Taming The Cowboy (Book Three): Taming The Cowboy, #3

By Layla Valentine

I came to this ranch to be safe,
The gorgeous cowboy next door?
He's a whole new bucket of trouble.

It's tough being a woman in business,
So when you get to the top, success tastes all the sweeter—
Even if it comes with threats to your life.
As a female billionaire, danger kind of comes with the territory,
So after my latest near-miss, I figured I'd combine a trip out of town with a taste of a life I've always craved — outdoors, in the sun, on a working Texas ranch.
I needed to get away from it all. No distractions, no danger,
I wasn't counting on meeting the cowboy next door.
In Dallas Dawson it seems I've met my match,
But this cowboy has secrets.
And rather than getting away from it all, I've landed myself in serious trouble.
Can I tame the cowboy before it's too late?
Can he be my protector?

This is the third book in the Taming The Cowboy series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Layla Valentine
• Release date: Jul 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201848521

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

RUTH

The ride back home hurt. Everything hurt. It was almost a physical pain, exhausting me, making it hard to think straight. I knew it was stupid to let myself fall apart like this; I wasn’t a teenager. I couldn’t afford it. But the pain was there, weighing me down.

I left Gregory to continue his investigation while I holed up at my new home, pretending to still be working from the ranch out in the countryside. Here, at least, the Wi-Fi was stable, the air-conditioning spared me any more heat, and I didn’t have to worry about anyone getting in past my guard.

But the luxury penthouse that had been found and secured for me was still lonely as hell, and I couldn’t shake the feeling no matter what I did.

I spent the first day at home puttering around unpacking and watching old movies, unable to focus on even the simplest bit of the approval work ahead of me. Now and again I would just start sobbing out of nowhere and have to stop and look after myself until I could function at all again. I took two long naps and then slept for ten hours.

I had suffered through broken hearts before, mostly in high school when every little slight from even the most ridiculous boy could leave me weeping into my pillow. But this was deeper. More personal.

I had felt so good with the man I knew as Dallas that the disappointment afterward was just that much more bitter. I simply had further to fall.

One day I’ll look back on this and be able to shrug it off as a mistake that could have ended up a lot worse. I hope that wasn’t actually the best sex of my life ever, because I hate the idea that I enjoyed myself so much with a goddamned liar.

That evening, an hour after the office closed down for the night, Gregory called to check in.

No signs of any listening devices, he said. No tampering with your computer or your accounts.

So what does that mean as far as our investigation? I rubbed my face.

I’m looking into potential communications between anyone in our office and our top three competitors. It has to be an inside man. Someone with a lot of access.

I couldn’t think about the possibility of another betrayer in my life—possibly even Bella. Okay. So that’s Railway Creative, Edgeworth Marketing, and Star of Texas.

Correct. He cleared his throat. You still don’t want anyone to know that you’re back?

Right. Because if they were watching me to see when I left, with or without Calvin’s help, they’ll know I left for home. And so will whoever is our inside man. Or woman, a cold, merciless voice said in the back of my head.

Smart. I’ll keep an ear out. That may be the way we catch this person if the communications check doesn’t pan out. He paused a moment. How are you doing?

Oh me? I feel safe here. I’ll be fine. Eventually. No way am I going to let these bastards keep me down for long. But in the meantime, I need space. I’m sorting some things out.

I understand. He didn’t sound entirely convinced, but he let it go. If you need anything, call me. Otherwise I’ll check in as soon as I have more news.

Thanks, Gregory. I’ll talk to you later.

I hung up and went back to trying to distract myself from thoughts of Calvin. Thoughts of the guy who might have tried to resist his bosses, and who might be able to help me find them. The guy who might even be in love with me…but the one who couldn’t be trusted at all after what he had done.

But my mind, my heart, and my body weren’t in agreement with one another on this one. I knew that for certain as soon as I woke the next morning—from dreams of Calvin, ones so tender and erotic that I woke up weepy and shaking with desire.

His lips on my skin. His shivering breath in my ear. His body over mine. The dream haunted my waking thoughts for hours, and then memories of him took over for the rest of the day. I thought of him when I watered my plants, when I went over the stack of ads to be approved, when I showered, when I watched the news.

He haunted me. I couldn’t get rid of him. And part of me just didn’t want to.

By the end of the second day, I had fully unpacked and was starting to go stir-crazy. I had gotten used to walking miles in the fresh air every day. Now I was back to my home gym, walking the treadmill, lifting weights, rowing, biking in place as I stared at nature shows. Two sweaty hours of that and I still felt restless—and somehow, working out only made me think of Calvin more.

I realized something important, at least, from all that brooding. Calvin had tried to explain to me about how desperate he had been. How he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in three days. How his agent was a sleazy bastard always aiming to take advantage of him.

Had I ever in my life gone hungry for more than the time it took to take a fasting blood test at the doctor’s office? No, no I hadn’t. I had grown up wealthy and become more so on