Page 12 of My Cowboy Valentine

Struggling to breathe, I let out a strangled sigh that sounds oddly like a whimper. His face and neck flush. We’re both in serious trouble if he’s thinking half of what I’m thinking. I don’t know whether to fear or anticipate it. “We’re redoing the fit testing.”

Rowdy shifts his weight, frowning slightly but still holding my hand against his chest where his heart booms. “What’s that fragrance you’re wearing?” he asks.

My eyes round, and I shake my head gently, taken aback by his question. “Nomade by Chloé.”

“It smells good. Kind of earthy and fruity.”

“It’s the oak moss and mirabelle plum.”

He draws a little closer. “Oak moss and mirabelle plum. Chloé. I’ll do my best to remember that, seeing we’ve got to pull off an engagement now.”

The air between us sizzles, and I can feel the warmth of his body despite the distance. I shrug. “I don’t know that most fiancés would pay much attention to what their girl wears.”

The corner of his mouth turns up slightly. “I would.” Then, he drops my hand and steps away, turning on his heel and removing his hat to run his hand through his thick raven-colored hair. “We’ll do the fucking fit testing again if you think it’s that important.” He says the words grumpily, never looking in my direction.

“Thank you,” I say, stepping towards him.

Chapter Six

RED

“Just for the record, I’m not okay with any of this. Not one bit. But do I have a choice?” Rowdy laughs thinly, shooting a stern glance over his shoulder in my direction.

“I know how you feel.”

“This morning alone, I had three calls from investors ready to go all in, andCowboys & Indianscontacted PR to upgrade the four-hundred-word front-of-book article they agreed to into a four-page feature spread with you and me modeling the clothes and discussing our ‘inspiring love story.’” He uses air quotes to emphasize the last three words, frowning. “To top it off, PR has also received calls fromAvant,Western Runway, andCowgirl,to name a few.So, yeah, as much as I hate this idea, I also realize that heading upstream without a paddle makes no sense. But the moment I see Billy in person, I’m strangling the bastard.”

“Get in line,” I answer. “I spent the morning aligning my PR team with the official narrative. Believe me, that wasn’t easy. And calls from mainstream fashion mags have also started pouring in—Vogue,Town & Country,Oprah… You and I are the best thing since sliced bread.” I shake my head, dismayed.

“Makes you wonder what they see that we don’t…” the cowboy remarks tensely, looking out the large window of theconference room at the sweeping view of the mountains and forest towards the horizon. Both hands rest on his hips, his stance formidable.

I swallow loudly. Have I given myself away without meaning to? Struggling to contain my attraction for this guy feels like a losing battle. “What do you mean?”

He turns, shrugging and holding my gaze. “Why do they think you and I could be in love?” His eyes simmer, and I have to look away.

Maybe because every cell in my body longs to jump his bones right here, right now…even though he’s my baby brother’s best friend and eight years my junior.Remember your strict no dating younger guys policy, Red?It feels mighty irrelevant with this smoking hot man around.

Inhaling deeply and working hard to control my voice, I reply flippantly, “It’s not about love. It’s the whole power couple thing. That’s all.”

He nods slowly, looking wholly unconvinced.

I add, “If we’re smart, we’ll use this to our advantage no matter how inconceivable you and I both know it actually is.”

He chuckles in dangerously low tones, side-eyeing me warmly. I’d give anything to read his mind.

I continue, “If we’re going to do this, we might as well do it right, making the biggest media splash possible. Both our companies deserve this.”

“Agreed.” He forces the one-word answer out, his shoulders hunching as if saying it takes something from him. “If we’re going to fuck up our lives this thoroughly, we might as well have something to show for it.” Rowdy shakes his head, grimacing some more. “And you and I together would fuck up our lives. At least, that’s the general consensus, right?” He cocks his head to the side, glaring at me.

What is that supposed to mean?My heart pounds against my chest.

He orders gruffly, “Alright, then, let’s get this fit testing reboot on the schedule, along with interviews lined up.”

He motions for me to have a seat, and instead of arguing with him for once, I take it. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and a quizzical look captures his face. Pulling out my lavender planner and pen, I say, “Alright, what does your schedule look like for interviews and some possible PR stunts?”

“PR stunts?” he asks, furrowing his brows.

“Yes,” I reply with a mischievous smile, feeling like I’m leading a lamb to slaughter. “It’s time for you to start thinking like paparazzi, Rowdy. That means taking advantage of the media coverage that goes with stuff like public dates, unexpected appearances the media gets tipped off to…stuff like that.”

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