The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother (Caprock Canyon Romance Book 1) Read online

  This year was such a stark contrast. There were no elbows to the ribs or sitting on the floor. No excuse me, can I slide by you? Cups filled with drinks were safe from spills because there wasn’t a gauntlet of people to get around. All the annoying things that made it…Christmas with family.

  Instead, there was a trimmed twelve-foot tree so perfect it looked fake and sofas in a half-moon around it. Everyone had a spot to sit. It was comfortable and spacious. Gabby almost missed the annual meeting of the sardines decking the halls.

  Stephanie moaned as she picked up the last bite of her cinnamon roll and popped it in her mouth. She melted, and her eyes crossed. “Oh, hot and gooey and sweet. How I have missed you, cinna-friend.”

  “I think this is the part I love most about Christmas Eve.” Chuckling, Gabby stabbed her fork into the cinnamon roll and pulled off a bite. “They get better every year.”

  Finishing her bite, Stephanie took a sip of milk. “I know. I think it’s what gets me through the year.” She laughed. “That boyfriend of yours can sure cook.” It was a little louder than necessary, and a few people looked their way. One of them being Wyatt.

  Gabby glared at her. “Bandit can definitely cook.”

  “I haven’t had nearly the fun I thought I would by now,” Stephanie whispered.

  “Stop that.”

  “I don’t know why you don’t just tell him how you feel. You can tell he feels the same way about you.”

  How Gabby wished that were true, but he’d made himself loud and clear that night of the bachelor party. Since then, she’d tried to stay out of his way. He had a right to hate her, and she wasn’t about to fault him for it.

  A little more than twenty-four hours ago, she’d pulled herself together enough to stop crying. For too long, she’d held a roman candle for a man who wasn’t meant to be hers and never would be now. It had hurt worse than a scorpion sting, but once the initial burn had worn off, she was okay. Not great. Not fantastic, but okay.

  There were a couple of times Wyatt had tried to talk to her, but she’d tucked tail and run. Her heart still had shrapnel lodged in it, and she’d needed a minute to find all the pieces.

  She’d spent her time making plans for her future, spending time looking into loans so she could purchase the paper. Now that Wyatt hated her, he’d probably go back to the rodeo instead of pursuing the orchard. Not that she could blame him. She wouldn’t want to spend time in a place that reminded her of someone who hurt her.

  Stephanie tapped her on the arm. “Hey, this is for you.”

  Gabby startled, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and took the small present from her sister. She put it up to her ear and shook it. Whatever it was, it was light and didn’t make much noise. She looked at it again and found that her name was the only name on the tag. “Who is this from?”

  Everyone looked around at each other. Her mom finally spoke up. “I have no idea. I picked it because it was the smallest gift.”

  Another part of their Christmas Eve tradition was that they couldn’t pick their own “smallest” gift. That had started roughly twenty years ago when Josiah tried to cheat and open one of his bigger gifts.

  “Okay, confess. Who is this from?” Gabby asked as her gaze roamed from face to face.

  Hunter chuckled. “Just open it.”

  Gabby grumbled under her breath. “Fine,” she said and peeled the paper off to reveal a small white box. She lifted the lid and sighed as she pulled a sprig of mistletoe out. Her heart ached for a split-second, thinking it might be from Wyatt. “Funny.”

  “It’s from me.” Stephanie snatched the sprig from her, jumped out of her chair, and ran to the entryway of the kitchen. “Okay, you guys be careful. There’s mistletoe now.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Gabby and then Bandit.

  Hanging her head, Gabby groaned. Just what she needed. “Stephanie. Get that down.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Please.”

  “No way. This will be fun.” She winked.

  Translation: Her sister had turned up the fun knob to eleven. She probably wouldn’t have if Gabby had told her what happened, but so far, she’d lacked the courage to tell anyone. She’d barely even spoken to Carrie Anne.

  Stephanie returned to her seat and grinned. “You’ll love it.”

  “I already hate it.”

  Hunter laughed. “I don’t know. Could be fun for someone.”

