Page 71 of Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire

Chapter15

When they finished the tour of the house, Chase brought her suitcase upstairs.

She unpacked quickly and met him in the kitchen.

He was talking to a stunning woman with black hair streaked with silver on the left side.She’d pulled all her hair back into a long braid, the silver running throughout the length.

Meri walked close.“Hi, you must be Rose.I’m Meri.”

“I was just hearing from Chase that you two are engaged.”

She nodded.I’m truly engaged to Chase Harper, a billionaire and the nicest, most wonderful man I’ve ever known.“Yes, it happened sort of sudden.”

Rose waved her hand.“Short courtships are not new to me.My husband asked me to marry him on our first date.I waited until our second to say yes.We were married two weeks to the day after we met.That was twenty-six years ago.”

Chase covered Rose’s hand with his.“She and Robert have been working for me for ten years now.The youngest of their children, Stacey, just graduated law school.She’s going to work for me in the legal department for Harper Dynamics, International Division.”

Rose smiled widely.“She’s so excited.Chase offered her the job when she entered law school, and she was thrilled.She asked him what he would do if she got a better proposal.He told her to let him know, and he’d double it.”

“And I did.She got an offer from my chief competitor.I doubled her starting salary and we’re all happy.”

“That’s wonderful.”Another reason to love him.He treats his employees well.

“Would you like to see the barn?I’ve even got a place for you to paint.I didn’t know what to do with it when I first saw it and I’ve just used it for storage, but—you’ll see.”He reached for her hand and they walked out of the back door.

The barn was like every barn she’d ever seen—big and red.She wondered if anyone ever painted them blue or purple.The thought made her want to laugh, but she settled for just a smile.

The barn doors were wide open on both ends of the building.The breeze rushing through kept it cooler and kept down the odor.

Chase took them straight through the barn to a small cabin with windows on the east, west, and south sides.The south side was the front of the cabin, which had a covered porch.It also had a sliding door onto the porch from what she figured was the bedroom.

Chase walked them to the door and opened it.

The inside was filled with old—as in antique, furniture and paintings from the late 1800s.

What a treasure trove!

“I’m so glad you didn’t get rid of this stuff.Some are in great condition and we might use it in the house.We might restore the others and then place them in the house or the apartment in Denver.

“I wasn’t sure you would like it.”He shook his head.“The furniture is not why I brought you out here.I wanted you to see this as your studio.The light is great with all these windows and the slider.”

She walked around and could picture it.Her paints and easel would be there, her canvases there.“Is there electricity?”

“Yes, and heat, so you can work in the winter, too.What do you think?”He waved an arm to take in the entire room.

She detected some anxiety in his voice.Then she lifted her arms out wide and turned in a circle, laughing.She stopped and ran into his open arms.“I love it.It’s perfect.Almost like you built it just for me.”

“I didn’t, but I would have if you wanted one.”

She covered his lips with two fingers.“Stop.This is perfect and I love that it’s not too far from the barn and the house.”

He held her close.“Do I deserve a kiss?”

“Oh, yes, you definitely deserve a kiss.”She lifted onto tiptoes, and when her lips met his, she darted out her tongue and teased his lips until they opened.Then she stormed in and tasted him, played with his tongue, dueled with him, and loved him.

When she pulled back, she gazed up at him.“I don’t want to wait.How soon can we get married here?”

“There’s no waiting period.So as soon as we get a license, we can get married.”