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Blurb:
A billionaire cowboy, BWWM, marriage romance novel.
This is the story of Kate, a fashion consultant with her own boutique, and Bruce a billionaire who likes nothing more than relaxing on his ranch and getting back to his cowboy roots.
The two have been together for over a year, and are now fully in love. Bruce is the ever adoring and supporting boyfriend, and Kate appreciates all that he does for her. She wants to give him the same level of love in return, but can’t shake the feeling they may be moving too fast.
Kate’s family and friends can see she needs to recognize and appreciate the love that she and Bruce share, before he walks away. But Kate had not envisioned falling in love before she got where she wanted to go with her career in fashion. Now the two main things in her life are competing for her time and attention.
With Bruce taking on more consulting jobs as well, how will the couple balance out their relationships as well as their careers?
Get answers in this interracial Western romance book by Esther Banks.
Chapter 1
The glistening diamond on Kate’s finger kept her distracted. She could not stop staring at it. Although it was on the ring finger on her right hand and not her left, it still stood for something special.
Bruce was full of surprises and had gifted it to her at his own birthday party. He was like that, in love with making her happy. What woman would not want a man like that?
Twirling the jewel around her finger, it was a reminder of the commitment that she and Bruce made to one another. He promised to love her all of his days and she did as well. The love between them was not the issue.
Kate walked a tightrope between love and career on a daily basis. Being the CEO of her own fashion consulting company as well as a thriving boutique left her with little time for anything leisurely. During the past year of their relationship, Bruce had also picked up more work as well. He was a private consultant in the accounting sector, which took him on trips to meet with various clients.
When they first met, Bruce had not immediately won her over, although it did not take long. He had walked in to her boutique, looking like a deer frozen in headlights. Every time she thought about that moment, it made her chuckle. He was completely out of his element, which was why he came to her to get some help with finding the right apparel to wear for a fundraiser gala.
After his fitting, he’d invited her out to have a bite to eat. An innocent meal resulted in interesting conversation and allowed Kate to see that she had more in common with the cowboy boot, jeans, and ten gallon hat wearing gentleman that she bargained for.
Bruce’s chosen sense of style was in stark contrast to the swanky city apartment that he owned. Kate wondered for a moment why a man that had such rugged looks would live in such a contemporary abode.
She soon found out that Bruce had once been an accountant at a Fortune 500 company and he had in fact done some consulting as well and that, along with his investments had made Bruce Stanger a billionaire.
To this day, Kate did not understand why he had gone back to consulting. It was not like he needed the money. And with him constantly complaining that she was working all of the time, it seemed odd that he would go back to the very thing that would take him away from home when he longed for a more conventional lifestyle.
The ring was not quite an engagement ring, more like a promise ring. Kate was not exactly ready for engagement and marriage and it was not because she had not found the right man. She found the perfect man in Bruce and it was obvious, just the thought of marriage itself was terrifying.
She held her promise ring and the promise he made to her dear. And she knew what the next step was. Bruce wanted to settle down and into a life with Kate and he was making it known more and more day by day. Soon, he would be proposing and she needed to prepare herself for it.
Real life was not like the movies. In the movies, the woman would gush over her proposal, crying and full of joy as she gladly accepted the proposal. Her beau would be on a bent knee in front of all of their family and friends and he would pull out a velvet box when everyone least expected and profess his undying love for his woman. When her proposal came, she was not sure if she would be overwhelmed with happiness or filled with anxiety about her future.
She knew that buying the promise ring was his way of allowing her baby steps. Bruce knew Kate well enough to know that asking her to marry him straight off would cause her to back away from him. She was happy that he gave her the promise ring. It let her know that they were going in the right direction. If she could just have a little time to adjust to the idea of forever, it would be even better.
*****
“You’ve been up all morning twirling that ring around your finger. A penny for your thoughts.”
Kate rolled over. “I had no idea that you were awake.”
Wrapped in the blanket, she scooted her body a little closer to where he lay.
“One of the joys of my day. I like to lay here next to you and watch you sleep. You are so peaceful when you sleep.”
Kate smiled, still groggy. “Are you trying to say that you prefer me quiet?”
Bruce gently stroked her hair on her forehead. Lightly planting kisses on her temples and then her cheek, “No, not at all.”
“Of course,” she giggled.
Lying there, snuggled in his arms, it felt natural and as if she was where she was supposed to be. He held her tightly against his chest while running his hands through her hair. Early morning had become Kate’s favorite time of day. It was the time when she and Bruce were alone and calm in their own space and it was just the peace she needed to start her day. She had grown to appreciate the way he brought such serenity into the life.
“I want you to know that I saw the wedding magazines you have stashed in the bathroom.”
Kate sat up quickly. At first, she thought about trying to make up a reason why she had the magazines, but decided against it.
“I just thought that it would make sense to start looking at dresses. I mean, just in case.” She tried to shrug it off.
A gentle hand touched her shoulder. “It’s okay. I did not know that you were ready to even discuss weddings and marriage and such.”
“What woman do you know that doesn’t like to nose dive into a world of wedding dresses and bridal mania? I don’t know. You know how much I love fashion. I thought it would not hurt to take a look. That’s all.”
Bruce inched closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. “Why can’t you just admit that you are this much closer to considering marriage?” He held his pointer finger and thumb pinched together.