Fake It, Cowboy: Billionaires of Burch Ranch: Book 1 Read online

  As she moved to the kitchen and began to set about her task, Joanna shot Tucker a look. He winked back at her. Then he got up to help his Mom bring the mugs over to the table. Warm steam rose from the chocolate milk. It smelt delicious. Joanna thanked Mrs. Burch and took a sip.

  She looked at Tucker who wore an amused expression. He reached over and gently rubbed her top lip. "You had a little milk mustache going on…"

  She roughly wiped at her mouth, glaring at Tucker, who was now openly grinning.

  "So, Joanna, I don't believe we've met before. Where on earth has my son been hiding you?"

  "I live in town, Mrs. Burch. I'm sorry I haven't been to visit until now."

  Tucker sat upright in his chair. He reached over for Joanna's hand once more. The act was so natural, it was like they'd been holding hands forever.

  "Mom, Joanna, and I have been dating. For quite sometime now, in fact."

  Caroline Burch raised an eyebrow. "I had no idea, Tucker."

  "I know…it's been a year. Time flies, doesn't it, Jo?"

  Jo? Not that she minded him shortening her name. "Yes, it has." She looked at Mrs. Burch. "We didn't expect to get so serious so soon, but our relationship has just evolved over the time and we don't want to be a secret anymore."

  "That's wonderful. I'm happy for the two of you." Caroline Burch took a sip of her cocoa.

  "Mom, there's something else we'd like to tell you. Earlier I asked Jo to marry me….and she said yes!"

  Tucker grinned and Joanna returned his infectious smile. His mother paled.

  "What?"

  "I know this comes as a shock, Mom, but we're in love and I want to marry Jo."

  Tucker's Mom recovered quickly. She nodded, smiling, and looking at both of them. "Wow, this is a big surprise. I wasn't expecting this at all, forgive me."

  "We're getting married within the next four weeks, Mom. But after that, Jo is going to be going away for a little while."

  Before she could retort, Joanna jumped in. "Tucker's known that it's always been my dream to travel. Before things had gotten really serious with us, I'd booked myself a job on a cruise ship."

  "Goodness. So, you'll be leaving, when?"

  "In four weeks, Mrs. Burch. But I'll only be gone for six months."

  "I see." She nodded again. "So much to take in." She looked at Tucker. "I'm really happy for the both of you, I just wish you'd introduced us sooner." She looked at Joanna. "I guess it makes sense. I did wonder now and then where he'd take off some nights and weekends."

  "Thank you, Mrs. Burch. Tucker has been so understanding about my job. He's always supported my dream to travel." She turned to Tucker with what she hoped was a loving smile. "I'm so happy you've never held back my dream."

  "Anything for you, Sweetheart."

  They made a little chit chat about Joanna's job at the diner and she told Mrs. Burch that she had stopped working and wanted to take a little break before the cruise ship.

  "So, what do you plan to plan on doing with your spare time, Joanna?"

  Tucker broke into the conversation. "Well, I've invited Joanna to stay here with us on the ranch. I hope that's okay with you, we just wanted to spend as much time together before she leaves."

  "Sure thing. It's only natural." A yawn escaped and she stood up. "You'll forgive me, but I'm very tired. We can talk more tomorrow. Discuss plans for the wedding." She pointedly looked at Joanna's finger. "No ring?"

  Joanna answered. "Oh, it's fine. It wasn't exactly planned." She waved her hand smiling. Truth be told, neither of them had a chance to discuss the engagement ring. She was sure she had a cubic zirconia ring back at her apartment that she could use in the meantime.

  "Oh, we're going shopping tomorrow, Mom. I thought I'd like Jo's input since she'll have to wear it on her finger for the rest of her life." He winked at Joanna.

  "That sounds great. Okay, kids, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." She held her arms out and hugged both of them. Joanna was surprised at her warmth and how much she enjoyed the embrace.

  "I wouldn't normally allow it as you very well know, Tucker, but since you two are engaged, I'll accept you sleeping in the same room."

  As soon as she was out of sight, Joanna gulped

  Chapter 5

  Tucker

  Oh boy. He wasn't expecting that.

