Matched With Her Cowboy Billionaire Ex-Fiance Read online

  There wasn’t a camera around that didn’t love her.

  “Glittery? You think it’s glittery?” Lily glanced down at her scarf and scrunched her nose. “Yeah, I guess sparkly and glittery can mean the same thing? Either that or you’re distracted. Is the time bugging you or something?”

  “The time is always bugging me. Where do you think the Wilson’s are?” It wasn’t like it was hard to be on time.

  “The Wilson’s are right here.” Roman’s voice slid up her spine and gripped the base of her neck, setting her nerves to tingling. She couldn’t handle much more pressure. If he did one thing that irritated her…

  “Isn’t it funny that you’re still demanding everyone else fit into your schedule?” As delicious as his voice was, that was the last straw.

  Taylor leapt from her chair, whirling to face Roman and a few of his brothers. Mrs. Wilson wasn’t in attendance. The last Taylor had heard, she was still in the hospital.

  In mid-step, Taylor came up short at the sight of a raven-haired woman gripping Roman’s arm. Her clothes were finely appointed with a subtle elegance Taylor definitely didn’t feel as she stood there in her own cowboy boots. She definitely should have worn heels.

  Tugging on the cuffs of her slim-suit jacket, Taylor refused to acknowledge the pain that seeing another woman on Roman’s arm caused her. She smiled tightly and narrowed her eyes. “Actually, this isn’t my event, Mr. Wilson. This is put on by the town as you know and they determine the schedule and the starting times.” She folded her arms over her chest and only allowed herself to glare at him. It would be far too easy to include the rest of the Wilson boys in attendance with her irritation.

  It wasn’t their fault their brother was a brute. She couldn’t blame everyone else forever. It just wasn’t fair to do that – to them or to her.

  Roman spoke in amusement, his full bottom lip moving with attention-grabbing slowness. “I’ve been here with the judges for an hour, thus I’m the early one.” He smiled and walked the woman with him to the seating area usually reserved for the selected candidate.

  Taylor stared as the brothers passed by, arching their eyebrows but otherwise ignoring her.

  The Wilson boys claimed their side of the aisle like they did every year. Like they had on the day of her wedding.

  Suddenly, looking out at her sisters who had shown up and taken their places on the Dean side of the auditorium and the Wilsons on theirs, Taylor was thrust back to that day when Roman hadn’t shown up and she’d had to face the entire town, both families, and her own pain on her own. She’d had to face them all by herself.

  Right then, she couldn’t help feeling like she was yet again, all by herself.

  Amanda, Tanya, and Cari wiggled their fingers at her from their seats, glancing to the side as they stared at the Wilson boys and flicked their gaze back and forth between them and Taylor. She smiled tightly in their direction, determined not to let anyone see how bothered she was.

  “Psst. Taylor, come here.” Lily motioned to her from the spot she hadn’t left.

  Taylor crossed to her sister, crouching down and leaning her head close.

  “If this is going to be a problem, just let me know. I can try to do the contest.” Lily’s distaste for the whole idea was always readily apparent. She hated the capitalism involved in competing over a match. She was a firm believer that romance wasn’t a race or a contest, it was something special that couldn’t be faked.

  Normally, Taylor agreed with her. She glanced back over her shoulder, taking in the sight of the raven-haired beauty talking animatedly to Roman and Mr. Gentry, officiator of the contest and owner of the Mistletoe pharmacy.

  Closing her eyes, Taylor turned back to Lily and then opened them, inhaling as if she could steady her nerves with one shaky breath. “No, I’m good. I can do this. Plus, if I back out now, where’s the pride in that?” One thing they didn’t do in Montana was ruin the family name.

  Some things had to be more important than one’s own discomfort.

  Nodding reassuringly to Lily, Taylor stood and reclaimed her seat, taking to rubbing the tip of her thumb instead of glancing at her watch. Being in front of the crowd wasn’t a big deal. She knew most of the people there. No, what was driving her nuts now, was the fact that she had no idea what was actually happening.

