“Yes, yes. Okay. Yes, let’s do this… I can take the dogs and cats right?”
“There will be room enough for your entire crew at the new place. My house has been quiet for far too long. And I’ll be damn glad for any company I can get. I got plenty of space for them while we get that ranch tidied up and paid for.” Billy Joe took the ring from the small velvet box and slipped it onto my ring finger. It slid right on, fitting like it had always been there. I drew my breath in sharply.
“It’s too beautiful. I can’t… I don’t even know what to say.”
“Just say you’ll stay with me for all the days of my life…”
“And you’ll fly me off to Austin in the morning?” I threw my head back and laughed.
“Well, little missy, I think we need to let that ankle get a little bit better. And I think I’m just the man for the job… Plus, you look pretty damn good lying back in that bed. I think I could get used to looking at the ring on your finger… and nothing else, well, I guess except for that silly ankle boot.” He drew me up into his arms and kissed me, holding me close. It occurred to me that this was the thing I’d been missing for so many years… and it seemed like we’d never have to be apart again…
EPILOGUE
“Anita Lee, get your fine ass out here and look at what we got going.” Billy Joe’s voice rang through the house. I stepped out of the kitchen and around the corner, spying him out on the porch where we’d had our tiny wedding the month before. I hurried over to him, trying not to smile. I had to keep a straight face for once… It looked like it might be a big day all around.
“Well, I’ll be damned. They came early,” I said. The architect and his construction crew were out at the front of the property, measuring out the foundation for my dance studio. Even though my physical therapy hadn’t taken care of everything, I was getting to the point where I’d be able to teach dance… well, in a little while, anyway.
“Good news, ain’t it? They’re going to break ground right before the fall… before it gets cold and rainy.”
“Cold? It doesn’t get cold in Austin. Not really.”
“Not enough that it’ll stop construction. You’ll be out there dancing in the spring.”
“Well…” I said, grabbing his arm to steady myself. “I’m thinking I might have to wait a little while longer.”
“Foot bothering you again?” He looked at me with concern in his eyes and put his arm around my waist.
“I’m happy to say it’s not…”
“Anita… then… what’s happening here? Are you?” I nodded, staring deep into Billy Joe’s cornflower blue eyes. Even though he generally went by “Joe” these days, I hadn’t been able to drop the Billy from my speaking… even though it reminded him a little too much of his family. He wasn’t any part of that old family anymore. We were building a new one.
“Pregnant. Due in April. I might be dancing again pretty soon after that, though. At least I hope.” Billy Joe swept me up into his arms, twirling me and setting me down gently. He was always careful of my foot — maybe a little too careful.
“Well, I reckon that makes me the happiest man on this earth,” he said, kissing me tenderly, and pulling me close. Outside, the construction crew broke ground on my new dance studio. Happiness was all around us… and it was indeed just like a fairy tale. It turns out that Billy Joe was after that happy ending all along… and he was willing to move mountains to get it. I threw my arms around him and melted into his body, ready to keep on living our dream.
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“The Billionaire’s Matchmaker” is a companion to “The Billionaire Cowboy’s Carolina Girl.” “The Billionaire’s Matchmaker” tells the story of Anita’s sister, Eleni, and her struggle against falling in love with one of her clients. If Anita’s all about fun, Eleni is all business… and it’s her billionaire who has to convince her that there must be a balance between work… and romance.
Read on for an excerpt from “The Billionaire’s Matchmaker:”
Dammit, Eleni. Focus.
I started walking to the back of the shop, looking up and down the bar for the billionaire that I thought I was looking for. I sighed and took out my phone, checking to see if Anita or Danielle had sent me a text to let me know about the billionaire's arrival time. I walked back up to the front of the shop and stood there stupidly, waiting for the man to appear. Just as I looked down to my phone again, I heard my name.
“Eleni, right?” The same rich, crisp voice I'd heard on the phone before was now saying my name. In person. The sexy guy with the nice jeans had stood up and was walking over to me.
“I… I... yes, I'm Eleni. How do you know my name?” I almost backed up against the wall. My personal fantasy had gotten up to say hello. And somehow he knew my name.
“Oh, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Josh Everett. We spoke on the phone?” The words coming out of the man's mouth didn't quite compute in my brain, and I knitted my brows together, trying to put the pieces together. This man wasn't a billionaire. He didn't look like a billionaire. More like a retired model, heading towards forty with a touch of salt and pepper around his temples. Like Jeffrey Dean Morgan's half-brother, maybe. But not a billionaire.
“Is this some kind of joke?”
“Hey, I might not be as handsome as the pictures online, but I assure you, I am Josh Everett. President of Everett Technologies. We spoke today?” He said it again, like we'd spoken. And strangely enough, his voice did sound quite like the man on the phone. Warily, I extended a hand and stepped closer, trying to regain my composure.
“I… uh... apologize for the misunderstanding, Mr. Everett.”
“Josh,” he said, taking my hand and holding it for a touch longer than necessary. I looked into his eyes and watched him smile. My mouth went dry, and again I grew aware of the desire creeping its way through my body.
“Eleni,” I said, lifting my free hand to my hair again, untangling it and b
rushing it aside.
“We'd established that. You do look just as beautiful in person as you do on your website. Well, maybe even more.” I laughed at the absurdity of it. This man was complimenting me. And somehow, I couldn't comprehend his existence. Not as a billionaire, anyway. Sure, I'd seen some of my clients in jeans before, but hell, that was usually when they were leaving for a destination date in their private jet. But this man... he looked comfortable. Somehow comfortable in his skin, easy with himself... suited to the jeans and t-shirt. And probably suited to any buttoned-up bespoke suit too.