Cowboy's Fake Bride (Cowboy Billionaire Secrets #1) - Monica Bolt Page 0,23

care, and they’d notice I was gone.”

“I’d move your mother down to my ranch. I have a guest house that would be the perfect size for her and a couple of full-time aides. You could go to school online or somewhere around here and spend your free time with her.”

“And spend my nights being your little play toy? Pass.” With that, I ended the conversation once again.

His glass wasn’t the only one that was now sitting empty. For another forty minutes, I refilled drinks, taking another shot myself as I flirted a little more than usual with the men at the bar. Natalee was scheduled in as my closer and would be there shortly. Then I could escape for at least a little bit.

His nerve grated on me. I hated myself for briefly thinking about how good it would be for my mother to have real care. She’d had an aide when I’d first moved in, and the pair had gotten along beautifully. It gave her someone to talk to, and I’d worried so much less. Still, it wasn’t a financial burden I’d been able to maintain for very long. If I could just get back to college and get my degree.

“You need to leave,” I told him.

“You haven’t even heard me out yet!” His shock was written all over his face. “It would only be for a year. After that, we can get divorced and go our separate ways. I’ll give you a check for a million dollars. You can cash it at the end or before, I don’t care, as long as we stick it out for a year. Your mom will get the best care. Think about what you could do with that money and time. Listen, I’m not asking you to climb in bed with me…unless you wanted to.”

I glared at him. “There it is. I knew there would be a catch. I’d have to sleep with you every single night, and honestly, there isn’t enough gold in Texas to get me to do that.”

“Jesus, I was only joking! You wouldn’t have to sleep with me at all. You just couldn’t sleep with anyone else. Neither could I.”

“Ha! I should take the money and run then! From what I’ve heard, you’ve got a big problem keeping it in your pants. You’ll never make it a year.”

“I would for you,” he whispered.

My eyes narrowed. “Bullshit, you would for the land. Don’t pretend like you give two fucks about anyone but yourself.”

“Come on, just give me a chance,” he pleaded.

“I told you to get out,” I snapped. “Now.”

My voice had gone up a little through no fault of my own. My temper was starting to perk up as the tequila took hold of my senses. Around me, the bar fell into a muted murmur as the patrons turned to see who was giving me a hard time. Jackson's cheeks flushed as he tossed a hundred on the counter and stormed out. As the door slammed behind him, the regular chatter carried on. I hadn’t seen Natalee come in, my face now burning.

“How dare you tell him anything about me!” I snapped.

Her eyes grew wide. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would mind. You two seemed to have a connection. You can’t tell me that you don’t have a crush on him.”

“It doesn’t matter if I liked him or not! You had no right to tell him about my mother! Do you know what that prick just did? He proposed to me.”

“Wow, yeah. A rich cowboy proposing sure sounds like an awful night,” she snapped. “Look, I said I was sorry. I didn’t think you would get so bent out of shape.”

“He tried to offer me money to marry him so he could keep his land. Do you know how humiliating that was? He wanted to buy me for a year.”

“What’s so wrong with that? I mean, did he expect you to sleep with him?”

“No!”

“Sorry, but if someone as hot as him strolled in here asking me to shack up for some cash, I don’t think I would turn it down. It was a marriage proposal; he wasn’t trying to buy you for the night. Plus, no sex? Where is the problem?”

“Marriage is a sacred thing; you don’t just marry someone because it makes your life a little better.”

“I thought that was the whole reason you got married, actually.”

I wanted to scream at Natalee. Not only for what she’d told Jackson but because she was countering every argument I

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