  After everyone had finished opening their one gift, they talked a little longer before Josiah and Mr. West suggested a card game.

  “Nope, I’m having some hot tea and working on this puzzle I just got,” Mrs. West said. “How about you?” She looked at Gabby’s mom. “Want to join me? I bet we can put the puzzle together before they’re done with the game.”

  Laughing, Gabby’s mom nodded. “I could go for some hot tea and a puzzle as well. Who else wants to join us?”

  Card game or puzzles? Gabby finished off her cinnamon roll and stood.

  Stephanie touched her arm. “Where are you going?”

  Gabby smiled. “I’m putting my dishes up and going to bed.”

  “It’s only nine,” Wyatt said.

  Without looking his direction, she said, “I’m tired.”

  “Wait!” Wyatt called out. “I need to make an announcement.”

  Gabby paused, and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him.

  “There’s a small rodeo coming to Amarillo the day after Christmas. I wasn’t going to participate at first, but they allowed me to register late. I’ll be riding. I wanted to see if everyone wanted to go.”

  Mrs. West’s mouth dropped open. “Have you lost your mind? That’s right before Carrie Anne’s wedding.”

  His eyes widened as if he wasn’t expecting her to object. “Mom, I cleared it with her first.”

  “And I said I didn’t like it.” Carrie Anne waggled her finger at him.

  Mr. West made a time-out signal with his hands. “Whoa, nellies. Now, Wyatt, your momma has a good point.”

  Wyatt’s mom pointed her finger at Wyatt. “See—”

  His dad held up his hand. “But Wyatt is a good rider. Out of all the rides he’s done, he’s had one accident. Granted, it was a big one, but that’s it. Course, he’s had bruises in places it’s not polite to talk about in mixed company, but I think he’ll be okay.”

  Mrs. West shook her head. “I don’t like it. If he gets hurt…”

  “I won’t. If I have a bad feeling about it at all, I won’t ride. I promise.”

  With his attention on his parents, Gabby slipped off to the kitchen. She was pretty sure she wasn’t on the guest list. The metal sink clinked as she set her dishes down, and the fork she’d used clattered as it fell off her plate. She turned, and Wyatt was standing in the kitchen doorway.

  “Are you really that tired?” he asked.

  She looked down and nodded. “Yeah.”

  The sound of footsteps drawing closer made her lift her head. Wyatt was now directly in front of her. “I wanted—”

  Holding up her hand, she stopped him. “I know. It’s okay. I messed things up, and I don’t expect them to ever be where they were. Not after lying to you.”

  “Gabby, just let me—”

  “No.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and then lifted her gaze to his again. “You need time, and I need time. Let’s just call it a truce for a while. Please?”

  He sighed. “All right, but I want you at my event. Okay?”

  “All right,” she said softly.

  He shot her a sweet half-grin and walked back to the kitchen doorway. “See you in the morning.”

  Well, at least he didn’t hate her guts as much as she thought he did. Maybe there was a chance they could be normal again. She wouldn’t hold her breath or get her hopes up, but this was a start.

  Chapter 23

  Heart palpitations. Sweaty palms. Upset stomach. Wyatt’s anxiety ratcheted up with every second his ride drew closer. Whispers he’d heard about the bull he’d drawn was that it was mean
as a snake. He was the biggest bull at the event, and if he got you off the saddle, he was coming for you.

  Wyatt’s gut feeling was that he’d be okay, but that didn’t mean he was stupid enough to believe the ride would be easy. He was going to have to keep his mind focused. When he dismounted, he was going to need to bolt out of the arena as fast as possible.

  He shook his hands out as he paced, psyching himself up. As he turned, he looked over the crowd, trying to find his family. More importantly, he wanted to see Gabby. This was for her as much as it was for him.

  Wyatt sensed someone watching, whirled around, and smiled as his gaze landed on Gabby. “Hey.”

  She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’ll go.”

  He quickly closed the distance. “No, wait. I’m glad you’re here. I wish you’d come to see me like this at every event you came to.” He gave her a small smile.

