My Billionaire Cowboy

Chapter 2

            The GPS was leading her directly to an address downtown, not far from the boutique. Kate was on her way to the fitting for Bruce and the last place she would have thought they would meet would be at a condo high rise. She had no idea what to expect with Bruce. He seemed to be a gentle soul, but him returning to the boutique with coffee, that he so expertly inspected to get her the right flavor, threw her off.

As she arrived at her destination, she pulled into the underground parking garage and found a spot. She was right on time.

Bruce’s directions told her that he was on the eighth floor. She took the elevator to her destination and when the doors opened into an expansive hallway, she was amazed. The red carpet spread across the floor, gold sconces with soft lighting led the way down the corridor.

8B was halfway down the hall on the right. She took a deep breath as she knocked on the door. She had been to a million fittings before, so Kate was not sure why she was suddenly nervous.

“Hello, Kate. It’s good to see you.”

When he opened the door, the butterflies in her stomach swirled even more.

“Hi, Bruce.” She nervously pushed her hair back behind her ear.

His big smile warmed her heart.

“Come on in.”

Kate looked around, impressed with her surroundings. “Is this your place?”

“Yes.”

“It’s lovely.”

“For a country boy like myself?” Bruce said, one eye brow raised.

Kate laughed. “No. That was not the end of my sentence. I was going to say how much I liked the décor. I love the sculptures. You have great taste.”

“Thank you. Can I get you something to drink?” He closed the door behind her.

“Water would be perfect.”

“Nothing a little heavier?”

Kate thought for a moment. Maybe a little something edgier would tame the butterflies in her stomach.

“No. Really, water is fine.” She wanted to have her wits about her when dealing with Bruce.

She took a look around while Bruce returned with the drinks.

“A water for you. A little Jack and Coke for me.” He raised his glass in a toast and then took a sip.

“Well now, where do we start?” he asked.

Kate pulled her tape measure out of her bag.

“If I could get a place to set up, that would be wonderful. I have your suit and your shoes. And if you have a floor length mirror, that would be great so you can see the entire look.”

“Right this way.”

She followed him into an enormous room. The master suite was roomy and decorated with a masculine touch.

“I have a floor length mirror in my changing room. We can do the fitting there.”

Kate let him lead the way. What he called his changing room was actually his closet. The space was big enough to be its own retail store. Rows of shoes lined the shelves and all of his shirts were hanging in order by color.

She found a place to hang the suit and set everything out for him to dress.

“I’ll step out for a moment while you get dressed.”

She stepped to the side while he dressed. When he came back in, he stood there in a navy blue tailored suit with a silver gray shirt and matching tie.

“What do you think?”

Kate turned to see him standing there looking as handsome as ever in the suit. It was as if he was a whole other person. In the suit, he looked nothing like the cowboy that walked in to the boutique. Besides the ponytail, in the suit, he looked dashing and suave.

“I think you look terrific. Let me see here.”

She began to make a fuss over him, pulling the tape measure here and there to make sure the measurements were correct. She added a few pins to the shoulders of the jacket and fixed the hem of the pants.

“How does the suit feel?”

“It feels great. I think you did a wonderful job finding just what I wanted. Like I said, I’m not that in to all of this fashion and styling. But you’ve done well getting me what I need.”

Kate pinned the last pin. “By the looks of your closet, I can’t tell that you are not into fashion. It looks like you have everything you need right here. We probably could have gotten a killer suit from your own private collection.”

Bruce laughed as he admired himself in the mirror. “I could see how you could feel that way. But really, I needed something that was a step up from the business suits I own.”

“And why is it that you own business suits when you work on a ranch?”

The moment the words escaped her lips, Kate felt that she had over stepped her boundaries.

“I’m so sorry. I spoke out of turn. I really did not mean to get into your business like that.”

“Not a problem. I could see how things could be a bit confusing. You wait right here. I’m going to change and when I come back, I will tell you the answer to that question.”

Kate shook her head and tried to take her foot out of her mouth. She was so embarrassed. She shoved her materials into her bag and prepped the dress bag to pack Bruce’s suit.

“I’m so sorry,” she said again as he emerged from the dressing area.

“Really, don’t be.” He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “When we met, I told you that I was a cowboy living on a ranch. Now, here you are at my city apartment helping to fit me for a suit for a gala. I could see how that could appear, well, appear a bit like I did not tell you the truth.”

Kate shrugged. She was not sure what to say.

“Kate, can I take you out to grab a bite to eat? I will be sure to tell you my story while we fill out stomachs.”

“I usually don’t mix business with pleasure.”