm on her skin, sitting next to the man
she loved was all that she needed to relax for the evening.

The carriage stopped at a small park area. It had a small path that
led to the lakeside waterfront.

"My lady."

She carefully stepped down from the carriage and followed Bruce's
lead. On such a gorgeous night, Kate could not think of another place
she would have rather been. She held tightly to Bruce's arm as they
strolled in the park.

"I love the flowers here. Such pretty colors and so many
varieties."

"My mother loves coming here in the mornings to take her walks,
especially when the weather is nice. Whenever I'm here, I come with
her. It's so quiet even though so many people come here."

They passed by an older couple who were out enjoying the evening.

"Oh, Samuel, look at those two. So in love." The woman
stopped walking and turned to her husband.

They were a cute couple themselves and Kate could not help but to the
respond.

"Thank you. I did not know that it showed."

"My dear, it is all over the two of you. You are just glowing.
Are you newlyweds?"

"Kathy, you are just asking this kind couple way too many
questions," Samuel said.

"No, really. It's fine," Kate replied. "But we're not
newlyweds."

"Could have fooled me," Kathy commented.

"May I ask how long the two of you have been together?"
Bruce asked.

Kathy and Samuel stared into each other's eyes. "Over forty
years," Samuel replied.

"Wow. Congratulations," Bruce said with admiration.

"Thank you."

Kate did not miss the way that Samuel gazed into his wife's eyes.

"Let's let these two continue to enjoy their evening."
Samuel said as he took his wife by the hand.

The couples bid each other farewell.

"That was nice."

"It was, wasn't it?" Bruce replied. "My parents still
look at each other like that. I've always wanted that for myself."

Kate turned to Bruce. "Do you think that we have that?"

Bruce embraced Kate, holding her close to him. "I do."

His lips brushed hers. "You thinking about being stuck with me
for forty years?"

Kate shrugged. "Sounds like a lifetime. I would have to think
about it."

Bruce laughed as he took her hand and they continued their stroll.

He squeezed her hand tightly. As they continued their walk, the
silence between them became apparent.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yes. I thought we would take a little walk over here to have a
some dinner at this restaurant that I've wanted to try. If that is
okay with you."

"That sounds perfect. But it seems like you have something else
on your mind."

"I do have something."

"What is it?" She hoped that it was not something too
serious.

Bruce stared up at the sky, entering the conversation slowly.

"I have to go out of town for a few days. I have a client that
needs some help setting up a new account and it would be best if I go
out to where he is to get things set up."

Kate caught her breath. "Oh. Well, that's not that bad. I
thought that you had something more seriously wrong."

She tried to hide the fact that she was a bit disappointed.

"That makes me feel a bit better. I hate to leave you."

Bruce caressed Kate's face.

"I know. But work calls right?"

"Who would have thought that the tables would turn? Usually it's
you that has the clients to tend to."

His kiss settled her mood.

"How long will you be gone?" She dreaded hearing him say
that he would be gone for anything other than a few days.

"It should be a day or so."

In the time that they had been together, Bruce had taken clients, but
had only taken local clients or ones that he could consult virtually.
She knew that his consulting business was important to him and there
was no way that she would stand in the way of his growth.

"Good for you. I'm glad to see things are going well for you,
Bruce. Trust me, everything is going to be fine while you are gone.
I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I was a bit concerned about how you
would feel about me traveling. I'm always commenting on how hard you
are working and here I am about to begin working as hard as you."

She tried to give him a reassuring pat on the arm. Truth was, she was
a little nervous about how their relationship would handle the
changes coming due to their careers.

Every morning, Bruce and Kate woke up to have breakfast with one
another. Even though they did not live together, they made sure that
they met for a meal together before they started their day. It was
one of the things that she looked forward to each day.

This morning would be the first morning in over a year that Kate ate
alone. She almost fixed enough for the two of them, but stopped
herself before she wasted food.

Just as she was settled into the silence, her phone rang. A smile
came across her face as her heart warmed to see Bruce's picture on
the screen of the phone.

"I was just thinking about you," she admitted.

"That's good to know that I'm missed."

Kate did not want to say just how much she missed him. It would run
the risk of sounding way too sappy for her own taste.

"I was making breakfast and realized that this is the first time
in over a year that I have to eat alone."

"I really don't want to make a habit of leaving my woman alone
like that. Her mind could start to wander. And you know what they say
about idle minds," he joked.

"You really don't have to worry about that with me. I just miss
you so much." She could not resist letting her feelings slip
out. Hopefully it would make Bruce feel more secure.

"I won't be gone too long. I don't want you to miss me too much
more."

Bruce had a way of making her feel like she was a young girl talking
to her first crush.

"I'll be counting down the hours until you get back to me."

They said their goodbyes, Kate ate her breakfast, and set off to
work.

So this must be what it feels like to have your
significant other focused on work first
,
she thought to herself. She tried not to let it bother her, but it
did. When they first met, Bruce was only interested in taking on an
account here and there. He was a consultant by trade, having worked
for the big time Fortune 500 companies and deciding to walk away from
all of it to take care of his parents and the family farm.

So she assumed that he would prefer to stay home and focus on helping
out at the farm. Something that was calming, slower paced, and would
keep him close by. But she knew that the travel bug bit him every
once in a while and that he would have to give in. There was no way
he could avoid doing one of the very things he loved to do.

Bruce was a teacher by nature. He had a knack for pulling the very
thing out of you that you feared, and making you turn it in to the
very thing that motivated you. Although Kate always had plans to take
her business to the next level, she secretly had some doubt about
jumping head first onto the path to success. First and foremost,
Bruce had to convince her to rid herself of the need to prove her
naysayers wrong. He reasoned that could not be the driving force to
her wanting to be successful. The root of her desire had to have more
substance. Once she did a bit of soul searching, Kate came to the
conclusion that Bruce was right. She wanted to be successful for
other reasons and she had to let those reasons propel her.

Kate believed Bruce had come in to her life at precisely the right
time. She had not believed that at first. In the beginning, she
thought she would have to forego a relationship with him in order to
nurture her career. And during the year they were together, there
were a few moments here and there where she thought her desire to
succeed in her career would overtake the feelings she had for Bruce.

What she did not want to do was take advantage of his understanding
of what it was like to be an entrepreneur. Bruce knew what it was
like to be driven and taste success on the tip of your tongue. But he
had something that she did not have enough of. Restraint and balance.

Maybe it was because he had already met his career goals and he was
living his second career. Mostly it was because that was the kind of
temperament he possessed. That cool demeanor had been precisely what
attracted Kate to him. Along with the fact that he was extremely
sexy. There was something about the wisdom in his eyes and the way he
wore his confidence with unabashed pride.

She was happy for the fact that he had come into her life at the time
he had. Bruce was exactly what she needed and she would have to do
what was needed to nurture their relationship, even if that meant
committing a bit more time. She would have to find it somewhere,
somehow in her schedule.