The Rancher’s Royal Bride (BBW Romance - Billionaire Brothers 4) Read online

  He drew her to him. For one crazy moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. Her heartbeat accelerated from anticipation, and just from standing this close to him. His hands lightly touched her waist, and she could feel the heat of his touch through the fabric of her clothes.

  She held her breath, his dark brown eyes smoky with an emotion she couldn’t quite name.

  “Don’t forget to call me when you get home.”

  “I won’t,” she murmured, wishing she had the courage to touch his face. They hadn’t had a moment like this since that kiss eons ago. Telling herself not to get carried away, she kept her hands at her sides.

  “I guess you better go in.” Reluctance crossed his face and appeared at odds with his words.

  “I guess so,” she echoed, not wanting to be the first one to break the moment.

  “Go.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stepped back.

  Ellie picked up the handle of her suitcase. Why did this suddenly seem one of the hardest things she’d ever done?

  “Goodbye.” She stared at him for one more moment, then turned toward the departure lounge.

  “Goodbye.” His voice sounded gruff once more.

  ***

  It had been a wrench to see her go. It still amazed him how she’d handled the whole situation with her mother. With grace and maturity. Just being around Ellie made him feel lighter inside. When she’d first arrived, he’d still felt burned out from his career as a SEAL. Now, he found himself looking at life from a slightly different perspective. And he liked it.

  But she didn’t need him anymore. The situation had been resolved.

  His gut clenched. He didn’t want to say goodbye.

  ***

  Ellie spent the next couple of days settling back into her old life. She had dinner with her parents, and although it was strange to see her dad and her newly found mother together, it also gave her a warm glow.

  When she was at the office, concentrating on a complex design task, she still found her mind drifting back to the ranch, especially the time she spent with Logan after she met her mother. Those last few days in Wyoming had taken on a whole new quality compared to when she’d first arrived. And she realized that although it had only been two days, she missed Logan already.

  The night she’d arrived home, she’d called Logan, as instructed. To her surprise, he’d seemed in a talkative mood. When they finally ended the call, she wished they’d talked even longer.

  The next day, Logan texted her. Just to say hello.

  Ellie returned his text.

  That night, he called her. She relaxed on the sofa, holding the phone in one hand, and started twisting her hair with her other hand, before she realized what she was doing. Dropping the fingers touching her hair, she still enjoyed her call with Logan, although she was glad he hadn’t seen her act like that.

  From her limited past experience, she knew that was a sign she had feelings for him.

  She just wished she knew if Logan returned those feelings.

  He must feel something for her, even if it was just on a friendship level. Otherwise, why had he called her two days in a row? But if he did have feelings for her that ran deeper than friendship, then why hadn’t he made a move on her? Besides that kiss when the PI turned up at the ranch.

  Ellie decided to try and put it all out of her mind for a couple of hours at least, while she focused on finishing the painting of Salt and Pepper. She’d sketched the two horses at the ranch, and now she was home, had decided to turn that sketch into a painting. And it was coming along quite nicely.

  The following day, she hung the finished painting of Salt and Pepper in her living room. Stepping back, she admired her work, wishing, not for the first time, that she could make a living from her painting, rather than work a day job as a cover designer and illustrator and paint on the side.

  The phone rang, interrupting her musing. It was Logan.

  Ellie curled up on the sofa once more, his deep rumbly voice making her feel as if he were sitting next to her and not nearly two thousand miles away in Wyoming. Pulling out her sketchpad from behind a cushion as she listened to him, she gazed at the portrait she’d drawn of Logan the night she arrived home. If she couldn’t be at the ranch, this was the next best thing.

  Until the following day.

  CHAPTER 9

  Ellie woke up gradually, squinting her eyes against the sunlight seeping in around the edges of the lavender curtains. Saturday. She stretched luxuriously. Freedom. She would go horse-back riding at the stables nearby, then relax with a book. Tomorrow, she was meeting her parents for brunch.

  It was still strange to think of herself as having two parents now. A mother and a father. The raw wound deep inside at her mother giving her up for the sake of Mulzonia was slowly healing. Tomorrow when she spoke to Logan, she’d tell him about having brunch with her parents.

  She and Logan had continued to text and call each other all week. In fact, it had become the highlight of her day. And he always seemed to call around the same time, every day, seven p.m. Even if he’d texted her earlier, he’d never missed an evening call.

  Smiling, Ellie thought maybe she should call him tonight.

  The doorbell rang. Ellie frowned, and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. Eighty-thirty. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Perhaps it was her father. Or her mother?

  Padding down the hall, she looked through the peephole in the front door. She gasped, one hand touching her ample chest. It couldn’t be.

  “Logan?” She winced at her squeaky tone.

  “Hi.” His deep voice came through the door, loud and clear.

  She took another look through the peephole. He wore jeans, a long sleeved pale blue cotton shirt, and a dark jacket. Had it only been a week since she’d left the ranch? Suddenly, it seemed so much longer.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Offer me a cup of coffee and I’ll tell you.”

  Ellie bit her lip. Was Logan flirting with her? Through her front door?