  Her brows furrowed in confusion. “I saw you pacing…and just…wanted to make sure you were okay.” She slid her hands into her back jeans pockets and shrugged.

  “Yeah, just…pre-ride jitters. You know how it is.” Now that she was standing in front of him, he wasn’t nervous at all. “Getting myself ready to go out there.”

  “You do know if you get hurt, Carrie Anne will make you wish the bull had killed you.” She rolled her lips in to keep from smiling.

  Wyatt cast his gaze to the ground and grinned as he shook his head. “Oh, I bet she will, but I’m going to walk out of that arena.” More like leave it for something he wanted more than anything. He took Gabby’s hand. “Thanks for checking on me.”

  The corners of her lips turned up a fraction. “I don’t want you to get hurt either.”

  He loved hearing that. He stepped closer to her. “You think I could get a kiss for good luck?”

  Gabby locked eyes with him like she was looking for a miracle. “You think you’ll ever be able to really forgive me?”

  “How about that kiss for good luck, and we’ll start negotiations there?”

  She tilted her head, eyebrows drawn together like she was trying to figure out what he was doing. “Okay.” Lifting slightly on her toes, she kissed his cheek. “You don’t need luck. You’re going to be great.”

  He smiled and turned. As he got to the chute, he paused. If he was going into that arena with a two-ton bull, he wanted to make sure he at least got one more of her kisses, just in case.

  He wrapped one arm around her waist, held the nape of her neck with the other, and touched his lips to hers.

  Just as they touched, the announcer called his name. The crowd cheered and the noise nearly deafened him. Man, his timing smelled to high heaven, but a quick kiss was better than nothing.

  When he pulled back, he said, “I’m riding for you.”

  “What?”

  “After this, I’m done. This is my last ride. If something bad happens, I need you to know that I love you.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened.

  “Talk later.” He winked and jogged back to the bullpen, climbed up the side, and hopped onto the bull. He had a lot more to say, but it would be after. Hopefully, he’d get the answer he wanted when it was all said and done.

  Chapter 24

  A cheering crowd, a buzzer loud enough to give her hearing loss, and what had Wyatt just said? This was his last ride? More importantly, he loved her? She quickly pinched herself. This was a weird dream. It had to be.

  Surely Gabby had heard Wyatt wrong. Maybe he loved her as a friend, but that was all it could be. He was still angry at her for lying to him.

  She should have said no to the kiss. Apparently, her iron will was a little more aluminum than actual iron. He’d asked, looking at her with those puppy dog eyes, and her head had bobbled like a doll. It didn’t help that he was in jeans and chaps, looking like a star in a Western.

  Love? He said he loved her? No way. She had to be hearing things. It was what she’d wanted for years, but there was no way that was true. What was he doing to her? More importantly, why was he doing it?

  The buzzer rang, the gate opened, and the bull shot out. She ran to the nearest stand and pulled herself onto it so she could watch. In all her years going to events, she’d never seen a bigger bull. The thing was a monster, and it was bucking like its only life purpose was to get Wyatt off. She also got the feeling that if it did manage to get Wyatt off, it would do its best to stomp him into the ground.

  Normally, eight seconds wasn’t all that long, but watching Wyatt hang on made those seconds tick by in slow motion. It would only take one mistake, and he could be hurt. The last three seconds showed on the time clock, and she took a deep breath, holding it as she silently counted down.

  When the timer hit zero, she screamed and clapped along with the entire crowd. It was a great ride. Now, all he had to do was get off the bull and get to safety.

  Again, she held her breath as Wyatt unwrapped his hand and dismounted. The bull zeroed in on him, and Wyatt ran for the closest way out. He had hardly made it out before that giant bull rammed into the gate.

  This time, Gabby let out the breath she’d been holding and said a quick prayer of thanks. She jumped down from the bleachers and found her way back to where the rest of the family was sitting.

  “Gabby!” Wyatt called.

  She paused at the edge of the bleachers and turned to face him. What was he doing?

  “I said we’d start negotiations!” He ran toward her and stopped.

