Her Billionaire in Hiding (Texas Ranch Romance Book 3) Read online

  They arrived at the Rio Lago Ranch at sunset. The sun shimmered across the lake before it dropped behind the trees. This place looked like the Garden of Eden compared to his Australian home. There were so many trees and so much green. And water, a whole five-acre lake full of it. He was going to love it here.

  Henry greeted Coop at the door. Henry had a full head of peppered grey hair and looked rancher strong. Coop could see the familiar muscles common to ranchers. But what was most noticeable were his kind eyes and friendly, genuine smile.

  Henry bent to carry one of Coop’s suitcases. “I can take these, don’t worry.”

  Coop followed Henry inside. The accommodations were impressive. Compared to the ranch’s shabby façade, it was a night and day difference when you walked in the front door. Large, ornate leather sofas decorated the four conversation areas of the lobby. Cowhide area rugs tied each of the sitting areas together. In the center of the room, a floor-to-ceiling river rock fireplace stood with a painted portrait of a prize bull hanging above the mantle.

  “We are happy to have you here, Coop.” Henry said, stopping at the front desk. “I understand your privacy is to be strictly maintained. That is what we do here. Are you planning a working vacation or do you want to try some rest and relaxation?”

  Coop smiled. “I have some experience with cattle, and I think I would enjoy the work. It would be interesting to see how you cattle ranch here in the States. Chase is a great cow dog; he will want to work as well.” They talked as Coop followed Henry up the ornate staircase to his room. “Do you have a safe for your guests?”

  Henry smiled and opened the closet door. “Each room has its own safe. Just slide the door over, and the safe is behind this wall.”

  “Perfect, I have some valuables that I don’t want to have to worry about.” Coop gave Henry a tip and asked, “What time do you all get started in the morning?”

  “Carson is up at six, but most of our guests eat breakfast anywhere from seven to nine and then head out for the day. Mary has some cookies and milk set out tonight if you need a snack.” Henry walked out into the hallway.

  “That does sound good. I’ll be right down.”

  Coop looked around at his room. “Look at this, Chase. Your own special bed.” In the corner was a plush dog bed. Chase sniffed it all over and lay down on the floor rug instead. “Yeah I agree this room has ‘sheila’ written all over it.”

  His bed was loaded with plush pillows of every shape and color. Granted, they weren’t pink or purple, but the ruffles and fabrics were pretty fancy for his taste. He took a look at the shower and had to admit that looked inviting. It looked like you could just step in and get hit all over with steaming hot water. It would feel good after a hard day’s work. Coop changed into light-weight slacks and headed downstairs to the lobby with Chase.

  “Coop, this is my wife, Mary.” Henry introduced them and waved for Coop to join him on the sofa. “You are going to love these.” Mary was just setting a plate of hot baked cookies on the coffee table in front of the fireplace.

  Chase was sniffing the cowhide rug, and Mary sat down next to him to pet his head. “You are a beautiful boy, we are so glad you came too.” She turned and called her English Setter over. “We have farm dogs and cats, but Freckles is special. She has the run of the place, and I see Chase is making friends already.”

  Mary walked fast like a woman who had things to do. Coop smiled. He wouldn’t want to get in her way. She had an open, compassionate face and long, dark hair that she kept up in a bun on the back of her head. Coop was feeling welcomed and relaxed and looked forward to his time at this ranch. Especially when he tasted the chocolate chip cookies Mary had made.

  “Thank you, Mary, these cookies alone are worth the trip.”

  He went up to bed, hoping the cookies were a nightly ritual. The atmosphere here calmed his mind; so different from his home on the cattle station.

  Since the funeral, there were sad memories everywhere he looked. His whole family had been wounded by the accident. His mother had thought of Clara as the daughter she never had. And after the accident, his uncle had kept himself away, working the cattle. That was his way to deal with the pain.

