Fake It, Cowboy: Billionaires of Burch Ranch: Book 1 Page 7

  "Joanna!" Eric shouted as they arrested him. "Joanna! Look at me!"

  Joanna turned her back on him and turned to the nearest detective.

  "Excuse me, but I believe I've upheld my end of the bargain. Will you honor your end?"

  "Yes, ma'am," he said, nodding quickly. "We're very grateful to you. We'll set up a restraining order and seize all the illegal recordings he made. I'm sorry you ever had to go through something like that."

  Joanna thanked him gratefully and looked down at her watch. She realized that she still had time to catch her flight, but she knew that it didn't matter. She wasn't going to be on that plane.

  As she walked away from the park, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. It was over. Eric would never bother her again. Now she was free to go back to Tucker. Maybe they would be able to work things out after all. Before she got too far, she heard someone calling her name.

  She turned in surprise and her jaw dropped when she saw Tucker running toward her, all dressed up for the wedding.

  "Tucker!" she called, her heart soaring.

  Before he could react, she took off running in his direction and threw herself in his arms.

  "How did you find me?" she gasped, looking up at him in awe.

  "I was on my way to the airport, but there was a police barricade, and when I saw you walking on the sidewalk…"

  "Oh," Joanna said, her eyes clouding with tears. "It doesn't matter. Tucker, could you ever forgive me? I'm so sorry about what happened. I love you! I'm sorry I lied and said I didn't."

  Tucker didn't say anything, and Joanna immediately stopped talking. She looked up at him and bit her lip nervously. Was it too late for them?

  Chapter 12

  Tucker

  He couldn't believe his eyes. Joanna was in his arms and she was confessing her love for him. It felt like an impossible dream.

  "Joanna," he said hoarsely. "I love you, too."

  They looked at each other in wonder for a moment before they kissed. Tucker pulled her closer to him and she tangled her hands in his hair as they came together in relief and sheer disbelief. When they pulled away, Joanna laughed happily as he rested his forehead against hers. This was right. This was where she belonged.

  "I know this might be a bit forward, but …" Tucker sank to one knee and opened a little ring box.

  Joanna gasped in delight when she saw the beautiful ring nestled in the satin.

  "Will you marry me? In about an hour and a half?"

  "What about your family?" Joanna asked worriedly, "won't they hate me for what I've done?"

  "They're mad at me for letting you go," Tucker said with a laugh. "If I come back with you on my arm, they'll be so happy they won't think about anything else."

  "Are you serious?" Joanna asked in shock.

  "They love you almost as much as I do, Joanna," Tucker promised. "I told them everything this morning, and they're still back at the ranch getting things ready for the wedding. I mean, you don't have to marry if you don't want to. You don't have to do this to save us."

  "You're crazy," Joanna said with a laugh, reaching down for his hand. "In that case, YES!" She grinned. "Come on. Let's go. We have a wedding to get to."

  "Wait. I don't want to rush you into anything." Tucker's tone softened. "We can take a step back and evaluate our relationship if you'd like."

  "We have the rest of our lives to do that, Tucker Burch," Joanna said, pulling him up to his feet. "But if we don't make it to our wedding, then you're going to lose our children's ranch."

  Tucker grinned widely and followed her to the truck.

  "So, I suppose you want kids then?"

  "Uh-huh. A Lot. You better be ready. For now, we have a wedding to attend. Come on, I won't be late for my own wedding."

  "Never mind the fact that you nearly didn't attend your own wedding," Tucker said with a laugh.

  "Do you want me to walk down that aisle or not?"

  "I'm sorry," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I won't tease the bride."

  "Yeah, I had a busy day. It's not often you get your ex arrested and marry your fake fiancé all on the same day."

  "What?" Tucker asked, looking at her in shock. "Eric's been arrested?"

  "Boy, you were really going to marry me and let Eric send that recording to your cousin, weren't you?"