  Joanna was looking at him with questioning eyes.

  "Tucker, explain, please?"

  He ran a hand through his hair and gathered up their cups.

  "Joanna, I swear I'd no idea that my mom would say that."

  "So, I'm supposed to stay in your bedroom? Tucker! This wasn't the part of the deal!"

  Tucker sighed. He felt awkward about the situation.

  "How about we move back to your apartment? I can sleep on the couch for the time being?"

  Joanna chewed her bottom lip as she weighed up his words. "You'd do that?"

  "Sure. If it makes you feel better."

  Joanna lowered her head and looked down at her hands. "No, you don't have to do that," she said softly. "It wouldn't be fair on you."

  "Look, why don't we go to my room, and we'll try and make a sleeping arrangement you're happy with. If you're still unsure, we can go to your apartment."

  She nodded. "Okay."

  Tucker put their cups away and led Joanna through the now darkened house, apart from the side light his Mom left on.

  They went up the sweeping stairway and headed to the east side of the property.

  His mother's was on the opposite side. Here he shared his wing with Mitchell, though their rooms were far apart. Even then, Mitchell didn't often stay at the main house as he lived with his girlfriend, Claire, on the ranch.

  Tucker opened the door to his room, thankful their maid had been this morning. His bed was made up of fresh sheets and looked very inviting. He was a minimalist at heart, so the room wasn't cluttered with furniture. Just his bed, side cabinets, and a couple of paintings on the wall.

  He watched as her eyes fell on the bed. "I don't think I've ever seen such a big bed in my life."

  Tucker chuckled. "Yeah…I had it custom made. I like to spread out at night."

  She walked over and sat on the edge, testing the mattress for its bounce. Tucker found her naivety endearing.

  "I'll take the floor. You can have the bed." He pointed to a closed door. "Bathroom. There's plenty of towels and spare toiletries you can help yourself to. Anything else you need, we can pick up tomorrow. Make yourself at home."

  "Um, my stuff is still in your truck."

  "Oh, sure…I'll go get them."

  Tucker closed the door and raced back down the stairs and back out to his truck where he grabbed Joanna's two bags.

  As he approached his room again, Tucker wasn't sure how he was feeling. After Sarah, he'd never brought home another girl. Now he had Joanna Carver in his bedroom, someone who he'd only met hours ago. It did make him feel a little out of sorts, but he dismissed his hesitation; he'd put up with it as long as he could save their family and their ranch. After all, it was only for four weeks.

  When he entered the bedroom, he heard the tap running. A few minutes later, Joanna emerged from the bathroom. She'd washed off the minimal make up she was wearing. Tucker was struck by how pretty she looked.

  He passed her the bags and she disappeared back into the bathroom, emerging with some pajama shorts and a t-shirt.

  Tucker went over to the wardrobe to dig out the spare comforter and sheets, intending to make a bed on the floor.

  "Tucker? What are you doing?"

  She'd tucked herself under the sheets and was so far towards the edge, he was almost sure she'd roll off onto the floor.

  "I'm just setting up camp. I'll be done soon and then we can go to sleep."

  "Wait." Tucker looked over at her. "I mean, this bed is gigantic…why don't we make a barrier with some pillows and that way we can both have our own side and space?"

  He must admit, the thought of getting back in his be
d was great. As much as he didn't mind taking the floor, he wasn't sure his back would be thankful in the early hours of his wake-up call.

  "Are you sure?"

  Joanna patted the bed. "Yes, come on."

  Tucker pulled the pillows off the floor and set them up as a barrier on the bed. He had enough to make a double layer so, by the time he was washed up and lying in bed, he couldn't even see her over the top.

  Tucker turned on his side, facing away from her. He was exhausted. "Goodnight, Joanna."

  "Goodnight, Tucker."

  Tucker must have been out like a light because when he woke up at his usual four am, for a moment he had forgotten all about the events of the previous day. Then he turned in his bed, and everything came back. He sat up to see Joanna curled up tight in a little ball, covers drawn up to her chin. She was nowhere close to the barrier and had scooted as far as possible on her end.