  With the sorrow ebbing in such a new surrounding, Coop found he enjoyed this new couple more than he did most strangers. Coop had spent so much time out in the middle of the bush that he wasn’t good with people he didn’t know. But his hosts seemed happy and so open and fun. Maybe he was getting better at meeting people. And that sheila at the bus station had seemed to communicate to him without words. Her kind, lavender eyes kept coming to his mind.

  The next morning, Cooper was up and walking around the lake with Chase and Freckles at five thirty. He was tired after his trip. but a walk in the morning helped. The ranch was beautiful. The lake was lined with tall trees. Some of them had Spanish moss hanging from the branches to the water’s edge. The river-side of the lake was forested and wild, but the rest of the woods were well-groomed and manicured. There was a large swing hanging high between two of the trees. Coop looked up and saw a fort in the large oak tree he was standing under. He put climbing it on the list of things he wanted to do.

  Chase was running around like crazy, investigating all the new smells. Freckles, however, remained dignified, walking calmly next to Coop until she caught hold of the scent of a raccoon. Both dogs stood completely still. Freckles pointed, and Chase took her lead. Down the road on the other side of the lake, a raccoon family froze, waiting to see what the dogs were going to do. After a standoff for many minutes, the raccoons made a break for the nearest tree, and the dogs took off, barking.

  “Well, everyone is awake now.” Coop picked up his pace and followed after the dogs. They ran around, barking furiously. Then jumped up on the tree with their front paws as if to say, “I could climb this tree if I wanted to.”

  Cooper arrived in time to cheer them on and praise their good work. He had to laugh, these dogs were smiling they were so thrilled with themselves. When it was obvious the dogs planned to stand guard at the bottom of the tree for however long it took, he went along by himself the rest of the way to the stable.

  Carson came out to greet Coop and shook his hand. “Good morning. Not many of our guests are up before I am. What can I do for you?”

  Coop looked over at the horses and gave a long whistle. “Now those aren’t any common brumbies you have there. These horses look like they belong in these high-end stables.”

  “Brumbies? Are you an Aussie then?” Carson walked into the stables and motioned for Coop to follow. “Let me show you around my end of the resort.”

  As they walked into the stables, Coop was impressed. “Is that air conditioning I am seeing?” Cooper was soaking in everything he saw as he made mental notes for the stable he was planning to rebuild back home.

  “Yes. We have ceiling fans which keep the flies off of the horses. But we also have the air conditioner units that blow just below the fans so if we turn them both on, we can keep the horses cool on very hot days.” Carson opened the tack room door.

  Coop laughed. “I’m surprised you don’t have misters.”

  Carson flipped a switch on the wall, and the misters went on. “We have just about everything you can think of here. They give me a generous budget, so I am always on the lookout for better ways to do things.” They walked into the tack room.

  “Wow, this tack is beautiful.” Cooper rubbed his hand along a B.K. roping saddle. “The leather just shines. I may have to take a ride while I am here just so I can sit in such luxury.”

  “Are you planning to do some ranch work while you are here?” Carson headed out of the stable toward the ranch house. The breakfast bell was ringing.

  “Yes, I’ll be happy to do whatever you need.” Cooper called for Chase as he followed Carson back toward the house. Both dogs came running over. “I guess a treed raccoon can get boring after a while.”

  Carson laughed and reached down to pet Chase. “That is a beautiful dog
you have there. How is he with cattle?”

  Coop smiled and gave Chase a pat. “It’s his life.”

  Chapter 4

  Edgar drove the limo up the dirt road to Jessie’s house and put her luggage on the porch.

  Jessie ran to her mother’s arms when she got out of the limo. “Oh, Mom it’s so wonderful to be home! Dad, I love you so much. Thanks for the emails while I was on the road. They meant a lot to me.” Jessie looked around her beautiful bayou homestead. “Where’s Patch?”

  “He’s in the shed. He chased a raccoon into the swamp, and he needs a bath before he jumps all over you.” As if on cue, her dog took to howling. Her mom shook her head. “Patch’ll be just fine.” She ran a hand through her daughter’s hair. “You look tired, Jessie. Let’s get you inside.”