  Through the peephole, she saw one of her elderly neighbors pass Logan, looking at him askance. He nodded and smiled at the gray haired woman, but she walked past him with a loud sniff.

  Ellie couldn’t leave him on the doorstep any longer. Fumbling with the bolt, she opened the door. “Come in.”

  His gaze swept over her, resting on her cleavage covered by a green cotton t-shirt that finished just above her knee. A blush rose to her cheeks. She’d been so flustered by his appearance at her door, that she’d forgotten she was in her nightshirt.

  “Let me get changed,” she mumbled, turning and nearly running to her bedroom. Although she and Logan had shared the same house for two weeks, he’d never seen her in her night-time attire before or without a bra. What had he thought?

  After tugging on a pair of slacks that skimmed her belly, a flatteringly cut blouse, and a pair of flats, she cleaned her teeth and brushed her hair. Checking her strawberry-blonde hair looked as good as she could make it - had she really opened the door without checking if she’d had bed hair? - she headed to the living room.

  “Hi.” She smiled at Logan shyly, still barely able to believe he was actually here. In her apartment. And had seen her in her old cotton t-shirt, her curves naked underneath. She willed herself not to blush again.

  “How about that cup of coffee?” he finally said, his eyes seeming to take in every detail of her now suitably clothed appearance.

  “What are you doing here?” She’d already asked him that question before she was dressed, but he hadn’t given her an answer. Her gaze drifted over him. He looked so tall, so … yummy. Had he really come to see her?

  “I thought I’d look you up while I was in town,” he replied easily.

  He stood so close to her. If she reached out a hand, it would make contact with his chest. His hard, firm chest. Although she‘d never seen him bare-chested, that’s how she imagined it.

  “At eight-thirty a.m?” She hoped he didn’t notice
her breathless tone.

  “We got up earlier than that at the ranch.” He grinned.

  She returned his smile, remembering their shared breakfasts in the old-fashioned kitchen. “I’m afraid I’ve only got instant. I don’t have a fancy coffee machine.”

  “Instant’s fine.”

  He closely followed her into the small kitchen, his body heat stirring the delicate hairs at the nape of her neck. Although he was now in the city, his scent remained the same, reminding her of Wyoming - horses, sweet smelling hay and soap.

  She was conscious of his presence behind her as she switched on the electric kettle and spooned coffee granules into two blue and white striped mugs.

  “Can I help?” His murmur of assistance was close to her ear.

  She stilled for a moment, wishing she could lean back into his warm strength, and feel his arms around her, but she resisted the urge.

  “The milk’s in the refrigerator,” she replied, glad her voice sounded steady.

  “Got it.”

  She heard him step back from her and breathed a tiny sigh of relief - or was it regret?

  By the time he returned to her side a few seconds later, she’d recovered her equilibrium - mostly, anyway.

  Ellie made the coffee, and they sat down in the lounge. She sat across from him in an old but comfortable apricot armchair, watching him sip his coffee from the matching sofa opposite. By the time she’d drank half her coffee, it was as if they hadn’t spent the last week apart.

  He made her laugh by describing the antics of Salt and Pepper when he took Pepper out for a ride and left Salt behind.

  “They miss you,” he finished, looking at her with hooded eyes.

  “I miss them.” She took a hasty sip of her coffee, hoping he didn’t think by her admission that she was angling for an invitation back to his ranch. But if he extended one to her, she’d snap it up on the spot.

  Logan looked around the room with interest, his gaze resting on the completed painting of his horses. “Did you paint this?”

  She flushed with pleasure at the admiration in his tone. “Yes. I finished it a couple of days ago. It’s from the sketch I did at the ranch.”

  “You’re very talented. Why aren’t you painting full time?”

  She shrugged. “It takes time to get established, and meanwhile, I need to eat, unless I want to live at home with Dad for the rest of my life. When I graduated college, I wanted to be independent, so working in the art department of a publisher’s seemed to be a good compromise.”

  “And now?” He looked at her keenly.

  She wrinkled her nose. “It’s my goal to paint full time one day.”

  “Got any more paintings I could look at?”

  She smiled. “They’re in the studio. I’ll show you.”

  Ellie couldn’t help being aware of Logan as he followed her down the short hall to the room she called her studio. In essence, it was a small second bedroom, but the light was good and it allowed her to keep her all her artwork in the one place.

  “Here.” She started flipping through a bunch of completed paintings. “Have a look.”

  She watched as Logan pulled out one painting and then another. Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking from the serious expression on his face. Did he like them? Or, despite his compliment about the portrait of Salt and Pepper, did he think she was wasting her time?

  He put back the last painting and turned to her. “These are good.”

  “Thanks.” Pleasure burst through her. “One day I’d love to have a show at a gallery.”

  “What’s stopping you?”

  “I need a body of work first.” She was pleased Logan was taking an interest in her work, but she’d already thought through the pros and cons of trying to get started as an artist as well as having a full time job, and had decided that right now, slow and steady was the best strategy.

  “I’d say you’ve got one.” He gestured to the paintings he’d just viewed.

  “I need more than that. I paint in my spare time, but sometimes, when I come home from work, all I want to do is relax on the sofa.”