  "Honestly, I thought we'd cross that bridge when we got there," Tucker said with a sheepish grin.

  "What would you do without me?" she teased.

  "Thank heavens I'll never have to find out," he said, opening the door for her. "Let's go get married, Joanna Carver."

  Joanna

  1 week later

  "Hello, Saffron," Joanna said, walking toward the mare's stall. She lifted the gate and let the horse step out.

  Saffron looked at her with big eyes and moved her ears curiously.

  "I'm sorry we haven't been around much," Joanna said with a laugh. "Tucker had to sign the deed, and we've been planning our honeymoon. Yes, that's right. We got married."

  Saffron whinnied and Joanna laughed at the sound. She rubbed Saffron's neck happily and looked at the horse with affection.

  "Tucker's at the cabin. He's got it into his head that we need another room built before any baby arrives. Of course, we're only thinking of trying in a year or two, but he wants to be ready. You know what a softie he is."

  The horse let out a satisfied harumph and Joanna smiled fondly at her as she started putting a saddle on the horse.

  "The rest of the family keeps teasing us about what happened. Jackson says he's going to propose to the next girl he meets at the supermarket since that's the way to find a soulmate."

  Once the saddle was on, Joanna took a deep breath and hopped onto Saffron's back. She didn't hesitate, as she knew that Saffron wouldn't mind her.

  "Thanks for keeping my secret, girl," Joanna said, giving Saffron's neck a quick hug. "You're the best confidante in the world. I'd like to tell you another one if you don't mind."

  Joanna tugged at the reins, and Saffron started cantering.

  "It's not as juicy as the other one, but it still needs to be said."

  Joanna looked around her at the massive ranch, her eyes straying to the main house. Her heart was full, and she was happier than she could ever remember being.

  "I've found myself my dream husband, a beautiful home, and a family I could only have wished for." She leaned forward and stroked Saffron's head. "I think this is exactly where I belong, my sweet girl."

  Afterword

  Thank you so much for reading Fake It, Cowboy. Please do leave a review on Amazon.

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  Are you ready for Book 2, Remind Me, Cowboy?

  Turn over for a sneak preview….

  Remind Me, Cowboy

  Mitchell Burch and Claire Daniels are getting married in three months. But their engagement has been rocky, with Claire struggling with her past fears. After a fight blows up between them, Claire rides off on her horse, only to have an accident and lose her memory.

  Claire has no recollection of the man who claims to be her fiancé, but she has no one else to turn to. Slowly, Mitchell reintroduces her to the life they built together. It seems too good to be true, but Claire finds herself falling in love.

  The accident gives them a second chance to fall in love all over again, but when Claire’s memories come back—can Mitchell convince Claire that their love is strong enough to conquer anything that comes between them—including themselves?

  Chapter 1

  Day 1

  Mitchell

  “I don’t understand why you’re being so unreasonable,” Mitchell said in exasperation, running his hands through his oak brown hair.

  It was getting long now and tended to fall in front of his eyes. He’d better cut it before the wedding, his mother had reminded him this morning. Mitchell hadn’t had the heart to tell her there might not be
a wedding.

  “Unreasonable?” Claire echoed, narrowing her eyes at him. “Mitchell, this is my office. It needs to be perfect.”

  “All I need you to do is pick out a color,” Mitchell protested, trying not to sound upset.

  Building the office had been his older brother, Tucker’s, idea. He’d noticed (along with everyone else) that Claire and Mitchell had been fighting a lot lately. He suggested that if Claire felt that she had a space of her own on the ranch, she might feel more at ease about the whole marriage thing.

  It was no secret that Claire was wary about getting married, especially with her history, but Mitchell was confident that they could endure anything. Claire wasn’t as sure.

  “I understand that, but we need to paint it tomorrow if we’re ever going to get it done before the storm comes this weekend. It’s just a color, Claire.”

  “Could you please stop pressuring me about this,” Claire said in annoyance, turning around to finish feeding the chickens.