  Why was Roman visiting with the contestant? He should be keeping himself impartial. That wasn’t fair. If he got himself chummy with her, then he’d have a leg up in the contest. He could coerce her to choose his choice in partners just to win.

  Mr. Gentry approached Taylor from the group, his smile gentle as he extended his hand. “Ms. Dean, it’s always a pleasure. I see you’re filling in for your father.”

  Taylor stood, shaking the older man’s hand and smiling. “I am, thanks. His hip is still in recovery. Is there… something I need to know?” She glanced pointedly at the group he’d just left and then back at him.

  His eyes widened and he cocked his head while studying her. “Mr. Wilson assured me you’d be fine with the contestant he chose. She’s bringing in a high price tag. If she’s matched, whichever family wins will get five more clients by the end of January, guaranteed. They’ve already signed up on that contingency.” He inclined his head. “I don’t have to tell you how much that helps this town. The industriousness of the Dean and Wilson families have made this town thrive. We sure appreciate all of your efforts in including the town in your endeavors.”

  Taylor held her smile in place, shooting another irritated gaze at Roman. He glanced up at that moment, catching her eye and smirking.

  He’d done it on purpose. He was going to win simply because he knew the woman. That just didn’t seem fair. But what around Roman Wilson was ever fair?

  Taylor ignored the questions burning their way through her heart about how he knew the woman, to what extent their relationship was, and so on. Judging from the way the woman continued to look at Roman, she wanted far more than just to be matched by him. She most likely wanted to be matched to him.

  There was no way Taylor was going to explore how that made her feel. She didn’t have the time to try to recover.

  Pulling herself back to the conversation at hand, she tilted her head to the side as she considered the older man. “Of course, Mr. Gentry. This is a great opportunity. I hope I get the chance to thank Mr. Wilson myself on the great addition to the contest.” Taylor nodded at Mr. Gentry as he smiled at her answer and moved to take his spot at the podium.

  She shot a peek at her watch, surreptitiously acknowledging that they were starting a few minutes late.