  As he quietly got dressed, his next thought was of his brothers downstairs. He mentally prepared himself for the barrage of questions that would hit him from all directions. Tucker looked over at Joanna one last time, then quietly crept out of the room and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

  As soon as he walked in, three sets of eyes landed on him. The twins and Rose. He looked over at his Mom.

  "Morning Tucker. I hope you slept well." She smiled and led him to the table. "I was just filling in Samson, Jackson, and Rose on your surprise engagement."

  Tucker poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip.

  Rose spoke first. "Tucker Burch, how could you keep that from us? From me?" Her indignant tone brought a smile to his face. She shot him a dirty look as she readjusted her blonde ponytail. "Spill. Now."

  "Yeah, bro? What's going on? Mom tells us you're getting married?" Jackson backed up Rose. He sat back in his seat and folded his arms.

  "Guys, I'm really sorry I didn't say anything until now, but it was all kind of sudden." Tucker held up his hands in surrender.

  "So, why didn't you say anything?" Samson enquired.

  The boys were identical twins, and even now, sometimes Tucker had a hard time telling them apart. However, for those that knew, Samson had one slightly green eye and one blue, whereas Jackson's eyes were all blue. Unlike Tucker, they kept their hair cropped close to their head, but the brothers had similar physiques.

  "I didn't know it was going anywhere at first. But then, she was going away, and I just knew she was the one. I was going to propose anyway, but then we got news of grandfather's will and we decided to bring the date forward."

  "Thank goodness for that," Rose spoke. "I really thought we were going to lose our land to Dirty Darrell."

  "Rose, please! That's my nephew."

  "Sorry, Mom," Rose said sheepishly. "But you know it's true." She pressed on with Tucker. "So, you guys are getting married in a few weeks." She rubbed her hands together, grinning. "I can't wait to start planning a wedding!"

  Tucker looked at Samson, who seemed upset. "Sam? Are we good?"

  Samson stopped stirring his coffee. "Tucker of course we want you to be happy, but I guess I'm just a little hurt that you couldn't trust us."

  "It's not that," Tucker replied, sincerely. "After everything that went down with Sarah, all the aftermath, I couldn't put you guys through that again. I know how devastated everyone was for me and if things didn't work out with Jo, honestly, I couldn't go through that again. I didn't want you guys coddling me thinking that she was going to do the same thing." Tucker drained his cup, picked up his hat, and stood up. "By the way, where's Mitchell and Liam?"

  "They've already set off for the morning," his mother replied. "Don't worry, I've already filled them in"

  The twins followed and everyone stood up from the table. They'd be back for a proper breakfast once the morning chores were done.

  The early hours of the morning flew by as they always did. It was Tucker's favorite part of the day. He felt at peace as he went about his tasks, for the first time in weeks, relaxing now that the pressure was off his shoulders to save their ranch. Soon it was time to head back in for breakfast. He caught up with Mitchell who was approaching from the barn.

  "Morning, Mitch."

  Mitchell shot him a grin. He held out his hand. "I hear congratulations are in order."

  Tucker shook his hand and then Mitchell pulled him into a hug, patting his back. He was a man of few words and right now, Tucker appreciated that more than anything. Mitchell always accepted that his big brother would do the right thing and rarely challenged him on anything.

  "Thanks, bud. I'm sure you've heard that it's been a bit of a whirlwind. I honestly thought it would be you and Claire first."

  "I'm sure you know what you're doing. We're looking forward to meeting your lovely lady."

  They stepped into the kitchen from the back door still chatting but then Tucker stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the sight before him. Joanna was helping his mother cook and whatever they were whipping up smelt delicious. Rose was smiling at something Jo said and his mother whispered something in Jo's ear, which caused more laughter from the three women.

  Suddenly, he felt the weight of his brothers' eyes on him. The twins were seated at the table watching him and Liam had also just entered the kitchen from the other end. Tucker cleared his throat and worked his feet forward.

  "Hey, morning." He moved over to Joanna and kissed her on the cheek. At the same time, he reached behind her and stole a piece of bacon.

