Page 11 of Her Bachelor Cowboy Billionaire

“Here’s one. You can’t have any problems with this one.” Jessica held up a lavender dress with chiffon over a silk sheath.

Lanie placed her hands back on her hips. “Yeah, no problems at all, if you’re mother of the bride.”

Jessica unzipped the dress and let it pool in a puddle at her feet.

The doorbell sounded.

“Would you get that, please? I really don’t feel like flashing anyone.”

“Sure.” Lanie headed to the front door. She returned a few minutes later carrying a large, flat box.

Jessica had put on her bathrobe. Her brows went up as she walked toward Lanie and pointed. “What’s that?”

Lanie’s brows were up and her eyes were wide. “I don’t know, but it’s from Veronica Sattler’s House of Design.”

Jessica shook her head but took the box from Lanie. “He couldn’t. He doesn’t know my size.”

“Open it and let’s see what it looks like.”

Jessica set the box on the bed and lifted off the top, then folded back the tissue paper. A red silk dress with jewels sewn into the bodice lay nestled inside. “Oh, my God, Lanie.” She pulled the dress from the box and held it up to her body. “It looks…perfect.”

Lanie threw all the dresses to one side of the bed and then sat waving her hands at the dress. “Try it on. Quick, before I try it on for you.”

She nodded and shucked her robe, which left her in nothing except her panties. Next, she unzipped the dress, stepped into it, and pulled the strapless gown up and over her breasts. “Zip me up, please.” The zipper brought the sides together, and then she adjusted her bosom so it was comfortable in the dress. She ran her hands down the gown, loving the feel of the silk against her skin. She walked over to the cheval mirror, the dress swinging around her ankles. It was the perfect dress for dancing. With her four-inch black heels, it would be the perfect length. Jessica finally turned toward Lanie. “Well, what do you think? I’ll wear my hair down and make sure it isn’t unruly, but just wavy. Tell me what you see. Don’t just sit there with your mouth open.”

“It’s gorgeous and totally beautiful. It’s like they made the dress just for you. How could he do that with only one meeting?”

She turned her back to the mirror and looked over her shoulder to see. “Well, it was a nice date.”Wow! It even looks great from behind. I figured sitting all the time, I had gotten flabby, but I’m not.

Lanie stood and walked over to Jessica. She circled her looking at every side. “You’ll need to keep your makeup neutral and let the dress do all the talking. Are you meeting him there, or is he picking you up?”

“He’s picking me up at seven.”

Lanie sat back on the bed and crossed her black-spandex clad legs. Her voice took on a dreamy quality. “I bet he’ll bring the limo and pick you up, then you can make an entrance together.”

Lanie was always put together. The long peach top, black leggings and black suede three-inch heels looked great on her graceful body. She wasn’t skin and bones, just svelte, with curves in the right places.

Jessica was never put together. She always looked a little like she’d just jumped out of a tornado. Even her taste in clothes was bad. Look at all the dresses she owned. Dresses she’d worn to weddings and prom. Why did she still have them? They were so out of style; she didn’t think they would even make decent Halloween costumes. “I suppose. I’d rather drive myself, then I can leave whenever I want.”

“Tell him your concerns. Maybe he’s a reasonable man.”

“He is. Almost too reasonable. He didn’t kiss me goodnight or come in for a nightcap. Said he had some things to do. Now, I know what. It is beautiful, isn’t it?” She swayed in half circles, letting the dress swing at the bottom. She felt like a princess. “But should I accept the gift and wear it?”

Lanie jumped up from the bed and hurried over to Jessica. “Of course. Are you crazy? You want to wear one of those things?” She pointed at the hideous dresses on the bed. “You should give all of them to charity for Halloween costumes. You’d wear one of those, rather than this magnificent gown he sent you? Have you lost your mind entirely?”

Jessica started to sit and then remembered the dress and decided if she would not keep it, she should do her best not to wrinkle it. “You know, I didn’t even know who he was. Even when I first heard his name, I didn’t put two and two together. Who would have thought Roark Sullivan would use a matchmaker?”

Lanie’s eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up nearly to her hairline. “You met him through a matchmaker? I want her name.”

“Mrs. Madison at Love International. She’s down on the Mall. Mom made the appointment for me. She’s a really sweet old lady. Her gold hoop earrings and peasant blouse made me think of…never mind. It’s silly.”

“What? Tell me.”

Jessica walked over to the window, opened the blinds, and looked out. “She almost seemed to be an old Romany woman. Full of magic. How’s that for a romance writer? But this whole thing has seemed magical.” Forgetting the dress, she sat on the bed and put her face in her hands, then ran her hands back through her hair. “What’s wrong with me, Lanie? Am I so lonely that I’m imagining things now? Do I just want to believe that Roark is interested in me because he sent me a beautiful dress and asked me to a ball? This could all be because he needed a date.”

“And he went to a matchmaker to find a date? Even I don’t believe that, and you know how skeptical I can be. Besides, I want to know if he has a best friend for your best friend?”

“I don’t know. That’s the point. I don’t know much about him…at least yet. He’s so nice and so handsome.” She put her hands on the bed behind her and raised her face toward the ceiling, and closed her eyes. She remembered how his voice covered her like a soft caress. “I can’t figure out why he’d be interested in someone like me.”