Page 14 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy (The Billionaire’s Bidding #3)

OLIVER

C arly stands at the front door of her house as I pull up in the truck I bought a few days ago to use around the ranch. My stomach does a little jig, unsure of what to expect as I climb out and move up the path. She tucks her hair behind her ear, watching me.

“You found us,” she says. She sounds more nervous than sarcastic, and I think that might be a good thing.

“And without a GPS.”

She holds the door open for me, and I step inside, scanning the place as casually as I can.

Their living room is small, with old furniture, but it’s neat and well-kept.

I surreptitiously search for signs that a man lives here, but it screams “decorated by a woman” with the paintings of flowers, the pink welcome mat, and the knickknacks on the shelves.

“Nice place,” I say, knowing how fake it sounds even though I really mean it.

Carly shrugs. “It’s home.” She picks up a dish towel and tucks it under a ceramic pig sitting on the kitchen counter. “Thank you for giving us a ride this morning. I didn’t want to put you out?—”

“It’s okay.” I flash her a smile, unable to hide my pride. “I already got the whole ranch fed, anyway.”

Her eyebrows jump in surprise. “Really?”

I shrug, trying to play it cool but secretly thrilled that she seems impressed.

Bradley emerges from the hallway with a backpack on, head tipped back. “Mom, I’m coming to the ranch today.”

“No, you’re still going to camp. The water pipe is fixed.”

“No! I wanna go!” He folds his arms over his chest, his little face squeezing into a frown.

She sighs. “Bradley, I know you love the ranch, but you’re exhausted and sunburnt from yesterday. Plus, you love this camp, remember?”

“No,” he grumbles.

“Hey, Bradley.” I give him a warm smile. “I promise you can come to the ranch this weekend… As long as that’s okay with your mom.”

He instantly drops his crossed arms. “Can I, Mom?”

“Sure.” She tousels his hair. “You can go there for a short visit this weekend… as long as my car is ready.”

“It’ll be ready,” I tell her. “But if it weren’t, I could pick you two up again.”

I’m aware of how eager I’m sounding, but I’m starting to not care. I’m having a great time with Carly and Bradley, and it’s not like I know anyone else in this town.

“Okay!” He races to the door, half-tripping over his untied laces, then pauses and looks at me. “Are you coming to my birthday party, Oliver?”

He’s serious, like my answer really matters. Like he’d actually care if I showed up. I glance at Carly, who’s looking at me expectantly, like my answer means something to her too.

“Yeah, I’d love to come,” I say, hoping that’s the right answer and it’s what Carly wants.

She gives me a look, half a smile that I can’t place. She seems almost amused, but not unkindly, like she’s enjoying this moment of watching me flounder, watching me as I try to figure out where I stand.

“You ready?” I ask Bradley, trying to save face. “I heard you get to camp faster in a pickup truck.”

The three of us make our way out, and Bradley races ahead, shouting over his shoulder that he doesn’t need any help getting into the cab.

He jumps into the front seat, holding the door open for his mom.

It’s one of those old trucks with a long bench seat in the front, and Bradley settles down in between me and Carly.

I turn the key and start the engine, amazed by how much I’ve been thinking of them both. I’d be smart to keep my distance, but there’s a draw, a pull toward this little family and their simplicity, toward what I thought I’d never want but might be missing after all.

“What do you have planned for your birthday?” I ask Bradley as we take off down the street. “Cake and ice cream?”

“Animals,” he says. “And then more animals.”

“Maybe we’ll have a barbecue at Grandma’s,” Carly adds, leaning back.

The ride to camp is short, and I wish it weren’t. I could spend hours like this, listening to the two of them talk about what they’re going to set up for the party — a Slip ’N Slide, corn hole boards, balloons.

At camp, Bradley whines a little bit more about going inside, but Carly eventually gets him to the door. I wait in the truck, watching through the window as she settles him in with the other kids, and something tickles my chest, a longing that I can’t quite place.

I try not to stare as she walks back to the truck, her steps sure but a thoughtful, maybe worried expression on her face.

“Everything okay?” I ask as she climbs back in the cab.

“Yeah. He’ll be fine. Transition periods are hard sometimes, but he’ll be happy he’s there. He actually loves this camp.”

“You’re a good mom.”

She studies me as we drive away from the camp.

“Is it weird I keep saying that? I know I don’t have kids, but I have a mother, and you remind me of…” I stop talking, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

“It’s nice. Thank you.”

We’re quiet for a while longer, just the radio murmuring softly, and I wonder if she’s thinking about the same things I am, if she’s planning her next move or figuring me out or deciding if I’m worth having around.

Finally, I speak up. “Does it bother you if I ask about Bradley’s dad?”

She looks at me, surprised, and I can’t tell if it’s because I’m asking, or because it’s taken me this long to get the words out.

