Page 9 of Her Royal Cowboy Billionaire

“Here you go.”

Erin took the top off the box, pulled back the tissue paper, and gasped. Then she squealed and grabbed the red velvet dress out of the box. “Mommy, it’s beautiful.”

Michele was pleased Erin liked the dress. She wasn’t sure when she bought it if Erin would think it was too girly, but decided she would probably love it. “I was going to give it to you for your seventh birthday next month, but this is better.”

Erin put the dress on the bed, bounced a little on her heels, and shook her hands in front of her. “Help me put it on, please.”

“Okay, hold still so I can get this over your head. She slipped the dress over Erin’s head and pulled it down. The hem reached to just above her knees. “There we go. You look beautiful, baby girl. I guess I can’t call you that anymore, can I? Well, I don’t care if you’re eighty, you’re still my first born little girl.”

Erin looked at herself in the mirror. “It’s so pretty.”

“And…” Michele brought down a smaller box. “It wouldn’t be complete without new shoes, now, would it?”

Erin’s grin split her face. She opened the box to reveal a pair of patent leather Mary Janes.

“Let’s go get a pair of your good white socks.”

They went back to Erin’s room.

Erin walked to her chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of socks with lace around the tops. She sat on her bed, pulled on the socks and then folded over the tops. Then she put on her shoes. “They fit perfectly.” She hurried over to her full-length mirror. “Oh, Mommy. I look pretty.”

She smiled at Erin’s excited response and thought she looked older than six years. “Of course you do. You always look pretty, my girl. You are just prettier now. Let’s put your hair into a high ponytail.”

Erin nodded and got her brush and comb from the top of her bureau and hurried back to Michele, who sat on Erin’s bed.

The little girl stood dutifully between her mother’s legs.

Michele quickly pulled the black hair, so much like her own, into a high ponytail and then fluffed the tail. “There. Beautiful.”

Erin rushed to the mirror and laughed gleefully when she saw herself. “Do you think Alex will like it? We look pretty different from earlier today.”

“That we do. We’ll see if his jaw drops.” She laughed and hugged her daughter.

Do I want him to drop his jaw? Do I want him to see me as pretty? Or am I just glad to be the object of a handsome man’s attention?

CHAPTER3

Alex arrived in his truck.

He wore a dark gray, pinstriped suit with black cowboy boots, polished to a high shine.

Straightening his tie, he got out of the truck and went across the wide front porch to knock on the door.

It opened almost instantly, and his jaw dropped.

Michele laughed. “Didn’t I tell you, baby girl?”

He closed his mouth and then grinned. “You both are drop dead gorgeous. How did I get so lucky as to have two ravishing ladies to join me for dinner?”

Michele stared at him.

Finally, he cocked a brow. “Something wrong with the way I look?”

She chuckled. “You know darn good and well that you look wonderful. I just haven’t seen a man in a suit in a long time.”

“Thank you, kind lady. Shall we go?” Alex turned toward the door.

Michele gazed down at her daughter and swung her arm toward the living room. “We shall. Erin, honey, grab your sweater.”