Lost Billionaire Heir: Billionaire Cowboy Sweet Romance (Texas Ranch Romance Book 8) Read online

  Lost Billionaire Heir

  Texas Ranch Romance

  Dana Rae Summers

  Sophia Summers

  Contents

  Read all of Sophia Summers’ Books

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Chapter one of Her Billionaire in Hiding

  Read all of Sophia Summers’ Books

  Read all of Sophia Summers’ Books

  JOIN HERE for all new release announcements, giveaways and the insider scoop of books on sale. http://www.sophiasummers.com

  Other Books in the Texas Ranch Romance Series:

  Her Billionaire Cowboy

  Her Billionaire Protector

  Her Billionaire in Hiding

  Her Billionaire Christmas Secret

  AND The Billionaire Royals

  The Heir

  The Crown

  The Duke

  The Duke’s Brother

  The Prince

  The American

  The Spy

  The Princess

  Chapter 1

  “Settle down, Jasper, good boy.” Jacob calmed the mustang, brushing him before he brought him out to the ranch guests. The horse was one of his favorites; a beautiful cross between a champion stallion and a wild mustang from the 10,000-acre Circle R Ranch.

  “Client needs a saddle.” Their boss, Carson, organized the guests for the trail ride.

  “I’ve got it.” Jacob spent an hour on this saddle rubbing oils into the leather until it shone like a new pair of boots. He picked it up and threw it up over the horse, whispering to Jasper, “Good boy, I hear they have a nice lady for you today.” He tightened the billet strap. “You’re gonna love this ride, Jasper.” Last week, he’d carried a very heavy man all over the ranch.

  Jacob led Jasper over to one of the ladies. “How about this one, ma’am?”

  “He’s a beauty.” Jasper stomped his feet impatiently. “I think I know what he’s thinking; I want to run some too. Will we have a chance?”

  “When you get up to the high pasture, you can let loose and race the wind.” He helped her into the stirrups.

  “Perfect!”

  Jacob was impressed as he noticed she settled down into the saddle like she had been raised in one. She seemed very at ease. Her arms were relaxed. Jasper seemed at one with the woman too. That didn’t happen often. She had somehow calmed his spirited blood. He watched the horse as she gathered the reins. The women had her long blond hair tied back into a ponytail with a purple bandana. She was also wearing a cowboy hat, which blocked the sun from what he could see of her flawless skin.

  It was obvious to Jacob which guests had horse experience and which had only seen pictures of the animals. Seeing her worn-in riding boots gave her away. It wasn’t often he showed any interest in the riders. There was to be no comradery between ranch employees and guests. In this job, he kept his head down, worked hard, and enjoyed a good meal and sleep at the end of the day.

  Jacob looked over at Carson who was dealing with a troubling customer. He shook his head. He would be off duty in another half hour when his brother Michael would stand in ready to help the guests when they returned from their trail ride. Jacob had figured out early that the guests at the ranch lived in a different world from the one where he grew up. He looked down at the frayed jeans hanging over his dusty boots and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The men waiting to ride were fresh from the air-conditioned ranch house. They looked good, and the hot, humid weather was only just now having an effect on their nicely coiffed hair.

  After the guests mounted their horses, they waited in the shade of the large live oak tree. Carson would soon take them to the back pasture. It was obvious to Jacob that Carson was overqualified for this job. He also had other skills that he didn’t talk about, but Jacob guessed he must have worked for the government at some point in his life.

  They had ten guests at the ranch this week, and all of them wanted the full western experience. Jacob smiled; the horses were pawing the ground, anxious to get out to the pasture. They were all well-trained horses, but that wild mustang blood in their veins had a hard time standing still with mostly untrained riders on their backs. He could relate. Sometimes, he felt like he had some of that wild mustang blood himself.

  Jacob kept trying to see the face of the woman he was helping. This woman seemed familiar. Her long blond hair and the way she held up her head as she sat relaxed reminded him of someone. As he stepped back, he caught a glimpse of her face and nearly choked with the fast intake of his breath. His heart started pounding, and he nearly lost his balance as his world started spinning around him.

  Jacob knew his face must be beet red. Carson walked over, taking charge of the guest. “Why don’t you let Michael take over for the rest of the day?”

  “I’ll be fine, Carson.” He steadied himself.

  He looked up at Libby, his Libby, just as she looked down. “Jacob, you’re here, Jacob.” She lifted her leg over the saddle horn and slid down into his arms. “I never thought I’d see you again. How is it you’re here?”

  Jacob barely held her, not sure what he should do. His heart was racing. Libby was here in his arms. Carson smiled. “Jacob, introduce me to this lovely lady.” He turned and stepped aside.

  “Oh yes, sorry. This is Libby, she single-handedly saved Michael and I as we were traveling down to Texas.”

  “Well, that being the case, she is very welcome here.” Carson took her hand and called out to the group. “Okay, is everyone ready to ride?”

  The crowd answered in unison. One older, jolly-looking, red-haired gentleman, Ned, yelled, “giddy-up,” and a young newlywed couple, the Randall’s, yelled out, “yippee ki-yah,” as the rest of the group laughed in anticipation.

