My Billionaire Cowboy

You can read My Billionaire Cowboy free below.

Blurb:

An interracial, billionaire cowboy romance novel. Get ready for an unexpected clash of worlds! Meet Kate, a confident and driven fashion boutique owner whose life revolves around her career and only her career.

On the flip side, there’s Bruce, a handsome and wealthy businessman who’s traded his suits for cowboy boots and a peaceful life out on the ranch… Yet when the two meet, sparks fly in all directions! And before they know it, fashion meets ranch life, and love takes the center stage.

Having a rich and rugged cowboy for a boyfriend is a dream come true for Kate… But is Kate ready to find a balance between her career and love life? Or will she end up choosing one over the other? See now in this western romance book by Esther Banks.

Chapter 1

Working lunches were beginning to be the story of Kate’s life. Building an empire was turning out to be more work than she bargained for. Grey’s Fashion Boutique was her baby and for the past two years, Kate had thought of nothing else. Since childhood, she lived and breathed fashion and beauty. She combed through fashion magazines, went through a period of time when her hair was purple, and spent hours styling her friends for prom and school dances. Her parents tolerated what they considered to be her hobby. When it was time to apply for college, she decided to forego an entrance into Milner Fashion Institute to instead earn a business degree from the university.

That education was not for nothing. After finishing, she followed her dream and attended Milner and paired the knowledge of the two by starting her boutique. All of her inventory was initially online, but that grew steadily into the need to have a brick and mortar location.

Grey’s was in a quaint section of the city, and she was quickly becoming the toast of Los Angeles. A mention by a local fashion blogger had given her more business than she knew how to handle and now she set her sights on getting back to what she always loved- styling.

“Are we eating in again?”

Kate looked up from her soup and sandwich to see Linda.

“I am. How about you?”

Linda shook her head. “All work and no play makes Kate a very dull girl.”

Kate smiled at the joke. “I get it. But I have so much to do here. I have numbers to run and a couple client files to get in order before this weekend. Going out to lunch just seems a bit-,” Kate paused.

Linda put her hand on her hip. “A bit like fun? Maybe relaxing even?”

Kate rolled her eyes in jest. “Maybe even relaxing. You could be right. Let’s set a lunch date for this week. I promise.”

Linda smiled. “At least that’s something. Look, I’m going to go out, grab a bite to eat, and then I will be back to finish working those files,” she said pointing to the files spread out in front of Kate.

The bell on the front door chimed as Linda left. Kate was appreciative of the woman and all that she did for Grey’s. Since the day Kate opened the doors to the boutique, Linda had been her right hand. She was there through everything and Kate was grateful to have someone working with her that not only understood her vision, but helped her execute that vision in a way that fit her brand.

Linda was right. She had not made much time for socializing or dating for that matter. Any events she attended were purely for networking. Kate could not remember the last date she went on or when she last went out just for fun. She enjoyed what she did for a living and that seemed like enough to fulfill her at the moment.

Being caught up in falling in love had never served her well. There had been one serious relationship, and that ended because he did not understand her drive and ambition. Even her mother told her that she would never find the right man if she spent all of her time working. It was such an isolating feeling not having people understand her urge to further her career before finding love.

She simply had her life on a plan, and being in love had nothing to do with that plan right now. She was okay with the way things were and Kate felt that everyone else should just back off. Love was something she wanted, something she desired. As a girl, she often dreamed of falling in love with her own knight in shining armor. It was just that in her dating life, she had not met a man that would come close to that persona and she was beginning to think that finding true love was like finding a unicorn.

As she ate the last of her soup, she enjoyed the jazz playing in the background. Her life was exactly the way she wanted it right now. No stress, no drama, no issues.

Clicking the tab closed on the computer, she closed the laptop. There were two clients she had to pull outfits for and a few other potential clients she had to follow up with for services.

Before she knew it, over an hour had gone by and the outfits had been pulled and tagged to be readied for the clients.

“Thank goodness you are back. Can you call the-,” Kate started as she heard the door chime. She stopped short as she entered the front retail space.

“Oh. I’m sorry. How can I help you?”

The man standing before her looked like a deer in headlights. He was standing there, looking around, nervously twirling his thumbs, rising up and down on his toes. He was a big man, and he looked out of place standing in the middle of the boutique. A large ten gallon hat, tight jeans that appeared dusty, a white collared button down shirt, and a pair of worn cowboy boots were his attire.

“Uh, well.” He was stuttering and seemed barely able to put a thought together.

“Let me guess. You need a little something for your wife or girlfriend.” Kate tried to make the shopping experience easier for the gentleman.

When he still did not answer, she replied. “Maybe for both?”

Her comment obviously broke the ice because he let out a hearty laugh.

“Actually neither. I need some style for myself.” He used his hands to display his own outfit.

“I heard that you were the best in town.”

Kate extended her hand to him. “I’m Kate. Nice to meet you, Mr.?”

“Please, just call me Bruce. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kate.”

She could not help but get lost for a moment in his steel blue eyes. He looked to be in his mid forties, strong build, a brawny guy. His graying hair peeked from under the large brimmed hat pulled back in a ponytail. His skin looked tough and tanned, and she could tell that he worked with his hands by the calluses on his palms.

Kate tucked her black tresses behind her left ear. She gave him a friendly smile, hoping he would feel calm.

“Why don’t you come over here Bruce? We will create a profile for you and get you started.”

Kate led the way to her desk area. She flipped open her laptop and beckoned for Bruce to have a seat. He pulled out the chair, the look on his face still displaying anxiety.

“You can be sure that you are in good hands with me, Bruce. I have a lot of men that come to me for fashion consulting. Everyone wants to look good, male or female, right?”

She raised an eyebrow, hoping to see a sense of peace come over Bruce. He relaxed a bit in his chair.

“So where do we start?”