Her Billionaire Daddy (Western Daddy Doms #1) - Allison West

Chapter 1

With his phone clutched to his ear, he listened to his sister drone on about Riley Grant, her favorite romance author. He had been too kind, offering to pick up a signed copy from the author herself. His sister Rosie didn't live in New York City and so she had called her older brother and begged for him to stop by the small local independent bookstore during the signing.

"What's the name of the place again?" Martin asked, half paying attention to Rosie and also having his mind wander; it had been a trying day.

"Wonderland Emporium," Rosie said, sighing. "Can't you write it down or something, Marty? It shouldn't be that hard to remember. All the tech stuff you do for work, and you can't handle a pen and paper?" She sounded frustrated and Martin ran a hand through his unkempt sandy brown hair trying not to hang up on Rosie. Sometimes he wanted to, and he couldn't explain his frustration other than she was his little sister and annoyed him to no end. Here he was, doing her a favor and she was giving him crap. Typical of his sister really.

"Sorry, it's just been a bad day. I spent my morning with Tom Blackwood, trying to work out the logistics of a potential deal for the business." He didn't further elaborate on the specifics knowing it would bore Rosie, she hadn't been interested in his business, she was every bit a country girl.

"And by the sounds of it, the meeting didn't go so well," Rosie said. She always had the ability to read him.

He scoffed under his breath. "Understatement of the century." Martin stared ahead at the pavement, the throngs of people in New York City was overwhelming at times. He missed the easy life of living on the ranch, tending to the horses, the quiet outdoors and no one insight for miles. His job in the big city was high stress but even higher pay. He'd done well for himself and wasn't too keen on giving it up, even if he envied his sister's layback attitude and lifestyle. He wasn't ready to put it all behind him or return to Montana anytime soon. There was too much pain back at his family's ranch.

"Try me," Rosie said, offering a sympathetic ear or maybe she was just waiting for Martin to find the bookstore and purchase her a copy, autographed by the author.

Martin crossed the street, barely paying attention to traffic. In a daze he followed the other pedestrians, answering his sister. "Tom thinks I'm too much of a playboy for the board to accept the deal and the merger to take place. He doesn't want my name in the tabloids, complained that I'm not a family man, nor will I ever be." He could still hear the gruff words by the bald man echo in his mind. A part of him had felt angry and resentment at Tom's words. Martin could get any girl he wanted, he'd certainly done that repeatedly, bedding practically half of the women over eighteen and under thirty in New York City. His good looks helped and along with his suave personality and handsome bank account, he could get anyone he wanted. The problem was, he didn't have an interest in marriage. He'd never had an interest in settling down. The women he'd slept with were all interested in being eye candy on his arm, stealing the spotlight at every opportunity, especially the models he'd dated, which lasted all of three weeks. It was easier to sleep with a girl and then find a new one the next night.

"You need a fake fiancé," Rosie said, her voice chirping with enthusiasm.

Martin paused, his footsteps coming to a halt as he glanced at the mirrored reflection in the glass beside him, the tall building not a bookstore and as he tried to recall the address, he knew he'd gone too far. "Shit," he muttered under his breath.

"What? It's not that bad of an idea," Rosie said. "It's not like I'm suggesting you marry the next girl you see."

It wasn't her words that caused him to curse, it had been the fact he hadn't been paying attention to where he had wandered or how far he'd gone. Crossing the street again, he breathed a sigh of relief, finding the quaint little bookstore as he backtracked his steps.

Rosie's words long forgotten as silence enveloped the conversation. "I have to go, I found the bookstore," Martin said, hanging up the call