“No,” she says after a moment. “It’s fine. He, uh, took off a couple of weeks before Bradley was born. In the middle of the night. Left a note saying he wasn’t ready to be a dad. I haven’t heard from him since.”

She says it to the road, her face rigid, not looking at me. I’m not surprised. What she just told me was revealing and personal, even if it was simply the facts.

“I’m so sorry,” I manage to get out.

“I think I dodged a bullet, actually.” She finally looks at me.

“Yeah.” My throat feels too thick. I pause, unsure of what to say next.

My parents split when I was young, but at least I lived with my father half the time after that. At least the two of us are still close. It makes me sad for Bradley, and for Carly too.

She smiles a little, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Life is full of surprises, isn’t it? I thought he was the one. Turns out I was wrong. But everything happens for a reason. I have Bradley now… and I couldn’t be happier.”

“Sounds like you’re better off without him,” I say.

“Yeah. Bradley’s happy, and that’s what matters most.”

I see it in her face, a fierce determination wrapped up in soft love. She’s resilient and unbreakably strong. It’s not just Bradley who’s better off without his deadbeat dad. It’s Carly too.

“Do you… So it’s just been the two of you since then?” I ask, kicking myself for being so awkward.

“My mom and Ferris and my aunt, her mom, help out, but yeah. Just us living together. I haven’t really dated. I lost a lot of friends… but I have my family, and that’s what matters.”

I nod. Got it. No boyfriend.

That news makes me want to sing, but I don’t know if I have the right to celebrate. Making a move on her would still break the unwritten rules of propriety between boss and employee. Plus, I’m not even sure she’s interested in me — at least not enough to want me to make an advance.

“So you’re headed back to Houston soon, huh?”

I shrug. “I was supposed to go back next week, but…”

“But?”

“I’ve been thinking. I’d like to stay longer. Maybe more permanently.”

It’s more than I intended to say - more than I intended to feel - and it leaves me wondering if it’s enough, if she believes me, if it’s what she wanted to hear.

For maybe the first time since I met her, Carly is speechless. I can see the wheels in her head turning, working through the implications. She looks out the window, watching the dry fields rush past.

“Oh,” she says.

“Yeah. I would have to go back to Houston occasionally. I can do a lot remotely, but not everything.”

“I can have the ranch taken care of while you’re gone.” She looks back at me. ‘“I know a few people who can help out here and there.”

“Great. Thank you. I planned on asking you about that today - if you’d be my, uh, forewoman. Run the place when I’m not around.”

“I would love to.” She grins. “You could try to keep me away, of course…”

I snort. “You? If you stopped breaking in to muck stalls in the middle of the night, I don’t think you would be Carly anymore.”

So it’s settled then. No matter how long or how often I decide to stay here — and regardless of my reasons for staying— it’s possible.

Carly goes quiet again, and I let the silence stretch out between us. It’s not uncomfortable — at least not for me. The tension that was once there because of our misunderstandings and mistrust has subsided, making room for something else.

I glance at her, but she’s gazing out the window, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. She stays like that the entire ride back to the ranch, only snapping out of her reverie when I pull into the driveway.

“Hey,” I say, turning the truck off. She jerks a little, as if she’d forgotten where she was.

“Sorry, I was just…” She doesn’t finish, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly. “Did you say you wanted to be here more permanently?”

“Yeah,” I reply, hoping my sincerity shows. I can now appreciate the ranch for what it really is — a chance to change my life. To slow down and enjoy the simpler things, just like Marie was hoping I would.

“And you’re okay with me being at the ranch?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Why is she asking me this? Is she hoping I’ll change my mind?

“But what if I make some changes? Some…big changes?” She looks at me, warily.

“Like…?”

She hesitates, like she’s unsure about whether or not to open up.

But then she seems to decide to go for it, because she takes a deep breath and says, “Before you bought the ranch, we had events and lessons here. It was how the ranch made its money.”

“Right.” I nod. Those aren’t things the ranch needs anymore, since I have a separate income that supports it.

“I’d like to go back to doing that. What do you think? It’s just, it’s so important for the community. And, if you’re okay with it, I’d like to introduce more education-based stuff for the visitors. Interactive elements to educate people about the animals and conservation efforts.”

Her face is serious, her gaze steely as she waits for me to respond. And I realize she’s asking for more than my approval - she’s asking for my trust.

“That sounds like a great idea,” I say honestly, watching as relief transforms her features. “Education and conservation go hand in hand with a place like this.”

A smile tugs at her lips, and there it is again — an invisible force pulling us together, making the space between us ripple with energy and awareness. She’s glancing at me, her gaze shifting from my eyes to my lips, and if she doesn’t look away soon, I’m going to kiss her.

“Carly—”

Suddenly, she jumps out of the truck, ending the moment. “Sorry to keep talking your ear off. I’ll get to work.”

“You weren’t…” But there’s no point in finishing the sentence. She’s already disappearing around the edge of the stable, an angel vanishing from view.