  The howling turned to yelping and loud scratching at the shed door. She thought back to the Australian Shepherd jumping up on her. “Dogs do seem to like me, Mom. I have to see Patch. Listen to him.”

  She thanked Edgar and headed for the shed to relieve Patch from his misery. He cried and whimpered to get out and see her. When she got the door open, Patch flew out of the door and jumped right into Jessie’s arms. She almost lost her balance and sat on the steps.

  “Patch, I missed you so much.” Patch sniffed her everywhere and then ran around in a frenzy of joy, running from her mom to her dad and back to her again in celebration. She’s home, she’s home! They settled down on the front porch, and Patch finally just laid his head in Jessie’s lap. “I am going to keep you with me, Patch, don’t worry.”

  It felt so good to be home. No pressure, no RV, no fans. She let all the pressure and fast-paced expectation trickle out with her breath. Before this summer, she’d no idea how hard her favorite country singers worked. The magazine pictures of them playing on the beach or riding into the hills on beautiful horses did not even come close to depicting the arduous work they did. She planned to kick back and just do nothing for a while.

  “Well, I better change—this outfit is gone.” Large, muddy paw prints graced the front of her jacket. Jessie walked in through the screen door to the living room. Nothing had changed. She paused and looked around, soaking in the memories. The overstuffed, modular sofa was stained but still in good repair. She and her mother had made quilts which they used as furniture covers. It looked like Patch had claimed the sofa for himself. Her father’s office was off to the right and had papers everywhere, but she knew he could find anything he needed in that mess. She and her mom had learned not to go in there.

  Jessie walked into the dining room. Her mother had changed it into her craft room. “Mom, you moved your sewing room!” She was grateful her mom had taught her to sew. And she planned to pass the skill along to her own children. When she came home on breaks from college, she had made many of her outfits for school.

  She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “Ah, I am home.”

  Her mom chuckled. “With you on the road, we didn’t really need the dining room. We can eat in the kitchen just fine.” She started setting the table. “Dinner is almost ready. I have it under control, so why don’t you go change.”

  “I have a surprise I will give you at dinner. I am so excited!” Jessie ran up the stairs to her room. The walls on one side of her room were filled with pictures of country singers. The other side had pictures of her dog Patch and her high school and college friends. “Oh, I love it here!” Patch jumped up on the bed. Jessie quickly changed, got the envelope with the deed in it, and went back downstairs.

  They all sat down to dinner and said grace, then Jessie handed her father the envelope the bank had sent to her. As her dad took out the papers, he stopped when he saw the deed. His eyes clouded up, and he shook his head. “Jessie, you shouldn’t have done this. We are doing fine here. Your money should be going into a bank account. The music industry is up and down, you don’t know how long this will last.”

  “Dad, even if this is the only money I ever make singing, I want to do this for you. It’s our home, and now no one can ever take it away, no matter how business goes in town.” Jessie knew her dad would not be too happy, but her mom was the one in charge of the bills—this would give her a little relief for sure.

  “I will put everything else I make in the bank, Dad, I promise. I already talked with Sam at the bank, and any checks I get will be auto-deposited into my savings account.” Jessie put her hand on her dad’s arm.

  “Okay, Jessie, thank you for this. I will go down and put your name on the deed too.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Dad.”

  But when her dad insisted, she gave up arguing the point. She was home, and it was glorious.

  Jessie devoured her mom’s beet greens and rice pilaf. She sat back and laughed with her parents as she listened to all the town news. Her father was laughing so hard he could hardly tell his next story. “One morning when I went into town to open the station, I heard banging around as I unlocked the door. I went in and there was Jacob’s donkey, Maxine, standing in the middle of the store, eating potato chips. Jed came over with his sons and put her in the horse trailer.