  "Hey!" She laughed, playfully smacking him.

  "Come on, let's eat, already," Mitchell called, taking his seat at the table.

  Joanna followed Tucker and he pulled out the chair next to him. Next to her was Rose and seated opposite were Jackson, Liam, and Samson. Tucker's mother sat at the head of the table.

  Tucker feasted his eyes on the spread, his mouth watering. His eyes landed on a freshly baked basket of blueberry muffins.

  "Did you make these, Jo?"

  Joanna blushed and nodded. "I woke early and found your mom in the kitchen. She let me take over for a bit while I whipped them up."

  "Jo," Liam took a mouthful of muffin. "These are to die for." He groaned out loud in appreciation, his eyes rolling toward the back of his head which caused everyone to laugh at his dramatic reaction.

  His mother passed over the plate of eggs and everyone began to tuck in. Questions would no doubt follow but for now, Tucker was feeling happy and relaxed. Joanna appeared to fit in perfectly with his family.

  Chapter 6

  Joanna

  When Joanna stirred around six earlier the morning, she wasn't surprised to see Tucker gone. She rolled over onto her front and spread out starfish-like. And smiled. This really was the most comfortable bed she'd ever slept in. And the sheets were soft and heavenly. She was so conscious of approaching Tucker's side during the night that she stayed curled up on her side; she even woke up a couple of times during the night to check that they were both on respectable sides of the pillow barrier.

  When she was dressed, she edged out of the bedroom. Joanna remembered the way to the kitchen and headed down the stairs in that direction.

  In the daylight, the house was even more stunning; she loved the skylights, which flooded the hall with lights. Along the way to the kitchen, she popped her head into the main sitting room. It was expertly styled in various shades of neutral textures, but it was also inviting. Plus, the feature fireplace which caught her eye last night was on another level. She'd never seen anything like it in her life.

  Joanna didn't want to snoop so she moved on, admiring the family photos displayed on the walls.

  When she entered the kitchen, Caroline Burch was setting the pans onto the electric stove. She watched the older woman for a moment - Caroline wore her hair tied back, with only a slight amount of makeup on her face. She was a beautiful woman. Joanna wondered why she'd never remarried.

  She felt a little shy just standing there but at that moment, Caroline looked up and spotted her. She smiled war
mly.

  "Good morning, Joanna. Did you sleep well?"

  Joanna entered the kitchen making her way over towards her. "I did thank you, Mrs. Burch."

  "Good. But I must insist that you call me Caroline, or it will remind me of my mother on law - God rest her soul." She winked at Joanna.

  "Of course, Mrs, sorry, Caroline."

  Joanna looked at the ingredients spread over the island.

  "Can I help?"

  Caroline looked up from the carton full of eggs.

  "Sure, I'd love that."

  Joanna glanced around the pristine, yet welcoming kitchen. An idea struck her.

  "Would it be ok if I baked some blueberry muffins for everyone?" She smiled. "It may help to sweeten them up in preparation for meeting me." She grinned.

  "I think that sounds delightful. Let me show you where everything is. Are you a fan of cooking?"

  "Yes, I love it. At one stage I wanted to be a chef…but I've never had the pleasure of working in such a beautiful kitchen."

  "Thank you, Joanna. You're very welcome to cook here whenever you want." She closed her eyes, sighing playfully. "Trust me, it would be a very welcome relief now and then."

  Joanna set to work alongside Caroline, weighing out her ingredients and then combining them into a batter.

  "So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself? Did you grow up here?"

  "I moved around when I was younger." Joanna hesitated. A lump formed in her throat. "My mom passed away when I was eight."

  "Oh Joanna, I'm so sorry. How did she die, if you don't mind me asking?"

  "It's okay." Joanna blinked away the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. She missed her mom every day, but then there would be other times, like right now, where the pain was still fresh and raw. She'd have done anything to have her mom stand beside her chatting, while they made breakfast together. She swallowed and spooned the battle into the muffin tray, carefully adding the fresh blueberries and watching as they disappeared into the mixture. Caroline must have sensed she was upset for she laid a gentle on Joanna's shoulder.