  Libby touched Jacob’s arm. “Are you free now, could we talk?”

  Jacob helped Libby back onto her horse. “I’m on duty until after your ride. Officially, we’re not supposed to interact with the guests, but I’m sure it will be fine if you want to get together after your ride.”

  “I’d love that. Is Michael here too?” Libby touched his arm and smiled down at him. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce his soul.

  “Yes, he’ll be thrilled to see you, Libby.” Jacob could just see Michael. He would be more than thrilled.

  “This is wonderful. I’ll see you later.” She was smiling as she reached down and patted her horse. “Hey, boy, you’re a beauty. We’re going to have a great ride.”

  Jacob walked over to help another guest who was having trouble with the length of the stirrups.

  A man brought his horse over close to Libby. “Olivia, you act like these animals can understand you. Seriously, you’re embarrassing yourself.”

  “Chad, just because horses don’t understand you doesn’t mean they don’t understand me.” His horse was obviously agitated, pulling against Chad’s tight hold on the reins.

  Jacob took a step to suggest he loosen his grip on the reins but held back. He’d seen men like this before. They acted like their manhood had been slighted if they were corrected in any way. He looked over toward the barn; Michael was leaning back against the barn wall, watching. The horse swung his head around, reaching for Chad’s leg.

  Jacob smiled. He’d like to bite the guy too.

  Carso
n mounted his beautiful stallion, Star, the stallion sire of all the mustangs at the ranch. He was pure black with a white marking just above his nose. “Okay, let’s get these mustangs out to the range.”

  They all started moving, but Chad’s horse refused to follow the others. If the man had any horse sense at all, he would stop pulling back on the reins so the horse could go forward. Michael walked over and gave the horse a swat on the behind, and he lunged forward.

  “What’s wrong with you people?” Chad fell back and grabbed the saddle horn to catch his balance. He looked back at them and scowled.

  Jacob was now off duty and walked back to the bunkhouse while Michael took over. He sat back on the bed, wiping sweat from his forehead. As he removed his hat and closed his eyes, he saw Libby’s face. She had become a very beautiful woman. The young girl who played spin the bottle with him had grown up. The way she handled the horse didn’t surprise him. He knew she loved horses. But the way she tolerated that Chad guy did. What was going on with that?

  Michael walked back into the bunkhouse. “Did you see that guy with Libby? He’s a real piece of work.”

  “Yeah, I wonder what she has to do with him.” Jacob shook his head. “She’s going to talk with us when she gets back from the trail ride.” Jacob stood up and headed for the shower.

  “I’ll get back to work in the stables. She looks good, Jacob.” Michael walked back out to muck out the stables before the horses returned.

  Jacob looked in the mirror as he dried his hair. What would Libby think of him now? It had been four years since they’d been together.

  The stable phone rang. It was Raelyn. “Hey, Jacob, Carson called and said you have a friend here, why don’t you invite her up to dinner tonight?”

  “Thanks, but I think she’s with some guy.” Jacob found it hard to believe she could be with such a person, but maybe Chad had some redeeming qualities that were not evident this morning.

  “That’s fine, Jacob, invite them both. We’ll have a Texas feast. It’ll be fun to get to know someone from your past.”

  “I’ll let you know what they say. They should be back in about an hour.”

  Michael and Jacob had moved around from job to job when they left Minnesota. The bunkhouse was by far the very best lodging they’d ever had. Their father had worked hard as a ranch hand to meet their family needs, but that meant they lived in small, run-down houses until he could repair them. Their mother had passed away giving birth to Michael, and since that time, their dad took over both parental jobs. Carson had the bunkhouse built when he hired them. It was made with beautiful redwood. The bathroom attached was modern and had a shower and even a Jacuzzi tub. That was unheard of anywhere else they had worked; but Carson had said, “Don’t knock it. I plan to work you hard, and I don’t want you bellyaching about sore muscles.”

  Jacob had only used it once so far when he’d been thrown trying to break one of the mustangs. The bedroom was well decorated. They each had a desk and bed and dresser. The closet was eight feet wide, and you could walk in. There were shelves in the closet for storage as well as plenty of room for clothes. Raelyn had chosen a western-looking plaid for the bedspreads and curtains. Pictures of Texas Rivers and lakes and wide-open prairies hung on the walls. The round rug covered most of the wood floor. When they got it, Michael had said, “Jacob, we need to tell her the rug isn’t a good idea in here.”

  “I’m not telling her, she loves this rug.” Jacob had shaken his head no way.

  “It’s a pain to get out all the mud and dirt we bring in here every day.” Michael reached down and lifted the rug which puffed with dust when he dropped it.

  “Raelyn is proud of the decorating she did in here. I think we’re stuck with it.”