  She grabbed a fistful of feed and scattered it around her. The wind chose that moment to pick up and blow her hair around her face. It made for a pretty picture, the blonde strands caressing her elfin face. Mitchell’s heart skipped a beat and for a moment he forgot about all the worries. All he knew was that he loved this woman.

  He’d never held out much hope for meeting someone special. Mitchell was the quiet kid, the forgotten brother among his louder, more confident siblings. He’d always blended into the background, and that suited him just fine. And then one day, he ran (literally) into Claire at the county fair. Their chemistry had been undeniable, and now they were only three months away from their wedding. Mitchell couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with Claire, but things had changed in the past few weeks, and Mitchell didn’t know how to express how scared he was.

  “Okay,” Mitchell said with a sigh, taking a step back. “I’ll let it go. We can leave the shed as it is for now and continue when the storm is over.”

  Claire’s expression immediately dropped as she turned around to him and he braced himself. He hated it. They’d been together for nearly two years without so much as a fight. It was as if Claire had become a different person altogether. He missed that light, airy feeling he got when she was around. Now, he was tense all the time and worried that she was hiding something.

  “Don’t say it like that,” Claire mumbled, looking down at the floor.

  “Say it like what?” Mitchell asked in frustration, trying not to raise his voice.

  “Like all disappointed,” Claire snapped. “I get it, you want me to make a decision.”

  Suddenly, it occurred to Mitchell that they weren’t just talking about the paint anymore. They’d fought again the previous night, this time about her wedding dress. Mitchell had meant to have a calm conversation about why she had missed her fitting. His mother and sister, Rose, had brought it up the other night, and his sister-in-law, Joanna, had remarked that Claire didn’t seem happy with the dress. Somehow, it all spiraled out of control until it was a big fight.

  “I just want to know what’s going on,” Mitchell said, crossing his arms. “One second, you’re excited about planning the wedding and the next you’re missing fittings and hiding away with the chickens. Claire, what’s going on?”

  Claire wouldn’t meet his gaze and rubbed her arm slowly. Mitchell couldn’t help but wonder if she was hiding something. It was an ugly thought, but one that had been returning to his mind frequently like an unwanted visitor. What if… he didn’t dare finish that thought. It was too terrible to mention.

  “Do you even want to get married?” Mitchell asked, his voice soft.

  Claire hesitated, then nodded quickly. The action was like a punch to the gut. What happened to his Claire?

  “I don’t understand what’s happening,” Mitchell said, mostly to himself.

  “I said, yes,” Claire said quickly. “I don’t know why you’re making a big deal out of this. Look, I’ll go to the seamstress tomorrow and put on a nice show for everyone.”

  “That’s not…” Mitchell began, but Claire wasn’t finished.

  “Pick whatever color you want for the office, it’s fine. I just want it all to stop. Stop making a fuss, stop asking the same questions over and over again, just stop.”

  Mitchell drew himself to his full height and regarded her warily while she ranted. When she was done, she folded her arms over her chest and met his gaze head-on. He felt something roaring in his mind, and he knew that this time he might not be able to stop the ugly words from making their way out his mouth.

  “You make getting married sound like a chore. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”

  “Isn’t it?” Claire asked, gesturing vaguely. “I wouldn’t know.”

  Mitchell had only ever seen happy marriages. His parents, Tucker and Joanna, but now he was starting to wonder if he’d ever see his own. He could feel Claire slipping through his fingers, and he was powerless to stop it. The distance in her eyes, the way she guarded herself lately, and the way she kept avoiding him all pointed to one terrible conclusion. He heard a ringing in his ears and felt his cheeks grow hot.

  “Claire,” his voice was steely, but he felt his heart begin to race. “Be honest with me. Are you seeing someone else?”

  To Be Continued…

  **Pre-order your copy of Remind Me, Cowboy **

  Release date: 20 January 2021