Free Cameron, Paige - The Billionaire Maverick Bargains for a Wife [Wives for the Western Billionaires 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) by Paige Cameron

parents, and I’m going on my first date.” Shaking his head, he left the room. Laughter followed his steps.
    He put the ring box into his chest of drawers. After a quick shower, he pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, his boots, and grabbed his cowboy hat on the way out.
    Taking the steps two at a time, he bounded downstairs. He saw Janice just going into the kitchen, waved, and kept going.
    A cool breeze blew in the truck as the sun sank into the west. He’d need to move his cars and truck here, hire help for the ranch, and scout out cattle and horses. Excitement like he hadn’t felt in a long time zipped in his veins. The topping on the cake was seeing Angie twice in one day. She was like a fever in his body, keeping him hot and bothered.

    * * * *

    Angie folded the last letter and wiped away a tear. They were wonderful expressions of love from a man to a woman. Her father had been in the military when he and her mother had first married. He’d been at sea when he wrote the letters. Right after he got home, he was discharged, and he and her mom settled together in a small town back east. She hadn’t been born for another two years.
    In the letters she’d noticed her mother had underlined certain words or letters. There were also small numbers on certain pages. Angie had written them down to study later. This had to be a code to tell her where the key belonged.
    She glanced at the clock and jumped. Six, and she wasn’t ready. She unlocked the bathroom door and started to the phone to call Brent, when she saw his truck pull into her driveway.
    She waited at the door.
    Brent raised an eyebrow. “We are going casual tonight, but I really don’t want every guy in the place looking at your legs. Those are short shorts.”
    “I’m sorry.” She opened the door and motioned him in. “I got involved and let the time slip away.”
    He leaned close and rubbed his finger across her cheek. “You’ve been crying.”
    “It’s nothing really. Have a seat. I’ll hurry and dress.”
    She rushed out of the room. The sympathetic look in his eyes had her ready to cry again. She threw on a pair of jeans, a yellow shirt, and her sandals. After rinsing her face, she put on a light touch of makeup. Grabbing her hair, she loped it up into a loose bun and fastened it. There, that would have to do for tonight.
    “Twenty minutes. You’re fast and beautiful.” His smile sent a surge of heat racing in her veins.
    “Where are we going?” She took his arm and forced a smile.
    “Chuck’s Barbecue. It’s halfway between here and my new ranch. I thought we might stop by on the way back and see it by moonlight.”
    “Great. Let’s go.”
     
    * * * *

    Brent noted the tenseness in her body and the brittle sound of her voice. She was barely holding on, and pretended to be cheerful. He’d go along with her. But after he fed her, and she had time to relax, he’d try to gently pry out the reason for her distress.
    Her scent of lilacs blew across his nose. The air coming in the window had blown a few tentacles of hair loose around her face softening the clenched jaw and slight frown. She must have noticed him looking.
    She turned, giving him that forced smile. “How exciting that you bought your own ranch. Will you mostly have cattle like Drake?”
    He slowed down for a curve before answering. “I’m going to have a mix, but more horses than cattle. I want to raise them and train them.”
    “And you don’t have buyer’s remorse yet.” Her voice had taken on a teasing note.
    “Just the opposite. I’m more excited about a venture than I’ve been in a long time.”
    “Good. I’d hate for you to make this big change because of our bargain, and then decide later it was a terrible mistake.”
    “It was a good buy, and a good bargain.” Well, it would be a good bargain if he succeeded in convincing her to be his permanent wife. He planned to start working on that problem this evening.
    Chuck’s was noisy and