  His eyes crinkled at the corner. “I hear you.”

  They looked at each other for a long moment. Ellie couldn’t help wondering if he’d come all this way just to see her. Don’t be silly.

  “So what are your plans today?” Logan asked.

  “Well, I was going horse-back riding, but I can cancel. If you’ve got time, I could show you some of the sights.” Although she enjoyed her weekly time at the stables, she’d much rather spend today with Logan. And even though it was a treat for her to go horse-back riding once per week, Logan got to do it every day at the ranch.

  “Horse-back riding sounds great.” His lips tilted up into a smile.

  Horse-back riding was great. With Logan. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself back at the ranch, riding Salt while Logan rode Pepper.

  And afterwards, she took him to a small café for lunch that was popular with locals. As he inhaled his plump juicy burger on a fresh home-made bun, she couldn’t help thinking what a wonderful day it had been - and it was only lunch-time.

  After lunch she took him to the United States Botanical Gardens. Although she enjoyed spending today with him, she couldn’t help wondering what his real reason was for being here.

  “How long are you staying in town for?” she asked as they strolled along a winding path in the middle of the gardens, peeking up at him from beneath lowered lashes.

  “I’m flying home tomorrow night.” He took her hand in his warm, sure grip as the path narrowed, and didn’t relinquish it once the path widened again.

  Her pulse quickened at the contact. Finally. Perhaps he had come all this way just to see her.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” His tone sounded casual, but she wondered if his question was as equally casual.

  “I’m having brunch with Dad … and my mother.” Although she and Katerina were getting on well, it still seemed strange after all these years to refer to her as Mom. Especially in conversation.

  She hesitated for a split-second. “Would you like to join us? I’m sure they‘d like to see you again.”

  “I wouldn’t be intruding?” He stopped in the middle of the path and looked down at her, his eyes gleaming with interest.

  “I’m sure.” And she knew as soon as she uttered the breathless reply, that she was sure.

  “Okay. I’d like that.”

  ***

  He more than liked being asked to brunch with her parents. But he didn’t want to rush things. Ever since she’d left the ranch he couldn’t stop thinking about her. It had been more difficult than he’d expected to take her to the airport and watch her board her flight.

  Calling her every day and hearing her voice had helped. But yesterday, he’d found himself booking a last-minute flight to Virginia and asking his neighbor to keep an eye on the livestock for the weekend.

  He’d just had to see her.

  He still couldn’t get over the sight of her in her cotton t-shirt and nothing else when she’d opened the door to him. Although they’d lived in the same house for two weeks, she’d always been fully clothed.

  Just seeing her in the thin cotton covering without a bra had made his pulse rocket, and made another part of his anatomy rock-hard. But was it too soon to tell her he’d come to Virginia for the weekend just to see her? From their phone conversations, it hadn’t sounded as if she had any fancy plans for the weekend, although he hadn’t known about Sunday brunch with her parents.

  He’d told himself on the flight over that if she’d gone away somewhere for the weekend, he didn’t have anyone to blame but himself. After all, he hadn’t told her he was coming to see her.

  But now he had seen her, he didn’t know how he was going to fly home tomorrow.

  CHAPTER 10

  Brunch went well, Ellie thought as she got ready for bed the following night. Alone. It had been wonderful to see Logan this weekend,
and all day she’d hugged to herself the memory of that moment last night. The moment when he’d kissed her.

  To her surprise, he was staying at the fancy hotel where her parents had made their reservation for brunch. When she’d called her dad to tell him she’d invited Logan to eat with them, her father had barely paused before saying, “The more the merrier.” And at the posh restaurant, Logan got on with her parents as if he’d known them a lot longer than a few daily visits by her mother, and however long he’d spent with her father in a work capacity a few years ago.

  He seemed so different to the man she’d met at the airport in Wyoming, when her uncle had couriered her to him as if she were a valuable package.

  Was this the real Logan Trask?

  If so, she knew she’d fall for him even harder than she already had. But it worried her a little that he’d spent all that money flying here to see her. Because now she was pretty sure he didn’t have any business in Virginia this weekend, apart from seeing her.

  She cooked him dinner on Saturday night, and then they settled in to watch a movie, just like they had at the ranch. When the movie ended, Logan got up, and she’d walked him to the door. Their gazes had met and held. And then he’d kissed her. He slanted his mouth over hers. A thrill of anticipation shot down her spine as the kiss lengthened … and deepened. His hands wrapped around her waist, just as she’d fantasized about. And then … and then he’d pulled back.

  “Good night, Ellie.” He’d brushed a kiss against her forehead and left the apartment before she’d barely had time to blink.

  Ellie’s mouth sagged a little as she slid beneath the sheets. After that amazing kiss, she’d felt like running after him, attempting to lure him back into her arms … for the rest of the night. But by the time she’d opened the door and looked down the hall, he’d vanished.

  And today, she’d met him at the hotel restaurant. They’d only had a couple of minutes to themselves before her parents arrived. And although she’d enjoyed the meal with her parents and Logan, she couldn’t help wishing she’d had more time with him. Alone.