Page 3 of Her Bachelor Cowboy Billionaire

Roark didn’t take the phone. “That’s right, you did. Besides, what kind of matchmaker would let you sign up for me?”

“Mrs. Madison’s special. I don’t know how, but…it was like she was expecting my call and…” Trevor scratched his head and frowned. “I don’t understand it myself.”

Roark finally took the phone and looked at the screen. The picture was of a woman with dark brown hair, pulled straight back, and icy blue eyes, behind black cat’s eye glasses that took up a full third of her face.

She mesmerized Roark. She was beautiful, and he knew she was perfect for him. Meredith was supposed to be his match, but he’d always preferred the bookish type. He wanted an intelligent woman who he could have discussions with about more than what the latest gossip was. He couldn’t explain it more than that. He just knew she was for him and suddenly, he couldn’t wait to meet her. “When can we get together?”

Trevor lifted his eyebrows, leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs at the knee. “I hadn’t expected you to concur so quickly. She’s agreed to meet you today for coffee at three o’clock at Starbucks on the Sixteenth Street Mall between Tremont Place and Court Place. She’ll be wearing a dark green turtleneck.”

Roark chuckled. “She sounds like she’s trying to hide her beauty, but I can see through the disguise.” He never lifted his eyes from the picture on Trevor’s phone. “This one is…special. I just have a feeling. I never felt this way about Meredith or any of my other fiancées. Confirm the meeting. Tell her I’ll be wearing a navy blue pinstripe suit.” He broke his gaze away from the picture and handed Trevor his phone.

“Well, I certainly hope so. She is the only brunette that you’ve even been interested in, much less been a fiancée.” He typed into his phone and then hit send. “It’s done. She’ll be at Starbucks in forty-five minutes. That gives you plenty of time to go meet Mrs. Madison and then get to Starbucks, get a coffee, and watch her arrive.”

“Given such a short time frame, I wonder if she’s eager to meet me or hoping I won’t show? I better go.” Roark stood and looked down at Trevor, who sat finishing his gin and tonic. “Thanks. I feel good about this.”

“I hope it works out. Remember, Mrs. Madison guarantees her matches, so let’s hope she’s as good as she says she is.” Trevor stood and extended his hand.

Roark took it and then pulled his best friend into a one-armed hug. “I’ll call you after the meeting and tell you how it went.”

Trevor grinned. “Good. I want to hear all about her.”

Releasing Trevor, Roark turned away and hurried out of the club.

Smiling, Roark couldn’t wait to meet Jessica Kirby.

* * *

Roark walked into Love International.Behind the computer on the only desk in the room was an elderly woman. “Mrs. Madison?”

She looked up, smiled widely, and then stood. “Mr. Sullivan. Come in. Come in.”

The woman had thick, white hair in a braid down her back. She had large gold hoop earrings in her ears and wore a blouse with long puffy sleeves and a high neckline, but the blouse was fitted like she was wearing a corset.

Roark had the feeling that she was…magic. But that was impossible. He was just anxious to get the interview over with.

“You shouldn’t be in such a hurry, Roark. May I call you, Roark?”

“Of course.”

She opened one of the two doors behind the desk. It opened into a small conference room, dimly lit with wall sconces that looked like they had candles in them. The table was round and covered with a colorful cloth.

“Come in.” She pointed at one of the four chairs at the table. “Sit. Sit.”

This was the most unusual setting for a matchmaker, though he didn’t know what a normal setting was. He expected her to bring out a crystal ball any minute.

She chuckled as she sat across from him. “Now, Roark. Your friend was most forthcoming about your needs and desires, but I’ve known for a long time that I would meet you. I was waiting for the perfect girl. I guarantee my matches, but I’m sure Trevor told you that or you wouldn’t be here.”

He was fascinated with her sing-song voice. The sound relaxed him.

She stood and walked to a small stereo system and pressed a button.

Roark hadn’t seen a system like that since he was a young man. “Yes, he told me and he showed me the picture you sent of Jessica Kirby. She is beautiful and I don’t know why she tries to hide it. Beauty like hers cannot be hidden from those with eyes that see.”

“You are quite right. Though the young woman would prefer it most times if those around her saw her for her mind, not her physical self.”

“I don’t believe one can be separated from the other.”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Yes, I believe this as well.”