  Jacob put on one of his better shirts with new jeans and sat down on the bench outside the bunkhouse to shine his boots. He figured he could look as good as some of these men who were guests each week at the ranch even though he didn’t have the funds to make it easy. Normally, he didn’t give it much thought, but today, the love of his life, Libby, happened to surprise him with her presence. Jacob smiled, remembering the feeling of having her in his arms again. No other woman made him feel so at home and at peace. After all these years, the fire was still there.

  Just as Jacob pulled his newly shined boots on, Michael came walking back with Libby. “Hey, Jacob, Libby wanted to see where we live.” Michael was smiling so big there wasn’t enough room for it on his face.

  Jacob stood up quickly. “Hey, so how was the ride?” He looked at Libby, searching for that same smile he was used to before, not finding it.

  “It was very long, guys, I was so excited to see you I couldn’t wait to get back here and talk. So what happened and where have you been?”

  “Someone must have reported juveniles living in the woods. When we saw the police coming in with flashlights, we took off. After that, we roamed from job to job until Michael’s eighteenth birthday when we were no longer the responsibility of the Minnesota state child care department.”

  They all heard Chad’s voice. “She’s my fiancée, and I’ll go anywhere I want.” Chad walked into the bunkhouse with Carson following closely behind. “What’s going on here?”

  “Chad, I’m fine. I’d like you to meet some very important friends of mine. This is Michael, and this is Jacob.”

  Chad came and stood between Libby and the men. “This is all very unusual, Olivia. We came here to get away together, not hang out with barn workers.” He looked down at Michael.

  “Chad, these are dear friends of mine no matter where they work.”

  Jacob looked toward Libby. “Raelyn, Carson’s wife, has invited us all to dinner tonight.”

  “We’d love to come.” She turned toward Carson. “Please thank your wife for us. What time is she expecting us?” Libby put her hand on Chad’s chest just as he was about to say something.

  “Six thirty will be fine. Now, if y’all don’t mind? The bunkhouse is not for guests; however, I’m impressed that it looks so tidy.” He chuckled as he walked out with Libby and Chad.

  Jacob fell back onto the bench and blew out his air. “Libby is planning to marry that guy, seriously?”

  “She must be hard up. I can’t stand the guy. Some people just rub you the wrong way, and he surely fits into that category.” Michael pushed his hat back on his head. He looked like an advertisement for a western romance novel. In fact, Jacob had seen a book on the stands at the drugstore in town that looked a lot like Michael. They had had a big laugh over that. With his hat pushed back showing his sun-bleached brown hair and his deep blue eyes, many of the women guests paid him a lot of attention when Carson wasn’t looking.

  “Dinner ought to be pleasant.” Jacob laughed, shaking his head. “We have to try to be polite for Raelyn’s sake.”

  “Who knows what that guy is going to say. But for Libby’s sake, I’ll control myself.” They both walked back into the stables and checked on the horses, now in their stalls for the rest of the day. Michael walked toward the outside. “I’m still on duty, and Carson has those hay bales that need to be stacked. I’ll see you right before dinner.”

  “Okay, I’ve a lot to think about.”

  Chapter 2

  Jacob leaned back against the pillows on his bunk. He could remember clearly the police officer who came to their small home that day.

  There was a loud knocking on the door. Jacob got up to answer it and found a police officer standing there, holding his hat in his hands. “May I come in?”

  Jacob backed away, opening the door for the man, his insides twisting. Michael got up off the sofa and turned off the news on the TV. “Come on in.”

  “Your father had an accident on the ranch, and I’m afraid he’s passed away.”

  Michael grabbed Jacob’s arm. “He died?”

  “Yes, he was breaking one of the horses and got kicked in the head. He was DOA at the hospital and must have died instantly. I’m very sorry, boys. Is your mother home
?”

  “No, our mother died years ago.”

  The officer wrote something on his notepad. “Are you going to be okay tonight, or would you like me to take you somewhere, perhaps a grandparent or other family member?”

  “Thank you, but no, we’ll be fine here.” Their dad had told them his father wanted nothing to do with him when he married their mother against his wishes. They had no way to get a hold of their grandfather. He at least should know his son had died.

  “Someone from social services will be stopping by probably tomorrow. They’ll help you sort all this out.” The officer turned to go but stopped at the door and looked back. “My parents died when I was young. It’s going to be okay.” Jacob came back to the present. It was hard remembering his father’s death.

  He stood up and looked around the bunkhouse. He needed a drink of water. He remembered asking to leave the foster care system many times, but the social worker had told him it was the law and if they tried to leave they would be hunted and brought back. When they were both eighteen, they would be free. He didn’t like to remember the years they spent in foster care either.

  But he smiled and sat back down, thinking of Libby; those memories he had replayed in his mind often for years. The first time he saw her was magical.

  They were traveling down the Mississippi River in an old rowboat, camping along the way. One night, they stopped at an inlet on the Mississippi River and walked up a path to find a little cabin out in the woods. It was made of redwood planks and had window boxes and a little front porch with a rocking chair. The windows on the sides had shutters painted white.

  “It looks like the seven dwarfs might live here.” They opened the door and stepped inside. “Or maybe Sleeping Beauty.” Jacob’s mouth dropped.