The Millionaire and the Girl Next Door

By Becca Dale

Tired of chasing his family’s need for money and power, millionaire Jake Wescott heads to Freewill Wyoming and the beautiful piece of heaven that calls to him.

The girl next door, Christa Dunham puts family first, and she’s determined to protect them from the city boy before he ruins their hunting grounds or steals her heart and then walks away when the lonely nights get too long.

Neither of them expect the attraction that pulls them together nor the lost spirit who wants to drive them apart. Confronting the past leaves them both anxious to find a love beyond a lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Decadent Publishing
• Release date: Oct 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781613333990

Becca Dale

Becca lives and writes in Eastern SD and loves it. The quiet little town provides more than enough drama to feed her work. She loves to hear from readers so find her on facebook or twitter.

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The Millionaire and the Girl Next Door

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by Becca Dale

ISBN: 978-1-61333-399-0

Cover art by Scott Carpenter

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

Look for us online at:

www.decadentpublishing.com

Western Escapes from Decadent Publishing

Diamond Heart by Ann Mayburn

Misbegotten Gaines by Camryn Rhys

Dark Secrets by Desiree Holt

Kantu’s Heart by KevaD

Rough Diamond by Cassandra Dean

Dreams, Deceptions and Desires by Barbara Sheridan

Also by Becca Dale

Kya’s King

Unspoken Promises

Erotic Healing

Can’t Stop Me

Heart Desires

The Millionaire

and the Girl Next Door

A Western Escape

By

Becca Dale

~Dedication~

To the man who makes me believe in eternal love.

&

To Ansley and Laura,

Freewill is a lovely place to hang because of you.

Chapter One

Home.

Jake Wescott eased the fifth wheel camper between two ancient elms, maneuvering until it sat fairly level, then turned off the big diesel pickup. The silence flooding through the open driver’s window amazed him. Born and raised in Boston, he had never lived anywhere without the hum of traffic and people. A far cry from the vast openness that surrounded Freewill, Wyoming. Satisfaction settled over him as he looked around the clearing on the eastern edge of his new property.

Well, we asked for quiet. I guess we got it, huh, Bud? He reached into the back seat of his quad cab and ruffled his golden retriever’s ears. The two-year-old wiggled in joyous response, anxious to go exploring now that they had finally stopped. With a laugh, Jake stepped down and opened the back door. The dog jumped to the ground.

Don’t go far!

The animal ignored the direct command and streaked for the trees. Smiling at the unrestrained exuberance, Jake unhooked the pickup and engaged the camper slide outs to make the trailer his home. Since the only building still standing on the property was uninhabitable, he had bought the camper to live in until he could have a house built.

Although not overly spacious, the fifth wheel offered a sufficient bedroom complete with master bath, a built-in entertainment center, a great room with eight-foot couch, and a double-door refrigerator. The rear area had a closet with a stacked washer and dryer set and a couple of bunk beds should his sister’s kids come to stay. Other than restricted water and electricity, the place would suit his needs comfortably once he got someone out to skirt the bottom so he didn’t freeze his ass off when winter hit. By midsummer, he hoped to be settled in his new home overlooking the small pond, but for a while the camper would do.

To his right, a crashing noise caught his attention. A small whitetail burst into the clearing. The golden retriever raced at the animal’s heels. The frightened deer nearly collided with the truck then veered sharply and plunged back into the grove.

Bud! he yelled as he joined the chase. Leave that poor doe alone! He dove between the two animals, allowing the deer to escape. Don’t scare the wildlife half to death before we even get settled in. Jake rubbed Bud’s ears affectionately, and the big dog flopped at his feet, exhausted by the chase and willing to stop for a tummy scratch. He squatted and obliged his pet for a moment then rose and patted his leg. Come on, you. Let’s go check out the place and see if I got ripped off.

Skirting the rundown cabin, they walked to the grassy edge of the pond. The sun hung low in the west, and a flock of geese dotted the nearly cloudless sky. Trees grew on the southern portion of the small lake only. The rest of the shoreline met jagged rocks and rolling hills, brown and russet in the late fall weather. A small trout leapt from the water in a spectacular flip before returning to the quiet world below.

The entire property held an expectant feeling, as if everything lived and thrived barely beneath the surface. Bud whined, eager to check things out, but Jake placed a calming hand on the animal’s head. Give me a minute to take it all in. We’ll go exploring soon enough.

He had bought the one hundred and sixty acres of ragged hills from pictures alone, but the place had called to him somehow, convincing him he was meant to be there. And if it met even half his expectations, it represented perfection. Two narrow creeks came together and formed the small pond near the old cabin. The realtor had called the property good grazing land, but Jake didn’t want to raise cattle, just a chance to escape the money-grubbing society he had lived in for too long.

His sister, Jenna, had scolded him for running away and predicted severe boredom in a month, but he didn’t think so. Common sense said he should have waited until spring to move, but the temptation to get away had been irresistible. If it got too cold to live in the camper, he’d find an apartment or room in town for a while.

A slight breeze stirred the trees behind him and a chill danced up his spine, making him uneasy. Bud’s hackles rose. He growled low and menacing toward the overgrown path running between the water and the cabin.

I think someone walked over my grave, boy. Jake could see nothing. Catching the golden’s collar, he tugged. It’s been a long day. Let’s go find some dinner.

They climbed the rise to the clearing as a four-wheeled ATV roared up the drive. The rider wore a tattered baseball cap pulled low over his eyes with no helmet. A faded T-shirt and blue jeans topped by a ratty oversized denim jacket kept out the autumn chill. From a distance the boy looked about thirteen, far too young to be running around on a dangerous piece of equipment unsupervised. The lawyer in Jake cringed at the blatant disregard for safety laws. Shaking off the unbidden judgment, he continued across the clearing to greet the kid.

Chris pulled the ATV to a stop and studied her new neighbor. Dark brown hair lay in neatly controlled waves, and his jeans looked like he’d purchased them especially for the trip, but there ended the pretty, city-boy image she’d anticipated. His faded T-shirt fit a bit tight on his muscular arms, and his hiking boots were scuffed and well worn. Whiskers shadowed his cheeks, and he moved with a casual grace usually reserved for cowboys. When he drew near, she could see green eyes framed by heavy lashes and thick well-groomed brows. His mouth quirked upward at one corner and emphasized his full lower lip.

Had she not been irritated by the guy’s very existence, his latent sexuality would have been foremost in her mind. But since he and his fancy lawyer had snatched the Garrison’s property from the locals, namely her family, she pushed lustful thoughts aside for more important issues.

Hi, she called when he came within hearing distance. She wanted cooperation if possible, so she didn’t intend to start out on the wrong foot.

A golden retriever bounced and wiggled next to