  Great. That wasn’t the best way to start things off. Plus, she was already irritated. What else could go wrong?

  ~~~

  Olivia Jensen.

  Taylor tapped the pencil on the table with more force than was necessary with each syllable of the woman’s name.

  Olivia Jensen.

  Taylor had to force herself to breathe in and out without passing out. Of course, Roman would bring the only daughter of the world’s largest wine family in Italy to the contest. She dripped money. The woman’s hair might have been black, but she could have made every strand of her head out of hundred-dollar bills and she’d still have more money than the Deans.

  Leaning back in the booth at the Mistletoe Café, Taylor stared at the contest planner she’d created a few years ago. She’d printed a fresh copy off a couple weeks ago to fill with her preparation and notes. Not to mention the extensive schedule the committee had laid out had needed to be inserted and that was before the contestant was chosen.

  “Wow, you’re slowly losing it. What did that pencil ever do to you?” Lily caught Taylor’s attention, her carefully arched eyebrows raised toward her hairline as she stared at Taylor. “Seriously, sis, you okay?” Lily narrowed her eyes and then reached across the table to stop Taylor’s nervous habit.

  Setting the pencil down, Taylor inhaled and then exhaled on a whoosh. “No. I’m fine. I just… There’s a l
ot on my shoulders, you know? I’m worried I won’t do as well as I’d like and I don’t know how Roman got that woman involved.” She waved her hand and resettled into her seat, pressing her lips together and dropping her gaze to the planner.

  “Yeah, I understand all of that. Let’s not worry about what we can’t control. I think just buckling down and doing our best is the only way we’re going to succeed this year.” Lily nodded, looking down at the dossier of the possible matches they had to go off of. “The eight we have to choose from aren’t the best options. At least, I don’t think so.” Lily pointed at the board Taylor had brought, and glanced between the dossier and the vision board. Eight headshots of eight men they’d selected from the pool had been glued beside their information.

  “Looking at them at face value, I agree. They don’t look like much when you’re thinking about Olivia Jensen and her millions.” Taylor twisted her lips to the side. Olivia was more woman than Taylor could claim to be.

  “Billions.” Lily didn’t look away from the board of men as she commented.

  Cocking her head to the side, Taylor turned her gaze to her sister. “Billions? What are you talking about?”

  “Olivia Jensen is a billionaire. She’s almost as rich as that one wizarding author. There’s a lot of money in wine and investing.” Lily half-shrugged, then readjusted her deep violet shawl as it tried slipping down her shoulders.

  Billionaire. Of course, she was. Taylor sighed and then decided to ignore the new information. “Well, back to the men, I agree they don’t seem like the best candidates, but they were the best we could come up with on such short notice. Not to mention, I have a good feeling about these guys.” Normally, they had more time to work on the matches that they would announce, but everything about that season felt rushed. Taylor shook her head and leaned forward, pointing at the men as she spoke. “It’s not a big deal. I think I’ve got it narrowed down to these three. What do you think?” Then Taylor slid her list across the table to her sister and turned her gaze out the window to stare.

  Billionaire. And to top it all off, Olivia was gorgeous.

  Taylor didn’t need to look at the list with Lily to know what her sister was reading. The three men Taylor had chosen for the contest were very different and yet not different enough for a woman who was from the other side of the world. The only things Taylor had to count on were her instincts and her experience.

  Someone like Olivia wasn’t going to be out for money. No. She’d want someone to like her for her and have successes of their own.

  Lily pointed at a face. “Really? An accountant for a billionairess? Come on, Taylor. This is ridiculous. A computer IT specialist? Oh my gosh, the sushi restaurant owner in Bozeman?” Lily shoved the list from her and back into Taylor’s vicinity, and shook her head. “What is this? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were coming up with a list for yourself.”

  Taylor didn’t say anything as she folded her hands together and shoved them between her knees. Was she that transparent? She couldn’t help transferring some of the things that would work for her onto the guys she was matching. That’s why she’d only narrowed the pool down and hadn’t actually decided on one specific candidate just yet. She wasn’t sure what was pushing her – her own need to find a match or the job.

  Lily narrowed her eyes, and leaned forward, her long blonde hair falling across her shoulder, in stark contrast with the violet of the shawl. “Seriously, Taylor, is that what this is? I thought you asked Dad to help you?” Even though it was concern in her voice, it still grated on Taylor’s nerves.

  Taylor shook her head, swallowing down her panic that she might be alone the rest of her life while everyone else passed her by with marriage, children, and a home life that was more than just TV dinners and rom cons.

  She licked her lips and leaned forward to match Lily’s motions. “No, Bryson, Lionel, and Stephen aren’t for me. They’re for Olivia Jensen. I think money doesn’t matter and she needs someone to help her feel steady. Isn’t that what we all want?”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing. Winning this contest would mean a lot for us. I haven’t met an attractive accountant yet.” Lily laughed and sipped from her diet coke.

  “I hope that’s not true. His picture actually makes him look really nice.” That was an understatement. The three men Taylor had picked out were far from ugly. In fact, if she didn’t have an expectation of good looks like Roman’s, she’d easily assume any of the three men were models or movie stars.

