Page 1 of Shameless Cowboy
Chapter One
Kayla
Marla, the dark-haired receptionist who showed me to the conference room in the office of my grandmother’s lawyer, quietly closes the door on her way out. The black leather tufted chair creaks as I sit in it with a sigh. I’m anxious to get this meeting over with.
I know my grandmother’s estate needs to be settled, but having to take time out of my workday to do so is frustrating. The flower shop is busier than one might expect this time of year. We’re having a rush of fall weddings, and people are placing orders for their Thanksgiving arrangements. But getting ownership transferred needs to be done sooner rather than later.
I’ve been running Blooms with little input from Gran for the last eight years. Before that, I’d been working there alongside her since I was a little girl and became fascinated with all the flowers and arrangements. I’ve known since then it’s what I wanted to do.
Throwing myself into keeping the business going is what has gotten me through the last few months since her passing. Shenever let me know she was sick. At the end, when it was impossible to hide she was on death’s door, she said she wanted to be treated the same as she always had been in her last days.
In hindsight, I suppose I can understand. I probably would’ve gone overboard smothering her if I had known. It was a shock, though, finding she had kept something so big from me.
It had been the two of us ever since my parents died in a plane crash before I was old enough to remember them. My mother was her only child, and my father had been an orphan, so Gran was the only family I’ve known.
Linda finally opens the door, entering the sterile conference room and pulling me from my wandering thoughts.
Her smile stiff, she asks the question I have come to dread these past few months. “How’re you doing, Kayla?”
Stifling my sigh, I give a brittle smile. “I’m managing. Taking it one day at a time.”
She nods, taking a seat across from me and laying down a stack of papers. “That’s about all we can do in these circumstances. I’m sorry to take you away from the shop, but I’m afraid this can’t be put off any longer.”
“I understand. So do you have paperwork for me to sign then? Everything has been business as usual since I’ve been running the shop for so long, but it’s best to get things legally in my name.”
Her lips press together tightly as she lets out a long exhale. “Look, Kayla, this isn’t going to be easy to hear, and I warned Mary against it, but she was adamant this was what she wanted. There are stipulations to your getting ownership of the shop.”
My brows pinch as I frown at her unexpected announcement. “What do you mean, stipulations?”
“It seems Mary was concerned about the amount of time and energy you spend on the shop. She said life was passing you by. She didn’t want you to wake up all alone a few years down theroad and realize you gave everything to something that can’t love you back.”
“Okay, so I work a lot, but I’ve made Blooms a huge success and I love what I do.”
“That may be, but the fact remains, Mary has stipulated that you must not only get married in the next six months but also remain married for five years to inherit the shop. If you do not, the shop is to be sold and the proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank.”
The room spins as blood roars in my head. My fingers grip the armrest of the chair so tightly my knuckles turn white. I struggle to take a full breath as her words echo in my head.
A hand on my back startles me. “Here, take a drink.”
Linda hands me a glass of water she somehow magically procured. My hand shakes as I take it from her before gulping down a swallow.
The rest of the meeting goes by in a blur as she explains the details. I’m numb as she tells me the next steps, and that she’ll be in touch to help me through this. The next thing I know, I’m sitting in my car.
I woodenly unlock my phone. Finding my best friend’s contact, I hit dial. “Where are you?” I ask as soon as he picks up.
“At the ranch helping Austin unload hay.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not. I’ll explain when I get there.”
I hang up before he can ask anything else because I have a feeling once I start explaining this, I’m going to be a mess. Blowing out a breath, I start the car. The drive to the ranch is made on autopilot, because as much as I attempt to focus, my mind is stuck on the fact I might lose the business I’ve been working my whole life for if I don’t find a husband—and find him quick.
Chapter Two
Austin