  “He told me he might have to put her down. She’s an expert at breaking and entering around town. People have been finding her in their living rooms, greenhouses, and even the YMCA swimming pool. The police chief took Maxine’s picture and made a wanted poster out of it and has it hanging in his office.”

  Jessie’s mom laughed. “He figured a lot of the breaking and entering complaints he was getting were due to Maxine.”

  She excused herself from the table. “I am going to have to go visit Maxine. I have been dying to see the bayous.”

  “Be careful, Jessie, take the rifle. I saw a gator back there yesterday.” Her father got up to get the rifle from the cabinet.

  “Was it that old yellow one, Dad? Old Gus and I go way back. He leaves me alone, and I leave him alone.” Jessie laughed. When her father seemed ready to argue the point, she held up her hand. “I know, Dad, don’t trust a gator.”

  The first place she went with Patch was what she called her singing tree. Patch sat at the foot of the tree, and Jessie sat on the first branch and sang. She had the privacy there to experiment with her voice and practice new songs. When she had a new song in her head, she would later pick it out on her guitar and write it down.

  She could see that man at the bus station in her mind’s eye. He looked like he was about her age, maybe a couple years older. She started to sing a new song, “The Question in Your Eyes.” She felt inspired as she focused on his face. The words and music flowed.

  The fireflies were coming out as she walked in the door, excited that she had a new song. “Mom, I just composed a new song. It was the fastest work I have ever done. I am going upstairs to get it written down.” Upstairs, she picked it out on the guitar and pondered on the power this man had over her music.

  As she sang it to her parents, they were very quiet. “That was your most beautiful yet, Jessie,” her dad said, giving her mom a knowing look.

  Her parents were acting odd. “What is it?”

  Her mom quietly said, “Someone’s got to you, touched you deep. I think you’re in love.”

  Chapter 5

  Chase started barking on the front porch while breakfast was being served. Coop went out to see what the problem was, and Chase darted toward the back pasture, looking back to see if Coop was following. Then Freckles came to join the barking.

  Coop poked his head back inside. “I’m heading to the back pasture to see what’s got the dogs all riled up.”

  Henry handed Coop a rifle. “When the dogs are having fits, it usually means I need my gun.”

  “Thanks, I’ll call if we need help.” Cooper headed back across the bridge and along the river road. Once the dogs saw he was coming, they ran ahead. Their barking increased in intensity and volume as he got closer to the river.

  Over at the edge of the woods, a baby calf was being attacked by a wild boar. The boar was snar
ling and lunging toward the dogs now that they had his attention. The calf was cut on her front leg and was bleeding, but it didn’t look serious yet, but it was obvious the boar planned to make a meal out of her, the way he was guarding his prize.

  “Chase, stay clear of that animal, he’s a mean one. Freckles, careful!” The dogs kept the boar busy while he walked closer to the calf. She was newly born. He looked around and could not see the mother anywhere. Turning to keep his eye on the boar, he slowly picked the calf up and put her on his shoulders.

  The boar charged toward him, but Chase attacked him from behind. He turned on Chase, but the dog jumped clear of his lunge. Freckles leapt between Chase and the boar, snarling. Finally, the boar gave up and ran into the brush.

  “That was a close one, mates. Stay, let’s not follow him. Come on, this way!” The dogs obediently followed Coop back to the house but kept turning around to check behind them.

  Coop spotted Carson driving around the perimeter on a four-wheeler and flagged him down.

  “Let me take her,” Carson said as he pulled to a stop. “It looks like she needs a little doctoring. What was it back there?”

  Cooper gently handed over the calf, which Carson cradled on his lap. “That was the meanest-looking pig I have ever seen. I think he planned to make a meal out of this little girl. I didn’t see the calf’s mother anywhere.”

  “We’ll find her. For now, I’ll bottle feed her.” Carson started driving slowly back to the barn.

  “Let me finish breakfast, and Chase and I will go and bring her in.” Cooper walked back up to the ranch house and was happy to see the big spread waiting for him. This was better than any hotel brunch he had ever enjoyed.