  Unfortunately, everything society said was attractive paled in comparison to the rugged masculinity of Roman Wilson. It had always been like that for her. There was no doubt in her mind that she hadn’t found a match since he’d left because part of what she did was compare the potential date to the memory of Roman. That wasn’t fair for anyone.

  She had to get over the expectation that Roman was the ideal. She had to change her mindset. No way would Elizabeth or her dad match her to Roman. That wasn’t an option any longer. Plus, just because she’d longed for him to return all those years, she had to accept that he hadn’t. He just hadn’t. That had to mean something. That had to tell her that she was spinning her wheels and not getting anywhere.

  Roman obviously didn’t love her. He had never loved her. She had to leave that dream in the past.

  Truth be told, the way he treated her and acted was making it much easier than she’d expected to accept that Dad might be able to match her to someone soon. Someone not Roman.

  “Well, maybe Olivia won’t want them and I can pick one out.” Taylor laughed, half-serious as she picked up a French fry and dipped it in the Mistletoe famous fry sauce that had put the café and the town on the map. The milkshakes challenged the popularity of the fries as well, both of which Lily and Taylor had ordered when they’d gotten into the little café restaurant a little while ago.

  Playing with the straw in her cup, Lily stared at the board of options. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Taylor laughed, but inside she was crying. She had the very distinct feeling that she actually had no idea what she was doing at all.

  Chapter 7

  Roman

  Olivia had dropped everything and flown across the Atlantic to be there for Roman. He needed as many advantages as he could get in the contest. Olivia used to be married to Roman’s good friend and they’d all stayed close after the amiable divorce. Why wouldn’t they be happy? Olivia and her ex hadn’t fought over money or anything else. They’d simply gone back to the lives they’d led before their fairytale wedding as if nothing had happened.

  Roman couldn’t say that had been the case with his relationship.

  His friend rested her long French-tipped fingers on Roman’s arm and nodded toward the group of men the Wilsons and the Deans had invited to choose their candidates from. Her lips moved as she spoke but for some reason, Roman couldn’t grasp the words. He glanced distractedly at her fingers, at the men, and then back at her face, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what she’d said. “I’m sorry?”

  “I said, none of these men have money.” Olivia discreetly murmured as she leaned closer to Roman’s ear. Heat from her breath hit the skin of neck and it irritated him more than anything.

  Roman looked over the men again, narrowing his eyes. Not one of them looked like they had the kind of money he did or the kind Olivia would want, but that didn’t mean they were bad candidates.

  Which didn’t sit well with him. Not one of them was talking to Olivia. All sixteen of them surrounded Taylor, asking her questions about the forestry they had on their ranch, questions about the stallion breeding program at the Dean ranch, and a number of other things Roman couldn’t hear.

  She was down to earth and easy to talk to. Of course, that’s where the men were. Olivia sat in her seat at the table with her finely articulated eyebrow arched to the hairline as she studied them with a practiced air like she was Scarlett from Gone with The Wind. Every couple minutes, she woul
d deign to speak to Roman, but only loud enough he could hear her if he leaned closer. If Roman didn’t know she wasn’t his type, he’d think she was interested in him. But that wasn’t possible. They were friends.

  He didn’t want the kind of drama that went along with a woman like Olivia.

  “Thank you so much, gentlemen, for coming out today. Both teams studied your applications and profiles extensively. As you know, we only get to choose two each on this second round. The final round will be next weekend after we’ve had a chance to interview each of you. If you have any questions, Mr. Gentry is always around or you can ask myself or Mr. Wilson.” Taylor motioned in Roman’s general direction, but never looked his way.

  He might be dense about Olivia, but Roman could tell when Taylor was ignoring him. She was going out of her way to give him the silent treatment. He’d been through the wringer with her before. Funnily enough, some of their fights were some of his favorite memories.

  Like the time they’d gotten in a fight down by the bakery in the middle of December and Taylor had grabbed the head off of a snowman made to be a child. She’d hurtled the round ball of snow at Roman and he’d been too shocked to duck. Ice cold snow had splattered all over his face, fallen down into his shirt and jacket and knocked his cowboy hat off his head.

  He’s burst out laughing, much to the horror of the other passersby. In fact, Roman and Taylor had ended up in each other’s arms, still laughing, their fight forgotten. That night, he’d proposed to her.

  Roman blinked, jerking his eyes from staring at Taylor. He glanced around the room, trying to get his head out of his past and into the present. Taylor was only in one. She could never be in his future.

  Olivia chose that moment to laugh like he’d said something hysterical. She threw her head back and shook her head.

  What was going on? Bewildered, Roman blinked at Olivia as she continued chuckling and placed her hand on his forearm. She did understand that she was supposed to be dating the other guys, right? Roman opened his mouth to ask her exactly that but the sight of Taylor coming his way gave him pause.