Page 17 of Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire

She looked into his eyes.They were so beautiful.The blue-violet was clear, without a hint of gray.Her thoughts went to children with her red hair and his blue eyes.Then she blinked.He’d asked her a question.“I’d like that.What is this restaurant like?Do I need to dress up?”

“It’s pretty casual.Nice jeans will work fine.”

“Good.That I have.If you’d said I needed a cocktail dress, I’d have to go buy one.”She grinned.“And shopping for a pretty dress is such a hardship.”

He laughed.

So did she.It would probably behoove her to go buy one, anyway, if he was going to continue to ask her out.

I’m so attracted to him.Do I want him to continue to ask me out?What if I fall for him?What if he’s the elusive part of my soul I’ve been looking for?That’s something that can only lead to heartbreak.Mine.I should stop this right now, but I’ve never felt this comfortable with anyone.Never felt like I’d found my other half.Will I lose myself like I did with Jared?

The followingevening Meri was at her parents’ house for dinner.

Eric and Avery accompanied her, but refused to come in and waited in the car for her.

Carole Anderson greeted Meri in the kitchen.“Hello, sweetheart.How are you?Anything new?”She was stirring a pot on the stove.She had the same red hair as Meri.Now she had it tied into a ponytail.With her hair styled like that, she looked like a woman twenty years younger than her sixty-four.

“As a matter-of-fact lots of stuff.First, I’m painting a mural in the reception office of Chase Harper Security downtown.I couldn’t believe it when he hired me.Then when I took the miniature—I really should think of something else to call it—anyway, when I took it yesterday to have him approve it, he did.I start tomorrow or Thursday.Then we went for breakfast at the Twilight Café, just a couple of blocks from his building.He’s so nice, and we talked for a long time.Then he asked me out for last night and we went to The Capital Grille.It was wonderful.He’s already asked me out again for tomorrow night.”

“Well, it seems you have a young man now, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know.Maybe.I just want to see where it goes.Without expectations.But anyway, that wasn’t the most exciting thing that happened last night.”

“Tell me.What could be more exciting than to discover that a man, I’m assuming a handsome one, is calling on you?”

“When we were walking back to my place, there was a shooting in the parking lot outside the restaurant.The assailant shot at us.”

“What’s this?”asked her father, Bill, as he came into the kitchen.“You were shot at?”

Meri sat at the kitchen table.“Yeah.We weren’t really in too much danger.The guy was using a snub-nose thirty-eight and you know how unreliable they are.Only good for up close and lucky for us, he wasn’t close.”

“Maybe you don’t want to go out with this man again.Sounds like he attracts trouble,” said Carole.She pulled a casserole from the oven.“Dinner is almost ready.Meri, would you set the table, please?”

She moved toward the cupboards.“Sure, but I’m still going to see Chase.I haven’t felt like this in a long time.And he doesn’t attract trouble.That was an accident and could have happened to anyone.”

Carole sighed.“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”She looked up at Meri’s dad.“What do you think, Bill?”

Her father sat across from her.“I agree with Meri.It could have happened to anyone, and you shouldn’t be making more out of it than it is.”

“I suppose you’re right.Meri, have fun with your young man.”She laid a hand on Meri’s shoulder.“You’ve been unhappy for too long.Don’t let Jared have this much control over you still.It’s been over two years and you are still bleeding inside.Maybe this man can help you heal.You’ll have to bring him by so we can meet him.”

“Maybe.We’ll see how it goes.”Am I still letting Jared control me?Is that why I compare everything Chase does to what Jared did?

On Wednesday,along with her escorts, Meri went to her favorite paint store and bought paint for the mural, and she started a new painting for her website.More and more people were finding her site, and she needed more time to do the small paintings she shipped all over the world.

Someday she’d like to visit those places, like London, Paris and Athens.What an amazing experience it would be to do a painting of the Parthenon while actually looking at the real thing and not just another picture.

That night, she decided to wear a dress instead of jeans.One of her favorites, it had a Native American design on the bottom of the skirt and the three-quarter sleeves.Made of a soft jersey material, it skimmed over her breasts and hips before flaring at the bottom just below her knees.The beautiful blue color looked great with her hair and reminded her of Chase’s eyes.She paired it with beige suede ankle boots she had purchased specifically for this dress.

The doorbell rang.

She grinned and smoothed her hands down the dress before answering the door.

When she opened the door, Chase took her breath away.He’d dressed in black jeans, with a black button-down shirt, open at the neck.The man did like black but with his tan skin, he looked hot enough to eat.

“Hi.Come on in while I get my sweater and my purse.”

He walked inside.