Page 47 of Her Royal Cowboy Billionaire

She was walking up the stairs to the plane when a car came barreling down the tarmac. She smiled. Alex.

Indeed, it was Alex, and he’d almost missed them.

“Michele, wait.” He ran to the stairs and took them two at a time until he reached her. “I want you to keep this.” He pulled his grandmother’s ring from his pocket and put it on the ring finger of her left hand.

The ring looks so right. I missed its weight on my finger.“No, I can’t. What about when you find someone else to marry?”

His eyebrows furrowed just a bit, and he gave her a small smile. “There can be no one else. I love you.” Then he kissed her.

This kiss was gentle until it wasn’t. Until it was all-consuming.

She thought she could lose herself in the kiss and wondered if that would be so bad. She pulled back, knowing if she let it go on, she’d change her mind. “I must go. I love you, too, Alex. Another time, another place I—”

“No, my love. I understand. Our lives are too different now and the obligations we have are too great.”

Michele nodded. “Yes, they are.” She reached up with a hand and cupped his jaw, then she turned and walked into the plane. Seeing Erin in a chair and buckled up already, she thought what a big girl her baby was…maybe…but no. She slowly shook her head. Buckling yourself into a seat is a long way from growing up the way she would in a palace. No, that is not the life she wanted for her daughter. Michele buckled into the seat across from Erin and looked out the window.

She saw them pull the staircase away and Alex standing by the limo…watching. Michele finally let the tears fall.

“Mommy, why are you crying?”

“I’ll miss Alex, that’s all. But maybe he’ll come to visit someday. He still has his Arabian breeding ranch near us. When he comes there, maybe he’ll come see us.”

“Will he bring Sergei?”

“Maybe he will, sweet pea. Maybe he will.” She didn’t believe for a minute Alex would be back to Montana. He’d have his horses shipped. Well, at least King Gregor would be shipped to Batrovia with a couple of mares. That way, he could continue his breeding program. But Alex wouldn’t do that in person. He was much too important now to risk coming to the states, just to get a horse.

The plane pulled away from the building and rolled faster and faster down the runway until it lifted off.

Twelve or thirteen hours later, she lost track of the time, the plane touched down in Twin Bluffs.

After the plane stopped completely, Joran came back to the cabin. “Alex arranged for a car to take you home. I am sorry, Miss Williams. And, for the record, I think you would have been a marvelous queen.”

She sighed, even though what she really wanted to do was cry. But she had no more tears. Now that she was home, or almost home, she needed to get herself together.

“Thank you, Joran, and thank you for the marvelous flight. Erin and I slept some in the bedroom. I appreciate you keeping the barrel rolls to a minimum.” She smiled.

He chuckled. “You are a wonderful woman. I can see why Alex fell in love with you. I will bring your bags.”

Erin had been a dream child on the way home. She slept for a lot of the flight, even though daylight streamed through the windows. Michele had laid down with her and found she slept as well. She’d needed it, having not been able to find any rest the night before. But now that she was awake, all the worries and memories came back to her, but no regrets. She did what she had to do for Erin, and she did not regret putting her daughter first.

The car dropped them off at home, and she was never so glad to be somewhere in her life. Everything was so familiar, and yet it seemed like they’d been away forever, and yet it was only four days.

The first thing Erin wanted was to go see Joker.

Michele agreed. “What do you say we go for a ride? I bet Joker and Domino both need a good, hard ride to let off steam from being cooped up.”

She bent her knees and jumped up. “Oh, yes, Mommy. I want to go.”

“Then go put on your riding clothes, I’ll put on mine and we’ll be off.”

“Yay!” Erin ran to her bedroom.

Michele dragged the suitcases up the stairs. She deposited Erin’s in her room and went across the hall with hers. She lifted it onto the bed, opened it and looked for her boots, jeans and a plaid shirt. When she was dressed, she put on her gun belt and then walked across the hall. Erin was just putting on her boots and was dressed to match Michele, even down to the same shirt.

Michele laughed. “Good job, sweetie. How did you know I was wearing this shirt?”

Erin giggled. “I snuck up on you and saw.” She put a hand over her mouth and giggled again.