Cowboy Billionaire

By Kate Stone

An enemies to lovers novella.

 

Lauren Williams was stunned when the resort she was trying to book a vacation at hung up on her.

 

She knew exactly how to get even - spill the tea on her travel podcast.

 

Mack DeAndrews, owner of Winding River, flew from Montana to Seattle to confront Lauren and make her take down the podcast before his business suffered.

 

One look at Lauren and he changed his plans. 

 

Mack gives Lauren an all-expenses-paid trip to his ranch but he doesn't care about her review anymore, all he wants is to be close to her. But first, he'll have to prove he's worthy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Stone
• Release date: Jun 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201677992

Book preview

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

For Mr. Stone, who makes all my dreams come true.

Contents

Chapter 1 – Lauren 6

Chapter 2 – Mack 11

Chapter 3 – Lauren 18

Chapter 4 – Mack 26

Chapter 5 – Lauren 34

Chapter 6 – Mack 40

Chapter 7 – Lauren 46

Chapter 8 – Mack 49

Chapter 9 – Lauren 52

About the Author 58

Chapter One – Lauren

The city was alive and vividly bright as I stepped out of the coffee shop and started down the sidewalk, reaching up to detangle my sunglasses from my wavy hair and sliding them over my eyes. Even with the buildings stretching up to form an uneven wall around the heart of the city, they did nothing to eliminate the natural brilliance of the cloudless sky. 

The view was the kind of urban, cultured beauty the country could never touch. Or at least to me it was. I’d been born and raised in the California countryside among dairy and avocado farms. My salt-of-the earth parents didn’t have the clout it took to live where the vineyards dominated and they were fine with that. They ran their modest farm with dignity and never took vacations. Dad always claimed vacations were a rich man’s way of avoiding responsibility. With that kind of upbringing, I should have gravitated toward the open country and endless views unmarred by concrete and glass. I was drawn to the rich culture, the pulse of life, the fast pace and steady impatience that vibrated through the streets.

And this morning I loved it more than I ever had. Today was special and exhilarating, full of vindication for goals I was finally accomplishing. For four years, I’d been a travel planner, taking vacations and reviewing them through podcasts and video streaming. It might sound like a lot of fun, but these vacations weren’t exactly for pleasure. They were for information so that my followers could make well-informed decisions before sinking their money into the vacation they had quite possibly saved a year for. 

I won't lie and say it wasn’t fun. It was plenty of fun, but it has its downsides. Lifting bed covers to find stains, hair and bed bugs isn’t fun. And up until recently, the vacations had been small scale - glamping excursions, one-night stays at five-star hotels, or the occasional resort that promised not to break the bank. And now, for the first time, I could plan something huge that a few listeners had been begging me to tackle. I was calling Winding River Resort in Wyoming to book a seven-day ranching experience.

I understand the irony in this. Really, I do. Country girl turned city girl just to schedule a vacation on a ranch when her dad claims vacationing is lazy. My dad sees the irony in it, as well, I promise. The look on his face when I told him my post-college plans was hilarious. His opinion didn’t stop me from moving to the city right of college and working as an administrative assistant at an insurance firm while slowly building my modest business as a vacation planner. Adding podcasts to my brand after having my business up and running had provided me the financial boost I needed and after two years, I’d made the move to quit my job and start my own business.

I turned a corner after walking a few blocks and smiled when my little store front came into view. It wasn’t anything huge with blinding neon letters designed to catch the pedestrian eye. The sign was handmade by one of my dad’s farm hands as a gift after I took the nerve-wracking leap and rented the storefront. 

Leave it to Lauren - Vacation Planning Services. 

It was my baby. All mine and I had worked tirelessly to keep it thriving with a steady stream of clients and a podcast that had an impressive following. 

I shifted the drink caddy to one hand, balancing it as I pulled the door open, the overhead bell welcoming me with a light chime. 

Hey Lauren, my receptionist greeted. 

Morning, Erica, I held out my caffeinated offering, waving it enticingly, white chocolate mocha latte with soymilk? Hopefully it didn’t get too cold on the way here.

You’re a saint, she said with a wide smile that always reminded me of Julia Roberts. Thanks a ton, boss.

Erica was younger than me by a few years, in her last year of college and organized in a way that I would never be. Before she came along, I had killed off three office plants and had one desk for furniture. Now, I had five thriving office plants, three desks, a cozy seating area, and much less stress. 

She was pretty in a pixie-like way, petite with high cheekbones peppered with freckles. Her red hair was a mess of curls that she kept piled up on her head in a way that never looked messy and usually made me wish I could have hair like hers. Not that I had a problem with my angled bob. But to have curls like that and not have to fight a straight iron every morning to get them would be nice. 

Most importantly, we got along great. 

Nick’s coming in after lunch to go over that Buenos Aires trip with you. We have two new clients, one at 11:15 and the other at 3:00 this afternoon, Erica said, handing me a small stack of messages. You’re handling the Wyoming resort today, right?

Yup. I’ll take care of that before I settle in to record. Did you get the studio set up?

Sure did. Sound checked and everything. You should be good to go. 

And you call me a saint, I grinned. Hey, you should call that new pizza place downtown and see about getting some lunch delivered. 

Pepperoni and green olives?

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