My Billionaire Cowboy

“Are you asking what I think you’re asking?” Kate just wanted to make sure that she was not jumping to any conclusions.

“Kate, I think you know what I’m asking.”

“Talk about whirlwind romance.” She sipped her wine and thought about what he was asking.

“Bruce, we’ve only known each other for a few weeks. I admit, things progressed rather quickly, but I was not expecting this.”

“I’m not the kind of man that sleeps around. When I find a woman that I want, I’m with her.”

He stared at her intently as he sipped the rest of his rum, waiting for her response.

Her mind twirled, thinking of what the right thing was. To go all out for a man she just recently met, or to pump the brakes and be cautionary and take her time growing and cultivating a relationship.

As if he could read her mind, Bruce squeezed her hand. “What is the first thing that comes to mind?”

“Well, I-,”

“No,” Bruce said with certainty. “Your first impulse. Quickly. Kate, tell me what’s on your mind.”

She felt panicked, her heart racing. “I want to be with you!” Kate blurted out.

Bruce leaned back smiling. “How did that feel?”

Kate gulped the rest of her wine down, feeling the liquid warm her from the inside. She could barely breathe.

“That was a rush.”

“You should feel good about your decision. Now, do you stand by your choice?”

“I do.”

“Very well. Let’s enjoy lunch.”

*****

By the time Bruce and Kate finished lunch, she wanted to spend more time with him. She checked in with the boutique and was assured everything was alright.

“What if I told you that I was not ready to end our afternoon?”

Bruce stood up, put on his wide brimmed hat, and walked over to pull out her chair.

“I would ask you if you had anything pending at work.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well then I would say I would love to spend more time with you this afternoon. What do you suggest?”

Kate hoisted her purse over her shoulder. “I would like to show you a little bit of my world.”

“I would love that. Lead the way.”

The first stop was the neighborhood where she grew up. She showed him the playground where she and her best friends used to play. She showed him her elementary school and high school and the recreation center where she went several days a week. She also showed him the hang out spot where her and her friends spent a lot of their time eating ice cream and talking about boys.

“This is nice to get to know so much about you.”

Kate smiled. “Thanks. It’s nice to share. You already know where I work, and you know where I live. Speaking of home, maybe we should swing by so that I can change for dinner tonight.”

“Perfect idea.”

They were silent as he navigated the city streets.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Well, I was thinking of how much things have changed for me. To go from living in this neighborhood which I thought was the biggest thing in the world, to figuring out how large the world really is. To know that there is so much more out there that I can have in life, it just makes me so appreciative.”

“As well it should. I completely understand where you are coming from with that. The world is pretty big and there is a lot out there that you should go and get.”

It was nice to know that the two of them had the same frame of mind.

“Come on inside.”

Ever the gentleman, he walked around to her passenger side door, opened it for her, and let her out.

He followed her to the front door and then in to the house. As Bruce entered, he took off his hat and looked around.

“This is home sweet home.”

Kate watched as he looked around.

“It’s not what I thought it would be. You know. For the kind of place where a stylist lives.”

Kate sat her keys down. “Really?”

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s lovely. Very homey. But I somehow thought that there would be a lot of contemporary styles. Instead, it looks like someone could live here and not like artwork.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

A look of distress showed on Bruce’s face.

Kate laughed, trying to calm the situation. “Seriously, it’s okay. I get what you were saying. I’m very into fashion but I feel like home should be, well… Home should feel lived in and peaceful. That’s why I decorate with blues and soft colors. It should feel like you can come in and relax. And well, maybe remind you of what’s it’s like to go home and find comfort with your parents or in your childhood home.”

“My kind of girl. It’s the way I like things. Comfortable. Easy. Lived in. The kind of place you like to come home to everyday.”

She stared at him, taking in the entire man. He was more than just the fashionably challenged man with the deep blue eyes. He was so much more than that. Bruce was this complex individual that was kind and calm. She loved the fact that he was self assured and confident. He seemed to have everything in line and never feel out of sorts about anything at all. The exact opposite of where she was in her life. It was refreshing to know that at some point in time she could be like that and possibly in that same place.

“I’m going to change. Are we going somewhere casual or somewhere semi-formal?”

Bruce clasped his hands together. “I have an idea.”

Kate shook her head. “As usual.”

“No. No. This one I think you will like. Dress casual and comfortable. Very comfortable. No heels or dressy girlie stuff.”

Kate turned on her heels and headed to the bedroom. “Duly noted. No heels and no dressy girlie stuff.”

She quickly changed into a pair of dark blue jeans and casual purple top with a pair of ballet flats. She stuffed a pair of sneakers into her over sized purse and for good measure, threw some hygiene products in as well. Life with Bruce was pretty unpredictable and she never knew where the two of them would end up.

Kate walked out into the living room to find Bruce browsing around, looking at the pictures of her and her family. There were pictures from her childhood, from graduation, and random shots of her parents through the years. The one she was most proud of was of her standing in front of her boutique for the ribbon cutting.

“I’m ready.”

The soft look on Bruce’s face was endearing. “It looks like you are pretty close with your family.”

The thought of her parents and her happy childhood made her happy. “I am. We’re pretty normal. We disagree and make up just like any other family. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Are they from Los Angeles as well?”

“My mom is. My dad was born in Texas and moved here when he was in high school. The two of them were high school sweethearts and have been together ever since.”

“Ah, the old high school sweethearts thing.”

“What? You don’t believe in that?”

“Actually, I have always wondered about a person’s ability to meet one person and stay together indefinitely for so long.”

“Wait, the person that says to take a chance and take a risk and go for love does not believe that people can meet that one person and click and that be it for life?”

She was intrigued by his thought process and wanted to know why he felt the way that he did.

“It’s not that, Kate. I just wonder if you could meet someone when you are nothing more than a child and make a decision about your adult life.”

She shrugged. “It works for some people. I mean, how about your parents?”

“They were from a different time. A time when you did not necessarily marry for love first. The two of them lived near each other growing up, knew each other, but never really had much contact. My dad went away to war, and when he came back, he and my mom got together.