Page 1 of The Fake Girlfriend's Billionaire Match
Chapter 1
Walking into his study, Bear West held a microwave meal for one. Normally, he’d just go to his room and park in his recliner, but paperwork was calling, and since he was the boss, his name was the only one it knew.
Setting the tray down, he hit the power button on the desktop and took a bite of…he stared down at the food…well, it was something covered in gravy. Man, he missed Bandit’s cooking, but Bear couldn’t complain or fault the guy. Finding out he had a grandfather he’d never met—and a sick one at that—Bear would’ve left too.
After a few more bites, the screen flickered to life, and he pulled up his email account. He was a simple fella, living in the middle of nowhere. How on earth did he manage to get so many emails each day?
“I thought I’d find you in here.” His sister, Carrie Anne, sauntered into his study and parked herself across from him. “I told you I could cook for you.”
Shrugging, he took another bite and forced himself to swallow it. “That’s all right. I’m good.” He’d purposefully avoided her since she’d moved in while her home in town was being built. All she seemed to want to talk about was his love life, or lack thereof.
She sighed. “You are so stubborn.”
“And you aren’t?” He laughed. “You’re a dog with a bone. I don’t want to be involved with anyone.”
“I care about you. You’re in this house alone most of the year. It breaks my heart. There is a woman out there desperately needing a man like you to love her. And you need her. Angela—”
Bear quickly stood. “All right, look. I’ve been as nice as I can, but you’re living here, and it’s my house. I shouldn’t have to tiptoe to get peace. If and when I decide to date, it’ll be on my terms and when I’m ready. Got it?”
Her lips pinched together. “Fine,” she said, her voice a little louder than normal.
“Is something wrong here, guys?” Israel asked.
Bear and Carrie Anne looked to the door where he stood. “No,” they replied at the same time.
“No,” Bear said. “Carrie Anne was just coming to find you. I’ve got the monitor right here. If Camry wakes up, I’ll tend to her. Have fun on your date.” He smiled.
Israel approached Carrie Anne and hugged her from behind. “Thanks, man. I owe you one. She’s finally asleep.” He kissed Carrie Anne’s cheek. “There are bottles in the fridge to warm if you need them.”
Bear waved his hand. That was part of his sister’s anatomy he didn’t want to even think about. “Got it.”
Carrie Anne resisted Israel’s pull for a moment, holding Bear’s gaze. Finally, she lowered her eyes and left with her husband. The girl loved him, but, sheesh, she was a pest.
He sat down hard in his desk chair and went to take another bite of his meal. “Not great hot. Even worse cold.” He pushed the tray aside and began weeding through his email.
Mr. Matchmaker? Why was he still getting these? He could’ve sworn he’d wiped his hands of that website. Knowing his sister, though, she’d signed him up again. The next time he saw her, he was putting his foot down once and for all. Either she’d quit or…something.
He clicked on the unsubscribe button within the email, and it opened a new tab with advertisements to use their services. Hovering the pointer over the second unsubscribe button, he found himself pausing.
Carrie Anne was already giving him grief. The holidays would be there before he knew it, and all of his family would be under his roof for six full weeks. They’d be paired off and running after their children, and Bear would just be the odd man out. It hadn’t been so bad the last few years, but with Bandit gone…he’d be the only man carrying the fifth wheel.
Instead of unsubscribing, he clicked on the account button and tried the username and password his sister had given him. They still worked.
He huffed and closed the window. What was he thinking? A matchmaker site? There were better uses of his time.
Bear closed the web browser and pulled up the financial records for the ranch. His accountant wouldn’t be happy with him if his receipts were a jumbled mess come April.
He lasted all of seven minutes before his mind wandered back to the matchmaker email. The idea of risking his heart again made him sick to his stomach. He couldn’t do it yet.
Did he have to risk his heart? His brother Hunter had hired Reagan to pretend to be his fiancée. Granted, it’d worked out that they fell in love, but that didn’t mean Bear had to. And he didn’t have to be engaged, either. His family would be tickled if he was even dating.
Pulling up the web browser again, he typed in the website, entered his login, and filled out the easiest information first. Then he stared at the blank space that asked him to give details about himself.
What should he say to find a woman to pretend to date him? Who would even want him? He lived in the middle of nowhere on a ranch. Angela could barely stand a puppy, let alone a whole ranch full of animals. He couldn’t handle another woman like her. How could he make his profile interesting enough to get attention but horrible enough to weed out women who wouldn’t fit?
They wanted a picture too. He clicked on the file that held some of his photos from previous years. Scrolling through photo after photo, he finally came to one that even he cringed at. He was covered in mud after a cattle drive and sporting a beard. It would take a woman with an ability to see beyond the photo to even read his biography.
After he uploaded the photo, he started on the biography, starting with his ranch. He didn’t want a real girlfriend, and he wasn’t looking for love. If that’s what they had in mind, they needed to move on. Then he paused as he considered what it would take to get a woman to leave her family, fly to Texas, and pretend to date him.