  “What?”

  “I have something to say to you, Gabrielle Fredericks.”

  “Okay.” She looked around.

  Suddenly, the crowd grew quiet as they noticed something was going on, and a spotlight swung around, planting them right in the middle of it. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s recently come to my attention that I am a thick-headed, stupid man. I’ve had the best thing in my life staring me right in the face, and I’ve been too blind to see it.” He shot her a smile. “I’m here to rectify that.”

  “What?”

  He took a step closer. “You. It’s always been you. You’ve always been the best thing, and you’ve been right in front of my face all along.”

  Gabby blinked. Her heart pounded in her chest so hard she had to focus on what he was saying. This couldn’t possibly be happening. He’d said that their kisses hadn’t meant anything. That he was done with her. “What?”

  He took her hand and placed it over his heart. “I’m in love with you. It took far too long to get wise enough to see it, but I’m wholly aware now that you are all I want. I love you, Gabby Fredericks.”

  “What?” The three little words she’d hoped for had come from his lips, but she was almost too stunned to take them in.

  Wyatt dipped his head and chuckled. “Can you please say something other than ‘what’?”

  She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to make sense of what was going on. “You love me?”

  He slid his arm around her back and pulled her closer as he nodded. “With all my heart. Forever and always. This was my last ride, and I’d like to start a new ride with you.”

  “But…you were so angry…”

  “Because at the time, I didn’t know my sister was the mastermind behind the whole scheme to make me jealous.” He grinned. “And I’m glad she did it. I wasn’t angry with you. I was angry because I had feelings for you, and I was afraid. I’m hoping I’m not too late. You think you can forgive me for being so stupid?”

  Tears pricked her eyes as she smiled. “I don’t know. You were pretty stupid,” she said, laughing as tears streaked down her cheeks.

  “I can’t deny that.” He smiled. “Will you let me love you to make up for it? I promise I won’t be that stupid ever again.”

  “I think that’ll work. I’ll make sure you aren’t, even if I have to spell everything out.”

  The crowd roared as he brought his lips down to hers. She circled her arms around his neck, and it seemed as if th
e noise of the crowd grew louder than before. They broke the kiss, and he touched his forehead to hers. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  The three words she’d waited a lifetime for, dreamed of hearing—and not a single dream came close to how they sounded coming from his lips. He loved her.

  Epilogue

  New Year’s Eve…

  Carrie Anne’s wedding day had one little bump. The family had scrambled to find large tents when a snowstorm unexpectedly popped up on the radar. It had dumped six inches the night before, and Wyatt’s baby sister was beside herself.

  Josiah had come to the rescue big time. A client of his who had purchased commercial property happened to own a rental shop. He’d put in a call, and the company had them driven from Dallas that next morning with just enough time for the ceremony to start.

  Wyatt, Bear, and Josiah had taken on the task of clearing the snow so the guests wouldn’t be walking in cold wet sludge before the affair was over. It had taken quick work and a lot of shoveling, but they’d managed to clear it in time to get the tents up.

  The actual ceremony, however, was nice. It was simple, which Wyatt liked. They’d all worn tuxes with little purple peonies pinned on the lapel. The bridesmaids, all five of them, wore knee-length purple dresses to match. There was the exchange of vows with Carrie Anne bawling like a baby, and Wyatt was pretty sure Israel had shed a few tears.

  His favorite part was when he was able to loosen his tie. If he didn’t know any better, his brother had been trying to choke him. That thing was so tight that a few times he wondered if his head wasn’t turning beet red. If he took nothing else away from this wedding, it was that Bear was never touching his ties again.

  Carrie Anne sidled up next to him as guests danced on the dance floor. “It’s less than an hour until the new year. Got any resolutions?”

  He cut a glance at her. “Maybe.”

  “I hope you’ve adopted a smarter, swifter way of life.”

  “Hush. I’ll mess up your hair.”

  She popped him on the arm. “You do, and I’ll have a posse on you so fast you’ll wish you hadn’t. This is four hours of work.”